Northwest Beer Festival Guide

NW Beer Fests
An Adventure Sport for Beer-Lovers

By Kendall Jones

Photo at right: Get hoppy at the Oregon Brewers Festival! Photo courtesy of HMS Photographic

Around here, we do not take our summers or our craft beers for granted; they are both precious commodities. When the days get long and we venture out of our caves, there is no shortage of beer festivals to keep us hydrated and entertained.

A beer festival is like a mountain loop trail where you get to enjoy a number of different vistas, lakes, peaks, valleys and streams without ever turning back and seeing the same thing twice. A beer festival offers you a chance to taste a variety of different beers in a single session. You get to choose whether to turn around and drink the same beer twice.

Festivals provide an opportunity to try all sorts of different beers without having to commit to an entire pint or bottle. Think of the beer festival as an adventure sport for beer lovers.

Below, we list some of our favorite Northwest summer beer festivals. From Newport to Spokane, and from May until October, here are our top picks.

Seattle Beer Week

May 9–19, Seattle, Wash. www.seattlebeerweek.com

For the fifth year in a row, The Seattle Beer Collective has organized Seattle Beer Week. This city-wide celebration of beer consists of dozens of different events at pubs, bars and restaurants in and around Seattle. Ten days of outstanding tasting panels, beer dinners, and other events celebrate the city’s love of beer. Visit the website to find out about particular events.

Gig Harbor Beer Festival

May 11, Gig Harbor, Wash. www.gigharborbeerfestival.com

The second annual Gig Harbor Beer Festival offers beer drinkers the chance to enjoy a variety of beers from a dozen different Northwest breweries, food from local restaurants, and live music provided by local artists like Perry Acker. Be sure to sample some beer from Gig Harbor’s own 7 Seas Brewing Company. This is a 21+ event.

Brewer’s Memorial Ale Festival

May 17–18, Newport, Ore. www.brewersalefest.com

This dog-friendly beer festival at the Rogue Brewery in Newport features more than 50 beers from the area’s best breweries, including all of your Rogue favorites.

Entertainment includes live music, doggy musical chairs, dog dancing and more. The event benefits four local dog-focused charities. No kids allowed at this event, unless they are of the furry, four-legged variety.

Portland Fruit Beer Festival

June 8–9, Portland, Ore. www.portlandfruitbeerfest.com

Burnside Brewing Company hosts this celebration of fruited beers. I am not talking about a lemon wedge on the rim of the glass, or a sliver of lime in the bottle, I am talking about beers brewed with, or infused with, fruit.

Now in its second year, the Portland Fruit Beer Festival aims to open minds to an exotic world of fanciful flavors. More than 20 breweries will pour beers brewed using mango, tangerine, huckleberry, and pretty much anything else to add unexpected character to the beer. This is an all-ages event, with juice and activities for the kids.

The famous keg toss at the Washington Brewers Festival. Photo courtesy of Washington Brewers Festival.

Washington Brewers Festival

June 14–16, Redmond, Wash. www.washingtonbeer.com/wa-brewers-fest

This is the big daddy: the Father’s Day brew fest.

The Washington Brewers Festival brings together more than 60 Washington breweries for a three-day festival at Marymoor Park. Over the course of the weekend, nearly 20,000 guests will sample more than 200 different beers. Dad gets the best of both worlds, enjoying delicious beers while spending the day with the family.

Friday night is for grownups only, but otherwise you are welcome to bring the kids.

This is one of six annual festivals presented by the Washington Beer Commission, the only official state commission of its kind in the country.

Gorge Blues & Brews Festival

June 21–22, Stevenson, Wash. www.gorgebluesandbrews.com

This festival dishes up beer, music and food on the banks of the Columbia River. What’s more, this event offers an uncommon opportunity to camp on-site at a beer festival. It is not the backcountry, but the Skamania County Fairgrounds offers a place to pitch your tent as well as offering the other necessary facilities.

Enjoy a long day of beer and blues then stroll or stumble home to your bivouac. Campsites are limited and reservations are required. The lineup of breweries and musicians is always impressive at this grownups-only event.

North American Organic Brewers Festival

June 27–30, Portland, Ore. www.naobf.org

Now in its ninth year, this festival attracts more than 15,000 beer lovers, music fans and supporters of sustainable living. They all share the same goal: “drink organic, save the planet.”

This is your opportunity to enjoy more than 60 different beers and ciders from the continent’s best organic brewers and producers. Beyond that, you’ll find organic food, sustainability-oriented vendors, and a children’s area. All this in a beautiful setting overlooking downtown Portland—Overlook Park.

