Drinking through the holidays

As the school term comes to an end, what better way to celebrate the holidays than by heading downtown to the Holiday Ale Festival to try out all the new seasonal beers? Sure, finals are still lurking next week, but this annual festival is a good excuse for a study break.

The five-day festival is hosting over 48 winter seasonal beers from all over the U.S., from abroad and of course from Portland’s own craft brewers. Some of these are made every year and reappear during the holiday season. Others are making their debut.

In addition to the seasonal ales being offered, a number of special kegs are being tapped for the event. Unlike the standard release, these limited-release beers won’t be around for the whole festival. Three or four of them are tapped each day, and for many of these brews only a single keg has been supplied.

For the beer lovers, these limited-release beers are not to be missed. Stout drinkers will have a chance to try Kona Brewing Company’s Coffee Imperial Stout, which packs a mean punch with roasted Kona coffee beans added in during the brewing process. Widmer has come out with another tasty selection, the Black Raspberry Russian Imperial Stout, a seriously dark beer that the brewery tossed plenty of locally grown raspberries into.

The stouts and porters are naturally more popular than lighter ales at the festival, as they are considered to be more wintry beers. For the beer drinker who prefers to see through their glass, rather than gaze into a pint of what might be mistaken for mud, there are other options available. Full Sail and Golden Valley are providing some lighter ales, in addition to a few others.

Be warned, though, because a lighter beer does not always point to a lighter hangover. Barley wine is another popular holiday beer that’s prevalent at the festival, and just as its name is tricky by nature, its crisp, fruity flavor can be deceiving because barley wines tend to fuzz up the brain as quickly as a hefty stout. Of course, that’s what makes these beers a standard winter drink—they’re guaranteed to warm us up fast.

One might ask if there’s some guilt in spending $20 to booze up as the holidays approach, rather than, say, slide that money in Tiny Tim’s direction. But the Holiday Ale Festival can satisfy those urges to give, while it keeps the drinkers cheery, by helping out the Children’s Cancer Association. Proceeds from coat check and from tips for the free handcrafted root beer—made especially for designated drivers—will go to the Portland-based nonprofit organization.

And if spending $20 for 10 beer tickets and a souvenir mug still seems too big a price, it’s not too late to sign up as a volunteer. Volunteering at festivals is the secret to saving money while still having fun in this city, but shh, you didn’t hear it here. Even a three-hour volunteering stint at this festival results in free beer. Now that’s a happy holiday.