This weekend, the Vancouver Summer BrewFest will makes its return to Esther Short Park in downtown Vancouver. Hosted by the Washington Beer Commission, this festival makes its return on Friday, August 12, from 4:00-8:00pm and Saturday, August 13, from Noon-8:00pm.
For the past two summers the Vancouver Summer BrewFest sat vacant and come this weekend the taps will be flowing with over 75 beers from 22 or so Washington based breweries.
Admission into the Vancouver Summer BrewFest is $30.00 online in advance or $35 at the door. Each entry includes eight 5oz tastes and a WA Beer tasting glass. Additional drink tickets cost $2.50 each. Designated driver admission costs $5.00 and includes water and/or soda. Advance tickets can be purchased by clicking here. Last call is 15 minutes before close, while last pour is 10 minutes before close. One must of 21 years of age or older to attend.
Here’s a preview of the tap list for this weekend’s festival.
2022 Vancouver Summer BrewFest Tap List:
54-40 Brewing-Washougal
1) Summer Honey, Blonde Ale (ABV 3.5% / IBU 10)
Light blonde ale with wildflower honey added
2) Half Cocked, IPA (ABV 6.5% / IBU 60)
Classic west coast IPA with Citra and Strata hops
Ashtown Brewing-Longview
1) Cleat Chaser IPA (ABV 7.1% / IBU 53)
Light & Crisp Summer IPA with tropical notes for your nose!
2) Golden Sombrero Mexican Lager (ABV 5.9% / IBU 15)
This beer doesn’t strike out…light on the pallet with a wonderful sweet finish.
3) Apricot Sour (ABV 4.7% / IBU 5)
A wonderful balance of sweet and sour that leaves no question.
4) Wreckless Double Hazy IPA
Bale Breaker Brewing-Yakima
1) API – Cold IPA (ABV 6.7% / IBU 63)
Brewed in collaboration with the nerds at Loftus Labs: This beer was made with MATH – including the Pythagorean Theorem and pi – with TECHNOLOGY – using YCH’s Cryo Pop hop blend – and with maximum CHILL – using Cold IPA brewing and fermentation methods.
2) Pilsner – German Style Pilsner (ABV 4.8% / IBU 30)
A crisp, classic pilsner that carefully balances malt and hops with notes of breakfast cereal, floral, and citrus. Brewed with local Simcoe®, Loral and Palisade® hops grown on the brewery’s family farm in the Yakima Valley. Made in the classic German style with noticeable hops and no adjunct malts.
3) Clarity Rarity #9 – Hazy IPA (ABV 7.1% / IBU 55)
Featuring fruity hop aromas of nectarine, pineapple, & citrus, this shockingly refreshing hazy IPA was inspired by the Imagination Station hazy you couldn’t get enough of in our Taprooms.
4) Hot Tub Lifeguard – Pineapple Mango Fruited Sour (ABV 5%)
With a cannonball of real pineapple, mango, and lime purees added into the fermenter, this champagne-colored sour is as crisp and refreshing as a cold plunge after a hot soak. Drink up, y’all, Bale Breaker’s on duty.
Brothers Cascadia Brewing–Vancouver
1) TBA
2) TBA
Explorer Brewing-Kelso
1) Bad Decisions DIPA (ABV 8.73%)
All great memories starts with a Bad Decision
2) Alternate Route Alt Bier (ABV 4.5%)
Where mis-adventures start
3) Baja Pepper Cerveza (ABV 4.4%)
All the flavor and most of the spice (pairs well with spicy food)
Fortside Brewing–Vancouver
1) Orange Whip – Hazy IPA (ABV 5.9% / IBU 60)
Sometimes you just need an Orange Whip. Doesn’t matter if you’re at the end of an epic police chase or if you’re just at the end of the bar, order an Orange Whip (or better yet three Orange Whips). This delightfully approachable yet complex hazy sings an eloquent and deep tune, rooted in citrus and tropical hop flavors but is expansive in it’s full throated and soulfully creamy mouthfeel. Brash but nonetheless smooth, Orange Whip predicates a juicy hipness not bound by convention or style, neither hype nor hysteria, just smooth and sultry deliciousness that borders on the criminal.
2) Uncloudy Day IPA (ABV 7.6% / IBU 55)
Willie Nelson’s vices are well documented -and while beer isn’t as high on the list as certain other substances- we strongly feel that when Willie composed Uncloudy Day he was speaking to his love for bright and crystal clear IPA’s. Taking inspiration from Mr. Nelson we concocted a big and bold old school IPA featuring some of our favorite hops, a perfectly composed malt bill, and restrained but prominent bitterness. Uncloudy day shines with dank notes of pine, bright citrus, mango, and a smidge of diesel over the top of a light malt punch that finishes dry and ultra clean. As expansive and satisfying as a cloudless summer sky, Uncloudy Day IPA will have you feeling free and without boundaries regardless of the weather. Oh, they tell me of a beer far beyond the skies, where no storm clouds rise. Oh, they tell me of an unclouded day.
