That rumbling you hear is The Big One coming.
It's the sound of 80,000 pairs of feet heading to the grandest beer festival in the grandest beer state: the Oregon Brewers Festival.
The 30th anniversary of the festival starts Wednesday and runs through Sunday at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in downtown Portland. Here, to help you prepare, are five things you need to know about the OBF:
THOSE PESKY WHERE & WHEN DETAILS
Dates: Wednesday, July 26, through Sunday, July 30
Hours: Weds-Sat, noon-9 p.m., Sunday noon-7 p.m.
Four entrances: Southwest Oak Street, Southwest Pine Street, under the Morrison Street Bridge and along the seawall at Pine.
WHAT IS BEING POURED?
- More than 90 craft beers will be offered in the main festival, and it provides a Google Sheet with all the beers' information. The style breakdown:
- 20 IPAs
- 9 lagers
- 9 sours
- 8 fruit beers
- 8 saisons
- 5 pale ales
- 5 herb and spice beers
- 4 kolsches
- 3 goses
- 3 gluten-frees
- 3 pilsners
- 3 Berliner style weisse
- 2 Belgian style witbiers
- 2 farmhouses
- 2 India pale wheats
- 2 goldens
- 2 radlers
- 2 strong ales
- 1 stout
- 1 Belgian style Flanders oud bruin
- About 90 more small-batch beers will be offered in a specialty tent. Be warned: Quantities are limited and could run out, tappings are not scheduled, and only tasting sizes are poured (and they could cost more than one token). Check out the specialty beers here.
HOW MUCH WILL THIS SET ME BACK
Admission is free, tasting mug is $7, tokens are $1; five tokens buy a full pour, or one token for a taste. Beer-related vendors, food vendors and souvenir vendors also have sales booths; many are cash-only. Musical entertainment is free.
CAN KIDS ENTER?
From the festival website:
Minors are allowed during all hours of the OBF with a parent; guardians are not acceptable. Parents of minors ages 14 to 20 will be required to sign a form accepting responsibility for the minor while onsite. DO NOT purchase a mug for your minor. Minors receive free handcrafted soda in the Crater Lake handcrafted soda garden, served in provided plastic cups (no tasting mugs allowed) for all minors and designated drivers. We also have a face painter in there from 1-5pm Friday through Sunday.
OPTIONS TO DRIVING
- Take TriMet buses or MAX light rail trains, which run throughout festival hours and can be caught within walking distance.
- Designate a driver, who can get complimentary handcrafted sodas at the festival.
- Ride your bike and use the Hopworks Bike Corral, where volunteers watch bikes for free.
- Use the festival's Safe Ride Home program to get a discounted ride.
- Take a cab, Lyft or Uber.
Access a program guide online.
-- Andre Meunier
@AndreMeunier13
503-221-8488