Hopworks Happenings

A couple of Hopworks Urban Brewery items in the news:

First up via Beer News, HUB will be bottling the well received Ace of Spades Imperial IPA. This gold medal winner at the GABF weighs in at 9.2% ABV and 100+ IBU. The bottle release will be Tuesday, April 13th at Belmont Station. The release will be a meet the brewer event as well. I know the wise saying is don't cellar IPAs, but I imagine this hop monster might do well with some aging.

UPDATED: Second up, a few blogs (The New School and Taplister) have already reported the upcoming HUB release of the Gigabit IPA to coincide with Portland's effort to attract Google's Fiberoptic high speed internet project. The beer is apparently a new recipe IPA afterall and is being released on Friday at the Green Dragon.

Props to Ezra for digging out the info that it is a new recipe beer and listing the pertinent beer geek info on his website.

(512) Brewing Company - Texas' Finest

My trip to Austin for SXSW just happened to coincide with the Spring Open House of my favorite Texas brewery. (512) Brewing Company in Austin has been pumping out great beers for almost 2 years now. The open house offered a chance to take a break from the music and learn a little bit more about how and where fantastic brews such as the Pecan Porter and IPA are made.




Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate, as a cold front moved in Friday night. It did not seem to dampen the crowd at all and everyone got cozy inside the brewery amongst the fermenter tanks enjoying some live music.

Inside this nondescript warehouse lies the usual stainless steel equipment needed to make the beer we love. The open house was a great deal: 3 free 4 oz tasters or buy a $5 pint glass and get your tastes supersized. Three pints and souvenir pint glass for $5. A great deal.




I seized the opportunity to introduce myself to head brewer Nate Seale (seen below - picture from 512 website) and he was gracious enough to talk to me at length outside while dressed in short sleeves in the cold.


(512) Brewing was started in 2007 by owner and home brewer Kevin Brand. Production was under way in the summer of 2008. They anticipated their Wit would be their flagship beer and best seller because the hot weather favors lighter beers and Celis White had been a long standing favorite for the old Austin brewery before Miller put it to rest.


However, the IPA quickly became a favorite. Then in the fall of 2008 they put out their first seasonal, the Pecan Porter. A small batch was expected to last well into February but was gone before the end of the year. It was obviously a hit. The Pecan Porter quickly became a year round brew and has joined the IPA as the top sellers.



(512) is basically a four man operation: Owner/brewer Kevin Brand, head brewer Nate Seale, distribution coordinator Rob Culbert, and "draft specialist" Spencer Tielkemeier. It is a testament to the huge support they have that the open house was so well run despite the huge crowds. There must have been a staff of close to 25-30 people, mostly friends, fans, and family according to Nate.


The crew is focusing on keeping up with Austin demand at this time and then slowly expanding distribution. They still run around town delivering kegs in the company van. But word has obviously spread throughout Texas. Several alehouses from the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and Houston frequently drive into Austin and pick up a keg to take back to their establishment.


The brewery produced around 1250 barrels last year. They recently purchased two new custom 60 BBL fermentation tanks and expect capacity to reach 4000 barrels this year. (512) Brewing also just completed their first bottling. The crew worked all day in early February to hand bottle 187 bottles of a Whiskey Barrel Aged Double Pecan Porter. The bottles sold out within hours of release (much to my disappointment!). There has been discussion of further bottling ventures but no concrete plans at this time.


(512) is active in trying to foster the growing Texas beer community. They have been involved in developing the newly formed Texas Craft Brewers Guild and have been working towards making changes in the antiquated laws which forbid dock sales and hamper operating brewpubs in Texas.



I had a great time visiting the brewery. After having had a couple of the IPAs earlier in the week at Lovejoy's, I went with a pint of the Wit to start things off. That was quickly followed up by the Pecan Porter which went a long way towards warming me up on this cold day. I feel confident in saying that the Pecan Porter is the best porter I have ever tasted. So good, that I had to enjoy another while talking with Nate.


