Feast Portland, the ultimate eating and drinking foodie fest event, is right around the corner September 17-20th, 2015. In it’s 4th year, there are more parties and events than ever though with a quick look at the calendar it can seem a bit all about high end fine dining events that are mostly sold out. However we have combed through the schedule to highlight the best drink and beer centric events that are still open, and the first doesn’t even have a cover.
Beer and Bitters: Beyond the Hops
Thursday September 17th 7pm @ The Meadow NW 23rd FREE
Lompoc, The Meadow and Coquine are teaming up for a special late night Feast side party showcasing 5 different stages of beer cocktails with handmade bitters. Each of five stages features a sample of a cocktail made with beer and bitters and paired with a small bite. Lompoc Brewery is providing the beer as well as a number of botanical bitters created by head brewer Bryan Keilty. The Meadow, a resource for high-end salts, chocolate bars, wines and bitters, will feature an assortment of bitters curated by owner Mark Bitterman. And Chef Katy Millard with Coquine, a new, French-inspired restaurant located in Mt. Tabor, will serve up seasonal and sustainable fare to complement each libation.
Widmer Brothers Sandwich Invitational
Thursday September 17th 6-9pm @ Director Park $95
I attended this kick-off event last year and it was a lot of fun. I am not sure it’s the best representation of the greatest sandwich makers and you are limited to only Widmer’s (admittedly tasty) beer. It’s a sponsor and guest centric event but nonetheless one you dont want to miss for the shear variety and selection of small sandwiches that run the gamut of styles. Feast says these cheffed-up interpretations deliciously redefine everything you thought a sandwich could aspire to be. From Southern masters to BBQ legends, this gathering of the country’s leading chefs will explore how the depth and breadth of America’s culinary landscape can fit between two slices of bread—with even the bread up for interpretation! Sandwich glory is on the line with our panel of legendary food writers, chefs and personalities choosing a victor as well as a People’s Choice favorite from the crowd. Featured Chefs/Restaurants showcasing their sandwich-making prowess:
Nick Anderer, Maialino (New York, NY)
Aaron Barnett, St. Jack (Portland, OR)
Alvin Cailan, Eggslut (Los Angeles, CA)
Elias Cairo, Olympia Provisions (Portland, OR)
Aaron Franklin, Franklin Barbecue (Austin, TX)
Duff Goldman, Charm City Cakes (Los Angeles, CA)
Gregory Gourdet, Departure (Portland, OR)
Tim Healea, Little T Baker (Portland, OR)
Steve McHugh, Cured (San Antonio, TX)
Harold Moore, Harold’s Meat + 3 (New York, NY)
Vitaly Paley, Imperial (Portland, OR)
BJ Smith, Smokehouse Tavern (Portland , OR)
Scott Snyder, Levant (Portland, OR)
John Stewart, Meat Cheese Bread (Portland, OR)
Justin Wills, Restaurant Beck (Depoe Bay, OR)
Shaken, Stirred and Buzzed: Why We Really Like Booze
Friday September 18th 12pm – 1pm @ Portland Art Museum $55
Alright so this is not a beer or food event but I thought I may have some more adventurous alcoholic drinkers reading and this sounds fun. What do vintage champagne, light beer, and overproof whiskey have in common? Find out as Bon Appétit sits down with a few key players in the wine-and-spirits industry who’ll share drinking wisdom and closing-time tales.
Friday Oregon Bounty Tasting
Friday September 18th 1pm – 5pm @ Pioneer Courthouse Square $60
The Grand Tasting is a centerpiece event for Feast and takes place both Friday and Saturday. Yes it’s mostly an epic showcase of incredible Pacific Northwest ingredients and brands as well as one of the largest tasting experiences you will experience. It’s like you rolled up The Bite into one more compact and well chosen day. This is Feast Portland’s premiere daytime event, with everything from berry pies, artisan cheeses, hand-crafted chocolates, a who’s who of 30-plus top wineries, and more than a dozen breweries, Oregon ciders plus world-class showings, samplings and gadgetry by some of the most important names in the food world – from Williams-Sonoma to Breville. You’ll experience how Feast transforms Portland’s “living room”– Pioneer Courthouse Square – into Portland’s “dining room” for two days in the heart of downtown.
Here are the featured breweries:
BridgePort Brewery, (Portland, OR)
Burnside Brewing Company, (Portland, OR)
Deschutes Brewery, (Bend, OR)
Double Mountain Brewery, (Hood River, OR)
Fort George Brewery, (Astoria, OR)
Full Sail Brewing, (Hood River, OR)
Hopworks Urban Brewery, (Portland, OR)
Omission Brewing Company, (Portland, OR)
Pelican Brewing, (Pacific City, OR)
pFriem Family Brewers, (Hood River, OR)
Square Mile Cider Co., (Portland, OR)
The Commons Brewery, (Portland , OR)
Two Kilts Brewing Co., (Sherwood , OR)
Wandering Aengus Ciderworks, (Salem , OR)
Widmer Brothers Brewing, (Portland, OR)
I’m In A Cult
Friday September 18th 2-3pm @ Portland Art Museum $45
This is one of the more lowkey seminars held during Feast and is also the most beer geeky event they have on the schedule. It’s an introduction to cult, rare, collectible and otherwise highly sought after beers with a handful of experienced guides. Unfortunately they do not tell you what you get to sample.
