American Craft Beer The Best Craft Beer, Breweries, Bars, Brewpubs, Beer Stores, And Restaurants Serving Serious Beer.
One famous amphibian once mused that “it ain’t easy being green.” It’s harder still to create organic craft beer offerings that are both delectable to the palate and reasonably priced. The 39 breweries and cideries that made up Portland’s 9th Annual North American Organic Brewers Festival will tell you otherwise, proven by their display last weekend of some of the finest varieties of craft beer you’ll find anywhere, organic or not, all at affordable prices.
All the beers and ciders offered were categorized as either 100% organic, organic (99 – 95%), or made with organic ingredients (94 – 70%), with 21 of the 57 products on hand clocking in at 100% organic and 13 of the breweries certified organic. With free admission, sample cups for only $6 (made of compostable cornstarch of course), and tasters at a dollar a pop, it weighs in at a cheaper price than its comparable festival brethren opening later in July.
After being on the premises for 7 sun-drenched hours on Friday, I was able to get through 16 of the 57 beers available. The biggest surprises of the day were some of the more unique styles I’d never before sampled, such as Alameda Brewing’sYellow Wolves of Thailand Imperial IPA, brewed with dried mangoes, flaked coconut, Thai basil, and ginger. A crowd favorite was Hopworks Urban Brewery’sTotally Radler, a fusion of their organic lager (60%) and fresh lemonade (40%) – the most refreshing beverage of the day as the weekend’s temps topped 90 degrees in Portland.
If fruit’s not your thing, maybe Uncommon Brewer’sBacon Brown Ale would hit the spot. A Nut Brown Ale brewed with buckwheat and bacon, it starts slightly bitter and ends with a smoky finish. Staying in the barnyard, McMenamin’s Crystal Brewery’sOmega Moo Organic Cream Ale Deluxe featured unmalted wheat and Carapils malt, hopped a plenty with Perle and Golding hops to create a smooth, refreshing ale with a pleasant kick at 8.3% ABV. One of the best finds of the day was 
Ambacht Brewing’sG++ Ale, a Belgian Strong Golden aged in Heavenly Hill whiskey barrels originally used by Hair of the Dog to age their Cherry Adam. HOTD left the cherries in the barrels, making this an excursion into whiskey, fruit, and blackberry honey. To finish my day in the sun, I indulged in a dessert of Apricot Hefeweizen ice cream – a creamy, homemade tasting delight.
Beyond the beers on hand, there were 8 organic food vendors, 20 bands adding their own variety to the proceedings, and 16 companies offering sustainable products and services. Last year, nearly 91% of the 1,900 pounds of waste created during the three-day event was recycled or composted, leaving only 175 pounds of trash. NAOBF truly lives up to their motto “Drink Organic, Save The Planet, One Beer at a Time!”
