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The Brew Site

• 

  Received: Shock Top Wheat IPA

  Posted: February 4th, 2012, 10:35pm CET by Jon

  I have to say, one style I wouldn’t have expected the big breweries to delve into (even as part of their smaller “craft” branches) is the relatively-new Wheat or Belgian IPA… but that’s exactly what Anheuser-Busch has done with their latest Shock Top release: Shock Top Wheat IPA, which I received a six-pack of this week.

  

  This is slated to hit the shelves nationally on the 6th (Monday), and at first blush—it’s rather interesting and actually not bad at all. I’ll be drinking more and writing up review notes for it this weekend sometime.

  (And no, I don’t automatically turn my nose up at macro-brewed brands remember—I’m a beer geek, not a beer snob, and I’m always interested in trying new beers—whether from A-B or the newest nanobrewery down the street.)

  Some details from the press release:

  The newest full-time addition to the Shock Top family, Shock Top Wheat IPA is a unique hybrid style that brings the refreshment and smoothness of a wheat beer and marries it with the crisp, hoppy bitterness of an India Pale Ale (IPA).

  To create the new beer, brewmasters started with Shock Top’s signature recipe, adding citrusy Cascade and Magnum hops and dry hopping the beer for several days to give Wheat IPA the rich, hoppy aroma that is the signature of IPAs. Containing 5.8% alcohol by volume (ABV), Shock Top Wheat IPA will be sold nationwide in six- and 24-packs of 12-ounce bottles and on draught.

  Which interestingly puts it at about the same level as Deschutes‘ Chainbreaker White IPA (just recently announced as the newest year-round addition to their bottled line-up).

  More soon.

  

A Good Beer Blog

• 

  Session 60: The 64 Ounce Jug Is Considered

  Posted: February 4th, 2012, 7:58pm CET by Alan McLeod

  The 64 ounce beer jug - or growler - is sufficiently interesting to the guys as Washington Beer Blog that they made it the topic of this month's edition of The Session:

  These days people take growlers for granted. In my neck of the woods, growlers are a relatively new phenomenon. I don’t recall exactly when they appeared on the local beer scene but it could not have been more than eight or ten years ago. Maybe they existed in obscurity before. My memory fails me. Today growlers are everywhere. I think. Growlers are very common around the Pacific Northwest, anyway. I cannot speak to their popularity elsewhere. I’d love to know.

  Unfortunately, by "everywhere" they mean large parts of the US. Growlers are only available at some breweries in my part of Canada. I have to drive an hour and a quarter to find the nearest growler fill. In Quebec, they are actually found pre-filled on the shelf in some retail shops, too. I have seen similar things, rarely, in the odd NY beer store instead of the normal tap fill but more and more they are showing up in grocery stores and even gas stations over there. It is a prudent sustainably green way to buy good beer you may want to have in a few days or so at a decent price. Once upon a time, they were galvanized steel pails served out a side window. But people can recycle them on you.

  I actually discussed the growler as the fourth unacknowledged serving unit for beer back in Session 48. I was a year ahead of time. I like them a lot. Just wish I have access to them that is provided in a free society.

The Brew Site

• 

  The Session #60: Growlers Galore

  Posted: February 4th, 2012, 8:30am CET by Jon

  Today is The Session‘s Diamond Anniversary! (Although technically it would be its “mensiversary” for the Latin and date geeks among you.) The Session is a monthly collaborative beer blogging event where a different host for each month suggests a topic, and on the first Friday of that month everyone who wants to participate writes about that topic. (As simple as that!) Our host then collects links to all the other Session posts for easy reading.

  This month’s host is Kendall Jones of the Washington Beer Blog, and the topic he has selected is “Growlers Galore“:

  These days people take growlers for granted. In my neck of the woods, growlers are a relatively new phenomenon. I don’t recall exactly when they appeared on the local beer scene but it could not have been more than eight or ten years ago. Maybe they existed in obscurity before. My memory fails me. Today growlers are everywhere. I think. Growlers are very common around the Pacific Northwest, anyway. I cannot speak to their popularity elsewhere. I’d love to know.

  Tell us about your growler collection. Tell us why you love growlers or why you hate them. What is the most ridiculous growler you’ve ever seen? Tell us about your local growler filling station. Ever suffer a messy growler mishap? Anything related to growlers is acceptable.

  I haven’t taken to collecting growlers in the same way that I would collect bottles, partially because I don’t have the room—indeed I did a major purge of my bottle “collection” about a year ago and I still really don’t have room for more—and partially because the growlers I have are a reusable commodity: I keep getting them refilled!

  I only have a small number of growlers though: two from 10 Barrel Brewing, one a Rogue Dead Guy growler, one from Hopworks Urban Brewery, and one from Steelhead Brewing in Eugene. Those are my clean and reusable set, and all are the standard brown glass, half-gallon “jug” style without much fanfare; I have another fancier one from Southern Oregon Brewing with a ceramic flip top and metal handle that my brother gave me, but it’s not in good enough condition to fill unfortunately.

  But for me these are “working” growlers: I’ve taken to always carrying one or two in the car with me on the off-chance that I’ll be near a brewery, and for the most part I’m unconcerned about the decor on the bottle. And fortunately that decor doesn’t matter as I live in a state (Oregon) that has lenient enough beer laws to allow breweries to fill any growler that comes in the door, even ones from other breweries (indeed, some breweries will fill just about any lidded container you bring in), unlike, say California or South Dakota that will only let you fill a growler if said growler is from that same brewery.

  So I love having a growler on hand, but not for a collectible purpose, for me it’s almost entirely functional. Don’t get me wrong—having a Hopworks growler is cool but what’s even cooler is being able to fill it with fresh beer from Deschutes, or Brewers Union, or Barley Brown’s, or any number of other Oregon breweries anytime I’m in their neighborhood. It’s hard to beat that.

  
• 

  Oregon Beer News, 02/03/2012

  Posted: February 3rd, 2012, 7:00pm CET by Jon

  Happy Friday! Here’s the beer news from around Oregon for Friday, February 3rd (and going into the weekend). I will be periodically updating this post throughout the day with news bits, so if you have something to share please contact me and I’ll get it updated.

  Old Mill Brew Wërks (Bend): The original owners of the brewpub/restaurant in Bend’s Old Mill District have sold the pub to focus entirely on building out their own (production) brewery, according to a local Bend Bulletin article (which is unfortunately behind their paywall). They will be renovating the brewery space formerly occupied by 10 Barrel Brewing tentatively beginning in March, installing a 7bbl system. They’ve tapped Michael McMahon from Langley Brewing in Langley, Washington to be their new head brewer. (I’m not sure how/if the name will change considering they’ve taken the brewery out of the “Old Mill”.)

  Brewpublic has a nice article on the new Golden Valley Brewery Beaverton which opened recently, giving a nice overview and introduction to the new brewpub and former Chili’s location. “The bar now offers up large TV’s to catch some sports while sitting at some tall bar tables in the middle and shorter tables around the perimeter. Speaking of the bar, Golden Valley offers a full liquor selection along with 6 wines on tap and 10 taps of their beer that they bring in from their McMinnville location. The ten selections offer some excellent variety in styles that you’d expect from a brewpub with this history.” And they just recently released their first beer brewed at the new Beaverton location, “Exit 65 IPA” which is looking to be a popular addition to the GVB lineup.

  Continue reading “Oregon Beer News, 02/03/2012” »

  
• 

  Apocalypse Beer

  Posted: February 2nd, 2012, 9:00pm CET by Jon

  Welcome to the start of a new regular feature here at The Brew Site for 2012: Apocalypse Beer. This is a (mostly tongue-in-cheek) subject I’ve been thinking about for awhile and since nobody else appears to be doing it, I thought it was high time to tackle it. What follows is the introduction to “Apocalypse Beer” and I’ll be unpacking the concept over the next few weeks before getting into practical matters. Or as “practical” as post-apocalyptic brewing can be, I suppose…

  Just what is an “apocalypse” anyway?

  The original definition of the word refers to a writing or work which acts as a disclosure of hidden information, akin to a prophecy, and from the Biblical Book of Revelations it came to be associated with the end of the world.

  Modern usage defines “apocalypse” to mean a great disaster, and commonly it’s viewed as leading to the end of the world as we know it. And while this sounds pretty straightforward, modern times and pop culture has given us a variety of apocalyptic scenarios to choose from:

  • Zombie epidemic
  • Meteor strike
  • New Ice Age
  • Technological collapse
  • Nuclear war
  • Epidemic/disease outbreak
  • Environmental catastrophe
  • Natural disaster
  • The Mayan 2012 “end of the world”
  • Alien invasion

  Sort of a “Choose Your Own Adventure” for the end times, and shows that we have a (unhealthy?) fascination (obsession?) with the Apocalypse. Or rather, it shows that we have a fascination with the post-apocalypse, as much of the focus is actually on life and survival in the post-apocalyptic aftermath.

  One of the most common visions of the Post-Apocalyptic world is one of a societal and often technological collapse, with survivors banding together to scavenge, forage, survive, and rebuild. Often they have to start from scratch. We get details of food (foraging, hunting, growing), defense (weapons, fortifications, building armies), building (shelter, agriculture, attempts to recreate “lost” technology), but one question has been repeatedly coming to my mind lately:

  Where are the beer brewers?

  Continue reading “Apocalypse Beer” »

  
• 

  Oregon Beer News, 02/02/2012

  Posted: February 2nd, 2012, 7:00pm CET by Jon

  Happy Groundhog Day! Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today which means six more weeks of winter, traditionally. Do any Oregon brewers make a “Groundhog Day Beer”? At any rate, here’s the news in Oregon beer for Thursday, February 2. I’ll be periodically updating this post throughout the day, so if you have some news you’d like to share please contact me and I’ll get it updated.

  Alameda Brewing (Portland) today is celebrating their My Bloody Valentine Release Party, their Valentine’s Day-themed Blood Orange Farmhouse Saison: “Dried orange peel and hand squeezed blood orange juice adds to the citrus and peppery essences from the yeast.” As part of the celebration, pints are available for $2 all day long, and limited-edition wax-dipped bottles will be for sale all day as well. The release party itself runs from 5 to 9pm tonight and will feature live music from the Alice Kollinzas Trio.

  And speaking of Valentine’s Day events, Brewpublic and Saraveza are teaming up again for the third year in a row to present My Beery Valentine on Sunday, February 12th starting at 6pm (no tickets required to enter): “This is an event designed especially for lovers of craft beer, sweethearts, and sweettooths, and features some of the region’s best breweries concocting specialty one-off brews with a Valentine’s Day theme.Dessertif and delicioso decadent ales will be married with the tantalizing treats of Sugar Pimp, Saraveza’s own Lori Adams Clinton’s divine cupcakes. Beers brewed with fruit, chocolate, liqueurs, barrel-aged, and other fanciful ingredients will be featured from Alameda, Block 15, Breakside, Cascade, Coalition, Fort George, Laurelwood, Mt Tabor, The Commons, Upright, Vertigo, and more. If you love craft beer the way we do, you are not going to want to miss out on this event!” The beer list has also been published to the event page, and all I can say is “Wow!” Yes it’s that impressive!

  Continue reading “Oregon Beer News, 02/02/2012” »

  

Hop Talk

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  Weeping Willow Wit

  Posted: February 2nd, 2012, 6:25pm CET by Al

  My good friend Chris stopped at Bruisin’ Ales in Asheville, North Carolina and got me a gift. Or, rather, six gifts. Here’s one:

  Weeping Willow Wit, from Mother Earth Brewing

  They say:

  This beer style is over 400 years old, and continues to enjoy overwhelming popularity. Offering low hop bitterness, it is easy to enjoy. It pours very hazy, with a light gold color… we say it’s like summertime in a glass. Bitter orange peel and fresh coriander add zest and depth to this refreshing beer.

  Pale, pale yellow with a white fizzy head. About all the aromas you’d expect from a wit: coriander, cloves, banana, lemon, peppery hops. The flavor is well-balanced. I wouldn’t want a steady diet of these but it makes a nice change of pace from my usual. I’d gladly have that again.

  Sadly, that’s the end of the beers gifted to me by Chris. Thanks, dude!

  Related Posts:

  • Endless River Kolsch
  • Highland Gaelic Ale
  • Sweet Josie
  • Buckshot Amber Ale
  • Duck-Rabbit Baltic Porter
  • Powered by Contextual Related Posts

  Weeping Willow Wit is from Hop Talk - Beer. Life. Blog.

  
  

  

A Good Beer Blog

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  Are There Different Schools Of Beer Thought?

  Posted: February 2nd, 2012, 1:40pm CET by Alan McLeod

  Stan asked me to elaborate on something:

  Could you elaborate on what you mean by 'beer thinking'?

  Hmm... I think there is beer thinking. If there is anything, there is a lot of under-thinking about beer thinking. If I were honest with you, there is a lot of under-thinking about over-thinking, too. Not sure if there is over-thinking about under-thinking but that could be, too. And if there is beer thinking there must be schools of thought. Can we describe them?

  ♦ The School of Aesthetics: As a pleasure trade, beer is concerned with sensory experience and - as with any ideas of beauty, art and enjoyment - the sensory-emotional values of the individual. In a way, all efforts to elaborate the subjective experience of the aesthetic undermine its purity. Boak and Bailey observed in a tweet this morning: "we're going to run out of language for talking about beer soon..." But as we know, by any other name, a beer is a beer is a beer. The aesthete knows that there is no higher thought than moving into a less conscious experience... maybe I could put that in a better way... a less dictated experience with their perception of pleasure. Yet less of that can be more of something else - the drunk, the addled.
  
  ♦ The School of Empiricism: These place the emphasis on observational evidence. While still involved in what we may experience, objective is added to the mix. In this school we find the historians, the data miners, the mash bill reviewers, the home brewing replicators. Just as the aesthete is the neighbour of the short term drunk and the long term addled, the empiricist can lead us astray through the musty corridors of the library. They forget sometimes that the well stocked beer shelf in a store or a pub is the only library you really need. They also lead to judging. Where the aesthete might describe, empiricists judge. The county fair jam and jelly contest is a very fine thing and a blue ribbon a treat - but remember: judge not lest ye be judged.
  
  ♦ The School of Ancient Wisdom: These accept received wisdom or, in another way, believers that others - their betters - were and are wiser. When you read enough beer books about the same few notions, it does become pretty evident that not thinking can in fact occur. I blame Jackson who did a very fine thing in layering classification upon us but then did not enforce enough that it was only one mode, one approach. As a result we are left with broadly practiced rote based lessons. They are related to conservative pessimistic approaches like skepticism as it presents a doubtful outlook, doubtful that there is anything new to be said. It also gives rise to experts to tell you, for a fee, that you do not know what is right. They even tell you that something is off when it's simply not to their taste. Never mind that. You simply need to be told.

  Ultimately, while each may have a place, each school distracts us from the good, that simple state of the moderate engagement with meaningful pleasure. When combined, they are disaster. Imagine a library where the best books were removed after a few weeks and taken out of circulation. Aestheticism meets empiricism. That is what we face here in Ontario with the restricted and regulated government store that stocks it shelves with temporary listings of good beer, our better's ideas of what the experts tell us to enjoy when and where they determine. And imagine a store that sells paperbacks for fifty bucks because there are only a few copies printed. The wise meets the empirical. That's what is being foisted upon us by short run swanked up brews which seem to have as part of their experimental goals a study of the best way to get wallets opened wider. But surely we have to forgive them. They know not what they do. Maybe. It is always truly wise to recall the first lesson of Thales.

  Are there more schools? Many more no doubt and likely splintering schismists amongst these schools above each trying to set in stone a better more complex rule to define what for most really does not need proscription. They do as much harm as good. Each aggrandizes an aspect what is essentially a simple thing - the enjoyment of a malt mildly intoxicating beverage that has been enjoyed for thousands of years quite nicely, thank you.

The Brew Site

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  Oregon Beer News, 02/01/2012

  Posted: February 1st, 2012, 9:15pm CET by Jon

  Here’s the news in Oregon beer for Wednesday, the first of February. As usual I’ll be updating this post periodically throughout the day so if you have some news to share, please contact me and I’ll get it updated.

  Lots of beer news going on in Bend today: Deschutes Brewery is holding their official Grand Re-opening of their expanded and remodeled Pub starting at 5pm. Owner Gary Fish will be on hand to welcome everyone, the first 1000 people in will receive a commemorative pint glass, and there will be a special “Imperial Bachelor Bitter” on tap for the opening.

  And, literally across the street from the Deschutes Pub in downtown Bend, Brother Jon’s Alehouse is also opening today: this is the second location spun off from the popular Brother’s Jon’s Public House, which offers great food and an impressive taplist on Bend’s westside. The opening of their new downtown location provides another great spot for finding good beer in Bend.

  Silver Moon Brewing in Bend is closed today and tomorrow (the 1st and 2nd) for a kitchen remodel, and will be back open on Friday for their new “Keg Killer” special: a single keg of Dark Side Stout barrel aged and infused with coffee and hazelnuts, that will go on tap at 4pm and only be available until the keg blows. Last week they also offered a deal where the person that orders the last pint from the keg gets a free Silver Moon pint glass, though I don’t know for sure if that is happening this week as well.

  Continue reading “Oregon Beer News, 02/01/2012” »

  

Hop Talk

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  Endless River Kolsch

  Posted: February 1st, 2012, 6:35pm CET by Al

  My good friend Chris stopped at Bruisin’ Ales in Asheville, North Carolina and got me a gift. Or, rather, six gifts. Here’s one:

  Endless River Kolsch, from Mother Earth Brewing

  They say:

  A clean, crisp beer, Kolsch offers a very slight fruity flavor and aroma. It is light gold in color, with a delicate head. This light-bodied beer appeals to nearly everyone who samples it. Expect to enjoy a slight tang in the finish.

  Pale gold with a white, fizzy head. Light aroma, fruity. Maybe some melon? Medium-light body, with a good dose of carbonation and a pleasant bitter finish. I could go for a few of these on a hot day.

  Related Posts:

  • Weeping Willow Wit
  • Buckshot Amber Ale
  • Highland Gaelic Ale
  • Sweet Josie
  • Duck-Rabbit Baltic Porter
  • Powered by Contextual Related Posts

  Endless River Kolsch is from Hop Talk - Beer. Life. Blog.

  
  

  

Knut Albert's beer blog

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  It’s them BrewDog guys in the middle of the fight again

  Posted: February 1st, 2012, 4:18pm CET by knutalbert

  If you thought the British beer scene was all quiet pints and cobwebbed pubs, you obviously do not follow Melissa Cole’s blog. She did not like what BrewDog has to say about other british brewers in a recently published book, feeling that BrewDog owes the industry as a whole a bloody enormous apologyy. It wasn’t exactly [...]

A Good Beer Blog

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  The Oldest Beer Joke In History... But Wuzzit Mean?

  Posted: February 1st, 2012, 1:31pm CET by Alan McLeod

  So they finally got to the bottom of a box of Iraqi cuneiform tablets dug up in 1976 and found some written by some guy trying to be funny as reported in the New York Daily News:

  This one could also benefit from cranking up the laugh track:

  “In your mouth and your teeth, constantly stared at you, the measuring vessel of your lord. What is it?
  
  Beer.”

  So there you have it: an ancient beer joke. (At least, a riddle referring to its taste, the authors say.) Perhaps something has been lost in the translation through all those many centuries. And since they were meant as riddles designed to communicate truths about life - "wisdom literature," as the authors call it -- perhaps gut-splitting hilarity was not the point.

  Well, how many riddles today really bust a gut. Few. What I find more interesting are the underlying premises. The person has a lord. The person constantly sees beer. Perhaps he is saying that the measure of a lord's virtue is his generosity with the beer.

  After clicking through various news articles of increasing seriousness, I actually arrived at the scholarly article upon which the story is based. Go to page 117. I don't know why the speculation is that this is the work of a student as there are two references to the impotency of a soldier as well as the ethical status of leaders - plus some sex and a bit of beer. Its a view from down there somewhere and it's a bit telling. Any other ideas? I know from the emails that you've been clamoring for a chance to play Mesopotamian cuneiform scholar so live it up.

The Champagne of Blogs

• 

  I’m Drinking Don Younger’s Beer

  Posted: February 1st, 2012, 5:30am CET by Dave Selden

  Today marks the 1-year anniversary of Don Younger’s death. For those who don’t know, Don was the owner of the Horse Brass, Portland’s legendary beer bar. And that’s telling it lightly. It’s a mecca, with some of the world’s best, most rarest beers on tap. He collected friends in the brewing community like this guy collects miniature liquor bottles. Brewers would always set a keg of something special aside, and Don would put it on. I wrote a lot more about my recollections of Don over on my failed 999 Beers blog, and guest BS’er Chris Tacy actually bar crawled with him a few years back. Good background reading.

  But I’m writing to tell you about a beer I’m drinking right now. It was Don’s. I made it to his estate sale on the second day, and most of the good stuff (if there was good stuff – Don had dissimilar taste in beer to me) was already gone. But there on the shelves, I found something dusty and … curious. A six-pack of Henry Weinhard’s Private Reserve. Bottling number 13.

  This is not a beer you’d normally age, so it must have had some significance. Or not. When I die, I suppose people will find lots of things around and wonder why I kept them. That G4 in the basement, for example, circa 1998. Equally dust-covered.

  

  The label says “only premium quality brewing for four generations.” So maybe it’s one of the last brews from Henry’s before Miller’s takeover? That was in 1999. This could be a 13-plus-year-old beer. Or not. Marketers can be … misleading.

  I can tell you one thing – there’s no born-on date. Nor is there any carbonation. The cap was a bit tarnished, and the screw-top never was a reliable barrier for gases in or out. No sound at all when I opened it.

  It is absolutely clear, though. No sediment in the bottom, either. Guessing this, like its present-day descendants, is not bottle-conditioned.

  And the taste? It’s faint. Just a hint of wet malt. Very thin. I doubt I will drink more than a sip or two, but it smells nice. Like Fuller’s Vintage, even. But very little actual flavor. Vintage beer-scented water.

  Rest in peace, Don. Maybe someday you’ll tell me what you were saving this for.

  Update: one more thought. The bottle doesn’t include a bottle deposit on the label. Oregon’s famous “Bottle Bill,” which added a 5-cent deposit to beer bottles, was enacted in 1971. It’s hard to believe the beer could be that old, though.

  

Hop Talk

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  Buckshot Amber Ale

  Posted: February 1st, 2012, 12:27am CET by Al

  My good friend Chris stopped at Bruisin’ Ales in Asheville, North Carolina and got me a gift. Or, rather, six gifts. Here’s one:

  Buckshot Amber Ale, from Natty Greene’s Brewing

  They say:

  full-bodied with rich, smooth flavor and notes of caramel and toffee

  Honey-colored with an off-white head. Aroma is very light. I mean, I know my sense of smell isn’t the best but I’m just not getting much of anything. Things get a little better as it warms, but it’s still very light. Flavor is light with a bit of maltiness. Not really any hops. It’s okay, I suppose. My palate might be spoiled by all those IPAs.