3) Bramble Bomb – Blackberry Sour (ABV 6% / IBU 11)
BrambleBomb is, well, the bomb. A kettle sour absolutely exploding with fruity Blackberry character (to the tune of 32 pounds per barrel), a clean and pleasant acidity, and just enough body to balance, this crusher of a fruited sour will melt your face. In just the right way. A touch of sweetness is balanced by a refreshing minerality and a kiss of fruity tannins that hits the palate and instantaneously clears into a bright, clean, and intensely refreshing finish. Let the bomb blow.
4) Strata-Spheric Hazy IPA (ABV 6.5% / IBU 32)
Sometimes a beer comes along that is just so good, so sublime, so utterly delightful, that it’s literally out of this world. StrataSpheric Hazy IPA is such a beer. Satisfying, light bodied, and refreshing, this next level quaff is super soft yet absolutely blasts off with a bevy of hops. Citra and Mosaic in the whirlpool along with Strata and El Dorado in the hoptimizer seamlessly combine, jettisoning sky high aromas and flavors of peach, tangerine, and cantaloupe. Buckle up, sit back, and enjoy- you’re going for a big time ride.
5) BridgeFort IPA (ABV 5.5% / IBU 50)
What’s old is new, and what’s gone is cool. For all of us who are of a certain age (still young and strapping, that is), the iconic BridgePort IPA was a formative beer in our collective move away from the bland macro adjunct lagers that dominated the mid-late 20th century, and was truly a harbinger of of the big, bold, and hoppy flavors the 21st century had in store. As an ex-BridgePort brewer myself, I can testify to these heady times and still draw inspiration from this forward thinking brew. Lemon forward noble hops in the boil and the classic cascade and chinook combo in Fortside’s hop back accurately mimic the magic of BridgePort’s english style Hop Jack, which I still have nightmares all these years later about having to clean out 3 times a day, 4 days a week, for 5 years. Combined with a classic and hella active english yeast strain, BridgeFort IPA gets you as close as you can get to the original. Take a sip. Then take a bigger sip. Then take a solid pull and let yourself be transported back to more innocent, pure, and simple -but no less tasty- times.
6) Take It All In And Check It All Out – Experimental IPA (ABV 6.2% / IBU 38)
This beer is the equivalent of being suspended by a lazily drifting pool floatie in perfect temperature water while the sun kisses your skin with the exact right amount of satisfying intensity. A truly one of a kind brew- Take it all in and Check it all out utilizes an experimental thiol (think: tropical fruit) expressive yeast. Merely moderately hopped relative to our standard hazies, the depth of fruity character in this quaff is expressed via a co-fermentation of hazy IPA beer wort along with a light charge of domestic Gewurztraminer grape skins, carefully selected to emphasize flavors of passionfruit, guava, melon, lychee, banana, and bubblegum. A rising tide that will float all boats, Take it all in and Check it all out will tingle the senses while maintaining a soft-yet-satisfying finish. Float on!
Fremont Brewing-Seattle
1) Legend Cold IPA (ABV 7% / IBU 60)
Legend Cold IPA is our new, year-round beer. Brewed at a lower temperature and with a lager yeast, it has the refreshing finish of a lager while still containing the body of your typical IPA. It has citrus, with specific grapefruit note, along with strawberry, peach and pine aromas.
2) Sky Kraken Hazy Pale Ale (ABV 5.5%)
Sky Kraken has guava and lemon notes that stand out with other assorted tropical fruits along with some grass, light melon, citrus and wheat cracker aromas.
3) Trail Magic Light Lager (ABV 4.2% / IBU 15)
Trail Magic is a collaboration with REI and the WA Trails Association. It is a light lager with water cracker as a light bready character up front with floral notes and grassy aromas.
4) Raspberry Lemonade Sour Weisse (ABV 4.6% / IBU 5)
Georgetown Brewing-Seattle
1) Gusto Crema Coffee Ale (ABV 4.2%)
Building on Gusto Crema blend, a medium roasted bean from our friends at Caffè Umbria, we made a smooth, rich cream ale. This beer has roasted flavor, aroma, and color from cold brew coffee. Smooth, rich mouthfeel comes from oats and Munich malt. Gold medal winner in the Coffee Beer category at the Great American Beer Festival in 2016! Contains lactose.
