10th Annual Oregon Garden Brewfest

 April showers bring crowds to Oregon Garden Brewfest

SILVERTON, Ore. — The 10th annual Oregon Garden Brewfest enjoyed vigorous crowds at this past weekend’s event, with 7,500 beer lovers in attendance despite rainy spring weather. Beer lovers came from all over the Northwest to sample from 130 handcrafted beers, ciders and mead, and to enjoy live music from a dozen regional bands.

“Oregon is known for its craft beers and ciders, but most of the big festivals celebrating them are in Portland, Eugene and Bend,” said Mary Ridderbusch, event manager. “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.”

The Oregon Garden Brewfest took place under twinkly white lights in the Frank J. Schmidt Pavilion on the grounds of the Oregon Garden, with spillover in an outdoor tent. Attendees were welcome to stroll through the lush landscaping of the Oregon Garden with drinks in hand. Crowds squeezed together to enjoy the music of a dozen regional bands, including Casey Neill & The Norway Rats and Tango Alpha Tango.

For the second year in a row, the People’s Choice – determined by votes cast at the festival – was Pirate Stout from Santiam Brewing in Salem. Runners up were Rusty Truck Brewing Cherry Chocoholic (Lincoln City, OR) and Cascade Brewing Oblique Black & White Coffee Stout (Portland, OR). Despite a large number of India Pale Ales being served at the event, it was the darker beers that won over the crowds.

Many attendees took advantage of Brewfest packages at the Oregon Garden Resort located immediately above the festival grounds. The Oregon Garden Resort, a Moonstone Hotel property, offered 103 rooms overlooking The Oregon Garden. Due to the popularity of the resort and its proximity to the festival, the 2015 Brewfest package at the Resort is already available online; packages start at $239 and include accommodations, breakfast, Oregon Garden admission, a 3-day Brewfest admission, and a voucher for the Oregon Garden Resort food booth. To book a package, visit www.oregongardenresort.com/Packages.htm.

Auxiliary events included the third annual Brewer’s Tasting Dinner held at the resort on the eve of the festival. The 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. There was also a Brewer’s Brunch presented by Seven Brides Brewing in Silverton on the morning of the festival kickoff.

The Oregon Garden Brewfest always takes place the last weekend in April. The 11h annual event will take place April 24, 25 and 26, 2015. To stay informed, visit www.oregongarden.org/events/brewfest/

BridgePort Brewing Releasing Stumptown Tart May 15th

BRIDGEPORT ANNOUNCES A CRISP AND REFRESHING DUO FOR THIS YEAR’S STUMPTOWN TART: CRANBERRIES & BLUEBERRIES

Seventh Generation Stumptown Tart will debut on May 15 at BridgePort Brewpub in Portland

PORTLAND, Ore. – May, 5 2013 – Staying true to its namesake, this year’s Stumptown Tart ups the tart factor with the addition of Oregon cranberries paired with the popular blueberry from last year. Typically reserved for Thanksgiving feasts and brightly colored juice, this is the first time BridgePort has used this Oregon grown berry in a beer. Jeff Edgerton, brewmaster at BridgePort Brewing Company, explains the unusual choice:

“I loved the blueberries in last year’s Stumptown Tart and ever since it came out I’ve been thinking about what would pair well with blueberries again. We played with the tartness of cranberries against the mellow sweetness of the blueberries and the whole brewing staff is pretty pleased with how it turned out.

Trying out new fruit year to year challenges the brewing team and this year’s Stumptown Tart was no different.

“We were surprised about two things when it came to brewing this beer,” commented Edgerton. “The first was that once we combined the cranberries with the base beer, it actually mellowed out the bitter flavor that most of us associate with cranberries. The second was the color. We expected a bright red beer when in fact the skins of the cranberries hardly produced any color leaving the beer light red in color.”

BridgePort will host a Stumptown Tart release party Thursday, May 15 starting at 5:30 p.m. at the BridgePort Brewpub in Portland. Come be one of the first to try this year’s beloved Stumptown Tart. Bottle label model Bernie Dexter will also be there ready to pose with guests for photo opportunities and to personalize guests’ bottles with an autograph. For $1, guests can snag a smooch from the Stumptown Tart herself along with a picture in the kissing booth. All Donations will go to The American Cancer Society.

