Two new beers and a chance to win a vacation getaway
Same grain bill, same hop bill, two completely different beers. A tale of two cities as told through beer. A fun collaboration project involving two vacation destinations and two great breweries: pFriem Family Brewers and Fort George Brewery.
The upstream version brewed in Hood River is called Vacation Destination, a bright, bone-dry West Coast IPA from pFriem. The downstream version brewed in Astoria is called Destination Vacation, an opaque, pillowy Hazy IPA from Fort George. Both available on tap and in 4-packs of 16-ounce cans starting on October 8th. Details about the availability and vacation giveaway below.
A Study in Contrasts
The concept is simple enough: both breweries agreed on identical raw ingredients — a base of Pilsner and Pale malts, malted and unmalted wheat for texture, and a shared hop bill that includes Eclipse, Krush, Citra Cryo, and Simcoe. Each brewery created its version independently. Everything beyond those basic ingredients—yeast selection, fermentation, dry-hopping approach—was left entirely up to each brewery’s imagination.
- pFriem’s Vacation Destination (7.0% ABV) leans into clarity and precision, with targeted hot-side hop additions and a clean, attenuative fermentation producing a straw-hued West Coast IPA with resinous pine, sharp citrus, and a bone-dry finish.
- Fort George’s Destination Vacation (also 7.0% ABV) takes the same ingredients somewhere entirely different, using a distinct yeast strain and heavy bio-transformative dry-hopping to build a soft, opaque Hazy IPA with mandarin and stone-fruit character and no bitter edge to speak of.
Another fun part of the equation: each of the breweries calls one of the Pacific Northwest’s best weekend getaways home: pFriem in Hood River, in the Columbia River Gorge, and Fort George in Astoria, on the Oregon Coast.
“We are so proud to call the amazing folks at Fort George Brewing good friends,” said Josh Pfriem, co-founder and brewmaster at pFriem Family Brewers. We share so much in common, from our dedicated and passionate approach to brewing beer, to running businesses that we are proud of, and investing in our communities. We also share commonality with being situated on the Columbia River in two iconic Oregon towns. That said, we both beat to our own drums and find inspiration from each other. So what a great opportunity to stretch our creative wings and collaborate on a set of raw materials, but take them in two totally different directions of a West Coast IPA and a Hazy IPA!
“The beers alone should take you on a vacation-like journey, but we hope you feel the Gorge and Oregon Coast in each of them,” added Josh. “We encourage you to try them side by side or maybe even better to have an excuse to go to Hood River and/or Astoria to figure out if you are on a Vacation Destination or a Destination Vacation.”
According to Fort George’s Brian Bovenizer, Director of Sales and Marketing, “We have a ton of love and respect for our friends at pFriem Family Brewers. Everything they do is world-class, and it turns out, we have a lot in common. Our dedication to making great beer is first and foremost, matched only by our dedication to providing a fantastic brewpub experience. We also happen to be based in two of the most iconic vacation destinations in the Pacific Northwest, Astoria and Hood River, places that we are lucky enough to call our homes.”
Brains asks, “Is the vacation in the destination, or is your destination the vacation? I think you’ll find both in our beers. One’s hazy, the other is clear. One is the gateway to the Oregon Coast, while the other is the gateway to Mt. Hood. Try them both for a limited time and enter for your chance to win a trip to one of these cities.”
Two breweries, one recipe, two completely different beers. Worth hunting down both and deciding for yourself which destination you’re on. What’s your trip?
Win a Weekend in Hood River or Astoria, Oregon.
Alongside the release, pFriem and Fort George are hosting a Weekend Getaway to either Hood River or Astoria Oregon. One winner will choose between two Pacific Northwest getaways:
- Two-night stay in Astoria, Ore. + $100 gift card to Fort George Brewery
- Two-night stay in Hood River, Ore. + $100 gift card to pFriem Family Brewers
Entries open Oct 1st and close December 1, 2026. Enter at pfriembeer.com/vacation-
No purchase necessary. Must be 21 or older.
Availability
Vacation Destination & Destination Vacation are available beginning October 8th on draft and 16oz 4/pk cans at both Fort George and pFriem Tasting Rooms. The beers will roll out through the month of October at select retailers and draft accounts across Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and parts of Southern California.
Release Parties
- 10/8 – pFriem Milwaukie Tasting Room (party on the patio) from 3-5pm followed by 1847 Taproom from 5-7pm
- 10/10 – Fort George Brewpub pre-party followed by Bridge and Tunnel at 5pm
- 10/14 – Seattle’s Queen Anne Beer Hall from 5-8pm
To learn about other recent beer releases, visit our New Beer Releases page. To let us know about your brewery’s new releases, here’s how to reach out to us.