2) L.A. Woman Kolsch (ABV 5.2%)
A crisp, refreshing and balanced ale topped with a soft white head, LA Woman has a light bitterness with delicate fruity and sweet flavors. The finish shows off malt undertones with aromas and flavors of floral spice from late addition noble hops.
3) Bodhizafa IPA (ABV 6.9%)
This IPA gets its light silky texture from rolled oats. The flavor and aroma both express mandarin and citrus all around. Over five pounds of hops per barrel makes this IPA truly Bodhilicious. Gold medal winner in the American Style IPA category at the Great American Beer Festival in 2016!
Grains of Wrath Brewing-Camas
1) Cantina Especial Mexican Lager (ABV 4.8%)
Pale Mexican-Style Lager brewed with extra pale pilsner malt and flaked maize for a bone dry, corny, floral lager that is crisp and refreshing
2) Our Joyous Doom IPA (ABV 6.3%)
This West Coast IPA is a tropical explosion of Aloha. Heavy helpings of Nelson and Galaxy give off intense flavors and aromas of peaches, bubblegum, and tropical fruits.
Headless Mumby Brewing-Olympia
1) Eric’s Awesome Altbier (ABV 5.4%)
Sticking with our all lager style of brewing this malty amber lager is cold fermented and brings forth notes of honey and biscuit to balance the traditional Noble hops.
2) Bonus Track Hoppy Pilsner (ABV 4.8%)
We used Pilsner malt and built a lower style Pilsner to better showcase some groovy hop profiles on a rotating basis. We used mosaic and strata hops in this batch.
3) Dortmunder (ABV 5.4%)
Light and crisp pale lager with an airy effervescent mouth feel. Bready malt profile with a moderate level of Nobel hops. Subtle spice and floral tasting notes.
Heathen Brewing-Vancouver
1) Pagani – Italian Pilsner (ABV 5.2% / IBU 20)
This crispy Italian-style pilsner was dry hopped with Saphir, Perle, and Hallertauer Mittlefruh goes down easy and will have you feeling like a Heathen in no time!
2) When in Stout, Add Peanut Butter – Pastry Stout (ABV 10.8%)
Feeling Fancy? This decadent Pastry Stout has peanut flour, cacao nibs, vanilla, and cinnamon.
3) Transgression IPA (ABV 7.5% / IBU 80)
Big robust IPA flavor with a medium body, sunset amber colored ale that is hop forward to say the least. Taking front stage is Simcoe, Amarillo, and Citra hops collaborating on a five-tier assault. Heathen Brewing deserves to be punished or commended for this Hop Transgression.
4) Sleepaway Camp – Summer Ale (ABV 5.6% / IBU 30)
Back again and just in time to kill the heat! Beautiful hazy golden color, hoppy, and very refreshing. Grab a pint and slash away the hottest part of Summer with a cold drink in your hand.
5) 2020 Bourbon Barrel Aged Highland Charge Scottish Wee Heavy (ABV 11% / IBU 26)
This wee heavy Scottish Ale packs a big malty assault that exposes light caramel and toffee notes and a subtle hint of black cherry that will blow your kilt off!
6) Tribal Jam: Orange Marmalade Smoothie Sour (ABV 6.7%)
Orange Julius ain’t got nothing on our Tribal Jam, because this creamsicle lover’s dream is packing booze! Brewed with copious amounts of Vanilla and Cara Cara Oranges.
Heavy Metal Brewing Co.-Vancouver
1) TBA
2) TBA
Hellbent Brewing-Seattle
1) Rainbow Globes Hazy IPA (ABV 6% / IBU 28)
This beer was inspired by the flavors of summer. Ekuanot, El Dorado, and Sabro hops bring a ton of peach, passion fruit, and orange cream to the mix, and it goes with any kind of summer fun you can dream up.
2) Helles Lager (ABV 4.5% / IBU 16)
Our Helles Lager is light pale lager brewed with North American two row malt and lightly hopped with Hallertau Mittelfruh and Tardif De Bourgogne. It’s extremely easy drinking with the classic lager flavor, crisp maltiness and grassy/herbal noble hop character.
Laht Neppur Brewing-Waitsburg
1) Strawberry Cream Ale (ABV 5.5% / IBU 17)
An American Amber made with Premium 2-row Barley, Carastan Malt, and Crystal 75 with an addition of concentrated strawberry juice and lactose for a little added sweetness. Very low hop profile.