BridgePort’s Stumptown Tart Stats:

IBUs:   21        ABV:  7.8%    Color: Soft Bluish-Purple  OG: 17.0

Ingredients:  Pilsner malt, white wheat malt, Belgian yeast, ale yeast, lager yeast, blueberries and cranberry puree.

Description:   Brewed with two row pale malt and malted white wheat, the 2014 edition of this big Belgian-style ale features the crisp sweet and tart balance of Oregon blueberries and cranberries. The hazy brew is double fermented and only lightly filtered to retain the fresh fruit flavor.

About BridgePort Brewing Company

Celebrating 30 years in 2014, Oregon's oldest craft brewery continues to evolve from a microbrewery to a regional leader committed to producing high quality craft ales. Lead by Brewmaster Jeff Edgerton, the team of BridgePort brewers prides itself on using hops from an hour away and clear glacial water from Mount Hood. The BridgePort family of ales includes IPA, the Hop Czar IPA Series, and Kingpin.  BridgePort Brewery is located at 1313 N.W. Marshall St.  For more information, call 503-241-7179 or visit www.bridgeportbrew.com.       

Trilogy 2 To Be Released By Bridgeport Brewing In May

PORTLAND, Ore.—April 23, 2014 — BridgePort is proud to announce the next beer in its Trilogy Series, celebrating its history as Oregon’s oldest craft brewery. Trilogy 2, a cross continental collaboration between current brewmaster Jeff Edgerton and past brewmaster Phil Sexton, was created to mark a major milestone in BridgePort’s second decade of brewing – the creation of BridgePort IPA. Now widely seen as the brewery’s flagship beer, back in the mid 1990s it was labeled as aggressive and extravagantly hopped.

“When we created BridgePort IPA, the market was saturated with American Pale Ales,” recalls past brewmaster Phil Sexton, who now resides close to Melbourne, Australia. “We wanted to take the pale ale one step further and after reading about IPAs in old beer texts, I knew I’d found a beer that beer drinkers could get behind.”

Now the IPA is a dominant offering in craft beer with subcategories including Double IPAs, Black IPAs, Imperial IPAs and Rye IPAs among others. BridgePort’s Aussie Salute IPA is a built on equal parts Two-Row Pale and Maris Otter malts and sent through the hop jack with Centennial and Chinook hops from Oregon’s Willamette Valley. These local hops are complimented by a dry hopping of two Australian varieties, Galaxy and Ella hops. The result is a hearty and hazy IPA that pays tribute to Phil and all the brewers past and present. ABV 5.8% | OG: 15.0 | IBUs 55

“This is the first time we’ve done a collaboration beer,” commented current BridgePort brewmaster Jeff Edgerton. “I really can’t think of a better guy to collaborate with than Phil. We talked mostly via email, bouncing ideas around. It’ll be great to hear what our fans think of this cross continental brew.”

Trilogy 2 hits the shelves the first week of May in all major markets where BridgePort is sold. Fans of the Trilogy Series can expect the third and final beer, Trilogy 3, this September. For more information, visit www.BridgePortTrilogy.com.  

 

About BridgePort Brewing Company

Celebrating 30 years in 2014, Oregon's oldest craft brewery continues to evolve from a microbrewery to a regional leader committed to producing high quality craft ales. Lead by brewmaster Jeff Edgerton, the team of BridgePort brewers prides itself on using hops from

an hour away and clear glacial water from Mount Hood. The BridgePort family of ales includes IPA, Hop Czar, Kingpin.  BridgePort Brewery is located at 1313 N.W. Marshall St.  For more information, call 503-241-7179 or visit www.bridgeportbrew.com.

Ninkasi Brewing Company Announces The Release of Lux

NINKASI BREWING COMPANY ILLUMINATES ITS PRISMATIC LAGER SERIES WITH THE RELEASE OF LUX

Lux German-Style Helles Lager is Available May Through August On-Draft and In Bottle

EUGENE, Ore.—April 23, 2014— Following the release of its gold medal-winning Pravda Bohemian-Style Pilsner, Ninkasi Brewing Company announces the release of Lux, a German-Style Helles Lager available throughout all of its distribution areas, May through August.