  Related Posts:

  • Highland Gaelic Ale
  • Sweet Josie
  • Endless River Kolsch
  • Duck-Rabbit Baltic Porter
  • Weeping Willow Wit
  • Powered by Contextual Related Posts

  Buckshot Amber Ale is from Hop Talk - Beer. Life. Blog.

  
  

  

Knut Albert's beer blog

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  Tradition or innovation?

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 10:08pm CET by knutalbert

  The Norwegian breweries used to have a very lucrative market. The mediums sized ones gobbled up the smaller ones, and we ended up with half a dozen regional breweries in the Seventies. They whimpered a bit about the ban on strong beers, the phasing out of ads for alcohol and other government regulations, but at [...]

The Brew Site

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  Oregon Beer News, 01/31/2012

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 8:00pm CET by Jon

  Here’s the Oregon beer news for the final day of January 2012. I think I’m finally back on track from my site troubles and I’m getting caught up (I hope!) but there always seems to be plenty of beer-related topics to write about. At any rate, I will be updating this post periodically throughout the day, so if you have some news to share, please contact me and I’ll get it posted.

  Fort George Brewery (Astoria): February is Stout Month at Fort George and it’s “all stout, all month long!” The Brewery has brewed up eight different stouts to feature during the month, and in addition, “Along side the 8 Fort George House Stouts will be a hand-picked selection of regional Stout favorites such as Deschutes’ The Abyss and North Coast’s Old Rasputin to round out the all Stout “Blind Taster Tray.”  Different Guest Stouts will be released weekly.” And, as part of the festivities, the New School is teaming up with Brewvana Brewery Tours to offer a unique overnight tour to Astoria and Fort George (more details at the link).

  Deschutes Brewery (Bend): They are set to release Chainbreaker White IPA in bottles by late March, their “hop-forward, citrus-packed beer with an unmistakably smooth character” that was developed alongside of the Conflux #2 collaboration beer they brewed with Boulevard Brewing—though I believe this was independent of the collaboration itself. Chainbreaker, which will be available in the year-round lineup in six-packs and 12-packs, is 5.6% abv and 60 IBUs and is brewed with sweet orange peel and coriander along with the IPA profile and (I think) a Belgian yeast.

  Continue reading “Oregon Beer News, 01/31/2012” »

  
• 

  Some photos of Deschutes’ remodel

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 6:00pm CET by Jon

  On Saturday, we were able to hit up Deschutes Brewery‘s Bend Pub for the soft opening of their expansion and remodel, and while there I snapped a few pictures. It’s really nice, and they’ve done a good job of sprucing up the older space as well.

  And, later today I’m attending a media event at the Pub, so there’s a good chance I’ll have more photos (and maybe video) as well.

  Update: I also added 3 pictures my wife took of the new pizzas on the menu, and wine.

  

  

  New and better use of waiting area space (southwest corner of the older part of the Pub)

  

  Older Pub space has been remodeled with an attractive archway leading to a larger bar area (no minors allowed)

  

  What used to be additional restaurant seating in the Pub, now part of the larger bar area; former kitchen is now the bakery and prep area

  

  New, additional station of taps at the end of the bar to better serve the new space

  

  Upstairs banquet area, which I believe will seat 80 people, and has it's own dedicated bar. Yes, workers were still there hanging artwork.

  

  The new banquet bar, with the full 16 taps

  

  

  

  The new wine servings; notice they've done away with stemmed glassware and instead are currently serving in "mini pint" style glasses.

  

The Champagne of Blogs

• 

  Shapes to Describe Beer

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 6:24am CET by Dave Selden

  In November of 2009, I had a wild hair while attending a design gathering here in Portland. Based on some trouble I’d had keeping legible notes at beer festivals, and some inspiration in the form of a custom publishing platform called Scout Books, I came up with 33 Bottles of Beer. You know, the beer-tasting notebook that’s taking over my life?

  My main requirement (other than the device being pocket-sized and battery-free) was speed. I wanted to be able to take notes quickly, so I could spend more time drinking, er … sampling. Here’s what I came up with.

  

  So I incorporated some quick graphic devices that made taking notes as quick as I could. Think checkboxes. Doesn’t take but half a second to make a tick.

  But flavor threw me for a loop. Flavor is inherently fuzzy. Not binary, as in “checked” or “un-checked.” There are shades of flavor. Gradients. Spectrums. So, my graphic design brain started firing. How could you quickly describe varying levels of flavor, and do so visually?

  I ended up with what’s called a “radar chart,” which I call a “flavor wheel.” Some people also call it a spider graph. I think it’s what makes 33 books special (yep, there are wine, cheese, coffee, cigar and whiskey versions, too), and it’s usually the thing people remark on when they look at the books for the first time.

  But I wondered the other day (I was drinking some 9.4% abv Black Boss Porter) – if I were creating a new beer review book – what might some other tasting notation options be?

  One option might be “Harvey Balls,” which are used by Consumer Reports for comparative data. Equally quick, but “flavor balls” doesn’t exude … well, it sounds gross. Sorry, Mr. Harvey. And frankly, it doesn’t look as cool.

  

  How about a simple bar chart? Elegant, and that might allow for even more gradation. The flavor wheel is kind of limiting, with just five points. This option, which I’ve dubbed “the Flavor Grid,” while a bit longer vertically, allows for quite a bit more nuance – score beers from 1 to 7! That’s … huh … 20% more. Or so.

  

  No, way too much ink to fill that thing up. I got tired after just two of the 16 descriptors! And eco-friendly is important to me. Plus, space is at a premium since the books are designed to be pocket-sized. Maybe if I had a little more space to work with, I could come up with something better. Or not.

  

Hop Talk

• 

  Sweet Josie

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 1:43am CET by Al

  My good friend Chris stopped at Bruisin’ Ales in Asheville, North Carolina and got me a gift. Or, rather, six gifts. Here’s one:

  Sweet Josie Brown Ale, from LoneRider Brewing

  They say:

  A temptress who will seduce you, Sweet Josie is crafted in the American Brown style. This is a complex beer balancing a nice hop bitterness with a generous amount of chocolate and aromatic malts. 6.1% ABV.

  Medium chocolate brown and clear. Less than a fingers-width of head. Roasty maltiness in the aroma, which is light; maybe a little caramel. I’m not getting any hops at all. Body is light, but there’s a good bit of roasty bitterness in the flavor. I was afraid I wasn’t going to like this much, but I rather like it quite a bit.

  Related Posts:

  • Highland Gaelic Ale
  • Buckshot Amber Ale
  • Duck-Rabbit Baltic Porter
  • Endless River Kolsch
  • Weeping Willow Wit
  • Powered by Contextual Related Posts

  Sweet Josie is from Hop Talk - Beer. Life. Blog.

  
  

  

A Good Beer Blog

• 

  ...Or, On The Other Hand, Should Incomes Be Declared?

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 12:55am CET by Alan McLeod

  The response to the post about the ethics of running a series of posts for a fee has been interesting - and, shockingly, far more civil that then outburst of Engerlander finger pointy hand baggery over at Taking the Beard Out of Beer today. It's as if they don't know that being in a beer community means you just don't say certain things? It starts out so innocently:

  But when I got to the BrewDog page I was so incensed by their comments I actually chucked the book down in disgust. I don't think I need to go into why BrewDog do what they do, I think we're all familiar with their shock tactic methods by now, but it's one thing to thumb your nose at authority and it's another to tell outright lies. The comment, photographed right, is simply outrageous, the UK brewing industry closed? Yeah, ok lads...

  Whaaattt?!?!? "Lies"??!??! "Outrage"??!??!?! Oh, misery. Oh, calamity. What has happened to our happy house where we all agree, we all get along?

  Frankly, what annoys me the most is knowing that all the people in the conversation or at least most of them make money from the beer trade one way or another. It sure would help me a hell of a lot if I could get a sort of guide to the various interests at play that are not being admitted, the cheques that are cashed as we follow along with the allegations and counter charges. Perhaps someone can prepare a fully annotated version with a flow chart.

  God forbid that people should have different experiences. When folk in the future suggest the best beer thinking comes from "pros" I will have to pull out this wee chestnut for review.

The Brew Site

• 

  Broken Top Bottle Shop, Bend’s newest beer bar

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 12:00am CET by Jon

  You might remember earlier this month I wrote about how Bend’s Abbey Pub was changing, to become the Broken Top Bottle Shop & Ale Café; this past week one of the owners commented on the blog with details on the new beer bar, and this weekend I (along with my wife and kids) was able to visit, meet the owners and get a pre-opening tour.

  Here are the details from the comments:

  Broken Top Bottle Shop & Ale Café will be opening our Ale Café in early February!!! (Bottle Shop coming soon thereafter!)

  The Ale Café will offer a rotating 12 tap selection of craft and specialty beer, along with wine and other beverages, to be paired with delicious, healthy food, such as smoked meats, panini sandwiches, appetizers, soups, salads, as well as awesome vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options (whipped up by Chef Bethlyn Rider). We’ll also have chilled single bottle and canned beer you can purchase from our coolers to drink at Broken Top Bottle Shop or take to-go. We won’t charge you a corking fee on the bottled and canned beer you buy to drink here. And, you can buy your to-go beer as single bottles or cans, mixed-and-matched in any number, 6-packs, and 12-packs. Come on by in early February and taste some great draught beer, have some scrumptious food, and pick up some beer to go!

  COMING SOON… the Bottle Shop!!

  The Ale Café portion of Broken Top Bottle Shop is only the beginning!! We’ll soon be expanding into the suite next door in order to offer you over 700 varieties of single bottle and canned beer in our retail Bottle Shop. Only Broken Top Bottle Shop & Ale Café will offer this unique combination of tasty food, a variety of draught craft and specialty beer, and a grand selection of bottled and canned beer for on- and off-site consumption.

  After visiting on Saturday, I have to say I’m fairly impressed with the overall plan they have laid out for the new venture and the enthusiasm the new owners are bringing to the shop/beer bar. On the one hand, the space was already set up as a beer bar, so they’ve kept much of that the same, with some repainting, a new foot rail running along the bottom of the bar, more artwork for the walls, and so on.

  On the other hand, they are revamping the kitchen—adding some equipment, reorganizing for efficiency—and have added an impressive smoker/grill/roaster that will sit on a corner of the patio and offer a whole new level of food than was available before. The menu is going to be vastly expanded, and yes, there will be a focus on vegetarian/vegan options (something that—in general—Bend is largely lacking).

  And of course, the expanded bottle shop is going to be the biggest change: Broken Top will be gradually moving into the space next door, which previously hosted a wine shop and tasting room, and will be able to offer over 700 different beers (as noted above)—this is going to be huge and once fully realized, may well be the largest single selection in Central Oregon. (The Brew Shop currently has at least 500 different beers, and while I don’t know specific numbers both Whole Foods and Newport Avenue Market in Bend have fantastic beer selections as well.)

  They plan to be open by this weekend (yes, the first weekend in February) though that will only be for the beer bar portion. They will be open seven days a week, from 11am to until 10pm, maintaining largely the same hours as the Abbey Pub (though the Abbey was closed on Sundays).

  After meeting and chatting with the owners I can say I’m fairly excited to see the new place open: they are extremely nice and accommodating, and their enthusiasm for Bend and beer is infectious. I’m looking forward to heading over there (hopefully this weekend!) and sampling the new menu while drinking some really good beer.

  
• 

  Received: Widmer W’12 and Spiced IPA

  Posted: January 30th, 2012, 8:30pm CET by Jon

  Just before the weekend I received a big package from Widmer, containing an imperial pint glass and four beers: two of the new W’12 seasonal, Dark Saison, and two of the latest in the Rotator IPA series, Spiced IPA. The W’12 should be hitting the shelves now, and the Spiced IPA is upcoming.

  

  

  As in the past, the package came in large, handsome wood box filled with shredded used coasters for packing material. They also included a prepaid packing slip to make it easy to send the box and material back, which is fairly forward-thinking (the previous two packages also did this).

  

  

  (Sorry for the sketchy photos, apparently my camera(phone) work needs work…)

  These both sound like exciting beers to try, so I’ll have reviews and notes posted soon.

  

A Good Beer Blog

• 

  What Is Local Beer From A Southern Ontario View?

  Posted: January 30th, 2012, 3:21am CET by Alan McLeod

  

  What is local when it comes to beer or anything else in southern Ontario? Today there is someone who need not be mentioned drearily tweeting a series of xenophobic exhortations for we Ontarians to drink "local" beer. It reminds me of how the naivety of my former co-residents of Prince Edward Island were characterized by Halifax, Nova Scotian news columnist: PEI was too insular to be xenophobic. The Ontario comment is a bit different but still naive in its own way as it makes no effort to define "local" by any other standard other than political jurisdiction. Because we live in the province of Ontario, we should support Ontario stuff. Even if it is from very far away. And, presumably, even if it is bad or over priced.

  Have a quick look at the map above. That is my quick calculation of the distance (in red) from the site of eastern Ontario's Beau's Brewing in VanKleek Hill to the border crossing between Windsor and Detroit, Michigan. It's a 758 km drive. Probably over 760 km now that I think of it as Beau's is on the east side of town. Taking that distance as the radius for a yellow circle, we reach the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the east of New Brunswick, south to the bottom of Delaware, north to within view of Hudson Bay and west to Michigan's Upper Peninsula. This is great news for me as my "local" now include many of the vibrant scenes within the north-eastern chunk of North American - aka the land of diacetyl acceptance, perhaps greater New Yorkshire of which my Easlakian home is but a sub-region.

  Isn't this a rational point of view? If I am being asked to support someone I have never met to the west why not one I have never met to the south. Anything else is jingoism. Embarrassing jingoism at that. My "local" is all that until I get a better definition that relates to the beer and not the available funding marketing grants application policy or the irrational wholesale distribution regulations.

Hop Talk

• 

  Highland Gaelic Ale

  Posted: January 29th, 2012, 11:12pm CET by Al

  My good friend Chris stopped at Bruisin’ Ales in Asheville, North Carolina and got me a gift. Or, rather, six gifts. Here’s one:

  Gaelic Ale, from Highland Brewing Company

  They say:

  A deep amber colored American ale, featuring a rich malty body. Cascade and Willamette hops add a complex hop flavor and aroma. This ale is exceptionally balanced between malty sweetness and delicate hop bitterness.

  Clear, dark-copper color. I didn’t get any head to speak of. Aroma is light; maybe a bit of caramel? It’s got a medium body, some toastiness in the flavor but a good beet of sweet. Not a lot of hop character.

  Good, but not a style I generally go for.

  Related Posts:

  • Sweet Josie
  • Buckshot Amber Ale
  • Endless River Kolsch
  • Duck-Rabbit Baltic Porter
  • Weeping Willow Wit
  • Powered by Contextual Related Posts

  Highland Gaelic Ale is from Hop Talk - Beer. Life. Blog.

  
  

  

A Good Beer Blog

• 

  England: Fuller's Vintage Ale 2006 v 2011, London

  Posted: January 29th, 2012, 2:33pm CET by Alan McLeod

  In December 2010, I decided that I had to get at the task of drinking the Fuller's Vintage Ales that I had been hoarding in the stash. I figured I needed to compare beers that were brewed five years apart and posted the '05 v. '10 results. Now, it's time for the second edition comparing 2006 to their 2011. First, one thing to note is that I am using 200 ml German glasses for this experiment. See, the thing is, this was the week that the pint was dissed to a lower point than I have ever seen it dissed. My choice of glassware reflects that brave new world where reasonable measures of beer are a thing of the past. Still, I am sure these tiny tiny Teutonics will not let down this litre of greatness as they are wonderful wee things in themselves.

  I reviewed the 2006 back in the day. It has clearly improved according to that description... or maybe my powers of description have. It now gives off an aroma of fresh bright orange marmalade on malt bread. Oddly, the scent is much stronger than the 2011 which gives off some booze and a bit of beef broth with not a lot more... or at least not nearly as much.

  In the mouth, again there is no question that the 2006 is a bigger more complex beer at this point in its life. It's got the malty smoked thing I noticed in 2006 and I get the green fig as well. But the texture is no longer what I likely meant when I wrote grain. It's more like baseball glove leather now. Quite sweet as well. But well cut by what I had called black tea hops. They are now melded much more neatly together to give a sort of rose water effect. The 2011, by comparison, tastes of beer. There is a fresh acidity but the malt is a bit undeveloped. I had a 2006 Thomas Hardy Ale yesterday and it informs that idea. That pleasant little variety of acids that are in both '06s of the last 24 hours sit dormant in the 2011's pear juicy sweet ball of pale malt. The '11's box and insert card tells me that the malt is organic but not the variety. In 2006, the malt was Optic which the OCB tells me is the most widely planted variety in England.

  First 400 ml down. Unlike the 2005 v 2010 comparison, I would not suggest the younger beer is cloying. It has a rustic hopping that is a bit twiggy and a bit menthol. Goldings, organic First Gold and Sovereign hops were used according to the box. They give a bit of a licorice effect at this point which may unpack into marmalade with time. I will let you know in 2016. The 2006, by contrast, relies on Fuggles and Super Styrian hopping. The OCB tells me that the Super Styrian - as opposed to the pending Super Dooper Styrian - is itself a form of Fuggles. From my lost homebrewing days, my world of English beer is divided into three: Goldings, Fuggles and Northern Brewer. I think 2/3s of this are demonstrated before me. The older beer leans to the hedge. The younger is more floral. Quite content to be the Mayor of Simpleton in such matters, it's a distinction that works for me.

  The head of the 2006 is worth comment - fine, densely packed off white bubbles giving a very appealing visual creaminess and a lovely maker of rich lacing. Otherwise the two beer appear to be quite similar. The elder is a bit clouded but I don't care about the sorts of things. Each a very attractive deep orange amber ale.

  700 ml gone and I am just going to enjoy the rest.. This is as high a point in my beer experience as any - and one that only cost me about 15 bucks and just half a decade. I am little proud of me. I was very sensible to start this series, to start saving these beers. The process may well see me out now that I think of it. There are far worse markers of another year's passing.

The Brew Site

• 

  Mississippi’s second brewery

  Posted: January 28th, 2012, 6:59pm CET by Jon

  One of my favorite sessions at last summer’s Beer Bloggers Conference was the one about beer laws, and in particular Craig Hendry’s work in Mississippi with Raise Your Pints, an organization whose goal is to get the state Mississippi to raise the alcohol limit on beer and to legalize homebrewing. A surprising takeaway from that was the fact that Mississippi only has one production brewery, and one brewpub, in the entire state.

  Word hit this week than a new brewery is looking to get started in Mississippi, in the Jackson metro area, which would have the distinction of being only the second production brewery in the state: Lucky Town Brewing Company. Event Directory Angela Blackburn sent out an email to (presumably) bloggers detailing the brewery and linking to a Kickstarter project they’ve started to help raise seed money.

  Lucky Town Brewing Company is a new planned brewery in Mississippi, and although there is no brewery within 150 miles of Jackson, the craft beer community here is thriving. As many of you know, Mississippi suffers from some of the strictest beer legislation in the country, which is one reason why there is only one production brewery located in Mississippi currently. Since the laws do not allow for many to bring their beer to Mississippi, we at Lucky Town intend to give the local craft beer enthusiasts a broader choice.

  And:

  Lucky Town’s ultimate goal is to stay true to our home-brewing roots by producing unique, artisanal, handcrafted ales and lagers. We intend to offer at least four year round beers that will roll out in pairs, but we also will be releasing small batch brews throughout the year that will be available in smaller quantities. Small batching will allow us more freedom to experiment with ingredients not normally found in beer that you find in Mississippi, providing for an ever-evolving product range rather than a fixed seasonal schedule. Examples include the southern pit barbeque inspired stout called “Stout of the Rising Sun” which uses smoked grains combined with roasted jalapenos and Lucky Town’s unique take on a winter warmer called “What the Elf?” that has cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, orange peel, figs and vanilla in it to give it a wonderful holiday flavor. Along with these will be the small batch Kaizen Saison, an ever evolving beer used to explore new flavor profiles and push the limits of what beer can be. We will never shy away from using non-traditional ingredients. Expect plenty of things aged in unique barrels, including sour beers that will spend as much as 3 years in the barrel getting funky.

  They are looking to raise $20,000, and as of this writing they’ve raised over $7500 and still have 44 days to go. (And, I’m still extremely fascinated with the growing use of Kickstarter to fund beer projects; more on that down the road.)

  I think right now it must be something between an exciting and a stressful time for the craft beer community in Mississippi, and it’s definitely interesting to watch it develop (even from afar). Let’s hope Lucky Town reaches its goal and becomes Mississippi’s number two!

  

A Good Beer Blog

• 

  What If I Posted A Series Of Posts For A Fee?

  Posted: January 28th, 2012, 6:38pm CET by Alan McLeod

  I have been quite impressed with the idea Evan had to post an essay on Amazon and ask a very modest fee for payment. I have also loved and supported Lew's idea for the TV series American Beer Blogger funded through Kickstarter. They've got me thinking. The price point and revenue streams for writing about beer are minefields - ethical and otherwise. General search engine optimization ads on the blog are in decay due to aggregators like Google Reader [Ed.: waving hello to the 15,938 GR followers!] taking activity away. And direct support from the beer trade for all beer writing just isn't what it used to be - if it ever was. So, I am wonder what the response would be if I posted a series of posts on a certain topic I have in mind and asked for a fee. The plan would be to place a brief summary or introduction on the blog and link to the longer text of each essay which folk could follow if interested through a micro-payment process. Would the following elements of that sort of idea be interesting to you or a turn off?

  ♦ The price would be low, say 49 cents if that price point is available.
  ♦ The posts would be longer than usual around here and each would be on elements on single even greater theme.
  ♦ The theme would be a proposal for a rethinking of the elements of the consumer's relationship with beer.
  ♦ Through this exercise I would be preparing an system of thinking about beer that I may present through next autumn's Beau's Oktoberfest where I will be assisting with the preparation and presentation of their whole seminar series.

  The point of this would be giving myself the opportunity and structure to work on a more detailed and lengthy bit of research with a sufficient if modest revenue stream to pay for the related expenses such as travel, research time and maybe beer that needs to spent.

  My question is this: if I do this would it be incredibly irritating, of no interest or something you might be willing to participate in? Be honest. Tell me if you think I don't have what it takes. Let me know if it would drive you from following the blog and why. Let me know if you even like it. All thoughts and feedback most welcome.

• 

  Some Days There Just Isn't A Beery Meme Even To Steal

  Posted: January 28th, 2012, 1:18am CET by Alan McLeod

  

  Me-me's. That is the whole stock in trade of blogging when you think of it. A story to nick and build upon with a hope that someone builds upon it further, mentioning your name or at least offering a link. Not today. I blame the freezing rain in the middle of the night. It sounded like someone with a garden hose full of jello spraying the bedroom window: flurdidblutblubfluuuurfutblutffluuuur.... You get the idea. Absolutely exhausted. No point in writing a beer review. "Tastes like beer" to quote James.

