[Riho Beer No.511] Fort George × NorthPark “PIZZA PALS 2025” Hazy IPA 7% | Oregon Craft Beer Collab Can Review
Beer
2026.02.22
This article can be read in about 28 minutes.
📌 About This Article: This is a can beer tasting review (Riho Beer No.511), not an in-person taproom visit to Fort George Brewery in Astoria, Oregon. The beer was received as a gift and reviewed at home.
Hello! I’m Riho, a craft beer enthusiast.
The perfect finale to my November 2025 California-Oregon trip: Fort George Brewery + Public House in Astoria, Oregon. Standing on the historic site where America’s first Pacific Coast settlement was established in 1811, this brewery boasts GABF 2024 & 2025 Consecutive Gold and WBC 2024 Gold. The legendary origin story of Vortex IPA — born from a near-tornado encounter — and the sweeping Columbia River views make this a true PNW pilgrimage destination.
Hop-kun
TripAdvisor #5 in all of Astoria is dominant for such a small town — Hop! 867,000+ Untappd check-ins is incredible — Hop! Oregon’s 5th largest production brewery maintaining this quality level is truly remarkable — Hop! GABF consecutive Gold two years in a row is basically unheard of — Hop!!
Rune-chan
Drinking beer in a historic building from 1924 — how magical — Woof! Watching the Columbia River while drinking is absolutely amazing — Woof! I want to go to the Festival of Dark Arts too — Woof!!
🍺 Tasting Report: Fort George × NorthPark “PIZZA PALS 2025” (Hazy IPA 7%)
Today’s review: the collaboration “PIZZA PALS 2025” by Fort George × NorthPark Brewing (Hazy IPA, 7% ABV). As the name suggests, this beer was designed specifically for pizza pairing — and it delivers in spectacular fashion. Received as a wonderful gift!
Six different Citra hop forms — Cryo, Dynaboost, CO2 Extract — each contributing different concentrations and extraction methods! This layered approach creates dimensional aroma that’s impossible with just one form of Citra!
Tasting Notes
Appearance: Pale, hazy gold with the gloss of hop oils catching the light.
Aroma: Citra’s signature “frozen melon” opens first — cool, juicy, crystalline. The Cryo and CO₂ Extract versions add sharpness that amplifies cold citrus nuances. Eclipse contributes mandarin orange candy notes, with hints of passion fruit in the background.
Flavor: Clean melon and citrus dominate the entry. As it warms on the palate, fresh-hop grassy/vegetal notes emerge, revealing hop complexity. Just before swallowing, a brief flourish of warm malt sweetness appears — an unexpected and delightful structural element.
Finish: Dry-leaning, but the aromatic finish is long — a “hybrid” type. Hop aromas build gradually before the 7% ABV sensation brings everything to a clean close.
りほくん
The malt surge just before swallowing perfectly syncs with pizza dough’s wheaty character — and the powerful hop aroma has the strength to stand up to melted cheese. This beer genuinely becomes ‘complete’ when eaten with pizza!
ルネちゃん
PIZZA PALS is such a cute name! Beer and pizza really are best friends, aren’t they? I want to try this with a proper pizza!
⭐ Online Ratings
Platform
Rating
Reviews
✈️ TripAdvisor
4.3 / 5
#5 of 90 restaurants in Astoria · Travelers’ Choice Award
🍽️ OpenTable
4.7 / 5
765 reviews
🍺 Untappd
3.9 / 5
867,154 check-ins · 131,625 unique users
⭐ Yelp
—
1,979 reviews
📖 The Brewery Born from a Tornado — On America’s First Settlement
Fort George’s origin story reads like a movie. Founder Chris Nemlowill, after studying in Virginia Beach, loaded an 8.5-barrel brewing system called “Sweet Virginia” onto a flatbed truck with his mentor Jack Harris and set off on a cross-country journey. Near Nebraska, a tornado bore down on them — the two watched a full cyclone spiral before their eyes. That visceral experience gave their flagship beer its name: Vortex IPA.
In March 2007, they arrived in Astoria, Oregon and found a rundown vacant building on the east side of downtown. They discovered later the historical significance — the site was near where fur trader John Jacob Astor established “Fort Astoria” in 1811, the first American settlement on the Pacific Coast. During the War of 1812, British warship HMS Racoon captured it and renamed it “Fort George” after King George III. The brewery chose the name in honor of this layered history.
