Portland’s Holiday Ale Fest

This celebration of winter suds is set beneath Portland's majestic holiday tree.

By John Patrick Pullen | July 31, 2013 (updated Nov. 27, 2017)

Tags: festivals, beer, winter, Christmas

Revelers toast beneath the ale fest's clear tent.

Timothy Horn

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, returning Nov. 29–Dec. 3, 2017. This 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.

Drink selections for 2017 include 2 Towns Ciderhouse‘s “Bourbon barrel Nice & Naughty” cider, fermented with dark honey and seasonal spices (like clove, cinnamon and nutmeg) and aged in bourbon barrels.

Ancestry Brewing will be serving its “Horchata Winter Stout,” which is brewed with cinnamon, vanilla bean, nutmag and lactose sugar to create a chocolatey, spice-laden beer. Meanwhile, the “Pink Peppercorn, Lavender & Chocolate Imperial Stout” by Caldera Brewing Co. is sure to surprise palates.

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.

2017 Standard Release Beers*

2 Towns Ciderhouse — “Bourbon Barrel Nice & Naughty” (11.0% ABV)
54*40′ Brewing Co. — “Restoration Bock” (7.5% ABV)
Ancestry Brewing — “Horchata Winter Stout” (8.0% ABV)
Anthem Cider — “Crammed 11 Cookies into the VCR” (6.0% ABV)
Base Camp Brewing Co. — “Barrel Aged Imperial S’more Stout” (11.1% ABV)
Bear Republic Brewing Co. — “Olive the Other Reindeer” (7.5% ABV)
Burnside Brewing Co. — “Owd Cappy Mac” (9.6% ABV)
Caldera Brewing Co. — “Pink Peppercorn Lavender & Chocolate Imperial Stout” (8.8% ABV)
Cider Riot — “Winter Orchard Imperial Cider” (8.5% ABV)
Collaborator — “Moore Holiday Ale” (7.6% ABV)
Crooked Stave — “5 Golden Rings” (5.5% ABV)
Defeat River Brewery — “Firry Sweater” (5.8%)
Deluxe Brewing Co. — “Bock The Holidays” (10.5% ABV)
Depoe Bay Brewing — “Hakari nui pia” (7.0% ABV)
Drake’s Brewing Co. — “Vin-Drak” (9.0% ABV)
Drinking Horse Brewing Co. — “Jack Horner’s Imperial Porter” (10.0% ABV)
Ecliptic Brewing — “Cosmic Bog Sauce” (6.0% ABV)
Eel River Brewing Co. — “Conspiracy of Ravens” (10.5% ABV)
Falling Sky Brewing Co. — “There Gose the Bussmann” (4.6% ABV)
Finnriver Farm & Cidery — “Disco Peach Cider” (6.5% ABV)
Firestone Walker Brewing Co. — “Winter Merlin” (6.0% ABV)
Fort George Brewery — “Breaking the Mulled” (10.5% ABV)
Fremont Brewing Co. — “Winter Fuego” (8.0% ABV)
Gigantic Brewing — “The Cat Ate My Stash & Pissed On The Christmas Tree” (7.5% ABV)
Gilgamesh Brewing Co. — “Charlie Bruin” (8.3% ABV)
Golden Valley Brewery — “Tickle my Dickel” (8.5% ABV)
Hopworks Urban Brewery — “Yule Only Live Once” (10.0% ABV)
Kells Brewpub — “The Selfish Giant” (5.0% ABV)
Logsdon Farmhouse Ales — “Gnome for the Holidays” (10.7% ABV)
Lompoc Brewing — “Top Shelf, Old Sport” (7.0% ABV)
Migration Brewing — “Hazy Holidays Lager” (7.2% ABV)
Modern Times Beer — “Black House Vanilla Macadamia Nut Latte (5.8% ABV)
Montavilla Brew Works — “Severe Concussion IPA” (9.5% ABV)
Nation Brewery — “Old Grogham” (8.5% ABV)
Nectar Creek — “Top Bar” (6.9% ABV)
Ninkasi Brewing Co. — “Hips Don’t Lie” (5.4% ABV)
Oakshire Brewing — “Florgia Borgia” (6.5% ABV)
Pelican Brewing Co. — “Dark Hearted Blonde” (6.5% ABV)
pFriem Family Brewers — “Juicy Winter Ale” (7.5% ABV)
PINTS Brewing Co. — “Christmas Down Under” (4.9% ABV)
Portland Brewing Co. — “The Dude Abides” (8.0% ABV)
Portland Cider Co. — “Cranberry Sauced” (9.5% ABV)
Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider — “Warm Abbey Spice with Cranberry” (7.4% ABV)
Rogue — “Woodman’s Wine” (10.9% ABV)
Santiam Brewing Co. — “Hibernal Druid” (9.8% ABV)
Sixpoint Brewery — “Mad Scientists Ale #22 X-Tra Thick Smoothie” (8.5% ABV)
Stickmen Brewery & Skewery — “Tryptophantastic” (9.2% ABV)
StormBreaker Brewing — “Barrel Aged Kilt By Death” (8.0% ABV)
Three Mugs Brewing Co. — “Mrs. Claus’s Peppermint Desire White Chocolate Ale” (6.5% ABV)
Trap Door Brewing — “HoliDANK” (9.5% ABV)
Vanguard Brewing Co. — “Uninhibited” (10.0% ABV)
Wayfinder Beer — “Rotorvator Doppelbock” (7.7% ABV)
Wild Ride Brewing — “Twist & Shout Coffee Blonde Holiday Edition” (4.5% ABV)
Wolf Tree Brewery — “The Barrel Aged Belgian Dip” (10.5% ABV)