Commonly known for its big, hoppy Northwest beers, Ninkasi embarked on creating craft lagers in 2011. Since then, the series has highlighted Ninkasi offerings that are Northwest embellishments of traditional lager styles. Brewed with some of the purest water in the Continental United States from Oregon’s own McKenzie River, regionally-sourced hops and traditionally-grown German hops, each beer released under the Prismatic Lager Series remains true to traditional styles and achieves a brilliant balance only accessible by using the highest quality ingredients. In 2014, Ninkasi announced year-round releases to the series, making it a mainstay in its style offerings.

“I have always been a huge fan of European-style lagers,” says Jamie Floyd, founding brewing and co-founder of Ninkasi. “They epitomize balance and nuance as their delicate flavors leave nothing for a brewer to hide behind. We love the challenge these beers present but most of all we love the wonderful beers that follow.”

Known as Bavaria’s national beer, Helles Lagers define drinkability to the people of Munich. Brewed in the traditional German-style, this lager has a lightly-toasted, clean malt profile balanced by the addition of Noble German hops. After brewing, the beer is allowed to lager for eight weeks in Ninkasi’s cellar until it has reached optimal drinkability. The result is a crisp and defined lager that pairs easily with German favorites like brats, pork chops, sauerkraut, potato salad, and spaetzle and is a great companion to summertime activities.

Available for the first time, Lux can be found in 12-ounce bottles and on-draft May through August.

Lux Stats

Style: German-Style Helles Lager
Series: Prismatic Lager Series

Available: May – August 2014

ABV: 5.0%

IBU: 20

Starting Gravity: 1050

Malt: Bohemian Pilsner, Pilsen, Cara-pils, Acidulated

Hops: GR Hallertau Herkules, GR Hallertauer Mittelfrueh, US Hallertau

Packaging: 12-ounce bottles and draft

Distribution: Oregon; Washington; Idaho; Montana; California; Alaska; and Vancouver, British Columbia

URL: www.ninkasibrewing.com/lux

Description: Illuminate your palate with this traditional German-style lager. Brewed with premium pilsner malt and bittered with German Hallertau hops, this Helles lager pours champagne in color. Bright, crisp and satisfying, enliven any occasion with Lux.

Tasting Notes: The lightest of the European lagers, this Munich-style beer was made to counter the bitter pilsners coming from Northern Germany and the Czech Republic. Lux has a clean aroma with just a touch of grassy hops leading to a sweet, toasty malt flavor. This sustains to a crisp finish with just a hint of noble hop aroma. This beer defines refreshing!

Food Pairings: Brats, Pork Chops with Brown Sauce, Sauerkraut, Potato Salad, Spaetzle

Learn more about Ninkasi’s line-up of craft beers at www.NinkasiBrewing.com/beers.

About Ninkasi Brewing Company

Founded in 2006 by Jamie Floyd and Nikos Ridge, Ninkasi Brewing Company continues to grow from its first batch of Total Domination IPA, to two brewhouses, a  55-barrel and a 90-barrel brewhouse, located in Eugene, Ore.  Ninkasi’s Flagship beers—Total Domination IPA, Tricerahops Double IPA, Believer Double Red, Oatis Oatmeal Stout, and Vanilla Oatis Oatmeal Stout—are sold throughout Oregon; Alaska; California; Idaho; Montana; Washington; and Vancouver, British Columbia. The brewery remains privately-owned and is committed to community support and giving. Ninkasi’s Beer Is Love program offers in-kind donations and support for organizations throughout its footprint.

For more information, call 541.344.2739 or visit www.NinkasiBrewing.com.  
Ninkasi Brewing Instagram
Ninkasi Brewing Facebook
Ninkasi Brewing YouTube
Ninkasi Brewing Pinterest


 

9th Annual FredFest

9th annual FredFest celebrates Fred Eckhard’s 88th birthday with rare beers,

infamous food pairings and a singalong for the craft brewing icon

Festival organizers announce second session due to overwhelming popularity

Press Release:
PORTLAND, Ore.  — What Would Fred Drink? That question can be answered at the 9th annual FredFest, which celebrates the 88th birthday of Fred Eckhardt, the Dean of American Beer Writers. This year’s FredFest will take place May 4th at Hair of the Dog Brewery and Tasting Room, ‎61 SE Yamhill St. Attendees will enjoy rare and unique beers, raise money for local charities, and sample, sip and sing with a true icon of the craft brewing world.