I want to thank Nate for taking the time to talk to me, especially in the cold. I knew it was time to let him get back to work and go inside when his lips turned blue! I want to encourage everyone to seek out (512) Brewing's beer when you are in the Austin area. I also want to encourage anyone with a bottle of the Whiskey Barrel Aged Double Pecan Porter laying around to send it my way or at least save it until I visit Texas again!

Perfect Day: Sun, Beer, Okkervil River

Wednesday was a perfect day and it all started on Tuesday. I noticed a tweet from Okkervil River regarding a flight to Portland. I am usually up on which bands are coming into town and I knew I hadn't seen anything about them being in town. So, I figured they might be recording or something. Didn't think much more about it. Fast forward to Wednesday.

A busy, productive day at work during Spring Break week resulted in an early departure at 3 pm. It couldn't have been a better day for an early exit from work. Sunny and 70 degrees! I headed straight to Hopworks Urban Brewery for a quick $2 pint of Secession Black IPA to help celebrate their 2nd anniversary. A delicious beer in the sun, thank you very much.

Next I picked up my daughter early from "school". I have two choices in how to get home from her "school". One way leads me past Crystal Ballroom. The other does not. I chose the ballroom way on Wednesday, which put me right in front of the sign touting "Jack Daniel's Studio 7 Presents Okkervil River". What the who? A quick google search at the stop light confirmed that they were indeed playing a private show that night. I would deal with that later.

First, it was play time at the park with my daughter and trusty dog. My wife would join us shortly, as I lounged in the grass in shorts, t-shirt, and flip flops. This kind of weather in Porltand in March? Okay. After the park, I grilled up some fish for fish tacos and found a ticket to the Okkervil River show on craigslist for $10!

The show was like an extension of SXSW: free booze, free food, and free shwag. The ballroom was 1/3 full and there was no annoying all ages separation. Okkervil River played a fabulous 90 minute show spanning all of their albums, as well as a few songs from the upcoming album with Roky Erickson. I was able to stand about 3 people from the stage with plenty of room to move.

I could get used to shows and days like this!

SXSW Acts Coming to Portland

Now that you have read my lengthy account of SXSW and diligently checked out all the bands I recommended, you might be asking yourself "when can I see these bands live?" Soon enough. I did a quick look into Pollstar.com and several of these bands are on their way here. Check it:


3/28 - The Low Anthem @ Doug Fir

4/3 - Blue Scholars @ Hawthorne Theatre
- Surfer Blood @ Doug Fir

4/9 - Rogue Wave @ Wonder Ballroom

4/14 - The Soft Pack @ Doug Fir
- The xx @ Crystal Ballroom

4/27 - Shearwater @ Doug Fir

5/27 - Local Natives @ Mississippi Studios (oh my, what a show)

In addition, here are some other great shows I came across:

3/31 - Titus Andronicus @ Mississippi Studios

4/01 - Black Prairie (bluegrass/strings featuring members of The Decemberists) @ The Woods
- The Morning Benders and Miniature Tigers @ Holocene

4/8 - Black Prairie @ Mississippi Studios

4/10 - Beach House @ Doug Fir

4/12 - Deerhunter @ Berbati's Pan

5/3 - The Antlers and Phantogram @ Doug Fir


That is a busy schedule of great shows. Pace yourselves!

SXSW 2010

Needless to say, I had a blast at SXSW. The problem is that it came at the end of my vacation to TX and it left me drained and exhausted. I needed a few days to recover.


My plan going into SXSW this year was to go all out. I planned on starting early with the day parties and staying late for the evening showcases. I accomplished this goal despite the objections of my legs and stomach. I also planned on trying to spend most of my time seeing new bands and the rest of the time with bands that had new material on the horizon. I would say that was a success as well. Here are some of the highlights. I won't give in depth reviews, but encourage you to seek out these bands and give them a listen.



Day 1: I started the fest with a set by big buzz band Broken Bells playing a parking garage near 6th street. This collaboration between Danger Mouse and James Mercer of The Shins turned out a pretty good show that had people, including myself, lined up outside the garage when it reached capacity. I saw the same band again later in the evening but was not blown away.


