Many deem Portland as the Craft Beer Capital of the World. Others swear it’s the greatest beer city on earth. While many other U.S. States have now jumped on the craft beer bandwagon, the Portland (aka Beervana) craft beer scene is still one of the best anywhere.  

2023 Update News: The Pacific Northwest festival scene is growing and shifting quite rapidly as the world opens up post-Covid. Many Portland Beer Festivals have sadly not been able to reestablish their events since they were canceled in 2020. We are doing our best to keep this article updated often, but we recommend you check with the individual festival for specific dates and other pertinent information as things are still in flux. But, many Portland breweries are open, so please make a point to support them!

Portland Beer Festivals for 2023

Sadly, several of the annual beer and cider festivals have yet to plan new events or set final dates. Even more sad is the fact that several past beer and cider events are no longer such as The Feast, Puckerfest, Annual Bakers Dozen Fest, and Portland Farmhouse & Wild Ale Fest. But, there are a lot of other fun Portland festivals to check out!

The Portland International Beer Fest has no dates set for 2023, but we hope to see them set some! The biggest news is the cancelation of the Oregon Brewers Festival (OBF) for 2023. In a press release from January of 2023, they said, “OBF will return when the time is right”.

We have done a 2023 update and you’ll find everything from brewery open houses to craft beer festivals that happen year-round in Beervana.  These events make every year a great year for drinking beer in Oregon.  If you are looking for the top Portland beer festivals in 2023, look no further! 

As of March 2023, we are still waiting for the announcement of 2023 dates for several of the events.

Oregon Brewers Festival | Canceled for 2023

Pre-Covid, over 50,000 pilgrims made the trek at the end of July to Portland, Oregon for the Oregon Brewers Festival (OBF). Founded in 1988 when craft brewing was just getting off the ground, this festival celebrates a flourishing industry that now boasts more than 8,000 craft breweries nationwide.

The festival re-launched in 2021 with a reduced footprint and size with plans to continue with this reduction when they return in 2024.

Portland – aka Beervana – is currently the #1 large metro area for beer tourism, according to Travelocity’s first Beer Tourism Index so it’s no surprise the Oregon Brewers Festival is also a considered a destination.

2022 marked the 33rd annual Oregon Brew Fest (OBF) and took place at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in downtown Portland from July 28-30, 2022.

While many have come to think of this festival as the Portland Brew Fest, because of the location, it really celebrates all Oregon beer and beyond. Choose from a wide range of beers from Belgians to braggots, cream ales to coffee beers, goses to gluten-free, pales to Pilsners, radlers to reds, and saisons to stouts. 

The festival will be pouring 80 beers from craft breweries across the United States, plus eight ciders and local wine. The festival is also reviving its popular Specialty Tent, where participating brewers send one-off kegs of rare, bold, and experimental beers. 

The gates open at 11:30 am daily with the taps operating from 12 pm to 9 pm. As the festival progresses, the noise tends to increase as some taps run out. So get there early during the daylight hours to enjoy a full selection of beer in relative peace and quiet.

Even though the focus of the festival is on beer, a decent selection of food booths enable festival-goers to supplement their beer with a meal with live music, craft vendors and homebrew demonstrations with cornhole and ladder toss providing additional amusement.

While some beer festivals are +21, this festival allows minors during all hours of the festival when accompanied by an adult. Minors and designated drivers can pick up complimentary handcrafted root beer and soda at the Crater Lake Soda Garden.

One can enter the Portland Brew Fest gratis, but if you want to drink, you must purchase a tasting package for $20 that includes a 2020 souvenir tasting mug and 10 tasting tokens (mugs are available on their own for $10). Additional wooden beer tokens cost $1 each, with one token providing a sample and five tokens a full mug. (Specialty Tent  and select beers/ciders may cost extra tokens).

Enjoy Happy Hour on Wednesday and Thursday from 12 pm to 3 pm and pay just four tokens for a fill or one token for a taste. The purchase of mugs and tokens is made on-site, or in advance on the website.

Cash Only Tip: This event is cash-only. While ATMs are located on the premise, if possible, avoid the lines as well as ATM fees and arrive with cash in hand or buy ahead of time at www.oregonbrewfest.com. 

Parking Tip for Oregon Brew Fest: Avoid the headaches of parking downtown by either taking public transportation or cycling. A Tri-Met MAX Light Rail station is located just one block away from the main entrance or cyclists can park their bike for free at Hopworks Urban Brewery’s secure bike corral.

While this festival remains the largest Portland-based beer festival, events celebrating beer can be had just about every weekend during the summer months with additional festivals scattered throughout the year. Here’s a listing of some of the Portland brew fests 2020 favorites.

Additional Portland Beer Festivals

7th Annual Brewstillery Fest | March 11, 2023

StormBreaker Brewing presents the 7th Annual Brewstillery Fest, where all of your favorite Breweries and Distilleries come together creating an awesome lineup of beer and spirit pairings.

Each pairing will consist of a 4oz beer pour and a 1/4 oz spirit taste. Only like beer? Then just drink beer. You can pick and choose, although they strongly recommend going for the pairing.

• Advanced tickets on sale now! $25 for event branded beer tasting glass and 8 tasting tickets. $40
• VIP (limited supply) for event branded whiskey glass, event beer tasting glass, 12 tickets.

