Recently Alex Hansen has been seen sporting the Fort George logo, and not on a t-shirt or hat. He had it tattooed on his arm. Talk about a loyal customer!
Though the actual tattoo was done on the spur of a moment (by Sean Gillholy of Outside the Box Tattoo in Longview, WA), the idea had crossed Alex’s mind prior to his sitting, as he had already dedicated an entire arm to tattoos representing Astoria, including a piece representing a portion of the art on the Astoria Column.
Why, you might ask, would he choose to do such a thing (besides an easy way to get $1 off his pints on Tuesdays)? First and foremost, Alex is a huge fan of the Fort. Most regulars would recognize Mug Club Member #50 as he often comes in for a brew (usually Vortex) after work, and sometimes even in the middle of the day. He loves the beer and the atmosphere, and what he describes as the “diverse culture of people” that hang out here. He also loves watching people attempt to parallel park through the front windows (always entertaining!). He says that, before the Fort opened, there was something missing in the social scene of Astoria, and that the Fort has now filled that void. As someone who truly believes in keeping it local (can you blame a local Knappa boy?) and genuinely loves beer, Fort George is a natural fit for Alex.
And then there’s the cycling, Alex’s other passion. He’s been competing with Project 529 Team just about as long as the Fort’s been open, and the two have been a good match. The Fort has helped sponsor many of his local cycling competitions, including Cross Crusade in Astoria and Tour de Gulch in Longview, with raffle prizes, t-shirts, and of course beer. And those bikers love their beer! Something about the two really mesh; Alex says it tends to be the same type of culture, those who love to bike and those who love craft beer. According to him, “the post-ride beer is just as important as the ride”. There is nothing like a cold one after a good, hard ride. And because the beer is so good, Fort George has a definite fan club in the bike racing crowd.
Alex has taken his passion for biking to a new level recently by co-founding the Lower Columbia Bike Project, which focuses on both trail building and on bringing the passion for cycling into more people’s lives. And this is in addition to his full-time job at Bergerson Tile.
We love our regulars at the Fort, and Alex is definitely one of the best, always smiling when he walks in the door. We’re glad to have him as a customer, and we’re definitely proud to have our logo forever inked on his arm.
