Skip to main content

Festival of the Dark Arts: the only brewfest with tattoos

Oregon is home to many prestigious beer festivals. They range from the smallest beer and cheese gatherings, to the massive Oregon Brewer’s Fest that brings thousands to the waterfront. But every Valentine’s Day, beer drinkers everywhere are drawn in flocks to Astoria, a small town on the Oregon coast, for Festival of the Dark Arts, hosted by Fort George brewing.

What makes this festival so dark? A large part of the ritual is the beer. Dozens of breweries bring their deepest, darkest, heaviest beers as an offering to the masses. Names range from international players like Mikkeler, Deschutes, Fat Heads, Stone, and Firestone Walker, all the way down to local heroes such as Baerlic, Upright, Breakside, and Block 15, and none of them pull any punches. As host, Fort George ensures a steady supply of its own stouts – fourteen of them this year.

Festivalofthedarkarts-3
Image used with permission by copyright holder

It’s not just run of the mill stouts, either. These breweries bring out the very best, like the Grand Marnier edition of Mikkeler Black, Firestone XIX Anniversary Ale, The Abyss from Deschutes, Avery’s Mephistopheles, Stone’s Nitro Xocoveza – I could go on, but it wouldn’t do the taplist justice.

Recommended Videos

But the amazing beer is just a small part of what makes the festival so special, and there’s a wealth of activities to keep you entertained in between drinks. The day-long festival has a packed schedule of live music and entertainment. That means everything from performances by local bands, to belly dancers, burlesque, illusionists, and fire dancing.

Festivalofthedarkarts-1
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Even that’s commonplace at Oregon beer festivals, so Fort George steps things up with a selection of artists. That ranges from wood carvings and beer paintings, through the extravagant, like an ice dragon, carved and sculpted throughout the day, that breathes fire in the evening, or blacksmiths working hard at a forge. Want a more lasting reminder of the weekend? A real tattoo artist will give you one, assuming you haven’t had too much to drink first.

Festivalofthedarkarts-2
Image used with permission by copyright holder

If these all sound like the makings of the perfect beer fest (and they are, you can trust us on that), keep an eye on the Festival of the Dark Arts page later this year. Tickets usually go up for sale in October or November, but act fast, because they’re usually sold out by January, and this is one festival you can’t afford to miss.

[Photos courtesy Fort George Brewery]

Festivalofthedarkarts-6
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Brad Bourque
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Brad Bourque is a beer and sneaker writer, retired fantasy football commissioner, and devout Portland Timbers. On the…
Fresh hop beer season is upon us
IPA heads rejoice
Hops gardening

With September just around the corner, that can only mean one thing for craft beer enthusiasts. Fresh hop season is officially here and west coast breweries up and down Interstate 5 are releasing beers featuring the aromatic ingredient. Most often, they come in the form of vibrant IPAs, but just-picked hops figure into a number of beer styles, not to mention the work of regional cider houses as well.

For fans of IPAs and a pleasant kick of bitterness in their beers, there's hardly a better time of year. From now through September, brewers will usher in hops from the most recent harvest and turn out beers that spotlight their unique qualities. Award-winning Breakside Brewery is Portland has kicked things off with a fresh hop version of its Wanderjack IPA.

Read more
From George Washington to modern distilleries: Bourbon’s all-American journey
The surprising history of bourbon and why it’s more American than apple pie
Whiskey barrels

If you didn’t know it already, September is Bourbon Heritage Month. It was officially declared in 2007 by the U.S. Senate after being sponsored by Kentucky Senator Jim Bunning. Each fall, it’s celebrated to pay homage to America’s “native spirit” and its historical value, and the importance of the bourbon industry.

In my alcohol writing career, I’ve enjoyed countless glasses of bourbon. And while I’ll definitely sip my fair share of bourbon in September, to truly get the most out of this important month, it’s a good idea to learn a little about the history of this truly American form of whiskey, along with the stories and legends surrounding it.
An American legacy of Bourbon

Read more
Even organic coffee isn’t always clean — what you need to know (and how to shop smarter)
Is organic coffee as clean as you think?
Cup of coffee

The Clean Label Project, an organization committed to exposing hidden risks that don't appear on labels, just released a new study on caffeinated coffee, which may surprise many coffee drinkers. The newly published study tested 57 coffee products from 45 of the industry's top-selling brands and found industrial and environmental contaminants in many coffee products that were labeled as organic.

Researchers detected traces of AMPA, a glyphosate byproduct, in 100% of organic samples, despite its use being prohibited in organic farming (yes, you heard that right). To learn more about the impact of this alarming organic coffee study, I got the scoop from Molly Hamilton, Executive Director of Clean Label Project. Here's what she thinks consumers should know about the impact of this study and how to adopt a smarter way of shopping for coffee.

Read more