Portland Beer and Music

Notes from Widmer W12 Dark Saison and Rotator Spiced IPA Release

2012-01-20T08:13:00.000-08:00

Lacking inspiration for the usual over-opinionated nonsense, I accepted an invitation from Widmer to attend the media release of two new beers: the W12 Dark Saison, and the new Rotator IPA: Spiced IPA. Alt, Saison, and Rotator flowed freely, accompanied by tasty finger foods and good bloggin’ company. Even Fred Eckhardt made an appearance, cementing the importance of this particular event. I’m sure you don’t want the details on my conversation with Angelo about his new apartment, so on to the important stuff: beer.

W12 Dark Saison

I am quite conflicted about this beer. On one hand, it’s clean and drinkable. It’s a true session saison, leaning toward the French table beers like Thiriez and Grisette. But it’s not what I want in a dark saison. When I think of the style, beers like Fantome Black Ghost come to mind. This is not that, and your expectations need to be filtered through your inner Francophile in order to maximize enjoyment of this particular ale. With initial expectations altering my judgement, initial reaction to this beer was to everything un-saisony about it. The banana-like esters and mild roast brought to mind a dunkelweizen. I got confused looks from the Widmer crew upon sharing this opinion with them. Hearing Rob Widmer refer to this series as “Brewers gone wild”, I was hoping for something more, well, wild. I spoke also with brewer Joe Casey, who told me that if they had the chance to make this beer again, they would try to capture more sourness and spice, which would bring things together for me, personally. Not a bad beer, just not what I had dreamed it could be.

Rotator IPA Series: Spiced IPA

When I first heard about this beer, I imagined it to be a mess of spices. After all, aren’t hops the spice of beer, making IPAs the spiciest adult beverages around? The restraint that held back the Saison made the spiced IPA concept a giant success for me. The aroma of this beer is straight-up California IPA(the beer is a collaboration with CA homebrew club QUAFF) and in the flavor, the spices are present but in harmony with the sweeter hop profile. The beer features Malty Assam Black Tea from the Tao of Tea, ginger, clove, black pepper, cardamom, and star anise. Close to chai, this beer’s spiciness echoes tea and hops more than curry and heat. At 7%, it approaches Imperial IPA status, but maintains a level of drinkability for those who dig on bold pale ales. Also noteworthy here is the use of the 0% alpha acid Teamaker hop, which provides no bitterness but a complementary tea-like flavor. QUAFF seems to have given Widmer the kick in the ass they needed to add some real excitement to this Rotator series.

Finally, as any respectable journalist* should, I did my best to pry loose some exclusive information. Sounds like we’ll be seeing a bottle release of Babushka’s Secret in March (KGB with black raspberries) to launch a new, as-of-yet-unnamed bottle series. I was also told that the Prickly Pear mead, cousin of last year’s Prickly Pear Braggot, was an especially interesting draft currently pouring at the Gasthaus. Moral of this story: get thee some Spiced IPA and right quick. Terrific beer!

*despite opinions to the contrary, I am indeed one of these

Greg Koch Appearance at Belmont Station

2012-01-09T13:14:00.001-08:00

Left photo from beersinparadise.com

Five Top Five Lists for 2011

2011-12-29T11:48:00.000-08:00

It’s that time of year. Everyone is coming out with top five lists, top ten lists, top this and top that lists. I’ve decided that Portland Beer and Music needs a few. Five to be exact, cause it seems to be the currently trending value. Five top fives. Has a nice ring, no? In no particular order, here they are:

Top Five Surprises on Brewpublic’s ‘The People’s Top 5 of 2011’

5. Gerritt Ill named Upright Kopstootje one of his top five beers of the year.

4. Jacob Leonard named Widmer Brothers Citra Blonde one of his top five beers of the year.

3. JT Thompson named Portsmouth’s American Mild one of his top five beers of the year.

2. Joe Jasper named Watershed IPA, Overcast Espresso Stout, AND Ill-Tempered Gnome three of his top five beers of the year.

1. I wasn’t on it!

Top Five Silly Comments Relating to our ‘Women Only’ Article

5. “Greek only beer tasting! This Friday - No Turks or Albanians Allowed!!” – Theo Skourtis

4. “I will just be depressed. Not because I can't go, but because I look ridiculous in a dress.” –Roy

3. “THE PORTLAND BEER BURKA!” –Anonymous

2. “This article is not about me last I checked” –Ezra Johnson-Greenough

1. “If only you all knew how cool it was to have a 1hour convo witha girlfriend on the Phine (sic) about homebrewing. It's rad!” –Anonymous

Top Five Crazy WTF Satori Nominations on Beervana

5. Hair of the Dog Little Dogs – With the exception of Matt, these have been a hoppy, muddled mess. Nice try, but Party Gyle brewing requires a string of happy accidents to be good- not just a wheelbarrow full of Cascades.

4. New Belgium Clutch – I drank some infected homebrewed imperial stout once. Guess what it tasted like? Yep. Also, good job reading the part that said ‘Oregon brewed’.

3. Fort George 1811 Lager – Attention people! This is not a lager! Maybe it’s the fact that you keep referring to it as such that irritates me so.

2. Firestone Walker XV – If Satori is Swahili for diabetes-inducing, then I agree. Also, see #4.

1. Logsdon Seizoen Bretta – I understand you’re excited about a mythical farm with special cherries and mutant animals that produces beer from the best, most uberrare yeasties EVAR. Fact is, the beer is just OK. Logsdon needs time before their beers are at the award-winning level (yes, Kili Wit, I’m talking about you, too)

Top Five Oregon Beers of 2011 (Jim-Style)

5. Breakside Pumpkin Biere de Garde – Pumpkin flesh actually gives this beer flavor, not a crapload of spices. It’s also a bang-up Belgian beer that avoids the estery mess of many low-abv fancy Euro-ales.

4. Deschutes Aphrodite Stout – For those lucky enough to try this beer, it gave Abyss-haters the imperial stout that we always knew Deschutes could serve up. Dark fruit and a touch of sweetness accent a big, bold stout with mild roast and layers of dark chocolate.

3. Laurelwood Cardinal Sin – It was like tasting Three Philosophers for the first time all over again. Too bad the bottle is so friggin’ expensive.

2. Boneyard Hop Venom – What everyone else said. Oregon is finally churning out some world class IPA’s thanks to the gearheads in Bend.

1. Burnside Brewing Sweet Heat – The beer that started out as Calypso Wheat at Roots Brewing has blossomed in to a sessionable, balanced, and clean fruit-forward wheat beer with character. Flavorful and layered with infinite drinkability. A big nod also for the imperial version featured at The Hop & Vine’s Fire and Brimstone festival with smoked chiles.

Five Baseless Predictions for 2012

5. Cam O’Connor will leave Deschutes to replace Christian Ettinger who will leave HUB to replace Ron Gansberg who will leave Cascade to replace Alan Sprints who will leave Hair of the Dog to start a micro-nano called Humongous Brewing in his own basement.

4. Shawn Kelso’s hop extract farm will become the next Logsdon’s.

3. Portland U-Brew will rebrand themselves as Portland We-Brew; you will pay them money and they will brew beer for you while you watch. There will be bleachers and free popcorn provided.

2. Breakside will release ten new collaboration beers brewed with the cooks from the top ten taco trucks in Gresham. The first should be a Mexican golden lager with cilantro and Serrano peppers.

1. The next Upright beer label will have the biggest boobs of them all!

Hope you all have a Happy New Year and a great start to 2012! Did I miss anything?

All images taken by Jim Bonomo, except the ‘Boobs and Beer’ pic, which was taken by Robby Virus. Thanks, Robby!

Bring Your Family to The Beer Mongers Tonight

2011-12-23T08:26:00.000-08:00

Tonight The Beer Mongers will host the 2nd Annual Christmas Eve Eve party. Last year, Manager Josh Grgas had a keg of Figgy Pudding from Block 15 Brewery and wanted to create an event not only to tap the special beer, but make a fun night of old and new friends taking a break from the holiday crunch and just relaxing. One year later, I can still remember how much fun that night turned out to be.

This isn't just an event for beer geeks, it is for everyone. I encourage you to bring your out-of-town visitors to The Beer Mongers tonight and show them what an impact Craft Beer has on our community. While tasting a glass of beer from the focused tap list, browse the bottles that wrap around the store. Wine is not the only beverage for special occasions anymore. Purchase a beer that will make your holiday meal special. The Beer Mongers staff is knowledgeable in helping you pick from thousands of bottles.

Taplist:
*Block 15 Figgy Pudding
2010 He’Brew Vertical Jewbelation
2010 Sierra Nevada Celebration
*Lompoc 8 Malty Nights
Jolly Pumpkin Noel de Calabaza
*Oakshire The Nutcracker Gingerbread Imperial Porter (Wow Matt! I am excited for this one)
10 Barrel Pray for Snow (Brandy Aged Strong Ale)

*PB&M picks

1125 SE Division St. | Portland, OR 97202

Women Only: Craft Beer Segregation?

2011-12-20T11:08:00.000-08:00

On November 29th of 2011, a women-only beer tasting event was held at the Supreme Bean in Eugene, Oregon. This event was promoted on the Brewpublic blog as a “Beer Tasting and Discussion,” and featured special guests Alison Grayson (Producer/Director of the femme-centric ‘The Love of Beer’ documentary), Erin Kemplin (Stone Brewing rep), and Em Sauter (founder of Pints and Panels). According to the event listing, minors were welcome. Why not men? I have always most enjoyed inclusive beer events where women, men, and all those in between are enjoying beer together. To be told there is a public beer event that I am not allowed to attend based on my gender identity or physical structure was maddening. For a community that impressed me most by its inclusionary, laid-back, and overall friendly nature, this seemed like the antithesis of Portland beer culture.

I made my way over to Brewpublic to post a critical comment underneath the promotional event listing and noticed that someone had already done it. Ashley Routson (aka ‘The Beer Wench’) had left the following opinionated response:

My opinion was reinforced, and I was glad to be sharing a viewpoint on this issue with a seemingly intelligent, open-minded woman. In an effort to expose the other side of this issue, I sought out Grayson, one of the event’s special guests, to educate myself in the benefits of such community division.

In Grayson’s opinion, “Beer can be an intimidating beverage.” She finds these women-only events to be situations which “provide women with a warm, perceptually safe environment for them to enter a beer bar, talk to a friendly beertender, and start learning about beer.” She believes that the women who attend these events enjoy the opportunity to “educate other women, share beer, and have their own night.” I understand the desire to want a night out with the girls, but Grayson’s use of the phrase “perceptually safe” was troubling. Does the presence of a man at a craft beer bar indicate danger? Routson believes that “[this] is more of a personal problem than a direct fault of the craft beer industry.” I brought this up to Ezra Johnson-Greenough of The New School blog, who responded with the following comment:

“Are you telling them that they have to drink around only other women to be comfortable? How is that helping matters? Teri Fahrendorf hinted at this in [an] interview that perhaps the best way to promote women to drink craft beer is not marketing specific beer to them or creating exclusive groups but making them feel comfortable and welcome… Go out and have a beer and sit at the bar like any other guy might.”

If comfort and safety are really the issues here, why aren’t these groups hand-picking acceptable men? I’d happily submit to a background check or interview in order to gain the acceptance and trust of the female members of the Portland beer cognoscenti. The philosophical answers that I encountered while interviewing this varied group made me think there was more exclusionary business going on than I had initially imagined. I never really thought twice about local ladies’-based beer club LOLA (Ladies of Lagers and Ales) being totally exclusionary until Johnson-Greenough dropped the following bomb on me:

“I heard about the group forming and I am friends with many of the women that were in the group and I thought it sounded like a great fun idea. My original impression or what I was told was that it was just a social beer group for women and nothing about exclusivity. I asked a couple of my friends (Amy Welch, Nicole Kasten, Alison Grayson) in the group about coming to a meeting and they all thought it was a great idea. Then after apparently bringing the issue up in a meeting or on the groups forums or something they came back to me saying that I was denied… Once I was told I could come to a meeting but I had to dress in drag.”

If Johnson-Greenough’s comments are indeed correct, LOLA’s brand of ‘exclusivity’ is bordering dangerously on sexism. I attempted to join LOLA’s forum on Facebook in early December to elicit some responses to this accusation, but have not been granted access. Perhaps my attempt to give them a fair say here was hindered by their lack of male acceptance. Or maybe they’re still mad at me for jokingly creating DONG (Dudes of Northwest Grog).

Back in early 2010, I was enjoying some fine ales with friends at a neighborhood bar when the LOLA crew arrived to hold a meeting. It was made clear to me that the area of the bar designated for their meeting was not to be violated, and I was not welcome to join in their beer sharing. At the time, I thought my rejection was only a product of my lack of prior commitment. Angelo De Ieso of Brewpublic has had a similar experience: “I've been asked to leave a few places where women were to gather for meetings. I respect these people's wishes, though I don't necessarily think that men need to be excluded or silenced in order to empower the position of women in our community of craft beer.” Frustrated, I briefly entertained the idea of creating a male-only tasting group. I went as far as designing a logo, but no actual meetings or enlistment ever occurred. The reaction I received upon sharing the initial concept of DONG was so overwhelmingly negative and a lesson was learned. De Ieso was one of the biggest critics of DONG at that time, enforcing what he referred to as “feelings and interests I felt obligated to protect for personal reasons.” Having almost been through the experience of becoming a total hypocrite, I imagined there must be other local men-only beer groups or events, so I checked.

I came up a bit short. This is all that I found after hours of scouring the Oregon beer scene:

And after checking in to it deeper, turns out women were also welcome (and actually encouraged). All of this negativity just seems to go towards bolstering a simple statement that Johnson-Greenough made to me, “Starting an exclusive group is sort of like building a wall around yourself.”

Article contributors: (l to r) Ezra Johnson-Greenough, Alison Grayson, Angelo De Ieso, Ashley Routson

You’ve got women like Grayson, and the decision-makers at LOLA, who appear to foster this exclusionary behavior in order to fully enjoy their personal craft beer experience, yet Grayson herself doesn’t encounter a biased world. “Occasionally, you still find the rare person who thinks that beer and brewing is a man’s place, but that’s definitely not the norm.” Still, “as a woman, going to a bar by yourself isn’t a particularly positive experience.” In my opinion, it all goes back to the “personal problems” referenced by Routson. Perhaps I choose to surround myself with the inclusionary people; those who have found their places as valuable community members, those who do not rely on the crutch of segregation. I would understand if the Portland-area craft beer scene was a big, woman-hatin’ boys club. And if I thought it was, I’d say so. I can assure you that it is not. In general, Routson agrees: “not one single man in this industry has ever talked down to me because of being a woman.” Making her mark as an bold, opinionated, often-audacious, and well-informed female may help. Perhaps the bias in the beer world is reserved for all newbs, and it’s those with a thin skin that need to be held up by their peers.

It’s difficult to neatly conclude my thoughts here. I’d prefer for you, as the reader, to form your own conclusions and encourage discussions surrounding this topic. I’ll leave you with a question that Johnson-Greenough posed to those involved in women-only groups and events:

“What is your objective as a group? Is it to promote craft beer to women? Or is your goal to be a [women-only] social group? [If] you want to have girls’ night I don’t think anyone would think twice about it. But your promoting exclusivity.. is promoting a separation between the sexes.”

Is this where we are heading?

Some images have been liberated from various facebook accounts, and some screenshots taken from brewpublic.com. Used freely under the Freedom and Innovation Revitalizing United States Entrepreneurship Act of 2007. All original content is copyright 2011 Portland Beer and Music.

Saturday Night Here I Come

2011-12-09T14:46:00.000-08:00

Greetings. I have been absent for awhile beer geeking out and working on helping people promote beer from behind the scenes. Jim Bonomo has had some amazing stories on PB&M in recent months to quench your thirst. My life has been better having Mr. Bonomo's words in it and I know that yours has too. People tell me that they are addicted to his wit and creativity and I can't imagine life without his view. I had to pop up for a minute to remind you of one of my favorite events, Brewing Up Cocktails.

The winter celebration is here. Below is some info on the location and menu. I strongly recommend bringing some friends, ordering everything and sharing. Once you have identified your favorite, and I promise that everyone will, order your own. Please do not be skeptical of beer cocktails. Prior to the premier, I told Ezra Johnson-Greenough, one of the founders, that, "it scared me." He told me something to effect of, "don't be scared, we worked really hard and we are very proud of what came out of it." Okay, so the quote may be a little off because it is from about 18 months ago, yeah, they are still going strong after that long and he was right. I tried it, loved it and have been to every Portland Brewing Up Cocktails. Notice that I said, Portland, because the crew has made it to other states and Canada with the amazing recipes. I can't emphasize enough that if you miss out on Brewing Up Cocktails, then you are missing out on supporting the expansion of craft beer. See you on Saturday.

Brewing up Cocktails presents Winter Holiday Special Edition at The Hop & Vine!
Saturday December 10th 6-9pm
(Drinks individually priced)
The Hop & Vine
1914 N. Killingsworth
Portland, OR 97217
503.954.3322
http://thehopandvine.com/
http://brewingupcocktails.com/

Hot Drinks

Wassail

Returning from last year's hit Brewing up Cocktails is the hot mulled classic Wassail made with a base of Deschutes Jubelale slowly heated in a crockpot with brandy, sherry, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and orange. Served warm in a mug with a lemon slice.

Hot Scotchy

Beervana described the Hot Scotchy as "The Greatest Beverage in the World." Perhaps the most popular beer cocktail to date, made with hot unfermented beer and Scotch. It may be the perfect winter brewers beverage.

Hot Choklat

A new creation served steaming hot, it is one boozy treat. Starting with a base of dark rum, a little Galliano Ristretto is added and then topped off with steamed 9% abv Choklat Imperial Stout and a float of whipped cream. Served with or without a dash of chili powder.

Cold Drinks

Trade Winds Punch:

Rum, gin, vanilla Beans, grapefruit zest, ripe guavas, Chinese five spice powder, and a stalk of lemongrass are infused over night and then built into a tasty beer punch the next day with fresh lime juice, citrusy IPA, and sugar. This is our recreation of punch originated by Washington, DC bartender Jon Harris. You have never had anything like it, we promise you.

