SUN IS AS PLENTIFUL AS THE BEER AT 11TH FEST

Thousands at the annual event in Waterfront Park enjoy perfect drinking
weather

Ben Franklin said beer was proof that God loves us. Franklin might've
interpreted the weather for this weekend's 11th annual Oregon Brewers
Festival as proof that he's partial to a good beer festival, too.

As soon as the gates opened Friday at noon, the clouds that had threatened
all morning began to dissipate. By 1 p.m., the sky was a brilliant blue,
and gentle breezes wafted off the Willamette through the tables and the
large tents set up in Tom McCall Waterfront Park.

It was perfect beer-drinking weather, said Mike Rasmussen of the Oregon
Brew Crew: Cool enough while people were setting up tents, displays,
restaurant booths and the six refrigerated trailers that each held a dozen
kegs from breweries across the country. But warm enough to encourage some
beer-drinking in the afternoon with the promise of a glorious evening on
the river as the sun dipped low.

Portland appeared to agree with Rasmussen's estimate: By 2 p.m., pedestrian
traffic was on the rise, and the noise level in the two big pavilions
suggested that at least a couple thousand Portlanders had found pursuits
more salutary than returning to the office for the afternoon.

"This is already busier at 2 p.m. Friday than any festival I remember,"
said Jerry Fechter, who brews beer at the Old Lompoc in Northwest Portland.
"And what was last year's attendance, 92,000? If this keeps up, I'll bet
they break the 100,000 mark for the weekend."

With temperatures predicted in the 90s for Saturday and Sunday, it's
entirely possible that a cold beer will sound perfect to a good portion of
the population.

People will find lots of that at the festival. This year, organizers have
bought kegs from breweries as diverse as Smuttynose Brewing in Portsmouth,
N.H., and Kona Brewing in Hawaii. Local breweries are well-represented from
the biggest -- Widmer -- to some of those fascinating littler guys such as
Umpqua, Mt. Hood and Hair of the Dog.

The festival bought more of the out-of-state beers this year -- 15 kegs
each instead of 10 -- to avoid the late-afternoon shortages that have
plagued the festival's favorite beers in the past. Organizers will tap just
six kegs of each beer Friday and Saturday and save the remaining three kegs
for Sunday.

It's no surprise that people can find lots of good beer at the festival,
but some of the other things they'll find will be a pleasant surprise.

"This really is the best outdoor festival in the country," said Tom
Dalldorf, who publishes the California-based Celebrator Beer News. "The
Oktoberfest in Munich is bigger and longer, but only the five breweries
that have a lock on the festival are represented."

Dalldorf also praised the event's atmosphere. "Because people pay for each
taste, unlike festivals that charge a high admission and don't charge for
beer, there's none of that frenzy as people try to drink up their money's
worth."

Tracy Dana, who was sitting with her partner, Fechter, and their
9-month-old daughter, Gabrielle Fechter, said, "We were just commenting on
how many strollers we see." The adults sipped Frederick's Hempen Ale while
Gabrielle occasionally took a pull at her bottle of lemonade. "I don't feel
at all uncomfortable bringing my daughter to this festival. I might feel
different on Saturday evening, but it seems to be a fine place for kids."

Well, you do have to choose your spot. Moments later a security guard told
the couple they couldn't be in the pavilion with a child.

"Oh, well," Dana said. "We'll just move out under the trees . . . but I
guess this is the first time that Gabrielle's been eighty-sixed from
anyplace."

Checked-by: (Joel W. Johnson)