10 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
TALK CRAFT BEER
EIGHTH ANNUAL POURING AT THE COAST TAKES OVER THE SEASIDE CONVENTION CENTER MARCH 18
SUBMITTED PHOTOS
Try tastes from New Belgium Brewing at the beer festival.
Deschutes Brewery has beeen a
past participant at Pouring at the
Coast and will again appear at the
festival this year.
Rusty Truck Brewing will be on hand at this year’s festival.
By KATHERINE LACAZE
FOR COAST WEEKEND
hen a bevy of beer
samples converges
with the breeze and
spray of the ocean,
it can only mean one
thing: It’s Pouring at the
Coast in Seaside.
In its eighth year, this
annual event, to be held from 3 to 8 p.m.
Saturday, March 18 at the Seaside Civic
and Convention Center, promises a taste
of some of the best craft beer being
brewed in Oregon and parts of Washing-
ton in a beach-town setting.
While many communities in the Pa-
cific Northwest host local craft beer fes-
tivals, Pouring at the Coast “really does
have its own flair and flavor,” according
to Brian Owen, executive director of the
Seaside Chamber of Commerce. “It’s
one of the first for the year, and then
also, it’s a destination,” he said. “It’s
more than just a beer fest. It’s a day at
the beach. It’s an (invitation to) ‘Come
play and stay in Seaside.’”
‘Interesting and fresh’
The partnership between Seaside
Brewing Company and the chamber,
which began a few years into the event,
has been crucial to optimizing the
festival experience for both attendees
and vendors. While the chamber has
resources for planning, promoting and
presenting the event, Jimmy Griffin and
his team at the brewery have a connec-
tion to the craft beer industry and know
what it takes to entice other breweries to
participate.
“(Griffin) talks beers,” Owen said.
“He understands what a brewer needs
and how to attract them to come and be
a vendor ... He knows the players.”
Each of the approximately 40 brew-
eries in attendance will offer from one to
a few different varieties, introducing and
familiarizing people with their brand.
Some use is as “a live lab to break out
some of their new stuff for the spring
and summer; some stick with their old
standards,” Griffin said, adding, “Mak-
ing a friend who loves your beer is the
whole goal.”
The organizers aim for diversity
among breweries and brewers to give the
festival variety and depth. About half the
companies coming this year have partici-
pated in the past, and the rest are new
faces. After ensuring the local coastal
companies receive “a good representa-
tion,” Griffin tries to bring in multiple
new breweries to “keep it interesting
and fresh for the people who come every
year.”
For locals, the festival is an oppor-
tunity to sample selections from com-
panies who don’t normally distribute to
the coast. For visitors, the festival is one
more good reason to come to the beach.
Participants can travel among the
breweries, sampling what catches their
eye and discussing the drinks. Rather
than relying on volunteers who may not
be familiar with the brands or beers,
the organizers ask the breweries to pour
their own beer, which is done by the
brewer, owner or a representative. The
idea, Griffin said, is people don’t want to
merely try a beer, “they want to hear the
story behind the beer.”
Because of the ratio of breweries to
attendees, the event is conducive to plen-
ty of one-on-one time.
“It’s kind of perfect the way we do
it,” Griffin said. “It’s a good healthy
number of breweries, for sure, but
there’s also a lot of personal interaction.”
Last year, about 800 people attended
the festival. Based on online sales as of
early March, the event will have signifi-
cant attendance by out-of-town visitors,
from Portland and Eugene to Seattle
and Tacoma, Washington. In addition to
the chamber’s more robust social media
campaign through Instagram, Facebook
and Twitter, many of the breweries are
marketing the event within their local
communities, according to Owen.
“This year, we are communicating in
areas we never have,” he said. “So we
are looking for a little bump in atten-
dance. This year, hopefully, my goal is
for 1,000.”
Gone this year,
but not forgotten
While marginal growth for the af-
ternoon tasting is anticipated, a slightly
different look to the overall event is a
certainty.
For starters, the Oregon Coast Brew-
er’s Dinner, the traditional and well-
loved kick-off to Pouring at the Coast
held the night before, will not take place
this year.
“There was a conflict we were not
able to overcome in a timely manner,”
Owen said. “We did have to put that off
to the side.”
The organizers hope to bring it back
in coming years, although the dinner
likely will be revamped or restructured.
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