Euclidean 75

The lightest and most refreshing of the bunch, the Euclidean 75 is made with gin, lemon, and sugar, then topped off with an effervescent and refreshingly tart Berliner-Weisse. A creation from Denver bartender and beer cocktail afficionado Ryan Conklin of Euclid Hall.

Furburger

The lovingly named Furburger returns from the very first Brewing up Cocktails. Black and thick as night with chocolate and roasty creaminess from Great Divide's Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout, balanced with herbal Chartreuse and bourbon.

Smoked Vanilla Bean Flip

This creamy dessert of a beer cocktail has an incredible melange of flavors, from the anise-tinged aquavit to cream sherry, rhubarb and chocolate bitters, one whole egg, and Stone Brewing's Smoked Porter.

2011 Holiday Ale Fest: Good Beer Requires Good Strategy

2011-12-07T10:54:00.000-08:00

OK, maybe not a recap. Still important stuff.

I can tell you all about the awesome beer that I drank at the 2011 Holiday Ale Fest (there was plenty). I can tell you all about the meh beer that I drank at the 2011 Holiday Ale Fest (there was more than expected). I can tell you all about the awful beer that I drank at the 2011 Holiday Ale Fest (surprisingly little considering the wacky spices and experimental stuff present). But I won’t. Why? Because everyone else already has. I will say that it was a great way to kick off the Holidays, full of Christmastime smells, sights, and Santas.

What I think will be of real use to the craft beer drinker is a little strategy talk. I talked to a bunch of seasoned beer festival-goers, read reviews and blog entries from previous years, and used a bit of common sense before hitting the fest this year. What most people tend to perceive as one of Portland’s biggest beersterf*cks can actually be an enjoyable, casual, enriching experience for the true beer lover if done right. Read on and bookmark this for your 2012 usage.

Timing is everything. If you wait until John and Jane Doe get out of work on Friday night and wander over to the fest with their drinkin’ shoes on, you’ll be ass-to-ass with some of the most annoying, repulsive fair-weather beer drinkers in town. Are you hearing group chants or screams? If so, you’re at the fest at the wrong time. Wednesday at opening and Thursday at opening are your best bets for easy table-claiming and an overall relaxed experience. The area between the stairs and the upstairs Sky Bar was full of group tables and maintained a relatively low-key, warm climate. Make note of beers you want to try before going, and do so between opening and the afternoon special tappings. Around the time of the tappings, the fest starts to fill up. Finish your day with the rare beers and get on the bus home right as the heshers and beer bongers arrive with their pretzel necklaces.

Get the most out of your experience. As you may know, I’m not a fan of drinking from plastic cups. This year, I brought along a 12 ounce snifter and decanted all of my beers into it. Sure, it required double-rinsing, but it allowed for the enjoyment and appreciation that these specialty beers deserve. On a related note, bring tap water from home. Lots of rinsing and hydration requires it, and at $1 a pop, your water bill can rival the monthly one you receive in the mail. I kept my glass at the table to prevent breakage, and used my mug to procure fills.

Value is king. You’re already $25 in with only $8 in beer script. You just spent $17 on what will essentially become a toothbrush holder in your spare bathroom. As the crude chart will show you, there is a difference, albeit small, in the way the Holiday Ale Fest charges. In the rest of the world, those who buy in bulk tend to receive a discount. Inside the HAF tent, however, things are different. 14 ounces for $4 versus four ounces for $1. I know, I know.. sometimes you want that full pour. I’ve only found one way to alleviate this problem: get multiple 1 ticket pours and decant them. Borrow your friends empty mugs and get samples in each at one ticket per four ounces. Four mugs later, you’ll be two ounces ahead of the frivolous plebians.

Kind of like the instructional sex book in American Pie, I hope this tome of forbidden knowledge lives on for generations, helping inexperienced festgoers make the most of the Holiday Ale festival. I skipped it last year because I had such a rough time with crowds and such, but was able to have a smashingly good time this year thanks to a little preplanning, some extra thought, and the wisdom of those who came before me.

Portland Prepares to Crown its Best Brewer

2011-11-29T12:44:00.000-08:00

Every year, StarChefs Culinary Magazine gives out awards celebrating Portland's rising star chefs. This year, they've decided to also include craft beverage makers. And wouldn't you know it, for the first time ever, there's a brewer category. Here are the nominees:

Alex Ganum of Upright Brewing
Alan Sprints of Hair of the Dog
Ben Love of Hopworks Urban Brewery
Bryan Keilty of Lompoc
Ron Gansberg of Cascade Brewery

The winner will be announced on December 5th at Portland's Nines Hotel. You can purchase tickets here for the award ceremony/tasting event.

Initial thoughts? My main issue is with the nomination of people vs. breweries. Why Gansberg when he's probably not brewing as much as others there, vs. Keilty who's doing an awful lot of brewing for the Lompoc organization but does not have the figurehead old-school status of a Fechter or Fleming? Why Love and not Ettinger, especially when Love is jumping ship? Alan Sprints has been cranking out some interesting new flavors, but they're mostly barrel variants on pre-existing beers. My money is on Gansberg, based solely on the variety of beers that Cascade has been cranking out (oh, and the Asimov thing). What do you think?

Harvester Officially Begins Brewing

2011-11-23T07:23:00.000-08:00

By MLola

Harvester first came to the attention of the Portland beer community back in November 2009 when a private tasting was held showcasing the gluten-free beers. Almost two years later Harvester Brewing is about to open a commercial brewery. I recently visited with James Neumeister, one of the owners of Harvester, to find out what the process of opening a brewery has been like over the last two years from being a dream to becoming reality.

James Neumeister: It has, of course, moved much slower than I would have liked, but in talking with other breweries it seems that our path is very typical. I grew up in a family business so I am familiar with business ownership to some degree but I'm learning more every day.

ML: Who is involved with Harvester Brewing and what are their roles?

JN: Harvester Brewing is really a two-man operation with a few supporters. I work at the brewery with John Dugan and we like to say we assist each other in everything. We also get a lot of support and help from our friends and families.

ML: What will the beer line up of Harvester Brewing consist of?

JN: We hope to ramp up to 3 styles quickly. We will start with a Pale closely followed by an Amber and our Dark.

ML: Tell us about the brewing system and location of Harvester Brewing. Will there be a tasting room, etc.?

JN: We are located just off 7th on SE Lincoln, near several breweries and distilleries and all kinds of manufacturing. The neighborhood is great, we love being surrounded by so much industry. We do not have any plans for a tasting room. We have talked to other dedicated gluten-free businesses in the area about holding tasting events at their location once we are up and running.

ML: Harvester Brewing is planning on only bottling the beer it brews. What made Harvester take this route on getting its beer to the market?

JN: There are many reasons. Our product is for people who have sensitivities to certain foods and in many cases these sensitivities are severe, by bottling our product we are far more protected from contamination that could occur between our facility and the customers glass. By being in bottles we can ask a retailer to carry our product without asking them to commit to a large volume (like in a keg). We can be available in grocery stores. Another advantage is the portability a bottle offers.

ML: Where should folks plan to look for your beer?

JN: When our beer is released it will be available at Belmont Station right away. We are talking with several other locations around Portland so that very quickly it will be a short trip to find our beer anywhere in the city.

ML: With Portland having a boom of breweries opening the last two years. How do you see this affecting Harvester and their place in craft beer in Portland?

JN: I think it is great for everybody. I believe that more people are embracing craft beer at the same time that more people are discovering their intolerance for gluten and I would like to see all of these people enjoying delicious craft beer together.

ML: Closing statement?

JN: John and I have backgrounds in product development, design, and engineering (thankfully John actually is an engineer) and we plan to continue developing better gluten-free beers. The fact that we haven't tried brewing with hundreds of possible ingredients yet is very exciting for both of us. We encourage our customers to give us feedback and suggestions, let us know what you would like your gluten-free beer to be and we will work hard to make it for you.

Upon stopping in on Harvester on Monday, November 21, 2011 the guys were brewing their first batch of beer. This is a test batch so to find out when their beers will be ready for market visit the web site at http://www.harvesterbrewing.com/home

Are You Kidding Me? Vol. 39

2011-11-22T16:04:00.001-08:00

The price for this beer never ceases to amaze me:

Rainier Kriek Sour Ale ~ Double Mountain, Hood River, OR
This sour is made with Rainier cherries giving it a tart and fruity taste that finishes light and dry. Lemony aroma and taste mingle with pronounced sourness that hides the high alcohol content; Very enjoyable.
9% ABV Sold by the Glass Only–$11.50

from the Horse Brass website

Lompoc Holiday Beers for 2011

2011-11-16T07:50:00.000-08:00

Every year Lompoc tries to outdo themselves by releasing one more holiday beer than they did in the previous year. In 2011, with the inclusion of 8 Malty Nights, they'll be up to 10 beers. Portland Beer and Music was lucky enough to sample these 10 ales, and they landed all over the quality spectrum. I encourage you to hit up Lompoc and make your own decisions when they make these available to the general public. Here are some opinions:

Blitzen: This was described as a spiced golden ale. It possessed an intense cinnamon aroma and aftertaste which lived somewhere between mouthwash and big red. I like my spices bold, but beer needs body or balance to backup heavyhandedness of that nature. D

Cherry Christmas: This is a blend of various barrel-aged (Port, Merlot) beers of varying styles and colors, with the inclusion of cherries. This beer subscribes to the classic lambic blending ideas; 4 year old beer was blended with younger beers to create a friendly flavor. The beer has potential and needs time. The cherries are very bright (good) but the dominance of old wood and lactic acid begs for some zesty brett notes or a more distinct carbonation. C+ with A- potential

Brewdolph: This is a beefy belgian red with Ardennes yeast. If you like the spicy, black pepper notes that the particular yeast brings, you will enjoy this beer. It's definitely the first one here that feels wintery. Well made and solid with a nice boozy kicker. B

Holiday Cheer: I like the idea of a vanilla porter, but they're always too extracty. This beer is not, however, they said they're going to leave it sitting on the beans a little while longer. Portland Beer and Music says: DON'T. This beer is a B+ and will only go down with more vanilla.

Jolly Bock: Way too sweet for a bock. Would be difficult to get through a pint of this. D+

C-Sons Greetings: This beer is always good. 2011 is no exception. Bright and green with grassy notes, drinkable yet warming. Finishes slightly fruity with an apricot tinge. Darker than usual for an IPA, but that's winter for ya. It's definitely an Oregon DIPA, if that means anything to you. A

Bourbon C-Sons: Nice try but the barrels are too old. Like the Cherry Christmas, you're getting a lot of old, acrid wood. The desirable bourbon flavor is flat in this beer, and the hops are subdued by the barrel. What you end up with isn't terrible, but it's a muted mess of two great elements. C-

Old Tavern Rat: This beer just keeps getting better. The depth of burnt sugar, cherry, and raisin flavors that Lompoc achieves with this beer are extraordinary. Fresh it's good, and aged it's great. This is the ultimate winter beverage; it's sippable and warming, rich and festive. Drink this all winter. A

Bourbon Old Tavern Rat: I prefer the regular rat, but this beer brought the bourbon, unlike the C-Sons. There will be no complaints on the incorporation of the charred spirit in this hefty brew. Reminds me of the Bourbon Ace of Spades in the way that the barrel overwhelmed the nuances of the beer. Still enjoyable, practically no criticisms here. A-

8 Malty Nights: It's fine, but wasn't ready. Probably not appropriate to review. Seems like it will be good. Future B?

Did we make you thirsty? Hit Sidebar on 11/29 for the first 9, and then 8 Malty Nights will be released on 12/14 (they'll also have a keg of Shmaltz Jewbilation for your pre-Hanukkah imbibing).

Hair of the Dog Clusterf**k from the Wood 2011

2011-11-15T09:50:00.000-08:00

After three days of reflection, can we finally ask the question, "What the hell happened?"

I wasn't there. I got the vibe a couple weeks prior that there would be 'issues' and 'frustration,' so I opted for the Hellshire II release in Eugene. When I returned to Portland, it was nothing but sour grapes, complaints, and 90+ reply strong threads on those beer websites. After reading through the commentary and speaking to some Portland beer geeks, I understand the Hair of the Dog Dock Sale went something like this:

People lined up early. Some came from out of state.
The beer was sold at 9am with 1 case limit on Adam FTW, no limit on Bourbon Fred.
The line was split into cash & credit.
The credit line moved faster.
There were line cutters.
There were many proxies.
Many people did not get beer.

Sounds pretty run-of-the-mill to me for most of these release things. Let's go to the website and figure out why people were upset:

"Pretty lame overall. Showed up at 7:30 didn't land a single bottle of Adam From the Wood either. Would have been great if someone from HOTD had mentioned it to the people standing outside as well because we had no idea they had run out. Do breweries ever lower the bottle limit as they notice they're running out? There were still over 100 people in line when I left." -BeerlyAwake on BeerAdvocate

Your problem: Didn't get up early enough

"I don't understand why there wasn't a 6 bottle limit. With less than 70 cases and 200+ people, a lot of people walked out without [Adam from the Wood]. Plus it would have been nice if tickets or some numbering system was used. The line ballooned in size ahead of us during the two hours we waited." -oregonskibum on BeerAdvocate

Answer: Because there was a 1 case limit. Again, get up earlier next time.

"What did everyone expect out of this? [Cherry Adam from the Wood] is very limited and sells out every year in less than an hour...a YEARLY limited release. [Adam from the Wood] takes years to craft and it's not like HOTD has the barrel capacity of [Firestone Walker], The Bruery, etc. Alan has limited capacity for this with all the barreled beers he makes. If you wanted the beer then you should've got there at 5 to make sure noone was ahead of you. Everyone must magically be "entitled" to tell Alan how he allocates his beer. I understand the cash vs credit problem as that sounds a little weird...hopefully he won't do that again." -waltersrj on BeerAdvocate

Portland Beer and Music APPROVED! Nice move, Walt.

I'm still trying to figure out what the issue was. I understand people are upset, but the setup was laid out way before the sale and there should have been enough foresight on the part of a knowledgeable beer geek to get up at the asscrack of dawn to ensure bottle procurement. There is one X-Factor though, something mentioned below:

"Line jumping" -bolts13 on BeerAdvocate

If this was indeed true, where was the mob justice? If someone got either in front of or behind me who didn't belong, I wouldn't have hesitated to make a stink. In hindsight, I'm sure many of the passive cutees who didn't get bottles and didn't say anything to the offenders would have retroactively opted for physical violence against these subhuman beer predators.

Can we blame Alan? Of course not. The dude wants money and as little hassle as possible. Did you see the video he made for Entrepreneur Magazine? Doesn't exactly leave you thinking that this is a man of the people. And why should he be? He's a business owner with a family to feed. For Alan, every bottle of Adam from the Wood is fifteen little dollar signs fleeing from your wallet in to his.

I will leave you with a quote directly from Alan, from a John Foyston Oregonian interview from 2008:

"Usually, the people who get in line earliest buy up all the rare stuff"

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Caption Contest Winners

2011-11-03T09:53:00.000-07:00

We showed you these crazy illustrations from the terrible new Ommegang beer labels and asked you to come up with some fun captions to go along with them. Here are the winning entries! Each winner will be receiving a signed copy of "The Best of The New School", a set of silicone pint glasses, and a patent-pending Bailey's brand digital tap list for their home kegerators.

"Introducing the James Bond and Charlie's Angels Collaboration Ale, Sexy Spy Stout!" -John Brisson (Tacoma, WA)

"I know we had too much to drink at the Hood River Fresh Hop festival, but there must be a better way to get home" -Matt Westfall (Hillsboro, OR)

"Looks like the Cantillon guy finally came out of the closet!" -Jon Stack (Portland, OR)

What was Ommegang thinking with these new labels? As a friend of mine noted, the old labels were classy, iconic standouts. As a resident of the home of Three Philosophers, I'm particularly irritated by the first label. I often explored Ommegang's offerings back east as affordable, complex, and esoteric learning materials in my early quest for beer knowledge. Perhaps part of it is a mourning of the old guard and part is a disdain for the need to make everything extreme and exciting to the eye. Have you ever seen a bottle of Westvleteren 12? No fanciful nonsense required.

Feel free to add any additional captions or thoughts down below.

Holiday Ale Fest List - Worth $25 Now?

2011-10-28T11:56:00.000-07:00

image from HAF taken from MoniCasey on flickr

There has been much bitching about the price of this year's Holiday Ale Fest. I was all but prepared to skip the whole damn thing.. that was until the beer list came out. Here's a peek at the list:

Alameda Brewing Papa Noel's Moonlight Reserve
Alaskan Brewing Vintage Barley Wine
Bear Republic Brewing Old Saint Chongo
Bison Brewing Bourbon Barrel Aged Chocolate Stout
Breakside Brewery Breakside Cranberry Biere de Table
BridgePort Brewing Old Knucklehead
Buckman Botanical Brewery Fruit Cake
Burnside Brewing TBD
Cascade Brewing 2011 Sang Noir
Coalition Brewing Lost Glove
Collaborator Hallucinator
Columbia River Brewing Drunken Elf Stout
Deschutes Brewery Super Jubel
Double Mountain Brewing Formidable Stout
Eel River Brewing Imperial Climax Classic
Elysian Brewing Bye Bye Frost
Fearless Brewing Mjolnir Imperial IPA
Firestone Walker Brewing 2010 Velvet Merkin
Fort George Brewing North V
Gilgamesh Brewing Chocolate Mint Stout '11
Hazel Dell Brewpub Goats Beard Double Bock
Hopworks Urban Brewery TBD
Lagunitas Brewing 2010 Olde Gnarly Wine
Laht Neppur Brewing Laughing Boy Stout
Laurelwood Brewing TBD
Lompoc Brewing Cherry Christmas
Lucky Labrador Brewing Scottish Holiday
MacTarnahan's Brewing Barrel Aged Humbug'r
McMenamins High Street Brewing Red Nose Rye
Natian Brewery TBD
New Belgium Brewing Rotating Lips of Faith
Ninkasi Brewing Itty Bitty Critty
Oakshire Brewing The Nutcracker
Off the Rail Brewing Sin after Sin
Rock Bottom Brewery Fozziwig
Rogue Ales Rogue Creamery 75th
Rusty Truck Brewing Belsnickle's Strong Ale
Seven Brides Brewing Drunkel 2011
Southern Oregon Brewing 2010 Old Humbug
Stone Brewing Oaked Stone Ruination IPA
The Commons Brewery Little Brother
Upright Brewing TBD
Vertigo Brewing Left, Nut Brown Ale
Widmer Brewing TBD

Strange how so many breweries are bringing beers called TBD. Must be a Unitarian denominational Christmas thing. Let's break down some ooh's and aah's here:

Alaskan Brewing Vintage Barley Wine - could be awesome, although isn't this a relatively new beer?
Buckman Botanical Brewery Fruit Cake - fruitcakes don't have hops in them, so this may work
Cascade Brewing 2011 Sang Noir - really? let's step it up, people!
Deschutes Brewery Super Jubel - this is tasting really great right now!
Elysian Brewing Bye Bye Frost - worth the price of admission. like Bigfoot, but better. super psyched for this one
Off the Rail Brewing Sin after Sin - i'm not even there yet and i've drain poured this
Rogue Ales Rogue Creamery 75th - blend this with the Voodoo beer and call it 'Unkosherale'
Stone Brewing Oaked Stone Ruination IPA - love oaked IPAs. still no chile beers from Stone in Portland, unfortunately

and finally...