  I have never really understood why beer blogging is quiet on Fridays but there is no doubt about it. Perhaps people are off Twittering their night out expectations and experiences. Twitter sort of acts as blogging's cheat in that way. "No, no... don't mind me..." says the blog, "I'll be fine... I'll make my own fun... you go tweet..." If I were to share any experience of the last two days it would be that the two available Oz and James Drink... DVDs that seem to be available to this continent, Britain and France, are as good a pop discussion of beverages as I've ever experienced. People go on a bit about why there is no beery TV but it might be because beery TV makes no sense unless contextualized in other drinks as well as the places they come from. Helps immensely that there is no sense that the BevCo PR suits and the well placed cheque are behind the scenes.

  But that is it. That is all I got. Oh - that and Knut has hit his first millennium. If I were to write a history of beer blogging and consider the role of those who led the way, Knut of Norway would be among those at the top of the list. When many were unaware of how pervasive this would become, when the few writing were writing reviews - Knut was thinking about what beer meant to Knut. While not his first, this 2007 guest post from five years ago is one of my favorites. I like the way he takes weird photos like this one from 2005 or the one above from New York in 2008. Part of that great international beer blogging legacy.

Hop Talk

• 

  Duck-Rabbit Baltic Porter

  Posted: January 27th, 2012, 6:33pm CET by Al

  My good friend Chris stopped at Bruisin’ Ales in Asheville, North Carolina and got me a gift. Or, rather, six gifts. Here’s one:

  Baltic Porter, from The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery

  (They aren’t currently listing this beer on their website, so it was tough to find a blurb about it.)

  [D]eep, rich and velvety soft. A full blooded roasty character is balanced by complex alcohol notes. Strong (9% alcohol by volume) yet unfailingly subtle, this special brew warrants sipping and savoring.

  It pours a deep, opaque brown, with only a little fizzy light brown head. I get some chocolate in the aroma, and maybe a little caramel. Some…licorice? Mouthfeel is rich and smooth, with only a little alcohol heat. The flavor is as big as the aroma. That is one hearty beer. I wish I had a fireplace and a club chair. I’d have that again.

  Related Posts:

  • Sweet Josie
  • Highland Gaelic Ale
  • Buckshot Amber Ale
  • Endless River Kolsch
  • Weeping Willow Wit
  • Powered by Contextual Related Posts

  Duck-Rabbit Baltic Porter is from Hop Talk - Beer. Life. Blog.

  
  

  

Knut Albert's beer blog

• 

  Thoughts at 1000

  Posted: January 27th, 2012, 6:08pm CET by knutalbert

  It’s been quite a ride. My WordPress blogging interface tells me this is blog post no 1000. One thousand.  Add to that the hundreds of posts at my old blog now disappeared into the graveyard of cyberspace, it is quite a figure. But does it matter? Looking back, the first couple of years were spent [...]

The Brew Site

• 

  Deschutes Pub grand reopening is just around the corner

  Posted: January 27th, 2012, 6:00pm CET by Jon

  The Deschutes Brewery Bend Pub is holding their grand (re)opening coming up this next Wednesday, February 1st—you’ll recall they closed down at the beginning of the month with a wall-smashing ceremony to finish the major expansion and remodel of the Pub—and owner Gary Fish waxed rhapsodic on their blog yesterday about the expandion and the fact that the Brewery has been holding a “soft opening” that’s been going on for about a week now.

  In the nearly 24 years our pub has been open here in Bend, one thing has been abundantly clear, we need more room! We need room in the dining room, as no one really wants to wait 2 hours for a table, and we need more room in our kitchen which was never intended to serve the volume of food that has been required of it over the more than two decades its been in existence.

  The so-called “quiet opening” has been underway for four days. Preceded as it was by five days of “friends and family” meals intended to give our staff, with 50-odd newcomers (they’re not odd, the number is . . . ) the opportunity to hone their skills in the new space. All our regular friends have managed to find their way back after being turned away for the past 20 days. And, the deft touch of architect and contractor, owner and enthusiast have created a warmer, more welcoming space where our bar has always stood. Additionally, the new space is more; more spacious, more seats, more comfortable, more engaging, more artistic, more . . . well, just more! Whereas we are not done yet, we have more things to hang on the walls, more details of menu and service to work out, suffice it to say, we are very pleased with the results. Even our toughest customers are very pleased with our results (and that is a relief).

  I have an opportunity to check the Pub out this weekend sometime, as well as attend a media event on the 31st for the re-opening. From what I’d already seen at the beginning of the month, though, I can already safely predict that the new expanded Pub and menu is going to be a big success.

  Can’t wait to see it “live”!

  

Hop Talk

• 

  Craft beer in Japan

  Posted: January 27th, 2012, 1:46am CET by Al

  CNN’s Eatocracy blog has an interesting post up about the craft beer scene in Japan, with a focus on Coedo Brewery.

  Earthquakes and blackouts aside, it hasn’t been easy for Coedo, founded in 1997 by boss [Shigeharu] Asagiri’s father-in-law. It wasn’t until prohibitive laws against small commercial breweries were repealed in 1994 that a microbrew scene in Japan could emerge.

  Even since then, breaking the chokehold the big four Japanese brewers – Asahi, Kirin, Suntory and Sapporo – have on the domestic and international beer market has been a challenge. What Coedo produce in a year is the equivalent to what just one of the big boys produce in a day.

  The taxman in Japan still takes around $2.50 on every liter of beer brewed there, which has led to the big breweries creating cheaper “beer-like” drinks (alcoholic and often additive-rich) and further diluting the market among a local population more familiar with types of sake than varieties of beer.

  “For most (Japanese) people, beer is just beer, no one orders it by name; it’s no fun, but it should be,” says Asagiri. “Beer is exciting!”

  Eatocracy: Craft beer from the Land of the Rising Sun

  (tip o’ the hat to Max)

  Related Posts:

  • Beer News Sampler
  • Space beer for sale
  • Beer News Sampler
  • Sapporo acquires Sleeman Breweries
  • Homebrewing in Oregon
  • Powered by Contextual Related Posts

  Craft beer in Japan is from Hop Talk - Beer. Life. Blog.

  
  

  

The Brew Site

• 

  Server move

  Posted: January 26th, 2012, 9:00pm CET by Jon

  Though there aren’t any more hacking issues going on with this site, I’m in the process of switching servers so even though I have a ton of beer-related things to blog about, everything is on hold for the time being until the server move is complete.

  In the meantime, there are many other good beer blogs that I highly recommend also.

  

Larsblog

• 

  The beer revolution comes to Norway

  Posted: January 26th, 2012, 7:44pm CET

  When I first got seriously interested in beer, roughly ten years ago, Norway was a miserable place for a beer enthusiast. Norwegian beer was pretty much limited to four styles of lager from the industrials plus two half-decent brewpubs. As for imports, they were not very impressive, either. Two pubs had some Belgian beers, but that was about it. I used to memorize which pubs in Oslo had Erdinger, so I could get something decent to drink while out.

A Good Beer Blog

• 

  Booklet Review: "Why Beer Matters" By Evan Rail

  Posted: January 26th, 2012, 1:34am CET by Alan McLeod

  

  I got a review copy of Evan Rail's essay "Why Beer Matters" via email today. It's published for the Kindle and available at Amazon.com for an embarrassingly low price. Buy it. Why? Good question. Ever since his coming out party chez ici, he has been one of my favorite beer bloggers, a steady source of interesting writing via his gig with The New York Times as well as a guide to pals visiting Prague. Oh, and he wrote a book, too. An important book.

  But why must you buy this essay? Well, unlike me you may be able to get the &*$*(^%^ Kindle work and actually be needing content. Beyond that, you might want good beer writing that takes a fresh perspective. Frankly, we have more than enough "Guides to the Styles" and "298846 Beers To Try Before Find Another Hobby" books. What we do not have are many new points of view. Evan offers that. He takes the proposition set out in the title and expounds for 20-ish pages on the matteringness of beer. Beer engages with people, it can be replicated over the ages, it runs with the seasons and sits in a place. It's a travel piece but not through geography, instead it echoes his own path with writing and thinking about beer. How beer rivals wine, how it is an emerging pleasure, how it is of the people are the stuff of Evans wonderings.

  Personal essays are one of the finest forms of writing there are. I mentioned that when I reviewed one of Michael Jackson's books back in 2008. I mention it again when I suggest you might want to read this work Evan's. Well worthy.

Knut Albert's beer blog

• 

  Rumours from the Norwegian beer scene

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 10:20pm CET by knutalbert

  A new proper blog post sooon. For now: Samples of a Nøgne Ø Imperial Stout aged in Cognac barrels are reported. I don’t know anything about a release date. A new cranberry IPA, Zombie IPA on tap at Schouskjelleren in Oslo tonight. Their import list is as strong as ever. Lots of good stuff at [...]

The Brew Site

• 

  Worthy Brewing logo revealed

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 4:38pm CET by Jon

  Chad Kennedy, brewmaster of Bend’s upcoming Worthy Brewing, revealed the new brewery’s logo on Twitter (and Facebook) the other day:

  

  I like it, it’s a strong, clean design with detail but not too much detail.

  In addition, there is also a new Facebook page for the brewery here.

  
• 

  Site recovery

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 5:44am CET by Jon

  I’ve most mostly offline these past few days, because I was recovering and cleaning this site (along with a bunch of others) from some malicious code that got inserted into the blog files due to the server account they reside on being exploited—or, in other words, the blog was hacked.

  From a technical perspective it was innocuous enough: a bit of encoded PHP code (“PHP” is the programming language WordPress is built on) got inserted into the site files that simply redirected users coming from external links to spam or malware sites. The code itself was easy to spot and subsequently easy to clear out, but it had infected a lot of files so it took time, and of course I’ve been closely monitoring the sites since cleaning things up and locking them down to make sure it didn’t happen again.

  So, if you’d tried to visit this blog over the past several days by clicking on a link from another site—Google search results, for instance, or Facebook posts—then you would have been redirected to something else entirely (possibly triggering a malware warning in your antivirus program). However, visiting the site directly—typing “thebrewsite.com” into the URL bar directly, or clicking from bookmarks—bypassed this redirection so if you didn’t know better, you wouldn’t know the site had been compromised.

  Anyway, everything’s back to normal for the moment so I will resume blogging shortly.

  

A Good Beer Blog

• 

  "Trucks Were Backing Up To Get The Stuff In"

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 3:04am CET by Alan McLeod

  

  Good article at OpenFile Halifax today touching on a few points of my old home town of Halifax's drinking history. Most neato of all is the click-able photo above of the 1948 version of the Sea Horse Tavern. The name of the place has continued in the underground bar that was my home away from home in undergrad days. The article has this great description of opening day for the Sea Horse:

  In September of 1948, the Sea Horse Tavern, operated by the Carleton hotel, was the first tavern to open since Halifax’s 1916 prohibition, charging 25 cents for a pint of Maritime-brewed bottled beer and 30 cents for a pint of Central Canadian beer, the maximum price set by the province. By 10:20 am, 51 people had filed in to drink. “When the fridge doors were opened, they stayed open. Trucks were backing up to get the stuff in. The beer had no time to get cool, we were dragging the crates out this side so fast,” said ‘Yank’ Landry, Sea Horse manager, to the Mail-Star.

  First of a three part series, the article also mentions that the town had issued 30 tavern licenses within the first 8 months of British settlement in 1749 - when the first wave of population numbered only 2,500.

• 

  Totally Different To Drinking In The Garage At Your Home

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 2:27am CET by Alan McLeod

  I don't think I have ever seen the basic economics of running a bar actually hit a newspaper as a story. But here it is in New Zealand:

  Wages, insurance, rent, rates, taxes, repairs and maintenance, cleaners, fixtures and fittings, heat, light and power, telephone, entertainment and security costs all need to be taken into account. "It's not a garage selling twist tops, we sell quality products. You have got to provide a convivial atmosphere and inviting environment. You have got to make it a place where people want to come," Mr Burleigh said. "Drinking at Peggy Gordon's is totally different to drinking in the garage at your home." Mr van Praagh said the hospitality industry was not a cash cow. "At the end of the day we are here to make a living but as you can see from the number of bars that shut down in town, it is not that easy," Mr van Praagh said.

  I know NZ is something of an oddly different place but - heavens to Betsy - what would Mitt think about all this having to explain capitalism? The concerns arose out of a public debate on minimum pricing policy, more about how cheap supermarket beer is down there and just exactly who was "usually responsible for the majority of the trouble caused in town later at night."

  Still, sad to see that Grumpy Mole went out of business.

Hop Talk

• 

  Help get a Mississippi brewery started

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 6:17pm CET by Al

  Mississippi is one of those “voids” in the craft beer scene. There are some pretty archaic and draconian laws there.

  I recently got a missive from Chip Jones, one of a group of folks who are trying to bring a viable craft brewery to Jackson, Mississippi. Here, I’ll let Chip tell his story:

  Lucky Town Brewing Company is a new planned brewery in Mississippi, and although there is no brewery within 150 miles of Jackson, the craft beer community here is thriving. As many of you know, Mississippi suffers from some of the strictest beer legislation in the country, which is one reason why there is only one production brewery located in Mississippi currently. Since the laws do not allow for many to bring their beer to Mississippi, we at Lucky Town intend to give the local craft beer enthusiasts a broader choice.

  Lucky Town recently launched a Kickstarter project, and our goal is to raise at least $20,000 to help cover some of our up front costs such as license fees, insurance costs, keg expenses, and ingredients costs among others. We raised over $6,000 in the first 10 days, and with the support we have locally we feel confident that we can reach our goal. We need your help to reach those who haven’t heard our story yet – please help us spread the word.

  You can find our Kickstarter page here:
  [www.kickstarter.com]

  So, how about it? Got a couple of bucks to spare to help the thirsty beer fans in Mississippi?

  Related Posts:

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  Help get a Mississippi brewery started is from Hop Talk - Beer. Life. Blog.

  
  

  
• 

  Where to find real ales in Twickenham

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 1:51am CET by Al

  What follows is a guest article from Carlo, a London-based Italian who works in online marketing for an English brewery.  When he’s not blogging he is an avid beer, foodie and nature lover.

  Real ales are a long standing tradition in England. The influx of European lagers has made the likes of Heineken and Becks hugely popular drinks. But when it comes to a drink of pure Britishness – you can’t go wrong with traditional real ale.

  There are all sorts of real ales out there. These range from the popular big-name brands found all over the country, right down to locally brewed tipples that people flock from miles around to come and have a taste of.

  To try every real ale in the country would be something of a challenge. Some people make it their life’s ambition to try as many as possible, heading to all corners of the country in search of new and exciting drinks.

  If you are thinking about embarking on a sort of real ale quest, it is best to start small and take it slowly. Otherwise there could be some alcohol related mishaps. For many, a good place to start is England’s home of rugby – Twickenham.

  Twickenham, and its pubs, is rugby through and through. And as a result it is awash with real ales, each one offering something different.

  To accommodate the hoards of rugby fans that arrive in Twickenham each rugby season, there is a whopping 19 pubs in this relatively small town in the suburbs of West London.

  Not all of them offer a decent selection of real ales, with many catering for the Friday and Saturday night crowd, which is not known for its cask ale appreciation.

  But the ones that do offer real ales usually have an impressive selection to choose from. And remember, if you are spoilt for choice and simply cannot decide, most pubs will be happy to offer you a free sample to help with the decision making process. But which are the best of the best in Twickenham?

  The Old Goat is a little out of the way, located about a ten minute walk from the familiar high street that most rugby fans won’t leave all day.

  But if you have a little time on your hands, make the ten minute walk to The Old Goat. It is more than worth the time it takes to get there, as this pub offers one of the most extensive beer and real ale menus in Twickenham.

  The fridges are stocked full of rare European lagers not seen in most pubs, and on the bar there are so many real ale taps you might have a mild panic attack.

  If you want to stay a little closer to the high street, and the rail station, take a wander down to the river. The White Swan is located just off the high street, and overlooks some of the most beautiful parts of the river Thames.

  Real ales on offer here include a couple of other locally-brewed tipples. If you prefer a dark-coloured, malty ale then try Original, which offers a rich, chocolaty flavour.

  Related Posts:

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  Where to find real ales in Twickenham is from Hop Talk - Beer. Life. Blog.

  
  

  

A Good Beer Blog

• 

  Often The Messages About Good Beer Just Don't Matter

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 1:31am CET by Alan McLeod

  Stan posted this four and a half minute video for Deschutes beer and I was surprised to find that I had an entirely different response to the thing than he did. I found it oddly creepy while he admitted he was "a sucker for these sorts of things." The strange thing I thought was how - for one of the first times that I can remember - I was maybe getting turned off about a beer I really liked. A brewery I liked. So, I thought I should think about that a bit more.

  There is a good comparator. Stone. See, Jeff said certain things about Greg from Stone and Greg responded. In that response Greg from Stone set out all the things I dislike about his approach to thinking about beer - the boring narcissism, the ever present first person pronouns "I, me, mine". But he does not shake my interest in buying his beer because for the most part it is very good beer at a very good price. I can avoid Greg and the dumb grade 8 back of the glass gargoyle branding thing. It is good for me and Stone that things work out this way. I get to take what I like and pay for the pleasure.

  My take on the Deschutes video is like that. Like Greg from Stone, it says a lot of things that may be good and reasonable things but does so in a way that makes me uncomfortable. Even though the vid's tone is entirely unlike a loud diatribe or self back slapping session it still leads me to think thoughts like this:

  ♦ There is something creepy in the voyeuristic decision to have the girl strip off her shirt and turn back for good measure. Or are we to think that sexism and beer can't touch craft breweries.
  ♦ There is something odd about the need to grab her off the street and the choice to include the banjo. I own two banjos but appreciate the have that creepy thing associated with them. Your average baritone ukelele or maybe a mandolin would have done the trick.
  ♦ There are no other people other than far way on that bridge by the pond. Is it intentionally surreal? Or is the message that good Deschutes beer best fits a post apocalyptic landscape. Did he see someone in the gas station and what did he do when he did? And what is the message that she reads at the bottom of a page. He wrote at the top. Is there some suggestion of misunderstanding?
  ♦ Building on that, there is a tone that is like something out of a movie by Bruce MacDonald or Don McKeller. Maybe it's that the bit of the US being filmed aligns with southern Canada, the setting looks less like wilderness to me and more like the landscape of Road Kill, the moment a bit like Last Night. I keep thinking she is going to off him. Solve her little problem once and for all. The message just fits into her master plan, creates opportunity.

  So, I am thinking it is a Canadian thing maybe. Road trip movies often don't work out all that well up here. There's danger. There's bears in the woods, not just make believe empty campsites with no one out there out to the horizon. But, like Greg of Stone going on and on, it doesn't matter. The beer is still tasty and reasonably priced. Wish they were both in my town and not just something I can find on the road. If I really have to go on the road.

• 

  With Friends Like This, Who Needs That Beer?

  Posted: January 22nd, 2012, 5:09pm CET by Alan McLeod

  A bit of odd news out of Brazil as published in The Sydney Morning Herald as that nation prepares to host the FIFA World Cup in 2014:

  ''Alcoholic drinks are part of the FIFA World Cup, so we're going to have them. Excuse me if I sound a bit arrogant, but that's something we won't negotiate,'' Valcke said on Thursday at the end of a visit to Brazil to meet the organising committee. He added that FIFA had repeatedly made it clear it wanted authorisation for beer sales in the stadiums, and stressed that Brazil was warned of that when it was chosen to host the 2014 World Cup. FIFA has an agreement with its sponsor, the US-based Anheuser-Busch brand Budweiser, and prohibiting beer sales would cut into the football organisation's revenues from the games. The sale of alcoholic drinks in sports arenas has been banned in Brazil since 2003, but a bill now making its way through Congress would create an exception, allowing beer to be sold in plastic cups at World Cup matches.

  I know we are all supposed to be all "hooray for booze in every context" when we beer blog. The pressure to conform is heavy - as you no doubt have noted. But isn't there something quite disturbing about beer being foisted - nay, forced - upon a people who have decided that beer in a sporting event is not appropriate? It would be comforting I suppose to pretend that FIFA cares about the thirst of dipsomaniac soccer fans but of course they are going to get a cut of stadium sales but not sales in private establishments before or after the matches. Having attended enough league matches in Scotland in the 70s and 80s when the ban on booze was skirted by those later arrested fans who duct taping bottles of cheap sherry to their legs under wide leg jeans (quite the thing for a teen to witness) I am aware of the reasons for keeping booze out of the stadiums.

  So FIFA is lining up on the side of lining its own pockets at the risk of public safety. Odd to see the makers of Bud still called "US-based" however. Surely, that Brazilian based brewer is lobbying its own as hard as FIFA. Rioters are, after all, good paying clients.

Hop Talk

• 

  Some Bull

  Posted: January 22nd, 2012, 5:11am CET by Matt

  

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  Some Bull is from Hop Talk - Beer. Life. Blog.

  
  

  

A Good Beer Blog

• 

  In Search Of The World's Most Averagest Hip Beer

  Posted: January 21st, 2012, 6:08pm CET by Alan McLeod

  Just when you think collaborations make muddled beer... just when you couldn't wait for beer by committee to be the next big thing... we give you statistically averaged beer recipe formulation:

  “We’re asking them as a group to help us design a beer,’’ Koch explained Friday. Through a special application on Facebook, Sam Adams fans will collectively produce a recipe. “The parameters are things like the color, the clarity, the mouth feel, the yeast, the malt, the hops, so there's almost 2,000 different outcomes. Imagine what a really great beer would taste like, and then slide each of those six scales to design the perfect beer, and we'll take the total of all those different beers and then we're going to brew it.’’

  Yum. I am pretty sure that even in my darkest moments I haven't ever imagined this new odd PR trick as a way to truly master the making of dull beer. Taking social media add the power of averaging and, voila, dullness in a glass. And roll it out at SXSW just to make the thin veneer of hipster-ism seamless.

  Neato! Crowd sourcing!!! The wide-leg jeans of this decade. Thanks for bringing it to brewing, Sam Adams. Can we stop associating this brewer with craft now?

The Brew Site

• 

  Hop Henge (2012)

  Posted: January 21st, 2012, 7:14am CET by Jon

  I popped open and enjoyed a bottle of Hop Henge from Deschutes Brewery this evening, and rather than write a full review I thought I’d just jot down some thoughts. This is Deschutes’ “Experimental” IPA which masquerades as an Imperial IPA; at 8.5% alcohol by volume and 95 IBUs, this certainly qualifies in the “Imperial” department—the “Experimental” comes from the various techniques Deschutes has experimented with over the years to get more hops into this beer.

  This is the bottle that Deschutes sent me at the very end of last year. I had opened a bottle (that I’d purchased) on New Year’s Eve and my impressions then are largely the same now: a bit of a damp cannabis quality to the aroma (“dank”), along with a sweet and green quality with a slight cattiness that seems to be Deschutes’ hop signature these last few years.