I left the parking garage for a day party with a solid lineup of bands I had not seen before at the Red 7 patio. Choir of Young Believers out of Denmark got the party (and the mustache parade -see above) off to a great start. Strong sets followed from Neon Indian, Real Estate, and a great find called The Rural Alberta Advantage - whose drummer was kicking it.



I spent the first night at Stubb's for a huge NPR showcase featuring well established acts. The Walkmen got things off to a quick start before Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings came on stage to deliver her patented old school soul and RnB. Sharon has her third album coming out in April and the new songs had the crowd dancing along with her high energy dancing.


The Broken Bells played another set before giving way to Spoon. Spoon is based mostly in Austin, with lead singer Britt Daniel living in Portland. This was my first chance to see them perform songs from their recent release Transference. The set was fantastic as this band is currently playing so tight together. I encourage everyone to go to NPR Music where you can stream the Spoon concert from this night along with many other sets from SXSW. Day 1 was a success. I spent over 13 hours at SXSW during which time I was on my feet the whole time except for maybe 45 minutes!

Day 2: I spent the afternoon jumping between the Paste magazine party at the Galaxy Room and the NPR Music party at The Parish. Unfortunately, I did not take too many pictures this day. Music highlights: Shearwater is an Austin band originally formed by members of Okkervil River Jonathan Meiburg and Will Shef as an outlet for quieter songs. Will Shef is no longer involved in Shearwater and Jonathan is no longer a part of Okkervil River. Got that? Regardless, Shearwater plays some amazingly melodic music with a tinge of bluegrass.

Fanfarlo is a London based band that sounded to me to be heavily influence by Talking Heads and Arcade Fire. Yes, it was good. Another big buzz band that did not disappoint was Surfer Blood. Their debut album Astro Coast is a solid guitar driven indie beach party. Definitely worth a listen. The day ended with a thud courtesy of Sleigh Bells. I have heard a few of their songs on KEXP and felt they were interesting. The live show as anything but good except for the lead singers glow in the dark nail polish. Unfortunately, her voice was ear piercing and had me running for the door and a slice of pizza.

The evening of Day 2 found me back at Stubb's for an evening showcase that I was especially excited about. First up was The Soft Pack, a post-punk band that originated in San Diego and put out a strong self-title debut album recently. They were great live, with a lot of energy. Drive by Truckers were a little too country for my tastes. The last set was from Broken Social Scene who seem to have a pretty large fanbase. After my first live experience with BSS, I am not sure I get it. Certainly they are accomplished musicians but I felt the idea was to see how many musicians they could get on stage at one time. The result was a deep complex sound but not very melodic or interesting to me.

The night, and possibly the week, belonged to Band of Horses. With a new album, Infinite Arms, expected in May, this was the number one show on my list for the week. The new songs sounded great and the band is playing so well right now. If Band of Horses comes to your town, do yourself a favor and go.

Day 3: One thing I learned this year at SXSW is that when they say there will be free food do not count on it. We arrived early at the Filter Magazine party at Cedar Street Courtyard hoping to score some free BBQ. It was gone. The venue soon reached capacity and we were captives to a great lineup and no food. Luckily a friend dropped off some food for us and we were all set for a strong set of bands.

Band of Skulls (above) brought some much needed aggression to start the day. Delta Spirit followed with their brand of garage-rock folk. Another up and coming band from San Diego, they have a new album releasing in May. I thought about leaving at this point to catch some other bands but texts and tweets described insane lines at most venues around 6th street. I decided to stay put.

The Temper Trap (below) was up next. I did not recognize the name. I was immediately intrigued as they quickly provided what is so sorely lacking at SXSW: dance beats. The sound was upbeat and I needed that. Then they busted out this song which was instantly recognizable - Sweet Disposition. A solid set from a band I was not too familiar with that was a pleasant surprise. Glad I was forced to stick around.

