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Items by Bruce

The Champagne of Blogs

• 

  HOPWORKS Needs You!

  Posted: September 27th, 2010, 10:05pm CEST by Bruce

  From a release:

  Hopworks Urban Brewery is looking for 10 intrepid volunteers to venture into the HUB hop field and help them pick their first estate-grown organic hops. In addition to telling your friends and family that you picked the first hops on the Urban Hacienda, they’ll happily hook you up with pizza and beer for your efforts.

  Within 24 hours of harvest, the organic Cascade and Willamette hops will be added to the inaugural beer made on the brewery’s new nano-brew system. The fresh hop ale will debut at the Oct. 19 HUB Mug Club meeting and later be on tap in the brew pub.

  The harvest will be Tuesday, Sept. 28 from 4 – 6 p.m. The volunteer crew will be the first 10 responses to email “Hop Harvest” to volunteer@HopworksBeer.com.

  

• 

  Getting Started at OBF….. the Buzz Tent

  Posted: July 22nd, 2010, 9:51pm CEST by Bruce

  

  The Oregon Brew Fest kicked off this morning and runs through the weekend (as if you didn’t know.)

  Standing by the Buzz Tent I’ve heard a lot of “What is the buzz tent?” So here you go.

  The Buzz Tent features an assortment of beer outside of the standard taps at OBF. The beers are generally a little more unique, smaller batch offerings such as the Quad belgian from Deschutes, the barleywine from Maui Brewing and the Pinot barrel aged strong ale from Oakshire.

  Of course these beers don’t come cheap, they are 2 tokens instead of 1 for a taste. Nevertheless, given the unique selection offered at the Buzz Tent, I recommend you at least sample a few from here.

  

• 

  Portland’s Spring Beer AND Wine Fest

  Posted: April 2nd, 2010, 7:39pm CEST by Bruce

  I’ve been in Portland for six years and somehow, I’ve never been to the Spring Beer and Wine Fest at the Convention Center… well that all ends today!

  So what exactly am I walking into? According to the festival’s Website, there will be more than 80 beers, 30 wineries, local spirit makers, a curious and diverse food selection and cheese and chocolate. The festival press release also states there will also be “a global shopping marketplace, cooking demonstrations and educational seminars on the Chef’s Stage, and live music featuring Northwest bands including Keegan Smith & the Fam.” 

  This year the festival is hosting a fundraiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). At the MDA booth you can purchase a 14 oz. beer or a 4 oz. pour of wine for $5. The beer and wines at the MDA booth are not available at the regular festival booths.

  

  The festival has a people’s choice award, so be sure to vote for your favorite festival beers as well. Astoria Brewing’s Bitter Bitch was winner the last two years, so we’ll see if they can make it three in a row.

  The fest runs from noon – 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 2 & 3.  If you’re cheap like me, show up during the first two hours and get your $5 admission waived. Costs are pretty standard, $5 admission, $5 taster cup and tasting token are $1 each.

  Be sure to check in with us on Twitter @BSBrewing for live updates from the festival.

  

• 

  Beer Tours: Breweries and Brew Pubs in Eugene

  Posted: March 17th, 2010, 12:45am CET by Bruce

  In February Dave and I were invited by Travel Lane County to Eugene and Springfield to meet with local brewers and sample many great beers coming out of the area.

  After a night at the KLCC Microbrew Fest and some sampling of the local bar scene, we started our day at the Broadway Inn where as you can see, all the classy out-of-town brewers stay. I also recommend the hotel’s neighbor, Burrito Boy, to satisfy your stomach after last call.

  

  Hop Valley Brewing

  Our first stop was Hop Valley Brewing in Springfield.  You couldn’t miss the giant sign right off of I-5 and the Gateway Mall.

  

  The location has quite a local history. Prior to producing beers for Hop Valley, the building and the 15-barrel system was home to Spencer’s Butte Brewpub and where the first Ninkasi beers were made.

  

  Open for one year, Hop Valley makes a wide variety of styles including the DD Blonde, 541 Lager, Step Child Red, a Vanilla Porter and, where they really excel, the Alphadelic IPA and the Alpha Centauri Imperial IPA.

  

  Stay in touch with Hop Valley on Twitter and Facebook.

