North Coast
Breweries
team up
for charity
Collaboration benefi ts
community programs
BY WILLIAM DEAN
That special alder smoked stout on tap
at Astoria’s Fort George Brewery is more
than it appears. With every pour of the
dark brew, people in the community are
being helped.
The smoky stout kicks off a highly
anticipated series of collaboration beers
involving fi ve coastal Oregon brewer-
ies, with all proceeds benefi tting local
charities.
The Lone Pelican Coastal Collabora-
tion series, led by Pacifi c City based Peli-
can Brewing Co., features Pelican’s brew-
ing magic merged with that of Fort George
in Astoria, Beachcrest Brewing Co. in Lin-
coln City, Homegrown Public House &
Brewery in Florence and Arch Rock Brew-
ing Co. in Gold Beach.
These special brews will have staggered
releases throughout the year, according to
Pelican brewer Coren Tradd. What makes
the series stand out is its scale and avail-
ability. Thirty barrels of each brew will
be produced at Pelican’s brewery in Til-
lamook, and the beer will also be bottled
for wider distribution. Each barrel is 31
gallons .
Tradd is excited about the chance to
raise funds for nonprofi ts struggling to
deal with issues ranging from homeless-
ness to food insecurity. “It’s been a hard
few years for everybody in these coastal
towns,” Tradd said. “Our goal is to make
beer and help people.”
Tradd teamed with Dave Coyne, his
counterpart at Fort George, in crafting
Pelican Brewing Co.
Dave Coyne, left, of Fort George Brewery, and Coren Tradd of Pelican Brewing Co.
Pelican Brewing Co.
Coastal Collaboration Volume 1 is a unique
stout made with alder smoked malt.
Coastal Collaboration Volume 1. They
used alder-smoked malt from Skagit Valley
Malting to create a full-bodied beer with
dark chocolate and roasted coff ee notes.
And, of course, that unique smoky fl avor.
For a stout, it’s relatively easy drinking .
Coyne, who is preparing to open his
own craft brewery in Astoria in early sum-
mer, enjoys collaborating with fellow
brewers and plans to continue that unique
sort of camaraderie. Beer lovers also
look forward to the fruits of those eff orts,
knowing the brewers strive to “push the
boundaries of what’s possible,” as Coyne
puts it.
The charity of choice for the Peli-
can-Fort George stout is Clatsop Commu-
nity Action, a nonprofi t that operates food
banks and helps people meet basic needs.
The Astoria-based agency has been faced
with heightened demand for housing and
emergency food assistance, a problem that
has worsened during the pandemic. More
than a quarter of Clatsop residents cur-
rently qualify for food aid, many of them
children and seniors on fi xed incomes. “It
feels good to do something to help, espe-
cially with people losing their jobs in the
pandemic,” Coyne said.
Coastal Collaboration Volume 1, other-
wise known as Alder-smoked Stout, will
be available at taprooms and brewpubs
throughout the region, as well as in bottle
shops and through beer subscription ser-
vices. The other brews in the series will
be released every three months. The styles
of beer are not yet known, but the chari-
ties are. Beachcrest has chosen the Siletz
Bay Music Festival , Homegrown is back-
ing Children’s Repertory of Oregon Work-
shops and Arch Rock is benefi ting the
Gold Beach Snack Pack Program.
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