  Hop Henge is a super-drinkable beer, with a creamy, soft and pillowy malt base infused with hops—not just bitterness, but the herbal, floral, spicy character that really highlights the hoppiness without ever being harsh. Deschutes handles hops better than almost any brewery out there: they know how to bring out the character of the hops without reverting to the scalding bitterness, or cotton-candy-over-hoppiness, that I find a lot of less-than-deft Imperial IPAs to possess.

  And yet there is a hop burn, and a sweet sticky body, and all the hallmarks that hopheads seeking out the next Imperial IPA are looking for. It’s terrific. Don’t miss out.

  

The Champagne of Blogs

• 

  Is this thing on?

  Posted: January 21st, 2012, 5:56am CET by Dave Selden

  Yeah, yeah, another “I just realized I haven’t posted to this blog in a long time …” post. Thinking about firing BS Brewing back up again, though. It might be a “one night only” thing, since Bruce and I are joining Ezra on what is sure to be a story-filled beer bus adventure in a few weeks, or maybe not.

  Anyway, is anyone out there still reading us?

  

The Brew Site

• 

  The next Session: Growlers!

  Posted: January 21st, 2012, 5:00am CET by Jon

  The next Session has been announced, and it’s being hosted by Kendall Jones of the Washington Beer Blog: Growlers Galore:

  These days people take growlers for granted. In my neck of the woods, growlers are a relatively new phenomenon. I don’t recall exactly when they appeared on the local beer scene but it could not have been more than eight or ten years ago. Maybe they existed in obscurity before. My memory fails me. Today growlers are everywhere. I think. Growlers are very common around the Pacific Northwest, anyway. I cannot speak to their popularity elsewhere. I’d love to know.

  Tell us about your growler collection. Tell us why you love growlers or why you hate them. What is the most ridiculous growler you’ve ever seen? Tell us about your local growler filling station. Ever suffer a messy growler mishap? Anything related to growlers is acceptable.

  I’ll be honest, this isn’t a topic I would have thought up. But I’m digging it.

  The Session takes place on Friday, February 3rd; leave a comment at the Washington Beer Blog to participate.

  
• 

  Oregon Beer News, 01/20/2012

  Posted: January 20th, 2012, 9:00pm CET by Jon

  Happy Friday! Here’s the roundup of Oregon beer news for Friday the 20th and the weekend. I’ll be updating this post periodically throughout the day, so if you have news to share please contact me and I’ll get it updated.

  Bailey’s Taproom (Portland) is holding their third annual Cellarfest tomorrow, the 21st, from 4 to 11:30pm. This year there’s no admission cost or souvenir glasses, just come and enjoy the fantastic beer lineup—each beer is available in 4oz and 10oz pours, though there are no sampler trays being served. With a beer list populated by a variety of vintages of terrific beers, this is one Portland fest you won’t want to miss.

  Upright Brewing (Portland): Today is the official release of Fantasia, their soured wild-style peach ale that was fermented entirely in oak barrels. The beer will be on tap when the brewery taproom opens today at 4:30, and you’ll be able to buy wax-dipped 750ml bottles of it for $20 each (with a one-case limit). Would someone like to send me a bottle? Pretty please?

  Gigantic Brewing (Portland) is the subject of a good writeup today over on the New School; Ezra visited the still-in-development brewery and provides a nice overview of their general plans, and gives a (tentative) opening date of March. Also, I was noticing and commenting on brewers Ben Love and Van Havig showing up around the state brewing collaboration beers, and the final paragraph gives a reason: “Meanwhile, Messrs. Love and Havig have been bouncing around Oregon, brewing guest beers at many local breweries. The strategy behind this–other than just being fun–is that when the tasting room is ready to open but the brewery does not have a lineup of beers, they will be able to save kegs of all their collaboration beers to have on tap. So far beers have been made in collaboration with Pelican, Breakside, Oakshire, Laurelwood, and Anchorage Brewing (yes, in Alaska).”

  Below Grade Brewing (Bend): They’ve bottled up and released their latest beer in their lineup, Dangerous Kate: “Newport Market is now carrying Below Grade Brewing’s newest foray into the craft beer market, Dangerous Kate, an Imperial Cascadian Black Ale (also known as a double Black IPA). This ale is not for the meek; it is big and hoppy like an IPA but has roasted malt character as well. This is a great beer for a cold winter night, in front of a crackling fire with a good book or just good friends.”

  Cascade Brewing (Portland) had a really interesting week lined up: “It’s Scottish Beer Week at the BBL House starting next Monday. We’ll be serving up Mc Shagger Strong Scotch, Lil’ Bo Peat Peated Pale, Black Sheep Stout and a Scottish IPA. Next week’s Tap It Tuesday will be Soured Mc Shagger, a 12+ month old barrel aged Strong Scotch.”

  
• 

  Oregon Beer News, 01/19/2012

  Posted: January 19th, 2012, 9:10pm CET by Jon

  Here’s the beer news from around Oregon for Thursday, January 19th. I’ll be updating this news post periodically throughout the day so if you have some news to share contact me and I’ll post it.

  MacTarnahan’s Brewing (Portland): They have a “New Year New Beers Brewers Dinner” tonight starting at 6pm, though information seems to be scarce about this even on their own website. From what I’ve been able to glean on Facebook, it starts at 6pm (though the event page says 5 to 8), cost is $35 for four courses. The Eventbrite page to purchase tickets, with additional details like the menu, is here. The beers that will be served are Discord IPA, Outburst IPA, Smoked Lager, and Maibock—which certainly sound like new beers to me!

  McMenamins (Oregon): Next Wednesday, the 25th, is the 26th anniversary of their Hammerhead flagship beer and McMenamins is promising “Pints for $2.50 all day everywhere, contests here and on the McMenamins Pubs, Breweries & Historic Hotels FB feed, giveaways in the pubs and more.” Be sure to hit them up next Wednesday and definitely have a pint of Hammerhead!

  Deschutes Brewery (Bend): The grand re-opening of the Bend Pub is scheduled for Wednesday, February 1st. Along with re-tooling the menu a bit (adding pizza, for instance), it looks like there’s a lot of excitement for the new space to open up. I know I can’t wait!

  Upcoming tastings, releases, and “Meet the Brewer” events:

  • The Green Dragon (Portland): They are hosting a Meet the Brewer with Eastern Oregon’s Beer Valley Brewing tonight from 5 to 8pm. Head brewer Pete Ricks will be on hand to answer questions and pour beer.
  • Hopworks Urban Brewery (Portland) will be in Beaverton tonight for a tasting: “Be sure to catch up with brewer Jaime at Monteaux’s Public House (16165 SW Regatta Lane #1000) tonight between 5 – 7 p.m. He’s bringing Secession CDA and Hopworks IPA for you to enjoy.”
  • Breakside Brewery (Portland) has their Brewer’s Dinner with Aquariva tomorrow, the 20th: they brewed their Italian Amber specifically to pair with this event, and for $45 you’ll be treated to a four course meal paired with the Amber as well as several other Breakside brews. Call 503-802-5850 for reservations.

  
• 

  Help Lew Bryson get on TV

  Posted: January 19th, 2012, 6:45pm CET by Jon

  I missed the boat on this the first time around, but Lew Bryson is the public face of a new Kickstarter project: “American Beer Blogger“, a proposed television show.

  AMERICAN BEER BLOGGER is a half hour television series dedicated to all facets of the ever growing craft beer market. From home brewing, to micro beer; viewers will experience the very best of the craft beer culture. In each episode, Lew will visit a different brewer, each of which has their own sets of quirks and ways of doing things. Lew will talk to these brewers, get to know them, will show us first hand the various methods and techniques used in creating a craft beer. From the tiniest bottler to the largest manufacturer, Lew will get his hands dirty. Topics such as bottling, food pairing, manufacturing, distribution, history, technique (and so much more) will all be touched upon as Lew spends a day with these brewers. Some doing well in the business, others not so well. Thankfully, the DIY nature of this business can lead to some pretty different results, as Lew lends a hand and helps out in any way he can. Lew will show us all the kinds of micro-breweries currently out there. From the smallest, hippest label to large manufacturers.

  The first time around, the goal was to raise $60,000 for a six-episode commitment, but they were unable to reach that goal. This time, it’s only $6000 for a pilot episode (and hopefully if that were to go well, then there would presumably be a chance for more).

  And the goal will be met this time, I’m quite sure: as of this writing, with 10 days left to go, there has already been $5402 raised—which means there’s only $598 to go for the project to reach its goal. I’m pretty sure at this point the pilot will get off the ground.

  Still, if you’d like to see “American Beer Blogger”, see if you can find some time to pledge to the project.

  

Hail the Ale! Beer Blog

• 

  Top Hops Beer Shop is Open in NYC

  Posted: January 19th, 2012, 5:00pm CET by Chris Scott

  I saw this pop up on Urban Daddy the other day and just got the press release below. Dying to go now.   Top Hops Beer Shop: Merchants and Advocates of Great Beer Part Bottle Shop, Part Tasting Room, Part Classroom New York, NY [January 19, 2012] – Top Hops Beer Shop is now open [...]

A Good Beer Blog

• 

  I Think I Learned That Beer Has Arc And Width

  Posted: January 19th, 2012, 1:36am CET by Alan McLeod

  

  It started innocently enough. Boak and Bailey repeated approvingly my comment that "surfing along with the flavours or things that cannot be controlled is the hallmark of an artisan." I had been thinking of Jeff's transcription of his interview with Jean Van Roy when I commented about hop oil being a cousin to Velveeta cheese. Makes sense, no?

  What ensured was an interesting and odd line of tweets. And things took off in an interesting direction. I was quite surprised by the idealism that good beer can be pure and perfect. I always thought good things express many things including the work of time itself as well as the inevitability of human foible. Jeff shared an observation from John Keeling of Fuller's, that sometimes the relationship you have with a beer over time is like when friends get haircuts - "you recognize the person, but he's not identical." I like it. I believe good things display aspects of their goodness in different ways over time. No point in time is better as long as the goodness still is there.

  But this means that there is an arc over time. Good beer taste one way young and another old. Both have their charms. And it means as the arc passes, there is a also width to the range of variables which may be displayed at any point in time as well as at the same point. All real food is like this. For me, Saison Dupont is a perfect example. Every time it seems different but still itself. Like someone you know with new stories to tell. Sure, I have changed and the context, too, but it's not just me. The beer that has morphed.

  When industrial brewers - or, for that matter, any brewers who believes that beer should only taste as they conceive - demand our obedience we are being asked to believe. To believe there was a mythical big bang of flavour when it was truer and more perfect is to believe that you are not a participant in the process.

The Brew Site

• 

  Oregon Beer News, 01/18/2012

  Posted: January 18th, 2012, 9:00pm CET by Jon

  Here’s the Oregon beer news for Wednesday, January 18th, but there’s also another significant milestone today that you should be aware of: the Stop SOPA movement. I haven’t blacked out the entire site today but to show support I’ve got visitors redirected to a Stop SOPA page when they hit the blog the first time, and I hope you take the time to read the page now as well. In the meantime, I’ll still be updating this post periodically throughout the day as well, so if you have some news to share contact me and I’ll get it posted.

  The New School blog today has an extensive 30-minute video interview with Greg Koch of Stone Brewing posted today—and it’s only part 1 of 2, so there will be more on the way tomorrow. If you’re a fan (or not) of Stone, CDAs (or Black IPAs if you prefer), and the beer industry in general, you need to find some time today to watch.

  Laurelwood Brewing (Portland): On February 8 they have a unique Collaboration Brewers Dinner event, where Laurelwood has collaborated with guest brewers to produce unique beers to match up with a five course dinner. Brewers include Vasili Gletsos of Laurelwood, Van Havig of Gigantic Brewing, Alex Ganum of Upright Brewing, and Tom Bleigh of Hopwork Urban Brewery. Tickets for the event are $50 which you can pick up at the northeast Portland and Battle Ground (Washington) Laurelwood locations. This should be an amazing dinner event you won’t want to miss.

  Upcoming tastings, releases, and “Meet the Brewer” events:

  • The Green Dragon (Portland): Tonight is their latest Big Beer Month release from the Green Dragon Brew Crew, Alternator Doppelbock, from 5 to 8pm: “A proper dopplebock brewed with Bohemian pilsner malt and supplimented with Munich, Vienna, and carafa II malts. A triple decoction resulting in a beautiful amber color with layers of malt flavor. Hopped with German Hallertauer hops providing complexity and just enough hop character to work with this malt forward beer.” 8.3% abv.
  • Seven Brides Brewing (Silverton): “Another Meet the Brewer promo tonight, this time down in Corvallis at Greenberry Store and Tavern on 99W… Josiah will be on hand pouring pints of Ember and talking about Seven Brides, so if you are in the area stop on in for a pint!” (via Facebook)
  • Fort George Brewery (Astoria): Tonight is their Indian Food and IPA Brewer’s Dinner featuring five courses plus dessert all paired with great Northwest-style IPAs. It takes place from 6 to 9pm and costs $65 per person or $120 for a couple; I think there are still tickets available.
  • Ninkasi Brewing (Eugene) will be in Bend tonight at the Reed Pub (1141 SE Railroad St. just off Reed Market) from 5:30 to 7:30pm, with beer and schwag to hand out.

  
• 

  Fort George 1811 Lager

  Posted: January 17th, 2012, 10:00pm CET by Jon

  When Jeff of Beervana awarded the annual Satori Award to Fort George’s 1811 Lager, I figured it was high time to dust off the review notes I had written for this beer and get them published here. (I’m actually really behind on posting beer reviews of late.)

  Fort George crafted this beer last year to honor the bicentennial of Astoria (the oldest U.S. settlement west of the Rocky Mountains), in the style of a Pre-Prohibition lager. Along with their Vortex IPA it was the first of Fort George’s beers to be packaged and distributed—in cans.

  From their site:

  Many West Coast brewers in the 19th century had no ice, so they improvised an effervescent beer by brewing lager yeasts at higher-than-normal temperatures. Described as a “refreshing drink, much consumed by the laboring classes,” it’s the inspiration for 1811 lager.

  More flavorful than most modern lagers, and fermented at warmer temperatures, 1811 is lovingly concocted from 2 row malted barley and cracked maize; corn was a popular beer ingredient in pre-Prohibition days. 1811’s hop character gives it a distinctive Northwest style worthy of Astoria’s 200-year history.

  1811 Lager is 5.1% alcohol by volume, and nicely unfiltered.

  Appearance: Hazy golden-straw colored [my picture picked up a lot more "orange" than "straw"], lively bubbles, two fingers of nice fine white head.

  Smell: Nicely hoppy aroma—Noble hops I think, spicy and floral—along with sweet maltiness that reminds me of corn.

  Taste: Really pleasant zing of hops right up front, bright, bitter and popping out; they give way to a nice solid bitterness on the back of the tongue. Peppery and spicy, overlaying neutral malt backbone. Really tasty.

  Mouthfeel: Light and crisp with lots of hop zing peppering the palate.

  Overall: Excellent, mellow but big hops, and “zing” is the best word I can think of to describe the character here; it’s not hoppy like a big IPA but they’ve put the spicy, peppery, bright character of the Noble(?) hops to good use. I really like it.

  1811 Lager on Untappd. BeerAdvocate: 85/100. RateBeer: 3.21/5, 72nd percentile.

  
• 

  Oregon Beer News, 01/17/2012

  Posted: January 17th, 2012, 8:00pm CET by Jon

  Here’s the beer news from around Oregon for Tuesday, January 17th, and the snow is falling today! Here in Bend we’re predicted to get some 8-12 inches by tomorrow and though that seems unlikely, it’s still a good time to curl up with a nice stout or better yet, a barleywine of some kind. In the meantime, I’ll be updating the news throughout the day so if you have something to share, contact me and I’ll get it posted.

  The Oregon Brewers Guild posts that applications are now being accepted for Falconer Foundation Brewing Scholarships: there are two being offered for 2012, one a web-based “Concise Course in Brewing Technology” open to brewers and individuals planning to enter the brewing industry, the other is for one of three Web-based modules from the International Diploma in Brewing Technology Program and is open to professional brewers only. All applications must be received by March 23rd; only people from Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Northern California, Alaska, and Hawaii can apply. So what are you waiting for?

  Bailey’s Taproom (Portland) is holding their 3rd annual Cellarfest this Saturday, January 21st: from 4 to 11:30pm you’ll get the chance to drink some beers that they’ve been “sitting on” (cellaring) for awhile, including such gems as 2007 Lucky Lab Old Yeller Barleywine, 2009 Lagunitas Brown Shugga, and Deschutes Black Butte XXI. There’s no admission cost or souvenir glasses, you can either purchase a 4oz. or 10oz. pour of any of the available beers—but no sample trays. Their event listing/beer list is here.

  Speaking of Bailey’s Taproom, Draft Magazine has named it and several more (Portland) beer bars as among America’s 100 best beer bars for 2012. The others are APEX, Belmont Station, the Green Dragon, the Horse Brass, and Saraveza. Congratulations to all!

  The Love of Beer—the movie about women in the beer industry, prominently featuring Tonya Cornett (formerly) of Bend Brewing and Sarah Pederson of Saraveza—is coming to Eugene next month, and Ninkasi will be a part of it: “The Love of Beer featuring women in craft brewing is featured in two screenings at David Minor Theater the evening of Feb 9. If you are coming into to Eugene for the KLCC Brewfest, show up a day early and come hang out with us! Beer and food available in the theater. Ninkasi tastings 30 minutes previous to each screening.” Incidentally, the KLCC Microbrew Festival is taking place February 10 and 11 this year.

  Upcoming tastings, releases, and “Meet the Brewer” events:

  • Lucky Lab (Portland): Their Honey Bear Braggot tasting starts today at 4pm at their Beer Hall on NW Quimby. You don’t see too many braggots being commercially brewed so it would definitely be worth checking out.
  • Belmont Station (Portland): Today from 6 to 8pm they’re welcoming Moa Brewing from New Zealand. Four beers will be pouring.
  • Ninkasi (Eugene) will be in Bend tomorrow night, the 18th: “Tomorrow night we will be at the Reed Pub for a Ninkasi Night! Come down to 1141 SE Railroad St from 5:30 to 7:30. Aaron and Ryan will have shwag to give out.”
  • Hopworks Urban Brewery (Portland): “Today at both Hopworks locations we’re officially releasing Huck IPA, the Best of Show winning beer out of 277 entries from the Oregon Brew Crew Fall Classic. Winning homebrewer John Huck will be at Hopworks on Powell around 5:00, so stop in, try his beer and say hi.” (via Facebook)
  • Seven Brides Brewing (Silverton): They will be as Scottys in Tigard this evening for a meet the brewer starting at 6pm.

  Happy hours, specials, and cheap pours:

  • Cascade Brewing (Portland): Today’s Tap It Tuesday features “Gold Yeller”: “This NW style sour ale is one of our lightest offerings. Subtle aromas of honey and light bright lemon greet you in the nose. Soft malt and a lemony tartness on the palate give way to multiple layers of sour and oak that dance around the finish of this beer. 7.1% ABV / $6 glass.” Tapping at 6pm.
  • Bend Brewing (Bend): Tonight is Locals Night, with $2.75 pints from 4pm until closing.
  • Silver Moon Brewing (Bend): This week’s Growler Power Hour ($5 growler fills from 4 to 6pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays) features Hound’s Tooth Amber and Badlands ESB.
  • Lompoc Brewing (Portland): It’s Tightwad Tuesday at the Fifth Quadrant and the Hedge House, featuring $2.50 regular pints all day long.
  • Three Creeks (Sisters): They have $3.25 pints all day.

  

A Good Beer Blog

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  What Is The Value Of Value With Drinks?

  Posted: January 17th, 2012, 4:32am CET by Alan McLeod

  Value. Money. Opportunity. Knowledge. I got thinking about this when I read this from the beer columnist for the Star-Ledger about the wine columnist for the Star-Ledger:

  I love reading John Foy's wine column in the Star-Ledger. His descriptions of the wines are quite evocative:

  The 2004 and 2006 show the same pedigree of bright red color, and a plethora of aromas ranging from raspberry, cherry, cinnamon, white pepper, roses and black raisins. Both are medium bodied with delicious fruit emitting raspberry, cranberry and bitter cherry flavors with harmonious tannins. There is an undercurrent of vanilla in the aroma and flavor from the oak barrels that is pleasing because it is not obvious.

  By the time I finish reading those descriptions, I'm ready to get out a corkscrew, a loaf of French bread and some brie. But then I read the price: 63 bucks. Yikes! It's back to beer for me.

  Really? The article goes on to talk about the lack of objective truth about wine. What is it we value about thinking about drinks? Are the drinks tastier? Saturday afternoon, I finally took the advice on the back of the bottle and just poured ginger ale into my Pimms rather than making the full punch. I needed no Pimms pundit to tell me that. The bottle told me. There is, in fact, no result at all when you place pimmspundit.com into Google. Some guy called Pimm had the blog. Shame. Opportunity awaits to corner the market.

  Or maybe its indirect value. Maybe it's that the language and the thoughts allow you to be or do something or hang out with those who are or do? I dunno. I have always suspected that there is value in increasing the value of beer to those who write about beer because it's always good to be the smart person in the room when it comes to things that cost more than other things. Show me the person who made it by being the expert on how kids play with sticks. Kids play with sticks. Sticks are free. Limited guru opportunity. Like Pimms in a way. Take stick. Throw or drag. Take Pimms. Add ginger ale or make punch.

  The article implies the direction towards less is better. It seems to tie over-thinking and over-pricing. Could that be true?

The Brew Site

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  Oregon Beer News, 01/16/2012

  Posted: January 16th, 2012, 8:00pm CET by Jon

  Here’s the Oregon beer news for Monday, January 16th—Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. As usual I will be periodically updating this post throughout the day, so if you have some news to share, please contact me and I’ll get it posted.

  The Washington Beer Blog points to the news that showed up in the Hood River News on the 12th that a new brewery is slated to open in Hood River by this summer: “Josh Pfriem, Ken Whiteman and Rudy Kellner expect their new brewery – called Pfriem Brewing Company (pronounced ‘freem’) – to be up and running by June. The three have signed into a five-year lease with the Port of Hood River to occupy the eastern portion of the new Halyard Building, and bids to ready the 5,600-square- foot space for the brewery and tasting room are due this week.” Josh Pfriem was formerly with Chuckanut Brewery in Bellingham, Washington, and most recently with Full Sail there in Hood River. In addition to the “classic hop-forward Northwest varieties” the brewery will also focus on Belgian-style ales, and in addition to the brewpub layout (with possible live music) they plan to bottle in 750ml bottles as well as distribute kegs across the Northwest.

  Upright Brewing (Portland) is releasing their Fantasia specialty peach beer this Friday, January 20th, and Ezra at the New School has the lowdown: it’s 100% fermented in oak barrels that were also stuffed with peaches, and inoculated (of course) with wild cultures (lactobacillus and brettanomyces). “Bottles of ‘Fantasia’ will be wax dipped and sold in 750ml style champagne bottles for $20 a piece and $225 for a case with a 1 case limit at the brewery this Friday 1/20 starting at 4:30pm. There will also be just one 50 liter keg of ‘Fantasia’ pouring on draft on Friday.”

