A new craft beer festival uniting Oregon and Mexico is coming to Portland this July

Imagine drinking a beer made with guava, masa, or even Mexican lollipops, and then enjoying it with real Mexican food, Aztec dancing, and lucha libre. MXPDX, a brand-new Portland festival honoring the craft cultures of Mexico and Oregon, has that on tap.

Craft beer enthusiasts might have gone to Fuji to Hood, a biannual beer event that focuses on Japanese beer and culture. The festival’s organizers are now expanding to include a new event called MXPDX, which is connecting Mexican and Oregon breweries for a comparable cultural event.

Ezra Johnson-Greenough, a co-founder of Beer Friends, the group that organizes both festivals, said, “We’ve had such a great experience starting the Japan Festival.” Since it’s expanding everyone’s horizons, we wanted to do more connecting with that culture and community in the Pacific Northwest and Japan.

With 26 Oregon and Mexican brewers, local Mexican restaurants and artists, and cultural events like Lucha Libre and Aztec dance, MXPDX will take over The Redd on July 19. While admission to the family-friendly event is free, beer tasting tickets for ten four-ounce pours start at $35.

According to Red Gillen, a co-founder of Beer Friends, authenticity is crucial. Although that is only the foundation, it is a beer festival. It is more of a festival of culture. Beer is merely a pretext for gathering people.

The growing interest in cultural exchange at Fuji to Hood, which has steadily increased both in terms of visitors and attractions since its first event in 2018, served as the impetus for MXPDX.

According to Gillen, we anticipated a large number of beer enthusiasts and beer geeks to attend. Naturally, they came, but it was the Japanese community and non-Japanese who were curious about the Japanese community who gathered to eat, drink beer, and listen to music.

Johnson-Greenough and Gillen recognized a chance to bridge the off-year gap with a new event that carries on their aim of cross-cultural exchange, this time honoring the relationship between Oregon and Mexico, as Fuji to Hood alternates annually between Portland and Japan.

Johnson-Greenough stated, “As a longtime beer expert judge, I knew that Mexico has a really up and coming craft beer scene.” Thus, that truly caught our attention.

While the visiting breweries are bringing hand-picked selections from their own lineups, each of the 26 participating breweries—13 from Oregon and one from Mexico—teamed up to create a unique beer influenced by Mexican flavors.

According to Johnson-Greenough, the brewers have been extremely inventive with it. It’s really fruit-driven at the moment, in my opinion.

A hazy IPA with passion fruit and sweet lime oil, a lager inspired by agua fresca with prickly pear, and beers that use worm salt, guava, pink maize, masa, and Mexican honey are just a few of the flavors from Oregon breweries.

At the same time, Mexican breweries are introducing their own creative versions, such as a vanilla cream lager made with guan bana, a white IPA flavored with agave, and a hazy IPA brewed with Tarrito lollipops.

“Beer is the foundation,” Gillen stated. Despite being a beer produced jointly by brewers in both nations, it serves more as a cultural festival that unites the two cultures.

In addition to encouraging cross-cultural interaction among guests, organizers seek to open up a new market for Mexican artisan beer in Oregon.

According to Gillen, Mexican craft beer is not available in the Greater Portland area. We’re hoping that the Mexican breweries might gain some distribution up here with a little publicity.

For the visiting brewers, Beer Friends is also organizing an educational session that will provide access to brewing information and techniques that might not be as easily accessible in Mexico, with an emphasis on Oregon-specific practices.

To learn more about brewing methods, Mexican brewers will visit various breweries in the area or other beer-related establishments, Gillen stated. They leave with more information and the camaraderie of their fellow brewers from the Oregon facility. We wish to unite the two communities of breweries.

Salem’s Xicha Brewing, Oregon’s first Mexican-owned brewery and one of the participating Oregon breweries, is hosting a Cantina welcome supper for visiting brewers and interested guests as part of the festival’s opening activities. With beer, food, and music, the July 18 party at The Redd is themed after Mexico City’s lively cantinas. A chance to connect over craft beer and culture is provided by the evening’s meet-and-greet with the owners and brewers of all 26 participating breweries.

“I believe this is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the significance of relationships and the level of involvement between the two communities,” Gillen added. It’s a chance to honor and celebrate the significance of the Mexican American community in Oregon. To demonstrate how well the communities get along, I hope it shines like a beacon. We adore beer, delicious cuisine, and great music.

If you go: The Redd East Events Venue, 831 S.E. Salmon St., mx-pdx.com; early entrance for Especial Session ticket holders is 11 a.m.–2 p.m.; public admission is 2–8 p.m.; tasting tickets start at $35.

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Chiara Profenna discusses faith, religion, and cultural ties. You may contact her at cprofenna@oregonian.com or @chiaraprofenna, or 503-221-4327.

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