MARCH 15, 2018 // 11
“There are enough breweries all
over the coast now that they’ve become
a force of nature,” he said. “Craft beer
is certainly popular on the coast, but
I don’t think the industry is saturated
here on the coast, yet.”
Pouring at the Coast, which typical-
ly sells out at around 600 to 800 festi-
valgoers, brings many small and large
breweries together in one place. “It’s
a beer-specific event,” Griffin said.
“Even though it’s held at the Conven-
tion Center, it still has the feel of being
homegrown and grassroots.”
While attendees may want to wear
green and some breweries may play on
the St. Paddy’s theme, “we don’t lean
on the St. Patrick’s Day thing just be-
cause it tends to be a drinking holiday,”
Griffin said. “This isn’t about getting
hammered for guests, it’s about intro-
ducing them to different kinds of beers
that they might not have access to. Peo-
ple tend to take this festival seriously.”
Josh Allison, co-owner and brewer
of Reach Break Brewing in Astoria,
will be pouring their beers at the event
for the second year in a row.
“There is no singular vibe for
Pouring at the Coast, which makes it
really fun,” he said. “There’s so many
different aspects to this event — the
beach, music, food and camaraderie,
coming to the coast and sharing a
laugh and a beer. There’s something for
everybody.”
INFO BOX
DAMIAN MULINIX PHOTO
Logan Marks of Stickmen Brewing chats with patrons at 2017’s Pouring at the Coast in the Sea-
side Civic & Convention Center.
with 7 Devils Brewing from Coos Bay to
create the Symbiosis Fig Stout. From that
collaboration they received second place
in People’s Choice.
Engaged in craft beer
People’s Choice
Pouring at the Coast grew out of a
need to represent the breweries as the
coastal craft beer industry developed.
“The coast has always been a desti-
nation for people, but now it’s become
a craft beer destination as well,” Grif-
fin said.
Another special treat for many
attendees of Pouring at the Coast: the
opportunity to taste beers not yet re-
leased to the public. “Many breweries
break out their new spring seasonals
just for this event — lighter, fresher
beers like lagers, kolsch and pilsners,”
Griffin said.
Wolftree Brewery from Seal Rock
will also be pouring at the event for
the second year. Co-owner and brewer
Joe Hitselberger said that in addition
to their flagship “Spruce Tip Ale,” they
will bring a new beer called “Beaver
Creek Peche,” which is “spontaneously
fermented.”
The special process includes
fermenting the beer outdoors, which
allows it to be inoculated with wild
yeast overnight. The next day, the beer
is transferred into barrels where it will
What: Pouring at the Coast
When: 3 to 8 p.m. Saturday, March 17
Where: Seaside Civic & Convention
Center (415 First Ave., Seaside)
For tickets and more information,
visit pouringatthecoast.com
COURTESY SEASIDE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Try tastes from Astoria’s Buoy Beer Co. during Pouring at the Coast.
ferment again for more than a year.
“It’s a beer that can’t be replicated
and is very specific to the valley and the
conditions of the particular night when
it’s fermented,” Hitselberger said.
Taste reigns king with the tradition
of the coveted People’s Choice award,
a “healthy competition” based on ballot
votes from attendees on their favorite
beer.
“The contest is based solely on taste,”
Griffin said. “It’s all about the craft and
the flavor.”
A great equalizer among breweries
that range from lesser-known to extreme-
ly popular, the People’s Choice removes
the usual gatekeepers that may exist in
the outside world.
“The People’s Choice Award has noth-
ing to do with how rich or successful a
particular brewery is,” Griffin said. “The
beers stand on their own.”
Reach Break Brewing — a brewery
that is fairly new to the coastal scene —
had their very first taste of Pouring at the
Coast in 2015, when they collaborated
Griffin wants to make something clear:
Pouring at the Coast is a beer festival for
beer lovers, not a dance party.
“We don’t get in the way of the beer.
There are no smoke machines, fireworks
or people running around,” he said. “Our
guests are largely people who are gen-
uinely engaged in craft beer and look
forward to this all year.”
A number of the breweries have told
Griffin that Pouring at the Coast is their
favorite festival because of the high en-
gagement among attendees.
Brian Owen, director of the Seaside
Chamber of Commerce, put it this way:
“At other beer festivals, a volunteer
may pour the beer and guests read about
it on a flier — that person may know very
little about the beer they’re pouring,” he
said. “In our event, the guests get to in-
teract with someone who actually knows
all about the beer they’re pouring. You’re
getting to talk to someone and ask in
depth about the process. You get to have
that intimate experience of someone who
knows about the beer in the glass that
you’re tasting.”
To sign up, attendees can either show
up at the door or pre-purchase their tickets
online and pick them up at will call. Guests
may get their desired number of tasting
tickets and commemorative pilsner glass
depending on the package selected. CW