Hood to Fuji 2019 breweries. (image courtesy of Fuji to Hood)
7/5/2022 Portland, OR – After 4 long years Fuji to Hood is back with a block party held outside of Culmination Brewing in northeast Portland’s Kerns neighborhood. Conceptualized as a collaboration between sister cities Portland and Sapporo, Japan, Fuji to Hood expanded out of its borders to encompass the best of the craft makers in the areas of Mt. Hood and Mt. Fuji. Each year the festival alternates between countries.
The inaugural 2018 Fuji to Hood featured 10 different collaboration beers and 1 cider made in Oregon, each with an ingredient local to Japan. The festival then rotated to Japan for the sister event Hood to Fuji in 2019 which upped the stakes with 17 collaborations brewed in Japan with a specialty Oregon ingredient. The festival was scheduled to take place again in Portland in May 2020 before the pandemic put those plans off until now…
Returning to Portland in 2022 this year, Fuji to Hood raises the bar with 18 brewery collaborations, 1 cidery collab, and the fest’s first ever distillery collaboration for a total of 20 beverages not including additional samplings from SakeOne and Culmination Brewing. Organizers expect 14-15 brewery teams from Japan and over 24 ambassadors flying into Portland to attend the festival and a brewers field trip, as well as to make new collaborations and life-long friendships.
“After a long, difficult couple of years, it’s great to see that the bonds between Oregon and Japan are still so strong,” says Fuji to Hood co-organizer Red Gillen. “It’s an incredible honor that so many Japanese brewers and cider makers are coming back to Portland, despite facing various COVID-related travel restrictions and economic hardships. They truly love our beer & cider scene.”
Interesting Fuji to Hood beer facts:
- Hair of the Dog Brewing’s final beer, a Shiitake Brown Ale, was brewed for Fuji to Hood.
- Ex Novo Brewing’s Japanese Pine IPA is one of the last new beers created by the late Ryan Buxton.
- Collaboration partners SteepleJack Brewing and Minoh Beer are both women run brewing teams.
- Three of the Japanese breweries have female lead brewers: Minoh Beer, Heiwa Craft, and Harvest Moon.
- Two of the Japanese breweries (Black Tide, Far Yeast) have Portlanders on their brewing teams.
Festival Food Provided By:
- Culmination Brewing’s kitchen HarBQ will be serving bao tacos with house smoked meats and fried chicharrones with furikake
- Aimsir Distilling (one of the collaboration partners) will be serving their regular menu at the Emerald Room as well as Japanese inspired food specials.
- Yokai Musubi with Japanese rice balls mixed, filled, or topped with a variety of ingredients.
- Umi Organic serving award-winning organic cold noodle ramen and yakisoba pan.
- Japanese chips, candy, assorted snacks.
Festival Performances by:
- Team Japonesque at 1pm: a Portland-based dance group that mixes traditional and modern dance movement, music,…
