NOTE: “Today” and “tonight” refer to Friday, Jan. 29.
PORT TOWNSEND — Chocolate, crab and taco chips aren’t familiar beer flavors, but at this weekend’s Strange Brewfest, they will be business as usual.
“We ask our exhibitors to be imaginative and creative and use ingredients that would upset any German beer purist,” said Mark Burr, who with Nina Law is managing the 12th annual event.
Adds Janet Emery, who is managing security: “The beers that the brewers sell here aren’t what they normally do.”
Strange Brewfest, which Law and Burr founded when they managed the Water Street Brewery, hosts 28 different brewers serving 66 different weird beers.
When it’ll be
It will take place from 5 p.m. to midnight today and from 1 p.m. to midnight Saturday at the American Legion Post, 209 Monroe St.
Tickets, which include four tasting tokens, cost $30 and are available only at the door starting at 3 p.m. today and all day Saturday.
If four aren’t enough, extra tokens for a 4-ounce pour are $1.50.
This year, the brewers are all from northwest Washington, with none from east of the mountains or south of Tacoma, Burr said.
He expects to draw between 1,400 and 1,500 people over the two days from Seattle, Bellingham, Whidbey Island and, of course, Port Townsend and other points on the North Olympic Peninsula.
Offbeat flavors
Offbeat flavors might include miso, soy paste or Skittles.
“When we started, we had a hodgepodge of brews from about 12 brewers, and some of them were pretty terrible,” Burr said.
“But lately, at least half are pretty darned good, and more than half are palatable.”
Burr didn’t offer advice about how to avoid the unpalatable ones.
“If you are looking for a Budweiser or a clean pale ale, you won’t like a lot of this stuff,” he said.
“But if you are willing to go ‘all in,’ some of these beers are pretty complex and interesting.”
Added Law: “People have different palates; you may love one beer while the person next to you hates it.”
Anyone for a Fruity Pebbles brew, salty caramel cider or habanero chicken stout?
There will be musical entertainment, too.
Today, the music lineup is LoWire and Snug Harbor.
Saturday’s session will feature Joy in Mudville, Rippin’ Chicken and Swindler.
Plenty of security
Emery said she has a team of 12 security people at all times but added that there are few problems that can’t be solved easily.
“I go out of my way to get people who are trustworthy and know how to talk to people,” she said.
“A good security person needs to go into a situation and talk it down, not escalate it.”
Law said most people are staying in downtown hotels and can walk home instead of driving after tasting beers.
The hotels, she said, are all sold out for the weekend, and local restaurants generally are full on Strange Brewfest weekends.
“The brewers tell me this is their favorite of all the festivals,” Law said.
“They serve the same stuff everywhere else, but they can get creative here.”
For more information, go to www.strangebrewfestpt.com.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