  Ninkasi

  Our next stop was Ninkasi. Our trip was during Zwickelmania and Ninkasi’s new tasting room was packed. The purple shirted clan was a “drinking club” named the Royal Drunks and some members certainly lived up to at least half of their name. The tasting room is open 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. daily.

  

  Head brewer Jamie Floyd led us on a tour of the brewery and showed us where the brewery will be expanding. Ninkasi’s growth is explosive. They started on a 15-barrel system at what is now Hop Valley, opened the brewery with a 20-barrel system and are now up to a 30-barrel system. Last year the company produced 19,500 barrels and estimates 32,000 barrels in 2010.

  

  Helping fuel that growth, Ninkasi is now available at all Safeways and most Costcos in Oregon.  Total Domination is the company’s top seller, accounting for 60 percent of their total sales.

  

  Information from Ninkasi can also be found on Twitter and Facebook

  Oakshire Brewing

  Our day concluded at Oakshire Brewing which is growing at a significant rate as well. In 2006 the company started on a 4-barrel system as Willamette Brewing.  They are now up to a 16-barrel system and took production from 300 barrels in 2007 to 2,000 barrels in 2009. Built for growth, they have the capacity to produce 7,500 barrels and are aiming for 3,600 in 2010.

  

  Brewer Matt Van Wyk was our host for the day and seeing as how it was Zwickelmania, he poured us a couple of tastes from the fermenters. Most notable was the 2-day old O’Dark:30 that to the surprise of everyone was already tasting great.

  Oakshire’s biggest sellers are the Watershed IPA and the Overcast Espresso Stout. The stout features cold pressed espresso from local roaster Wandering Goat that is added to the beer as it is being transferred from the fermenter to the brite tank.

  

  You can find out more straight from Oakshire by checking them out on Twitter  and Facebook.

  Next stop… Corvallis.

  

• 

  KLCC Microbrew Festival in Eugene

  Posted: February 20th, 2010, 9:19pm CET by Bruce

  Several accomplished beer writers (John Foyston, Lisa Morrison and Abram Goldman-Armstrong), bloggers (Portland Beer) and somehow BS Brewing were invited by Travel Oregon and Travel Lane County to visit Eugene for the KLCC Microbrew Festival and spend Zwickelmania with local brewers.

  I give this fest high marks, more than 50 breweries and 110 beers, a homebrew competition, vendors selling classic vinyl records, live music and a People’s Choice Award (won by Hop Valley’s Alpha Centauri). The lines and crowd were very manageable, hardly waited more than 30 seconds for a fill and it’s a pretty standard $1 ticket per taste and your $12 admission gets you an actual glass taster. Proceeds benefit the listener-supported station.

  

  Definitely the most interesting aspect of the festival was the inclusion of a collaboration brew, where participating brewers each developed their take on a (get this…) Belgian Style Cascadian Dark Rye Ale. In the description of the beer below they used the phrase “Because we can,” perhaps because some said “Oh no, you didn’t?” Overall, I think each of the beers suffered from being a bit of an over-engineered concept, any two of the three (Cascadian Dark, rye malt, Belgian yeast) would have been fine, but all three together created some odd flavors regardless of the skill of the brewer making the beer. A good thing to remember is just because you can doesn’t mean you should.

  

  Dave in his quest to drink 999 different beers over 999 days reviewed Ninkasi’s entry here.

  Aside from the collaboration brew, there were handful of seasonals but most brought beers that are available in some form here in Portland. That didn’t crush our enthusiasm for seeking out old favorites like Maui Brewing’s IPA and breweries we’ve never tried such as Wakonda Brewing’s Imperial Pilsner.

  As our Twitter post summed it up that night, it’s like a mini-GABF but instead of beer geeks there are college girls and old hippies. I would definitely recommend checking the festival out in future years, either on its own if you’re in the area or as a part of of a beer weekend to check out the all great breweries in the area.

  More on our Zwickelmania trips later…

  

• 

  Dinner With the Widmer Brewers

  Posted: February 16th, 2010, 9:08am CET by Bruce

  It’s great to have a beer blog and an excuse to drink beer, but I guess we should actually add some content more than once a month.