Panelists:
Joshua M. Bernstein, Imbibe (Brooklyn, NY)
Lucy Burningham, (Portland, OR)
Paul Clarke, Imbibe (Portland, OR)
Andrew Knowlton, Bon Appétit (New York, NY)
Sarah Pederson, Saraveza Bottle Shop and Pasty Tavern (Portland, OR)
Farm to Cocktail Shaker: Creating Your Own Cocktail Ingredients with the Commissary
Saturday September 19th 1pm – 230pm @ Oregon Culinary Institute $75
Another not-so-beery but still very fun and interesting exploration of the cocktail. The twist is that it takes the farm-to-table dining movement and updates it to farm-to-cocktail shaker. Join Daniel Shoemaker and Sean Hoard, the duo behind The Commissary, as they transform your farmers market haul into syrups, shrubs and juices that will take your cocktail game to a whole new (farm fresh) level.
Saturday Oregon Bounty
Saturday September 19th 12-5pm @ Pioneer Courthouse Square $60
Day number two of the Oregon Bounty showcase.
The Grand Tasting is a centerpiece event for Feast and takes place both Friday and Saturday. Yes it’s mostly an epic showcase of incredible Pacific Northwest ingredients and brands as well as one of the largest tasting experiences you will experience. It’s like you rolled up The Bite into one more compact and well chosen day. This is Feast Portland’s premiere daytime event, with everything from berry pies, artisan cheeses, hand-crafted chocolates, a who’s who of 30-plus top wineries, and more than a dozen breweries, Oregon ciders plus world-class showings, samplings and gadgetry by some of the most important names in the food world – from Williams-Sonoma to Breville. You’ll experience how Feast transforms Portland’s “living room”– Pioneer Courthouse Square – into Portland’s “dining room” for two days in the heart of downtown.
Here are the featured breweries:
BridgePort Brewery, (Portland, OR)
Burnside Brewing Company, (Portland, OR)
Deschutes Brewery, (Bend, OR)
Double Mountain Brewery, (Hood River, OR)
Fort George Brewery, (Astoria, OR)
Full Sail Brewing, (Hood River, OR)
Hopworks Urban Brewery, (Portland, OR)
Omission Brewing Company, (Portland, OR)
Pelican Brewing, (Pacific City, OR)
pFriem Family Brewers, (Hood River, OR)
Square Mile Cider Co., (Portland, OR)
The Commons Brewery, (Portland , OR)
Two Kilts Brewing Co., (Sherwood , OR)
Wandering Aengus Ciderworks, (Salem , OR)
Widmer Brothers Brewing, (Portland, OR)
Old Macdonald Had A Brewery
Saturday September 19th 2-3pm @ Portland Art Museum $35
Another beer centric and geeky seminar on the growing Farmhouse Ale resurgence in America. A group of brewers, restauranteurs and writers will guide you across this growing movement and engaging styles of beer. From breweries that grow their own grains to family farms that have just recently gotten into the brewing biz, get a taste of what these farm-raised brews have to offer.
Panel experts:
Joshua M. Bernstein, Imbibe (Brooklyn, NY)
Paul Clarke, Imbibe (Portland, OR)
Christian DeBenedetti, Wolves & People Farmhouse Brewery (Newberg, OR)
David Logsdon, Logsdon Farm Brewery (Hood River, OR)
David Lynch, St. Vincent (San Francisco, CA)
Tillamook Brunch Village
Sunday September 20th 11am – 2pm @ Pioneer Courthouse Square $75
This was one of my favorite events from last year: Similar to the Grand Bounty event, this is a fest of delicacies both savory and sweet from a who’s who of top restaurants and chefs but all focused around one thing — Brunch. This is especially appropriate for a city so obsessed with the mid day meal. Explore everything from biscuit egg n’ cheese sandwiches, Texas breakfast tacos and fried chicken with waffles. The festival welcomes chefs from Portland and around the country who will build your future favorite food memories from bacon, eggs, pastries, chocolate and everything else that makes brunch, brunch! My favorite part is the absolutely epic bloody mary bar with a banquet table full of condiments, salts, sauces and garnishes to choose from. Oh and beer is technically represented with a Widmer Brothers booth.
Beer Bites with Christian de Benedetti and Andrea Slonecker
Sunday September 20th 1pm – 230pm @ Oregon Culinary Institute $75
The last of the beer centric events again enlists the help of beer writer extraordinaire and founder of the upcoming Wolves & People Farmhouse Brewery — Christian DeBenedetti. This time Christian teams up with cookbook author Andrea Slonecker (The Picnic; Eggs on Top; Pretzel Making at Home) as they crack open a world-class selection of beers to pair with three inventive recipes from their forthcoming cookbook, Beer Bites: Tasty Recipes and Perfect Pairings for Brew Lovers (Chronicle, Oct. 2015). As in the book, this class will highlight the fun and versatility of pairing beer and food by flavor instead of convention. It’s a guided beer brunch following broad flavor profiles—from “Fruit & Spice” to “Sour & Complex” and “Malty, Rich & Sweet”—and one that will show just how delicious pairing beer and bites can be.
Balancing debauchery with philanthropy, Feast Portland continues its mission to end childhood hunger in Oregon and across America by donating festival net proceeds to No Kid Hungry and Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon, giving more than $162,000 over the last three years. You can find more info and obtain tickets to these events and more at http://www.feastportland.com/
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