The Three Beers Represent the Years 1994, 1995, and 1996 in the Brewery’s 30-Year History
PORTLAND, Ore. – July 28, 2014 – Widmer Brothers Brewing today announced Widberry, Blackbier, and Big Ben Porter as the newest releases in the brewery’s 30 Beers for 30 Years Series. These limited release beers, brewed to commemorate the brewery’s 30th anniversary, will be available in the Portland area beginning this week.
As with the other releases in this series, these three beers are among the most memorable in Widmer Brothers’ 30-year history. Widberry, a weizenbier brewed with local black raspberries, was originally introduced in 1994 and reached a level of popularity that no one at the brewery anticipated. Blackbier, a take on the German Schwarzbier style, was originally introduced in 1995 and is a favorite among the brewhouse veterans. Big Ben Porter represents the year 1996 and was one of the first craft beers that caused a dispute with the government over legal beer descriptions.
“Widberry has a similar status to Altbier in our history,” said Kurt Widmer, co-founder of Widmer Brothers Brewing. “It has a huge, cult-like following among the beer folks here in Portland. There was a bit of a fruit beer boom in the mid-nineties, and Widberry took off during that time with no marketing whatsoever. It was one of the more popular beers from our past, and we still get asked to bring it back to this day. We hope everyone enjoys the re-release of Widberry, which was also our Oregon Brewers Festival beer this year as well.”
