Full bellies a-plenty

Beer, wine, chocolate and cheese. The Spring Beer and Wine Festival provides all of these things that are essential to a gourmet affair for a not-so-gourmet cost.

Now in its 16th year, the festival has drawn in more brewers, winemakers and chefs over the years. They’ve mostly kept it local, but some artisans are from out of state. The festival is an opportunity for the public to meet those artisans, chat with other gourmet food and drink enthusiasts, and of course taste all the delicious gourmet fare available.

This year the festival has teamed up with the Portland chapter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, which sends children with neuromuscular diseases to summer camp. In exchange for donations, festival attendees can sip on selected beers and wines while their money goes toward MDA.

Proceeds will go toward many local charities and other organizations such as the American Heart Association.

The two-day festival is packed with gourmet goods to sample, especially the goods that the festival borrows its name from: beer and wine. Over 40 craft brewers and 30 regional wineries will showcase their goods.

There are plenty of IPAs to satisfy the Portland tongue, in addition to a few unusual picks. MateVeza’s Yerba Mate Ale is a good choice for those who prefer some bitterness and enjoy the taste of yerba mate. Others might find the tea-based brew an insult to beer, but it’s definitely worth a try. Crispin Cider Co. will also furnish some unique brews: alcoholic apple cider and pear cider.

The vast stretch of wine country that lies beyond Portland will contribute to the festival as well. There will be both well-known names like Barefoot Wine and Bubbly and smaller winemakers like Palotai Winery.

They didn’t forget to include the booze, either. Bendistillery, New Deal Distillery and Rogue Spirits will provide tasters.

Festival goers can buy a “tasting package” that includes a glass or mug and some tokens for tasting the beer, wine and spirits, or they can buy sample tokens as they go.

If the crowd is in need of sobering up after all those drinks, there will be a variety of foods to choose from. A number of local businesses that specialize in cheese and chocolate will have booths set up. Other food booths include a variety of items like gyros, olives, barbecue and shrimp.

But the festival isn’t purely centered on eating and drinking. How would that food come to be, after all, without cooking? Both Friday and Saturday will feature three demonstrations from seven different chefs. A schedule is available on the festival’s website. The chefs will whip up dishes from scratch for their audiences and hand out samples.

The free seminars provide another educational opportunity. Cheese makers will explain easy cheese making, chocolatiers will look at beer and chocolate combinations and wine connoisseurs will explain some unusual wine pairings.

Later in the evenings, local bands will play some rhythm and blues, reggae and rock. For those who don’t mind getting an early start, admission is free for the first two hours of both days.