Fruit Beer Fest Archives - Pechluck's Food Adventures

My Picks for Portland Fruit Beer Festival 2016

I’ll be at the festival on Friday [this post and the top picks list updated Friday 9PM after attending], ~~but going in,~~ here are my recommendations for the Portland Fruit Beer Festival 2016. If you haven’t heard of the Portland Fruit Beer Festival, it is part of Portland Beer Week (as I wrote about earlier this week) and is taking place this year from Friday June 10 – Sunday 12th at the North Park Blocks (entrance on NW Davis between 8th Avenue and Park Avenue). This is a move from the past at Burnside Brewing’s parking lot to a 40% larger space, plus now there is shade! As before, the Portland Fruit Beer Festival is also all ages, though you have to be of legal age to drink beer or cider.

The hours of the festival are
- Friday June 10th 11:30 AM – 9 PM
- Saturday June 11th 11 AM – 9 PM
- Sunday June 12th 11 AM – 6 PM
Cost of the festival are
- Free admission to non-drinkers.
- Advanced General Admission $25 for a 12 oz official Portland Fruit Beer Festival cup and 15 drink tickets (those who arrive Friday before 2:30 PM get an additional 3 drink tickets). The cups are plastic glasses.
- At the Door General Admission $25 for a 12 oz official Portland Fruit Beer Festival cup and 12 drink tickets, but it is cash only at the door
- The sample pours of the fruit beers and the ciders will be 1-3 tickets for a 4 ounce pour. When I was there on Friday, there were 12 beers that were 1 ticket a pour, and most were 2 tickets with a few smaller kegs being 3 tickets.
- You can purchase additional drink tickets for $1. Cash only.
- Once you have your wristband and cup, you do not need to pay to re-enter any of the days – you only need to have bring back the cup and drink tickets to drink.
- In addition, you can purchase 12 ounces of beer via $3 can of Burnside Couch Lager and $4 cans of Burnside IPA from Burnside Brewing’s Burnside Can Garden inside Festival. Cash only.

Cider Riot taster at the Portland Fruit Beer Festival

My personal picks for the Portland Fruit Beer Festival 2016: note that although some of my samplers are modeled in last year’s festival glass, this year since they are in an outdoor park the 2016 glasses will be plastic similar to the Holiday Ale Fest.

I make my selection based on how appealing the combination of beer and fruit sounds, particularly rewarding uniqueness. When I taste the beer I look for balance but importantly also being able to clearly taste the fruit, and any fruity characteristics that come from hop or yeast doesn’t count it must be the fruit added in the brewing process. So many of the beers in the entire Festival lineup are decent beers I’m sure, but I’m looking for distinguishing fruit as a flavor thread as part of the beer. Here’s my top 10 list of what I look forward to…

