Central Willamette Valley Hosts Annual Event Featuring 90 Hand-Crafted Beers From 45 Breweries
People flowed into the sixth annual Oregon Garden Brewfest the way the beer was flowing out of the kegs in 2012.
More than 6,000 people attended, nearly doubling the previous mark of 3,200 set last year. People in the Pacific Northwest, particularly those in Oregon, do love their craft beers.
“We were thrilled that so many people made the drive to Silverton to enjoy our festival.
“Our beer selection and our amazing music lineup makes this festival worthy of the visit, no matter where you’re from,” said event coordinator Mary Ridderbusch.
The two-day event featured 90 craft brews and ciders from 45 breweries. It kicked off Thursday night (April 26) with an inaugural Brewer’s Tasting Dinner, a six-course tasting featured small plates paired with beers from six Northwest breweries. Brewing industry members mingled with craft beer aficionados at the intimate event, which featured a short introduction by each of the brewers about that particular beer prior to it being served.
The People’s Choice, as determined by participants, was a last-minute entry by Gigantic Brewing. The City Never Sleeps, a black saison, was the debut of Gigantic Brewing, the collaboration of Van Havig and Ben Love, two Portland brewers who will open the doors to their production brewery in SE Portland in a few weeks. Other beers at the festival included Uinta’s Duhbe Imperial Black Ale, Seven Brides Brewing’s Becky’s Black CatPorter and Calapooia’s Chili Beer.
People also took in a presentation given by Women Enjoying Beer, a research based education and marketing company that develops and serves female (and male) beer consumers.
“Oregon is known for its craft beers and ciders, but most of the big festivals celebrating them are in Portland, Eugene and Bend,” Ridderbusch said. “It’s great to offer a festival in the central Willamette Valley for our neighbors, and at the same time introduce beer lovers from out of the area to the beauty of The Oregon Garden.”
If you want to check it out in the future, the 2013 event is scheduled for April 26-27. It’s a good idea to secure a room at the Oregon Garden Resort, but with just 103 rooms, they obviously go faster than the beer.
Here’s the Oregon Garden Brewfest website.
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