If we are, in fact, treated to some showers this weekend, at least that’s better than suffering through the Oregon Brewers Fest in 99-degree heat, with even hotter, sweatier bodies in front of and behind us in line. The largest beerfest of its kind is already in full swing, but Saturday and Sunday crowds aren’t for the global Type-A beer pilgrims and sporadic local who gets to attend beer festivals mid-week. They are for the hoi polloi, the folks who sing that Loverboy song, the ever-thirsty who’ll drink the most buzzed-about kegs dry. You can stand in line for that Strawberry Cream abomination, or you can queue up for the good stuff. There are plenty of stellar summery beers, such as Boneyard’s Bone Light, an amply hoppy session IPA, and Maui Brewing’s Kehei Kolsch, which marries the light German ale with some citrusy Pacific hops. But beer festivals call for “fest beers.” Beers weird yet impressive enough that if you only get four ounces of them, that’s enough to leave a lasting impression.

Here are my picks for the best beers at this year's OBF, which continues at Waterfront Park through Sunday:

1. Worthy, A Walk on the Wild Side. From Bend comes this saison made as part of the Beers Made by Walking series that encourages brewers to go take a hike. And then forage for native herbs or foliage that can imbue the beer with their terroir. This saison features sage and juniper. Savory is the new bitter.

2. The Garage Project, Venusian Pale Ale. To give the Oregon-centric fest more of a global flavor, several breweries from New Zealand were invited and are pouring in the can’t-miss International Beer Garden (even if it’s sort of easy to miss if you’re not looking for it, despite its fairly central location). Not an India Pale Ale. Not a Kiwi Pale Ale. This galactic-inspired beer features lots of grapefruit peel plus kaffir lime leaf and lemongrass. Fans of Lompoc’s Pamplemousse will love this. As should everyone else.

3. Yeastie Boys, Gunnamatta. In this era when we have roasty black IPAs and citrusy, wheaten white IPAs, what we really need are more Grey IPAs. Brewed with earl grey tea, this may be the most floral, aromatic beer at Tom McCall Waterfront Park, and it’s a shame that once the Kiwis are gone, so, too, is this beer.

4. Oedipus Brouwerij, Mannenliefde. Also in the International Beer Garden are some returning Dutch brewers. This enigmatically oedipal-themed brewer, which simply decided to challenge issues of machismo especially among beer guzzling dudes, imported Mannenliefde, which translates to man-love. One sip and you’ll wonder how you say Asian-man-love in Dutch. It’s a light-bodied saison with Szechuan pepper (but avoids flaming heat) and a citrus kick from lemongrass and Japanese Sorachi Ace hops. If only BTU Brasserie would put this on as a guest tap.

5. Prodigal Son, Huckleberry Wheat. For a more traditional fruit beer—even if the fruit used isn’t one traditionally used—lasso up this wheat beer from Pendleton. Made with tons of Blue Mountain huckleberries, the sweet juice and light purple hue makes for one of the fest’s most drinkable fruit beers.

6. Laht Neppur, Flaming Peach. This Walla Walla area brewery, with a new outpost south of the OR/WA border in Milton-Freewater, is best known for its flagship Peach Hefeweizen. But add a few shakes of cayenne pepper and it’s a slightly sweeter, slightly less peppery version of Burnside’s apricot-and-chili Sweet Heat.

7. Burnside, Smoked Berliner Weisse. Speaking of which, this is a four-ounce pour that needs to be tried, even if I wouldn’t recommend drinking it by the pint. Combine a kettle-soured wheat beer and some smoked malt and you’ll discover what it’s like to taste a matchstick snuffed out in a lemon wedge. The equally smoky and tart parts can be friends even if this isn’t the next trend in beer styles.

8. Mazama, Rasplendant. This Corvallis-based, Belgian-leaning brewery doesn’t go full framboise with this beer, but the blend of raspberries and hibiscus gives it a very refreshing quality. The hibiscus flowers lend a strong, floral tea flavor and the light berry touch imparts raspberry iced tea so the result creates an Arnold Palmer/Jamaica hybrid.

9. Old Town, 1-Up Mushroom Beer. One of the most talked about and polarizing beers at the park is made with candycap mushrooms. They imbue both woody and maple syrup flavors. Whether you want that in your beer depends on how big of a fungus fan you or your Italian plumber brothers are.

10. Uiltje, CC Porter. Dark beers struggle to find a following at warm-weather outdoor brewfests, but wait for the rain, then fill up your full glass with this coconut coffee porter from the Netherlands. Uiltje means little owl. If you’re wondering which brewery to treat yourself to one dessert-laden beer, now you know who.