2) Peach Hefeweizen (ABV 5.3% / IBU 15)
An American styled Hefeweizen made with Premium 2-row Barley, malted White Wheat, and Vienna Malt with an addition of concentrated peach juice and lactose for a little added sweetness. Very low hop profile.
3) Kolsch (ABV 5.2% / IBU 22)
A light German style ale made with Premium 2-row Barley, Pilsen Malt and malted White Wheat. Subtle hop profile.
Loowit Brewing-Vancouver
1) Hellfire IPA (ABV 6.5% / IBU 62)
This new west coast IPA honors two of our favorite things: D&D and a certain “Strange” streaming show you might have heard of. Featuring Simcoe, Mosaic, Zamba and Citra hops
2) Loowit Lager (ABV 4.2% / IBU 12)
Our infinitely crushable signature lager beer.
3) Ranger Hazy IPA (ABV 7.8% / IBU 23)
The 10th and final release of our Players Handbook series of IPAs. This hazy IPA features Zamba, Meridian and HBC 630 hops with notes of berries, melon and tropical mango.
4) Last Hurrah Bergamot Wit (ABV 5.3% / IBU 11)
This delicious wit beer was a collaboration with a dear friend of ours and was brewed with fresh bergamot juice and zest for a refreshing, citrusy punch.
North Jetty Brewing-Seaview
1) Blackberry Cream Ale (ABV 5.3% / IBU 15)
Blackberry Cream Ale is brewed with Pale Malt, C-15, Oats and a touch of Flaked Corn along with an early addition of Willamette Hops, then finished off with 84 pounds of blackberries from Oregon Fruit Products.
2) Yellow Boots Kolsch Style (ABV 4.8% / IBU 25)
Named in honor of Michelle’s fancy yellow footwear, this beer is light and refreshing, but in the traditional Kölsch style it still packs plenty of flavor and body.
3) Leadbetter Red (ABV 4.8% / IBU 23)
A delicate blend of roasted and caramel malts creates a soft palate feel with just enough hops to create balance. LBR is lighter than a typical Scottish Style ale, which lends to its drinkability and popularity.
4) Hop Stomper IPA (ABV 7.2% / IBU 30)
This tasty IPA is gold in color and has a nice thick white foam. It has notes of pine, melon and ripe tropical fruit. With a sweet, melon and citrus flavor. BMD has a full mouth feel with a smooth, slightly hop lingering finish.
Reuben’s Brews-Seattle
1) Westport Lager (ABV 4.2% / IBU 25)
This Pre-Prohibition-style lager is a light, easy-drinking beer with just a touch of bitterness and a flavor driven by Pilsner malt and bit of Vienna malt that provides its golden color as well as subtle notes of biscuits and honey-coated cereal.
2) Super Crush (ABV 7% / IBU 47)
We used Citra®, Mosaic®, and Galaxy® hops to give this hazy IPA a heady punch of tropical fruit, while wheat and oats provide a soft, pillowy body. First brewed in collaboration with to celebrate their 7th Anniversary.
3) 7/10 Split (ABV 4.5%)
Made with our friends at 5 Rights Brewing in Marysville, 7/10 Split celebrates the anniversary years of our two breweries: 7 for 5 Rights and 10 for Reuben’s Brews. Given its summer release date, we decided on a tart, effervescent style of beer. Tangy and slightly sweet with a hint of salinity in the finish, this margarita-inspired, watermelon lime Gose is as festive as it is refreshing.
Single Hill Brewing-Yakima
1) Sightglass Hazy Pale (ABV 6.1% / IBU 35)
Sessionable Hazy Pale Ale dripping with fresh orange rind and pineapple flavors. This hazy finishes light and fruity, inviting sip after sip.
2) Yacht Party Guava IPA (ABV 7.1% / IBU 40)
Break out your captain’s hat, unbutton one more button, and don your favorite pair of sunglasses, this tropical blast of an IPA invites mondo relaxation on the sun deck. Do you hear Steely Dan or is it just us? Pink Guava
3) Cerveza Blonde Ale (ABV 5.2% / IBU 25)
Cerveza keeps it real with balanced, fresh, and fruity flavors. Great as a break from palate busting IPAs… or with a few tacos.
4) Citizen Grain West Coast Pilsner (ABV 5.4% / IBU 38)
GOLD MEDAL, 2019 WA BEER AWARDS. Crispy, bright, dry hopped. Brewed with Explorer barley pilsner malt grown at Dalkieth Farms in Sunnyside and malted by LINC Malt in Spokane.
Varietal Beer Co.-Sunnyside
1) MELORA’S GOLD WEST COAST IPA (ABV 6.8% / IBU 67)
This super bright IPA has a soft body that shows off the passion fruit & bubble gum aroma from a hop combo of Simcoe, Strata & Mosaic. From there it sips into a refreshingly dry beer of citrus and tropical fruit flavor that finishes with the right amount of bitterness.