The Commons: Butterflies Hovering a Saison with pineapple and kaffir lime leaves 5.9% ABV I’m a fan of The Commons farmhouse style beers. With the pineapple it may sound sweet, but was more lime.
Culmination Brewing: Sun Rey, a tea Radler brewed with Jasmine Pearl tea soda, lime and raspberries and kettle soured with lacto for a tart and refreshing summer sipper that offers tartness from the raspberries, citrus from the pineapple and lime, and additional depth of tea flavor. I tasted it at the media preview and wanted more! 4% ABV and 5 IBUs.
Ex Novo Brewing: Cactus Wins the Lottery. Ex Novo felt that cactus deserved its day in the sun – or more honestly, apparently they heard the phrase on some Youtube video and wanted to brew a beer so they could use the meme saying. So this is reverse engineered beer to fit the name of a tart refreshing Berliner Weisse with the fruity punch of prickly pear cactus. They made 30 barrels of this so a few bottles may be found only after the festival at some bottle shops and New Seasons and Whole Foods. ABV 4.2%
54-40 Brewing: Cucumber-Honeydew Bright Ale Crafted with nearly 400 lbs of honeydew melon and well over 100 cucumbers! I already love cucumbers as it is as I find them perfectly refreshing, and was really impressed as both the cucumber and honeydew truly comes through on this beer. 5% ABV 12 IBU
Fort George: Chasing the Dragon is a light bodied blonde Kettle sour with Dragonfruit, and black currant added post-fermentation. Slight sweetness with a tart finish where you start with a weird fruitness (maybe the dragonfruit) and finish with the black currant flavors. 5.4% ABV
Ruse Brewing: Patchwork (Strawberry Basil Tart) pours a pretty pastel pink and this tart ale is kettle soured then conditioned with a touch of basil and a copious amount of local strawberries which really come through in the nose and when you drink it, impressive since strawberry is so much work to get into beer with it’s delicate fruit! 4.8% ABV
10 Barrel Brewing: Plum Spectacular, from Tonya comes a small batch kettle sour made especially for the Portland Fruit Beer Festival. It has a crisp, clean, assertive sourness with plums. 6.4% ABV and 10 IBU
2 Towns Ciderhouse: 2 Thorns is a collaboration cider when 2 Towns Ciderhouse and Portland Thorns FC teamed up to create “Two Thorns”using fresh-pressed Northwest apples, Oregon grown blackberries, raspberries, & rose petals with a special Vinho Verde Portuguese yeast to create a striking floral and berry cider that I found refreshingly tangy. 6.2% ABV
Finnriver Farm & Cidery: Black Stave, special edition of Finnriver’s popular flagship Black Currant Cider, farmcrafted with organic Washington Granny Smith and Pink Lady apples, fermented dry, stave aged for depth and then married with an oaked, funky currant ferment for an extra special depth level of flavor. A limited release of the award winning, contemporary dark fruit cider made with wood. 6.5% Abv.
Portland Cider Co.: Boysenberry Hop blends Oregon boysenberry with an off-dry cider infused with citrus spice New Zealand hops. This is the first in Portland Cider Co.’s summer hop series limited release ciders and even though it looks very fruit forward like “screw the apples just me boysenberry is the star”, the actual flavors when we tried it were well balanced and not as sweet as it may appear as the hopped cider counter the fruit well.
Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider: Spicy Mango Tepache (Pineapple Cider) is not actually a cider using apple at all, but all fermented pineapple, this year returning with a mango twist with the addition of Ghost Peppers and fresh mango juice to definitely make a spicy tepache with a great burn. Traditionally you mix this partially with beer so its’ 2/3 Tepache and 1/3 beer – not sure which would be the perfect beer mixer for this, though several of us at a media tasting also whispered how this would be so perfect at brunch with sparkling wine mixed in. 3.2% ABV

Honorable Mention: Sixpoint: Raspy Sauce (Raspberry Berliner-Weisse w/ Raspberry-Jalapeño syrup) made a special variation of the Sixpoint Lil’ Raspy for this year’s Fruit Beer Fest using Sixpoint Raspberry-Jalapeño syrup. I enjoyed this beer. F and I debated whether it should make the cut because he thought it was a cheat to use the syrup. However, berline-weiss beers are served with syrups, so I think it’s ok that it gets it’s extra raspberry and spicy kick. 4.3% ABV
Portland Fruit Beer Festival 2016 Sixpoint Raspy Sauce beer, a special variation of the Sixpoint Lil’ Raspy for this year’s Fruit Beer Fest using Sixpoint Raspberry-Jalapeño syrup
On the Rare/Rotating Beers and Ciders list (with small kegs rotating throughout – see the full beer list with the rare beers list here in pdf), I hope I might be lucky enough to be around to taste the Breakside: Bourbon Barrel Aged Sour Rye Beer with Coconut

Food options at the festival will include

Hot Lips Pizza will be offering their pizza as well as sodas. Their specialty pizza includes their limited edition PDX Beer Week specials pizza, Beer Bratlips, a pizza with Smoked Carlton Farms bratwurst simmered in Subcontinental IPA with Tillamook extra-sharp cheddar, fresh onions, mozzarella, and a garlic Parmesan base finished with whole grain maple mustard glaze that also has beer in the mustard.
BUNK Sandwiches bringing their famous Pork Belly Cubano as an option and they usually have a seasonal vegetarian option and a grilled cheese too
Urban German Grill offering bratwurst and pretzels
Fifty Licks Ice Cream brings you dessert with ice cream and sorbets

Do you like fruit beers? Do any of the beers I listed intrigue you, and what would be your ideal combo for a fruit beer – what kind of fruit?
4 ounce taster pour at Portland Fruit Beer Festival

Disclosure: I attended a media event to sample some of the Portland Fruit Beer Festival 2016 beers and ciders, but I purchased my own admission/tickets to the festival, and have been attending and highlighting this festival for years! I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.

