Autumn brings a full platter to The Ale List, what with rescheduled events, new releases, and events around the state where Gorge breweries yet again find favor.
Two local festivals of fermentables have been rescheduled and will happen the next two weekends.
With a dramatic change in the weather, the rescheduled Beer and Cider Fest at Mt. Hood Meadows Sept. 30 will be much more Oktoberfest-like, according to Meadows’ Director of Marketing Dave Tragethon.
The event was postponed Sept. 9 due to fire concerns. The festival will celebrate the changing of the seasons with flavorful microbrew seasonals. The event will be in full view of spectacular Mount Hood, staged on the resort’s outdoor Sun Deck.
Entrance to the event is $14 (for ages 21 and older) and includes four (4 ounce) drink tokens and a commemorative keepsake Meadows 50th anniversary mug. Additional tokens can be purchased for $1 each. The event will officially kick off Meadows 50th anniversary season of celebration with the debut of “A-Zone IPA” — the official 50th Anniversary beer brewed by Double Mountain.
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The 14th annual Hood River Hops Fest pours fresh-hopped ales from around the Northwest on a new date, Oct. 7 — a delay from the original Sept. 23 date, due to the smoke from the Eagle Creek fire and the ongoing Interstate 84 closure.
It all happens in the Columbia Parking Lot (between Fifth and Seventh streets and Cascade Avenue and Columbia Street). It is open to all ages from noon to 5 p.m., and adults ages 21 and over from 5-8 p.m. Food and non-alcoholic beverage vendors will also be on site.
Although Hood River has been accessible in recent weeks via Washington Highway 14 and Oregon Highways 26 and 35, I-84 is the most commonly used route for out-of-town visitors.
For details, including brewery lineup, visit hoodriver.org/hops-fest.
Admission is $15 pre-sale and $20 day-of-event for entry, glass mug and five 3.5-ounch taste tokens, or $10 for an entry-only ticket.
Tickets can be purchased in advance at hoodriver.org/hops-fest, or at the entrance the day of the event.
Providing the music in 90-minute gigs, starting at noon, are The Antonyms (Hood River), Oakenfir (Hood River), pigWar (Portland) and Hillstomp (Portland).
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Tragethon said he is excited about the Sept. 30 Meadows fest, which includes 10 local breweries.
“We are proud to launch the golden anniversary celebration with Oregon’s best micro-brewers, many located here in the Columbia River Gorge,” he said.
“We are so fortunate to have some of the ‘Best of Craft Beer’ Award Winning microbrews in the country served right here at our event.” This year more ciders have been added to add to the flavor and variety of the fest.
Brews expected to be served at the Beer and Cider Fest are: Full Sail Brewing Company, Hop Pursuit; Backwoods Brewing Company, Pecan Pie Porter; Double Mountain Brewery, Vaporizer; pFriem Family Brewers, Pilsner; Ninkasi Brewing, Oktoberfest Lager; Everybody’s Brewing, Sprinkles Hibiscus sour red ale; Laurelwood Brewery, Boysenberry Berliner Weisse; Hopworks Urban Brewery, Cider; Widmer Brothers Brewing, Square Mile Cider; Slopeswell, cider.
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Full Sail Brewing Co. just released this year’s Brewmaster Reserve 8 Pound Pale Fresh Hop Ale, brewed with eight pounds of freshly harvested Centennial hops per barrel. Full Sail brewers Chris Davis and Greg Doss drove to B & D Farms in Saint Paul on harvest day last month to procure fresh, wet hops from the field, immediately heading back to the brewery to work their magic on this small-batch brew that goes from farm to tank in three hours.
“This year’s 8 Pound Pale Fresh Hop Ale explodes with bright tropical notes,” Doss said in a press release. “A blend of pale and wheat malts created a light golden base which we packed with Willamette Valley-grown Centennial Hops, only hours off the vine. Beautiful fresh-hop aromas of tropical fruit and citrus are complemented nicely with subtle malt notes. This refreshing beer is high on hop aromatics yet well balanced.”
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Double Mountain Brewery & Taproom welcomes fresh hop season with the Killer Red Fresh Hop IRA (7.3 percent ABV, 78 BU) and Hop IRA Killer Green Fresh Hop IPA (7.6 percent ABV, 95 BU).
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Three Gorge breweries will bring their wares for the Central Oregon v. Gorge “Regional Rumble” (originally called “Beer Brawl”) on Sept. 29 at Bailey’s Taproom in Portland.
Double Mountain, pFriem, and Everybody’s will present their arguments for which is the better craft beer region, against GoodLife and Boneyard from Bend and Redmond’s Wild Ride. Presented by Point Blank Distributing, the event is part of Bailey’s 10 anniversary events.
Each brewery brings four offerings. Here’s what the Gorge breweries will bring to the Rumble in the categories of Fresh Hop, IPA, Light, and Wild Card:
Everybody’s Brewing: Head Stash Fresh Hop, The Cryo-Chronic IPA, Local Logger Lager, Hoppy AF
Double Mountain: Hop Lion IPA; Fresh Hop Killer Green; Woodstock ESB; either Devils Kriek or Peche Mode
pFriem: Hoppy Pils; Fresh Hop Mosaic Pale; Pruim lambic style made with plums.
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