Event: North American Organic Brewers Festival (6/25,26,27/10)

Event Name: North American Organic Brewers Festival
Event Start Date: 25 June 2010
Start Time: 12:00:00 PM
Web Site: http://www.naobf.org
Event Description: More than 15,000 beer lovers will converge upon Portland this summer to take part in the world’s largest all organic beer festival. The sixth annual North American Organic Brewers Festival (NAOBF) will take place June 25 through 27 in Portland’s Overlook Park at the intersection of N Fremont St and Interstate Ave.

Event hours are Noon to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and Noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission into the event is free. The purchase of a $6 reusable, compostable cornstarch glass is required for tasting beer, as are tokens, which sell for $1 apiece. A full glass of beer costs four tokens (more for select beers), and a taste costs one token. Patrons receive a $1 discount toward the tasting glass with a validated MAX ticket, a ticket from the secure onsite bike corral, or three cans of food for the Oregon Food Bank.

The NAOBF aims to bring awareness of sustainable living to its participants and attendees by encouraging brewing and drinking organic beers, using local and sustainable energy, and purchasing locally grown foods and locally made products.

The event serves up more than 50 organic beers and ciders from around the nation. There’s also live music, organic food, sustainability-oriented vendors and non-profits, a root beer garden with complimentary Crater Lake Root Beer for minors and designated drivers, and a children’s area, all in a beautiful park setting.

This year’s bike parking, sponsored by Hopworks Urban Brewery, has been largely expanded and will now be manned and secured. Plus, ride your bike and park onsite and get $1 off your tasting glass!

The NAOBF goes beyond beer tasting by striving to be the most earth-friendly beer festival in North America. Festival attendees sample beer from reusable and compostable cornstarch glasses made from domestically grown corn by a zero-waste, solar-powered company. Onsite composting and recycling stations are provided for festival waste, and food vendors are required to use compostable cutlery and plates. Electricity needs are met with a combination of biodiesel and solar generators. Volunteers wear organic cotton and hemp t-shirts, and all event signage is reusable.

The NAOBF is a family friendly event, and minors are welcome with parents. The festival benefits the Leukemia Lymphoma Society and the Oregon Food Bank. For more information, visit www.naobf.org.