The fun at the Filter party did not stop there. A solid set from Black Rebel Motorcycle Club was followed by yet another buzz band from California - Local Natives. Their debut album Gorilla Manor has been well received. I managed to catch them twice during SXSW and they were excellent both times. I would describe their music as a mix between the soundscapes of Fleet Foxes/Grizzly Bear, the psychedelic aspect of Animal Collective, with a little upbeat flair. I look forward to delving into their album and to seeing them again.

After Local Natives, I hoofed it to the other end of the sixth street area to a new venue called Lustre Pearl. This is basically a renovated house which gave the wonderful show by Rogue Wave (above) the feel of a huge house party. Rogue Wave played several songs off of the new album Permalight, as well as some of their well known songs from past albums. It was a great way to finish off the day parties.

I met some friends as I worked my way back to 6th St. and we caught a quick set by Freelance Whales, which was entertaining. The problem was I was on indie music overload. I couldn't tell my Freelance Whales from my Frightened Rabbits, Neon Indians from Neon Trees, Band of Skulls from Band of Horses...well you get the idea. It seemed at this point that the same 4 guys with ironic mustaches and skinny jeans were playing the same music. I needed a change. That change came in the form of a cool hip hop showcase at the Scoot Inn. Duck Down Records was celebrating 15 years and the highlight for me was Seattle duo Blue Scholars. Their 2007 release Bayani is one of my favorite rap albums of all time. A solid show.

I walked back to the heart of the action around midnight. My intent was to see The xx play a set in a church but it was badge holders only by the time I got there. I thought about throwing in the towel but a quick check on the lineups on my iphone showed The Low Anthem playing in another church across the street. The soft atmospheric sounds were perfect for ending the evening in an idyllic setting (see above).

Day 4: The perfect weather Austin had the first 3 days of the festivities was replaced with a damp and cold end of the action. The bad weather and my tired bones led to laziness. After my first decent breakfast of the week, I wandered over to Stubb's to catch a great set by the lovely ladies of School of Seven Bells. Also debuting new music from an upcoming release, this was a great show. I snuck in a quick look at another Seattle band The Maldives before I took a break from SXSW to visit 512 Brewing's open house (separate post to follow) and visit with old friends.

The final night found me worn down and looking to stay warm. Previous plans were abandoned and I found myself jumping around 6th street. One band of note was Wave Machines from Liverpool who put out a nice set of up tempo indie rock with a few dancebeats that might have had me moving if it was not the last night.

Another great week at SXSW. Looking forward to next year already. Writing this post was almost as tiring as the festival itself!

Thursday: A Busy Day In My Neighborhood

As I gather my thoughts on my trip to Texas, I wanted to let everyone know about a couple of cool beer events happening this Thursday, March 25th in my neck of the woods. First up is the final installment of North 45 Pub's Brew Hog nights.

Since January, North 45 Pub on NW 21st St. has been serving up pork BBQ ribs each week with a guest brewer on hand. The final event is billed as the "Brew Hog Blowout" and promises the same tasty BBQ pork ribs along with a mini-beer fest featuring 10 different beers. This time the beers will be served by the half pint, token style. Not sure which breweries are attending, but I know Upright will be there. Should be fun.

The other event going down on Thursday night is a beer pairing dinner at 23Hoyt. This week features Alameda Brewing in a 3 course pairing for only $30 at this fine restaurant on NW 23rd and Hoyt (thus 23Hoyt!). FYI - next week's brewery is Ninkasi.

Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend either of these fun events as I will be keeping the Texas theme going. I will be at the Blazers game hoping they beat my former favorite team, the Dallas Mavericks.

SXSW Hangover

I have finally made it back to Portland after a fun and exhausting week in Texas. The calm before the storm was visiting the inlaws in Houston. That was relaxing. The storm was 4 days of music at SXSW:


Number of bands I saw: > 40
Number of additional bands I heard en route to other venues or standing in lines: 1 million?
Average number of hours spent each day in pursuit of music: 13 hours.
Average number of tacos or pizza slices eaten each day: 3
Average number of mustaches in the bands I saw: 2 (artifactually low due to the hip hop showcase I enjoyed Saturday night)
Number of the more than 40 bands I saw that I thoroughly disliked: only 3!

