Brew Fest // Pacific Northwest Brew Cup 2011

Living on the Oregon Coast, we see our fair share of rain but in a small community of 10,000 where there are two hometown breweries and an annual brew fest, rain is just about the only thing we have to complain about.

The Pacific Northwest Brew Cup is hosted by Fort George Brewery and Baked Alaska Restaurant. Last year, we showed up as fresh transplants to the area and what a welcome it was. This year, we're seasoned locals and ready for a full day of beer, music, and SUNSHINE! That's right, the sun has made a rare appearance. I guess beer really is the nectar of the gods.The 2011 10th Anniversary Brew Cup takes place along the railroad tracks and behind the abandoned train depot, (which is now under development to become a boat building facility). This year's Cup had 36 beers on tap; IPA's, a session ale, stouts, fresh hops & a maple porter, from breweries across Oregon, Washington, and California and all were pretty damn tasty, aside from that revolting chili beer.

 That asparagus guy made THE BEST street tacos EVER and tamales, too.
Man, I ate A LOT! (Canby Asparagus Farm)

So, which beers warrant mentioning? Boneyard Brewing from Bend, OR won the "Thar She Blows Award" for their "Hop Venom IPA" being the first keg emptied and the "People's Choice Award" went to hometown Astoria Brewing Co.'s "Lincoln Lager". The general populace had chosen their winners, but what did we think?

The Mas~ Ma Barley & Grand(MA) Dennielle

We were flooded with IPAs, so narrowing down a favorite was a difficult task. Josh cast his People's Choice vote for Columbia River's "Hoodoo Voodoo" double IPA; partly for the cool name and partly for its nice thick hoppy body and clean dry finish. Honorable mention deserves to go to Ninkasi's "Maiden The Shade" a nice citrusy session IPA.

Often a day's worth of beer ends up being the gift that keeps on giving (if you've ever drank multiple double IPAs you know what we're talking about). This year, though, there were actual desirable gifts, courtesy of Astoria's downtown shopkeepers, via raffle tickets gained through a downtown business crawl. Meagan threw all her chickens in one coffee tin, hoping to win a kid's gift pack, to no avail. However, Josh came away with a belly full of beer AND a sweet Viking t-shirt courtesy of Finnware (pictures forthcoming). Meagan's super-great-grandfather Odin (yes, the Norse god ~ thank you Ancestry.com for validating my grandeur) must have been looking out.