Beer - Road trip

Every year about this time, I get a bit depressed that I don’t live in Portland, Ore. This is not uncommon for a beer lover at any time of the year, since that city, more than any other can lay claim to being the epicenter of American craft brewing. But the feeling intensifies in July when the city hosts the Portland International Beerfest, which takes place this weekend, followed July 26-29 by the Oregon Brewers Festival, one of the largest festivals in the United States. Approximately 50,000 people sample beer from over 70 breweries during the four-day event.

If you can’t muster the frequent flyer miles to get yourself to Portland, there are a few beer festivals over the next few months that are a bit closer to home. Make the trek to Nashville, Tenn., for the sixth annual Music City Brewers’ Festival Saturday, July 28, on the lawn of the Hilton Nashville Downtown. The festival is presented by the Institute for Brewing Studies (why didn’t I go to college there?) and will feature more than 30 local, regional and national breweries, as well as an additional section of imports. For more information, visit www.musiccitybrewersfest.com.

Beer lovers have a tough choice Saturday, Aug. 25, with two opportunities to sample great beer. The first is the German Bier Fest at Atlantic Station, sponsored in part by your friends at Creative Loafing Beer Club and the Southern Chapter of the German American Chamber of Commerce. Judging by the large number of people who were sporting war paint on their cheeks in the colors of the German flag`at the CL Beer Fest last month, I would say that the GACC made a lot of friends that day. They will make even more friends serving up beer from such vaunted German biermeisters as Spaten, Hacker-Pschorr and Weihenstephaner. Visit the website to get the scoop.

If you would rather drink out of town that weekend, drive two hours up I-75 to the 13th Southern Brewers Festival in Chattanooga Saturday, Aug. 25, from 2 p.m. to midnight on the Chattanooga Riverfront. This is a pay-as-you-go event with a small entrance fee and $1 tokens for sample pours. The Brewers Fest is a good opportunity to discover some of the great beers from Tennessee and North Carolina that are generally not available in Georgia. Brewpubs are usually well-represented, since Tennessee has proven to be infinitely more progressive than Georgia regarding alcohol regulation (despite the recent card-everyone-regardless-of-age legislation that is clearly an empty political gesture). Plus, the Social Realist aesthetic of the factory worker hoisting a beer on the logo gives the festival further grassroots cred. They also have great music at this festival. This year, veteran entertainer Randall Bramlett and the explosive Charles Walker and the Dynamites are among the featured performers. More information is forthcoming; check the website for updates.

Looking ahead to fall, Asheville, N.C., is the site of the annual Brewgrass Festival, Saturday, Sept. 22. Beers from 40 breweries will be served, accompanied by a lineup of first-rate bluegrass music. This is a true double treat, since many traditional bluegrass festivals remain officially dry, keeping alive the time-honored practice of nipping ‘shine out behind the barn. Attendees at the Brewgrass Festival can openly sip handcrafted beer instead of hooch, while enjoying the picking of Dry Branch Fire Squad, Carolina Chocolate Drops, and Kenny and Amanda Smith, among others. North Carolina has a slew of breweries and brewpubs scattered across the state, and this is a great way to sample their wares in one place before planning a visit. Among the award-winning Tar Heel State breweries at the festival will be Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery (Farmville), Mash House Restaurant & Brewery (Fayetteville), and Olde Hickory Brewery (Hickory). Advanced tickets are available through www.brewgrassfestival.com, and the event has sold out the last two years, so make your plans now.

In Other Beer News: 5 Seasons North in Alpharetta is celebrating its 0.5 Anniversary (any excuse for a party) Tuesday, July 17. The festivities start at 5:55 p.m., natch, and free shorties will be poured.

Talking Head columnist Jeff Holland can be reached at jeff.holland@creativeloafing.com.