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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 21, 2022)
Exploring the craft beer route Oregon’s North Coast Craft Beer Trail off ers a taste of regional breweries BY PETER KORCHNAK Peter Korchnak Customer Mike Todd gets a passport stamp from Dwayne Smallwood, owner of Bridge & Tunnel Bottleshop & Taproom in Astoria. Oregon’s North Coast Craft Beer Trail is back on track. Like many favorite gatherings, the program promoting local beermasters’ bounty has been ramping up. Locations throughout the region, totaling 13, currently participate in the North Coast Craft Beer Trail. These include breweries, taprooms and bottleshops from Astoria to Cannon Beach. Visitors can collect stamps from participat- ing locations on a passport found at each loca- tion, and can claim a souvenir glass mug as a keepsake if they visit at least 12 locations. The passport is “a gamifi ed checklist to guide people as they’re trekking around,” Regina Willkie, Astoria-Warrenton Cham- ber of Commerce marketing manager, said. Willkie oversees the trail, designed to pro- mote the region’s brewing scene. The cham- ber is one of three locations where visitors can claim their prize, alongside locations in both Seaside and Cannon Beach. During the pandemic, a digital passport was launched, requiring just 10 redemptions. Hundreds of travelers and locals signed up for the pass, with most living nearby. “The majority of folks were from Oregon and Washington, which lines up with pandemic travel trends,” Willkie said. The North Coast Craft Beer Trail emerged in 2009, when former Dan Bartlett, former Astoria city manager, Jeff Kilday, Wine and Beer House proprietor and Alan Smiles of the Seaside Chamber of Commerce drew inspira- tion from similar programs and sketched out the program over pints. Two years later, the trail kicked off with a beer festival. In its fi rst year, the Brewers Association named the trail as one of 10 best in the nation. Since then, participants have come and gone, but a handful of mainstays remain. Plus, the trail has nearly doubled since its launch. Smaller, newer breweries, which hav- en’t reached the status of destination locales, especially benefi t from the program. “A lot of people use (the passport) as a tour guide,” Josh Allison, owner of Reach Break Brew- ing, said. “They’ll use it as a way to dis- cover places that might not have been on their radar.” See Page 7 arts & culture Custom Handcrafted Furniture & Home Decor “Am I able to choose what color epoxy I want in my new custom piece?” Golden Whale Jewelry Gemstones • Silver Gold • Navajo • Earrings 14kt Gold & Sterling Charms Quality jewelry in gold and sterling silver by nationally known artists 194 N. Hemlock Cannon Beach (503)436-1166 (800)548-3918 IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING UNIQUE, VISIT THE GOLDEN WHALE 6 // COASTWEEKEND.COM -Yes, for the most part. We have lots of amazing colors to choose from. Visit our showroom @ 229 14th St. In Astoria Or view our gallery at www.ashriverwoodworks.com Specializing in Reclaimed & Epoxy Furniture Custom orders available! ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS HERE! Call us at 503-325-3211 to learn more
