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After a year of double-digit closures for Oregon breweries and cideries, including beloved staples like Ex Novo, Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider, and Laurelwood Public House & Brewery, to name a few, you might worry that Portland’s beer scene is losing its edge. But before you start pouring one out for those we lost, take a look at the calendar for this year and you’ll see that it’s packed with opportunities to gather and sip suds. And we don’t mean standing around in a hot parking lot drinking 5-ounce pours from plastic cups—the Portland area still boasts the kind of festival schedule that inspires envy in beer geeks worldwide. From niche events and charity auctions to multi-venue marathons and intercontinental throwdowns, these are the fests you don’t want to miss in 2024.
PORTLAND BEER WEEK
June 14–23 | pdxbeerweek.com
The annual 10-day celebration of all things beer is the per- fect summer kickoff. A quick glance at this year’s lineup finds a dizzying number of events: brewery-tap takeovers (wherein a single brewery commandeers an entire tap list), mini-fests dedicated to styles like Kölsch and rye beer, educational opportunities, and tournaments. There’s also plenty of food-focused revelry, like Mussels from Brussels, the Brewers Burger Brawl, and even beer-and-cheesecake pairings. And since each event is a one-off, you don’t have to commit to the whole week with an expensive ticket.
PUNK IN DRUBLIC
June 29–30 | punkindrublicfest.com
When rowdy punk legends NOFX announced their last-ever tour, Portland-area fans were thrilled to see the band was bringing its beer-focused festival along. Most of us associ- ate punk shows with pounding macro lagers in between moshing, but NOFX is classing it up with two days on the waterfront filled with tastings from a slew of national (and hopefully some local) breweries. If seeing Fat Mike’s ridiculous stage antics for the final time means you’ll be crying in your cup, it might as well be filled with a choice IPA.
EDGEFIELD BREWFEST
June 22–23 | mcmenamins.com/events/
Say what you will about McMenamins beer (plenty of hat- ers do), but it’s nothing if not consistent. Taking place at the sprawling hippie resort in Troutdale, the annual Brew- fest brings together hundreds of beers and ciders, including non-McMenamins offerings. As the clouds part and summer truly kicks in, the fest is a perfect time for strolling (or stumbling) around Edgefield’s grassy gardens while sampling an array of sips and basking in a full schedule of live music. Find a designated driver, ride your bike, or take the bus to this summer blowout.
PORTLAND CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL
July 4–6 | portlandcraftbeerfestival.com
For those seeking the simple pleasures of drinking in a park on a sunny day, look no further than the Port- land Craft Beer Festival. Launched in 2015 and featuring beers brewed within the city limits, PCBF is the classic model, with small pours from the likes of Level Brewing, Grand Fir, and Migration; food trucks and craft vendors; and lots of positive vibes.
FUJI TO HOOD
July 20 | fujitohood.com
What happens when brewers from Oregon and Japan get together to make collaborative beers featuring local ingredients from both countries? Find out at Fuji to Hood, the annual celebration of two cultures that share both an ocean and a serious love of beer. More than 20 brewers and cidermak- ers from Japan join forces with 25 of Portland’s breweries to create beers showcasing Japanese ingredients like ube, yuzu, kihada leaves, seaweed, and Japanese pine. Sake and tea are also on offer, and it’s all accompanied by Japanese food and entertainment.
BREWS FOR NEW AVENUES AND OYSTERS & GUEUZE
Aug. 23–24 | newavenues.org/brews-for-new-avenues
If you’re the type of person who fiends for rare beers, Brews for New Avenues is the marquee event of the summer, bringing together esteemed Northwest and overseas breweries and uniting beer fans and collectors in the name of combating youth homelessness. The main event is an auction of some of the world’s best whales (that’s nerdspeak for a hard-to-find beer), but don’t miss the opening night’s
Oysters & Gueuze Social, where attendees pay a separate fee for a bacchanalian celebration of raw Northwest ocean delicacies washed down with legendarily tart and funky Belgian beers.
VIKING BEER FEST
Aug. 23–24 | nordicnorthwest.org/viking-beer-fest
What the hell is Viking beer, you ask? Well, Nordic beer is its own broad style that generally features quick- fermenting and often fruity kveik (pronounced kuh-VIKE) yeast brewed with Arctic Circle adjuncts and Old World techniques. Expect notes of lingonberry, caraway, and juniper and styles like a hon- ey-laced braggot or what’s known as a Beer Norwegian. Portlanders can enjoy all this—as well as mead, cider, and a full tap list of non-Viking brews for those not looking to hit the high seas of adventurous drinking—at the lush Nordic history destination Fogelbo House.
NORTHBANK BEER WEEK
Sept. 12–21 | northbankbeer.com
Portlanders can easily forget that some of the metro area’s best brew- eries lie across the Columbia River, where Vancouver, Camas, and Wash- ougal harbor top-notch breweries like Trap Door, Heathen, Vice, Recluse, Grains of Wrath, and 54-40, to name just a handful. Northbank Beer Week celebrates the tasty brews of Southwest Washington with a series of tap takeovers and parties, and culminates with the Brewing Bridges Collaboration Festival, a showcase for one-off beers brewed up in partnership with Portland and North- bank brewers that takes place in the historically awesome confines of the Pearson Air Museum.
This story is part of Taster Magazine, Willamette Week’s new guide to the best of beer, wine and spirits in Portland. It is free and can be found all over Portland beginning Wednesday, April 17, 2024. Find your free copy at one of the locations noted here, before they all get picked up! Read more from Taster magazine online here.