Fearless Brewing Mjolnir Imperial IPA - no comment (hides behind desk)

Keep in mind, the special beers haven't been announced yet. Listen up, Alan. No Jim may be a dealbreaker for me. Just sayin'. It's my name and all.

You're making your own decisions about the list I'm sure, so let's talk finances..

$25 for 8 tastes.. that's 4oz tastes mind you.. so we're talking about $3.12 per taste, or $0.78 per ounce. That means a nice 12 oz serving of Elysian Bye Bye Frost (a 10-ish% strong barleywine) is costing me $9.36, and additional ounces will run $0.25, making my next 12 ounces a paltry $3.00. If I drink four 12 oz servings, or 12 4oz servings of my favorite Elysian beer EVER, I'll be looking at an average of $4.50 per 12oz. Have I justified this to myself? Yes. Have I justified it to you?

Postscript: Bring your own glass, and pour from your plastic mug into it. Tell 'em Jim said it was OK.

2011-10-17T08:55:00.000-07:00

Killer Beer Week sponsored by BREWPUBLIC is happening now. Angelo De Ieso II starts preparing months in advance to bring you rare beers from around the Northwest. Each day brings a new feature of region or style. Besides the beers, this week is a chance to check out most of the area’s craft beer bars and bottle shops. It is a week to honor the people that make Portland the greatest beer city on the planet. The week started last night at Roscoe’s for Killer Beer Summit and will continue this evening with Killer Pumpkin beers at The Green Dragon.

My favorite nights from last year and the must attend for this year are Killer Beers of Central Oregon and Killer Beers of Washington. Beers from, “Bend and Beyond,” will be at the Beer Mongers on Wednesday. I can’t get my hands on enough beer from Bend, including Bend Brewing Co, 10 Barrel and many others. By The Bottle in Vancouver will host beers from Washington that are not available in Oregon. Snipes Mountain anyone?

The purpose of Killer Beer Week is to celebrate the 3^rd anniversary of BREWPUBLIC. In the past few years, Angelo and Co-Founder Aaron Miles have provided us with a guide to craft beer in the area. BREWPUBLIC has several great contributors and when you see them this week, make sure to thank them for their work. When you see Angelo, ask for an autograph and thank him for his promotion of craft beer in and around Oregon.

The big parties are on Friday at Saraveza and Saturday at Bailey"s.

I love this interview from last year, conducted by Jeff Alworth on Brewpublic's Second Anniversary.

http://beervana.blogspot.com/2010/10/man-behind-brewpublic.html

Contemplating Craft Beer in Plastic Cups

2011-10-12T10:02:00.000-07:00

This guy walks in to a bar. He heard about this uber-rare batch 1 barrel-aged sour imperial fruit beer that was being offered on tap for a super-limited time. “I’ll take one of the uber-rare batch 1 barrel-aged sour imperial fruit beers!” says the dude. “That will be eight dollars.” And just as the crumpled ones are slapped on to the makeshift bar, a plastic cup full of priceless elixir is placed haphazardly on to that same plastic card table. “Plastic? Really?” Glasses were available and allowed, but that would be an additional seven dollar charge, bringing the total for a proper eight ounce beersperience to $15. Many people around this guy were just settling for the plastic cups. Looking around, the dude could only justify this behavior when drinking on an airplane or in a stadium where there are no other feasible choices. Does this joke have a punchline? No, cause it’s not a joke. This happened to me at the Cascade Barrel House last month. Bourbonic Plague in a motherfucking plastic cocktail cup.

I could continue this rant for pages. I could talk about how the product deserves more respect. I could talk about how the craft beer consumer expects more. I could talk about how this policy is ‘changed’ when the pourer knows the pouree. And I could talk about how they’ve got racks upon racks of empty glasses just waiting to be used. But I won’t. Instead, I’ve decided to go to industry people and get their opinions of drinking craft beer out of plastic cups. Keep in mind that none of these people knew of my bad experience before I took these quotes.

Dave Fleming, brewer at Lompoc:
What do you think of drinking craft beer out of plastic cups: “It’s like going to a Red Sox game and sitting behind a pole. You can hear everything but so many of the nuances are gone.”
When is drinking out of plastic cups OK: “Maybe at Burning Man?”
What if someone told you Lompoc would start serving out of plastic at the pubs: “No we’re not!”

Ben Flerchinger, brewer at Lucky Lab:
Why glass over plastic: “Glass holds temperature better. It’s easier to recycle and gives off less toxins in a landfill. I prefer glass. It’s aesthetically pleasing.. [it’s about] the whole experience, not just the flavor. I’ve never seen good lacing in plastic cups.”

Irena Bierzynski, brewer at Lompoc:
On seeing someone drinking craft beer out of plastic cups: “I think it’s great. It means you have a full keg and are probably sharing it with your friends.”

Zach Beckwith, brewer at Lompoc:
On glass vs. plastic: “In some circumstances, glass may not be feasible from a pub standpoint, like you don’t have enough glasses. This is why canning has become so popular. You’re not going to hurt yourself breaking plastic [ed note: I disagree here]. For overall enjoyment, glass is the way to go… and it has to be the right glass.”

Dave Tohtz, brewer at Goose Island Brewery:
“It’s not really my preference to drink even the most common of beers out of plastic cups. It cheapens the experience, especially when drinking something special. Glass is much more preferable and I’ll go out of my way to use glass.”

Jason McAdam, brewer at Burnside Brewing:
“I think it’s wrong to serve craft beer in plastic cups. Whether it be a keg party or a beer fest.”

James Walton, brewer at Storm Brewing (Vancouver, BC):
“Plastic cups are the least of [America’s] problems. Feel happy that you can have lots of brilliant beers (compared to the neo-Prohibitionist movement in Canada)”

Shaun Hill, brewer at Hill Farmstead:
“I have mixed feelings. It all, to me, depends upon the location. If you are at an outdoor music venue, glassware seems absurd, right? But drinking Cantillon out of a plastic cup seems hedonistic and wrong. But drinking Budweiser out of stemware at a music venue, that seems over the top. Aesthetic. Intuition. It's all a puzzle. Would I mind if someone drank Hill Farmstead out of a plastic cup at a music venue? Yes.”

Tom Bleigh, brewer at Pyramid/MacTarnahan’s:
“I'm generally opposed to them, but they have their place, especially if they're biodegradable. We often times use them if glassware is presenting chemical or storage off aromas for sensory taste panel. They obviously make a lot of sense for special events, but I'll stick to my guns and say in general, it ain't right."

Glad to hear I’m not alone (FTMP). Still, I encourage you to draw your own conclusions on this one. I’m sure not everyone who reads this will be a beer geek or elitist glassware nerd. At least I’m pretty sure.

Here’s one final anecdote in closing: A guy walks in to a bar. The bartender tries to serve him a rare craft beer in a plastic cup even though glassware is available. After going through the whole conversation above, the guy turns around and walks right the fuck out. The bar makes no money and the guy gets no beer. No one is happy. This is also a true story, and the conclusion of the one above. It happened to me at the Cascade Barrel House last month.

Photo Credits: Angelo DeIeso took the photos of Dave Fleming, Ben Flerchinger, and Tom Bleigh. I got the photo of Irena Bierzynski from here. And the rest are either from me (Jim Bonomo) or uncredited via Facebook. The photo of the Bourbonic was taken by Brent Wilson. As I said, last thing I'm doing is paying that much for a fucking plastic cup.

Mt. Tabor Rides Again

2011-10-06T08:05:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to mark your calendar for tomorrow night!!!!!! An evening in Vancouver awaits you.

Friday 10/7 4:00pm-10:00pm, Mt. Tabor Brewing will be open to the public.
P5 Pale Ale and Asylum Ave IPA will be on tap.
113 W. 9th Street in Vancouver

Check out some of the previous coverage of Mt. Tabor to follow the journey.

Brewpublic 2011

PB&M 2011

PB&M 2010

It's Pub Night 2010- Read Angelo's comment on Bill's blog entry from over a year ago. It seems that he predicted the future.

Mt. Tabor Brewing Blog

Cross Culturalism

2011-10-05T08:06:00.000-07:00

Matt Wiater, founder of PortlandBeer.org and award winning photographer will have his work displayed at Gigantic Gallery this Thursday in a show titled, "Of Pints and Men."

Matt has captured some of the greatest moments in brewing history, by not only having a good eye, but by practice. His past photos are displayed around town, like at Laurelwood. This show will encompass people and beer and I believe that it will showcase some of the difficult work that brewers do in order to bring us beer.

Though, some of the following statements are not confirmed, most are true and Matt will tell you himself that he didn't start his life on Earth. We are not sure where he came from, but one day, while about 15 he appeared in the jungle and had an artistic eye right away. Instead of looking for food and shelter, he killed a colorful bird in order to harvest hues to make a sort of paint. He then replicated the images that he saw in the jungle. He was an artist! Matt was captured by poachers...they mistook him for something other than human. The hunters brought him to Portland, OR, and in 2003ish and he started PortlandBeer.org. The site is dedicated to providing the public with everything that they need to know about beer in and around Oregon. Event listings are updated regularly and it is always entertaining to see the, "Fermented Photos." I promise that you can get lost for days starring at the beer photography in Matt's collection. So come to Gigantic Gallery on Thursday and join Matt, artists, beer writers, brewers, art appreciators and have a taste of Deschutes Chainbreaker White IPA, while you take a photographic tour of the most important people around....your brewer.

From the official press release:

Of Pints and Men
Gigantic Gallery Presents The Art of Beer in Portland

Beer is happening all around us in Portland: brewing, fermenting, kegging, bottling, drinking, and barrel-aging are only some of the forms that beer takes. This October, Gigantic Gallery presents Of Pints and Men, a month long show dedicated entirely to the art of beer through photography, paintings, and illustrations. Come celebrate the art of beer with local artists: photographer Matt Wiater from portlandbeer.org, painter Ian Seniff, illustrator and designer Jonathon Hill-Jacquard, and photographer John Carleton.

Opening night is Thursday October 6th from 5:30pm - 10:00pm. Plus, Deschutes Brewery has graciously donated a keg of Chainbreaker White IPA for the event. So, just because you’re looking at great beer art doesn’t have to mean you’re not drinking great beer. Come out and celebrate the many shapes, sizes and forms of beer!

Of Pints and Men
Opening Night: Thursday Oct. 6th, 5:30pm-10:00pm
Show runs through the month of October
Facebook Event Page
Gigantic Gallery
1720 NW Lovejoy #103
Portland OR 97209

Yakima Does Fresh Hop

2011-10-04T07:43:00.000-07:00

By Margaret Lola:

Saturday night I found myself in downtown Yakima at the 9^th Annual Yakima Fresh Hop Festival. This was my first time to the Yakima festival and after attending, I think it may not be my last. The Yakima Valley is the world’s number one hop producer so where better to hold a fresh hop fest then here? There were 24 breweries in attendance. Most of the breweries were from Washington and the rest being from the Northwest region (Oregon, Idaho and Northern California). For a full list of the breweries check out the official website for the Yakima Fresh Hop Festival.

http://www.freshhopalefestival.com/index.html

The Yakima fest is unlike any other beer festival I have been to so far. The atmosphere of the fest is more of a country fair feel. You don’t find or over hear beer geeks analyzing every beer and creating hype for their favorite. Lots of locals are in attendance and just want to have a good time. Gates to the fest open at 5 PM and close at 10 PM. This is only a one-day fest with brewer’s dinners happening the days leading up to festival day. Throughout the festival you see lots of folks buying whole pints and not wasting their time with just getting samples. And actually, the cost of getting a whole pint is more worthwhile price wise. Brewers actually represent their beers at the fest and most of the time you will find them pouring, or at least hanging around, their own beer. There is also a competition of best fresh hop beer among the breweries in attendance. I believe the judging is done my people’s choice and by the end of the night the awards are handed out so if you feel inclined to geek out a little, you can go sample the winning beers. This year the wins were: Ice Harbor from Kennewick, WA, Laughting Dog from Ponderay, ID and Fermont Brewing from Seattle, WA. While I’d love to give more details about these beers the festival offers no program guide. Most of the breweries offered a one-sheet about the beers pouring at their station but to get info about any of the beers or breweries it appears the festivals takes a tech-savvy approach. On the Yakima Fresh Hop website you can find a list of all the breweries and the name of all the beers. Depending on how much information the breweries provided will depend on how much info is posted about each beer. Voting for the people’s choice happens all through a phone app and posted online.

Other then fresh hop beers, the festival also offers local wine, a homebrew demonstration by the local homebrew club, a cigar tent, live local music that starts playing when the gates open and a wide selection of local food. The festival is also a benefit for supporting the arts in the Yakima Valley. Proceeds from the Fresh Hop Ale Festival benefit Allied Arts of the Yakima Valley, providing nearly 20% of the annual budget in support of arts programs for all ages.

http://www.alliedartsyakima.org/

After an evening filled with fresh hop beers, staying the night is a must. Waking up the next morning and walking in downtown Yakima the streets that once held the fresh hop fest now contain the Farmer’s Market. Being harvest season, the market has an amazing selection of fresh produce. I stocked up on a great variety of apples (making pie next weekend!) and some hot pepper. Early fall is a wonderful time of year to visit Yakima. Being only three hours away from Portland makes coming out to the fresh hop festival a great weekend get away for any beer lover.

Occidental Oktoberfest Release - Just the Facts

2011-09-29T13:50:00.000-07:00

Occidental Brewing Co, a new brewery and taproom in St. Johns, will celebrate the release of its Oktoberfest beer in the courtyard of Cathedral Park Place on Saturday, Oct. 1, from noon to 10 pm, complete with German cuisine from the neighboring Cathedral Park Kitchen and live music from Chervona and other guests. Admission is free. In addition to the Festbier, Occidental's other brews will be available for purchase.

In addition, many small businesses and artists' studios in historical Cathedral Park Place will hold an open house in the afternoon from 1 to 5 pm.

Cathedral Park Place is located next to Cathedral Park in the shadow of the St. Johns Bridge at 6635 N Baltimore Ave, down the hill from downtown St. Johns. Once you're in the neighborhood, just follow the signs for the boat ramp until you see the big orange building.

For more information on Occidental, its lineup of German-style beers, and uncle-and-nephew brewers Dan and Ben Engler, please visit occidentalbrewing.com or call 503 719 7102.

Nicole's Ed. Note: Their Kolsch is awesome. The Bavarian-style Hefe is worth a try, as well, and a far cry from what Portlanders usually call a 'Hefeweizen'. They are overall cool people over at Occidental, make sure to support them. Have a great weekend!

2011 Lompoc Monster Mash Preview

2011-09-28T08:32:00.000-07:00

(l to r) Pseudo-press member Ritch Marvin, Lompoc Brewers Zach Beckwith, Dave Fleming, and founder Jerry Fechter

This week, Lompoc releases one of their most highly-anticipated seasonal beers, Monster Mash Imperial Porter. As a member of the, *cough*, “media,” *cough*, I was given the exclusive opportunity to sample this year’s batch at their Sidebar location, along with some other current Sidebar specialty one-offs. Lompoc brewers Zach Beckwith, Dave Fleming, and Jerry Fechter were in attendance, as were Brian (production manager) and Irena (new hire/brew student). You’re not here to read a roll call sheet, I’m sure.. so here’s how I think this year’s beer tastes:

It’s good. But you probably already guessed that. Smoke and roast subtly peppered the distinct aroma of this beer. Inevitably, a libation in this style will be compared to an Imperial Stout and seem thin. To me, after that waft of brilliance, the body was a bit lacking. Imperial Porter is, after all, a slightly bogus style in general (Black IPA, anyone?) However, the strong impressions of chocolate and coffee liqueurs on the tongue were interesting and added complexity. There was certainly enough heat- the perfect counterpoint to a chilly fall night and some pumpkin pie. For a big beer, it’s extremely drinkable. And for a drinkable beer, it’s both in-your-face and complex. For an admitted ‘kitchen sink beer’, this comes across as rather refined. Perhaps consistent experimentation breeds consistency.

(l to r) Lompoc Flamingo, Lompoc 2008 Mon Cheri

Many other beers were sampled from the eccentric Sidebar lineup, but there were two standouts for me. The 2008 Mon Cheri is a ~6% Belgian Golden with that Ardennes spiciness. Age mellowed it into beautiful mouthfuls of sweet caramel, flowers, and peppery earth. This beer is just where it wants to be, and I highly recommend a trip to Sidebar this weekend to get some before it’s gone.

Lompoc's Irena Bierzynski talks fermentation.. and stuff.

