Explore Lincoln City, the visitor and tourist agency for the town of Lincoln City on the Oregon Coast, has for a quarter of a century been hiding glass floats on the beach for people to find. The program, Finders Keepers, is a special treasure hunt that draws in many people, in the hopes of finding a float. This year the program celebrates 25 years, and as part of the celebration, Explore Lincoln City partnered with Beachcrest Brewing to release a special beer—Finder Keepers IPA.
We visited Lincoln City last weekend, and yes, I hunted for a float (but haven’t yet found any). While there, we stopped in at Beachcrest Brewing to try the new IPA on draft, and I picked up a four-pack to go. I also received the press release previously, which is posted below, and wanted to make sure I had a chance to try the beer and share my thoughts on it.
It’s 6% alcohol by volume with 70 IBUs, according to the can. There’s no mention of the hops or other ingredients used.
It’s a golden yellow ale, with some clarity (not intended to be a hazy), with deeply earthy aromatics hinting at forest floor elements and piney, resinous bitterness. And indeed that is the flavor profile—hop forward with a striking bitterness that brings forth pine and spruce notes, pine tree sap, even a touch of creosote.
Underlying the hop bitterness there are notes of grapefruit peel, crabgrass, watercress, and tree bark. There’s a toasty malt that’s hard to pin down under all those hops, and it finishes dry and slightly astringent with that bitterness pulling the moisture out of your mouth. If you like bitter, you’ll appreciate this beer.
It’s a good beer to accompany the winter storms on the coast, cool, foggy, drizzly days on the beach, and a good counterpoint to rich foods.
And it’s worth checking out if you find yourself in Lincoln City anytime soon; make the short trek to Beachcrest (about three miles south of town) to enjoy it on draft and/or pick up cans.
Here is the full press release for the Finders Keepers IPA release:
Special IPA Honors Lincoln City’s longstanding tradition of glass float treasure hunting
Explore Lincoln City and the Beachcrest Brewing Company are celebrating the thrill of discovering a hidden glass treasure along Lincoln City’s seven miles of public beach with the release of Finders Keepers IPA. This special release — the first collaboration of its kind between Explore Lincoln City and Beachcrest Brewing Company — honors the 25th anniversary of Lincoln City’s beloved Finders Keepers program, which has delighted beachcombers with hand-crafted glass floats since 2000.
“Walking along the beach in Lincoln City and discovering a glass float creates such a fun and memorable moment — we wanted to craft an IPA that captures that same sense of surprise and whimsy,” said Matt White, brewer and co-founder of Beachcrest Brewing Company. “The bright, tropical notes and citrus aromas mirror the delight and excitement of spotting that telltale twinkle of a glass float hidden along the beach.”
Finders Keepers IPA is dry and crisp with an assertive hop backbone and a lovely floral aroma, creating an approachable craft beer that pairs perfectly with a day of beach exploration. From a culinary standpoint, it pairs well with strong and assertive dishes including creamy cheeses like brie or gruyere, salty proteins like bacon or fried chicken, flavorful veggies like stewed greens or salty taters, and spicy and herbal foods with some heat or not-too-delicate seasoning.
The special Finders Keepers brew will be available starting February 1st on draft and in 16 oz cans for retail sale at Beachcrest Brewing Company’s taproom located in the Salishan Marketplace in Gleneden Beach, OR.
Finders Keepers was inspired by the Japanese fishing floats that used to show up on Oregon beaches in decades past. In the year 2000, a group of artists and community organizations worked together to celebrate the new millennium and renew the joy of finding floats on the beach. The Finders Keepers program has kept that tradition alive for 25 years. Since that inaugural year, Lincoln City’s “Float Fairies” have secretly placed more than 75,000 handcrafted glass floats along Lincoln City beaches for visitors to find and keep.
“The collaboration with Beachcrest Brewing Company honors our beloved Finders Keepers program while highlighting the creative spirit and sense of community that makes Lincoln City so special,” said Kim Cooper Findling, director of Explore Lincoln City. “We’re proud to be collaborating on a Finders Keepers IPA that’s made with the same level of care and artisanal craftsmanship as our locally made glass floats.”
Beachcrest Brewing Company, co-founded by musicians Matt and Amy White, has become a popular place for visitors and locals alike to gather after a day of outdoor adventures to relax, connect and enjoy small batch beer and wood-fired pizzas. Its location within the Salishan Marketplace is at 7755 N. Highway 101 in Gleneden Beach.
For more information about Lincoln City’s Finders Keepers program, see here. Information about the 25 Years of Finders Keeper Exhibition at North Lincoln County Historical Museum is here.
For more information about Beachcrest Brewing Company visit here.
