Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Ridgewalker Brewing's Jeff Farrar referees armored combat at Viking Beer Fest 2024. Joe Sills Jeff Farrar raises a battle axe into the air as medieval flags surrounding a grassy ring waft in the last gasps of Oregon’s summer air. A throng of spectators begins to cheer as two men clad in head-to-toe steel plate steady themselves on opposite sides of the ring.
“Have any of you ever seen real armored combat?” Farrar shouts. Moments later, cheers shift to audible gasps as the two men collide in a cacophony of swords, steel and shields. For nearly two minutes, the two jab, slash, kick and wrestle in a three-round bout in front of a crowd that alternates between stunned and enthralled.
In few other places can the average reveler get so close to real armored combat; and though their blades are dull, the weapons and armor are real; the furious impact of metal on metal reverberating through the crowd like the rumble of a passing train. After the third round, the combatants embrace in a hug—a reminder that this version of medieval combat is just for show. Instantly, spectators begin to cheer and—following Farrar’s lead—raise glasses brimming with beer into the sky.
This is Viking Beer Fest. Now in its third year, the charity festival held to benefit non-profit organization Nordic Northwest has drawn around 2,000 beer lovers, history buffs and fantasy aficionados to a forested park on the southwest side of Portland. With 41 taps and 17 brewers represented, the festival is heavy on the beer (and Meade) and even heavier on the medieval flair.
Viking Beer Fest is a two-day safe space for elves, knights, hobbits, vikings, wizards, fey folk and at least one mega-sized gnome to venture out from the pages of fantasy into the real world. An event-sponsored costume contest sees all of the above emerge from a crowd, with one Samwise Gamgee going so far as to pull out a sack of potatoes from their backpack. A Viking Beer Fest attendee dressed as Samwise Gamgee hoists a bag of potatoes in front of a crowd .
.. [+] of spectators.
Liz Hooper MORE FOR YOU New Password Hacking Warning For Gmail, Facebook And Amazon Users Trump Vs. Harris 2024 Polls: Harris Leading Likely Voters By 2 Points In Latest Survey Samsung Slashes Galaxy S24 Price Ahead Of iPhone 16 Release For Nordic Northwest, the blend of Tolkienesque fantasy and real world history serves to introduce people to the non-profit’s mission. After starting at a Portland State language club in the 1990s, Nordic Northwest branched out into a fully-fledged cultural organization that hosts year-round events on these grounds.
When festivals aren’t ongoing, the public is free to peruse the campus’s pathways and interior exhibits brimming with artwork and jewelry. “We are connecting people to Nordic culture through Nordic exhibits, events and festivals that bring people together,” says the group’s communications manager Anette Gullholm. “We have people in their 20s and their 80s here,” adds Nordic Northwest director of development Shawn MacArthur.
“I haven’t seen many events that where people from almost every decade of life are coming together, drinking together and having a great time like this.” function loadConnatixScript(document) { if (!window.cnxel) { window.
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Festivalgoers exchange beer tickets for samples at Viking Beer Fest. Liz Hooper I catch up with Farrar near Olebolle, a 19-foot wooden sculpture of a troll from Danish artist Thomas Dambo. “I actually am Thor’s Cousin,” Farrar laughs.
“It was a joke that started as a Yelp! review.” Turns out, Farrar is not only referee, he’s the owner of Ridgewalker Brewing . And as he stows the battle axe (that was apparently once a prop in the hit AMC series “The Walking Dead”) he details the work going on behind the scenes at Viking Beer Fest.
“At first, the festival was all about bringing together brewers to showcase their flagship beers. But, after the first year, we got together and decided to start brewing Scandinavian, Nordic-style beers for the festival.” Farrar says brewing Scandinavian-style beer mostly comes down to the right yeast.
But many of the breweries lining the open spaces of the Nordic Northwest campus have chosen to add other Nordic ingredients like juniper or raspberries. For beer lovers in a notoriously beer-loving region, the festival offers an opportunity to sample brews that can’t be found on store shelves. And sprinkled between taps and pitchers, food vendors and artisans sell Scandinavian-themed snacks and wares like Swedish meatballs and handcrafted, wire bracelets.
Event sponsor Icelandair encourages festival goers to book flights across Scandinavia, a no-brainer for the sometimes tipsy and universally fantasy-loving crowd. An aerial acrobat dressed as a raven performs at Viking Beer Fest. Liz Hooper Farrar agrees that the crowd seems to gravitate to armored combat.
But, he counters that the main attraction of Viking Beer Fest is still, well, beer. As the day grows longer, the festival’s main attraction begins to accelerate the pace of other activities on site. A waiting list for axe throwing grows to at least half an hour long.
Picnic tables are adorned with beer glasses, food baskets and armor. A swarm seems to constantly hover over the Red Troll Forge blacksmith shop, where visitors take their turns watching smiths hammer out nails, fire pokers, wall hooks and other household objects that can be forged on site. Foam swords and shields are hoisted in the combat area by visitors taking their turn at LARPing.
More and more patrons make their way into the forest paths behind Olebolle, emerging at a “hidden tap” where Ridgewalker has stationed a high gravity reward for adventurers. As night begins to fall, the clash of combat gives way to a DJ spinning in front of a replica Viking long ship. More and more patrons make their way into the forest paths behind Olebolle, emerging at a “hidden tap” where Ridgewalker has stationed a high gravity reward for adventurers.
And as night begins to fall, the clash of combat gives way to a DJ spinning in front of a replica Viking long ship. Visitors to Viking Beer Fest can be found wearing street clothes, fantasy costumes and replica ..
. [+] viking garb. Joe Sills In the throng, festival organizers become more difficult to separate; but most are readily identifiable by a pair of leather, medieval bracers covering their forearms.
The garments are historical and real, but wouldn’t feel out of place on a character in “Skyrim.” All of this started as a spreadsheet created by MacArthur’s bracer-wearing team. Vikings sharing a round with hobbits.
Valkyries serving beer to werewolves. The first hints of cooler, autumn air creeping into the atmosphere. The festival feels almost like a farewell to summer and a welcome home party for the coming of Halloween.
The campus feels bustling, too; but due to the threat of rain, MacArthur says this year’s attendance is actually down from 3,000 visitors in 2023. Asked if he’s planning a repeat of the festival for 2025, MacArthur lights up. Without a doubt.
“People love to drink and people love to celebrate. This is a chance to do both of those things. It’s a chance to celebrate Nordic culture that doubles as a chance to dress up.
” “The smiles are the thing that gets me the most,” he adds. “Walking through the festival and seeing people smiling and having a good time, it’s a magical feeling and it drives me to keep doing this. Making people happy, at the end of the day, is just the best feeling from a non-profit standpoint.
”.
