Five Beers to Avoid at the Oregon Brewers Festival

By BEN WATERHOUSE

The Oregon Brewers Festival begins in just over an hour, with 84 breweries offering their wares for evaluation by the thousands of beer geeks and frat boys who will transform Tom McCall Waterfront Park into a dusty wasteland by the time the festival closes on Sunday. There are plenty of brews to be excited about this year (the lineup is only 20 percent IPAs!), and quite a few Oregon brewers making their first appearance at the Fest. But then there are the repeat offenders—the breweries who bring the same beer year after year, even though it's readily available in bottle shops all over town. (This year's lineup is actually a little less egregious in this regard than some previous years; the açai berry monstrosity from Eel River is finally gone.) Here are five beers to skip at OBF. Check back tonight for my top picks.

21st Amendment Brewery: Hell or High Watermelon Wheat

Leaving aside my personal opinions about fruit beers, 21st Amendment has been bringing this one around for years. You can pick up a six-pack any time you'd like at just about any supermarket in town.

Anderson Valley Brewing: Summer Solstice Cerveza Crema

This cream ale is one of my favorite summer beers, but it's widely available and Anderson Valley—a great brewery—has been bringing it to the Festival, again, for years. Buy some cans at New Seasons.

Vertigo Brewing: Razz Wheat

If you haven't tried this very nice wheat beer, flavored with an insane amount of raspberries, by all means do so this year. But if you tasted it in either of its two prior appearances at OBF, feel free to skip.

Fearless Brewing Co.: Fearless Scottish Ale

Another repeat offender, this is I believe the third year running.

Maui Brewing Co.: CoCoNut Porter

Really, guys? Again?


WWeek 2015

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.