Address: 832 N Beech St Portland, OR 97227

Sip of Spring | Saturday, May 21st, 2023

Spring beers are in bloom all over the city, and Sip of Spring provides a venue to gather with friends and enjoy a beer––¬or a cider––outside on a working farm in the city limits, with a view that is unparalleled. Held at Rossi Farms in NE Portland and showcasing small Oregon craft breweries.

The 2023 Sip of Spring has been announced for Sunday, May 21, 2023.

Cider Summit PDX, June 23-24, 2023

This annual cider summit features over 200 regional and national ciders from 61 producers along with a range of food offerings, a dog lounge, live music featuring several of Portland’s legendary blues artists, and an event store with bottles to go.

This is the region’s largest cider festival and takes place in the Pearl District every June. This event is a perfect opportunity for beer and wine lovers to try the range of ciders available. I’ve found the most updated information on their Facebook page.

Portland Beer Week | TBD

Portland Beer Week is a 11-day celebration of beer in the greatest beer city on earth – Portland, Oregon.

Portland Beer Week is a celebration of craft beer culture and all of its tangents from food pairings to beer ice cream, artwork and design, film and science.

Now entering its 14th year, the highlights of this  Featuring 100+ events at locations city-wide from beer festivals to beer dinners, pairing parties, seminars, screenings, and challenges.

Portland Craft Beer Fest, June 2023 (Dates TBD)

The Portland Craft Beer Festival (PCBF) is a Festival for beer lovers to taste craft beers from Portland, Oregon breweries.

During this festival, all breweries within the city limits of Portland, Oregon have the opportunity to showcase their beers. Also, featured will be selections of Portland’s craft wines and winders and locally-based food vendors.

Location: The Fields Neighborhood Park; 1099 NW Overton St. Portland, OR

Fresh Hop Pop-Up Beer Festival | October 2023 (Dates TBD)

The Portland Fresh Hop Pop-Up Beer Fest returned for its 7th year in 2022 at Portland’s “top food cart pod” the Prost. As of March 2023, we are still waiting for the announcement of 2023 dates.

The Portland Fresh Hops Fest is a celebration of the annual hop harvest that takes place from mid-August to mid-September in Oregon. The festival features Oregon craft beers made with hops that are freshly picked off the vine and used within hours of harvesting.

The beer garden features ten food trucks and ten rotating taps. Each day of this 17-day fresh hop marathon will feature seasonal rare seasonal beers with special tappings nearly every day celebrating some of the best and brightest breweries and regions.

Location: Marketplace on N. Mississippi Ave.

Holiday Ale Fest | December 2023 (Dates TBD)

More than 50 winter warming brews converge on Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse Square for a warm and celebratory 4-day holiday event.

Most Portland beer events open to the public can be found here for a comprehensive listing of 2023 Portland beer festivals.

Additional PNW Beer Festivals

Gorge Blues & Brews Festival | June 23-24, 2023

The Gorge Blues and Brews Festival, held at the Skamania Fairgrounds in Stevenson, WA presents 2 days of blues music on 2 stages along with 35 craft beer taps, 4 wineries, cocktails, and great food.

The Craft Wine & Beer Fest | July 28-30, 2023

This Craft Beer & Wine Fest, held at Esther Short Park in Vancouver, WA features 60 taps, 20 wineries, and 4 distilleries, along with food and live music.

Related Articles: Feast Portland festival and Five Portland Breweries to Visit on Two Wheels 

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WHEN TO VISIT PORTLAND

Summer is the best time to visit Portland. The weather is great, the cafes open their outdoor seating areas and your chance of running out of things to do is virtually zero. You can also visit during the not-quite-summer months of June and September to take advantage of slightly lower hotel rates and thinner crowds.

If you’re traveling on a budget or want to steer clear of your fellow tourists, just pack an umbrella and head to Portland during the winter off-season.

If you enjoyed this article about Top 18 Portland Beer Festivals you’ll also love The Feast Portland, Oregon.

 

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Traveling To Portland Soon? Here are a few tips:

How to get there: You can travel to Portland by car, plane or train. The most beautiful way to travel to Portland is on Amtrak’s Coast Starlight which operates daily from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle. If you decide to fly, you’ll be traveling to Portland International Airport (PDX).

Where to stay: There are many places to stay in Portland as well as in Oregon. There is a wide range of hotels, from budget to luxury. For a luxury hotel that won’t break the bank, I recommend the Hampton Inn & Suites Portland-Pearl District which is currently the #1 hotel on Tripadvisor. For a mid-level hotel, I suggest the Kimpton Hotel Monaco Portland, Finally, for a budget hotel, try the Econo Lodge Portland Airport. You can also check HotelsCombined for the best Portland Hotel Rates.

What to pack: The temperatures each season vary greatly. I visited in July and was very happy to have a Jeans, tank top and sunglasses. for the beautiful summer days in Portland. If you are visiting in Winter, you’ll want to bring heavy-duty layers and scarfs. While the summer months can be gorgeous, rain is an option year-round in the Pacific Northwest, so packing a hoodie, rain jacket or umbrella is a must!

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Day Trips from Portland, Oregon & Top Tours

I love to do a combination of exploring on my own as well as a few organized tours when I travel. I love to learn about the history and culture in a new location and tours with local experts is a great way to do this. I recommend Get Your Guide because you can cancel most bookings for free up to 24 hours before they start and their customer service is available 24/7 in multiple languages. 

A few Top Tours in Portland, Oregon

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Read More About Portland

• Five Portland Breweries to Visit on Two Wheels
• 52 Ways to Enjoy Chocolate in & Around Portland

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