  Fort George Brewery (Astoria): This Wednesday, the 18th, they have their “2012 Indian Food and IPA Brewer’s Dinner“, a five-course (not counting dessert!) meal paired with a variety of India Pale Ales—not just those from Fort George but from other breweries like Boneyard Beer and Russian River Brewing as well. The dinner takes place from 6 to 9pm and there are still tickets available, for $65 per person (or $120 for a pair). You can pick those up online here or call the Brewery directly.

  Double Mountain Brewery (Hood River) has an experimental beer available that may not last long, but sure sounds interesting: “Just in time for the winter doldrums comes GRAVITAR, an aggressively hopped IPA that increases the earth’s gravitational pull by exact 34.2%, according to our estimable brewmaster. It’s got something to do with the experimental hop variety HBC 342 we used — a whopper of hop with citrus, passion fruit, lemon & pineapple notes. There are a mere 15 plants of “342” on the entire earth at the moment… let us know if you like it, maybe they’ll grow more. 7.2% ABV, 90+BU. Available in limited supply at fine beer bars around the Northwest, and at our Taproom for the next month or so.”

  Upcoming tastings, releases, and “Meet the Brewer” events:

  • Cascade Lakes Brewing (Redmond): Belmont Station is hosting a tasting of the Cascade Lakes line-up tonight, from 5 to 8pm, including Monkey Face Porter, 20″ Brown, Cyclops IPA, Rosster Tail Ale, and Slippery Slope Winter Ale, and their King Kong Imperial Porter will be available on tap.
  • The Green Dragon (Portland) has two events this week: the next release of their “Big Beer Month” series on Wednesday, Alternator Doppelbock from 5 to 8pm; and Thursday they have Beer Valley Brewing in from Ontario for a Meet the Brewer from 5 to 8pm, where they’ll be sampling “the 2012 vintage of Highway to Ale Barleywine, Leafer Madness, Judas Yeast Winter Ale, and Delta 9 IPA.”
  • Lucky Labrador (Portland): Tomorrow, Tuesday the 17th, they are tasting a Braggot: “Brewer, Ben Flerchinger, is coming out with a new beer…kinda. HONEY BEAR BRAGGOT Tasting starts @ 4 p.m. Tuesday, Lucky Labrador Beer Hall, 1945 N.W. Quimby St.. Come try this truly unique “beer”!”
  • Belmont Station (Portland) is featuring a tasting tomorrow (the 17th) from 6 to 8pm with Moa Brewing out of New Zealand: “Taste 5 beers (4 here for the first time) from this Blenheim, New Zealand craft brewery, hosted by MOA’s own Gareth Hughes. This is our first visiting Kiwi dignitary so come welcome him and taste some fine Southern Hemisphere craft beer!”

  

Hop Talk

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  Kujo

  Posted: January 16th, 2012, 4:12am CET by Al

  My friends at Flying Dog announced the availability of this puppy a month ago, but I haven’t seen it until now. (All due to my charming wife. Thanks, dear!) Of course, I did happen to have it at the brewery before they gave it a name, and again while they were test marketing it in bottles.

  After today’s thrilling New York Giants playoff victory over the top-seeded Green Bay Packers, I figured I should celebrate.

  They say:

  Kujo is the savage spawn of two brewing worlds – coffee and beer – colliding. But in that collision, there’s a balance between rich and roasted stout characteristics and the deep, dark coffee notes. The result is an 8.9% ABV brew made with locally-roasted coffee from Black Dog Coffee out of Summit Point, West Virginia.

  It is nearly as dark as burnt motor oil, with a thick, medium-brown head. The coffee is obvious in the aroma, with a bit of that dark-roasted malt underneath. Creamy and roasty both. At 8.9% ABV this isn’t something to quaff in large quantities, but this is definitely becoming a new favorite of mine.

  Flying Dog Kujo

  Related Posts:

  • Tröegs JavaHead Stout
  • Flying Fish Imperial Espresso Porter
  • Victory Storm King Stout
  • Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter
  • Insidious Imperial Stout
  • Powered by Contextual Related Posts

  Kujo is from Hop Talk - Beer. Life. Blog.

  
  

  

A Good Beer Blog

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  What Are The Best Rules For Aging Good Beer?

  Posted: January 16th, 2012, 12:08am CET by Alan McLeod

  I have been happily aging beer for years. The oldest beer I have is 18 years old. I have also been happily reading rules about aging beer for years. But it was only when reading this article in the Poughkeepsie Journal, which for the most part is pretty good, that I realized I don't really follow the supposed rules and have been happily doing so for years. Let's look at a few rules:

  ♦ Corked bottles need laying on their sides: I have caged cork bottles in the stash that are four and five years old and they all stand upright. In Let Me Tell You About Beer from last year, Melissa Cole suggests "cork-sealed bottles need to be laid down so the cork stays moist and maintains the seal." My feeling on the cork is that it is more of a source of risk of off flavours over time than lack of beer is a risk to the cork. Plus, unlike most wines, corks used in beer - like champagnes - are larger than the opening, are caged and subject to back pressure. These conditions keep these bottle sealed more than the wetness of the cork. I have never experienced the suggested problem.
  
  ♦ Dark coloured beer ages better than light ones: Never had any experience of a badly aged strong pale ale like a tripel or one of those nutty strong US craft beer anniversary ales. The article in the Poughkeepsie Journal states dark beers "will mellow in intensity" but pale strong beers do exactly the same thing under generally cool and dark conditions. Don't limit your experiments, that's my opinion.
  
  ♦ Beer has to be stored in a limited temperature range: In 2009's The Naked Pint from 2009, Perozzi and Beaune recommend investing in a dedicated wine fridge at the cost of $300 to $2,000 because beer should be aged between 50°F and 60°F. My house has a cold room under south-east facing steps. It has air circulation from the outside. It's about 7°F outside right now. I bet the stash experiences 15°F to 75°F over the course of a year. But it does so in a very slow cycle because the beer sits five feet underground. They are also kept boxed and piled to create a thermal mass that would further slow down temperature changes. While protecting the beer, this may actually also result in speed aging. Remember - you want the beer to undergo alteration over time. Why wait by putting the beer in cryogenic hibernation at huge expense?
  
  ♦ Don't age beer under a certain strength: Randy Mosher in Tasting Beer also from 2009 states conclusively "...beers with under 6 to 7 percent alcohol are never meant to age." Nothing in life is that certain. My philosophy is that beers at that level and less can shift pleasingly in flavour over time. It's just that they will do it faster. Where I am quite comfortable leaving a 10% beer for years, I'd comfortably leave certain lover strength beers like porters in storage to see if they pick up some tangs. And what about those beers that are spoiled from day one? Old gueuze and other lambics can easily be far closer to 5% than 10%. Again, try it out. See what happens.

  That's my experience. Your results may differ and you may have something to add. My idea is that for the most part beer is pretty cheap stuff. Putting away a few wines like I do (in the same space) leads to a small collection with a couple of thousand bucks of investment. Beer? You can have a 200 bottle stash with maybe a third dedicated to long term aging for maybe half that cost. So take a chance. See what happens.

The Brew Site

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  Possible Elkton Brewing Company

  Posted: January 14th, 2012, 7:26pm CET by Jon

  This week I noticed this ad on Craigslist (Eugene, Oregon) which is looking for a Brew Master: “Brewer needed at Elkton Brewing Company. Send resume with history of brewing skills. Home brewers with carpentry or woodworking skills are encouraged to apply.”

  Intrigued, I searched for “Elkton Brewing” and came across a skeletal website—elktonbrewingcompany.com—that has photographs that positively identify it as Elkton, Oregon, a small town of 200 about 54 miles southwest of Eugene and 37 miles northwest of Roseburg, on the Umpqua River and Highway 38 between Reedsport and I-5. On the city’s website nothing is listed for a brewery but there are four(!) wineries listed, so out of curiosity I sent off an email to the poster of the Craigslist ad (the email address listed on the website had bounced back).

  Owner(?) Eric emailed back with a few hints and ideas of what they’re hoping to do with the brewery, which sounds like (in addition to the brewery itself) they’re wanting to offer a place for homebrewers to brew and showcase their talents (similar perhaps to Coalition Brewing’s “Coalator” program), though they are still in the early stages of things.

  

  From the building picture on the about page (above), this is their location (Google Maps); if you look at it in Street View, it was clearly under construction in 2008 (the date of that particular image on Google). Currently it’s looking like a nice location, right on the main drag through town.

  Hopefully the search for a brewer will pan out and Elkton Brewing will happen, joining the ever-growing rank of Oregon’s breweries. If you’re interested in being a part of it, send along your resume and help get them off the ground.

  
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  Bites and Brews and Bend’s Pine Tavern

  Posted: January 14th, 2012, 8:16am CET by Jon

  Yesterday my wife clued me in to a local beer event that I had almost missed: the Pine Tavern, Bend, Oregon’s oldest restaurant (originally founded in 1936), was hosting an event with local breweries called “Bites & Brews“: a beer and food pairing event that brought in eight breweries and paired their beers with “food created by our Executive Chef especially for each beer, bringing out the natural flavors of each distinctly different Beer”.

  I was able to attend, getting a ticket at the door (rather than reserved ahead of time), and I’m glad I did: it ended up being a terrific event for only $25, which was a great deal for what amounted to an all-you-can-eat-and-drink showcase of Central Oregon’s beer scene.

  The breweries that were in attendance were:

  • Deschutes Brewery
  • Bend Brewing
  • Silver Moon Brewing
  • 10 Barrel Brewing
  • Cascade Lakes Brewing
  • GoodLife Brewing
  • Phat Matt’s Brewing
  • Seven Brides Brewing

  Astute readers will note that one wasn’t actually local: Seven Brides Brewing is based in Silverton, Oregon (outside of Salem on the other side of the mountains); however, their rep in Bend, Aiden, is one of the brothers of the owners (they have a partnership of “three dads and two uncles” as the primaries) so it worked out well with the event.

  Overall I think it was a good, successful beer event: the Pine Tavern is one of my favorite Bend restaurants, and they put together a delicious “bites” menu and did a great job organizing the (mostly) local brewers together to pour some terrific beers. I didn’t take advantage of the food as much as I could have, but what I did try—blue cheese-infused sliders, coconut breaded prawns, goat cheese and olive bruschetta, Dungeoness crab beignets—was delicious and I wish I’d helped myself to more.

  But no matter— I was able to sample some beers I hadn’t yet had the pleasure of trying, and had the chance to talk to a number of brewery reps, and that alone was worth the price of admission. I started out my night with some Ching Ching from Bend Brewing (a fantastic beer, a sour Berliner Weisse-style infused with pomegranate and hibiscus) and a plate of food, and then moved into serious beer tasting and discussion.

  • 10 Barrel: Founders Chris and Jeremy Cox and Garret Wales were present, and I chatted with them for awhile, along with sampling their Oregon Brown (a really nice, crisp and hoppy brown ale, malty with toffee character) and Pray For Snow (their winter ale, which is a strong ale with a lot of bourbon character this year). Among discussing their various “brewer acquisitions” (Tonya Cornett of Bend Brewing and Shawn Kelso of Barley Brown’s) we talked about their 50bbl brewhouse expansion which is coming right along; the actual 50 barrel brewing system should be in by Tuesday the 17th and Chris invited me to come tour the new brewery anytime after that.
  • Seven Brides: I had not tried but perhaps two Seven Brides brews before this night so I made it a point to sample the three that were available and introduce myself to Aiden Kelley, their Bend rep. On tap were Frankenlou’s IPA (ironically I have a bottle of this in the fridge that I have yet to open), Becky’s Black Cat Porter, and a Kölsch. The IPA was decent but not as hoppy as the IBUs on the label (105!) would suggest, the Kölsch I really enjoyed (a little rough around the edges which I kind of like in this style and a touch yeasty) and the Porter was great, with vanilla and licorice notes. I definitely need to make an effort to get over the mountains to Silverton to visit the brewery and try a lot more of their beers.
  • Silver Moon: It had been ages since I’ve had the chance to chat with owner Tyler Reichert, whom I knew from Bend’s old homebrew club before he started the brewery, so I couldn’t pass up the chance to visit and drink some Silver Moon beer, which for my money is some of the best beer being brewed in Bend right now. Among other things we chatted about the “IPA showdown” I participated in awhile back, the local brewery explosion, and beers I’d love to see on tap again at Silver Moon (particular the session Scottish Ale they had on tap way back in 2008—at 3.6% abv I really liked that beer). Also, Silver Moon currently has on tap “Trainwreck”, a bourbon barrel-aged barleywine that was brewed in 2010 and is 11.4% abv—which if you read this blog, you know a barleywine like this is catnip to me. I’m going to make an effort to get some of this beer this weekend.
  • Phat Matt’s: Other than their Golden Ale which I tried very early on, I hadn’t had the chance to really sample Phat Matt’s other beers—an IPA and a Red Ale, both of which were pouring. I was able to meet Paul Mercer, one of the partners, and chat with him a bit about the brewery and beers and what’s coming up. The big news: Phat Matt’s bottled beers are now being brewed entirely in Redmond. Previously, only the kegged beers were coming out of Redmond: the bottled beers were being contract brewed from (I believe) a U-brew facility in Belmont, California. However, Paul assures me that the very day of the Pine Tavern event was the first day that the beers were bottled in Redmond, so they were as fresh as they could possibly be. And they are decent beers: the IPA is an English-style IPA, more of a subdued, earthy and spicy hoppiness than the usual American citrus sucker punch; the Red Ale was my favorite of the two, having a nice, slight roastiness and malt backbone with a solid but complementary hopping. And, coming up, Phat Matt’s is developing a Pale Ale and a Pilsner for summer seasonal release.

  I wish that I’d had more time to chat with the other brewery reps that were there, but sometimes that’s how it goes. As it was, I considered it a productive evening and well worth the $25 entry fee. I hope the Pine Tavern (or other restaurants in town) do this type of event again, I would easily attend future “Bites & Brews” pairings.

  

A Good Beer Blog

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  Quebec: Dum Duminator, Brasseurs Du Temps, Gatineau

  Posted: January 14th, 2012, 2:15am CET by Alan McLeod

  So, this is finally winter. Last night I had to buy more flashlights than ever before. Tonight, three massive jugs of alt snow and ice melty stuff. Think there was a polar bear on the label. A growley one. I need a beer to match.

  Brasseurs du Temp is right across the river from Canada's capital in Ottawa. Or its part of it. Never understood our capital. Wow. The effect of the wheat at this concentration is like taking the grassiness from sauvignon blanc wine, ditching 90% of the fruity notes, adding some fig and a bit of date, throwing in a bitter barky twiggy thing. There are spices but they are like spices from a land you have never been. Cedar perhaps? Something like an evil changling of the love child of cinnamon and apple wood. Earthy with cloves. And old roses. I once had a massive rose bush that was about 8 feet high and 15 feet across. When they were just past there best, they gave of a musk like a great party that was well after midnight. There's a bit of that in here, too. Yet it is fresh and, for the style and strength, a lightness.

  Gorgeous. BAers missed the point. Sometimes a beer doesn't taste like the beers you have already have had.

The Brew Site

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  Oregon Beer News, 01/13/2012

  Posted: January 13th, 2012, 8:00pm CET by Jon

  It’s Friday the 13th! I’m not sure how that bodes for beer, but with lots of things going on today and into the weekend I’d venture to say “well”. As usual I’ll be updating this post periodically throughout the day, so if you have some new to share please contact me and I’ll update it here.

  Golden Valley Brewery (McMinnville): Their new Beaverton location has apparently been trying out a soft opening, as Portland’s Hops & Barley Blog shared a view words and a picture: “The kitchen is backed up (shocker) but the Rye PA and Tannen Bomb are good omens for the success of the rebranding of this former Chili’s location.”

  Today is the first day of the Oregon Wine, Food & Brew Festival over in Salem: two days of celebrating Oregon’s vineyards and wineries, breweries, and culinary culture, with live entertainment, demonstration, classes and more. It takes place at the Salem Fairgrounds and is $10 per day to enter; the Festival runs today from 4 to 10pm and tomorrow (the 14th) from noon to 10pm. For the $25 VIP package, you can purchase tickets online but that closes at noon. And 4 breweries will be in attendance according to their program: Astoria Brewing, Fire Mountain Brewery, Gilgamesh Brewing, and Seven Brides Brewing; Meletis Beverage Distributors will also be present in the “beer” column.

  Lompoc Brewing (Portland): Today is the release of their Black Dawn III Coffee Stout, and it’s already generating buzz on the web. This is the third year they’ve released Black Dawn, a huge coffee stout that uses three pounds of beans per barrel (the beans were provided by Ristretto Roasters). In addition to the Black Dawn III (which all kicks off at 4pm), there’s quite a lineup: “There will actually be three different versions of Black Dawn III: one with all three coffees above, one with only the El Salvadoran beans, and one with only the Peruvian beans. We will also be pouring Black Dawn II, which featured Ristretto Roasters Beaumont Blend, and 2009 Pre-Dawn Imperial Stout (the base beer for Black Dawn I). We’ll have a taster tray available so you can taste all the different incarnations and compare flavors between the different coffee varietals.”

  The EastBurn (Portland) has their annual Buckman-Kerns Brewfest this Sunday the 15th at noon, and it sounds like a great little fest: with Lucky Labrador, Coalition Brewing, Natian Brewing, Migration Brewing, Buckman Brewing, Cascade Brewing and Burnside Brewing all participating, the $10 entry (which includes a commemorative pint glass and four tickets) is a steal! You won’t go wrong with this one.

  Upcoming tastings, releases, and “Meet the Brewer” events:

  • Oakshire Brewing (Eugene) has two Portland-based tastings today and tomorrow: today at Zupan’s Market on Burnside from 4 to 7pm, and tomorrow at Uptown Market from 3 to 6pm.
  • Speaking of Uptown Market, tonight they have Sierra Nevada Brewing in the house pouring their new Ruthless Rye from 4:30pm on.
  • GoodLife Brewing (Bend) is still in Portland today, doing a tasting and Meet the Brewers at Torta Landia from 6 to 9pm. They’ll be pouring their four currently available beers.
  • Flat Tail Brewing (Corvallis): They have a bottle release and tasting tonight at Belmont Station from 5 to 8pm. “Brewmaster Dave Marliave of this Corvallis Brewpub will pour complimentary tastes of his freshly bottled Big Fin Baltic Porter, Moustache Rye’d Imperial Rye Red, & Seriously Low Budget English Pale Ale in addition to his already available Tailgater Kolsch and Feathertop Pumpkin Stout.”
  • Upright Brewing (Portland): Today they are releasing their new Kopstootje over at The Hop & Vine; “Kopstootje is a Biére de Garde that has been made with the same herbs & botanicals as Bol’s Genever & we will be pairing the bier & Genever together Friday the 13th for an Awesome deal of 8 bucks! Alex Ganum of Upright Brewing & Jacob will be on hand for some conversation & toasting.” In other words, it’s a special shot-and-a-beer pairing that won much acclaim when it appeared last year.
  • Phat Matt’s (Redmond): They have two tastings today: In Redmond at the Cross Creek Cafe from 6 to 8:30pm, they’ll be pouring all three of their beers. And in Bend, over at Newport Avenue Market from 3:30 to 5:30 (also all three beers).

  

Larsblog

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  Lambic

  Posted: January 13th, 2012, 5:37pm CET

  I can still remember my first sip of lambic. I was sitting in the tasting room of the Cantillon brewery in Brussels after completing the brewery tour, all eager to try the final product. The shock of actually tasting it was all the greater. It was sour! So sour it almost burned. And what's more, it was thin and tasted of metal and grain. This was lambic?

A Good Beer Blog

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  When Do Good Beer And Public Money Mix?

  Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:50pm CET by Alan McLeod

  I like beer as much as the next guy. Probably more. But I am not sure why one of Ontario's, frankly, less interesting brewers deserved $1,000,000 in tax support annually:

  ...until a few years ago, few Ontario consumers knew or understood the concept of craft beer. All that changed in part due to an $8 million provincial program that Ontario’s smallest brewers learned this week will not be renewed, another victim of the government’s sweeping deficit-slaying measures... The move will have the biggest impact on Brick Brewing Co. Ltd., which disclosed in a statement Wednesday that the program would not be renewed. The Waterloo-based brewer, known for its discount Laker and premium Waterloo brands, received up to $1 million a year under the four-year program. The publicly traded company said the loss of the program would have a material impact on its financial performance.

  Full disclosure. I get income from advertising, including that little Ontario Craft Brewers crest to the left. I expect the money for that comes from the other fund, the 1.2 million marketing program. I think I have received 0.1% of that. Spreading the message through all media broadly seems to be a good thing to me but you can judge that for yourself. While you are at it, consider also how other brewers, other Ontarians might take the news that 1/8th of a fund of that scale went to one out of fifty brewers. One whose stocks you can buy on the stock market. The concerning thing is that the firm's financial indicate the subsidy represents a significant portion of profitability.

  It will be interesting to see now what the lack of this part of their revenue will mean for corporate stability. Either way, there will be lessons to be learned.

The Brew Site

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  Oregon Beer News, 01/12/2012

  Posted: January 12th, 2012, 9:00pm CET by Jon

  Here’s the news in beer from around Oregon for Thursday, January 12th. The week is winding down, and it’s about time to start thinking about the weekend! I’ll be doing just that as I’m updating news on this post throughout the day. If you have some beer news you’d like to share, please contact me and I can get it posted.

  Full Sail Brewing (Hood River): Today is the day of their “Breakfast for Dinner” January Brewmaster Dinner, featuring four courses inspired by a breakfast menu and paired with Full Sail beer. Seating for the dinner starts at 5pm and lasts until they run out; cost is $30 per person which is a pretty reasonable price for essentially a prix fixe beer dinner (especially one as yummy-sounding as this one).

  It’s never too early to start looking ahead to the coming months for events, and Zwickelmania is just around the corner: Saturday, February 18th, from 11 to 4, “President’s Day weekend, dozens of Oregon breweries and brewpubs will open their doors to visitors for the state’s 4th annual Zwickelmania. Zwickelmania, hosted by the Oregon Brewers Guild (OBG), is a free statewide event that offers visitors a chance to tour Oregon breweries, meet the brewers and sample their favorite beers.” Breweries will be offering tours, tastings, and sometimes more goodies for Zwickelmania, and in Portland, Eugene, and Bend there are even organized bus tours to take dedicated Zwickelers (just made that word up!) around to the many, many breweries. Mark your calendars!

  Cascade Brewing (Portland): Today is their special “Four Goses of the Apuckerlips” tasting that I blogged about the other day; these are four Gose-style beers that were brewed for each season, and each one is spiced with (besides salt) different spices. “We’ll be serving four variations of our goses in teardrop glasses for $4.50 ($5 for vintage [Autumn]), or grab a vertical flight of all four for $8. Brewers & blenders will be on hand for questions and discussion.” The tasting starts at 4pm.