  A couple of weeks ago, the fine folks at Widmer invited us over for dinner to celebrate the release of W’10 Pitch Black IPA. Due to the enormous success of Brrr, W’10 was already in stores, but that didn’t deter our enthusiasm for this Cascadian Dark Ale.

  

  I’ll leave a more detailed review of the beer to Dave at 999 Beers but I really like W’10, easily my favorite in the series, challenged only by W’07 that eventually became Drifter.  I think it’s a safe bet we’re going to see a lot more Cascadian Dark Ales this year and that style will be the choice of backyard BBQs and camping this summer. It’s a great blend of roasted malt flavor and hops without being too heavy.

  

  I was joined for dinner by brewer John Eaton who generally works the overnight shift at Widmer. I was a great opportunity to discuss the entire W series at Widmer, the collaborative creative process and the success of 07 and 06 turning into Drifter and Brrr in the company’s line. In general, the brewers get together and discuss a few different styles and then they work together to hash it out and determine what that year’s W beer will be. It’s a great opportunity for the brewers to flex their creativity outside of the company’s standard brews.

  It also seemed some at Widmer were a little miffed/disappointed at the lack of success of W’09, the Belgian Golden Ale and to a lesser extent 08’s Crimson Wheat. In thinking about the Belgian Golden, it reminded me of Bridgeport’s Supris and a similar tepid response.

  It makes me think that major production brewers such as Bridgeport and Widmer become well known for certain styles and the consumer just doesn’t think of them as an outlet for something so different. I’m certain that in addition to letting brewers create new styles, the W series also helps Widmer stretch the consumer’s mind and while a certain year may not sell as expected, it can help open the door for future, more commercially successful new styles.

  You can learn more about W’10 and the W series by going here and can find Widmer Brothers on Twitter and Facebook.

  

• 

  Hooking Up With Redhook Tripel

  Posted: June 12th, 2009, 7:08pm CEST by Bruce

  I got a nice little present the other day from the good people at Redhook when I received a box containing the company’s latest limited edition offering, Redhook Tripel.  We don’t really “do” the beer review thing, there’s plenty of other sites that are great for that, but we did want to share some thoughts on this beer.

  

  Being a generous person, I brought it to a weekend gathering and shared it with Dave and Thom, we didn’t exactly have the ideal glassware, or glass at all really.

  

  There is so much to like about this beer, visually the packaging is great and the color and the head on the beer are enticing. Taste-wise, I would say the beer is very well-made, true to the style, has nice banana and clove flavors woven in and it really hides that 10.2% ABV, not overly alcoholic for such a big beer at all. However, when it comes to tasting, we noticed one small thing, it’s kinda boring, there’s nothing that really makes you say “Wow, I got to try some more of that!”  It’s somewhat like the Toyota Camry of beer. Well-made, precise, reliable and a bit of a snooze. I just wish there was a little something in there that made me want to come back for more.

  Speaking of Redhook, not sure how much is left and if it’s at all Trader Joe’s, but the other day i found 22 oz. bombers of Double Black Stout for $1.99 a bottle. I left one on the shelf at the 39th and Holgate store because I didn’t want to be the jerk that cleaned it out. At that price, if you like stouts, it’s worth seeking out at other TJ’s.

  

  
• 

  Working at the Workers Bar in Astoria

  Posted: May 29th, 2009, 6:20pm CEST by Bruce

  

  The evening was closer to “It’s time to go” than “we just got here” when Eryn leaned into to me and said “I figured it out…. The goal of this place is to keep you from leaving.” Granted, that’s probably true for any bar that wants to turn a profit, but what sets Mary Todd’s Workers Bar & Grill in Astoria apart is, they do a damn good job of doing it.

  

  Situated under the bridge on Marine Drive, the decor is classic dive bar, pictures of various vintages celebrating the hard work and people that made Astoria, as well as plenty of photos of the regulars having a great time.

  

  So what exactly lured us here? You didn’t have to talk to too many people in town to find out about the giant serving of prime rib available for a very reasonable price (I think it was $15). Dave ordered an equally large chicken fried steak that checked in around $10 (cardiologist not included).

