The Spring Beer and Wine Festival is here again, and this time it’s not just hoppy, hoppier, hoppiest. That’s according to Brewcrew member Noel Blake, who talks about this year’s beer list at The Beer Here:
I am impressed with the Spring Beer and Wine Fest line-up this year. Even though there aren’t any one-off beers brewed specially for this fest, there are a lot of interesting seasonals. It’s testimony to the amazing variety and creativity of today’s beer scene. I think the hop harvest problems last year spurred an increase in innovation – looking more often to malt and yeast for flavor profile. Belgians are the new IPA’s – not that hoppy beers have gone away (thankfully). But it is no longer just hoppy, hoppier, hoppiest.
If Belgians are the new IPAs, I’ve died and gone to heaven!
The fest is at the Oregon Convention Center (777 N.E. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd), which is a smart move given the likely spring (i.e. wet) weather, but I just don’t like that place – it’s sterile and cavernous; I generally like my beer drinking venues open air or womb-like. Oh well. The hours are noon-11 pm, Friday and Saturday. Admission is $5, but you can get in free from noon-2pm both days. $5 for required tasting mug or $8 for souvenir glass, beer tokens are the standard $1 each.