  Upcoming tastings, releases, and “Meet the Brewer” events:

  • The Green Dragon (Portland): They have a Meet the Brewer tonight from 5 to 8pm featuring Hopworks Urban Brewery. Meet Christian Ettinger, and try the four beers that will be on tap: Helles, Secession CDA, Cask DOA, and Noggin Floggin Barleywine.
  • 10 Barrel Brewing (Bend): They will be at Uptown Market tonight doing a sampling from 4 to 7pm. They will be pouring S1nist0r, Apocalypse IPA and Precursor barrel-aged strong ale.
  • Oakshire Brewing (Eugene) has a tasting in Portland today at Zupan’s Market (on Belmont) from 4 to 7pm.
  • GoodLife Brewing (Bend): They have a Meet the Brewer taking place at the Hawthorne Hophouse in Portland tonight, from 6 to 9pm. GoodLife beers will be on special for $3 a pint during this time.
  • McMenamins Edgefield (Troutdale): Tonight’s Limited Edition Beer Tasting is for La Dame Poire, a beer for which “Asian pears have been soaked for over a month in Edgefield Distillery’s Pear Brandy, then infused in our popular raspberry Ruby Ale.” The tasting takes place at the Edgefield Distiller Bar starting at 5pm and lasts until the beer is gone.
  • Pelican Pub & Brewery (Pacific City): “Today is the day! Riptide Red Ale and Nestucca ESB have officially released. Stop by for a pint today, order from our online store or watch for them in stores near you starting next Monday.” (via Facebook)
  • Brewers Union Local 180 (Oakridge): “‘Frost on the Bumpkin’, our eight grain Winter Stout, has been tapped and is awaiting liberation from the cask. We also have a rare guest cask of ‘Red Ryeder’ from Block 15, which will be followed by an even rarer cask of ‘Vortex IPA’ from Fort George in Astoria.” (via Facebook)

  

A Good Beer Blog

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  Oh, To Be In Milwaukee In A Beer Garden There

  Posted: January 12th, 2012, 3:11am CET by Alan McLeod

  What an advanced form of civilization they must have in Milwaukee:

  The county would likely get a percentage of sales from each beer garden. The county's request for proposals suggests a minimum of 15%. "I'm not saying I can pull it off, but I'm putting it before the public," Black said Wednesday. Local breweries and restaurants were contacted to gauge the interest and park advocacy groups were advised of the idea. Formal proposals for a beer garden are due Jan. 20. Local historian John Gurda has agreed to serve as an adviser to the Parks Department on the beer garden idea, Black said. A 2009 article by Gurda described how the upper Milwaukee River once served as a "nearly continuous waterpark," especially the area between North Ave. and Locust St. on the city's east side.

  A government program. To introduce beer into city parks. To help pay for services and increase public use of parks. Brilliant. I am actually without smart remark. What is not to love about Wisconsin?

The Brew Site

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  Oregon Beer News, 01/11/2012

  Posted: January 11th, 2012, 8:00pm CET by Jon

  Here’s the Oregon beer news for Wednesday, the 11th of January. As usual I’ll be periodically updating this post throughout the day so if you have some news to share, contact me and I’ll get it updated.

  The Green Dragon (Portland) has the latest release in their Brew Crew “Big Beer” month tonight: The Velvet Bulldozer, a strong ale split into two batches: one fermented in a Rogue Dead Guy Whiskey barrel at 8.5% abv, and the other the same blended with the beer aged in stainless at 9% abv. The tasting runs from 5 to 8pm tonight.

  McMenamins (Portland): They have a special beer release happening tomorrow at the Edgefield Distillery Bar: La Dame Poire (literally, the “Pear Lady”). “[T]his Ruby has been dolled up for the winter season. Asian Pears have been soaked for over a month in the distillery’s “Pear Brandy”, and then dry hopped in our popular Raspberry Ale. An elegant fruit Ale, this beer is sure to please any sweet tooth.” There’s one keg only and the tasting starts at 5pm at the Edgefield.

  And tonight, McMenamins Old St. Francis School here in Bend has a limited edition beer tasting also: Amaretto Gold. “Inspired by last year’s nutty Nutcracker Hazelnut Brown and the deliciously unique McMenamins’ Thompson Brewery creation Tequila Lime Wheat, we thought we would add a dash of Amaretto almond-flavor and touch of vanilla to our already famous Bagdad Gold.” Also starts at 5pm, and is limited to one keg.

  Full Sail Brewing (Hood River): They’ve posted the menu for their Brewmaster Dinner tomorrow, the “Breakfast for Dinner” themed beer pairing dinner. With four courses consisting of things like Crab Cake Benedict, Smoked Pork Chop with Breakfast Potatoes, and Blueberry Blintz, this sounds like it would be an awesome dinner (or maybe that’s just me, I always like a good “brinner”!). $30 per person, and seating for it starts at 5pm.

  Happy hours, specials, and cheap pours:

  • Silver Moon Brewing (Bend): Their Growler Power Hour continues today, from 4 to 6pm ($5 growler fills during that time), featuring Bridge Creek Pilsner and German Schwarzbier Black Lager.
  • Cascade Lakes Brewing (Redmond/Bend): At their Lodge in Bend tonight it’s Locals Night from 6 to 10pm, with $3.25 pints.
  • Occidental Brewing (Portland): Every Wednesday they feature $8 growler fills.
  • Coalition Brewing (Portland): Wednesdays they offer $2.50 pint specials all day long.
  • Boneyard Brewing (Bend): Wednesdays they offer $6 growler fills all day on their regular line-up of beers.
  • Three Creeks Brewing (Sisters): They have $3 pints and $7 growler fills from 4 to 8pm today.

  
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  Breweries with beers themed for the apocalypse

  Posted: January 11th, 2012, 6:00pm CET by Jon

  Because it is the year 2012 and it is popularly held as the year of the (Mayan) Apocalypse, at least two breweries so far are releasing apocalyptic-themed beers: Seattle’s Elysian Brewing and Portland’s Cascade Brewing. These releases caught my eye both because they’re clever and because I’ve got some Apocalypse-themed stuff brewing up myself.

  

  Elysian is releasing “12 Beers of the Apocalypse” once a month through the rest of year; from the press release:

  In a year-long run-up to the end of all time (according to the Mayan calendar), Elysian Brewing Company and Fantagraphics Books, both of Seattle, are planning a series of twelve beers, issued on the 21st of each month in 2012 and featuring the label artwork of Charles Burns. Taken from Burns’s weirdly apocalyptic work “Black Hole,” the labels will adorn Elysian’s “Twelve Beers of the Apocalypse,” featuring the creativity and unusual ingredients for which its brewing team is known. What twelve beers would you brew (and drink) if you knew they would be your last?

  The three beers announced so far are:

  • January: Nibiru, “named for the mysterious planet X supposedly on a collision course toward Earth”, a Belgian-style Tripel with yerba maté;
  • February: Rapture, an ale flavored with heather tips;
  • March: Fallout, a pale ale made with green cardamom.

  They are kicking off a Nibiru release party on Saturday the 21st from 4 to 7pm at the Capitol Hill location.

  Cascade Brewing, meanwhile, is holding their annual “Four Goses of the Apuckerlips” event coming up this Thursday the 12th; Gose is of course the soured and spiced (typically with salt and coriander) wheat beer that’s been seeing something of a niche revival. From their release:

  Our four Goses are designed and spiced for each season; they are light, slightly soured beers, all brewed with sea salt and various spices. Each comes in at about 5.5% ABV. Enjoy tasting how the different spices can affect the flavor profile. We’ll be serving them in teardrop glasses for $4.50 ($5 for the vintage Autumn), or grab a vertical flight of all four for $8. These will pour until they are gone. Spring Gose 2011 is spiced with wild chamomile, lemon peel and culinary lavender; Autumn Gose 2010 is spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and orange peel; Summer Gose 2011 is spiced with coriander; and Winter Gose 2011 is spiced with rose hips, orange peel and cinnamon.

  How can you pass up an event called “Apuckerlips”? I wish I could be in Portland Thursday afternoon to try all of these, they sound pretty amazing. That tasting starts at 4pm.

  

A Good Beer Blog

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  Time For A New Dialogue About US Good Beer

  Posted: January 11th, 2012, 2:05am CET by Alan McLeod

  Interesting intervention in a rather over the top bitching session over at the Beer Advocate pointing out the disfunctionality of a large part of the discourse. In response to some wildly weirdly accusations about which breweries in the US are "over rated", Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head in response went off:

  It's pretty depressing to frequently visit this site and see the most negative threads among the most popular. This didn't happen much ten years ago when craft beer had something like a 3 percent market share. Flash forward to today, and true indie craft beer now has a still-tiny but growing marketshare of just over 5 percent. Yet so many folks that post here still spend their time knocking down breweries that dare to grow. It's like that old joke: "Nobody eats at that restaurant anymore, it's too crowded.” Except the "restaurants" that people shit on here aren't exactly juggernauts. In fact, aside from Boston Beer, none of them have anything even close to half of one percent marketshare. The more that retailers, distributors, and large industrial brewers consolidate the more fragile the current growth momentum of the craft segment becomes. The more often the Beer Advocate community becomes a soap box for outing breweries for daring to grow beyond its insider ranks the more it will be marginalized in the movement to support, promote, and protect independent American craft breweries...

  It is a weird response. It could have been just "screw you, I do what I want." It could have been about how the BAers had become jaded. Both of which are pretty much true. But no. No, we get handed that old saw about how we are all in one boat together and how Team Craft Beer has to pull all in the same direction. See, we need to support "breweries that dare to grow" because, like the flower, they are fragile. It is a call to not be a consumer. It is a call to be something between a co-conspirator and a patsy. Never mind, as Jay points out, there are a an ever expanding huge number of craft breweries in the US. It sounds like we are asked to pay, accept and put up with a craft movement well into its third or fourth decade. But then look at the response. "Sorry!!" "Didn't mean you!!" "Were would we be without you?" "You are the wind beneath my wings." It's the Stockholm Syndrome, good beer version. Would someone respond in the same way if the head brewer of, say, 1900 of the 1952 craft breweries had responded? Not likely. It takes celebrity to get a response like that. Excellent.

  There has to be a better way. The part of the good beer trade that pays for everything, the consumer, has to be treated better than this. And the consumer has, in turn, to learn to be more intelligent and well spoken if they are to be taken seriously. The current dialogue this thread exemplifies does not really provide as much as it could or should. Saying that "Bells, Founders, FFF, Surly, RR, DFH, Bruery, Avery, Cigar City, Mikkeller are all overrated" is just weak minded. As Calagione goes on to point out, much to his credit, each of these breweries make a range of beer some of which are to many people's taste. And, to add to that idea, for the most part they are well priced for what they offer.

  But some are not. And that is the point of "over rating" a brewery. It is not enough to slag the complaint makers, however thick. Over priced, over packaged and overly precious beers deserve being called over rated. I don't care if you have passion, try really really hard or dare to grow. It's up to me - and each of you - to determine if a beer is a bust or not. If it is worth your money. You want to pay for daring and the duds that that entails, feel free. Me, I like good beer at an honest price.

The Brew Site

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  Oregon Beer News, 01/10/2012

  Posted: January 10th, 2012, 9:00pm CET by Jon

  Here’s the beer new from around Oregon for Tuesday, January 10th. As usual I’ll be updating this post throughout the day with news that I find, and if you have some news to share please contact me and I’ll get it out there.

  Widmer Brothers (Portland): This year’s Brewmasters’ Release “W” series beer is W’12 Dark Saison which sounds incredibly interesting (inspired by the Cascadian Dark Ale perhaps)—infusing a saison style beer with dark malts. And Sanjay over on the Not So Professional Beer Blog has the first review which affirms this: “I expect W’12 will be the first Saison that many beer drinkers will enjoy. So if you’ve never tasted a Saison, it’s time to give it a try.” I’m on the lookout.

  Coalition Brewing (Portland) has a new beer on tap which if you’re a fan of nut brown ales you should check out: “Today is the day you have been waiting for….we put Mr. Brownstone on tap, in a special, limited release! Mr. Brownstone is a Hazelnut Brown Ale made with all local filberts, and it is frickin’ delicious!”

  It’s still a ways off but the dates for the Portland Fruit Beer Festival have been announced: “The 2012 Portland Fruit Beer Festival will be June 9th and 10th with a special ticketed preview dinner event on June 8th!” That’s the second weekend in June, so get it on your calendar now.

  Speaking of festivals, The Eastburn (Portland) is holding their annual Buckman-Kerns Brewfestthis Sunday, January 15th, starting at noon: “Come join us on Sunday January 15th at noon for the 2nd year of celebrating the excellent breweries we are so lucky to have in our neighborhood. Participants this year are Lucky Labrador, Coalition Brewing, Natian Brewing, Migration Brewing, Buckman Brewing, Cascade Brewing and Burnside Brewing! Admission is only $10 which gets you a Brewfest Pint Glass (a real pint glass, not plastic! Yeah!) and 4 tickets. Tickets are $1 each and 1 ticket gets you one taster or a full pint for 4 tickets. We’ll have great food and of course lots of great beers.”

  And PDX Pipeline is giving away three pairs of tickets to the Buckman-Kerns Brewfest, you simply comment on that post to be entered to win. They’re drawing winners from the comments on Friday the 13th.

  Upcoming tastings, releases, and “Meet the Brewer” events:

  • Oakshire Brewing (Eugene): Ice cream floats! “Oakshire Brewing and Luna and Larry’s Coconut Bliss will create their one-of-a-kind delicious floats, a combination of Oakshire Overcast Espresso Stout and Coconut Bliss’ organic, vegan ice cream. Join us for this uniquely Eugene treat. Free!” From 4 to 6:30pm at the Eugene, Cascades & Coast Adventure Center in Springfield.
  • Lompoc Brewing (Portland): “Join us starting at 4 pm on Friday [January 13] at New Old Lompoc for the release of 3 versions of Black Dawn III Coffee Stout, the third installment of our annual coffee stout. Our friends at Ristretto Roasters provided the coffee, cold pressing 20 lbs of their Beaumont Blend, El Salvadoran and Peruvian beans.” (via Facebook)
  • 10 Barrel Brewing (Bend): They will be at Beaverton’s Uptown Market (the new bottle shop) on Thursday the 12th from 4 to 7pm, pouring S1nist0r Black Ale, Apocalypse IPA, and Precursor (single batch bourbon-barrel aged strong ale). If you haven’t tried the Precursor, this is a great opportunity to do so as it’s extremely limited.

  Happy hours, specials, and cheap pours:

  • Silver Moon Brewing (Bend): This week’s Growler Power Hour ($5 growler fills from 4 to 6pm on Tuesday and Wednesday) beers are Bridge Creek Pilsner and German Schwarzbier Black Lager.
  • Bend Brewing (Bend): Tonight is Locals Night, which means pints are $2.75 from 4pm until closing, and appetizers are half-price from 4 to 6pm and from 9pm to closing.
  • Lompoc Brewing (Portland) features “Tightwad Tuesday” at their Fifth Quadrant and Hedge House locations, with $2.50 pints all day long.
  • Cascade Brewing (Portland): Tap It Tuesday today features “Strawberry”, a northwest-style sour aged in barrels for seven months, then on strawberries for another eight months. The tapping starts at 6pm.
  • Three Creeks Brewing (Sisters) has $3.25 pints all day long.

  
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  Big Horse Brew Pub / Horse Feathers

  Posted: January 10th, 2012, 6:00pm CET by Jon

  Back in October we made one of our semi-regular trips to Hood River to pick apples and other fruit and while there, stopped for lunch at the Big Horse Brew Pub (aka Horse Feathers). Big Horse is the third brewery within the Hood River city limits (along with Full Sail and Double Mountain), which tallies up one brewery for every 2400 people or so for the town, an amazing per-capita number (compare Bend at one every 8900 people—and we have a lot in Bend!).

  Big Horse itself is housed in a large, picturesque multi-level lodge of a building that is built into a hill and backing Winans Park. To get to it you either park on the street below and climb a good number of stairs, or come in from the upper level (through the park presumably); however once you’ve made the climb you are rewarded with fantastic views of downtown Hood River and the Columbia River.

  (Oddly Big Horse is one of those rare breweries/businesses that doesn’t seem to have a web presence of their own—no web site, no Facebook profile other than a Facebook “places” page—just the metadata of various review sites like Yelp and Urbanspoon that come up in a search instead.)

  Climbing the stairs from the street below, there are three distinct levels to the building: the basement/cellar where (presumably) they store kegs and supplies; next the “lower” level that has a pool room, the kitchen window, and restrooms; and the upper level with the main bar and great views. There is also a wraparound deck that affords outdoor seating when the weather is nice. On the upper level there is even a small stage above the room where the Pub can host live music.

  The decor and atmosphere inside is low-key, fairly typical “Northwest Brewpub”: lots of natural wood, various eclectic fixtures and decorations, friendly service. Aside from tables they also have a long booth with a raised table backing the bar, which we sat at (separated from the bar by a glass divider), with bookshelves built into the booth walls full of books and activities for kids.

  Of the seven beers listed on their menu, only five were currently on tap: the two that were out were Red Fang and Vernon the Rabbit Slayer, which is a shame because I really wanted to try Vernon, a big fresh hop Imperial IPA that is a big favorite. Of the five remaining, I ordered the sampler tray, and these were my notes:

  • Easy Blonde: 5% abv. Hazy yellow, pale white lacy head. Tasty, a wheaty, tartish nose, but grainy and grassy in the mouth, easy to drink. Nicely hoppy for being so light.
  • Summer Pils: 5.1% abv. Pale, golden, effervescent. Earthy is the main impression; a little heavy for what I’d expect from a Pilsner. Not terrible, though I wish it were hoppier.
  • Pale Rider IPA: 6.7% abv. Brown-gold. Hoppy(ish) nose more spicy than anything “northwest” (like citrus). Flavor is earthy and full of spicy hops, nicely bitter but more English-style. An Americanized English IPA?
  • MacStallion Scotch: 6.9% abv. Looks right on to me, mahogany brown. A little diacetyl-y and a touch thin, but nice caramel-toffee maltiness.
  • Nightmare Stout: 6.5% abv. Velvety-smooth with a nose that reminds me of Guinness. Roasty, mellow, dark, easy drinking that belies its strength.

  My two favorites from this group were the Easy Blonde and the Nightmare Stout, although all were fair-to-good brews. (There’s a picture of the beers in the gallery below.)

  I’ll be honest, I don’t entirely remember the food, except that I think I ordered the pulled pork sandwich and I liked it: brewpub fare, but not overly heavy like many are. The lunch along with the sampler tray hit the spot as we were getting ready to spend the afternoon picking fruit; I’d love to visit again (several more times) to get an idea of other offerings and dinners.

  Overall I really quite liked Big Horse; the built-into-the-hill, multi-level layout is funky and has something of an old school vibe along with the “Northwest Brewpub” atmosphere, the service is friendly and good, and the views are fantastic. I’ll return if/when I get the chance.

  (Incidentally, I don’t know what “Horse Feathers” refers to even though that shows up everywhere as part of the name.)

  [Show as slideshow]

   

  Big Horse Brew Pub
  115 W. State Street
  Hood River, OR 97031
  (541) 386-4411

  
• 

  Big Horse Brew Pub / Horse Feathers

  Posted: January 10th, 2012, 6:00pm CET by Jon

  Back in October we made one of our semi-regular trips to Hood River to pick apples and other fruit and while there, stopped for lunch at the Big Horse Brew Pub (aka Horse Feathers). Big Horse is the third brewery within the Hood River city limits (along with Full Sail and Double Mountain), which tallies up one brewery for every 2400 people or so for the town, an amazing per-capita number (compare Bend at one every 8900 people—and we have a lot in Bend!).

  Big Horse itself is housed in a large, picturesque multi-level lodge of a building that is built into a hill and backing Winans Park. To get to it you either park on the street below and climb a good number of stairs, or come in from the upper level (through the park presumably); however once you’ve made the climb you are rewarded with fantastic views of downtown Hood River and the Columbia River.

  (Oddly Big Horse is one of those rare breweries/businesses that doesn’t seem to have a web presence of their own—no web site, no Facebook profile other than a Facebook “places” page—just the metadata of various review sites like Yelp and Urbanspoon that come up in a search instead.)

  Climbing the stairs from the street below, there are three distinct levels to the building: the basement/cellar where (presumably) they store kegs and supplies; next the “lower” level that has a pool room, the kitchen window, and restrooms; and the upper level with the main bar and great views. There is also a wraparound deck that affords outdoor seating when the weather is nice. On the upper level there is even a small stage above the room where the Pub can host live music.

  The decor and atmosphere inside is low-key, fairly typical “Northwest Brewpub”: lots of natural wood, various eclectic fixtures and decorations, friendly service. Aside from tables they also have a long booth with raised a raised table backing the bar, which we sat at (separated from the bar by a glass divider), with bookshelves built into the booth walls full of books and activities for kids.

  Of the seven beers listed on their menu, only five were currently on tap: the two that were out were Red Fang and Vernon the Rabbit Slayer, which is a shame because I really wanted to try Vernon, a big fresh hop Imperial IPA that is a big favorite. Of the five remaining, I ordered the sampler tray, and these were my notes:

  • Easy Blonde: 5% abv. Hazy yellow, pale white lacy head. Tasty, a wheaty, tartish nose, but grainy and grassy in the mouth, easy to drink. Nicely hoppy for being so light.
  • Summer Pils: 5.1% abv. Pale, golden, effervescent. Earthy is the main impression; a little heavy for what I’d expect from a Pilsner. Not terrible, though I wish it were hoppier.
  • Pale Rider IPA: 6.7% abv. Brown-gold. Hoppy(ish) nose more spicy than anything “northwest” (like citrus). Flavor is earthy and full of spicy hops, nicely bitter but more English-style. An Americanized English IPA?
  • MacStallion Scotch: 6.9% abv. Looks right on to me, mahogany brown. A little diacetyl-y and a touch thin, but nice caramel-toffee maltiness.
  • Nightmare Stout: 6.5% abv. Velvety-smooth with a nose that reminds me of Guinness. Roasty, mellow, dark, easy drinking that belies its strength.

  My two favorites from this group were the Easy Blonde and the Nightmare Stout, although all were fair-to-good brews. (There’s a picture of the beers in the gallery below.)

  I’ll be honest, I don’t entirely remember the food, except that I think I ordered the pulled pork sandwich and I liked it: brewpub fare, but not overly heavy like many are. The lunch along with the sampler tray hit the spot as we were getting ready to spend the afternoon picking fruit; I’d love to visit again (several more times) to get an idea of other offerings and dinners.

  Overall I really quite liked Big Horse; the built-into-the-hill, multi-level layout is funky and has something of an old school vibe along with the “Northwest Brewpub” atmosphere, the service is friendly and good, and the views are fantastic. I’ll return if/when I get the chance.

  (Incidentally, I don’t know what “Horse Feathers” refers to even though that shows up everywhere as part of the name.)

  [Show as slideshow]

   

  Big Horse Brew Pub
  115 W. State Street
  Hood River, OR 97031
  (541) 386-4411

  

A Good Beer Blog

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  New York: Will Hydro Fracking Force Ommagang Out?

  Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:51am CET by Alan McLeod

  I was really bummed about the prospect of this threat to one of my favorite breweries coming to pass:

  A well-known brewery in the Cooperstown area says that fracking may force it to relocate or fold. Brewery Ommegang lays out its case in a friend of the court brief, which it submitted in support of a Town of Middlefield zoning law. That law bans heavy industry, including gas and oil drilling, according to the Oneonta Daily Star. Approximately 50 percent of the land next to brewery property has been leased by drilling companies. The property owner, Cooperstown Holstein, is suing to overturn the Middlefield ordinance and has asked a judge to reject the brief. Middlefield is located in prime Marcellus Shale country.

  Last November, the story same out that Ommegang was seriously concerned that the practice of hydro fracking was a risk to their water supply. There isn't anything on the brewery's website as the news there seems not to have been updated since 2008. But for me, it's up there with the chance that the natural gas exploration technique could trigger earthquakes.

  Ommegang is participating in public outreach on the issue including a community forum this Saturday. They are also actively involved in the political debate. Which makes me like them all the more as they are doing more than issuing a threat. I have written a lot about how peace is good for good beer and a precondition for brewing the best stuff. Maybe we need to say the same about a healthy environment.

The Brew Site

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  Oregon Beer News, 01/09/2012

  Posted: January 9th, 2012, 8:00pm CET by Jon

  Happy Monday! It’s back to work for many of us so to help distract you here’s the Oregon beer news for Monday, January 9th. I will continue to update this post throughout the day with news items that I find, and if you have some news you’d like to pass along contact me and I’ll get it updated.

  Deschutes Brewery (Portland): Their Portland Pub is closed today for a post-holiday employee celebration today, but will be back open for regular hours tomorrow.

  Golden Valley Brewery (McMinnville/Beaverton): As I reported this weekend, the new GVB Beaverton location is slated to open on Monday, January 23rd, just two weeks away! Good news for folks in the Beaverton/Hillsboro area, and (relatively) convenient for those passing through as well, being located just off of Highway 26.

  Gilgamesh Brewing (Turner) has a beer pairing dinner on January 23rd with Venti’s Cafe + Taphouse in Salem, and they have finalized the menu: three courses (with a palate-cleansing sorbet in between the first and second) paired with Gilgamesh beers (Filbert Lager, Cherry Coffee Cordial, and Blitzen Prancer Winter Ale) for $35. In addition, there will be an exclusive release of “Mega Mamba”, an imperial version of Mamba (their hopless, black tea beer).

  Gigantic Brewing (Portland): The new brewery hasn’t opened yet, but founding brewers Ben Love (formerly from  Hopworks) and Van Havig (formerly from Rock Bottom Portland) have been on a collaboration brewing spree around the state (as best as I can describe it from afar): brewing “Collabo Wabo” with Oakshire; with Pelican Pub for their Winter Brewers Dinner; and today with Breakside Brewery in Portland, a “Hoppy Hoppy Nanobrow” 8% abv IPA. The question is of course, where next? Hey guys, wanna come to Bend?

  Upcoming tastings, releases, and “Meet the Brewer” events:

  • Oakshire Brewing (Eugene): Tomorrow (the 10th) from 4 to 6:30pm Oakshire is featuring “Coconut Bliss Floats” at the Eugene, Cascades & Coast Adventure Center—just what it sounds like, ice cream floats made with Overcast Espresso Stout and  Luna and Larry’s Coconut Bliss vegan ice cream.
  • The Green Dragon (Portland): Wednesday the 11th the latest in the Green Dragon Brew Crew release for “Big Ass Beer Month” is The Velvet Bulldozer, a Belgian Strong Ale aged in a Rogue Dead Guy Whiskey Barrel, from 5 to 8pm. And on Thursday the 12th, they have a Meet the Brewer featuring Hopworks Urban Brewery.
  • Full Sail Brewing (Hood River): Don’t forget, their January Brewmaster Dinner is this Thursday the 12th, featuring a “Breakfast for Dinner” menu starting at 5pm and costing $30 per person.

  Happy hours, specials, and cheap pours:

  • Lompoc Brewing (Portland): Miser Monday at the New Old Lompoc and Oaks Bottom locations yields $2.50 pints all day.
  • Silver Moon Brewing (Bend): Mondays are “locals” day, which mean $2.50 pints all day.
  • Migration Brewing (Portland): They offer $3 pints all day long.

  
• 

  Received: Hop Henge (2012)

  Posted: January 9th, 2012, 8:46am CET by Jon

  I forgot to mention the beer I’d received from Deschutes Brewery last (New Year’s) weekend: the 2012 edition of Hop Henge. It came on Friday, New Year’s Eve eve, and ironically that same day I had seen it newly released in the store and had bought a bottle as well.

  This is Deschutes’ Imperial IPA, ostensibly called their “Experimental IPA” that clocks in at 8.5% alcohol by volume and 95 IBUs. It’s “experimental” because Deschutes usually plays with the hop formulation in order to squeeze every last bit of hoppiness (not just bitterness) into this beer (previous years have seen such efforts as adding hops to the grain mill while crushing the grains for the mash).

  And I already drank one of the bottles, split with friends on New Year’s Eve. Remembered impressions: “danker” than previous years—or, for those that dislike the adjective “dank”—more of a wet cannabis aroma to it. And it tastes pretty darn good.

  

Knut Albert's beer blog

• 

  Christmas wasn’t over

  Posted: January 9th, 2012, 5:47am CET by knutalbert

  Well. I had paid for it. I had bought the beer, paid the postage, forked out the Norwegian duties. But it’s nive to receive a package anyway. When it is filled with beer from Marble, Hardknott and others. From myBrewerytap.com.

The Brew Site

• 

  Golden Valley Beaverton opening Jan. 23

  Posted: January 7th, 2012, 6:50pm CET by Jon

  Golden Valley Brewery has announced the opening date for their new Beaverton location: Monday January 23rd. I’d been following along on their Facebook page in my Oregon Beer News posts, where they have been posting photos of the expansion/construction, where they’ve been building out a handsome space with a lot of taps.

  Golden Valley should be a welcome addition to the Beaverton-Hillsboro area, which is relatively brewery-sparse (especially when compared to Portland just a few minutes away!). Aside from a few McMenamins locations, the Raccoon Lodge (Cascade Brewing), Vertigo and Ambacht in Hillsboro, there’s really not much else (aside from bars). I’m pretty comfortable predicting that Golden Valley will do extremely well there.

  The new location is at 1520 NW Bethany Blvd. in west Beaverton, just off the Sunset Highway (Highway 26).

  

A Good Beer Blog

• 

  Tasting: Could The Holiday Effect Be With Us Daily?

  Posted: January 7th, 2012, 3:56pm CET by Alan McLeod

  You know what I mean by the holiday effect, right? The idea that the beer on the beach looking at the Gulf of Mexico or the Mediterranean taste great there but sucks when you try one after getting back home? Well, I whipped off a comment over at Boak and Bailey's just now that got me thinking about how we may actually each be on our own holiday all the time:

  I am more and more convinced that we do not have a good handle on taste. I have pals who I will have over to try good beer who say “I never tasted that until you described it and then I do.” I think this has as much to do with suggestion as acuity. Apparently there is a valid phenomenon anyone can experience walking down a street. You see across the block and down the street people walking towards you. You can’t make out the face but your brain will fill in the detail with available faces from your memory. So you see old friends as they looked way back then until you get closer when you admit its a stranger. I am wondering more and more these days how much of the range of tastes I am experiencing in beer “X” are based, in the same way, on the tastes I have experienced in the past.
  
  Further, I then worry that there is a disconnect between taste of beer and beer production intentions. When I read at Ron‘s as well as Jeff of Beervana about how there is not the separation, the malty sweetness of Scots ales that we have been led to believe. There is no such thing as the peaty note. Yet since 1977 I have had the Sweetheart Stouts, the Traquair Ales, the Caledonian /80′s. the McEwan’s export and others and there is is. I’ve brewed it myself and there is it. It’s not the same.
  
  I now wonder if the subtleties of taste perhaps less reflected on the brewer’s grain bill than other elements – plus suggestion and expectation – are what really frame what we sense in the mouth far more than what the brewer might be trying to achieve on paper and in the tun.

  I don't know if that makes sense but it would align with my understanding of the qualify of evidence based on human observation as well as the anecdotal state of beer descriptors written by we the million monkeys. I have never been a big fan of tastings, judging or correctness when it comes to beer. But I am wondering more and more about how autonomous we each are when it comes to the theatre of the mouth. We may well each be within much the same range when perceiving taste but could it be that that is as close as we get?

Knut Albert's beer blog

• 

  A German beer Wiki

  Posted: January 7th, 2012, 10:36am CET by knutalbert

  Still in its infancy, but all such initiatives are to be applauded: A Wiki for the German family owned breweries – Private Brauereien. There are a thousand of them, and, while there are some good regional sites, a comprehensive site for Germany would be very welcome.

The Brew Site

• 

  The Session #59: I Almost Always Drink Beer, But When I Don’t…

  Posted: January 7th, 2012, 8:46am CET by Jon

  It’s the first Friday of the month, and among beer bloggers that means today is the day of The Session: a collaborative beer blogging effort where a given host for the month chooses a topic, and everyone who participates contributes a post using that topic as inspiration.

  This month our host is Mario Rubio of Brewed for Thought, and he’s chosen a theme that is less beer related than you might think: I almost always drink beer, but when I don’t…

  So as we are all incredibly interesting people, and almost always drink beer, let’s talk about what we drink when not drinking beer. Maybe your passion for coffee rivals that of craft beer, or it could be another alcoholic beverage such as scotch. My daughter being a root beer fan would appreciate her dad reviewing a few fizzy sodas. Maybe you have a drink that takes the edge off the beer, be it hair of the dog or a palate cleanser during the evening.

  Beer cocktails, wines, ciders, meads, you name it as long as it’s not beer. Try to tie it in with craft beer in some way for extra credit. Be creative and I’ll see you guys in the new year.

  “When not drinking beer…” As hard as it might be to believe to someone who visits this blog regularly, I do not drink beer all the time. There are a number of alcoholic drinks I enjoy as occasional alternatives—spicy complex red wines, rustic dry whites, spicy rum, silky tequila—but the one type of drink I immediately thought of (as did many beer drinkers, I imagine) that I tend to gravitate towards is a natural for beer enthusiasts: whiskey.

  It’s obvious, really, since whiskeys are for all intents and purposes distilled from beer. There are of course subsets of whiskey (which is primarily made from barley and aged in charred wood): Scotch (multiple distillations and aged at least 3 years in oak), bourbon (at least 51% corn), rye whiskey (at least 51% rye), and so on. In many ways I’m still very much a novice when it comes to whiskeys, so I’m always interested in trying new ones.

  When it comes to a regular whiskey—or, as it happens in my case, a bourbon—my “go to” is usually Evan Williams. Part of the reason, I admit, is that it’s inexpensive, especially when compared to Jack Daniels (for instance); but I found, once I started drinking it, that I quite enjoyed it and I feel in many ways it’s as good as (if not better) than some of the more expensive bourbons that I’ve tried. Their green label—a traditional 80-proof spirit—tends to be a staple in my cabinet, though I also have an excellent bottle of Single Barrel Vintage (seen in the picture) that my brother gave me for Christmas a year ago. I’ve been savoring that one, drawing it out, very much enjoying the vanilla and oaky character it possesses.

  The other whiskey bourbon you’ll notice in my picture there is local: Oregon Spirit Distillers, based here in Bend, has been in operation for only a few years and while vodka is their primary product (2011 also saw a rum, an absinthe, and two cordials produced), they released their first bourbon late this past year. Being the budding liquor geek that I am (of course we already know that I’m a beer geek!) naturally I picked up a bottle; and while even I recognize that it’s a “hot” and young bourbon, I can tell there’s a lot of potential in there, and it’s vastly interesting to hold onto a bottle and taste it periodically as it matures.

  Of course this is all just the tip of the iceberg; like beer, whiskey is a deep subject that can take years to explore—for instance, Michael Jackson, the Beer Hunter, also wrote a number of authoritative books on whiskey over the years. While I won’t forgo beer for the harder spirits, I still continue to explore and enjoy this other world and anytime you don’t see a beer in my hand there’s a reasonable chance there’s a bottle of whiskey nearby…

  

A Good Beer Blog

• 

  Session 59: When I Don't Drink Beer I Like A Glass Of...

  Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:24am CET by Alan McLeod

  I was tempted to break the streak and not get involved with the question posed this month which, as far as I can tell, boils down to "...let’s talk about what we drink when not drinking beer." Brewed For Thought asked and - after I go over the openendedness of it all - thought a bit more about it. Sorta.

  What do I drink? Coffee every day but only first thing. Not enough water. Not enough tea. Used to. Summer sees a jug of unsweetened green tea holding its place in the fridge. I like juice. I especially like lime juice. Errr... do you see my point? This is hardly thrilling tales. Oh, you want to know about booze? I've written about sherry and certainly port. A jug of Pimms is swell when the unsweetened ice tea is not doing the trick. Cucumber spears, baby. I'd drink more perry if I could get my hands on it. I prefer bourbon to bourbon barreled beer for the most part - usually in a Manhattan, a bit of angostura with a dash of sweet vermouth. Are you enjoying this so far? Good scotch and vodka are former favorites one is now too difficult to enjoy and, after working in Eastern Europe, I gave up vodka the best part of 20 years now. Gin and tonic? Now that can be a well placed decision. Once in a while. And table wine... though I mainly buy that for others.

  So, there you go. The obligatory post. I am sure I must have written duller. Just can't think of when. Oh, maybe when I did it in May 2010 when I couldn't think of anything else. Writer's block. You know what that is like.

The Brew Site

• 

  Oregon Beer News, 01/06/2012

  Posted: January 6th, 2012, 9:00pm CET by Jon

  Here’s the Oregon beer news for Friday, the 6th of January, and going into the weekend. What beer will you be drinking this first full weekend of 2012? As usual I’ll be updating this post throughout the day, so if you have some news you’d like to share please contact me.

  This weekend seems to be “Greg Koch storms Oregon” as the Stone Brewing founder is making at least two appearances to promote both his new book and the collaboration brew with Ninkasi Brewing and The Alchemist: tonight, Koch is appearing with Ninkasi’s Jamie Floyd at Eugene’s The Bier Stein for the draft release of “More Brown than Black IPA” as well as a Tap Takeover; the Takeover starts at 5pm and the MBtB will be tapped about 7pm.

  And then tomorrow, Saturday the 7th, Belmont Station in Portland is hosting Koch in a “Meet the Founder” and book signing event from 2 to 4pm. In addition to meeting Koch, there will also be several Stone beers on tap (the Vertical Epic 11.11.11, Double Bastard Ale, and Stone IPA confirmed) and there will be copies of The Craft of Stone Brewing Co. for sale.

  The Commons Brewery (Portland) has an interesting set of releases this weekend, in a series dubbed “Yeast Series” (fermenting the same base beer with different yeasts): “We have two new beers we going on tap for this weekend. Both use the wort from a recent batch of Urban Farmhouse Ale, but were fermented with different yeasts. One with Wyeast German Ale yeast (reportedly Uerige) and the other with Wyeast Schelde (reportedly DeKoninck). The resulting beers show the significant impact the yeast has the beer. You can taste all three beers side-by-side for $5.” This is the kind of thing that would definitely be of interest to homebrewers (I know I’d be all over it). The Commons tasting room is open from 5 to 9 on Fridays and Saturdays.

  The Lucky Lab (Portland) is celebrating the 10th anniversary of their Public House on SW Capitol Highway tomorrow: “From 7pm till Midnight there will be 2002 prices on Lucky Lab beer starting at $3.50!! Plus a special release of Winter Wonderdog.” John Foyston describes Winter Wonderdog on his Beer Here blog today: “a new winter brew described as brick red, smooth, and malty — a winter beer with a sweet and nutty profile.”

  Upcoming tastings, releases, and “Meet the Brewer” events:

  • Pelican Pub & Brewery (Pacific City): This evening at the New Seasons Market in Happy Valley (southeast of Portland) from 4 to 7pm Pelican will be pouring their beer, and at the New Seasons Hawthorne tomorrow (Saturday) they’ll be pouring from 4 to 7pm as well.
  • Elysian Brewing (Seattle) will be in Portland at the Uptown Market holding a tasting: “Join PDX Dave for an Elysian Beer Tasting at Uptown Market from 4-6:45pm! Order an Elysian Dragonstooth Stout on draft and walk away with your very own Elysian pint glass.” And then, across town at the C Bar, Elysian is featuring “6 beers at 6pm on January 6. A handful of tasty selections from New Belgium, including NB/Elysian collaboration brews Trip 10 ’72 El Dorado’ & Trip 11 ‘Nigel’! The fine folks behind the recipes of these tasty treats will be on hand to join in the jovial revelry.”
  • Oakshire Brewing (Eugene): Tuesday, January 10th as posted on Facebook: “Oakshire Brewing and Luna and Larry’s Coconut Bliss will create their one-of-a-kind delicious floats, a combination of Oakshire Overcast Espresso Stout and Coconut Bliss’ organic, vegan ice cream. Join us for this uniquely Eugene treat. Free!” This is taking place from 4 to 6:30pm at the Eugene, Cascades & Coast Adventure Center in Springfield.

  

Knut Albert's beer blog

• 

  Yet another Oslo micro

  Posted: January 6th, 2012, 5:05pm CET by knutalbert

  I have mentioned the two  food emporia in Oslo taking shape. Mathallen at Vulkan, on the rapidly gentrifying East end of town, has just announced that Ølakademiet will have a beer shop and what they call a small micro brewery. Ølakademiet is what I would call a beer event company, conveniently located across the road from Vulkan. [...]

The Brew Site

• 

  Oakshire’s Hellshire II has some infection issues

  Posted: January 6th, 2012, 4:34pm CET by Jon

  Oakshire Brewing‘s recent release of Hellshire II—a barrel-aged imperial stout—appears to be dealing with a lactobacillus infection. Brewmaster Matt Van Wyk posted on the Oakshire blog:

  We regret to inform you that our recently released Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout with Coffee, Hellshire II, has been found to contain some flavors that we did not intend. Through our own QC/QA program, we suspected there could be a problem. It has now been discovered through lab results conducted by our colleagues at Widmer Brothers Brewing in Portland that this beer may contain lactobacillus. In most beers, this is known as a beer spoiler and can lead to acidic and tart flavors.

  Again, I’d like to apologize to you for not meeting the mark we set at Oakshire in terms of quality and consistency. We’ve assessed the situation and are confident that we can avoid similar challenges in the future. Also, please be patient with us as we traverse through this first time situation and correct it.

  This sort of thing happens from time to time, even with the big breweries; remember that Deschutes Brewery’s 2009 Reserve Series (The Abyss and Mirror Mirror) dealt with a brettanomyces infection—and they’re one of the largest craft breweries in the country. It’s an inherent risk is dealing with barrels, and for my money it’s an entirely forgivable situation (unless of course it’s repeated over and over again).

  Oakshire is stepping up to honor returned bottles of Hellshire II for unsatisfied customers, as well, offering the following options:

  1) Keep your bottle, but consider storing it cold so that it doesn’t build more acidity.
  2) Bring your unopened bottle to us at the brewery during the next Hellshire release and give us another chance. We’ll swap it out.
  3) Bring your unopened bottle to the tasting room during open hours and we will trade you for an equal dollar amount of our regular bottled beer.
  4) Bring your unopened bottle to the tasting room during open hours and we will reimburse you for your purchase.

  You will need to bring your bottle in person, however, and do not ship it—the brewery can’t accept bottles shipped directly. Nor should you return it to your retailer, unless they accept returns on bottled beers.

  I’ve had the Hellshire II (split a bottle with friends) and found no flaws with it. Though personally, in the same way that I actually liked a bit of brett in the Deschutes beers, I think I might well like a bit of lacto in this one—for me sometimes the unintentional flaws result in something new and not entirely unpleasant.

  Regardless, I certainly commend Van Wyk and Oakshire for the handling of this situation—there undoubtedly are (or will be) the predictable complaints from some people about “bad” beers, but Oakshire has gotten out in front of it and is willing to accommodate folks without question, and that’s a class act.

  

A Good Beer Blog

• 

  California: Olivia Dubbel, Sierra Nevada Brewing, Chico

  Posted: January 6th, 2012, 2:33am CET by Alan McLeod

  As you know, "collaboration" is always a dangerous word to read on any beer bottle. Often an experiment and holiday for others but at your expense. Unfortunately for my prejudices, I quite like dubbels and there are apparently honest to goodness Cistercian monks involved so I will open my mind.

  But first, this post is brought to you by my electrician who installed a switch in the stash room yesterday. I've actually broken a on-off pull chain and then destroyed a jury-rigged switch with all these bottle photos over the years. It's a nice switch. Switch 3G. Functional. Unassuming. And reasonably priced. The same goes for this dubbel. It pours a pleasant chestnut with a light mocha froth and rim. On the sniff there's nuts, brown sugar and a nice fruity almost grape scent. A very pleasant sip. Spiced burlappiness soaked in a little treacle. The label alleges clove and black pepper which I might buy. Not a very interesting spice combo if you think of it. 10,000 years of global cuisines have rejected it. The malty bits are more interesting: date, fig, a little citrus thing that might be lime (or maybe yellow plum) and also brown bread. Perfectly fine.

  The Ovila line of beers has its own unnecessarily fussy website. Don't hold it against them. They know not what they do. And the BAers say... HEY, they switched to number. This is an "86" whatever the hell that means. Useless.

The Brew Site

• 

  Oregon Beer News, 01/05/2012

  Posted: January 5th, 2012, 8:00pm CET by Jon

  Here’s the beer news from around Oregon for Thursday, the 5th of January. As usual I’ll be updating this post throughout the day, so if you have some news to share contact me and I’ll update.

  GoodLife Brewing (Bend) has a series of Meet the Brewer events coming up in Bend and Portland, and tonight is the first two—in both cities. Here in Bend, it’s taking place at Timbers Bar & Grill from 5 to 9pm; and in the Portland area, it’s at Maher’s Pub in Lake Oswego. All four of GoodLife’s current lineup will be pouring (Mountain Rescue Pale Ale, Descender IPA, Pass Stout and Scottish Heart Scotch Ale). The next Portland events will be next week on the 11th, 12th, and 13th.

  Next week, the 13th and 14th (Friday and Saturday, respectively) the Oregon Wine, Food & Brew Festival kicks off in Salem: two days of celebrating Oregon’s gastronomy and drink. The Fest runs from 4 to 10pm on Friday and noon to 10pm on Saturday; admission each day is $10 (though doesn’t include samples), and gets you access to reps from Oregon’s wineries and breweries, as well as culinary demos and classes, live entertainment, and more. It’s taking place at the Oregon State Fairgrounds, and a quick look at their current exhibitors list reveals the following breweries will be there:

  • Astoria Brewing
  • Fire Mountain Brewery
  • Gilgamesh Brewing
  • Seven Brides Brewing

  Pelican Pub & Brewery (Pacific City): If you were wanting to attend their Winter Brewers Dinner on the 28th featuring Ben Love and Van Havig of Gigantic Brewing (in a collaboration with Pelican), there are only 8 tickets left for the event so you’d better jump on it. The cost is $75, and sounds like a great night (the collaboration beer between Gigantic and Pelican is “Schwartz Genug”, a Baltic Porter).

