Northwest Beer GuideFestivals, Spring Beer and Wine FestivalComment

(OR) Spring Beer & Wine Festival 4/2 to 4/3 at the Oregon Convention Center

Northwest Beer GuideFestivals, Spring Beer and Wine FestivalComment

Portland, OR – If are you like us, you have a tendency of picking one or the other when it comes to wine or beer at the dinner table. For some of us though, the sheer idea of choosing one over the other can be lunacy. However, for those of you that care little about which vine the beverage in front of you came from, there has been a festival to celebrate that ambivalence.

Dubbed the Spring Beer & Wine Fest, the event is a celebration of what makes Oregon special with its numerous fields of hops and acres vineyards. Held at the Oregon Convention Center, the event features some 80 craft beers and 30+ regional wineries, paired with specialty cheeses, and chocolate.

New this year, the festival will partner with the Portland chapter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) to send kids, who are battling neuromuscular diseases, to summer camp. Multiple local craft breweries and wineries will generously donate one-of-a-kind specialty beers and wines that will only be available at the MDA booth. Festival attendees can help send a kid to camp by making a $5.00 donation in exchange for a 14 oz beer or 5 oz glass of wine. All fundraising proceeds will help local MDA families.

Festival-goers will enjoy samples of more than 80 craft beers, 30 regional wineries and many local artisan spirits, plus delectable tastes of specialty cheese and handcrafted chocolate, all while mingling with brewers, winemakers and other craftspeople. In addition, the festival will also offer a global shopping marketplace, cooking demonstrations and educational seminars on the Chef’s Stage, and live music featuring Northwest bands including Keegan Smith & the Fam.

“As the Spring Beer & Wine Fest continues to evolve each year, we are able to bring even more of the best artisan food and drink under one roof for everyone to enjoy,” says festival founder and director Steve Woolard. “Plus, while eating, drinking and being merry, we are also strengthening our commitment to the community, with a generous portion of proceeds benefiting local charities such as MDA and American Heart Association (AHA).”

The Spring Beer & Wine Fest will be open Friday – Saturday, April 2-3, 2010, from Noon – 11 p.m. both days at the Oregon Convention Center (777 NE MLK Jr. Blvd., Portland, Ore.).
Admission is free the first two hours each day, or $5 after 2 p.m. Tasting packages are available for $20, which includes admission, a wine glass or plastic beer mug and 10 tokens. Purchased individually, sampling tokens are $1 and may be used for beer, wine, spirits and food. A mug or glass is required for beer tasting. The festival features Rastal glasses.

Minors accompanied by an adult are permitted until 7 p.m. each day; children ages 12 and younger are free.

For more information about specific vendors and a detailed event schedule, visit the Spring Beer & Wine Fest website: http://www.springbeerfest.com.

Cheers