The current Fort George Building dates to 1924. In 2010, they acquired the neighboring Lovell Building (1921) — one of the few survivors of Astoria’s devastating 1922 fire — expanding into an entire city block. In 2021, they opened a waterfront production brewery in the converted former American Can Company factory (67,000 sq ft) along the Columbia River. Today Fort George is Oregon’s 5th largest and America’s 83rd largest brewery, producing over 32,000 barrels annually.
🏆 Awards
Year
Competition
Beer
Medal
2025
🏆 GABF (Great American Beer Festival)
City of Dreams (Hazy Pale Ale)
🥇 Gold
2025
🥇 Oregon Beer Awards
3-Way IPA
🥇 Gold
2025
🥈 Oregon Beer Awards
Sometimes Things Take Longer / Fresh Hop Fields of Green
🥈 Silver ×2
2024
🏆 GABF
Fudge Sickles (Imperial Chocolate Stout)
🥇 Gold
2024
🏆 World Beer Cup
City of Dreams (Hazy Pale Ale)
🥇 Gold
2020
🥇 Oregon Beer Awards
Fanzine IPA
🥇 Gold
2016+
🏆 Willamette Week Oregon Beer Awards
Festival of Dark Arts (annual stout fest)
Best Oregon Beer Festival (every year)
2016
🥈 World Beer Cup
Hellcat Belgian Tripel
🥈 Silver
🍺 Signature Beers
① Vortex IPA — Born from a Tornado
Fort George’s soul: an American IPA (ABV 7.7%, IBU 97) named for the Nebraska tornado encounter. Intense bitterness with floral and Galena hop aromatics. Untappd 3.9/5 (37,749 ratings).
② Cavatica Stout
An Imperial Stout (ABV 8.8%, IBU 30) named for Charlotte A. Cavatica — the spider from “Charlotte’s Web.” Dark, roasty, with subtle sweetness. Untappd 3.91/5 (21,037 ratings). Bourbon barrel-aged versions are equally revered.
③ City of Dreams ★ GABF 2025 Gold + WBC 2024 Gold
A Juicy/Hazy Pale Ale (ABV 5.5%, IBU 40) combining Citra, Mosaic, Azacca, and Huell Melon hops for citrus and tropical fruit brilliance. Double gold winner — WBC 2024 and GABF 2025 — the brewery’s crowning achievement.
④ 1811 Lager
A premium lager (ABV 5.1%, IBU 15) named for Fort Astoria’s 1811 founding. Czech Saaz hops and flake corn in a pre-Prohibition style — grainy, smooth, and historically resonant.
⑤ 3-Way IPA — Annual PNW Collaboration
Running since 2013, this annual collaboration IPA brings together 2-3 PNW breweries each year in West Coast, Hazy, and Tropical variants. The 2025 edition with Mirage Beer & Sunriver Brewing won Oregon Beer Awards Gold. The most anticipated seasonal release in the Pacific Northwest.
📊 Flavor Profile (Vortex IPA)
Flavor Element
Intensity (1–5)
Character
🟠 Bitterness
5/5
IBU 97 · powerful West Coast bitterness
🟢 Sweetness
2/5
Malt backbone supporting the bitterness
🔵 Acidity
1/5
Minimal · dry finish
🟣 Body
3/5
Medium · clear and sharp
🟡 Aroma
4/5
Floral · pine · citrus Galena character
🏛️ History & Space — Beer Experience Across an Entire City Block
The city block occupied by Fort George is one of the most historically dense in Oregon. The 1924 main building was originally an auto repair shop; the 1921 Lovell Building is one of the few that survived the devastating 1922 Astoria fire. Fort George now spans the entire block.
The 2021 waterfront production brewery is a converted former American Can Company factory (67,000 sq ft). From its windows, guests can gaze upon the Columbia River and the Astoria-Megler Bridge — North America’s longest continuous truss bridge. In 2024, Fort George installed 1,155 solar panels (28,000 sq ft) — the largest solar installation on the Oregon Coast — generating over 70% of their annual electricity needs.