  Oakshire Brewing (Eugene): Van Havig and Ben Love of Gigantic Brewing sure are getting around: today they’re brewing a collaboration beer with Matt Van Wyk of Oakshire, named “Collabo Wabo.” “Serious work happening at Oakshire today – A collaboration beer brewed by Oakshire Brewmaster Matt Van Wyk and veteran brewers Van Havig and Ben Love of soon to be open Gigantic Brewing Company. Look for Collabo Wabo to be out at the end of the month!” And based on both the limes and the tequila in the picture, one can only wonder what sort of beer these three are dreaming up…

  Upcoming tastings, releases, and “Meet the Brewer” events:

  • The Green Dragon (Portland): Tonight’s Meet the Brewer event is featuring Seven Brides Brewing out of Silverton, from 5 to 8pm. Seven Brides posted some details: “Beers tapped at 5pm and Josiah will be there to chat about the beers at about 6pm, so drop on in… Frankenlou’s IPA, Drunkle, and Brandy Barrel Aged Black Cat will all be pouring this evening!”
  • The Bier Stein (Eugene): Tomorrow they are featuring the release party for the Ninkasi/Stone/Alchemist collaboration beer “More Brown than Black IPA”, including a Tap Takeover with Ninkasi and Stone brews. The Tap Takeover starts at 5pm, and the MBtB will be tapped around 7pm—and as a special feature, both Jamie Floyd from Ninkasi and Greg Koch from Stone Brewing will be on hand to celebrate! (Presumably Koch is kicking off his Oregon tour as he’s appearing at Belmont Station the next day.)
  • The Commons Brewery (Portland): They have a Brewery Dinner on January 26th starting at 7pm, with a cost of $42 per person. “Chef Ben Meyer teams up with The Commons Brewery to prepare a four course dinner paired with The Commons beers. The dinner will be held in the brewery where we’ll have seating for 30 people.”
  • McMenamins Fulton Pub (Portland): The release of Black ‘Ops CDA kicks off this Limited Edition Beer Tasting, starting at 5pm. “What we can tell you is that it is a very dark beer that has a garnet hue when held to light.  It first greets the drinker with an aroma that is citrusy, piney, and faintly toasty.  The flavor of this clandestine ale is mellow at first with both toasted and chocolate notes.  From there, its aggressive citrusy, piney, spicy & resinous hop character takes control.” It’s 6.71% abv.

  

A Good Beer Blog

• 

  How Many Things Are Wrong About This Story?

  Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:19am CET by Alan McLeod

  Start counting:

  ...inquiries by the Labour MP Tom Watson have revealed attempts by Portland Communications, which is run by Tony Blair's former adviser Tim Allan, to improve the brand's online reputation on behalf of its client, the brewer AB InBev. Under the user name Portlander10 it removed reference to Stella Artois from the Wikipedia page entitled "Wife beater" and replaced it with a generic reference to lager or beer. Portland also tried to remove the reference to wife beater on the Wikipedia page for Stella Artois. But other users spotted the edit and reversed it.

  Both the brand and the nickname, I suppose. But editing Wikipedia to boost your brand... and worse the idea of paying a consultant to edit Wikipedia for you. Then there is paying a consultant to edit Wikipedia to boost your brand and your consultant editing it from the consultancy's own IP address as well. Perhaps, too, is the setting up of a brand victim strategy. We should feel badly for the maker due to the slurs being foisted upon their macro gak.

  Or was it just to have people like me mention the event. Like me. Well played, Portlander10. But it's still a face full of bland.

The Brew Site

• 

  Oregon Beer News, 01/04/2012

  Posted: January 4th, 2012, 9:00pm CET by Jon

  Here’s the Oregon beer news for Wednesday, the 4th of January. As usual I’ll be curating and posting news items throughout the day, so contact me if  you have something to share that you’d like to see here.

  Worthy Brewing (Bend): The upcoming brewery and beer garden proposed for Bend’s east side was featured in an article in yesterday’s local newspaper the Bulletin, detailing out additional features of the brewery project and revealing that construction should break ground by the middle of February. “Aside from the 30-barrel system and a tasting room, the brewery will feature a laboratory, a yeast-propagation area, and a beer garden where customers will be able to eat and drink, according to plans the company has filed with the city of Bend. [Brewmaster Chad] Kennedy expects the brewery to start pumping out beer by the end of 2012.” Can’t wait for this one to open!

  Golden Valley Brewery (McMinnville): Their Beaverton location is coming right along nicely, with furniture in place, the bar all set, and keg washing going on—they mentioned on Facebook that they should have a firm opening date to announce by Friday this week.

  Upcoming tastings, releases, and “Meet the Brewer” events:

  • The Green Dragon (Portland): They kick off their “Big Ass Beer Month” today featuring Big beers each Wednesday through January. Tonight’s beer is “The Count” Russian Imperial Stout. This is a 9.5% abv brewed by the Green Dragon Brew Crew back in March of last year. The release starts at 5pm.
  • The Green Dragon tomorrow night has a Meet the Brewer featuring Silverton’s Seven Brides Brewing. Three beers will be pouring: Drunkle, Frank N Lou IPA, and Brandy Barrel Aged Black Cat Porter, and runs from 5 to 8pm.
  • Ninkasi (Eugene): They have a tasting at Fisherman’s Market in downtown Eugene, with a smoked salmon burger and beer special for $7.99. That’s taking place from 5 to 8pm tonight.

  Happy hours, specials, and cheap pours:

  • Cascade Lakes Brewing (Redmond/Bend): It’s Locals Night at their Lodge in Bend, from 6 to 10pm, with $3.25 pints.
  • Occidental Brewing (Portland): Every Wednesday they offer $8 growlers.
  • Coalition Brewing (Portland): Wednesday features $2.50 pints all day.
  • Silver Moon Brewing (Bend): This week’s Growler Power Hour features Hound’s Tooth Amber and Bridge Creek Pilsner. The Growler Power Hour runs on Tuesday and Wednesday from 4 to 6pm and offers $5 growler fills on those two beers.
  • Boneyard Beer (Bend): Wednesdays they fill growlers for only $6.
  • Three Creeks (Sisters): They offer $3 pints and $7 growlers from 4 to 8pm.

  
• 

  Bend’s Abbey Pub changing hands, name

  Posted: January 4th, 2012, 6:00pm CET by Jon

  There are changes in store for The Abbey Pub here in Bend: owner Geoff Marlowe has sold Pub to a group that is planning on expanding and adding an even larger beer selection. The announcement was included in the latest emailed draft list:

  Finally, as some of you know I have sold the Pub and a new group of people are coming in. This is going to be exciting to see the changes that they are going to be implementing. They are going to be expanding into the space next door and adding an expansive bottle selection. So I need to drain the above kegs, thus ALL PINTS WILL BE $3.50 until the kegs are gone! I know several are getting low so if you want the best selection get on down sooner than later. Thanks for all your support over the last 2 1/2 years. Hope to see you soon.

  After emailing for more details, I learned than it’s a group of four who are buying the Pub and are planning on expanding into the space next door (a former wine bar/tasting room named WineStyles) and installing a big cooler to hold many more bottles. Tentatively, the name will be “Broken Top Bottle Shop” but as with anything else that could change.

  I’m sorry to see the Pub change, its a neat space and mellow bar with good taps—and who could forget it was the only Central Oregon venue to get a keg of Pliny the Younger last year? Though I’m glad it’s not shutting doors entirely, and let’s hope the new owners are successful in the transition.

  

A Good Beer Blog

• 

  A Good Beer Blog's Guide To Good Beer Manners

  Posted: January 4th, 2012, 2:05am CET by Alan McLeod

  At the outset, let me say one thing. A discussion of manners that crosses international boundaries is a mine field. There is no reason that rules in Prague help with situations in California or have any meaning in Leeds. Yet, fools go where angels fear to tread so let's get into it. The Pub Curmudgeon posted the results of a poll he posted... the results of which he then took issue with:

  Out of 80 poll respondents, 43 wouldn’t be prepared to let the likes of Carling, John Smith’s or Guinness pass their lips if caught at a party or function where there was no “decent” beer available. Sorry folks, but whatever the motivation, that comes across as a pretty snobby attitude to me. Scant sign of the “all beer is good” inclusiveness there.

  There is something of a double negative at play so I have to make sure this is right but my read of that is if you are at a house or an establishment that does not have a class of beer that you consider worth your while, the small majority of those polled would refuse to have what was on offer. Comments at twenty-six and counting ensued as well as a range of Twitter activity largely in line with the polling results. Me? I was raised to eat and drink what was put before me, that it was not good manners to not clean my plate and that, you know, handsome is as handsome does. There were so many food fables in my upbringing that they could accommodate every situation and point of view. Even with that confusion, the discourse reminds me of a number of helpful hints:

  ♦ Fundamental to good food and drinks manners is that you do not turn up your nose. If you are presented with a range that is not up to your standards, you still participate. If there is Guinness, of course you accept it. You hold it. You place it one a table near you. You take the odd drink. It becomes you buffer guarding you against another of its kind. You will live. Eat your greens.
  ♦ Next, you do not show up those helping. In the recently published Let me Tell You About Beer, well reviewed at Simon's, I was faced with the shocking comment on page 32: "[a]ny pub that baulks at giving tasters of the draught beer is not to be trusted." Oh my. Faced with a range of unknown taps in a bar, good manners roll the dice, guess a likely candidate, take the glass and only then perhaps ask for samples once you have engaged in the drinking contract with the establishment. Holding up the staff or other drinkers places everyone in a special level of purgatory. Get on with it.
  ♦ Don't flaunt. In a new favorite The Art of Living According to Joe Beef, the great Montreal restauranteurs give a great recommendation about their highest priced wines. They would "rather see you for a great meal and a decent bottle." While it is fun to go to a place like Portland, Maine's Novare Res and empty the wallet... please take a friend and treat. Treating is the opposite of flaunting. If you need to air your views of the drinks, earn your keep, share the wealth - or shut it or leave.

  For me the bottom line is that unless your uncle owns the place - and probably especially if he does - you are a guest in any public house at any price point. You join in the spirit of the place or you leave. Handled badly, your beer knowledge and your beer money may be the vacuum that hoovers up all joy around you. All great bores are the same in this respect. Others I respect disagree. You may be among them. That is fine and it is your right. But let me point out one thing I saw in that poll that is being missed: "...you are at a party..." There is nothing worse than an ill mannered ungrateful guest. And when you are not at your own home, to one degree or another, you are a guest.

The Brew Site

• 

  Oregon Beer News, 01/03/2012

  Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 7:00pm CET by Jon

  It’s the first “Oregon Beer News” post for 2012 and there’s been some interesting things going on as 2011 closed out and the new year rolled in. I’ll be collecting news and updating this post throughout the day, so if you have something to share please contact me and I’ll update it here.

  Barley Brown’s Brewpub (Baker City): The big news that broke over the weekend (I wrote about it here and here) is that brewer Shawn Kelso is leaving Barley Brown’s, destined to head up 10 Barrel Brewing‘s new Boise brewpub operation. Kelso will have free reign in Boise to brew whatever he likes (presumably along with the house beers) and is likely leaving Barley Brown’s in March (according to Brewpublic).

  Deschutes Brewery (Bend): The Bend Pub is now officially closed for much (or most) of the rest of January, in order to complete the expansion project; last night (January 2nd) they held a “wall smashing ceremony” to open up the passageway between the old pub and the new addition, and I was there taking video of the event. The Pub will be closed at least 2-3 weeks, though since construction projects can be unpredictable, there’s no firm date set for the re-opening yet.

  Full Sail Brewing (Hood River): Next Thursday the 12th they are hosting their January Brewmaster Dinner featuring a “Breakfast for Dinner” theme. (“Brinner”!) No menu posted yet, but these dinners are typically four courses and paired with Full Sail beers (of course) and cost $30 per person; it starts at 5pm and continues until they run out.

  Belmont Station (Portland) has a big event coming up this Saturday, the 7th: Stone Brewing founder Greg Koch will be visiting for a “Meet the Founder” event from 2 to 4pm promoting his book The Craft of Stone Brewing Co.: “This is the story of the 15 year history of Stone Brewing Co. with insights into the entrepreneurial story, and keys to business success. Plus stories behind EVERY Stone beer & 18 homebrew recipes for Stone beers — the largest collection ever. We’ll have copies to sell for the event. Stone 11.11.11 Vertical Epic Ale, Double Bastard Ale, and Stone IPA on tap.” (Read my review of the book here.)

  Lucky Labrador Brewing (Portland): The Lucky Lab Public House location on SW Capitol Highway is turning 10 years old this Saturday, January 7th, with special prices and live music: “From 7pm till 12pm, there will be 2002 prices on all Lucky Lab beers. That means that all Lucky Lab pints will be starting at $3.50!!! Also!! There will be live music from 8pm – 11pm by local bands Wild Ones and Ish Phoenix! Come join us in celebration of the birth of our 2nd location and have a cheap pint with friends and family!!” The Public House is located at 7675 SW Capitol Hwy in Portland.

  Happy hours, specials, and cheap pours:

  • Bend Brewing (Bend): Today is Locals Night, with $2.75 pints from 4pm to closing, and half-price appetizers from 4 to 6pm and 9pm to closing.
  • Lompoc Brewing (Portland) features their Tightwad Tuesday at Fifth Quadrant & Hedge House, with $2.50 pints all day long today.
  • Three Creeks Brewing (Sisters) has $3.25 pints all day on Tuesday.
  • Silver Moon Brewing (Bend): This week’s Growler Power Hour features Hounds Tooth Amber and Bridge Creek Pilsner. The Growler Power Hour runs on Tuesday and Wednesday from 4 to 6pm and offers $5 growler fills on those two beers.

  Upcoming tastings, releases, and “Meet the Brewer” events:

  • Silver Moon Brewing (Bend): “Silver Moon will be in Portland @ Stotty’s Pub tonight, 1/3/2012, sampling out our HopFury IPA! If you’re in the area swing in for a pint of HopFury IPA from 6-8 pm. 12122 Scholls Ferry Road, Tigard” (via Facebook)
  • The Green Dragon (Portland): The folks at The Green Dragon have declared January to be “Big Ass Beer Month” and each week will be featuring a Big Ass Beer: Tomorrow, Wednesday the 4th, they will be releasing The Count Russian Imperial Stout starting at 5pm: “The Count has a deep black color which coats the glass leaving dark swirls on the sides when you set it down. Truly, legs to die for. A tight, creamy head and the aroma of roasted malt complement the smooth delivery of high-octane from the first sip to the last. Layers of flavors with a persistent bitterness and the lasting presence of dark roasted malt make this beer easy to identify as stout. Made with seven malts and a liberal dose of Zeus flower hops this imperial stout is worthy of the royal court although many will not remember much after spending time with The Count (muahahaha).” Stats: 9.5% abv, 106 IBUs.
  • Cascade Brewing (Portland): Tap It Tuesday tonight is featuring “Filbert”, a “live barrel of NW-style sour ale that started as a strong blond barrel aged for four months, then additionally aged on pressed filbert nuts for three months”—sounds quite yummy! The pouring starts at 6pm, and it’ll cost $6.50 for a glass (8.2% abv).

  

Knut Albert's beer blog

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  How I would run the Haandbryggeriet festival

  Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 5:31pm CET by knutalbert

  As I’ve told you, Haandbryggeriet will organise their own festival in Drammen, Norway in May this year. Lots of guest breweries from near and far,and they have asked on Facebook for suggestions on how to proceed with the plans. I’ve never organised something on this scale, but I have attended enough festivals to know what [...]

The Brew Site

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  Video and photos of Deschutes wall smashing

  Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 4:00pm CET by Jon

  Deschutes Brewery is adding a major expansion to their original Bend Public House, and Monday evening they held a “wall smashing ceremony” (akin to a groundbreaking) to celebrate the final weeks of the construction process. The wall smashing took place at 9pm, and people were packing into the Pub for the event well before; I was able to get down there before 8:30 to enjoy a beer (Imperial Bachelor Bitter) and shoot some video of the event, as well as grab some pictures of the new space.

  Video of owner Gary Fish smashing through the wall (following a short speech):

  And, a gallery of the pictures I snapped while I was there:

  [Show as slideshow]

  It’s a very impressive space, easily (to my eye) more than doubling the current capacity. I already predict the balcony seating during the summer will be the most coveted spots in the house!

  
• 

  Shawn Kelso IS joining 10 Barrel

  Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 11:26pm CET by Jon

  It would appear yesterday’s speculation about the future of Barley Brown’s brewer Shawn Kelso was correct, and now the cat is officially out of the bag: Kelso will be joining 10 Barrel Brewing at their upcoming Boise brewpub.

  Brewpublic has the story, and just a little while ago 10 Barrel themselves issued a press release. Kelso has been with Barley Brown’s for 11 years, and should be moving to 10 Barrel in March.

  Full press release after the jump.

  Official Statement
  Internationally Recognized brewer, Shawn Kelso, Joins 10 Barrel Brewing
  All Star Brewer to head Boise Brewhouse and Join Product Development Team with Tonya Cornett and Jimmy Seifrit at 10 Barrel

  10 Barrel Brewing Company is proud to announce another world class addition to our brewing team in Shawn Kelso, former Brewmaster of Barley Brown’s Brewing. Shawn is one of the highest decorated single brewers in the country, winning 50 national medals over the last seven years. He will be the Brewmaster of 10 Barrel’s second brewpub, opening this summer in Boise, ID. Shawn will also play an integral role in all product development for the overall company, working hand-in-hand with Tonya Cornett on our 10 Barrel experimental system in Bend.

  “What I am most excited about is having the opportunity to work with such world-class talent in Jimmy and Tonya. Joining 10 Barrel is a chance to jump on board with a really aggressive young company that is working hard to push the boundaries of conventional brewing in the northwest. They are providing me an opportunity to not only contribute to that growth, but to play a critical role in helping shape the direction of the company and challenging myself as a brewer. Joining an up and coming brew scene in Boise will allow me to really showcase my talents in front of a larger audience, including the entire 10 Barrel footprint” Shawn Kelso.

  Un-Official 10 Barrel Statement
  Big Daddy Kelso Finally on Board!!

  We started talking about expanding our brewery about 2 years ago. In our first meeting, we put together an impossible to obtain wish list of the top three brewers that we’ve always wanted to work with to lead our brewery. With the addition of Shawn, the list is now complete!

  Forget about their talents in brewing, there aren’t three other people anywhere that we have more fun working, playing, and drinking beer with. We are going to completely turn these three loose and see just how far they can push the beer culture. From our perspective, it’s not about all of the medals they have in their resumes; it’s about their talent, passion, and shared desire to recreate the brewing wheel. As a team, we’re super excited about making one hell of a run with our new leaders at our Boise brewpub and new brewery.

  
• 

  Today is the last day Deschutes’ Bend Pub will be open for a month

  Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 8:00pm CET by Jon

  Deschutes Brewery is in the process of remodeling their downtown Bend Public House, and today (Monday, January 2nd) is the last day they will have the Pub open for most of the rest of January.

  Accordingly, tonight they will be holding a “wall smashing ceremony” to kick off the final stages of the remodel:

  This Monday we will kick off the New Year with a bang…literally. The first Locals’ Night of 2012 will be the last in the Bend Public House as we know it. Come down and join us for this monumental “Wall Smashing” ceremony on January 2nd at 9 PM as Gary Fish, owner and founder of Deschutes Brewery, takes a sledgehammer to the wall that will connect the old space with the new (see archway above). And if that isn’t enough, we’ll be tapping ONE keg of Veronica Vega’s newest creation, Imperial Bachelor Bitter, at 5pm!

  There’s no definitive word on when the Pub will re-open yet (as big construction projects go, even though there’s a target deadline that doesn’t always hold for a variety of reasons) but as soon as I get word of the official date I’ll post it here.

  If you’re in Bend today, get your Deschutes fix while you can! (The tasting room and Portland Pub will still be open during this time of course.)

  

Hop Talk

• 

  Great Divide 17th Anniversary Wood Aged Double IPA

  Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 5:58am CET by Al

  I love my wife. She buys me interesting things like this.

  They say:

  Based on our award-winning beer, Denver Pale Ale, this copper-hued treat is a celebration of everything Great Divide does best. Plenty of malty sweetness provides a backdrop of earthy, floral English and American hops, while French and American oak round off the edges and provide a touch of vanilla.

  Nice copper color; not much head. A good bit of pine in the aroma, with a bit of that vanilla. That’s got some nice bite. I like this.

  Related Posts:

  • Great Divide Hercules Double IPA
  • Great Divide Denver Pale Ale (DPA)
  • Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti
  • Great Divide Titan IPA
  • Great Divide Samurai Ale
  • Powered by Contextual Related Posts

  Great Divide 17th Anniversary Wood Aged Double IPA is from Hop Talk - Beer. Life. Blog.

  
  

  

A Good Beer Blog

• 

  Beer Cocktails: A Glass Of Port And One Of Stout

  Posted: January 1st, 2012, 11:26pm CET by Alan McLeod

  

  I have had my doubts about beer cocktails ever since I heard the term. I don't trust that the attempt to create a new niche - and then, of course, the jostling to become guru of that niche - bodes well for actual experience being foisted upon us all. Plus, I am of an age that does not find me in bars watching however much I like them. I have to rely on my own wits. Any that usually keeps me from experimenting too much.

  Yet, there is something about port and stout that I like. The "ye olde" nature of it perhaps? I have certainly had a love of ports as well as Spanish sherries, Hungarian tokays and other "sticky" wines that actually predates my love of good beer. These are the drinks of childhood holidays, ex-pats comforting themselves with rich tastes of trade and empire. I came across the concept five years ago and have been tinkering with blends since at least 2008 and, while I approve, I have not found myself converted.

  Until today. I realized my problem might be the requirement of blending in the glass. Sure, you might say, that is what a "cocktail" is but, if we are honest, is not the shot and chaser a cocktail, too? And, frankly, is it not even more guru-tastic to use more than one piece of glassware to create the effect? Hands up everyone who agrees. There. It is settled.

  Today, I poured a glass of Feist Colheita 1998 port and a pint of Grand River's Russian Gun Imperial Stout. Both share a rich dryness when tasted in succession that I think would blend well in the same glass. But they also have so many complimentary tastes when tasted separately which are drowned when put together. The lingering dry cocoa licorice of the strong stout is washed by the heady tannin berry of the port. Both have a hint of chalkiness, too. Each are fine drinks in their own right. Together, a partnership.

  So, first big news of 2012? It's OK to use two glasses. Good old double fisting is now surely guru approved. Second big news? If you have a stash it's now time to get the cabinet, too. Your own little gin palace tucked in a corner of the dining room.