Oregon Brewers Fest By the Numbers (2017)

There it is on the calendar, a holiday as sturdy and reliable as Thanksgiving or New Year's, and one as given to celebration--the Oregon Brewers Festival, arriving as it always does on the last full weekend of July. This is the 30th running of the beers in Waterfront Park, and I will delve into that milestone tomorrow with a look at how things have changed in three decades. But today I offer a tradition now entering its second decade, the annual OBF by the numbers.

Trends
There are a few trends visible in the numbers. In terms of the types of beers being made, we continue to see a swing away from pale ales, stouts, and porters; there are just six in total. By contrast, kettle-soured beers and wild ales are four times as numerous. Also popular this year is a category the Fest rightly calls "lager." This group of beers mines an older Mexican and American type of beer brewed light and crisp, often with corn, which you'll find in six beers. This is also a great year for saisons, and as usual, fruit-infused ales.

Because this is a summertime fest, it does skew the numbers toward the fruity and light. Nevertheless, it's impossible to ignore a trend away from alcohol and IBUs. An astonishing 52% of the beers are 5.4% or lower, the average IBUs are 30, and just 25% have more 40 IBUs. Five years ago, just 37% of the beers were low-alcohol, the average BUs were 39, and 37% had more than 40 IBUs. All of this seems to track what we're seeing in the marketplace.

So, without further blather, have a look. Below are the annual breakdown of the breweries and beers. As always, last year's totals are included in parentheses.

  • Years since inception: 30
  • Total beers: 91 regular, with another 90 specialty (112 in 2016)
  • Total breweries: 90 US, plus one Dutch (84 US, 16 international)
  • States represented: 13 (15)
  • Countries represented: 2 (5)
  • Percent Oregon: 63% (61%)
  • Percent California: 9% (9%)
  • Percent Washington: 16% (11%)
  • All Others: 12% (19%)


By Type

  • Total types (by broad category): 20 of 91 (31 of 112)
  • Lagers: 13%  (13%)
  • IPAs: 25% (27%)

 - Standard IPA: 15% (13%)
 - Session IPA: 4% (6%)  
 - Double IPA: 1% (5%)
 - Black IPA: None (3%)
 - Fruit IPA: 2% (None)

  • Fruit/ Fruit Wheats: 34% (23%)
  • Saison: 10% (2%)
  • "Sour Ales" 10% (N/A)
  • Berliner Weisse & gose: 7% (11%)
  • Pale ale: 5% (4%, but 14% two years ago)
  • Kolsch: 5% (None)
  • Pilsner: 3% (5%)
  • Radler: 2% (None)
  • Stouts and porters: 1% (7%)


By Characteristic

  • Beers using spices/flavors: 22% (37%)
  • Fruit beers: 34% (26%)
  • Belgian styles: 12% (4%)
  • German/Czech styles: 15% (24%)
  • Beers not brewed to traditional style: 31% (15%)
  • Kettle-soured beers: 15% (17%)
  • Wild beers: 10% (N/A)
  • Beers Made For the Fest: 70% (N/A)


Population Distribution

  • ABV of smallest beer (Elkhorn Sirberlin Berliner Weisse): 3.5% (3.5%)
  • ABV of largest beer (New Holland and Caldera): 11% (11%)
  • Average ABV: 5.7% (5.9%)
  • Beers below 5.5% ABV: 52% (45%)
  • Beers above 7% ABV: 13% (20%)
  • Fewest IBUs in Fest (three different breweries): 4 (1)
  • Most IBUs at the Fest (RoguevStraight Outta Newport): 100 (102)
  • Average IBUs: 30 (35)
  • Beers between 0 and 40 IBUs: 74% (66%) 
  • Beers over 60 IBUs: 12% (18%)

PHOTOS: OREGON BREWERS FESTIVAL

Jeff AlworthOBF 2017, OBF1 Comment