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Look, you and everybody else are gonna drink the IPAs. I know that, you know that, everyone knows that. So we really don't need to go into them.

But consider, just for a moment, that there's an array of other beer styles out there just waiting for you to discover. Crisp, refreshing Germans, perfect for scorching days, which the next few will be. Fresh sours that titillate and tickle the palate. Chewy, yeasty farmhouse ales that deliver big flavor without destroying your tastebuds.

Those are but a few of the options available again this year at the Oregon Brewers Festival, touted as the state's original beer festival and one of the nation's longest running. The party starts Thursday and runs through Sunday, July, 29, with more than 70,000 people expected at downtown Portland's Waterfront Park along the Willamette River.

The 31st annual festival features 80 craft beers from breweries in 10 states and The Netherlands, as well as five from Mexico's Baja California. For the first time, the festival will offer cider and wine.

That's a lot of options, so tell the hop bombs to hold off for a few moments and go exploring. What you discover could change the way you think -- and the way you drink.

Here is a quick primer of the styles and beers you will come across:

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German styles

Gose: An old style from Leipzig, the unfiltered, yellowish wheat beer is recognizable by its salty, tart profile and a dry, spicy tanginess. Usually not overly hoppy.

Pilsner: First brewed in Bohemia, it is one of the most popular German lagers. Pale to yellow or golden in color, it classically is well-hopped while remaining crisp without being overpowering. Some can tend toward floral or earthy flavors.

Kolsch: With Cologne as its birthplace, the kolsch style is similar to a pilsner but with a more fruity taste.

Helles bock: Bocks are stronger and darker than other lagers, and the Helles bock, also known as a maibock, is a lighter version. They are hoppier and slightly less malty than bocks, with toasty and spicy notes.

Berliner Weisse: This wheat beer is the German version of a tart or sour. They are lively on the tongue and acidic often with citrus notes. They are less bitter and can be fruity.

Dortmunder lager: This pale lager is slightly stronger, deeper in color and a touch maltier than a classic pilsner, without being overly so in any of those categories. It traditionally was also slightly higher in alcohol.

What to look for at the festival:

Boulder Beer: Bump 'n' Rind Watermelon Kolsch

Backwoods Brewing: Dreamsicle Kolsch

Portland Brewing: Tart Me Up! Berliner Weisse

Upright Brewing: Berliner Weisse

Bayern Brewing: Citra DumpTruck Summer Bock

Ninkasi Brewing: Fruited Gose

Kells Brewery: Mezcal-a-Gose

Zoiglhaus Brewing: Elderberry Berliner Weisse

Anderson Valley Brewing: Framboise Rose Gose

Freebridge Brewing: Summertime Radness Berliner Weisse

Sasquatch Brewing: American Aquarium Drinker Gose

Fremont Brewing: Limeshine Pilsner

Golden Valley Brewery: This Train is Bound for Hell Smoked Helles

Rogue Ales: Pinch Imperial Gose

54' 40' Brewing: Rick & Mortmunder Dortmunder Style Lager

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Wheats

These ales use mostly wheat in the brewing process and come in two main styles: The German weiss and the Belgian wit. The German style is commonly brewed in the U.S. as an American hefeweizen, with lots of room for interpretation. They are often unfiltered, golden and tangy with some fruitiness and low to moderate bitterness.

The witbier, or white beer, tend to be more fruity and spicy than weissbeer. They can be slightly sweet with orange and coriander notes and often feature a cloudy sentiment.

What to look for at the festival:

Old Market Pub & Brewery: Punchy Peach Barrel-Aged Imperial Wheat Ale

Von Evert Brewing: Hibiscus Wit

Monkless Belgian Ales: Peppercorn Imperial Wit

Sunriver Brewing: Hugs and Flip Flops American Style Wheat Beer

Silver Falls Brewery: Wisp Raspberry Wheat Beer

Thunder Island Brewing: Fuzzy Wit

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Farmhouse ales

Saison: Originally brewed in winter by Belgian farmers for summer consumption, saisons have seen a revival in popularity among U.S. craft beer drinkers. They are chewy, fruity and yeasty beers with lively carbonation. They are often golden orange, but colors vary. They have a medium bitterness with a touch of sweetness.

Grisette: The grisette is an easy-drinking, farmhouse style originally brewed in Belgium to slake the thirst of miners. Similar to a saison, they are pale with a touch of dry tartness and crisp effervescence. They are hoppy, but also traditionally low in alcohol.

What to look for at the festival:

Scout Beer: Psycho Killer Qu'est-ce Que Black Saison

Perennial Artisan Ales: Bridge of the Gods Grisette

Double Mountain Brewery: Le Domestique Grisette

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Sour ales

Sour beer is just what it sounds like: tart or sour, with an acidic profile. In America they comprise wild ales, with more traditional Belgian styles including lambics, oud bruins, Flanders reds and gueuzes. They use souring agents such as Brettanomyces yeast or lactobacillus or pediococcus bacteria, and many are barrel aged.

What to look for at the festival:

Heathen Brewing: Raspberry Rhubarb Sour Ale

Cascade Brewing: Belmont Street Bramble Northwest Style Sour Ale

Boundary Bay Brewery and Bistro: Currantly Hip American Style Sour Ale

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Pale ales

The original craft beer style in the U.S., the pale ale takes its origins from Britain and was the starting point for dumping tons of hops into to create the India Pale Ale. Light in color, pale ales are a fair balance of hops and malts. In America, they tend to be slightly hoppy, though short of the IPA, and are popular for flavor experimentation. They can be fruity and floral, crisp yet sturdy, so they go well with an array of food choices.

What to look for at the festival:

Boneyard Beer: Pinot Pulp

Lompoc Brewing: It's Full of Stars

Gilgamesh Brewing: CBD

Insurgente: Juan Cordero Tijuana Style

Great Northern Brewing: Big Mountain Tea Pale Ale with Earl Grey Tea

Laurelwood Brewing: Waylay Sprite West Coast Style

Migration Brewing: Summertime in the 503

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If You Go

When: Thursday through Saturday, noon to 9 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 7 p.m.

Where: Tom McCall Waterfront Park, 300 S.W. Naito Parkway. Entrances at Oak Street, Pine Street, Pine Street Esplanade and under the Morrison Bridge.

Cost: Free admission. To consume alcohol, a tasting mug is required for $7. Alcohol is purchased with wooden tokens, which cost $1 apiece.

Safe transportation: The festival is working with the Portland Bureau of Transportation on its Safe Ride Home program, which offers reduced-cost rides home to prevent drunken driving. The program provides discounted vouchers for $20 toward taxi rides and $5 for Lyft and Uber rides throughout the festival weekend. Vouchers will be available to everyone on-site. TriMet bus and light-rail lines are also available close to the festival.

Heat: Spray misters are at the festival to cool people down, water is free and shaded areas are provided for what is forecast to be an extremely hot weekend. Festivalgoers can also bring their own drinking water and/or nonalcoholic beverages to stay hydrated. Sunscreen is highly recommended; the festival provides a medical tent.

Age: Anyone under 21 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

App: For the first time, a festival app is available; search Oregon Brewers Festival in the App Store or Google Play.

Fore more: www.oregonbrewfest.com; email info@oregonbrewfest.com; Facebook www.facebook.com/OregonBrewFest; twitter @oregonbrewfest; instagram @oregonbrewfest; snapchat @oregonbrewfest