Slide Show: Brew Fest Still Growing
You’re never lost at the Oregon Brewers Festival.
Yes, it can get a little "in tents" at times. But anyone afraid of a crowd just doesn’t want beer bad enough.
Plenty of snappy dressers at OBF—like this pilsner pilgrim.
Or this Tyrolean tippler.
Of course, on hot days it pays to protect your pate. Thanks to all the cheerful volunteers, the backbone of the OBF.
There was a stand manned by the Cascade Breweriana Association, collectors of Northwest "breweriana," those beloved beer tchotchkes from yesteryear.
Apparently, the original Rainier brewmaster looked an awful lot like the Monopoly Man. Who knew?
Golden Valley Brewery’s Cote de Or ("Golden Slope") was a magnificent Belgian-style Golden Ale, with a potpourri of fruit and spice flavors. Just a hair too sweet, though.
Of course, it’s not all beer and skittles. Reps from Everyday Prevention, a group focused on curtailing underage drinking, were also present.
Not all of the beer at the festival was served in mugs.
Endgame.
The 24th annual Oregon Brewers Festival had 85 different craft beers from 14 states across the country. Featured here is the Laughing Dog Anubis Imperial Coffee Porter from Idaho.
Photography by McKenna Johnson
Policemen closed down streets for the 800 soon-to-be-drunk passerby to parade from 13th and Stark down to the Tom McCall Waterfront Park on July 28. Portland is home to 40 breweries—more than any other city in the world.
Photography by McKenna Johnson
Along with an accompanied band, the parade featured hammerheads, Vikings, and friars—all in the good name of beer. The event generates close to $2 million according to the Brewers Festival.
Photography by McKenna Johnson
In the hiatus of people that would soon overrun the red tent on popular days of Saturday and Sunday, these beer lovers relaxingly sampled brews in the “red” tent on the much less crowded Thursday. This was the fourth year in a row that the Photography by McKenna Johnson
The token and beer sales tent was overrun on kickoff day July 28 with eager beer enthusiasts waiting to get their hands on a souvenir mug and tokens. With just $6, you can have the souvenir 2011 mug. And with that mug and $1, you can have a token an
Photography by McKenna Johnson
On Thursday, July 28, I was lucky enough to find the Viking Beer Maiden, also known as Josh Gardner. He was getting married on Saturday, July 30.
Photography by McKenna Johnson
Only on the first day would a treat such as free be found. In spirit of brew fest, Jeff Cooley was rapidly filling up mugs of free Hammerhead to the crowd.
Photography by McKenna Johnson
Only on the first day would a treat such as free be found. In spirit of brew fest, Jeff Cooley was rapidly filling up mugs of free Hammerhead to the crowd.
Photography by McKenna Johnson
A brewfester hands up the precious one token for a free tasting outside the North tent—blue tent to keep it even simpler.
Photography by McKenna Johnson
The lines were long and it was hot, but this did not dissuade brew lovers to wait for the cold taste of a beer. Also, to this year to many gluten intolerants’ delight, Deschutes Gluten free NW Pale Ale dry was available. It was one of the beers that r
Photography by McKenna Johnson
The golden color of beer in sunlight was enough to keep those lines long, but the beer also served a purpose—on Sunday, festival director and founder Art Larrance handed a check worth $10,000 to the Oregon Brewers Festival for Pints for Prostates to s
Photography by McKenna Johnson
Photography by McKenna Johnson
In spirit of celebrating beer, Bobby Fox, Jack Tolmachoff, and Mark Hadson, sported gladiator like helmets and pretzel necklaces.
Photography by McKenna Johnson
Bobby Fox having a great time on Friday, July 29, despite the heat and lines.
Photography by McKenna Johnson
People were encouraged to drink, and drink they shall. Everyone else that was sober, including the 2,000 volunteers, minors and designated drivers were given free root beer and face painting—gotta stay safe y’all.
Photography by McKenna Johnson
Ben Hennes, Josh “Torch” Edgerton, and Andy Hennes raised a toast to double fisting to avoid long lines on Saturday. Come back next year, always the last weekend in July.
Photography by McKenna Johnson