Oregon Craft Beer Month

July 1–31, Statewide www.oregoncraftbeermonth.com

Craft beer is such a big deal in Oregon that it takes an entire month to celebrate it properly. All month there will be various beer dinners, beer tastings, beer festivals and other events to showcase Oregon’s love of good beer. The whole thing wraps up at the end of the month with the Oregon Brewers Festival in Portland (July 24–28).

For details, keep an eye on the website’s ever-growing list of events.

Seattle International Beer Festival

July 5 –7, Seattle, Wash. www.seattlebeerfest.com

In the shadow of the Space Needle, you will find over 200 different beers from 16 different countries at this three-day celebration of world beers. While local beers are available, many people flock to this event to sample ultra-rare brews from across the globe—some of which are only available at this festival.

In addition to hardcore beer geeks, this event attracts a younger, more enthusiastic crowd than many other beer festivals. Perhaps it is the downtown location or perhaps it is because this event always happens on the weekend surrounding the Fourth of July. At any rate, expect a lively and festive crowd. In other words, this is no place for children (21+).

Puckerfest

July 12–18, Portland, Ore. www.puckerfest.com

Puckerfest has established itself as one of the most popular events during Oregon Craft Beer Month. Sour beers are a recent trend in craft beer but Puckerfest has been celebrating these unusual concoctions for the past six years.

The event takes place at Belmont Station, one of Portland’s top beer bars, and will feature a rotating cast of at least 10 funky brews on tap daily. Understand that funky is a good word when you are talking about sour beer. Kids are welcome until 7 p.m.

Bremerton Summer Brew Fest

July 13, Bremerton, Wash. www.washingtonbeer.com/bremerton-summer-brewfest

The streets of downtown Bremerton host this celebration of summer beers. To quench your summer thirst, 26 Washington breweries offer their best summer-inspired creations.

Expect lighter-bodied beers than you might find at other craft beer festivals. The event takes place within easy walking distance of the Bremerton ferry terminal so Seattle-side festivalgoers are encouraged to walk on the ferry for an afternoon and evening of beer-fueled merriment. Sorry, no kids at this one. This is another official Washington Beer Commission event, so you know the beer will be top-notch.

Portland International Beer Festival

July 19–21, Portland, Ore. www.portland-beerfest.com

If this event seems suspiciously similar to the Seattle International Beer Festival, that’s because it is produced by the same people. For the most part, it is the same festival just three hours south.

You will find many of the same, rare international beers, though the local lineup is sure to be slightly different. The Portland version of the festival takes place in the Pearl District at the North Park Blocks. Like the Seattle version, this is a 21+ event.

Oregon Brewers Festival

July 24–28, Portland, Ore. www.oregonbrewfest.com

The Oregon Brewers Festival is recognized as one of the longest running, biggest and best beer festivals in the United States. Held in downtown Portland at Tom McCall Waterfront Park, the 26th annual OBF expects to attract upward of 80,000 people to sample beers from nearly 80 different breweries.

This year, the event expands to five days. It all begins rather quietly on Wednesday with a parade through the streets of Portland and the ceremonial tapping of the first keg by the city’s mayor. By Saturday, the party reaches a fevered pitch. Kids are welcome, but if you bring a teen expect to sign a waiver.

Bend Brewfest

Aug. 15–17, Bend, Ore. www.bendbrewfest.com

Long known as a destination for year-round outdoor adventure, Bend has now gained a reputation as a beer destination. At the Bend Brewfest, expect to enjoy beer from all 22 of the local breweries plus dozens of others. The event is a benefit for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Oregon, so rest assured that you are helping with each sip. Children are welcome until 7 p.m. each night.

Everett Craft Beer Festival

Aug. 17, Everett, Wash. www.washingtonbeer.com/everett-craft-beer-festival

Like every other town in the Pacific Northwest, Everett has a growing craft beer scene. Live music and great beer take over the downtown streets for an afternoon of beer-fueled revelry. Sample more than 60 different beers from 27 of Washington’s best breweries. Find a babysitter, no kids allowed. Another Washington Beer Commission event, expect nothing but fresh, local and award-winning beers.

Biketobeerfest

Sept. 21, Portland, Ore. www.hopworksbeer.com

This family-friendly event declares itself to be the world’s only bike-in Oktoberfest party.

In addition to a great selection of organic beers from Hopworks Urban Brewery, enjoy live music and bike-themed entertainment, like BMX stunt riders, bike-builder demonstrations, and the famous “Huffy Toss” bike-throwing competition.

Anywhere else, this event would be unexpected and odd, but not in Portland where bikes and beer are an important part of everyday life.

Craft Beer + Food

Sept. 25, Seattle, Wash. www.craftbeerplusfood.com

For the third year in a row Seattle’s best breweries and restaurants team up for this beer and food pairing extravaganza.

