2021 READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS
Brewing at Fort George
BY WILLIAM DEAN
Just in time for its 15th anniversary, Fort
George Brewery has reclaimed the top spot in
Coast Weekend’s Readers’ Choice Awards.
No longer just a local craft brewery, Fort
George has now grown to regional size, with
the bulk of its production shifted to a cavernous
Astoria waterfront facility. But at its downtown
roots, where the Lovell Taproom offers views of
the brewery’s more artisanal brewing process,
small town friendliness and service are very
much in evidence.
Cheerful bartenders at the brewpub and smil-
ing waitstaff at the wood-fired pizza restaurant
help customers escape the pressures of daily life.
Seated at the bar, chatting with new friends and
sipping a draught City of Dreams IPA, one can
hardly dispute the results of Coast Weekend’s
2021 Readers’ Choice Awards. This year, Fort
George won first place in the Best Bar/Brewery
and Best Brewpub categories. The brewery also
garnered top honors for Best Pizza and ranked
third in the Best Music Venue category.
“We really want to provide an excellent
place for beer and food, and people getting to
know each other,” Fort George marketing and
sales director Brian Bovenizer said. “Meeting
new people is always cool,” he added. Besides
the brewery and restaurant’s mellow, fam-
ily friendly vibe, Bovenizer credits the lure of
a variety of beers on tap, ranging from popular
staples to intriguing special concoctions and col-
laborations with other cutting edge breweries on
the coast.
Even though Fort George didn’t win the
music venue top prize, Bovenizer, himself a
musician, was thrilled that the brewery’s free
Sunday concerts rated highly. “It’s always been
a big part of what we do to give back to the
community,” Bovenizer said. Last year, North
Jetty Brewing in Seaview, Washington, claimed
the Readers’ Choice Awards for Best Bar/Brew-
ery and Best Brewpub. Throughout the region,
competition among beer makers continues to
grow, with another brewery set to open in Asto-
ria early this summer.
Fort George opened in March of 2007 with a
modest eight barrel brewhouse, revitalizing two
downtown Astoria buildings. It’s offerings were
instantly in demand, so much so that the brew-
ery has continually expanded its capacity. It is
now the sixth-largest craft brewery in Oregon,
expected to fill 34,000 barrels this year. It’s an
impressive local gem, well worth the visit.
6 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
Photos by William Dean
ABOVE: Special beers age in barrels mere feet from the taproom.
RIGHT: Enjoying a frothy pint at Fort George Brewery’s inviting
brewpub. BELOW: The brewery offers gathering places inside,
topside and outside.