Hood River Hops Fest announces this year's breweries. Tickets still available for this September 22nd event.
Press Release
Hood River, Ore. – September 11, 2018 – Fresh-hop beer lovers should mark their calendars for Saturday, September 22, when downtown Hood River, Oregon, will again be “hopping” with the return of one of the Columbia Gorge’s premier events, Hood River Hops Fest, produced by the Hood River County Chamber of Commerce and presented by Jacobs. This one-day festival, now in its 15th year, brings together more than 40 Pacific Northwest breweries to debut their seasonal fresh-hop beers. With over 60 unique varieties available for tasting, the Hood River Hops Fest boasts one of the largest fresh-hop selections in the nation.
This year’s lineup includes nine breweries that are new to Hood River Hops Fest: Ancestry Brewing, Ascendant Beer Company, Base Camp Brewing Company, Dwinell Country Ales, Ex Novo Brewing Company, Ferment Brewing Company, Klamath Basin Brewing, Silver Moon Brewing, and West Coast Grocery Company.
Numerous Hood River breweries, including Double Mountain Brewery, Full Sail Brewing and pFriem Family Brewers, are once again participating in the festival and showcasing their 2018 fresh-hop ales, alongside other regional heavyweights. Making its debut at Hops Fest is festival sponsor Hood River Distillers, which will be featuring its new hopped whiskey created in collaboration with Double Mountain. A small selection of local ciders will also be on tap, along with select wines from Naked Winery.
The Sodbuster Farms’ Lupulus Award – an interactive judging experience for festival attendees – is back for a second year. The inaugural 2017 people’s choice award went to Double Mountain Brewery for its Killer Lion beer.
“The Pacific Northwest produces almost 98 percent of the country’s hops, which means that local and regional brewers have easy access to the key ingredient for innovative, world-class fresh-hop beers every year. The Hops Fest is the perfect showcase for these unique brews,” said Mike Glover, CEO of the Hood River County Chamber of Commerce, host of the event. “In addition to Hops Fest, September is a beautiful time to spend the whole weekend in Hood River to explore everything else that makes our area so special, including hiking, biking, a downtown art walk and fun shopping area, and the Hood River County Fruit Loop, when trees are dripping with apples and pears and fall foliage is at its colorful peak.”
Hood River Hops Fest features local cuisine, arts and crafts vendors, and live music. Children are welcome throughout the afternoon. The venue is open to adults only from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Now Go Car-Free to Hood River
Thanks to this year’s expansion of the Columbia Gorge Express bus service, festivalgoers can make Hood River Hops Fest a car-free experience by catching the bus from Portland’s Gateway Transit Center or Cascade Locks – and even add visits to Multnomah Falls and Rooster Rock State Park to their day. Once in Hood River, it’s a short ride on the Pink Trolley to the Hops Festival site, or people can hail the Hood River Pedicab. The return Columbia Gorge Express bus service from Hood River will run at 2:00 pm, 4:10 pm and 7:10 pm (full schedule here), or visitors can spend the night at a local hotel or B&B and return home on Sunday.
2018 Hood River Hops Fest Breweries
*New breweries are noted by an asterisk
McMinnville, OR
Tualatin, OR
Portland, OR
Carson, WA
Portland, OR
Ontario, OR
Hood River, OR
Milwaukie, OR
Gresham, OR
Astoria, OR
Portland, OR
Bend, OR
Portland, OR
Bend, OR
Hood River, OR
Goldendale, WA
White Salmon, WA
Portland, OR
Hood River, OR
The Dalles, OR
Hood River, OR
Seattle, WA
Portland, OR
Portland, OR
Portland, OR
Portland, OR
Portland, OR
Government Camp, OR
Troutdale, OR
Hood River, OR
Bend, OR
The Dalles, OR
Bend, OR
Parkdale, OR
Tualatin, OR
Sunriver, OR
Sisters, OR
Thunder Island Brewing Company
Cascade Locks, OR
Stevenson, WA
Portland, OR
Redmond, OR
Bend, OR
Portland, OR
2018 Hood River Hops Fest Details
WHEN
Saturday, September 22, 2018. Open to all ages from 12-5 p.m., and adults ages 21 and over from 5-8 p.m.
WHERE
Downtown Hood River, Oregon, in the Columbia Parking Lot (between Fifth and Seventh Streets and Cascade Avenue and Columbia Street)
TICKETS
21+ Entry-Only Ticket: $10
21+ Beer Garden Ticket: $15 presale; $20 day-of. Includes entry, commemorative glass mug and five 3.5oz. taste tokens
Under 21: Free admission. Note: The venue is open to adults only from 5 p.m. until closing at 8 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased in advance at hoodriver.org/hops-fest, or at the entrance the day of the event.
MUSICAL LINEUP
12-1:30 p.m. – Tony Smiley
2-3:30 p.m. – The Kinky Brothers
4-5:30 p.m. – Greenneck Daredevils
6-7:45 p.m. – Ural Thomas & the Pain
MORE INFORMATION
Call the Hood River County Chamber of Commerce at (541) 386-2000 or visit the official Hood River Hops Fest website and Facebook page.
2018 SPONSORS
About Hood River Hops Fest
Hosted annually by the Hood River Chamber of Commerce, Hood River Hops Fest is a beer lover's dream. The event showcases more than 60 fresh-hop brews from throughout the Northwest, as well as favorites from Hood River County's own microbreweries. It received the silver medal for Best Beer Festival from the 2015 Willamette Week Oregon Beer Awards, and was named Best Event of the Gorge for 2010-2013.
About Hood River, Oregon
Located at the crossroads of the spectacular Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area and the magnificent Cascade Range and just an hour from Portland, Hood River is wildly gorge-ous, offering outdoor recreation, dramatic vistas, historic landmarks, bountiful fruit, and fantastic food, wine, beer and cider. With accommodations ranging from luxury hotels to historic B&Bs, Hood River is a four-season destination for families, outdoor enthusiasts, weddings, corporate events and more. It was named a Top 10 Wine Destination for 2017 by Wine Enthusiast Magazine, and 2015 Best Adventure Town in the West by Sunset magazine.
The Hood River County Chamber of Commerce supports economic and tourism development in Hood River, Cascade Locks, Mosier, Odell, Parkdale, Pine Grove, and Mount Hood. hoodriver.org