My picks for Portland Fruit Beer Festival 2015

I had an opportunity to sample a few of the beers at a Media Preview, though a few of my picks are also based on the description of the beer and reputation of the brewery. If you are attending the Portland Fruit Beer Festival 2015 this year, which runs Friday June 12 to Sunday June 14, here is a quick summary of the logistics and my picks of the most interesting beers for Portland Fruit Beer Festival 2015.

Portland Fruit Beer Festival Main Facts

Days and Hours of Operation:
- Friday June 12th 4pm – 9pm
- Saturday June 13th 11am – 9pm
- Sunday June 14th 11am – 6pm (special kegs will be tapped Sunday)
Location: 7th and NE Burnside, which is at Burnside Brewing and also the extra lot (Sat and Sun only) to give more room this year to spread out!
Cost: $20 for for one 21+ entry 12 tickets and a collectible 16oz glass. Purchase and print your ticket in advance for faster entry at Stranger Tickets (so they say anyway – it does add processing fees but at the door is cash only). Re-entry on all festival days is allowed as long as you get your wristband and the glass.
Admittance: The festival is all ages, though you must be 21+ to drink alcohol. There will also be non-alcoholic drinks and food available for purchase
Food Situation: from Burnside Brewery’s brewpub all three days, and/or from food carts on Sat/Sun such as Bunk Sandwiches and Taco Pedaler and the Fifty Licks Ice Cream truck. As extra credit, you can also take a little walk to Bar Vivant/Pix Patisserie and present your receipt, wristband or festival glass from the Portland Fruit Beer Festival and get a token for a FREE beer in their beer garden.

Pech’s Portland Fruit Beer Festival Beer Picks

The reality is that I plan to go more than 1 day, and I will probably taste everything (and re-taste even the ones I previewed as it’s been an additional week so it could have changed). But, I thought by giving a few highlights you can get a little hint at what’s in store this year, and make you want to check out the full beer/cider list here yourself!

This year, the Portland Fruit Beer Festival is releasing a special collaboration beer bottle that will only be available in limited quantity at the fest in draft and bottle form. I had a chance to taste this beer, named Fruit of the Garden of Good and Evil, at the Media Preview and it is spectacular. The beer is a collaboration between Burnside Brewing Co. Sweet Heat and Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider Ghost Chili Tepache. The way I would describe it is that it has the nose and tastes vaguely similar to when you go to a Brazilian steakhouse and they have those grilled pineapples that are juicy and sweet with a bit of sugar and spice with cinnamon… well this beer is like that but better because of the spicy heat from the Ghost peppers, Scotch Bonnet peppers, and Aji peppers that are contributed by the chilis usually present in Sweet Heat and Ghost Chili Tepache.