🕯️ Festival of Dark Arts
The annual “Festival of Dark Arts” held every February transforms central Astoria into a month-long stout celebration. The 2025 edition featured 108 stouts from 85 breweries across 70+ taps, drawing over 3,000 attendees. Fire dancers, ice sculptures, tarot readers, tattoo artists, magicians, and live music make it an art festival that transcends beer — winning Willamette Week’s Best Oregon Beer Festival every year since 2016.
🏆 Overall Rating
★★★★★
4.4/5
PNW’s defining brewery on the site of America’s first Pacific Coast settlement — GABF & WBC consecutive Gold, tornado-born beer, historic building, Columbia River views — all converge in one place
Riho-kun
Drinking Vortex IPA while knowing it was named in the moment of facing an actual tornado — suddenly the intensity of the bitterness makes complete sense. City of Dreams’ Hazy Pale Ale was something else entirely — velvety soft. Drinking it inside this 1924 historic building while overlooking the Columbia River was the perfect final chapter of my California-Oregon journey. I need to come back in February for the Festival of Dark Arts.
Their flagship ‘1811 Lager’ and ‘Vortex IPA’ are always on tap. Don’t miss the annual ‘3-Way IPA’ collaboration series and ‘Cavatica Stout’. Their ‘Fest of the Dark Arts’ each spring is a nationally acclaimed dark beer festival.
What is Astoria, Oregon like?
Astoria is Oregon’s oldest city, a historic port town at the mouth of the Columbia River. It’s famous worldwide as the filming location for ‘The Goonies’ (1985). Fort George is a pillar of this charming community.
How do I get from Portland to Astoria?
About 2 hours by car via I-30 (US-30) or US-26 West (~110 miles). Sunset Empire Transit (SETbus) also offers bus service. The scenic US-30 coastal route makes the drive itself worthwhile.
ルネちゃん
Wait, Astoria is actually the filming location of The Goonies?!
りほくん
Yes! The 1985 movie The Goonies was filmed in Astoria. You can even visit some of the original filming locations around town. The view of the Columbia River from the hills is breathtaking!
ホップくん
Fort George’s barrel-aged sour ales represent the pinnacle of craft brewing artistry! Years of patient aging in barrels creates layers of complexity that mass-produced beer could never achieve!
ルネちゃん
Tell me more about the Fest of the Dark Arts!
りほくん
It’s Fort George’s legendary annual festival held in February — celebrating all things dark beer! Imperial stouts, porters, barleywines, you name it. For dark beer lovers, it’s an absolute pilgrimage event!
🍻 How to Order at an American Taproom
New to American taprooms? Here’s a quick guide to ordering craft beer with confidence.
りほくん
Don’t be shy at the bar! Staff at craft breweries love talking beer. Just point at the tap list or say what style you enjoy and they’ll guide you to something great.
Step 1
Check the tap list on the board or menu
Step 2
Order at the counter: “Can I have a [beer name], please?”
Step 3
“Open tab or close?” → Say “Open” to pay later, “Close” to pay now
Step 4
Show ID (passport) if asked — 21+ required
Step 5
Pick up your beer at the counter
Step 6
Add 15–20% tip when closing your tab (tablet screen)
ホップくん
Try asking: “What do you recommend?” or “What’s your most popular IPA right now?” — bartenders love these questions!
ルネちゃん
Want to try before committing? Ask for a “taster” or “sampler” — most taprooms offer small 2-4oz pours to help you decide!
⚠️ Disclaimer
Taste evaluations are personal opinions. Beer flavor perception varies by individual. Product information, hours, and prices are subject to change without notice. Drink responsibly. Must be 21+ to consume alcohol in the United States.
Seattle-based IT engineer and certified Japanese beer judge exploring the craft scenes on both sides of the Pacific. I bring a developer's analytical eye to brewing processes while volunteering tech skills to help brewers tell their authentic stories. Follow my cross-cultural beer journey where code meets craft! 🍻
ビール醸造のプロも愛読！ホップの魅力がわかる『THE NEW IPA』
歴史好き必見！『ビール大全』で深掘り
『ビールのつくりかた大事典』で醸造プロセスを学ぼう
Twitterで新着情報を受け取る