Due to the event’s popularity, this year will feature two sessions. The first session will run from 1 to 4:30pm and the second from 5:30 to 9pm. The beers available will be the same at both sessions. Only 300 tickets are available per session; tickets cost $60 in advance and are available at www.hairofthedog.com/goodboy/. Tickets include a tasting glass, access to a rare collection of hand-curated beers, light fare and birthday cake. Cheeses, chocolate, candy and even cereal will be offered in abundance so attendees can experience some of Eckhardt’s more infamous beer-and-food pairings. The event is for ages 21 and over.

This year's event will feature creative brews from approximately 20 breweries, all vying to best answer the perennial question, What Would Fred Drink? (WWFD?). The evolving beer list is available at http://www.fredfestpdx.com/the-beers.

Dubbed "the littlest big-beer festival in the world – or at least in Portland," FredFest has raised tens of thousands of dollars for Eckhardt's selected non-profits in its past eight years. To learn more, visit www.fredfestpdx.com.

About FredFest
What started as a surprise 80th birthday party for the world-renowned Portland beer writer Fred Eckhardt has become a significant fundraiser for a variety of non-profit organizations. This year's FredFest fundraising recipients include Guide Dogs for the Blind, the Hair of the Dog "house" charity; International Medical Corps, in memory of Mark Wilson, husband of Hair of the Dog's Wendy Sprints; and the Oregon Brew Crew's OSU Bob McCracken Scholarship for Fermentation Sciences students. FredFest is all volunteer-driven, which means 100 percent of the net proceeds will be donated to these charitable organizations.

10th Annual Oregon Garden Brewfest This Friday Through Sunday

10th annual Oregon Garden Brewfest presented by Growl Movement, this Friday - Sunday.

The festival will feature:

• 65 breweries, pouring 130 beers, ciders and meads from throughout Oregon and across the country
• Great regional bands on two stages
• Amazing food from local vendors

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter (#ogbf) for the latest updates. And make plans to attend the Seven Brides Brewfest Brunch at Seven Brides Brewing on April 25th.

Hours
Friday, April 25 & Saturday, April 26: noon to 11pm
Sunday, April 27: noon to 5pm (minors welcome Sunday only)

Admission

Purchase your 2014 Brewfest admission online now! 

Advance Admission:

• Single-day pass: $15 (includes: admission for any single day of Brewfest, a tasting glass & 5 tasting tickets.)
• Three-day pass: $35 (includes: admission for all 3 days of Brewfest, a tasting glass & 10 tasting tickets.)
• VIP: $50 (includes: admission for all 3 days of Brewfest, a tasting glass, 35 tasting tickets, a Brewfest t-shirt & a voucher for one item at the Oregon Garden Resort food booth.)

At-the-door Admission:

• Friday: $15, $20 after 5pm (includes: admission, a tasting glass & 5 tasting tickets.)
• Saturday: $15, $20 after 5pm  (includes: admission, a tasting glass & 5 tasting tickets.)
• Sunday: $15 (includes: admission, a tasting glass & 5 tasting tickets.)

• Three-day pass: $35 (includes: admission for all 3 days of Brewfest, a tasting glass & 10 tasting tickets.)
• Silverton resident three-day pass: $25 (available Friday only, includes admission for all 3 days of Brewfest, a tasting glass & 10 tasting tickets.)

• Designated Drivers: $5 (includes a bottle of water)
• Minors: $5 on Sunday only (children 4 and under are free)
• Oregon Garden Members always receive a $3 discount on Brewfest admission.

Volunteer

Volunteer at the event and receive free admission, tasting tickets and a t-shirt. Visit our Brewfest Volunteer page for details and to sign up today.

Tasting Tickets

Each taste is one ticket, and a full glass is four tickets. Additional tasting tickets will be available for purchase for $1 each. Please bring cash, as ticket sales are cash-only. There will be an ATM on-site.

Featured Breweries

We will feature 65 breweries from throughout Oregon and across the country, during our 2014 event.
If you are a brewery interested in participating, please contact Mary to be added to our waiting list: maryr@oregongarden.org.