Available in 22 ounce bottles only at Burnside Brewing during the Fruit Beer Fest for $7 (only 60 cases made), with limited draft poured at the festival, Reverend Nat’s taproom, and special events in the future TBD… I would get the bottles right away when entering myself, but be wary because of the heat that this might blow your palate away so maybe save to drink later after you’ve had all the lighter fruit beers.
I can’t help but go “squeeee” whenever I see female brewers, and the Peaches of Immortality Farmhouse Ale Burnside Brewing is pouring at the fest this year is nicely tart and sour where finally I can taste the peachy flavor (peaches are so delicate and often get lost in beer) along with the French saison yeast. Yay Natalie! She has already put some in a Ransom Gin Barrel with peaches and other goodness that she is setting aside so I look forward to stalking to see what becomes of that batch in a few months.
Ecliptic Brewing‘s is premiering Ultra Violet Blackberry Sour Ale which don’t worry, is not very sour. It has just enough sour to be crisp and balance the Oregon blackberries to make for a very refreshing beer that is dangerous because it tastes much lighter than the 7.5% ABV it punches at. Also, though this is probably no big deal to brewer John Harris ha ha, I thought it was the prettiest beer at the Media Preview.
For an entirely different take on berries (though John used Oregon Fruit Products puree, while Brendan used Columbia Fruit frozen berries), try the ballsy Alameda Brewing‘s Berried By Night Marionberry CDA. Brendan took a big risk by combining Marion blackberries with 7 varieties of hops into this Cascadian Dark Ale – dark and roasty like a porter, some of the hoppiness of the IPA but balanced by those blackberries which you can definitely taste at the tail end after the initial hops and caramel malt. What a surprisingly winning combo.
I love dark beers, so seeing a stout on the list will get my attention. Upright Brewing is presenting their B.B. Stout, which is a stout with over 200 pounds of blueberry.
I haven’t had a chance to taste it yet, but I generally enjoy the beers of Breakside Brewery so their Tropical Fruit Salad Quasi IPA Six Fruit Blend is making my list for it’s attempt to reverse engineer to match the flavors and aromas of fruits that hops sometimes have with six actual fruits.
The Widmer Brothers Brewing Fresh Strawberries Farmhouse Saison with Strawberries is a tasty collaboration with Coda Brewing from Colorado, the winner of the startup brewery challenge to travel up to Portland and become Widmer’s “Brother for a Day”. This takes the Sleepyhead Passionfruit Imperial Kolsch that Coda does (and which took home a silver medal at the 2014 Great American Beer Fest) and combines it now with strawberries and French Saison yeast
Not a beer, but I’m a big fan of 2 Towns Ciderhouse of Corvallis as they are always creating interesting combinations with their ciders. For the fest they will debut the Peach Saison Cider that blends a mix of a blend of several northwest apples (many which don’t admittedly taste good on their own in apple form, but great as a cider) blended with Oregon white peaches and French saison yeast. It’s simply a mix of “good fruit, good cider” Kevin explained.
One of the reserve kegs tapping on Sunday only is the Bogman’s Cranberry Brett Cider by Cider Riot! with traditional Yamhill county English cider apples, Oregon cranberry and inoculated with Cherry cider. At 3pm Sunday they’ll tap their firkin.
Other rare beer tapping on Sunday to lure you in included Hopworks One Tun Tomato Michelada made with Totally radler, chili powder, Worchestershire sauce, house made blood mary mix, and tabasco and (questionable qualification as fruit beer,though the beer itself is interesting to me) New Belgium Brewing Bourbon barrel-aged Salted Chocolate Stout Nitro keg poured through a Randall filled with black cherries
I haven’t had this yet, but the idea of the Hi-Wheel Wine & Mead Co. Kiwi Lime sounds super refreshing. I love lime-ade, so their beverage for the fest of a tart fizzy wine made from fresh lime juice and kiwi that is carbonated seems like a promise to cool off with deliciousness.

Definitely a theme I saw this year is a lot of kettle souring (read more about kettle souring at this great article at the New School website “How Kettle Souring Is Making Sour Beer Cheap and Affordable”), a lot of Nancy’s yogurt (yay choose and support local!), and French saison yeast.

Are you a fruit beer fan? What fruit beers from the Portland Fruit Beer Festival (or cider) sound intriguing to you?

Disclosure: I attended a Media Preview so I was able to taste the beers for free, but I purchased my own ticket to the Portland Fruit Beer Festival with no discount and this post was written because I enjoyed the beer – I was not asked or required to write it. I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.

My Picks for Portland Fruit Beer Festival 2016

My picks for Portland Fruit Beer Festival 2015

Portland Fruit Beer Festival Main Facts

Pech’s Portland Fruit Beer Festival Beer Picks

Recent Posts

About Pech

Sponsored Ad

Categories

Archives

Legalese

More Content!

Meta