Craft Brew Cast Blog

Organic brewers from around the world celebrate sustainability June 27-29 in Portland, Oregon at the  North American Organic Brewers Festival (NAOBF). The 2007 festival featured 50 organic ales and lagers, drew 7000 attendees and raised over $2000 for local charities. The largest organic beer festival in the world, the NAOBF was first held in 2003 in Gresham, Oregon, and has been an annual event since 2006. In addition to organic beer the festival features live music, local and organic food, and sustainability-focused vendors.  

WHY ORGANIC BEER?

Until the 19^th century all beer was organic, but chemical fertilizers and pesticides are now the norm in barley and hop production. The Pinkus-Mueller brewery, in Muenster, Germany (sample Pinkus beers at the NAOBF) brewed the world’s first modern organic beer in 1980, as the brewmaster was concerned with the declining quality of malting barley grown with chemical fertilizers. Organic beer made its debut in the US in the mid 1990s’ and production has grown by leaps and bounds since then. Organic beer is now a more than 20 million dollar market in the US. The festival celebrates the diversity of styles of organic beers from pilsners, pale ales, porters, and ambers, to stouts, India Pale Ales, and a plethora of Belgian styles.

CHARITY

A benefit for Oregon Food Bank, Leukemia Lymphoma Society, and Oregon Tilth, the NAOBF celebrates numerous facets of sustainability. The chemical pesticides and fertilizers used in conventional agriculture are one of the leading causes of cancer. The Leukemia Lymphoma Society, helps those suffering from leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma. The Oregon Food Bank feeds the hungry, and Oregon Tilth promotes sustainable agriculture and is one of the most stringent organic certification bodies in the nation.

This year the festival also features a special guest beer, the 2008 Sasquatch Legacy brew, the proceeds from which will benefit the Glen Hay Falconer Memorial Foundation, which maintains a Brewing Scholarship to the Siebel Institute of Technology brewing school. Eugene brewer Glen Hay Falconer was an organic beer pioneer while at the Wild Duck Brewery and Restaurant in Eugene. This years Sasquatch Legacy Project is the Imperial Vienna, brewed by 2007 scholarship recipients Corey Blodgett and Jacob Leonard using organic malt.

SUSTAINBLE PRACTISES

In the interest of sustainability the NAOBF is working to reduce its waste stream, and minimize its carbon footprint. This year the NAOBF has switched from plastic to cornstarch tasting glasses, which are 100% compostable. Conventional plastics not only take up landfill space, but have been linked to cancer, and are made from foreign petroleum. The cornstarch cups are made from domestically grown corn by Colorado-based Eco-Products, .a zero-waste, solar-powered company. Onsite compost receptacles will be provided at the event for the cups and food waste. All food vendors are required to use compostable flatware and plates.  A Biodiesel-fueled generator provides the festival’s energy needs, and attendees are encouraged to take MAX light-rail to the event. Vendors at the NAOBF promote sustainable living through their wares and services

EVENT DETAILS

Overlook Park N. Interstate and Fremont Streets, Portland, Oregon Friday June 27 3pm-9pm, Saturday 12-9pm, Sunday 12-5pm. Admission is free, a tasting glass is $5, and 4oz samples of beer are $1. A $1 discount will be given for a valid Tri-met transfer OR three cans of food for the Oregon Food Bank. The event is all-ages. Service animals only. There is no onsite parking, attendees are encouraged to take public transit. (MAX Yellow Line to Overlook Park stop). Bicycle parking will be provided.

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