Entertainment

We will showcase music from local bands on two stages, beginning at 5pm on Friday and Saturday. The music lineup will be available soon.

Overnight Package

Stay overnight at the Oregon Garden Resort, just steps away from Brewfest. The Brewfest package starts at just $209 and includes:

• Accommodation
• Two 3-day admission passes to Brewfest (each pass includes a tasting glass and five tasting tickets)
• A voucher for a food item from the Oregon Garden Resort’s food booth at Brewfest
• Continental buffet breakfast
• Admission to The Oregon Garden

Book your 2014 Brewfest room now online or call 800-966-6490.

A Brewfest package is also available at The Grand Hotel in Salem. The package starts at $159 and includes early check-in, accommodations, transportation to/from Brewfest, breakfast and a late check-out. Book online or call 877-540-7800.

Sponsers: Growl Movement, Venti's Cafe, The Gallon House,  Bierhaus, Pepsi, Wave Broadband,Oregonian/Oregon Live

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of the 2014 event and reaching 8,500 people, contact Brittney at bhatteberg@oregongarden.org.

Drink Organic, Save The Planet

North American Organic Brewers Festival celebrates

10th year of drinking organic, saving the planet

Eco-conscience beer festival will serve up more than 50 organic beers and ciders with very little waste

PORTLAND, ORE – More than 15,000 beer lovers, music fans and supporters of sustainable living will come together at the North American Organic Brewers Festival (NAOBF) the last weekend of June to “Drink Organic, Save the Planet, One Beer at a Time.” The 10th annual event will take place June 26 through June 29 at Overlook Park in North Portland. Event hours are Noon to 9pm Thursday through Saturday and Noon to 5pm Sunday.

Admission into the event is free. The purchase of a $6 reusable, compostable cornstarch cup is required for tasting beer, as are tokens, which sell for $1 apiece. A full cup of beer or cider costs four tokens and a four-ounce taste costs one token; select beers cost extra tokens.

Designed to raise awareness about organic beer and sustainable living, the NAOBF typically serves up more than 50 organic beers and ciders from nearly 40 different breweries. Most of the breweries brew an organic beer specifically for the event. Styles run the gamut from goldens to porters, with a bit of everything in-between. There's also live local music, organic food and sustainability-oriented vendors and non-profits. The NAOBF is a family friendly event, and minors are welcome with parents. The Chipotle Kids’ Zone will offer free activity books, grow pots and Chipotle kids’ meal cards, plus face painting and a root beer garden with complimentary

Crater Lake Root Beer for minors and designated drivers.

The NAOBF encourages responsible drinking and urges patrons to take advantage of the Tri-Met MAX Light Rail; the Yellow Line “Overlook Park” Station stops directly across from the festival. Attendees can also take advantage of the Hopworks Bike Corral, where volunteers from Rotary Club of Portland–Westside’s Cycling 2 Serve Fellowship will watch over bikes for free (donations will benefit Rotary International’s “End Polio Now” efforts to eradicate polio worldwide). Patrons receive a $1 discount toward the tasting glass with a validated Tri-Met ticket or a ticket from the Hopworks Bike Corral (one discount per person).

The NAOBF is known as the most earth-friendly beer festival on the planet. Festival attendees sample beer from reusable and compostable cornstarch cups made from domestically grown corn by a zero-waste, solar-powered company. Electricity needs are met with biodiesel generators. Volunteers receive organic cotton t-shirts (returning volunteers can wear past T shirts and get extra tokens instead). Food vendors are required to use compostable cutlery and plates and employ sustainable practices, and onsite composting and recycling stations are provided for festival waste and are supervised by recycling czars. Last year’s event recycled and composted 92% of the total waste, marking the second year in a row that more than 90% of the event’s waste was diverted from the landfill.

Why an organic beer festival?  Studies show that the world's population currently consumes 30% more natural resources than the Earth's ecosystems can replenish. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, commercial agriculture is accountable for 70% of the pollution in our country's rivers and streams. Genetically modified ingredients can be found in nearly every grocery store. The NAOBF believes that education and exposure lead to awareness, and awareness can translate to passion. If everyone becomes passionate about sustainability, as a whole we can make the planet a cleaner and healthier place for all of us to inhabit. For more information visit naobf.org.

