The first day of the 27th annual Oregon Brewers Festival is done (even though this is the second year they started on a Wednesday, I’m still thinking in terms of starting on Thursday… or I remember starting on a Friday even… yeah, get off my lawn), and it already looks like a great year. (You can follow along on Twitter on the main OBF account, or by the hashtag #obf27, or the Specialty Tent.) If you’re planning on attending any of the next four days, I thought I’d throw out some recommendations for beers to keep an eye out for.

You can find the full list of what’s pouring in the main tents here.

Fruity/Sour beers: these (along with the IPAs) make up the majority of beer “styles” this year, and some simply look too interesting to pass up. Note there are a number of other fruited beers pouring, including several fruit-infused IPAs, but these stand out to me as worth the token(s).

• 10 Barrel Cider Weisse: A blend of their Berliner Weisse with green apple cider
• Cigar City Brewing Mangosteen Florida Weisse: Another Berliner Weisse fruit blend!
• Ecliptic Brewing Perihelion Crimson Saison: A saison brewed with rhubarb
• Elysian Brewing Perfesser: American Wild Ale with plums, sounds intriguing
• Gigantic Brewing Who Ate All the Pies?: My favorite name on this year’s list, it’s a strawberry rhubarb gose—this would be my first beer to try,  hands down. Plus, that’s two with rhubarb this year, if you’re counting.
• Paradise Creek Brewery Huckleberry Pucker: another Berliner Weisse

IPAs and Pale Ales: yes, the other most-represented category, and what kind of an OBF would you have if you didn’t sample some IPAs that you can’t necessarily get around here?

• Alaskan Brewing Hopothermia: A double IPA that should be solid since it’s from Alaskan.
• Ashtown Brewing Blackberry India Pale Ale: I have to admit I’m intrigued since it has my favorite berry in it. Plus I’ve not had any beers from Ashtown yet.
• Boundary Bay Double Dry Hopped Mosaic Pale Ale: They always bring a solid beer to the OBF, and Mosaic is on fire right now
• Fitger’s Brewhouse Hoppelujah IPA: From Minnesota—I don’t know anything else about them but I’m always intrigued by some Midwestern IPAs.
• Maui Brewing Lorenzini Blood Orange Double IPA: Yes, it has fruit, but it came all the way from Hawaii…
• Port Townsend Brewing Extra Special Hop Diggidy: How can you pass up a name like that?

Intriguing and/or Couldn’t Resist the Name: If the name or style didn’t catch my eye in either of the above list, they fall here:

• Beer Valley Heavy Sugars Honey Ale: The one and only braggot at the fest that I can see, and I enjoyed the name.
• Collaborator Czech’d Out Pils: I’ve been on the lookout for good Pilsners these days, and the Collaborator brew (Widmer + Oregon Brew Crew) would hit the mark I think.
• Deschutes Ester the Farmhouse Maiden: A saison with a great name.
• Dogfish Head Burton Olde English: Big malty sweet old ale. Dogfish Head always brings interesting beers (Raspberry Mint Imperial Stout, anyone?).
• Dunedin Brewery Moon Reflects on Hibiscus: A Belgian IPA with fruit and flowers. I’m intrigued, but I remember a few years ago the first Dunedin beer I had wasn’t terribly impressive.
• Kells Brew Pub Billy Ray Citrus: Oh good lord, a CDA version of their Miley Citrius IPL from the Oregon Garden Brewfest. I can’t help but like that name though.
• Logsdon Sraffe Drieling: A Tripel, and knowing Logsdon this should be great.
• Lucky Lab Hopperopolis: A “copper ale” with a great name.
• Old Town Brewing Yosteamite Sam: A California Common and the name? Yes.
• Rogue Dopplesticke: A double alt style, I think?

Finally, Old Standbys:

• Anderson Valley Summer Solstice
• Ballast Point Sculpin IPA
• Caldera Brewing Caldera Toasted Coconut Chocolate Porter
• Cascade Brewing Raspberry Wheat
• Full Sail Cascade Pilsner
• Ninkasi Oktoberfestbier
• Terminal Gravity IPA
• Widmer Widberry

Happy drinking!