The other excellent beer of the night was a one-off sessionable brown ale (‘Bierz Brown’). It was created by new employee Irena Bierzynski, and brought big chocolate and hazelnut flavors to a low-ABV brown ale. A drop of Special B in the grain bucket allowed the beer to rise from the ashes of dry, husky earthiness. Irena took the floor and got all scientific with the story of her first Lompoc ale. It sounded like a faint humming to me; maybe because I was enjoying her beer so much.

I didn’t need an official reminder to buy the 2011 Monster Mash, but maybe you do.. And maybe that’s why I’ve been tasked with reminding you that it’s a damn fine beer and available soon at the various Lompoc outfits and at your favorite local PDX bottleshop.

Release party is 4pm Friday at Sidebar (3901 N Williams Ave, Portland), where you can try this beer as well as the others discussed in this post. Jerry and crew hope to see you there.

Fresh Hop Beers - The Class of 2011 (Part 1)

2011-09-21T10:12:00.000-07:00

Fresh Hop season. Idealized for many months prior, then briefly enjoyed upon arrival. Complaints echo throughout the interwebs.. “This fresh hop isn’t hoppy enough!” “These wet hops do not improve upon my tasty Imperial!” and so on and so forth. After spending countless, aimless minutes at work perusing Bill Night’s Fresh Hop Map, I decided that as a beer journalist, it was my duty to get out there and start sampling. Those hops weren’t going to stay fresh forever, and at the risk of becoming an iconoclast, I needed to make a pilgrimage to the mother temple of all fresh hop gods: Deschutes.

At the Portland pub, Deschutes is currently offering four fresh hop beers. Inversion had just blown. Maybe by the time you’ll read this, they’ll be up to five or six. I believe they’re shooting for eight or ten by the time the season wraps. I wanted to understand why they felt the need to overdo it, and understand (with a fresh palate) what flavors or sensations are actually contributed by this Pac NW-elite process. During my visit, Deschutes was offering the following fresh hop beers: Mirror Pond, Oktoberfest, Chainbreaker & Twilight. In the interest of your education, I tried ‘em all.

Fresh Hop Chainbreaker at Deschutes Brewery, Portland

Fresh Hop Chainbreaker was a tasty beverage. I’m not sure if it was tastier with or without the fresh hops, though. I noticed the IBU on the fresh version was 50 versus 55 for the reg. The spicy, intense Belgian yeast overpowered the subtle nuances of the fresh lupulin extraction, leaving a mild herbal essence behind and a lot of work for little result. Even with the Cascade/Citra/Centennial powerhouse, there was little to be found.

Fresh Hop Mirror Pond, served from the cask, was a raging disappointment. Sweet fruity blowoff from the yeast, out of place dry-roastiness, and a hint of butter got up in your face. The fresh hopping added zero to this beer, and if anything, there were zero hops in any format to be found in here. I remember that sweet, herbal tea-like zing in last year’s version; this one lacked any of that zippy character. I look forward to trying the regular draft/bottles, hopefully this cask was a simple one-off mistake.

Fresh Hop Oktoberfest at Deschutes Brewery, Portland

I did find those herbal iced tea notes in the fresh hop Oktoberfest, which played the same notes as last year’s special-ed Mirror Pond. Menu talk of a traditional sour wort and German ingredients was all fine by me, but it’s those fresh Sterlings that shined as only a fresh noble-inspired hopping could. I would be interested to try this Oktoberfest sans bonus hops, and feel that it would be a typical clean, pretty Deschutes exercise in perfection. For now, it’s a spicy-yet-subtle hop forward Fall classic.

Fresh Hop Twilight at Deschutes Brewery, Portland

The winner for the night was the Fresh Hop Twilight. Stealing the show were those proprietarily-fresh Amarillo hops from nearby Virgil Gamache Farms. Since Gamache is the only legit grower of Amarillos, we’re pretty much the only part of the country that can get fresh, wet hops in to the kettle in a reasonable amount of time (Gamache Farms is 3 hours from PDX). This beer exuded a beautiful fresh, floral spiced orange flavor that was decidedly rare and thought-provoking. Amarillos typically provide such a general citrus note, but this application brought forward more bitterness and sharp rind than one would expect. The base beer provided a lightly-toasted yet malt-light canvas for this botanical beverage of wonder. Get thee to Deschutes and order a Fresh Hop Twilight post haste! At the very least, I see the reason for the excess: the beers here were paired with fresh hops like they would be with beer dinner courses. An attempt to be complimentary was certainly made in each case.

Seven Brides Fresh Hop (l) and Bridgeport Hop Harvest (r) at Green Dragon, Portland

Bonus Freshies: Yes, folks, I was still thirsty. Green Dragon was hit and both Bridgeport Hop Harvest and Seven Brides Fresh Hop were sampled. The Bridgeport brought back familiar sense-memories; I don’t think that beer changes much. This year, however, I got a bigger burst of chlorophyll-yness than usual. Perhaps this is a freshness thing that diminishes with time? Either way, one of the best applications of the fresh hop out there, and consistent. Perhaps consistency takes the excitement out of the fresh hop deal? For me, a bit. Seven Brides? Let’s not talk on this one too much. It’s a big, roasty porter. To think any fresh hop oils would come through this was a misstep of the highest order. As a beer, it’s pretty good. As a way to close an evening of fresh hop delights, pretty effin miserable.

I'll return to discuss some more fresh hop nonsense in a week or two. Cheers!

Beetje catches Prince syndrome

2011-09-14T11:26:00.001-07:00

Time to say goodbye to what once was Beetje Brewery..

And say hello to The Commons Brewery.

According to their website:

Starting today Beetje is known as The Commons Brewery.

I’ve talked openly about my intent to change the name from Beetje to something else for some time now. That time has come. This is not meant to be a big wow moment with fireworks overhead (though I’ll admit to enjoying fireworks). No, a simple transformation from what was a garage brewery to a 7bbl brewery in a commercial space.

The Commons Brewery is more reflective of my belief that the best part of drinking beer is the company that gathers around the beer. Friends, family and neighbors coming together. The new space and the beers will enable and celebrate that side of beer.

I look forward to sharing a beer with you in the near future. You know where to find me.

Salud

Mike

Look forward to hitting up their upcoming tasting room on SE 10th & SE Stephens. The rumor mill has it opening sooner than later. More details when we get them, loyal readers. For now, let's talk about how awesome the Een Vat was at the Beermongers festival, eh? (Sorry, leftover Canadian mojo)

LOLA back at Lucky Lab

2011-09-09T10:13:00.000-07:00

LOLA (Ladies of Lagers and Ales) was invited back to brew at Lucky Lab Beer Hall following the success of their Kolsch (Lucky Lab) and Hibiscus IPA (Coalition Brewing). The women have set the standard for large group collaborations at brewpubs. They start by using their facebook page to communicate and narrow down beer styles, then ask the brewer what is realistic, then have a recipe development session and then brew.

Ben Flerchinger, head brewer at Lucky Lab Beer Hall wanted to have the ladies back because of their passion, experience and desire to further their education of beer. An Oktoberfest was the obvious choice for a beer that matched the brew date. Besides the women and Ben working together on the recipe and brewing, the brewing community helped out with ingredients. The yeast came from Occidental Brewing and some of the hops from 5^th Quadrant. The beer will still have a Northwest twist on it, but true to style ingredients because of the cooperative spirit of brewers in Oregon.

Ben is an excellent coach and allows the women to be hands on with every step of the brewing process. The second time around, Ben knew the areas that people could use a little more time in and each person had the opportunity to have a tri-clamp practice session. The process seemed quicker because most of the women were more comfortable.

Besides brewing, Ben served the LOLA crew a sample of Super Dog and Super Dogger Lager and discussed the differences in yeast use. He entertained every question posed to him. Inquires included opinions on hops and yeasts, advice on brewing on a commercial system and his personal story. Ben has a way of never making anyone feel silly or inexperienced. When a person asked a question about disconnecting a pipe, Ben said, “it is easier if you hold on to it and take it out now,” instead of saying something like, “you dumbass, don’t let it drop into the tank and hurry up.” He also loves a challenge. (See tank photo).

LOLA will announce when the beer will be ready, but look for it around Oktoberfest.

Beermongers' 2nd Anniversary Brewfest - 9/10 & 9/11

2011-09-07T09:13:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: I have been known to work a shift or two at The Beermongers.

That said, they're putting on a kick-ass festival in their parking lot this weekend. For those of you who know Josh Grgas, Beer Guru and manager at the 'Mongers, he has been plotting and scheming, stressing and freaking to make this thing happen. When you swing by, make sure to give Josh a pat on the back and offer him whatever sedatives you may have smuggled in to the fest. By Saturday, he'll need them. You want details, here you go:

Saturday, September 10, 12-9PM
Sunday, September 11, 12-8PM

$15 Admission = Festival Glass + 7 tasting tickets
Additional Tickets $1 each
21+OVER
CASH ONLY!

Food provided by Curbside Grill and Nourishment.

Website - thebeermongers.com/anniversary

We’ll be rotating 20 beers on tap throughout the weekend showcasing some of our favorite breweries.

Astoria - Solar Dog IPA
Alaskan - Perseverance Ale (RIS w/ Birch Syrup and Fireweed Honey)
Barley Browns - Turmoil
Beetje - Een Vat (Pinot Noir Barrel Blend)
Bend - Scarlet Imperial Red
Boneyard - Hop Venom (Imperial IPA)
Breakside - Oude Noire (Spiced Dark Saison)
Breakside - Bourbon Aztec (Chocolate Chili Strong Ale)
Brewdog - 5 A.M. Saint (Hoppy Amber)
Burnside - Bacon Bourbon Stout (Stout with Bacon Gas)
De Dolle - Dulle Teve (Tripel)
De Ranke - Guldenberg (Belgian Strong Blonde)
Deschutes - Trojan Horse IPA
Eel River - 2008 Porter
Firestone Walker - Oaktoberfest (Marzen)
Flat Tail - Sour Raspberry Porter (Barrel Blend)
Hair of the Dog - Little Dog Dark (Session)
Hopfenstark - Berlin Alexanderplatz (Berliner Weisse)
Jolly Pumpkin - La Parcela (Sour Pumpkin Ale)
Jolly Pumpkin - 2010 Noel de Calabaza (Sour Belgian Dark)
Lucky Lab - 2010 Olde Yeller (Barleywine)
Mikkeller - Bourbon Black Hole (Imperial Stout)
Oakshire - 2010 Very Ill Tempered Gnome (Imperial Brown)
Oakshire - Oak Aged Watershed IPA
Portland U Brew - Rhubeerb
Sierra Nevada FOAM Pilsner
Schlenkerla - Oak Smoke (Smoked Doppelbock)
Shmaltz - Barrel Human Blockhead (Rye Whiskey Aged Doppelbock)
Stone - Belgo Guardian (Barleywine)
Upright - Stout of Monte Fisto after Apollo Creed (Imperial American Stout)
Walking Man - Vintage Old Stumblefoot (Barleywine)
Widmer - Rose City Hipster (Golden with Rose Hips)

And to end on a humorous Josh-related note, here's an illustration conceived by our blogging brother, Angelo from Brewpublic. Hope you enjoy, and don't forget to drink your vitamins at this weekend's Beermongers Brewfest!

Weekend Beer Vacation: Vancouver, BC

2011-08-31T10:31:00.000-07:00

I spent the last weekend in Vancouver BC beering about and intoxicating myself in addition to exposing myself to obligatory amounts of sightseeing and exotic food consumption. With the help of a local fixer, I was able to see the Vancouver beer scene through a pair of well-seasoned Canuck eyeballs. The faux-journalist inside me felt obliged to share this inside information as well as my pointed opinions with you, my loyal PB&M readers. Below, in no particular order, are some beery spots for you to consider on your next visit up to America's hat.

Storm Brewing
310 Commercial Drive
Vancouver, BC
www.stormbrewing.org

Talk about jinky. Or is it janky? Either way, Storm's brew setup looks like it was built by Doc Brown with some help from Rain Man. On first look, it's a total effing mess. On closer inspection, it's a DIY masterpiece of the handyman ethos. For beer fans sick to death of your run-of-the-mill brewery tour, Storm's for you.

If you're lucky, head brewer James will sample you on some of their decades-old fruit lambics or some of their in-progress Flanders red. If not, you'll emerge from the brewery with a prostitute spread out on your car hood (it's the neighborhood). Worth seeking out around town are Storm's more conventional brews, especially the Black Plague Stout which pushes conventional stout boundaries into a maltier, fruitier gene pool.

The Alibi Room
157 Alexander St
Vancouver, BC
www.alibi.ca

Self-described as a "modern tavern", Alibi makes a point to provide a casual, upscale atmosphere without the snobbery or douchery commonly found in many Gastown drinking establishments. 50 taps of craft beer (most of which are local one-offs) don't hurt, either. Just knowing that the beer menu is typed daily on a typewriter adds that extra bit of care and passion.

Such minutae speaks to this picky beer activist, and it didn't stop there: proper serving temps, food/beer pairings, beer cocktails.. and the list goes on. I highly recommend trying any Driftwood beer you may find, especially the Fat Tug IPA which is right up there with my NW & Cali favorites. Also enjoyed at the Alibi was Howe Sound's MegaDestroyer, an Imperial Licorice Stout which puts the Abyss in its rightful place far below this near-savory beverage.

La Belle Patate
1215 Davie St
Vancouver, BC
604-569-1215

OK, so it's not a brewery, craft beer bar, homebrew supply shop, secret tasting location or yeast farm. What it is, however, is a place that offers much-needed drinking fuel (and a reasonable beer to keep you going). After trying several poutine spots in Vancouver, I've deemed this one the best.

And of course, in addition to the 40+ fry combinations (breakfast poutine, anyone?), you can get bottles of Unibroue beers to enjoy on-site. Not the most exotic, but damn tasty alongside hot, gravyfied fries and squeaky morsels of cheesy heaven. Needless to say, La Belle puts our local favorite Potato Champion to shame.

Howe Sound Inn & Brewery
37801 Cleveland Ave
Squamish, BC
www.howesound.com

Feeling tired? Too much beer? Need some exercise? Drive an hour or so north on Canadian 99 towards Whistler and you'll pass multitudes of state parks, lakes, and mountains great for a leisurely hike. Sweat some beer out, take a swim, get some sun.. and put more beer back in at Howe Sound. The ski lodge vibe inside the brewpub feels right after a day of outdoor adventuring, and the food is homey pub grub that will refresh your energy levels.

Howe Sound had, by far, the best tap list of any brewpub I'd visited. There was a long list of varied standards, hitting on all style cylinders from belgian to pale, IPA to stout. The one-offs included three interesting Imperial styles (Hefe, IPA, Stout) and were all winners. The outdoor patio boasted a bevy of picturesque wildflowers which complemented the most intense mountain views. I'd refrain from taking home the standard 1L jugs (they're cheaper in Portland), but the one-offs are a different story- they're not distributed in our state. Throw a King Heffy in the car for the ride back to PDX!

Other places worth mentioning:

Where to buy beer to bring home: Brewery Creek Liquor Store; www.brewerycreekliquorstore.com
2nd best beer bar in town (complete with loud UFC fans): St. Augustine's; www.staugustinesvancouver.com
Best hangover coffee/breakfast: Delany's Coffee House; 1105 Denman St

Make the best of your trip to Vancouver, BC, and bring me back bottles of Driftwood!

Breakside Tonight!

2011-08-17T11:05:00.000-07:00

I will be at Breakside tonight. That is the end. Not really, but almost. Ben Edmunds keeps combining interesting ingredients in his beers and nailing it. Almost every Wednesday this year, Ben has released powerful one-offs. One of the highlights was the Alsatian Blondes horizontal flight. Each beer was aged with a different French wine grape. Another epic flight was the Gose with a variety of house made syrups. So this evening another release is happening, including bottles!

An excerpt of info from Ben.

...we will be releasing bottles of our first sour beer, Gin Barrel Double Wit at Breakside. The beer is a strong Belgian wheat ale made with coriander, orange peel, chamomile, and Cascade hops that was aged in an Old Tom Gin barrel, inoculated with a lactobacillus culture. This specialty brew has strong botanical aromatics from the gin, a big mid-palate tartness, and a woody, citrusy finish. We will also be tapping a 1/6 barrel of the beer on draught; this is the only ‘on tap’ availability for this beer. The rest is in 750 ml Champagne-style bottles at the brewpub for consumption on site or to go. The bottles are priced at $12 with a limit of two per person. Only 15 cases of this beer are being released, and we expect it to move quickly.

For the Normals

2011-08-16T08:52:00.000-07:00

As usual, there are a lot of events to choose from any time of the year, but Portland Beer Week has loaded them up. A good beer geek goes to as many events as possible that have a theme of interest for that particular geek. Below is a list of recommendations for beer geeks to give to their friends. As you have heard before from Portland Beer and Music, you have a duty to promote craft beer to your friends and family. Of course, we live in reality and many people find the pressure to attend several events overwhelming or intimidating. In fact, I doubt that when you started beer geeking, that you caught as many as you do now. Besides your promotional duties, you owe it to your city and state to encourage more people to drink better beer, because Portland and Oregon have supported you, so return the favor. I recommend getting to as many events as you can fit in your schedule, however, if you need a list of beer events for the regular person, you know, the ones that say, “I can’t take the kids,” or, “it is too far away,” or,”I only drink Bud Light Lime,” below is a guide for you to use when helping people enhance their craft beer appreciation.

New Old Lompoc 15th Anniversary
Aug. 20th 11:00am

The New Old Lompoc brewery will celebrate its 15 anniversary later this summer in a big way: 15 Beers for 15 Years! A Northwest institution, the New Old Lompoc will host a one party on August 20, the first official day of Portland Beer Week, serving 15 unique and specialty Lompoc beers in addition to its mainstay lineup. Organizers anticipate nearly 30 different beers will pour throughout the day.The party will start at 11 am in the parking lot of the New Old Lompoc at 1616 NW 23 Ave. In addition to the myriad of beers, there will be a cornhole tournament, live music and food specials. The event will also feature a toast to the memory of Don Younger, who was part owner of the brewery since 2000.Some of the specialty beers scheduled to be on tap include Saazall Pilsner, Pale Ryeder, two vintages of Old Tavern Rat, Vintage Batch 69, 2009 Pre-Dawn Imperial Stout, a few barrel

WHY: NW 23^rd Ave is not far from anything in Portland. There is plenty of street parking in that part of the neighborhood and New Old Lompoc is an actual brewpub, so there is a full menu and plenty of seating. Added Bonus: Zach is awesome.