Beer Camp Across America

 

Sierra Nevada Invites Every Craft Brewery In The Nation 

To Take Part In Beer Camp Across America Festival Tour

Traveling beer festival aims to be the largest craft beer celebration in history

Chico, CA—April 9, 2014—Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. has announced that it has invited every craft brewery in the country – more than 2,700 – to take part in a multi-weekend traveling beer festival this summer. Beer Camp Across America is a celebration for the entire craft beer community, bringing together brewers and the fans who have buoyed their success.

“We’re about to open a second brewery in North Carolina, and while that’s exciting for us, it’s an even greater reason to celebrate the future of craft brewers everywhere,” explained Ken Grossman, Sierra Nevada’s founder. “We’ve watched and learned from each other for decades, and together we’ve seen tastes change and craft’s momentum snowball. Beer Camp Across America is our way of reflecting on this—with thousands of brewers, fans and great beers. It should be pretty fun.”

Beer Camp Across America will feature seven stops—in cities with thriving craft beer cultures—moving geographically west to east, much like the craft movement has historically spread. Each tour stop will feature that city’s local and surrounding regional brewers. The festivals will appropriately begin and end at Sierra Nevada’s two brewing locations, kicking off in Chico where it took root in 1980, and culminating in Mills River, NC for the grand opening of its East Coast brewery. The festival schedule is as follows:

* Sat, July 19th: Northwest Edition at Sierra Nevada Hop Field in Chico, CA, 12-5 p.m.
* Sun, July 20th: Southwest Edition at Embarcadero North in San Diego, CA, 1-6 p.m.
* Fri, July 25th: Rocky Mountain Edition at Sculpture Park in Denver, CO, 5-10 p.m.
* Sun, July 27th: Midwest Edition at Navy Pier in Chicago, IL, 12-5 p.m.
* Fri, August 1st: New England Edition at Thompson Point in Portland, ME, 5-10 p.m.
* Sat, August 2nd: Mid-Atlantic Edition at Penn Treaty Park in Philadelphia, PA, 12-5 p.m.
* Sun, August 3rd: Southeast Edition in Mills River, NC, 1-6 p.m.

Each festival will feature up to two beers per brewery, food vendors, and live music by the MarchFourth Marching Band spectacle. Tickets are now on sale at www.SierraNevada.com/BeerCamp and are limited to 5,000 per venue. Tickets cost $65 for general admission, which includes a tasting glass and unlimited tastings (in most locations, see the website for full details). A designated driver ticket is available for $30. Ticket prices are exclusive of taxes and fees, which will vary according to location. 

In conjunction with the festivals, Sierra Nevada has partnered with a dozen exceptional craft breweries to create 12 different beers for one mixed 12-pack – including 10 bottles and two cans – another first in the craft beer world. The Beer Camp Across America 12-pack will be available throughout the U.S. this summer, and the dozen brewing partners will join selective legs of the festival tour. Craft drinkers can explore all 12 beers at www.SierraNevada.com/BeerCamp.

Beer Camp Across America is also a giveback program: proceeds will go to the state brewers guilds in the festival host states and to hop and barley research to foster the development of new types of hop varieties and barley crops to fuel the pursuit of new flavor experiences for the ever-expanding tastes of craft drinkers.

About Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Founded in 1980, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is one of America’s premier craft breweries, highly regarded for using only whole-cone hops and the finest quality ingredients. The pioneering spirit that launched Sierra Nevada spans more than three decades, with innovation emerging from both the brewhouse and sustainability initiatives. Sierra Nevada has set the standard for artisan brewers worldwide as a winner of numerous awards for its extensive line of beers including Pale Ale, Torpedo®, Porter, Stout, Kellerweis® and a host of seasonal, specialty and limited release beers. 

Learn more at www.SierraNevada.com.
Sierra Nevada Twitter 
Sierra Nevada Instagram

Ninkasi Brewing Company offically starts brewing in New Eugene Facilities

NINKASI BREWING COMPANY OFFICIALLY STARTS BREWING IN NEW EUGENE FACILITIES

Ninkasi’s Expanded Brewery Boasts Sustainability and Innovation

Press Release:

EUGENE, Ore.—April 4, 2014—With more than three years of planning, countless hours of hammering, welding and commissioning, and hundreds of gallons of its signature teal paint, Ninkasi Brewery Company’s second Eugene brewery brewed its very first batch of beer last week. The first official brew not only marks a new era of growth, but also establishes the brewery as an industry leader in sustainable practices and innovation. Working hand-in-hand with ecoReal Solutions of Portland, Ore., the brewery’s design and construction teams have been able to add numerous sustainable features to the brewery, setting it on the path to reach LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certifications from the U.S. Green Building Council.

