20th annual festival breaks 60,000 in attendance
The Oregon Brewers Festival witnessed a banner year with a record attendance of 60,500 at the 20th annual festival, and the largest number of kegs poured to date. The four-day event concluded on Sunday, July 29, at Tom McCall Waterfront Park.
The event kicked off on July 26 with a one-mile brewers parade on the city sidewalks, led by Portland Mayor Tom Potter and accompanied by bagpipers, drummers, and beer lovers. Upon arrival at the venue, Mayor Potter followed the Oktoberfest tradition in which the Lord Mayor taps the first keg, by swinging a wooden mallet to drive the tap into the official first keg of the festival.
The Oregon Brewers Festival served 73 different craft beers from 14 states across the country.
For a “on-the-scene” blog account of the festivities, go to http://www.realbeer.com/blog