Give me a day or so to catch my breath and I will try to jot down my thoughts, including highlights and bands you need to seek out.

A quick note from SXSW

Waking up to Day 3 of SXSW. Still going strong. The weather has been fantastic, with a little chill at night. The music has been awesome. Great sets from more established acts such as Band of Horses (above), Spoon, and Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. Superb showings by bands I was aware of but had not seen live yet such as the Soft Pack (Below), Shearwater, and the big buzz band Broken Bells.

The first band I saw was Broken Bells playing a parking garage. Parking difficulties and a huge wristband line had me there late and I was forced to watch from outside the garage but it sounded great. I saw them again Thursday night but it was a little more mellow.

I have also seen some great acts I have never heard of before. Real Estate, Fanfarlo, and most impressive was The Rural Alberta Advantage. Check them out if you can.

Allright, I need to get some decent breakfast. That is the one thing I have neglected so far is proper eating. I have had my fill of taco trucks, pizza slices, and cheap beer. I need a decent meal and a good craft beer...

SXSW Beer Primer

I am headed to Texas at the end of this week. Although I will be bringing my laptop, I do not anticipate many posts before I return to Portland. How will you survive? I will be tweeting though, so get your fix that way (use the follow me button to the right ---->). Anyway, I am really excited about this trip as I am headed to Austin for the SXSW music conference later in my trip.

Austin is a great town. The similarities between Austin and Portland are many. I have met so many people who have moved from Austin to Portland and vice versa. Both towns offer an independent spirit with amazing music scenes and abundant outdoor activities. Unfortunately, the laws in TX have lead to a void in breweries (fewer than 10 in the whole state) and make it difficult for breweries outside of TX to distribute into TX.

Despite these difficulties, good beer is still to be had in Texas and Austin, if you know where to look. So, for those of you that are headed to SXSW or might be headed to Austin in the near future, here is a primer on where to find good beer:

The Draught House: a perennial favorite. A taphouse with a few decent in-house brews. A well thought out selection of taps with a knowledgeable staff. Fantastic outdoor seating which often spills over into parking lot tailgating.

Crown and Anchor: I always visit this near campus bar, if only to feel young again. An impressive selection of taps, including the better TX breweries - 512 Brewing, Live Oak, St. Arnolds, etc... Daily specials, greasy food, and great outdoor seating.

Lovejoys: A gritty hole in the wall with a good tap selection and hit or miss in-house brews. This is the best bet for grabbing a decent brew during SXSW. Probably the best taplist on 6th St. (actually a half block off of 6th). When you are sick of Lone Star, PBR, and Heineken head here. They also usually offer decent free beer selections at the beginning of each day during SXSW.

The Ginger Man: A well respected Texas mini change within walking distance of 6th street. On 4th street, this is near the Cedar Door where the Filter day parties are located. Close to 75 taps with a great selection and an awesome backdoor patio. They will have music, but as of yet, nothing spectacular.

Dog and Duck Pub: Another bar near campus with a great tap selection and informed staff. More good outdoor seating, it is March in TX after all.

512 Brewing: My favorite TX brewery. The pecan porter is legendary and they make a wide range of styles from an IPA to a Wit. They are having an open house on the 20th from 2-5 pm.

Opal Divine's Freehouse: A good restaurant with a respectable taplist and a huge patio. Located on 6th St but a few miles west of the SXSW action. They usually have decent day parties during SXSW.

That is just a list of my favorites and places close to the action for SXSW. Several other places exist for further exploration. Other breweries/brewpubs include Live Oak, Independence, and NXNW. Zax's Pints and Plates has decent food and taps. The Whip In has a great bottle selection along with several well selected taps.

If you are going to SXSW, you are going to have a great time. If you want to enjoy some good local beer while you are in Austin, you will have to venture away from the usual music venues. Seek out taps from 512 Brewing, Live Oak, St. Arnolds, Independence, Southern Star, and Real Ale. Look for me enjoying those beers outside in the sun.