Hopworks and Double Mountain Brewers Brunch at Spirit of 77
Aug. 20th 9:00am-1:00pm

Hopworks and Double Mountain breweries are teaming up for a casual beer brunch pairing event featuring 5 courses paired with Hopworks and Double Mountain beer all available for individual purchase to build your own beerunch. aged beers, additional vintages, at least one firkin, and many more offerings.

Why: Portland loves brunch. You were already planning on standing in line for over one hour to eat $9 eggs, so you may as well go to a good brunch. Double Mountain has some of the best and most consistent beer in the state and many beers that you can only get in Hood River. I bet Charlie and Matt will bring some beer not found in Portland.

The Mighty Mites - A Session Beer Festival presented by Beervana at Coalition Brewing patio (behind the Grilled Cheese Grill)
Aug. 27th 12:00noon-8:00pm

Celebrate the uniqueness and diversity of small "session" beers all no more than 5%abv from over 10 breweries some of them made just for this festival. Many taps will be flowing in the new outdoor beer garden with food from the Grilled Cheese Grill and a taplist curated by Oregon's #1 beer blog Beervana.

Why: The beers available here will be great transition or gateway beers. Do you know somebody who really needs to expand their beer horizons? This is the place to do it. I love the big, barrel aged, blended beers brewed with a laundry list of food products and herbs, but most people work up to that. The place to start is with The Mighty Mites! The beers are complex, but not complicated. Jeff Alworth, the Beervana guy will be available, as well as festival organizers and brewers to help people understand and appreciate the session beers and hopefully convert conventional drinkers. Read Jeff's take on The Might Mites here.

For a complete list of Events for Portland Beer Week click here and follow on Twitter @PDXBeerWeek. Event descriptions taken from PDXBeerWeek.com

Beer in Film: Lagunitas Brewing Company and “The Violent Kind”

2011-08-12T09:15:00.000-07:00

Craft beer and product placement are not two phrases that you’ll typically find in the same sentence. The only other in-your-face example I’ve come across was the Reno 911 movie, which featured loads and loads of Dogfish Head beer. A few years later, Dogfish was swimming in the mother of all product placement pools: a tv show that centered around their products. For a (relatively) smaller brewery like Lagunitas, the opportunities to showcase their beer in a legitimate feature film must be hard to come by. This is exactly why I was surprised when I rented “The Violent Kind” and saw the barrage of subliminal and not-so-subliminal Lagunitas advertisement within.

Strangely enough, for the first twenty minutes of the movie, everyone is drinking PBR. The level of exposure that PBR receives in this movie is also high, which strikes me as odd and potentially competitive. The lack of placement exclusivity seems like an oversight (especially) on the part of the Pabst people. There is certainly something about watching a film with beer placement when you’re a beer aficionado; labels, logos, and six pack holders stand out and distract from a scene’s action.

The Lagunitas beers appear quickly just as the PBR’s run out.. and isn’t that how it always is. The Petaluma, California brewery’s bottles conveniently appear in multiple scenes; the setting for the film is a house in which a large beer party has just occurred. This allows bottles of IPA, Pils, New Dogtown Pale Ale, and Lucky 13 (among others) to appear throughout the frame. Again, any craft beer fan will be extremely distracted by these iconic labels.

The film is a very violent one, as implied by its moniker. The buckets of blood and gore seem an odd fit for such a ‘peace & love’ style brewery. Brand imagery is seamlessly interlaced with shotguns, bleeding women, and various other interpretations of violence and fright. Next time I feel like tying a possessed murderess to my bed, will I be reaching for a Wilco Tango Foxtrot? If the subtlety of product placement works, indeed I will.

Ok, so maybe it’s not all violence. Glad to see that the Lagunitas is still front-and-center when people calm down and the boobies get whipped out.

The piece de resistance of this whole film and beer collaboration is the lesbian sex scene. If I was responsible for including my company’s beer in this film, and I allowed the above-pictured scene to involve a branded bottle of said beer, I’d expect to be fired. In case you can’t figure out what is going on in the selectively PG-13 photos, here’s the skinny- a brutal massacre gets these two devil women worked into a frenzy, they start making out, and then a bottle of Lagunitas’ New Dogtown Pale Ale gets conveniently transformed in to a sex toy. And yes, we see both the label and the insertion in a close-up that seems to last an eternity. I contacted Lagunitas marketing guru Ron Lindenbusch for a comment on this. He initially was up for discussing the film, but became unresponsive when the questions took a turn towards these titillating topics.

I would recommend this film as both a fun and different sci-fi/horror blend, and a somewhat sad opportunity to see what product placement looks like in our world. It’s rather odd, and I’m not sure that I like it.

Beetje Brewery Moving Along

2011-08-07T08:06:00.000-07:00

The cooler is cut, no turning back!

We recently checked in on the progress at Beetje Brewery, or at least that is still the name. With the new location on SE Stephens, a name change will come later, but the farmhouse ales will keep coming with the consistency and great flavor that you have come to appreciate. Owner/Brewer Mike Wright has been brewing on a small system in his garage for awhile now and because his Urban Farmhouse Ale and other products have been sought out by several bars and restaurants, production needed to increase and a new facility had to be found. With most equipment in place and proper licenseing almost done, it is easy to see his vision in the vaulted warehouse that will soon be a brewery.

Working!

The office desk is a barrel

Josh Grgas of Beer Mongers fame was the first person to introduce us to Mike Wright. He would talk about how Mike got his start and his farmhouse preferences. Josh also introduced Mike to Derek Arent (yes, that guy), a Portland area yeast genius, who has inspired Mike's yeast use.

Little Brother has always been a Portland Beer and Music favorite (feel free to pressure Mike into making more), but the flagship beer Urban Farmhouse is the best place to start in the Beetje line up. The beer, which has gone through some name changing and recipe tweeking is a great example of a farmhouse style that can have balance, flavor and dryness, while brewed in an urban setting. If you have hophead friends who to need to have their beer horizons expanded, get them to Beetje for a great gateway beer that will open a new world. The walk-in cooler has been cut and is ready for the lines to start flowing with impressive beer. When the brewery opens, you can expect glass pours and growler fills, with more services on the horizon.

FILL, FILL, FILL!

Follow the Beetje Brewery blog here.

Celebrate International IPA Day With Something Different

2011-08-04T10:37:00.000-07:00

Today, August 4th is international IPA day. As pictured above, don’t forget to hashtag your untappd twitter posts. What better way to celebrate IPA day than to discuss some local hoppy beers that may not be on your radar? On a day like today which celebrates a rather narrow margin of craft beer, repeat imbibings of your favorite go-to IPA would be wasteful. Get out there and discover something new; I assure you that Racer 5, Blind Pig, and Laurelwood Workhorse are not going anywhere.

Golden Valley IPA vs Brut

The commercial description from ratebeer.com of this beer is as follows:

IPA Brut pours like a deep golden champagne witha rich head. An aroma redolent of summer fruit with a toasty malt bubbles forth. A slightly sweet malty front palate proceeds to finely balanced floral and apricot notes, with caramel and oak undertones. This beautiful IPA finishes dry and bitter, with a hint of sweetness at the end. After its appearance at the OBF, this beer was then aged a further 3 months in chardonnay barrels and disgorged prior to a limited bottling, available only at the brewery.

The staple McMinnville brewery made an IPA using méthode champenoise, which is a classic French technique of bottle-fermenting and carbonating champagne. They even assisted Pelican in producing a similar beer back in 2005 (Bridal Veil Brut, anyone?). Unfortunately, both beers have been out of production for several years and Golden Valley shows no signs of rebrewing. However, vintage bottles can still be found around town ($25/750ml) and by tonight, you can be enjoying a totally off-the-wall Oregon take on IPA.

Laurelwood Catcher in the (Double) Rye’nbow

This beer was a recent 5th place winner during July’s IIPA Concordia Cup at the Concordia Ale House. Since then, there has been very little mentioned of this spicy, unique IPA. It showed up for the Saraveza IIPA festival, but seemed overshadowed by Pizza Port and Block 15 hype. Rye dominates, yet a dank, viscous hop presence seeps through. In contrast, Oakshire's and Captured by Porches' rye pales are more session beers, and the rye'nbow is designed to satisfy the lover of more intense flavors. This beer has recently been spotted at Bailey’s Taproom and Laurelwood Public House, but as always, call first to check on availability.

4th St Brewing Eager Beaver IPA

I was recently intrigued by a comment on beeradvocate.com by fellow beer activist Docer (Perry). While discussing the ‘quintessential Northwest IPA’, he said this about the mysterious Gresham brew:

“.. there are many smaller brew peeps making killer IPA's and one-offs. I actually really dig 4th St. Brewings [sic] IPA. It's out in Gresham, and for me is a very good, solid west coast sessionable IPA. Very underrated.”

Kind of makes you want to carry, conceal, and make the trek to enjoy some east side IPA, no? And today’s a great day for it.

Happy IPA day, everyone. #ipaday

Why I Love Brewing Up Cocktails

2011-07-29T07:49:00.000-07:00

This Saturday marks the first anniversary of Brewing Up Cocktails. And even though this Saturday is packed with a host of other events, this one is an absolutely must attend! I have personally had the pleasure of attending three of these fascinating events here in Portland, and, in the last year, their popularity has grown to the point that the team of Jacob Grier, Yetta Vorobik, and Ezra Johnson-Greenough has extended its influence and has now held Brewing Up Cocktails sessions in San Francisco, Seattle and British Columbia.

The premiere event last summer was amazing. The Furburger (Buffalo Trace bourbon, Green Chartreuse, and Great Divide Chocolate Oak-Aged Yeti) and the Cascadian Revolution (Hop in the Dark, Grand Marnier, Clear Creek Doug Fir Eau de Vie, orange zest, and hop oil) were the standouts, but the spirits, liqueurs, and beers were perfectly balanced in all of the cocktails, and I could feel as well as taste all of the ingredients in each of them.

With winter came the second round. The Hot Scotchy (with unfermented beer wort) and Lovers’ Quarrel (which featured a brilliant combination of herbal notes, acid, and chili spice) were the best of that go, and it was obvious that the founders had worked hard to use different beers and liquors for the new menu.

The next Portland event, at Spints Alehouse, featured Oakshire beers mixed with eggs to make a variety of flips, storied cocktails that date back hundreds of years. The Brewing Up Cocktails team does its homework. There was a cocktail for everyone. Scotch lovers could imbibe the peaty scotch drink while their friends enjoyed an apple based cocktail with tangy but sweet notes that coated the mouth. The Heart Shaped Box, Oakshire’s rare Stout, was featured in one of the most powerful cocktails of the evening.

Because each cocktail is so complex, expect a longer than usual wait after ordering your drinks on Saturday, but expect the wait to be worth it. Bring a friend so you can share each of the drinks that each of you order, and that way you’ll have a better chance of trying everything on the menu.

The first anniversary Brewing Up Cocktails event, complete with a pig roast, will be held at the Hop & Vine on Killingsworth. Parking in the neighborhood is generally ample and the yellow line MAX stop at Killingsworth and Interstate is within walking distance. I’m definitely looking forward to it, and I hope to see you there.

Info from the Press Release:

"This Saturday July 30th 6-10pm is the Brewing up Cocktails One Year Anniversary Party at The Hop & Vine. We are celebrating Tiki style with a backyard party featuring a Frozen Margarita machine we will be serving beer cocktails from and a menu of drinks featuring sponsor Kona Brewing and other local beers and it's all brought to you by Groupon. There is no admission charge and there will be cocktail and beer specials."

Beer Geek Duty for OBF

2011-07-28T08:48:00.000-07:00

Use the links below to find out facts, figures, beer recommendations and overall educated opinions on beer at OBF.

The Beer Here
Beervana
Brewpublic
PortlandBeer.org (check out the Buzz Tent)
The Daily Pull
The New School (check out Behind the Pint video from 2010)
The Not So Pro Beer Blog (check out the different flights for different levels)
An Ear For Beer

What I want you to know is your responsibility as a beer geek. If you are an educated beer geek in Oregon, you should be telling everybody you know about OBF. We have specialty events and festivals through the year, but one of the best gateway beer events is OBF. You are the guide that helps people transition into the craft beer community. It is your responsibility to encourage people to attend OBF. Make recommendations for beer; tell them the hours and the best times to go. Help them design a map to maximize their time and help them use Trimet for transportation. You should be encouraging your family members, co-workers and complete strangers to go to a festival that puts Portland on the International map as a beer destination. It is your civic duty to do whatever you can do, to advocate for craft beer in Oregon and to help people who do not drink craft beer find their way. When you find people that do drink craft beer, you should help them discover more of it, whether it is new breweries or new beer styles. Every local beer geek is an ambassador starting today and you are responsible for ensuring that more people drink more craft beer and one of the best places to start is to direct visitors and locals to OBF!

Burnside Brewing Launches Grätzer 2.0 Thursday, Teases Upcoming Projects

2011-07-27T07:49:00.000-07:00

PB&M contributor Jim Bonomo recently got the chance to preview Burnside Brewing's new seasonal release and dig up some interesting information. Here's the report:

Burnside Brewing will be premiering a new version of their popular Grätzer seasonal this Thursday, both at the tap room and as their official entry to the Oregon Brewers Festival. This uncommon style is a historical one, pulling its roots from traditional Polish brewing. McAdam and company hand-smoke their wheat malt using modified hotel pans in small, labor-intensive batches, limiting the Grätzer’s availability to that of a small-batch seasonal. Despite McAdam’s self-professed dislike of standard rauchbiers, he’s managed to craft one which will please both die-hard smokeheads and the casual beer-pairing foodie.

The biggest technical shift with the summer 2011 version of Burnside’s Grätzer is the addition of Mesquite to the wood bill. The finished beer certainly shares a comforting aromatic sense-memory with a plate of slow-smoked, chargrilled meat. The flavor, however, is gentler; the full-bodied yet refreshing creaminess usually found in a German hefeweizen is there, and the zing of wheat and light fruit from the Kolsch yeast take prominence over the smoke on the palate. This happy confluence creates both a complex and poundable brew, well-suited for mass consumption at a beer geek cookout.

McAdam tweaks the basic historical recipe to facilitate a drinkability, allowing the finished beer to pair well with some of his brewpub’s summery, smoky cuisine. Traditional wheat totality and intense smoke are scaled back to minimize conflict with recommended menu items including bratwurst burgers, duck confit with sous vide duck eggs, and pastrami with apples and mustard.

In addition to the upcoming Grätzer, McAdam and crew have some other interesting projects fermenting away in the deep recesses of their Burnside Avenue location. Chief among them is a bacon bourbon stout, crafted with unique techniques and ballsy ambition. As I understand it, a bacon gas has being created by allowing CO2-preserved bacon to break down and absorb back into the gas. That gas will eventually be used to push a bourbon stout from its keg into your glass, creating a bacon note without the bacon ever touching the beer. This ‘molecular zymurgy’ approach is sure to excite the inner-nerd, and if it works, should open up a world of possibilities for Burnside Brewing and the brewing world in general.

Besides the bacon experiment, McAdam teased an imperial version of Burnside's Sweet Heat, amped up to an 8% "wheat wine" with some brewery bugs added for a complimentary tartness. Fans of the 'Heat' will also be able to sample a Sweet Heat ice cream (complete with candied scotch bonnet peppers) made by the Salt & Straw folks at the Hawthorne Street Fair on August 28th. 22oz bottles of Stock Ale, IPA, and Oatmeal Pale are slated for a fall release, and Burnside is planning 24oz cans to follow the initial bottle release. Exciting things indeed for the future of Burnside Brewing.

Touching Ben

2011-07-25T08:24:00.000-07:00

BenFest is tonight at Grain & Gristle. Brewers named Ben have been talking about this for awhile, so I wanted to make sure that it happened for them. I enlisted the help of beer event planner extraordinaire, Angelo De Ieso from Brewpublic for help. He has had amazing events such as the Division St. Pub Crawl, Killer Beer Week, IIPA Fest and My Beery Valentine, just to name a few. Mr. De Ieso is a great communicator and was able to secure space and people with ease. Alex Ganum owner of Upright Brewing and co-founder of Grain & Gristle was immediately excited about the event and knowing how special the Bens of brewing are, Alex is graciously providing the space for the night.

These particular Bens are some of the most dynamic brewers in town and nice guys too. Ben Dobler from Widmer Bros Brewing, Ben Edmunds from Breakside Brewing, Ben Engler from Occidental Brewing, Ben Flerchinger from Lucky Lab Beer Hall and Ben Love from HUB will be present with beer from their respective brewery.

Since brewers named Ben are outside of the Portland city limits, a special keg was reserved for BenFest from some Ben brewers in Alaska. Ben Johnson of Midnight Sun and Ben Millstein of Kodiak Island Brewing are sending Midnight Benshine a black imperial stout, aged on oak with bretanomyces. The beer was brewed with Falconers Flight. Your duty tonight is to ask the Bens what is special about Falconers Flight.

T-shirts will be available for $15, so don't miss the chance to have the Bens of Brewing immortalized on your chest.

Photo copyright PortlandBeer.org by Matt Wiater

The Next Few Days

2011-07-23T11:45:00.000-07:00

Quick quick! I have to share this. Don't be left out of history. Most people that I know will be at the following events. I happed to know some very cool and smart people.

