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<\/a><\/div>\nThe Oregon Beer Awards were handed out last night<\/b><\/a>, and there were a few Meanwhile, some The big winner, by a country mile, was Breakside, which took home ten medals total, including four gold. There were only 22 categories, which means Breakside managed to win a staggering 15% of the awards–in a competition with over 900 beers from 114 breweries. Tourists visiting the city often overlook Breakside or seem surprised when I suggest they go visit–this is a pretty good example of why locals keep buzzing about it. (Though from the perspective of optics, there is something slightly awkward about seeing the festival organizer, Breakside’s Ben Edmunds, trot up on the stage so many times to pick up hardware.)<\/p>\n Maybe the best moment of the night was the short film put together by Lucas Chemotti and Ezra Johnson-Greenough to honor the late publican Don Younger, who was voted into the hall of fame:<\/p>\n
\nsurprises. The first came when Wolf Tree (Seal Rock) won the first gold medal.
\nWait, who? That happened several times throughout the night, as obscure breweries took home medals: Freebridge (the Dalles), Back Pedal (Portland), Salem Ale Works, and Wild Ride (Redmond). Wolf Tree, incidentally<\/b><\/a>, “is one of very few breweries operating on a working cattle ranch.” I have no doubt about that.<\/p>\n
\nhigh-profile breweries got mostly elbowed off the podium–pFriem, Block 15, and
\n The Commons took home just four medals combined. That kind of thing happens when you have a blind-tasting competition. (Upright, a member of that
\noften-lauded tier, pulled a hat trick, getting a bronze, silver, and
\ngold, so some order was restored to the universe.) <\/p>\n