Nothing Beats Beer Shopping With A Purpose

Tuesday was a great day. I spent the morning snowboarding on Mt. Hood. I spent the afternoon with beer and friends. First stop was at the house of Angelo of Brewpublic to pick up some packaging materials for my upcoming trip to TX. I have some beer enthusiasts in TX relying on me to bring some good NW and CA brews with me on my trip to Houston and Austin. This will be my first attempt at bringing beers in my checked luggage, so I asked Angelo to supply me with some dedicated packaging materials.

After getting the necessary supplies, I dragged him out of the house and out on the town for a fun afternoon of craft beer. Next stop, Beermongers to fill those packers. It was a no brainer to stop by Beermongers, as they have the best bottle prices in town. I stocked up on great brews from Hair of the Dog, Russian River, New Old Lompoc, and Fish Tale.

The best part was shopping for those great priced bottles while enjoying a pint of Bear Republic Racer 5. Beermongers has 5 beers on tap. They are in the process of replacing the makeshift bar shown below with a proper bar. Beermonger's location at 12th and Division looks to become quite the beer destination with Apex Taphouse soon to open across the intersection. We all watched as they unloaded some new bike racks over at Apex. The owner of Beermonger's seemed genuinely enthused that another great beer destination was opening up nearby. I agree. It has to be a good thing to have a mini Bermuda's triangle of beer opening up on this block which will draw people in from across the Portland area.

We loaded my haul into the Outback and made way to Deschutes. Deschutes had a beer which blended the Belgian styled Streaking the Quad and a mini-Dissident style called Lil' Buddha. Unfortunately, it was not for me. Too much fingernail polish remover in the aroma for me. But that is the great thing about Deschutes - they are willing to take chances and they always have other great options on tap. This time other options included Hop Henge IPA Batch #7, Armory XPA on cask, and Hercules IPA. After finding the Hop Henge the clear IPA winner at the recent beer brawl, I was happy to have another taste. The Hercules IPA was ho hum.

The final stop was Bailey's Taproom for the first night of the Bear Republic Hopfest. Four different hop forward Bear Republic IPAs were featured here. As anticipated, the 11 and Rebellion were the stars here. The 11 definitely went to 11 in the hops department and was fabulous. The rebellion showcased the citra hops. The Five Zero was a little too roasted for my taste. I didn't get to the Apex which I have had in the past.

I also took advantage of Bailey's expanded bottle list by getting a few more bottles to go. The prices are reasonable here and they have some hard-to-find brews available. I was lucky to grab a couple of bottles of Hair of the Dog Cherry Adam from the Wood. These may not make the trip to TX! I also grabbed bottles of Upright Four and Cascade Sang Rouge. I want to thank Beermonger's, Deschutes, Bailey's Taproom and Angelo for a fun afternoon in Portland. I look forward to showing off all Portland has to offer to TX in the coming week.

Ninjas and More NPR

The weather on Saturday was absolutely fan-freakin-tastic. After spending most of the day outside, we found ourselves in the Pearl so I could get my hands on some of the best ice cream in Portland at Cool Moon Ice Cream. We followed the other cows with our ice cream over to Jamison Square to soak in the sun. Just as I was finishing my double scoop cone of jackfruit and lemon ginger ice cream, the ninjas attacked:

These ninjas appeared out of nowhere from a late 80's conversion van, busted out one loud punk-metal song on portable amps and a megaphone, and quickly dispersed through a cloud of smoke - or was it the conversion van again? Anyway, they scampered off to a thunderous applause. My daughter was scared into her mother's arms. Everyone else realized they had witnessed another classic Portland moment.

I used my last post to sing the praises of NPR Music's First Listen program. Here is another great offering from NPR Music:

The Austin 100 is a music stream offering up 100 songs from acts playing the upcoming SXSW conference. Ranging from the popular (Spoon) to the buzz bands (The xx) to the obscure (The Rural Alberta Advantage), this is a great primer for anyone going to SXSW. The 6.5 hour loop streams continuous, so you may pick it up at any point. But, the "DJ" comes on every few songs to update the position. Again, grab a beer and get to listening!