Brewers Feud at Migration Brewing. Saturday 2:00pm-6:00pm

LOLA/Sarevza Women in Beer Celebration Saturday, all day with special tappings of LOLA brewed Hibiscus IPA and Urthel Saison at 7:00pm

BenFest at Grain & Gristle, starting at 5:00pm

Tap it Tuesday, Live Bourbonic, Cascade Barrel House 6:00pm

Puckerfest

2011-07-17T19:01:00.000-07:00

I hope that you are having an excellent July so far. I hope that you have drank new beer, met the person brewing your favorite beer and made new beer friends. Below is another event that you must attend or your Oregon Craft Beer Month will not be complete.

I have attended almost every Puckerfest. I started because the idea of a festival geared toward, "funky beers," now routinely called, "sour beers," in the Portland area, was very unique. A time when you could taste several different beers from around the world made with a variety of controlled infections and wild yeasts. Now every night is dedicated to a different local brewery. Meet the Brewer events are scheduled on most of those nights. This event has become one of the most popular pastimes during Oregon Craft Beer Month. If you can only make one night, that will have to do, just don't miss the opportunity to try some funky beers crafted with love by Oregon brewers.

Monday 7/18 Flat Tail Brewing
Tuesday 7/19 Double Mountain
Wednesday 7/20 Upright Brewing
Thursday 7/21 Block 15 Brewery
Saturday 7/23 Big Horse Brewery

Belmont Station
4500 SE Stark St
Portland, OR 97215

Bless Us Portland For We Have Sinned

2011-07-15T05:00:00.000-07:00

Portland Beer and Music contributer Jim Bonomo recently got a look into the next wave of Pyramid Brewing in Portland and beyond.

Jim's report for those of us who care on a different level.

Pyramid is dropping the ‘Haywire’ moniker from their award-winning “northwest version” of hefeweizen. That’s the big news. Unfortunately, such matters are more interesting to people who buy beers based on names, labels, imagery, and advertisements. Apparently, the rock climbers portrayed on the most recent incarnation of the Pyramid bottles weren’t sold on what Pyramid brand manager Ryan Daley referred to as a “lifestyle” marketing approach.

What will interest our readers is what Pyramid plans to do going forward, taking a prodigal-son-eats-crow approach which will see a “fundamental shift back to basics”. Words like “heritage” and “legacy” were used in describing the future of both Pyramid’s marketing approach as well as forthcoming label designs (which are still in the test marketing phase).

What does this mean for the craft beer drinker? For starters, we will see more experimental test batches. Currently, 125 bbl is the smallest brewable batch in the Pacific Northwest. This massive number has put limits on the amount of playfulness that the brewers are allowed. In the coming weeks, a 15 bbl pilot system will be revitalized in Seattle, where roving brewer Tom Bleigh will play mad scientist as time permits. A barrel program has been instituted in the Portland location; currently 14 barrels including Ransom Gin, Ransom Whiskey, and Jack Daniels are full of various one-offs and big beers for draft release in local markets. Bleigh plans to add 4 new (as yet unknown) brands to the Pyramid family in coming months, as well as 4 new oak barrels for aging. During a recent press event, Bleigh spoke cryptically about being in the early planning stages of a Pyramid/Magic Hat collaboration beer. As long as it’s not a double apricot, I think we’ll be OK.

Most exciting is the prospect of a “Legacy Series”, which would bring back defunct brands currently in the Pyramid-owned lineup. A new version of MacTarnahan’s Blackwatch Cream Porter was recently brewed under the name Humbug’r, and several other brands were mentioned for potential future inclusion: Benchmark Old Ale, Uncle Otto’s Weiss Beer, Zig-Zag lager, and the late 90’s nerd-staples from Saxer.

If something positive for the craft consumer comes out of a marketing shitstorm, so be it. Lesson learned, it seems, and a renewed dedication to pleasing the local and informed beer shopper can only be a step in the right direction for the oft-ignored NAB conglomerate. Pyramid got my attention earlier this year with their fantastic Outburst Imperial IPA, and they’ve earned my trust. At least for a while.

Brewcycle is bar biking, not bar hopping.

2011-07-11T09:20:00.000-07:00

Ben Flerchinger and the Lab crew on a trial run

Brewcycle is a new method of bar biking in town. Andrea Lins and Charlie Riegelman recently moved to Portland and knew how important the beer and bicycles are in the city. Inspired by a vehicle seen in Europe, they purchased the bicycle from a builder in Savannah, GA. The bike has a driver seat and six bicycle seats with pedals on either side of the bar area situated in the center of the vehicle. There is a small bench in the back that seats two adults.

Everyone contributes to the movement of the bike! The community vehicle is powered by you. You can get a little workout in between pubs and get to each one faster than on foot. You don’t have to park your car or even lock your own bike, so this might be the fastest way to move between NW breweries.

"best time you'll ever have on four wheels" is Brewcycle's motto

The owners are working with the city of Portland on routes that don’t interfere will traffic. Right now they are making the Northwest Portland round between Lucky Lab Beer Hall, New Old Lompoc, Bridgeport Brewing and Rogue Brewing. Their permit was set to be granted on July 8^th. Brewcycle had to get a new type of permit as there was no vehicle like theirs on the road in Portland. Similar to the Pedicab permit, the proprietors worked diligently with city officials to write a new code for granting the appropriate permit.

Andrea says, “We love the atmosphere, we love the clientele, these are the people that we want to hang out with,” So call or email Andrea and get your tour booked on the Brewcycle.

brewcycleportland@gmail.com
andrea.ab.lins@gmail.com
971-400-5950
262-721-7911

Andrea Lins

Mt. Tabor Brewing Update

2011-07-08T07:59:00.000-07:00

Initial Mountain

Eric has a coat on, it was still cold outside

Eric Surface relocated Mt. Tabor Brewing to Vancouver, WA earlier this year. Read about the history of the brewery here. Once he found a location, the restorations began. Most commercial rental properties are not brewery ready. Between tap lines, walk in coolers, tanks and storage areas, Eric has done as much as he can on his own.

This summer, it is looking like a real brewpub. Eris is excited to get back in the game and most of his licensing has been approved. Industry pros, like Van Havig have visited the new location and Eric has welcomed all tips and tricks. Since Beetje Brewing is doing a similar project in SE Portland, Eric and Mike Wright, Beetje brewer/owner chat several times a week so it is a team effort to make the transitions happen.

Coolers come in puzzle pieces

Brewing Equipment, it is starting to look real

Eric already has glassware and a toilet, so there isn’t much more to go. I first met Eric at a Meet the Brewer event at The Beermongers in July of 2010. The Asylum Ave IPA had an impressive depth of Amarillo hops and the Calf Stout was a great example of a NW Stout, hoppy and rich, but highly drinkable. The beers were standouts among beers that were available during Oregon Craft Beer Month 2010.

The official opening date is not set, but you can follow Mt. Tabor Brewing on Facebook and Twitter for updates. And it will be okay to bring some kids, there will be sidewalk chalk.

Required Events:

2011-06-30T17:02:00.000-07:00

Since the Oregonian pullout about Craft Beer Month was released this week, people are planning for events in July. There are limitless possibilities, but here are some of the events that are worth going out of your way to attend. Some are not in the pull out, but they will still be fantastic opportunities for excellent beer.

Every Friday: New Old Lompoc, 1616 NW 23^rd Ave.
Zach Beckwith has built his own Randall style piece of machinery and will pour a different IPA through it every Friday.

Every Tuesday: Cascade Barrel House, 939 SE Belmont St.
A live barrel is tapped at 6pm every Tuesday. Get there early to get a seat close to the Sour Shower.

Everything at The Beermongers, 1125 SE Division St.
And while you are there, the staff will help you start your cellar collection.

Friday 7/1: Boneyard IPA Night 6PM

Friday 7/8: Bend Beer Night 6PM

Friday 7/15: McTarnahan’s & Pyramid Brewers Night 6PM

Friday 7/22: Oregon Farmhouse Brewers Night 6PM

Wednesday 7/6: Night of the Alsatian Blondes, Breakside Brewing, 820 NE Dekum St.

A horizontal tasting of four Belgian blonde ales each aged with a different French white wine grape.

Saturday 7/23:

Brewer’s Feud at Migration Brewing, 2828 NE Glisan St.
Brewers and Industry members will be in a game show hosted by Ben Flerchinger, Lucky Lab Beer Hall brewer. 2pm-5pm

LOLA: A Day of Celebrating Women in Beer, Saraveza Bottle Shop, 1004 N Killingsworth. The taps will be taken over all day by female brewed beers including a special tapping of a LOLA/Coalition collaboration Hibiscus IPA at 7:00pm and Meet the Brewer event.

Monday 7/25:

BenFest, Grain & Gristle, 1473 NE Prescott St.
5PM, Brewpublic and Portland Beer & Music bring you a celebration of brewers named Ben. We have no less than 6 in the Portland area and over a dozen in the Pacific Northwest. These guys deserve their own night. Several new Ben beers will be released and Bens will be there so you can say, “I’ve Ben drinking.”

Saturday 7/30:

Fringe Fest, Belmont Station, 4500 SE Stark St.
Beers and Brewers not in the OBF. Last year at Fringefest, I had some of the best beer that Oregon has to offer. It was one of the highlights of Oregon Craft Beer Month 2010.

Zach Beckwith of New Old Lompoc

2011-06-28T09:02:00.000-07:00

Beer from Lompoc Brewing has been a Portland craft beer staple for some time. There have been many different brewers and different beers at Lompoc through the years, but one consistent characteristic of the brewery is excellence. Zach Beckwith is one of the brewers continuing the Lompoc family tradition of providing great beer. Since early 2009, Zach has brewed at New Old Lompoc on NW 23^rd Ave.. Before landing in Oregon, Zach brewed beer at Oak Creek Brewing Company in Arizona, where he worked in both the brewpub and the brewery production facility.

Zach moved to Portland with his wife Jessica, a Portland native. His time in Arizona was spent making, “normal beers,” the generally accepted ambers, pales, etc. Upon his arrival in Portland, Zach went to several breweries (and several times) in search of work. Even with years of professional experience, he was still competing with other brewers who could match his own. But not all of the competition could match his heart and persistence. In the end, Zach ended up volunteering some of his time for Lompoc’s famous winter beer release month, and the former brewer at the NW location saw something special in Zach and recommended him as his replacement.

New Old Lompoc is still a small batch brew system, and Zach appreciates the freedom that he has been given by Lompoc owner, Jerry Fechter. Several seasonals and most of the Lompoc’s one-off beers are produced at the historic Nob Hill neighborhood brewery. Lompoc has a history of ensuring that they have something special at most events and festivals, like the Organic Notorious IPA, which was brewed by Zach for NAOBF.

Another great Zach beer in recent memory is the 2010 Crystal Missile. The Crystal Missile is, “one of the most fun beers to brew,” says Zach, and it was one of the Portland Beer and Music crew’s favorite fresh hop beers to drink. He drove to the hop farm to retrieve the fresh hops. When fresh hop season comes, some beers get lost in the mix, but the Crystal Missile had the signature Northwest hop profile, while still being able to taste other ingrediants.

Zach knew he wanted to be a brewer at age seventeen. On his eighteenth birthday, his dad bought him a homebrew kit, and he quickly made the transition to all grain brewing by building his own system. Growing up in Michigan meant that Zach had access to the stellar products from Bell’s Brewery, New Holland Brewing and many other Michigan breweries, and Zach used Ratebeer.com to rate them before that site was cool. He brewed in college at friends’ apartments and even ran a small “brew school” where he was able to share his knowledge of the beauty of craft beer.

The University of Michigan had an essay requirement for entrance when Zach applied, and when the question, “What book changed your life,” was posed to Zach, well, any home brewer knows what book he picked.

Zach is honest about how physical the work of brewing is and he knows it's not all drinking and glory. Running hoses back and forth between tanks is a big part of the day, and that day does not conform to regular business hours. Even on his days off, Zach regularly comes in to check gravity and temperatures. “Dealing with a living product, it doesn’t keep a schedule,” rolls off his tongue as if he has made that point to people many times in his life. There is one task that many brewers will describe by telling you what muscles they use…the mash-out (or grain-out or bail-out) uses the abs and biceps. Generally, it involves a lot of pulling, but Zach has one of the most challenging mash-outs in Portland. He stands over the tank on a stepladder and uses a five gallon bucket to remove spent grain. He balances, scoops, lifts, dumps and repeats. He isn’t sad or frustrated when talking about a task that most brewers don’t have to get very creative with at any time during their careers. “It’s all about the love. I made it and I like to see people drinking and enjoying the product.”

When Zach is not at work, he enjoys spending time with his wife, hiking, disc golf, and tasting beer. He enjoys stouts during the winter and hoppy beers during the summer. He also likes to, “see what my friends in the industry are doing.” Zach started out as a beer geek and still is one at heart.

Zach is constantly working on making every one of the beers he makes better. He believes that, “real craft brewing is constantly working on developing a beer over time into a better beer.” He appreciates when brewers try to brew beers they don’t particularly like. Zach does this, and, “it is a challenge,” but he seems to manage.

Zach would, of course, like more people to come visit New Old Lompoc on NW 23^rdAve.He says, “I am laid back, the pub is laid back.” One of the best patios in town is housed in the back of the pub. Portland Beer and Music can attest to the quality of the service too. Friendly, knowledgeable servers are always ready to help with beer recommendations and questions.

The ever growing Lompoc empire has a new grain silo at 5^th Quadrant and and has expanded the hours at Sidebar, but you can always be sure to find special beers made by a special brewer at New Old Lompoc on NW 23^rd Ave.

Read about the Not So Pro Beer Blogger's trip to New Old Lompoc.

Things That I Am Doing This Weekend

2011-06-24T12:17:00.000-07:00

NAOBF (North American Organic Beer Festival):

The best part of the festival, of course is the beer, but the venue is amazing. The sun drenched Overlook Park has plenty of room to walk around, socialize and simply enjoy the scenery. The music is an added bonus which you won’t find at all beer festivals.

Make sure you bring 3 cans of food or your Trimet ticket for a discount on festival admission. The cans will be donated and taking Trimet is the only logical way to get there, not only because your carbon footprint is reduced, but there is little to no parking in the neighborhood.

Some of the beers are available year round, but some are brewed just for the NAOBF. For some brewers this is their first time brewing a beer with organic ingredients. I am looking forward to the Beetje Tonic 42, the Lompoc Notorious IPA and the Natian Brewing CDA.

Gorge Blues and Brews:

This event is a great opportunity to travel to Stevenson, WA for beer, wine and music. Since the Gorge is a tourist destination this time of year, it is a great way to showcase Pacific Northwest beverages and the overall cool factor of the region.

This year there is more food options and a family friendly atmosphere will make it even better. This is from their press release, “Along with our traditional summertime barbecue entrees, we're introducing new flavors to mix and match with your beverages, including gyros, tacos, burritos, grilled salmon and wraps. Another new feature will be a designated child care zone courtesy of Child of Mine Early Learning Center. Space will be limited.”

The Best Portland Beer Fest You’ve Never Heard Of: Bill & Bill’s 6th Annual Brewfest

2011-06-14T05:00:00.000-07:00

By Jim Bonomo

I recently ventured cautiously up to Northeast Portland and saw a rather ordinary house standing in front of me, I had no idea what bacchanalian excess of craft beer would eventually be revealed in the backyard. Two local home brewers named Jared and George (aka Bill & Bill) brew all year long in order to fully stock fifteen plus taps with rotating beers all day long, for one day, once every year. This year was the sixth annual Bill & Bill’s Brewfest, yet it was the first time I’d heard anything about it.

Bill & Bill (Jared and George) at the taps

A friend from San Diego was invited as a guest brewer, which put this event on my typically keen radar. Another local Portland guest brewer showcased two beers, one of which was a spot-on Gumballhead clone called ‘Douchebaghead’ . Between the four brewers, there were 23 styles of beer, 40+ kegs and hundreds of gallons of excellent brew. All involved seem to have loftier commercial aspirations for their recipes, and the event provided valuable feedback from both homespun pros and regular Joes. A popular choice from the Bills was their Illegal ALEian, a self-described ‘microlite’ which started as a Corona clone, but morphed into a hoppy amber steam-style beer over the years to satisfy changing palates. Technically speaking, their hefe and dunkel showed signs of professional quality beer in the making, and were surely the two most solid of their selections. The pair shot for the moon with a Pliny the Elder clone which seemed quite popular with the crowd, but the best of their lot was the flawless Ugly Betty blonde ale which was the perfect poundable sessioner for an 80+ degree Portland afternoon.

I had to make it over to try Eric’s SoCal-inspired beers, of which he had 10 rotators over the course of the day. The most popular and certainly most sessionable was a clone of the Stone/Ballast Point/North Park collaboration West Coast Bitter made in conjunction with the original brewer. The 4% IPA was full of flavor and bitterness yet totally chugworthy. His Maori IPA brought together several varieties of NZ hops, bringing a distinct OJ flavor without the use of peels or oils. An expertly aged Wee Heavy was a nice evening sipper, but it was the ‘Cosby’ which piqued the beer nerd interest: a huge Imperial Stout brewed with Jell-O Pudding.

Not only did the California contingent bring homebrews, but a dozen or more growlers were stashed away in their cool boxes. Beers were sampled from Ballast Point (barrel-aged Tongue Buckler, Piper Down, Sculpin), Alpine (Ugly, Nelson), Pizza Port (Bacon & Eggs, Poor Man’s IPA, Killer Dana, Cho-Saiko), and many more. The Poor Man’s IPA, with its resiny, oily body and lemon-tinged, grassy finish, may just be the best Double IPA this note-taker has ever consumed, ever. Traders need to get right on this stuff.

Eric Worthington from La Mesa, California ready to pour his guest beers

In addition to all of this beer, the $15 cover charge included the entertainment of a live band, some comfortable surroundings, and all you can eat from a hearty BBQ spread. The rec room of this Northeast abode was converted to an actual bar complete with billards and brewery-themed mural, which opened out on a large deck with installed 10-tap bar, which led to the tented yard complete with seating for 50+ people. The environment provided the perfect mix of beer geek pleasing variety and a crowd-phobic comfort zone. Also, for an event with great beer, you had a very low geek factor. The need to dissect everything I put in my mouth was not present, and I was able to balance my serious tasting with some more frivolous imbibing.