2) SUP CUZ HAZY IPA (ABV 6.5% / IBU 50)
Sup Cuz was brewed with our friend Junior Loza from Loza Farms in Wapato. He’s a great dude we’re proud to have join us to brew this hazy featuring Amarillo, Comet & Citra hops from his farm. A deliciously citrusy hopped beer.
3) SUNFLIGHT CITRUS WHEAT (ABV 5.2% / IBU 21)
Sunflight is brewed with wheat malt for a light, creamy body. Orange & Lemon zest kick up the flavor that ends with a clean, refreshing finish
Vice Beer–Vancouver
1) Breakfast Club Mimosa Sour (ABV 4.5%)
The ultimate ode to Saturday mornings, day drinking, and brunch as a lifestyle. We kettle soured this beer overnight with sea salt and coriander, then woke up the next morning and added a couple dozen gallons of Cara Cara Orange Juice. The result is a super light and refreshing sparkling orange juice perfect for drinking before noon or with ‘breakfast for dinner’.
2) POG DRIP Smoothie Sour (ABV 5%)
The first-ever beer in the new VICE DRIP series. It’s more passionfruit, orange and guava than humans should be allowed to consume. It’s thicccccc.
3) Vizzini Sicilian Pilsner (ABV 5%)
We know that Barleywine is Life and Pilsner is Death. Well, then you’re about to fall victim to one of the classic blunders – The most famous of which is ‘never get involved in a land war in Asia’ – but only slightly less well-known is this: ‘Never go against a Sicilian when death is on the line!’ *Gulp*
4) Arguing With Strangers On The Internet (ABV 8.5%)
What do you mean you want copious amounts of Galaxy and Amarillo hops in a double hazy IPA? Educate yourself. Get some Talus in there, too, n00b. Try to act like this isn’t your first time in this forum. Delete your account! Don’t @ me.
Victor 23 Brewing-Vancouver
1) North by Northwest Lager (ABV 4.2% / IBU 10)
Ultra-light and refreshing; with notes of soft honey sweetness and a touch of lime citrus.
2) El Secuestrador Horchata-flavored Stout (ABV 5.5% / IBU 20)
In collaboration with Mela Brewing. Brewed with cinnamon and Vanilla gives this stout decadent layers of creamy vanilla and sweet cinnamon on top of malt flavors of chocolate and caramel.
3) Jet Fuel Imperial IPA (ABV 9% / IBU 100)
An intense array of hop flavors; including orange, pine, tangerine, peach, melon, and an assertive bitterness in the finish.
Wild Man Brewing-Raymond
1) Wildermann Hefeweizen (ABV 5.3% / IBU 10)
A semi-traditional Hefeweizen, made with generous amounts of wheat, has a nice golden hue and a nose filled with banana, clove and bubblegum. “Wilder Mann” or “Wild Man” in German seemed a good choice for this classic style.
2) Back to the Fruiture: Marty – Raspberry & Blueberry (ABV 5.6% / IBU 20)
A cream ale base with a small amount of lactose, fruited with raspberry and blueberry. This is the second batch in our “Back to the Fruiture” series and dubbed “Marty” which matches the red jacket and blue jeans by using raspberry and blueberry.
3) Raspberry Honeyboi Session Mead (ABV 6%)
Raspberry Honeyboi is our sweet hydromel made with fermented citrus honey and a generous amount of whole raspberries.
4) Cranberry Honeyboi Session Mead (ABV 6%)
Cranberry Honeyboi is our sweet hydromel made with fermented citrus honey and a generous amount of locally grown Washington cranberries.
WABL Beer
1) Grains of Wrath Brewing – Gosé All Day (ABV 4%)
Rosé inspired sour ale, brewed with hibiscus and raspberry and pinot noir infused sea salt. Tart, spritzy, blush, WOO!
A selection of of local food trucks will be onsite selling delicious food to pair with your beer. Look for Big Dogs Grill, Poblano Pepper Mexican Food, Southern Girl Delights, and Humdinger Kettle Corn.
Live music will take place during the Vancouver Summer BrewFest. On Friday at 5:00pm, Robin Gibson Band will perform. Then on Saturday, Matt Mitchell Music Company will take the stage at 1:00pm and will be followed by Jeremy James Meyer at 4:00pm with a yet to be determined band performing at 6:00pm.
Vancouver Summer BrewFest
Esther Short Park
605 Esther St
Vancouver, WA 98660
