Oregon Brewers Festival Explained
| Begins: | Thursday before last full weekend in July |
| Ends: | Last Sunday in July |
| Frequency: | Annual |
| Location: | Tom McCall Waterfront Park, Portland, Oregon |
| Years Active: | 1988–2019, 2022, 2024- |
| Participants: | 85,000 (2014) |
Oregon Brewers Festival (OBF) is a four-day craft beer festival held annually from 1988 to 2019 and 2022 at the Tom McCall Waterfront Park in downtown Portland, Oregon, except in 2020-21 when the COVID-19 pandemic and 2023 when low attendance and hot weather from last year caused it to be cancelled.[1] OBF has become the most popular outdoor beer festival in North America, based on attendance. Each brewery brings one beer.[2] The attendance peaked in 2014, however it has been declining since.[3] There is a Root Beer Garden for those who are under 21 or loathe alcohol.
History
Founder of Portland Brewing Co, Art Larrance,
[4] launched the Oregon Brewers Festival in July 1988, after visiting Oktoberfest in Munich and wanting to create a similar atmosphere and experience.
[5] | Year | Sample
size[6] |
|---|
| 1991 | 6 oz |
| 1994 | 6 oz |
| 1996 | 5 oz |
| 1997 | 6 oz |
| 2001 | 5 oz |
| 2002 | 4 oz |
| 2003 | 6 oz |
| 2005 | 4 oz |
| 2007 | 4 oz |
| 2010 | 4 oz |
| 2012 | 4 oz |
| 2013 | 3 oz |
| 2014[7] | 3 oz | |
Live music was introduced in 2001.
[8] In 2005, OBF expanded from a three-day schedule (Friday to Sunday) to four, adding Thursday.[9]
The 2011 Oregon Brewers Festival featured 85 craft beers from 14 states; it attracted 80,000 people over four days.[10] Nearly 2,000 volunteers worked at the festival, selling tokens and pouring beer, among other tasks.[10]
In 2013, OBF added a fifth day, moving the opening to Wednesday; they also replaced the annual plastic mug, which had been used since the festival's beginning, with a tasting glass, which for 2013 costs $7.[9] For 2014, there are 88 beers available, in 30 styles; that does not include the more than 100 available separately in OBF's Specialty Tent.[11]
After two years with tasting glasses made of glass, for 2015, OBF switched to a polycarbonate tasting glass; the change was in response to safety concerns raised by the Portland Police.
In 2018, OBF changed back to a four-day festival, moving the opening to Thursday. That same year, the festival added two hard ciders to the lineup, and four wines –– 2 red and 2 white –– for the first time in the festival's history.[12]
In 2020 and 2021, the festival went on hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic;[13] although it resumed in 2022, it was cancelled in 2023.
Related events
In recent years OBF has anchored a month of beer-related festivals in Portland, including the North American Organic Brewers Festival, the Portland International Beerfest, and the Great American Distillers Festival.[14]
See also
External links
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Notes and References
- Web site: FAQ . Oregon Brewers Festival . 2011-10-14 . 2011-10-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111028050643/http://www.oregonbrewfest.com/index2.php?p=faq . live .
- News: Perry. Douglas. July 24, 2008. Brewers Fest FAQ: What you need to know. The Oregonian. 2011-10-14. 2016-03-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304115224/http://www.oregonlive.com/dining/index.ssf/2008/07/brewers_fest_faq_what_you_need.html. live.
- Web site: Has Portland's Beer Festival Scene Been Tapped Out?. 2021-02-27. New School Beer + Cider. en-US. 2021-02-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20210221153839/https://newschoolbeer.com/nsb/2018/07/portlands-beer-festival-scene-tapped.html. live.
- Web site: 2023-02-27 . Beer Birthday: Art Larrance - Brookston Beer Bulletin . 2023-05-11 . brookstonbeerbulletin.com . en-US.
- Web site: About . 2023-05-11 . Oregon Brewers Festival . en-US.
- Web site: Pete. Dunlop. What's Up with OBF Pour Sizes, Anyway?. July 21, 2013. BeervanaBuzz.com. 2013-07-26. 2017-09-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20170919031913/http://www.beervanabuzz.com/2013/07/whats-up-with-obf-pour-sizes-anyway.html. live.
- Web site: Oregon Brewers Festival fans: It's that time again . July 14, 2014 . Cathy . Cheney . . 2014-07-21 . 2014-07-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140720195604/http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/blog/real-estate-daily/2014/07/oregon-brewers-festival-fans-its-that-time-again.html . live .
- News: News Buzz . Beer Wars . July 11, 2001 . Trisha . Miller . John . Schrag . . 2011-10-14 . 2016-03-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304060924/http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-187-news_buzz.html . live .
- Web site: Wednesday is the new Thursday: Oregon Brewers Festival will grow to five days this year . February 5, 2013 . John . Foyston . . 2013-05-03 . 2013-02-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130209201400/http://blog.oregonlive.com/thebeerhere/2013/02/wednesday_is_the_new_thursday.html . live .
- News: Brew Fest breaks attendance record . August 2, 2011 . Wendy . Culverwell . . 2011-10-14 . 2023-01-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230114021606/https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/blog/2011/08/brew-fest-breaks-attendance-record.html . live .
- Web site: Hopped Up Eugene – The Oregon Brewers Festival . Lacey . Harrison . EugeneDailyNews.com . 2014-07-21 . 2014-07-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140717230357/http://eugenedailynews.com/2014/07/hopped/ . live .
- Web site: Meunier . Andre . 2018-07-27 . Oregon Brewers Festival 2018 hits Waterfront Park on Thursday . 2024-07-29 . oregonlive . en.
- Web site: Another dry summer in Portland: Oregon Brewers Festival canceled with no clear return . 2024-07-29 . opb . en.
- News: Brew Fest breaks attendance record . June 25, 2008 . https://archive.today/20130210042527/http://www.wweek.com/portland/print-article-9167-print.html . dead . February 10, 2013 . Joseph . Watts . . 2011-10-14 .
