PORT TOWNSEND — Strange Brewfest is back for its 13th straight year of creative beers and ciders to taste.
“The theme is sort of eccentric beers or beers outside the norm,”said Carter Camp, head brewer at Port Townsend Brewing.
“It’s a really unique festival. I’ve never heard of another festival focused just on strange beers.”
This year’s festival will take place from 5 p.m. today and run until midnight, picking up again at 1 p.m. Saturday until midnight. Both days are at the American Legion Hall, 209 Monroe St.
Tickets are $30 for both days and come with four tasting tokens and a souvenir tasting glass. They can be purchased online at www.strangebrewfestpt.com.
The festival will feature more than 30 Northwest breweries and 60 interesting beer flavors, Camp said.
“The beers are interesting but for the most part really good,” said Camp, who has attended all 12 festivals, nine as a brewer.
“The beers have gotten better each year but it does take some little leaps of faith because a lot of the beers don’t look good on paper.”
Camp said one year, someone brought a Sour Patch Kids Sour IPA, which is one of those beers that might not sound tasty but Camp insisted was surprisingly good.
“I think it even came with some Sour Patch Kids,” Camp said.
Camp himself brewed a few strange beers in the past for Port Townsend Brewing. He made a beer based on a Manhattan Cocktail, which featured bourbon-soaked oats and cherry infusions, called the Manhattan. In 2008, he made Yoda’s Green Tea Golden Ale.
“It’s since become a seasonal beer for us,” Camp said. “It may have seemed weird at the time, but now it’s become something people order by name.”
Camp said the festival is also known for its live music and entertainment.
“It’s almost a bit of a music festival,” Camp said, “and there’s always some performing artists, fire dancers and such.”
This year’s entertainment includes Port Townsend’s local drum and bass duo LoWire as well as Snug Harbor from Bellingham, Peninsula favorite Joy in Mudville, Swindler, Unsinkable Heavies, Lucky Brown and DJ Red Dog.
Food vendors will be available, but according to Camp, the festival also drums up business for downtown restaurants.
“It’s kind of a shot in the arm for the economy in a pretty dead part of the year,” Camp said.
The Pourhouse, while not at the venue, is sponsoring the event and will be carrying some of the seasonal and more normal brews from the visiting breweries at 2231 Washington St.
“We’ll be pouring the not-so-strange brews from the breweries participating in Strange Brewfest,” said Pourhouse co-owner Virginia Marston.
“There will be three beers from Cloudburst Brewing from Seattle and then the rotating tap of other breweries.”
The Pourhouse also will be open late, until roughly 2 a.m., for post-brewfest beers.
On the final night, festival attendees will vote for their favorite beers. The three top choices will be awarded medals.
Last year, 7 Seas Brewing took first, followed by Pike Brewing Co. and Bad Jimmy’s Brewing.
Camp said he’s been infusing his submissions to the festival for more than two weeks in preparation.
The flavors themselves are still a secret.
“This year should be good,” Camp said.
“It’s just a festival that celebrates brewer creativity and some drinker bravery.”
More information on the festival, including a full list of breweries, can be found at www.strangebrewfest.com.
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Jefferson County Editor/Reporter Cydney McFarland can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 55052, or at cmcfarland@ peninsuladailynews.com.
The Pourhouse, a Strange Brewfest sponsor, will be serving up some regular favorites from the breweries attending this year’s festival. (Cydney McFarland/Peninsula Daily News)