A Great Music Source: NPR First Listen

As I get ready for my upcoming trip to Austin for SXSW, I find myself thinking about music just as much as beer. Which is a good thing since this is Portland Beer AND Music. I have been scouring the internet for new music. So many bands are playing SXSW. I need to go in with some idea of what I want to hear. One site I consistently return to for new music is NPR First Listen.

NPR First Listen puts up entire albums from top notch artists prior to the release date for unlimited listening. Nothing better than knowing what you are buying and before it is released. Recent albums came from the likes of Local Natives, Shearwater, Massive Attack, Phantogram, The Knife, Beach House and Spoon. Check out what is currently available for your listening pleasure:

Broken Bells - self titled debut album from the collaboration of James Mercer (The Shins) and Danger Mouse (Gnarls Barkley).

Gorillaz - Plastic Beach, first new album in 5 years from Damon Albarn's rotating band of misfits. Included on this album: Snoop Dogg, Lou Reed, Mos Def, and Bobby Womack.

Frightened Rabbit - The Winter of Mixed Drinks. This Scottish band has serious buzz leading into SXSW. In fact, Scotland and Fat Cat Records have so many great acts with We Were Promised Jetpacks, Glasvegas, etc...

Upcoming acts: The White Stripes, She & Him, MGMT, Dr. Dog, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, and The New Pornographers. These are some great acts. You cannot beat being able to listen to new albums from such great acts in their entirity before the release date. So, grab a good brew and settle down near the computer and get listening!

Alesmith Brewing Company - aka "The Artist Colony"

While in San Diego I had the good fortune to take a tour of the Alesmith Brewing Company. The tour is only offered on the last Saturday of each month. We were also lucky to be lead on our tour by owner and head brewer Peter Zien. Peter earned a law degree from UCSD. Homebrewing soon took over his life and in 2002 he took over Alesmith. In 2008 Alesmith and Peter took home the Small Brewing Company and Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year at GABF. Despite numerous awards, this remains a small operation at about 3,000 barrels a year. Or as he put it "what Stone puts out in about 2 weeks".





All seven employees at Alesmith rotate through the various job tasks, with each employee involved in the brewing process. Peter's passion for beer and brewing really came through in his tour. He repeatedly referred to the brewery as an "artists colony" and I could really tell they treat brewing their beers as artwork.



The tour was certainly informative, but maybe a touch too in depth into the basic process of brewing beer. The tour is not mandatory. The tasting room is open each weekend and you can walk right in and order up samples. Thus, you would assume those taking the tour are somewhat aware of the process of brewing beer. After a while it felt as though I was stuck in a weekend Beer 101 course. Even my friends that I dragged along (who had cans of Miller Lite and lipstick cans of Michelob Ultra in the fridge) knew the basics and started to wander.





Peter did offer some unique stories and insights into what goes into Alesmith. Half of the beers in their lineup weigh in at greater than 10% ABV. The automation that they have installed into their brewing setup was impressive for such a small brewery. You could tell it has really lightened the workload on Peter and the rest of the brewers.



The characteristic champagne bottles Alesmith uses are all bottled by hand. They are bottled four at a time on an archaic setup. The 22 ounce bottles are filled with the more automated set up pictured below. This thing whips up 18 bottles per minute. I was surprised to learn that they use a hopback on 8 of the 10 year-round beers. The spent grain is sent to a goat farm in Poway just north of the brewery. Peter in returns receives goat milk from the farmer, which he uses to make cheese.



After wrapping up the tour, we all returned to a packed tasting room. The tour is free. For an optional $6 you get a Alesmith pint glass and four very generous pours. Of course, you can purchase more samples if you like. With the big beer lineup at Alesmith, that was not really necessary.


The standard lineup of excellent Alesmith brews was enhanced by a few seasonals, which I concentrated on first. My Blood Valentine is described as "Caramel sweet malt delicately balanced with floral American hops....deep mohagony red...big, aromatic hop profile". That about sums it up. This tasty amber had a hint of sweetness without being cloy. The hops bullied out the sweetness in the final tastes. Very nice.









