Trying to keep up with what feels like a new festival every week in this crazy town of craft beer weirdoes isn’t  always easy. From May to September, there are more events than there are weeks and it all peaks during the month of July, Oregon’s Craft Beer Month. Sandwiched between the Smoked Beer Brew Fest, the endearingly titled Puckerfest last weekend, and the Oregon Brewers Festival – one of the largest in the country – the weekend after, the Portland International Beerfest (or PIB) is considered by many to be the best brewhaha of the season and it’s happening this weekend.

While the PIB may be overshadowed by its popular sibling, the Brewers Festival, it’s often difficult to understand why as this gathering offers double the beer. With more than 160 beers on hand from around the world, it feels more like a VIP tasting and less like a county fair. It’s also held in possibly the most picturesque and pastoral setting in town, the North Park Blocks of the Pearl District. While the cost of entry is nearly double that of other festivals, the $25 entry fee ($20 online if purchased by Thursday) includes a commemorative tasting glass and ten tickets. Each beer is given a price of 1 to 7 tickets each, with the rarest, strongest, and smaller-batch beers landing between 5-7 tickets per taster.

You’ll find a few lighter lawnmower beers as well as $3.00 Pilsner Urquell tall boys to break the high ABV fever that’ll be brought on by the “Barley Wines, Imperial Stouts, Double IPAs, Barrel Aged Strong Ales, funky Farmhouse Saisons, and Sour Ales” that are certain to blow your mind. Half of the beers available stand at 8% alcohol or more, so be sure to pace yourself – then hang on to your wristband and glass, as re-entry is good all weekend. What I enjoy most about this festival, beyond having the best variety and coolest setting, is how much smaller it feels, taking up at least half the space of the Brewers Festival. With more beers to choose from, the lines are always shorter.

Over the course of the weekend, PIB will feature eleven local bands performing a variety of live music styles, from “Hillbilly Jazz” to “Ukulele Klezmer madness,” certain to please every aural palate. While the event is limited to those 21 and over, it is pet friendly with proceeds going to Pet Cross, an organization that disperses funding to four Oregon animal rescue groups. Whether you’re just starting to delve into the world of craft beer, looking to expand your palate, or already live, eat, and breathe beer, you’re certain to find something new, unusual, and delicious at the Portland International Beerfest.