Perusing the tap list/scorecard

I can’t imagine that the Bill & Bill’s crew made any money on this adventure, so what’s the point? Are they trying to get their name out there in to the local beer world? Do they just want to throw their friends (and friends of their friends) an awesome annual party? These types of questions were met with mysterious responses. If I was a betting man, I’d imagine we’ll see some of these brewers crafting ales and lagers in a professional capacity somewhere down the road. I couldn’t nail them down to any specific plans, but a shifty sideways smile and wink seemed to accompany the responses to those inquiries. They definitely dug the idea of this article and the chance to spread the word about their adventure into the world of beer.

Now for the big question which I’m sure you’re all ready to ask: How do I get invited to this? Answer: Keep your eyes and ears open. Find the guys on facebook. Put $15 in your piggy bank. Keep your fingers crossed.

Beer and Protection

2011-06-10T06:58:00.000-07:00

The Portland Fruit Beer Fest is getting quite a bit of buzz because it is the first of its kind in this area and the lineup is stacked with beers, many of which you will only have the opportunity to try if you attend. Ezra Johnson-Greenough has been working for months to bring you the event and you can read about many of the local bloggers’ takes here.

It's Pub Night
Brewpublic

PortlandBeer.org

Not So Pro Beer Blog

Beervana

Even though the beers are expected to be great, it is still an outdoor festival, so here are some reminders on how to prepare.

Bring your own bottled water. Water should be used for hydration of your body, but also for rinsing your glass as needed. As much as you try to swallow the last few drops of beer at the bottom of your glass, there will be residual beer in it. Rinse stations may be available, but to avoid lines, it is okay to bring your own water.

Apply sunscreen before you leave home and bring the bottle with you. The weather is prepared to cooperate, with about seventy-two degrees as the high and mostly sunny. You will be there for several hours, not just trying beers, but socializing with your old friends and you are bound to make some new ones. Reapply the sunscreen as needed.

Wear sunglasses. Even if the clouds make an appearance, you should still plan to protect your retinal health. Squinting is exhausting, so you will make it longer if you don’t wear out your eyes.

Carry a small backpack or a large purse. Make sure there is enough room to carry your tasting glass home. This will prevent the possibility of dropping it and the coverage will be discreet if you take the bus home.

Speaking of transportation, because of the location you have several options to get to Burnside Brewing Company and back. The Brewvana bus is available for a special price that includes a ride to and from and the tasting glass and tickets. On Trimet, the #20 bus runs on Burnside Street, the #15 bus runs on Belmont Street. Check Trimet for route information.

The last thing to do is to thank Ezra when you see him. Thank him for giving you the opportunity to try several fruit beers in one place. Thank him for the location and the affordability of the Portland Fruit Beer Fest. As usual, the most important thing is to have fun.

Beer Organized

2011-06-08T10:46:00.000-07:00

July is Oregon Craft Beer Month. There are festivals, beer release parties, beer dinners, and other beer-related events. So how do you keep track of everything?

You can rely on publications such as the annual insert from the Oregonian, but there will be events that don’t have a lot of notice. The first thing that you do is make sure that you are available and in Oregon for the month of July. Next, keep a calendar within close proximity of your body at all times. If you have a smart phone, use the calendar app or another option in your email calendar. Most free email accounts such as YAHOO and GOOGLE have free calendars already built in. Even if you have to carry a piece of paper in your pocket, just have some source that you can refer to and to document dates. You have already been looking for a reason to, “get organized,” so here it is.

The next step is a Twitter account. You don’t need a fancy handle and if you are concerned about privacy, then enter something besides your name in the, “Name,” field. It is common to put the handle name in the, “Name,” field. There is no requirement for a picture, if you don’t upload one then it will default to the Twitter egg. Twitter is a great way to get a short amount of information out and quickly, so by following beer related Twitter accounts, you will receive notifications of all different types of events.

Next, you might be wondering who to follow on Twitter. The best place to start by viewing the list of who your friends follow or who follows your favorite brewery or pub. These lists are public, so there is no extra work in following people from your friends list. It can become a little intimidating following hundreds of different Twitter accounts, but keep in mind, most people don’t constantly tweet all day long. You always have the option to stop following someone who is not providing you with the type of information that you are looking for.

Facebook is a great option for looking at more detailed information on events. You can, “Like,” the places or people that you are interested in following. The same concept applies to Facebook as it does to Twitter, check out what your friends like or what the beer geeks are following.

Whether you use Facebook or Twitter, check the feed at least twice per day. I will warn you, it is addictive.

If you are the kind of person that needs to have more notice and plan things out a little further, still use your calendar function, but there are some websites that do an excellent job of posting events. Oregon Brewers Guild, BrewPublic and PortlandBeer.org are the best websites for event listings. They update their sites regularly and work vey hard to bring you a comprehensive listings of events.

Some of the best events in July are Meet the Brewer sessions. These are held all over the state. Drinking a beer with the person who brewed it, is a privilege that most people in the United States don’t get to experience. Go to as many of these as you can. They are held not only at breweries, but many bottle shops and good beer bars will host brewers and their beers.

Maybe you simply want a short list of recommended events. If so, pay attention to the people who have a palate similar to yours. There might be a blogger that you follow, if so, then watch for their recommendations. Talk to your favorite Beertenders at craft beer bars. Whatever your preferred method of information, websites, blogs, social media sites, newspapers or verbal interaction, just get it done. Make that calendar, carry it with you, and keep watching for updates.

The most important thing to do during July is to have fun. If you live in Oregon, you have elite access to some the best beers in the country. Do not pass up the chance to be a part of the amazing beer experience that is Oregon Craft Beer Month.

LOLA Brew Day

2011-05-23T07:02:00.000-07:00

LOLA or Ladies of Lagers and Ales was born out of some girlfriends having a normal hang out at Horse Brass in 2010. Margaret Lut called some of her friends. They realized that a group of women were sitting together who either were in the beer industry or married to or partnered with a man in the industry. Ultimately, these women knew their beer. Since the inception, there have been some social events including a Cascade Barrel House Tour. In April, LOLA brewed a beer at the Lucky Lab Beer Hall. Ben Flerchinger, a brewer at “The Lab,” as regular patrons call it, watched over and instructed the LOLA team through the process of brewing on one of the seven-barrel systems.

Educated drinkers and home brewers took part in the event and did it all. From recipe development to milling the grain to the mash out to the hops measurement to the cleanup and every hose change in between.

Start up

Amy Welch started the earliest by milling grain and just like any other brewer, got covered in grain dust. After getting the boil started the ladies tasted some Lucky Lab beer and when the temperature hit 150 degrees, everybody hurried back to the brewery. Some people were fascinated by watching the action in the tank, some by seeing the grain being moved. For some of the members, this was their first experience in a brewery and it was great insight into how physical the work was, but also the constant movement of the hoses and clamps. People new to brewing finished up with a better appreciation of where their beer comes from. Everybody took part in the mash out and some of the biggest smiles were during the hop measurement process. Pitching the yeast got a little tricky, because of the timing, but with Ben’s coaching the ladies made it happen. Amy Marvin scrubbed the tank when things were winding down and a photo of that moment in time was captured by Margaret and has been one of the most talked about photos of that day.

Cheers

Amy Marvin Cleaning photo taken by Margaret Lut.

The release party of the Kolsch is schedule for June 7^th at 4:30pm at Lucky Lab Beer Hall on NW Quimby. Recently some of the ladies returned to take a portion of the Kolsch that was brewed to create a cherry Kolsch that will debut at the Portland Fruit Beer Fest. LOLA members will be around to talk about the experience and the beer. Also, LOLA members will be brewing at Coalition Brewing soon and more details will come.

From LOLA:

For the kolsch:
This brew is a first for the Ladies of Lagers and Ales (LOLA) crew with no less than a dozen women breaking a sweat on a sunny day in April at the Lucky Labrador Beer Hall on NW Quimby. Under the watchful eye of Lab Brewdog Ben Flerchinger, this beer was brewed with Golden Promise and flavored with Munich, Wheat & Honey malt. Then CTZ hops were added for bitterness and Fuggles for aromatics. A Kölsch yeast was used to give it a bready, lemony, and mildly dank character.

This beer was brewed by the ladies to be enjoyed by everyone!

Read more about the current state of LOLA on Brewpublic.

If you are a woman in the greater Portland area who enjoys good craft beer then you are already a member of LOLA. Please join the Facebook group or if you are interested in hosting an event, please email ladiesoflagersandales@gmail.com. LOLA has plans to have other brew sessions as well as conduct other social events around the Portland area, so join in!

Diary Entry from Boonville

2011-05-19T12:19:00.000-07:00

Jim Bonomo, a Portland area beer activist went to Boonville last weekend. After reading this, you will start making arrangements to attend next year.

Friday:
Departed 4:00 am from Portland in a rental Camry

Stopped in Ashland, OR around 8:30 to visit Caldera Brewing and rendevouz with the Oakshire Brewing crew, who we were rolling in with for the VIP camping access. The brewery was quite the intimate operation, but their canning line and general space made my old canning brewery-standard New England Brewing Company look like a closet.

Land is cheap in Ashland, I guess. Met with Adam the brewer (formerly of Standing Stone) who gave us glasses and showed us to the taps. I went straight for the Rauch Ur-Bock, which is their best beer by far and perfect for breakfast. Closest to Schlenkerla I've had. Went through splashes of Southside Strong and Dry Hop Orange as well- both brough their date D to the party, but were quaffable nonetheless. Someone from Oakshire puked next to our rental, but I'm not pointing any fingers.

Puked out, we gassed up and hit the road.

Stopped in Redding, CA for In-n-Out since we're typical tourist types from Oregon. 2x4 with whole grilled onions, chilies on the side, well-done fries & Neapolitan shake. Perfect ass fuel for the remaining 4 hour drive. Hit Bevmo! next door, but it was a joke at best.. wasn't really in the mood for Lost Abbey or Cave Creek Chili Beer (just about the only things there I can't get in OR.. no Ballast Point??)

Hit Boonville around 4pm and checked in to the brewery. After some ticket misunderstandings, we met up with the guys from Ninkasi who were saving us a campsite. We set up tents, and created our little kitchen/taproom under a big tent. Around 4:30 we were drinking Oakshire Missing Link IPA under the trees with clouds of herb surrounding us. It was a beautiful day and once the glasses were empty, we decided to walk from campsite to campsite sampling different beers. Here were some highlights:

Mike McDole/Russian River collab Janet's Brown: sort of an imperial brown ale all hopped up like DFH IBA used to be. really excellent

Totally Awesome Pale Ale (?) from Pizza Port SB: perfect warm weather beer. light and leafy. many glasses of this were consumed from a jockey box pretty much right next to our tent

Redwood Curtain Brewing, everything: this new brewery from Arcata knocked every beer they served out of the park.. they had a maibock, dubbel, double ipa, and belgian porter that were all essentially flawless. Which is surprising as all the brewers seemed totally out of it.. then again, so was I. Anyway, this brewery should be on all CA peoples' radar.

Uncommon Brewing's American Special Bitter: this was a 15% strong ale with an insanely deceptive name. it had some great flavor, slightly sweet and boozy but in a satisfying, brown sugary dessert way. they claim they will be canning this in 8oz stubbies, which would be classic.

City Beer Anniversary IPA from Speakeasy: big citrus with balanced malt presence. another poundable under the sun

RR Erudition: always skipped this at the pub, but hearing some recommendations i sought it out. was glad i did. had body and flavor for a light beer, which was necessary around the time i had it

Probably the best sip of anything I had that night was some cask strength Heaven Hill bourbon that Mad River brewing filtered and bottled out of a barrel they acquired to age John Barleycorn's. I will remember that flavor for quite some time and definitely will compare future bourbons to it.

When the sun went down, we made it back to camp to chill around the fire and crack open some bottles. The generous beer sharers of Boonville pretty much ensured that everyone went to bed with a very nice one tied on, floating on a cloud. Strangely enough, I didn't see many campers who had exceeded their limits, and people actually treated the port-o-potties with respect. I guess people were gearing up for the big day ahead.. I was considering sleep when the band (Humboldt Firkin Tappers, a kick ass brass band) kicked in to full gear. Went over to watch them for a bit then made it back to my tent.

Saturday:

Woke up around 9am to Matt from Oakshire cooking breakfast burritos with some steak he had seasoned with the help of homebrew chef Sean Paxton. These definitely did not suck. Enjoyed a tall boy of Ft George Vortex IPA with my burrito and then got ready for the fest, which we had to head over to around 11 for set-up and pre-public arrival tasting. Hit the AVBC tasting room to take a shit in a flushing toilet, which surprisingly not many people had though of. Looked at the board, and was intrigued by a brandy-barrel barleywine. They were out, no problem. Hung outside the tasting room for another 10 minutes to scalp my extra ticket, which was also not a problem.

The fest was at the Boonville fairgrounds, about a mile walk from the brewery. On the way, we found a taco shack which seemed like a must-stop. Carnitas tacos rated about a B+ for me, since mine lacked gristle and the chipotle hot sauce was pretty awesome. Made it to the fest around 11:45 after a leisurely walk with picture-taking, etc. on the way.

The fest itself was pretty great. Similar setup to the east coast Belgium Comes to Cooperstown fest- 4 hours of all you can drink.. each brewery brough anywhere from 3 (Russian River, what up?!) to 10 beers. I got my 30 mins of pouring out of the way early (people were loving the Mountain Rose Gruit from Oakshire- I had many repeat customers!) and commenced the drinking. Some highlights for me were:

Lagunitas Waldo: their new 4:20-themed DIPA. This reminded me of classic hop stoopid. Hopefully they bottle this and don't screw it up like they did with the airplane glue-tinged HS.

Ballast Point Victory at Sea on nitro: Delicious dessert beer

Moonlight / everything: Thank god i got to drink some fresh Moonlight to remind me how good it is.

Cal Poly Brew Crew / most everything: I had never heard of this club, but they made some ridiculous beers. Not sure if this is a fermentation science program, homebrew club, or what. The shit was good though. Bitter and barleywine were outstanding examples in the english/west coast hybrid style.

Hitched a ride back with the Oakshire guys in their van, and made the best of my last evening at the campground. Realized I had mustard all over me as the result of drunk pretzel consumption. Hungry still, I ate a shitload of BBQ after scoring a ticket to the brewers' dinner, and pretty much just went back to the campsites where I had made a friend or tried some good beers the day before. Spent some time shooting the shit with the cats from Belmont Station. Terry ended up at Paxton's campsite eating some kriek sausages or some such nonsense while drinking blind pig, and it started to rain. This was around 9 and the rain didn't seem to be getting any better. Around that time I figured I'd take a nap and see if the rain would subside a bit. It never did, and I never woke up from my nap.

Sunday:
The next morning, we packed up all our wet shit and headed directly to Sierra Nevada. Had a delicious lunch and sampled as many of their one-offs as we could. One of the dudes was visibly ill, didn't eat his salad, and stunk up the fucking car with gorgonzola cheese and smelly ranch the whole way home. Nothing worthwhile in the gift shop, so off we went. Hit a snowstorm in southern Oregon. On May 15. WTF. Made it home by 9pm, already talking about next year.

I took A LOT of pictures, and you can selectively peruse them here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/goodbyeohio/sets/72157626739003964/
Cheers!

Beercycling Summer Vacation is Still Available

2011-05-16T19:51:00.000-07:00

Beercycling.com has announced the addition of 10-day cycling tours in thehttp://beercycling.com/belgium-trip-itinerary/
“We consider cycling to be an essential part of our tours; however, all of our guided trips have been
designed with the beer enthusiast in mind,” said Cohan.
Beercycling.com is an outdoor adventure company that specializes in bicycle tours for beer
connoisseurs. Each tour provides clients with an insight about the beer making process, access to
samples of rare beers, and a feeling of accomplishment from a great workout. Whether it be
cycling through small villages and farms in Belgium, exploring
exploring the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, or
experiencing one of Portland, Oregon’s forty-seven breweries – the Beercycling guides have done
the planning, sampling, and are committed to providing the best possible travel experience to
clients and fellow beer lovers.
In addition to tasting some of the world’s greatest beers, the Beercycling Team acknowledges that a
bicycle is still a vehicle which requires alertness and balance. Beercycling travel agents advise all
potential clients that the company does not promote drinking and driving. Cohan stated, “Pub
crawls have their time and place, but true beercyclists understand the quality over quantity
principle.”
For more information on Beercycling, please contact Evan Cohan at
at
(805) 794-0300 or via emailevan@beercycling.com. Information is also available on the internet at www.beercycling.com orwww.facebook.com/beercycling) and Twitterwww.twitter.com/beercycling).

Below is info on how to reserve you space for a beer and bicycle themed vacation through Belgium. This company has been featured in the Oregonian and the only thing more Portland than beer and bicycles is taking your two loves to Belgium.

ADVENTURE TRAVEL COMPANY OFFERS BELGIUM BEERCYCLING TOURS

PORTLAND, OR –

Flanders region of Belgium. The dates of these tours will be from July 10th to July 19th and August

28th to September 6th, 2011

“Belgium is a must for any craft beer lover,” says Evan Cohan, Beercycling European Guide and

Company Photographer. “Some of our clients have even called it a religious experience in

fermentation.”

The ten-day Northern Belgium tours include exploring scenic landscapes in quest for the ultimate

Trappist Beer. Small villages, farms, medieval cities, and unbelievable beer cafes await participants

of this amazing, unique cycling experience. The tours will start in Brussels and includes hotel

accommodations, two knowledgeable guides, bicycle rental and repairs, brewery entrance fees, and

many meals throughout the trip. The Flanders landscape is extremely flat; therefore, this is

considered a beginner/intermediate level trip. A complete itinerary is available

at:

Beer & Cheesecake

2011-05-09T05:00:00.000-07:00

Last weekend hosted some great opportunities to sample phenomenal amounts of beer related events in Oregon. The end of Eugene Beer Week, the Apex Anniversary, The Saison Fest at Cascade Barrel House, Pelican Brewing’s 15^th anniversary and several other events. One event in particular stood out as it was the first of its kind. Sarah Pederson of Saraveza and Lisa Morrison aka The Beer Goddess held a Mother’s Day beer and cheesecake pairing event, where proceeds went to the Pink Boots Society.