The Decadence 2009 anniversary ale is a Dunkel Weizenbock featuring "malted wheat and a unique German yeast...dark fruit flavors and yeast derived spiciness". We all caught on to the unique yeast flavors and spiciness, even some plum. But I didn't catch banana anywhere in the description and it was jumping out at us, in a good way. A dark, rich, complex beer perfect for the rare rainy day we had for our visit.


Horny Devil is described as a Belgian Strong Ale using a Belgian yeast "from a Trappist monastery". I really enjoyed this one. The belgian yeast and spices were up front with a little bitterness and the unique coriander seeds flavor coming in on the back end. Another monster at 11% ABV.


I finished up with a wonderful Speedway Stout. One of the Alesmith classics. An award winning 12% imperial stout with coffee. Delicious as always. If you find yourself in San Diego on the last Saturday of the month, make plans to tour the brewery. Stop in any other weekend for some samples of some of the finest beers in the world or grab a bottle at your local store.

San Diego: Sun, Suds, and Sickness

We had an interesting trip to San Diego over the weekend. We went to get some sun, which we have had plenty of in Portland recently. No worries, it rained all day on Saturday in San Diego. That worked out fine since I spent a few hours that day touring Alesmith Brewing guilt free (report to follow in next post). The rest of the time it was in fact sunny and warm, which was fantastic despite my daughter catching a GI bug that had her vomiting more in 2 days than she had in her entire life. Kids are troopers though and it didn't stop her much from having fun. It did keep us from visiting Stone Brewery, but that was the least of my worries.

I did get a chance to visit Neighborhood - a great beer and burger joint in the Gaslamp district of downtown San Diego. This small, intimate place has a great feel and an impressive taplist. There are close to 30 taps, many of which were still dedicated to Stone as they were recently an extension of Stone's Winter Fest. They also have a cask selection (not this day though).





Several stellar Stone and other California brewery beers were on the taplist, which was heavy on the malted side. 2005 and 2008 Stone Russian Imperial Stout - the 2005 still holding strong. The 2008 Stone Double Dry Hopped Double Bastard - was heavy on the alcohol more than the hops aroma would let on. Green Flash's 30th Street Pale Ale was new to me and was a hoppy treat that seemed closer to an IPA in flavor. As my friend noted - it had that characteristic Green Flash hops flavor.

I wanted to try a Port Brewing beer and the Midnight Session Porter was available. It proved to be a standard, respectable porter. Ommegang Indulgence was a nice chocolate tinged stout. The Ballast Point Victory at Sea Porter was a chocolate mess. A small sample of the Stone/Brewdog Collaboration "Juxtaposition" was better than expected as a black pilsner would not usually be something I seek out.

Neighborhood proved to be a great stop. The taplist was impressive. The space was intimate. There is a cool "speakeasy" room in the back, make sure you check it out. My only complaint is a common one. The prices. There was not a single beer below $5.25 a pint. The majority of the beers were above $6 and most were served in goblets. A bit spendy. They offer "flights" of four 4 oz samples, but if you choose your own it is $9.50! At least the staff seemed knowledgable.

I also managed to get my hands on a few choice bottles while in San Diego. I didn't have time to seek out a dedicated beer store, but Whole Foods did just fine. I found a small (roughly 13 oz) bottle of Russian River Supplication (which was also available at Neighborhood). This sour brown was so complex and full of flavor it made me regret taking so long to try it. A few other bottles I got a chance to crack open while in town: Green Flash Grand Cru, Lost Abbey Inferno, Coronado IPA, and from the corner liquor store a bomber of Lost Coast Hop Juice Double IPA. All were excellent beers that I enjoyed very much.

It was clear that there is good beer in San Diego. I enjoyed several outstanding beers that I had not had the pleasure of trying before this trip. It did seem that you had to seek out good beer a little bit more than in the Northwest. We stopped at a few restaurants with our friends who are not beer geeks and they had pretty standard taps, but if you seek out places with good taps you will not be disappointed.