“Since the beginning of Ninkasi, we have continuously been in a state of construction with four expansions in the last seven-and-a-half years,” explains Nigel Francisco, CFO for Ninkasi. “Finally, we will have a space that we can grow in to for the next 10 to 15 years instead of constantly adapting our facilities to fit our needs.”

Currently, Ninkasi’s 55-barrel brewhouse has a capacity to produce 90,000 barrels of beer per year. With a second, 90-barrel brewing system installed across the street in Eugene’s Whiteaker neighborhood, the brewery will be able to add an initial 70,000 barrels of capacity with room to grow to 250,000. Perhaps what is equally exciting for the brewery is its gained ability to produce a wider variety of beers with longer fermentation times. 

“With two breweries operating together, we will have the space and capacity to brew more beers, like lagers, that can take anywhere from eight to twelve weeks to ferment,” explains Jamie Floyd, founding brewer and co-found of Ninkasi. “We’ll also have the capacity to brew more under our Rare and Delicious Series, exploring new beer styles and ingredients.”

Sustainability

In partnerships with ecoReal Solutions, a sustainable solutions firm based in Portland, Ore., Ninkasi has been able to make smart upgrades to boost its efficiencies throughout the brewery, aspiring to reach LEED® standards once the brewery is fully operational. This includes investing in materials, systems and processes that will benefit the brewery and its community over time.

Sustainable attributes and performance goals met:

·         10% of all construction materials are made of recycled content.

·         10% of all materials are sourced from regional manufactures (within 500 miles of the brewery).

·         Exemplary use of FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) Certified wood products.

·         Niagara high-efficiency toilets installed throughout the brewery, using half of the water required by standard toilets—and the first to do so.

·         Energy recovery systems that capture hot liquid throughout the brewing process to be recirculated in the brewhouse.

·         High efficiency natural gas boilers that use 40% less energy needed to run conventional boilers.

·         Cleaning-In-Place (CIP) system to reduce water usage and chemical usage when cleaning brewing vessels.

·         Waste water balancing system to pH balance all waste before going to the City.

·         Bulk grain unloading system to cut down on packaging waste.

·         Bulk chemical storage to cut down on packaging waste.

·         High efficiency hop cooler.

Innovation

When working with the GEA Group to install the new 90-barrel GEA Huppmann brewhouse in Ninkasi’s expanded facility, the team realized that the amount of hops used in its brews could make for a less efficient brewhouse. During the brewing process, the hops soak up a significant amount of liquid wort which could be used in the brewing process instead of being captured in the hop filament.

Due to Ninkasi’s commitment to brew without hop extracts, Ninkasi’s teams worked with GEA to develop a proprietary technology that will allow better yields with more hops. This took the form of a hop strainer, which, if successful, will be deployed and used more widely across the brewing industry. In short, the hop strainer allows Ninkasi brewers to pass the hopped wort through a strainer to help remove the hops and also garner as much liquid as possible from the hop matter. 

“We’re excited to be on the forefront of brewing technology and looking forward to the opportunities we’ll have with the new system to produce more beer and more varied beer styles,” says Nikos Ridge, CEO and co-founder of Ninkasi.

Ninkasi plans to operate both brewhouses moving forward, with its expanded brewery fully on-line by May of this year.

This expansion is part of a larger growth project for Ninkasi, which includes a new local distribution facility which opened last April, along with a new administrative building set to open in early June. All buildings are registered to be LEED® certified under the new LEED® campus platform.

Tours of the new facilities will be available this summer. To learn more about Ninkasi’s current sustainable practices visit: www.ninkasibrewing.com/sustianbility. 