  

  Since this is a beer-related blog, I suppose I should mention the beer selection… (moving on)

  

  Back in the day when I frequented the 35’er in Old Town Pasadena, I would occasionally enjoy a girly, summer drink, a raspberry lemonade consisting of Stoli Raspberry, a splash of sweet and sour and 7-up. At Mary Todd’s I think I discovered my girly summer drink’s older sister who joined a biker gang and rode up and down the west coast for 20 years before settling in Astoria, and her name is the Yucca. The Yucca is fresh squeezed lemon, some simple syrup and vodka, lots of vodka, served in a canning jar filled with ice, sealed with a lid and then shaken profusely inside a towel for maximum frozen drink effect. It’s delicious and refreshing and a monster the next morning.

  

  So, what really sets the Workers Bar apart from so many other dive bars?  The people, starting with Mary Todd herself who came by our table, introduced herself and shared a couple minutes with us talking about her life and her bar.  It’s a great story and she’s a great host.  Also, she’s been known to dance on top of the tables from time to time. I think everyone gets swept up into the cordiality of the place, by the end of the night, we’ve abandoned our table, we’re meeting other people, people are buying rounds and shots for us, dancing, etc.

  

  Dave nicely summed up the bar “good people, hard lives, hearty meals, drink accordingly.

  A quick shout out to the Cannery Pier Hotel as well.  In addition to the incredible accommodations, the hotel wants you to be safe when enjoying Astoria’s libations.  They have a vintage Buick that will take you anywhere in town and, even better, will come pick you up when you’re done.  In fact, if you get a ride from a DD like we did, they ask that you call the hotel because the driver won’t go home until all the people he’s taken out somewhere are returned to the hotel.  Bravo CPH!

  

  
• 

  Double Mountain ‘Vaporizes’ East Burn

  Posted: May 29th, 2009, 12:04am CEST by Bruce

  Looks like the guys at Double Mountain are releasing a new beer, Vaporizer, a “golden IPA” at East Burn on Wednesday, June 3 starting at 5 p.m. Double Mountain co-owner Charlie Devereux will be on-hand to explain exactly what makes this IPA golden.

  

  Just to show how little I know about what’s going on at East Burn, they also have their version of a Brewer’s Dinner called Beer Belly Dinner.  This month features Jamie Floyd from Ninkasi and something grilled.

  And if you’ve never been to East Burn, I highly recommend heading down to the basement and checking out the skee-ball game and all the other great games, it’s like the rec room I never had growing up….or now for that matter.

  
• 

  In Czarist Russia, the Beer Drinks You

  Posted: April 17th, 2009, 4:17am CEST by Bruce

  With the lure of free schwag from the bridgeportbrew Twitter feed, I’ve worked my way over to the Pearl to Bridgeport’s Hop Czar release party.

  When I walked in I came face to face with Russian folk dancers, which was kind of funny and odd, but I get it. Upstairs they have tasters in small plastic cups that don’t do the beer any favors.

  I’m not much of a beer reviewer, so here’s the quick rundown on the Hop Czar. The aroma is a little alcoholic underneath a nice floral hop, the color reminds me of slightly weathered copper. But seriously, who really cares, how’s it taste?

  Overall, I like it, it’s a nicely made beer. Good malt backbone really stands up to the intense hopping creating a nicely balanced IPA that hides its 100 IBUs and 8% ABV in a very drinkable beer. Definitely not one of those hop bombs that blows out your taste buds…. in fact, as I’ve worked through the first pint writing this, I’m going to order another.

  This may be my favorite in Bridgeport’s Big Brew’s series, was Raven Mad in that Big Brew series?
  

  
• 

  Who is Giving Who the Anniversary Gift, Widmer?

  Posted: April 3rd, 2009, 2:06am CEST by Bruce

  What happens when you roll back prices to 1984 in celebration of your 25th Anniversary? Well at Widmer’s Gasthaus it means $1.50 pints, a slammed bar and possibly an hour wait for a table. But don’t let that stop you, I’m about to dig into some Drifter pale and am eyeing the ESB. Thanks Widmer, Happy Anniversary to me!