“Help your mom discover her perfect craft beer and cheesecake pair! (or just come and tell your mom about it later!)” is part of their description and that is exactly what I did. I called my mom afterwards and told her what I did for Mother’s Day. She lives in another state, so my mom was there in spirit.

The cheesecake flavors and beers are below.

Block 15 Bourbon Bleu cheesecake with Bacon Balsamic Reduction

Vanilla Cheesecake, chocolate cookie crust with salted peanut-caramel

Goat Cheese Chipotle Swirl cheesecake with toasted pumpkin seed and tortilla crust

Hair of the Dog Cherry Adam cheesecake

Alaskan Smoked Porter cheesecake

New York Style cheesecake

Alaskan Smoked Porter

Hair of the Dog Cherry Adam

Alameda Yellow Wolf IPA

Pike Brewing Tandem Double Ale

Barley Brown’s Whiskey Malt Ale

Victory Prima Pils

Southern Tier Choklat

Oud Beersel Framboise

Instead of doing a tasting menu and serving the beers paired with a corresponding cheesecake, you received a glass of each beer and a piece of each cheese cake. Sarah and Lisa were available for recommendations, but they really encouraged people to try various pairings and find out what each person enjoyed the most.

The results of the most popular pairings can be found on Lisa’s website here. The cost was $30 with 100% of the proceeds going to P.B.S., since all of the beer, desserts, and space were donated.

I hope to see this event again because food and beer pairings are one of the most important ways to bring people together with different levels of beer enjoyment and the uniqueness of pairing beer and cheesecake is proof that beer is an appropriate beverage with just about anything.

More with SNOB Ritch

2011-05-05T06:37:00.000-07:00

Ritch Marvin aka SNOB Ritch, has brewed a few times on the system at Coalition Brewing that was made for the Coalitor program. Tonight at 6:00pm, his next installment will be tapped. Regardless of what type of beer you enjoy, this is a beer not to miss. Get there early as there will be a limited amount of this special beer. PB&M will be there and we hope to see you.

Rye Kölsch

What motivated you to brew a Rye Kölsch?

I really like rye beers such as Oakshire Line Dry Rye, Boulevard Rye on Rye, Founders Reds Rye IPA, Hebrew RIPA on Rye, and Bear Republic Ryevalry, so I thought it was about time to try making one myself. Although I had used rye before in Imperial Stout, I'd never used it in a lighter beer. I thought the dry, spicy characteristics of rye would be the perfect addition to a Kölsch.

Will there be a NW twist?

Just adding rye to a Kölsch, since it is not a traditional ingredient, probably constitutes a NW twist.

Many people have been working with rye recently and it does not present itself in the final product. How do you make sure that the rye comes out in this beer?

Kölsch is a light, clean beer, so I think it would be easy to over-use rye in such a beer. I wasn't trying to make liquid rye bread; rather I wanted to add a subtle complexity to the Kölsch. I actually split the batch into two, so I could try two different versions of Kölsch yeast. One version is more like a traditional Kölsch; it’s very dry and has a nice, upfront bitterness that fades quickly with a hint of rye bite at the end. The other version has a bit fuller mouth feel, lingering bitterness, with the rye flavor and spiciness throughout.

What do you like about the Coalator program?

The Coalator program at Coalition is great. It's fun working with the Coalition brewers Elan and Bruce to develop and brew your own recipe. The brewers are there with you on brew day, which can be very helpful, whether you’re a novice or a seasoned home brewer. The coolest part is to see the beer you created go on tap at the pub with friends and strangers alike buying and (hopefully) enjoying it.

Any plans for future beers that you will be brewing for public enjoyment?

In the immediate future, Breakside Brewing will have an Amarillo Wheat beer available, that Ben Edmunds and I brewed. The beer is our take on Gumball Head, hoppy wheat pale ale made by 3 Floyds in Indiana. Also, I'd like to brew another Collaborator at Coalition if they'll have me again ;-)

Read more about the specifics of the beer at The New School.

Hellshire I

2011-05-04T06:48:00.000-07:00

Bottle releases are special times when beer fans, collectors, and brewery supporters can get together and share in the anticipation of a new beverage. Oakshire Brewing is releasing Hellshire I on Saturday, May 7, 2011 at 8:00 a.m., and the day of the release event is shaping up to be a fun one.

Hellshire I is a bourbon barrel aged barleywine. Oakshire’s brewmaster Matt Van Wyk is known for Wooden Hell, a barleywine that he brewed at Flossmore Station, which has increased the hype around Hellshire I.

The early morning launch may keep some people away, but others will definitely do whatever it takes to be there. Some will travel to Oakshire in Eugene the night before, and some will set their alarms for long before the sun is up on Saturday morning. After purchasing bottles, there are people who will enjoy some coffee and beer, eat a breakfast sandwich, and quickly hit the road. Others will stay all day and attend the Sasquatch Fest that starts at noon. Whatever schedule you decide to follow, this is one trip that you should make.

One of my earliest posts on Portland Beer and Music was titled “Sometimes You Have to Leave Portland.” That’s still true! Even though Portland is Beervana, some of the most dynamic beer in the country comes from just outside of the city.

When people balk at the 8:00 a.m. start time, I giggle. Many people start work at 8:00. To them I suggest they just get up a bit earlier -- and make sure the gas tank is full. And carpool, for goodness sake! It will reduce your costs, and the trip will seem faster.

But what about the beer itself? What does it taste like? You can read a review from local beer bloggers Matt and Sanjay, but here is what some experienced Portland beer geeks had to say. This group consists of people who go to almost every bottle release around the state. They are people who properly cellar their beer, so their palates have not only tasted a lot of beers, but in many cases have tasted the same beer at different stages of its life. If you are on the fence about going to the Hellshire I release, these people’s statements should give you some good reasons to make the trip.

(For more in-depth history on Hellshire I and the events of Eugene Beer Week, read this post by Brewpublic.)

“It is hot and tannic with great potential.” - Kyle Krause

“If it tastes in the future like it smells right now, it will be great. It should be good in six to twelve months.” - Terry MacDonald

“I’m surprised at the depth of the pure bourbon barrels. Vanilla and oak from the bourbon barrels is great.” - Sam Pecoraro

“The base beer is great. The bourbon character isn’t overwhelming, but it’s good. It needs time to mellow out the boozy and rough edges. It’s an exceptional first release.” - Josh Grgas

“A whisky-dipped glazed donut.” - Matt DiTullo

“Deeply subtle caramel aroma leads quickly into harsh, bubbly and boozy abrasiveness that trumps cask strength bourbon. Needs time. Will be a great white whale in 2015.”

- Jim Bonomo

L to R: Matt Ditullo, Kyle Krause, Jim Bonomo, Derek Arent, Terry MacDonald after tasting the Hellshire I

Fun & Education

2011-05-02T09:58:00.000-07:00

People often ask me why and how do I go to so many beer events. I generally get a confused look on my face or at least ponder a little in my head. The, “how,” is planning. I sign up for email lists and follow beer blogs. Specifically, Brewpublic and the Oregon Brewers Guild website, because the events pages are accurate and updated regularly. The, “why,” is because it is a hobby.

Craft beer enjoyment is no different that any other hobby. Wind surfing takes money, time and education. Bicycling takes money, time and education. Hence, beer enjoyment is no different than any other hobby, except the social aspects are so much better. That is why Portland Cheers to Belgian Beers was such a great event this year. Beer Geeks, brewers and overall Oregon lovers came out on Saturday April 30, 2011. Even people who are not Belgian beer fans were present to enjoy talking with their favorite beer community members.

Almost every member of the beer media was their and willing to give you their favorite picks. Brewers were set up behind a long table in order to talk about their contributions. Brian Butenschoen of the Oregon Brewers Guild was supporting every aspect of the festival as well as several members of the Oregon Brew Crew. Local Beer Advocate groups shared their glasses and pourers from every good tap room in town were talking with their regular patrons.

There are frequent beer releases and Meet-the-Brewer events with special beers around town. These are great events, but festivals such as the Portland Cheers to Belgian Beers, brings people together from all parts of the Oregon beer scene. If you like events where you get a chance to talk to the person who made the beer in your hand or you like talking to people with years of beer knowledge and want to compare palates, then specialty festivals are the way to do it. That is when so many beer loving people are in the same location. The next event in a similar style as PCTBB and one where serious beer people will be is the Portland Fruit Beer Fest in June.

Regardless of your level of beer knowledge, Portland is Beervana and is in the best beer state. So start marking your calendars and be a part of the revolution.

Pubs of Portland Tours

2011-04-17T11:33:00.000-07:00

Pubs of Portland Tours by Marc Martin are a unique way to visit Portland breweries, but the real highlight of Marc’s tours is his insight into the brewing process and the history of Portland. Even professional beer geeks can learn something.

Marc uses the MAX and the Portland Streetcar to transport groups from Downtown to Nob Hill and back. I recently joined him on a tour. I’ll admit, I did start with a bad attitude, thinking, “I am not going to learn anything new,” and, “I have been to every place that he will take us.” That quickly changed at our very first stop. Prior to walking into the first brewpub, Rock Bottom, Marc talked about the history of the building and the block that houses the Rock Bottom Brewery. He explained the history of how Burnside St. got its name. Marc also talked about the history of the area between Chinatown and Downtown. I don’t frequent Rock Bottom Brewery, but it was an enjoyable experience as Marc gave everyone different hop cones and explained the purpose of hops and helped people identify the aromas from two different plants. Most of the people at the table were amazed at seeing raw ingredients. I was excited to put the leaves in my beer to enhance its flavor. Hey, if you are going to provide it, then I am going to use it.

The next stop was Lucky Lab Beer Hall on NW Quimby. While we waited for the streetcar, Marc pointed out historical buildings and important structures, including the Oatis Elevator building and the Deschutes Brewery grain silo. While on the streetcar, Marc was very attentive to his guests, reassuring them on how many stops they had to go. The Lucky Lab has taster trays made of wood with hollows for six four-ounce glasses. Bartenders identify each beer with masking tape and markers. To make the labeling process quicker, Marc labeled the trays himself and then handed them to the bartender. Marc knew every beer on tap extremely well and was able to recommend what beers should go on each tray for each drinker based on their preferences.

After Lucky Lab we traveled to Deschutes Brewery where there was a table already prepared for us. I am usually only a patron of this establishment when there is a special bottle release, so it was interesting to see what was pouring on an average Saturday. Marc carries Deschutes Brewery taster tray order papers with him. We were able to fill out our sheets prior to our server arriving at the table. Marc’s preparedness was impressive. The Hop Henge was pouring great that day, and every member of the group ordered a pretzel with cheese. Marc continued a lesson about malt that he had started at Lucky Lab. He talked about light to dark coloring while displaying examples, then talked about the percentages of each used in different styles of beer. The tour participants were excited to learn about ingredient mixing.

After Deschutes Brewery, Marc gave the group a choice between Rogue Brewery and Ringlers Annex, which is a McMenamins Brewery pub. Since most of the group was from out of town and had been exposed to Rogue’s beers through its widespread distribution, they wanted to go to the McMenamins satellite location. As a person who rarely visits any McMenamins I was hesitant, but I opted for the seasonal Irish Stout instead of a taster tray and was surprisingly impressed. It was light in body and brewed to style guidelines and had a not at all unpleasant flavor.

At this point, I assumed that the tour was winding down, since it had been several hours since we’d started. However, Marc wanted to make sure that everyone experienced a taproom, a place where people could try several Oregon beers at one location. We walked from Ringlers to Bailey’s Taproom. By this time, Marc knew everyone’s palate preference, and every participant had tried a beer from a brewery that they had never had before. Marc gave the history of Bailey’s while some people asked where they could get a maple bacon donut and others got out their Portland walking maps and asked where all of our stops were so they could circle the spots.

That was when people told me how they got on the tour. A few people were given the tour as birthday and Christmas gifts, while some simply had heard of it via word of mouth. Marc’s knowledge of beer, the brewing process, Oregon beer history, and Portland Architecture make his tour an experience that people will remember. These tours are a wonderful thing to do in Portland. They are fun, affordable, and educational. Since Portland is a premiere beer destination for full vacations, weekend excursions and even day trips, Portland Beer and Music supports Pubs of Portland Tours as an ideal option for an organized tour on which group members do very little work but get beer, history and exercise in return.

WEB in Portland

2011-04-13T07:29:00.000-07:00

From Ginger Johnson at Women Enjoying Beer:

Here's a quick update of WEB events in Portland a little later this month. WEB will be in town from midday the 20th through the morning of Sunday the 24th. Care to enjoy a beer together? Take a look at these goodies - let me know what works for you.

1. Surprise! Beer and ... Come join Women Enjoying Beer at surprise Portland location Wednesday evening April 20th. You'll find out the location when you save your adventurous seat. Plan to be able to be at a fun beer location by 7 pm (until 830ish) to learn more about beer: We'll walk through smelling and tasting your beer as well as talk about all kinds of aspects of Beer and Food (yum!).
Call me at 515.450.7757 to save your seat and for more details.
We trust that if you reserve a seat for you and friends, you'll honor that commitment (hence no pre-payments on this honor system).
It'll be very affordable and you are able to order all the beer and food you wish to enjoy (dutch treat as it were).
It's a viral invite - feel free to share with all the beer enthusiastic women you know, thanks.

2. Mmmmm Beer! Women Enjoying Beer is meeting up with all beer excited women at Burnside Brewing, Thursday April 21st. We've been in touch, they are glad to have us come be at their new establishment. Thanks to Dene for the suggestion.
Details:
At 6 pm I'll be leading everyone through the oh-so-important How to Smell and Taste Your Beer (you order on you own as well as food, we'll wrap up by 830ish). Glad to field questions as well so bring them along.
For only $5 per woman, you can save your seat to join us. It'll be on your honor (if you save a seat, you'll be there/be good for your $5) and I'll simply collect the $5/head as you join us. Burnside in not involved in reservations so please don't call them about it.
It'll be important for the success of the evening for you to reserve your spot via me (not Burnside) by Wednesday April 20th please. Call me to save your seat at 515.450.7757 or email me here.
It's viral - feel free to share with all the beer enthusiastic women you know, thanks.

3. Focus Group. Looking for a location to host a women's beer focus group as well on Friday later afternoon/into happy hour. If you can host, let me know.

Women Enjoying Beer is the industry leader in developing and serving the female craft beer consumer. We conduct research, events, train & educate, write, speak and consult with beer businesses to help them accurately market beer to women. Your participation and support are noticed and very much appreciated.

Questions? Get in touch here or call me at 515.450.7757.

We'll be bringing our full line up of Women Enjoying Beer (organic+) shirts, silver Beer Gear boxes (for all your beer stickers), (organic) Corp Hats and a few more goodies for sale with us too.

Thanks again & cheers to a great weekend -

Ginger
p.s. All WEB events are listed here - including one at The Thirsty Woman Pub, 5/14 in Mosier OR (outside of Hood River)
--
Ginger Johnson
Women Enjoying Beer (R)
Bringing Beer To Life
515.450.7757

WEB is leading the Craft/Beer Industry in Marketing Beer to Women
Listen to BeerRadio Wednesdays 5 - 6 pm, Pacific Time. Streamable/archived at KSKQ.org

www.womenenjoyingbeer.com
Twitter @WomenEnjoyBeer
Facebook Women Enjoying Beer
LinkedIn Ginger Johnson

Ben Edmunds Makes Good Beer

2011-04-05T19:50:00.000-07:00

Breakside Brewery is once again going strong with the small batch one-offs on Wednesdays. Most of my visits to Breakside have been on Wednesday to get a taste of what Ben Edmunds, head brewer, does with low ABV beers and lesser known styles. He consistently brews beer that are complex in flavor, and he will discuss any aspect of the brewing process that you are interested in. The passion that Ben has for beer comes through in every sip of his experimental beers and in my experience they run out fast. The Wednesday special releases are tapped at 3:00pm. Below is the current schedule and descriptions provided by Breakside.

Additionaly, Ben teamed up with, “SNOB” Ritch aka Ritch Marvin, home brewer and The New School contributor. Their collaboration is to be released later in April. Every time that “SNOB” Ritch has brewed at Coalition Brewing, using the Coalator program, his beer ran out hours after tapping. Based on how well beers have been crafted by both Ben Edmunds and, “SNOB” Ritch, a brew from both of them should be fantastic and without even a taste, I am willing to bet money that it will most likely be one of the best beers of 2011. Regardless of the style, these two brewers put out phenomenal products.

April 6 Extra Light English Pale A true bitter, brewed to a whopping 3.9% ABV and loaded with hop character. Sometimes experimental brewing means packing as much flavor as you can into a very light beer.

April 13 Night of the Dry Hops! In the spirit of the popular Night of the Smoked Porters, Breakside has brewed five test batches of its summer pale ale, each dry hopped with a different, less common American hop varietal. No Simcoe, Amarillo, or Citra here! The featured hops are Newport, Vanguard, Ahtanum, Santiam, and Galena. The beers will be served side by side in a sampler tray, and customers will have the chance to vote on a People’s Choice Hop. The winning hop will then be featured in the larger batch of the brewery’s summer pale ale.

April 20 Lober Agol An heirloom English style also known as Devon white ale, this wheaten brew is fermented with brewer’s yeast as well as flour, baker’s yeast, and egg whites.

April 27 Bramble A barrel-aged Belgian brown ale housed in an Old Tom Gin barrel with blackberries, lemon peel and juniper berry. The latest in the brewery’s series of cocktail beers

Ben Edmunds at Upright Brewing

Brewers for Boobs

2011-03-29T09:45:00.000-07:00

If you have not been to EastBurn yet, this is the perfect event to attend. The breweries involved donate their time and product to raise money for cancer services. Some of the best brewers in Portland will battle it out to fight cancer, but also give you a taste of some great beer. Brewers will be available at the event to talk about their beer.