It’s the most wonderful time for a beer!
It’s the hop-happiest season of all!
There’s a buzz in the air of Pioneer Courthouse Square
when mugs flow with ales…
A giant heated tent takes over Pioneer Courthouse Square for the beer festival. Photo by Timothy Horn.
Uncork a beer-inspired carol of your own during downtown Portland’s annual Holiday Ale Festival. This annual celebration of winter suds is set beneath the region’s largest decorated Christmas tree. Revelers can sample from more than 50 featured beers, each designed to keep drinkers warm on cold winter nights. The next Holiday Ale Festival is scheduled for Dec. 4–Dec. 8, 2019.
The event also includes delicious, holiday-themed foods, live music and a Sunday brunch with exclusive beers alongside European pastries, cured meats and artisan cheeses. Wear some Santa pants, because you’re going to need a bigger waistline. As a bonus — and on the off chance that the strong beers aren’t enough to keep you warm — the festival’s clear-top tent and gas heaters ought to do the trick.
Highlights from Holiday Ale Festival 2018
Offerings in 2018 included pFriem “Raspberry Brut IPA,” made using berries, peaches, pineapple, melons and white wine grapes, and 2 Towns Ciderhouse “Kentucky Barrel Nice & Naughty” (an imperial cider made with fermented honey and spices and aged in bourbon barrels).
Plenty of the brews on offer catered to those with even more adventurous taste buds (like Rusty Truck Brewing Chocolate Oyster Stout, made using — you guessed it — dark chocolate and oyster shells sourced from Netarts Bay).
