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Zwickelmania is back with craft beer events at over 50 breweries statewide this Saturday, Feb. 22. And this year, they’ll even drive your drunk ass around town.
A free shuttle bus will take revelers around to more than 12 eastside breweries in Portland, with two routes, running 11 am-5 pm. There was a shuttle last year but it had very limited stops—this is an expansion of the service, according to event organizers. Shuttle bus stops include Assembly Brewing, Baerlic, Crux, Gigantic Brewing, Leikam Brewing, and Migration Brewing, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary with live music this weekend.
The annual celebration of craft beer organized by the Oregon Brewers Guild is named for the “zwickel,” a German word for the sample port found on fermentation vessels. Participants can expect samples directly from the zwickel, beer releases, brewery tours, food pairing and more at the free, non-ticketed event. The full list of participating breweries is available here: oregoncraftbeer.org/zwickelmania.
Zwickelmania is part of an effort to help breweries rebound from the challenges they face during the increasingly-popular Dry January trend, according to the Oregon Brewers Guild. According to the group, about half of breweries, taprooms and brewpubs experience their slowest month in either January or February.
“While January is dry, February is frigid and we definitely see sales in brewpubs and taprooms down both months,” said Sam Pecoraro, President of the Oregon Brewers Guild and Brewmaster of Von Ebert Brewing, in a statement. “That’s one of the reasons the Oregon Brewers Guild started Zwickelmania in 2009. Local businesses like ours need the support of loyal customers to survive the winter so please go to your favorite brewery this weekend to see how some of the world’s best beers are made.”
Zwickelmania, oregoncraftbeer.org/zwickelmania. 11 am-4 pm Saturday, Feb. 22. Shuttles run until 5 pm with buses departing every 30 minutes. Various locations. Free.