Portland is famous for its incredible diversity of craft beer, and it’s not for nothing that its middle name is Beervana. The city has over seventy-five breweries, impressing beer gourmets with exceptional qualities and unique tastes. This article will help you navigate Portland’s craft beer culture and suggest iconic local breweries worth a visit!
What to consider before a trip to Portland?
Portland beer festivals are significant and long-awaited for locals and tourists. Usually, many tourists arrive in the city these days, creating a solemn burden on traffic. Ensure yourself a cozy ride to your accommodation upon arrival, considering Portland Airport car rental offers in advance. Great deals and a wide range of vehicles await you at Dollar Car Rental Portland. Making car rental reservations long before the pre-holiday rush will significantly reduce costs and save you time.
Enjoy brewery events in Portland!
Foam festivals are almost monthly and combine traditional recipes with innovative ones. February is Oregon Beer Month! On average, events last from several days to a week. Make sure you set aside one or two more days after the festival before heading back. So, you can wake up from the protracted fun and recreate in the fantastic nature parks.
Zwickelmania
This event is enormous: beer flows like a river throughout Oregon and lasts throughout February. In Portland, the holiday takes on its brightest turns. Beer lovers rejoice as exclusive breweries offer free tastings and production tours. The government cares about road safety during the foam holidays, so you can light-heartedly travel between locations on free buses. The organizer is the Oregon Brewers Guild. Imagine the scale: over 100 breweries from the state participate in Zwickelmania!
Baker’s Dozen Coffee Beer & Donut Fest
This festival brings together a trinity of Portland favorites at John’s Marketplace in April. Surprisingly, except beer, – coffee and donuts are also among the city attractions! Try all combinations: the Baker’s Dozen means the number of donut varieties and locally brewed coffee beers for the ticket. Coffee beer is a winning reunion of Portland’s famous drinks, made in cooperation with local coffee roasters.
Portland Beer Week
The title is confusing! The festival lasts not seven but ten days, opening the large-scale summer season of the foamy diversity in June. Portland Beer Week involves fantastic collaboration between breweries and restaurants. The goal is to create the best combination of beverages and snacks, and the primary tasters are festival guests. In addition to beer-tasting events, you will enjoy incendiary live music and a rich festive program.
Portland Craft Beer Festival
A major three-day open-air festival continues the hop and foam fun in early July. The location of the fest is The Fields Neighborhood Park. Among the choices is a predominant number of Portland breweries. In addition to varieties of beer, you can taste exotic snacks like classic German and African spicy ones. Except for beer, you can find there locally produced ciders and wine.
Portland BBQ & Brews
To mark the final chord of the passing summer, – a three-day craft beer and juicy barbecue festival takes place in August. What better way to end summer than with steaming spiced meat and cider or a delicious craft beer? The festival will delight you with an outdoor location (Washington Monroe Park), live music, and an impressive range of alcoholic drinks for every taste.
Viking Beer Fest
On the last dates of August, Portland hosts a festival of Nordic cultures. During the first fifty years of Nordic immigration to the Pacific Northwest, Portland was a trade and travel center. These events left a mark on the culture, and the festival honors a historical vibe.
Thanks to the Nordic Northwest organization, Scandinavian traditions are being resurrected in Portland for two days, including:
- authentic costumes,
- battle reconstructions,
- Art exhibition.
Expect a libation from cups and horns with the domination of craft ale. Dress up inspired by the warlike fashion of the Vikings and put on some war paint – there will be a bonfire with ethnic dances in the evening!
Oktoberfest in Portland
Far from the birthplace of Oktoberfest, Beervana boasts its large-scale interpretation. The holiday lasts three days at the end of September, and the authentic German pub “Prost!” opens the world of traditional lagers and appetizers from old Germany (like currywurst and braunschweiger). The second location, Oaks Amusement Park, joins the festival with German music, dancing, and an extensive beer selection.
Note that the most oversized celebration occurs not in Portland but in a Bavarian village nearby a week before the events described. This Mount Angel’s version promises more entertainment with the characteristic names Biergarten, Weingarten, and Alpinegarten and is a heaven for beer lovers. So, consider renting a car from 14CARS to compare celebrations and enjoy Oktoberfest for two weeks.
Hood River Hops Fest
This one-day event will amaze you with a giant selection of delicious foam beverages! Hood River County is famous for its prime hop fields due to its dry, sunny summer. The beginning of October is the time for evaluating harvest through sampling young beer.
On the day, more than 30 local breweries share their expertise and treat guests to fresh, foam drinks combined with traditional appetizers. You can also become a volunteer – to dive into the intricacies of brewing culture and receive free drinks.
Miss the festival? Don’t worry!
To miss a beer event in Portland is a pity. But you can still enjoy the local beer scene at one of the widespread city beer brewery tours. You can handle exploring the iconic breweries on your own as well. Pay attention to:
- Von Ebert,
- Upright,
- Great Notion’s,
- Gigantic,
- Breakside,
- Little Beast.
