Press Release:
PORTLAND, Ore. –
August 14, 2014 – There’s a first time for everything, and in the case of the
Oregon Brewers Festival,
it was a downpour on opening day. The 27th annual Oregon Brewers
Festival took place July 23 through 27 at Waterfront Park in
Portland. And while the rain kept some at bay, the mud puddles quickly
dried and by the end of the weekend, attendance numbers rivaled those of
the year before, coming in at 85,000 attendees.
Beer lovers came from across the nation and around the world to
join in the celebration; they included a group of brewers from The
Netherlands who were invited to pour beer in the festival’s Specialty
Tent. Event founder and director Art Larrance heralded the
relationship a natural progression in the evolution of craft brewing
worldwide, and announced plans to bring in brewers from New Zealand in
2015.
“Thirty some years ago, U.S. craft brewers were looking outside of
the nation for beer inspiration,” explained Larrance. “Today, it’s come
full circle; craft beer markets from around the world are looking to us
for insight. We’re seeing a beer revolution in places like
The Netherlands and New Zealand, and the emergence of a lot of
innovative brewing. Our goals is to celebrate and share that with the
craft beer lovers who attend our event.”
Amidst the celebration, the festival took time to honor the memory
of those who involved in the beer industry who have passed away this
year, including Jack Joyce, the founder of Rogue Ales who was to be this
year’s Grand Marshal; and Vic Atiyeh, Oregon’s former governor who
signed Oregon's Brewpub Bill into law in 1985. The Festival also
donated $15,000 to
The Dougy Center, a Portland non-profit that benefits grieving children and families, during the event's opening ceremonies.
Beer lovers enjoyed 88 beers in the main tents, and another 100
rotating beers in the Specialty Tent, which featured vintage, barrel
aged, blends and one-off beers from the participants. All beer was
served in tasting glasses, a change that was implemented last year to
allow consumers to fully enjoy the sight, smell and taste of their beer.
It has been announced that the Portland Police Bureau is requiring the
festival to do away with glass in the future; the festival is currently
working with a vendor to procure a high-quality clear plastic mug.
In addition to beer tasting, there was live music all five days,
food from six area restaurants, homebrewers brewing beer on site, and a
collection of beer-related vendors ranging from wooden beer steins to
glass blown pints to kilts. Minors and designated drivers received
complimentary cups of handcrafted root beer in the Crater Lake Root
Beer Garden.
Nearly 1,800 beer fans took advantage of the Hopworks Urban Brewery
bike corral, where their bikes were monitored for free while they
enjoyed the festival; their tips raised $500 for End Polio
Now. The festival employed more than 2,200 volunteers to pour beer, sell
tokens, and aid with recycling education.
The Oregon Brewers Festival was founded in 1988 as an opportunity
to expose the public to microbrews at a time when the craft brewing
industry was just getting off the ground. Today, that industry has
succeeded, especially in Oregon, where 173 brewing companies operate 214
brewing facilities in 70 cities in Oregon. Portland has 56 breweries —
more than any other city in the world – and the Portland metropolitan
area is the largest craft brewing market in the US with the most number
of breweries at 76. The total economic impact from the beer industry on
Oregon’s economy is $2.83 billion; the total annual economic impact from
the Oregon Brewers Festival in 2013 was $31.2 million.
The Oregon Brewers Festival always takes place the last full weekend in July. The 28th annual event will take place
July 22 through July 26, 2015. For more information, visit
www.oregonbrewfest.com.
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