 

About Ninkasi Brewing Company

Founded in 2006 by Jamie Floyd and Nikos Ridge, Ninkasi Brewing Company continues to grow from its first batch of Total Domination IPA, to two brewhouses, a  55-barrel and a 90-barrel brewhouse, located in Eugene, Ore.  Ninkasi’s Flagship beers—Total Domination IPA, Tricerahops Double IPA, Believer Double Red, Oatis Oatmeal Stout, and Vanilla Oatis Oatmeal Stout—are sold throughout Oregon; Alaska; California; Idaho; Montana; Washington; and Vancouver, British Columbia. The brewery remains privately-owned and is committed to community support and giving. Ninkasi’s Beer Is Love program offers in-kind donations and support for organizations throughout its footprint.

For more information, call 541.344.2739 or visit www.NinkasiBrewing.com. 

27th Annual Oregon Brewers Festival

Oregon Brewers Festival toasts 27th year of celebrating craft beer, 

adds a dozen European brewers to the mix

85,000 beer lovers from around the world will take part in the annual celebration of craft beer

PORTLAND, Ore. — On a sun-soaked July afternoon, there’s no better place to sip suds with friends than the Oregon Brewers Festival, one of the nation's longest-running and best-loved craft beer festivals. Nearly 85,000 fans will travel from around the world to take part in the 27th annual event, which will run July 23 through July 27 at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in downtown Portland. Event hours are Noon to 9pm Wed. through Sat., and Noon to 7pm Sunday.

Admission into the festival grounds is free. In order to consume beer, purchase of a 2014 souvenir 12.8-ounce tasting glass is required and costs $7. Beer is purchased with wooden tokens, which cost $1 apiece. Patrons pay four tokens for a full glass of beer, or one token for a taste. There are no advance tickets sold to the festival; all purchases are made on-site.

In the main tents, the Oregon Brewers Festival will serve up more than 30 beer styles from 86 craft breweries from around the country; there are 88 different beers served, one per brewery plus two gluten-free offerings. From Belgians to Braggots, Pales to Porters, Radlers to Reds and Sessions to Saisons, there’s a style for nearly every palate.
 New this year, the Oregon Brewers Festival has invited eleven brewers from the Netherlands plus one from Germany to send over their beer to be featured in the festival’s Specialty Tent, an area where an additional four-dozen vintage, barrel aged, blends and esoteric one-offs are offered. The festival is also flying over the European brewers, who will be available for daily meet the brewer sessions at the event.
Dubbed NL to PDX (#NLtoPDX), the program started when festival director Art Larrance learned that Portland has a Friendship City relationship with the city of Utrecht in the Netherlands. Upon visiting, he discovered a growing craft brewing movement that reminded him of the Northwest craft beer industry in the 1980s; brewers who are just beginning to explore new flavors and styles.

“Featuring international brewers is a natural extension for the OBF,” explained Larrance. “We want to develop a long term cultural exchange and share our passion, knowledge and friendship with these brewers as part of a collective celebration of great craft beer.”

The Oregon Brewers Festival is first and foremost a celebration of beer, but the event also features five days of live music, food booths, craft vendors, homebrew demonstrations and industry displays. The Crater Lake Root Beer Garden provides complimentary handcrafted root beer to minors and designated drivers; minors are allowed into the event when accompanied by a parent.

The OBF encourages responsible drinking and urges patrons to take the Tri-Met MAX Light Rail, which has a station just one block away from the main entrance. Attendees can also take advantage of the Hopworks Bike Corral, where volunteers from Rotary Club of Portland–Westside’s Cycling 2 Serve Fellowship will watch over bikes for free (donations will benefit Rotary International’s “End Polio Now” efforts to eradicate polio worldwide).

For a complete list of participating breweries and additional information, visit www.oregonbrewfest.com. For high-res photos from past events, visit www.flickr.com/photos/oregonbrewfest/sets/.

ABOUT THE OREGON BREWERS FESTIVAL
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 flourished, especially in Oregon, which currently has 166 brewing companies operating 207 brewing facilities in 66 cities in Oregon. Portland alone has 53 breweries — more than any other city in the world. The Portland metropolitan area is the largest craft brewing market in the US with the most number of breweries at 73. A study conducted at the 2013 Oregon Brewer Festival estimated the economic impact of the festival on the local economy to be $31.2 Million; it also showed that out-of-state and international visitors accounted for 52.5 percent of attendees. For more information about the Oregon Brewers Festival, visit www.oregonbrewfest.com.