Along the shores of Lake Union, each brewery + restaurant team will offer a different beer + food pairing. Presented by the Washington Beer Blog, this event highlights how beer can be part of an elevated dining experience. Keep an eye on the website to find out when tickets go on sale for this highly anticipated, adults-only event.

Spokane Oktoberfest

Sept. 27–28, Spokane, Wash. www.washingtonbeer.com/oktoberfest

Spokane’s Riverfront Park provides a beautiful location for the Washington Beer Commission’s official Oktoberfest bash.

Now in its fourth year, this festival offers more than 50 different beers from 24 breweries. While there will be a lot of Washington-brewed German-style beers, expect to find plenty of other styles as well. You can also look forward to oompa bands, men in lederhosen, and pretty girls in dirndls. After all, this is Oktoberfest. No kids allowed at this one.

Hood River Hops Fest

Sept. 27, Hood River, Ore. www.hoodriver.org/hopsfest

Do you really need a reason to go to Hood River? If so, this is it.

Hood River Hops Fest sees over two dozen local breweries pour their hoppiest creations. Many of the beers are brewed using hops fresh off the farm. After all, it is harvest season. The event takes place on the streets of downtown Hood River, across the street from Full Sail Brewing, and always features exceptional live music. The entire town shows up for this event, including the kids.

Yakima Fresh Hop Ale Festival

Oct. 5, Yakima, Wash. www.freshhopalefestival.com

The Yakima Valley produces 75 percent of the national hop crop each year; the other 25 percent comes from the Willamette Valley. Hops are harvested once a year during late August and early September. Understandably, the Northwest’s craft breweries enjoy a distinct advantage when it comes to brewing fresh hop beer—making use of the hops within 24 hours of harvest.

This festival features an outstanding selection of fresh hop ales produced right here in the Pacific Northwest. More than a beer festival, this event celebrates hops in general, because in Yakima hops are more than a crop, they’re a way of life.

Anacortes Oktoberfest
Bier on the Pier

Oct. 4–5, Anacortes, Wash. www.anacortes.org/oktoberfest

Seamlessly blending Oktoberfest tradition with the town’s nautical heritage, this annual event takes place in the heart of Anacortes on a pier along the Guemes Channel.

Along with food and live music, you will enjoy a vast selection of NW beers. In fact, of all of the Oktoberfest celebrations west of the Cascades, this event boasts the largest selection of local, Washington-brewed beers.

Strap the kayak to the top of the Subaru for this one. After all, Anacortes is the gateway to the San Juans.

Der Hinterhof Beer Garden

Every weekend, on-going, Leavenworth, Wash. leavenworthbeergarden.com

You can’t think of Leavenworth without thinking of great beer. Good news for beer-lovers: the Beer Garden Weekends at Der Hinterhof, which were previously open just in the summer, are now open year ‘round. There is live music and lots of big screen televisions to watch your favorite sporting event while enjoying your brew.

More Cheer to Beer!

Bavarian Bike and Brew Festival

June 1, Leavenworth, Wash. www.dasradhaus.com

Firkin Fest

May 11, Portland, Ore. www.rogue.com

Frogs & Dogs

July 5–6, Issaquah, Wash. www.rogue.com

Bones and Brew

Aug. 3–4, Portland, Ore. www.rogue.com

Great American Distillers Festival

Oct. 4–5, Portland, Ore. www.rogue.com

Sisters Wine and Brew Festival

June 14–15, Sisters, Ore. www.sisterswineandbrew.com

Barley Cup

June 29, Salem, Ore. www.mcmenamins.com

Roadhouse Brewfest

July 20, Hillsboro, Ore. www.mcmenamins.com

Lighthouse Brewfest

Aug. 17, Lincoln City, Ore. www.mcmenamins.com

Mid–Valley Brewfest

Sept. 21, Eugene, Ore. www.mcmenamins.com

New Belgium Brewing Beer and Film Tour

July 26, Seattle, Wash. www.newbelgium.com

Olympia Summer Brewfest

Aug. 3, Olympia, Wash. www.olybrewfest.com

The Little Woody

Aug. 30–31, Bend, Ore. www.thelittlewoody.com

Mt. Angel Oktoberfest

Sept. 12–15, Mt. Angel, Ore. www.oktoberfest.org

Leavenworth Blues Brews and BBQ

Sept. 13–14, Leavenworth, Wash. www.leavenworthblues.com

Fremont Oktoberfest

Sept. 20–22, Seattle, Wash. www.fremontoktoberfest.com

Kendall Jones is a proud native and lifelong resident of the Pacific Northwest. After spending too many years writing about computer software, he decided to pursue his true passion: writing about beer. Kendall produces beer-tasting events in the Seattle area and is recognized in the craft beer community for his work as curator of the Washington Beer Blog, a popular online source for beer news and information.

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