Congrats and Cheers! to the Holiday Ale Festival and beer fans who helped raise $20,000 for the Children's Cancer Association MusicRx program.
Winter beer lovers help Holiday Ale Festival
raise $20,000 for Children’s Cancer Association
Thousands raise a mug to winter beers and ciders at the 19th annual event
Press Release:PORTLAND, Ore. – Nearly 14,000 beer fans took part in the 19th annual Holiday Ale Festival Dec. 3 through 7 at Pioneer Courthouse Square. Collectively, they helped raise $20,000 for the Children’s Cancer Association MusicRx program, which delivers the healing power of music to children battling cancer and their families.
Heated
tents, coupled with mild temperatures outside, provided so much warmth
that the coat check took in a record number of garments – great news for
the Children’s Cancer Association. All the proceeds brought in from the
coat check, the Crater Lake Root Beer Garden, a raffle, and sales of
the festival’s classic pin up girl posters and temporary tattoos are
annually earmarked for the non-profit. At the festival’s conclusion,
organizers count all the funds, round up to the nearest $1,000, then
double it, and double it again. Festival organizers are excited that
this year’s donation will make an immediate impact on the holiday needs
of the Music Rx program.
The
Northwest’s only outdoor winter beer festival featured 54 beers, ciders
and meads in the main lineup, all of which were made or blended
specifically for the event, or were vintage offerings not commonly
served in the region. The event is billed as an opportunity for brewers
to connect with their fans, and this year’s lineup did not disappoint.
While
all the products were well received, a few rose to the top in terms of
popularity, including Hopworks’ The Incredible Abominable of
the Enchanted Barrel Forest (Barrel Aged Imperial Winter Ale), Firestone
Walker’s Luponic Distortion (Double IPA), Fort George’s Santa’s Dinner
Jacket (Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Red Ale), Old Town’s Bluth’s
Original Chocolate Banana Hefeweizen (Chocolate Bavarian-Style
Hefeweizen) and Finnriver’s Stone & Pome Cider (Barrel Aged Plum and
Peach Cider).
Three
of the most talked about beers were Eel River’s Gargantua II (Whiskey
Barrel Vanilla Imperial Strong Ale Blend), McMenamins Edgefield’s
Lord of Misrule (Rum Barrel Aged Imperial Mexican Mocha Stout), and
Feckin’s Top O’ The Feckin’ Mornin' (Imperial Espresso Milk Porter).
The
festival also featured nearly 40 specialty kegs throughout the event,
including a six-year vertical of The Abyss by Deschutes Brewing, and a
2009 cask of JW Lees & Co Harvest Ale. There were two separate
meet-the-brewer events, the first with Stone Brewing’s Kris Ketcham and
Dr Bill Sysak; and the second with Bear Republic’s Peter Kruger and
Roger Herpst.
Attendees
were treated to the aroma of fresh roasted nuts from Family Tree Nut
Co., and hearty fare from Urban German Grill and Bunk Sandwiches.
The 11th annual Sunday Beer Brunch, a separate ticketed event held at the festival site on Sunday
morning of the event, was a sold out affair featuring vintage beers not
in the festival and special large format bottles paired with
a European style buffet.