  

  

  
• 

  Ahh, the beauty of road tripping

  Posted: February 6th, 2009, 8:11pm CET by Bruce

  This is what it looks like when you have 8 guys crammed in one Suburban. The back row is incredibly small for anyone over 5 ‘8″. We just left Caldera Brewing in Ashland where we were treated to an incredible tour. I’m sure there will be tons more on that later. Now we’re on the way to Weed, CA.

  

• 

  How to Survive Arctic Blast 2008

  Posted: December 17th, 2008, 12:04am CET by Bruce

  Passing along a little inspiration for surviving the cold and pending cabin fever here in the Northwest. Your backyard or porch makes a great refrigerator so dig out some of those beers in the basement you’ve been sitting on and enjoy.

  

  A few ideas to stay warm this week. Widmer Brrr, Pelican Tsunami Stout and Goose Island Barrel Aged Imperial Stout

• 

  Tastings just wrapped up at Holiday Ale Fest

  Posted: December 4th, 2008, 2:25am CET by Bruce

  The Champagne of Blogs was fortunate enough to secure a seat at the Holiday Ale Fest’s media preview. We sampled an amazing array of beers including Cascade’s sour red Sang Noir, 3 years of Hair of the Dog’s Jim, Deschutes 2005 Mirror Mirror barleywine, Firestone Walker’s Velvet Mirkin stout (well balanced and toasted malt notes) etc.

  Check the Holiday Ale Fest Web site for the full beer list and pick out some favorites, many fine beer’s to be had, although Dave was not impressed with the New Beligium Grand Cru.

  Here’s a couple guys from The Oregonian “working.”
  

• 

  Live from the Holiday Ale Fest

  Posted: December 4th, 2008, 12:56am CET by Bruce

  Testing, testing…. is this thing on? Trying out the WPtoGo app on the G1 phone. 1 failure so far. It’s about 3:45 and numerous beer geeks and chronic alcoholics have already arrived, but nowhere near tha capacity crowds that will be here in the evenings.

  As soon as we start tasting we’ll have some more updates live freom the tent.
  

• 

  Rogue Issues Green Dragon FAQ

  Posted: November 22nd, 2008, 1:21am CET by Bruce

  Earlier this week Rogue printed out a FAQ regarding the purchase of the Green Dragon. This would’ve posted earlier but WordPress conspired against me to lose it all in the ether, so by the time I felt like writing it again, I found John Foyston’s excellent Beer Here blog already posted the same thing, so I’m copying and pasting from there. Thanks John!

  Here’s the FAQ found at the bar:

  Will there be changes? Yes! Someone defined stupidity as doing the same thing and expecting different results. We will make only those changes required to survive and serve the craft industry.

  Can you be more specific? We will not change tap rotation as a theory and Rogue will have only one or two more taps than now. Brewers’ nights will continue under Jim Parker’s guidance; games and shuffleboard will stay for now.

  What will you change?
  Turn up the lights, turn down the music, as it was when the Dragon started.
  Double the number of taps.
  Finish the $50,000-$75,000 improvements required by the city.
  Add video poker, and Lego tables for the kids.
  Ban cell phones, as we have for 18 years.
  Staff will wear identifiable gear and name tags to distinguish them from the customers. (My comments, not Foyston’s: Because in the past 15+ years of going to bars, I’ve always wondered if that guy standing behind the bar making drinks worked there. I wonder if there is also a requirement for 30 pieces of flair?)
  We will deliver food and beer to your home or office.
  Sell to go: bottles, cans, growlers and kegs.

  Will beer prices go up? TBA — They need to be high enough for the Dragon to survive.

  Will Hopoes and Rogue Nation Cards be honored? Yes.

  Will Rogue Farms tours originate at the Dragon? Yes, and so will the OBF bus.

  Will you continue live music? Yes, for a while. Not part of original concept. Not if the city requires handrails. Not if we need the space.
  
  Will staff be retained? Yes, if they meet our standards of customer service and conduct.

  Will you change the menu? Yes. How is TBA — Hope to add items made with beer and retain and expand use of the smoker.

  So, there you have it. According to comments in an earlier post, only 3 of 30 staff elected to remain at the Dragon. The great staff will definitely be missed. Here’s to the future of the Green Dragon and hoping it will grow and be even better. Also, definitely want to extend best wishes to Lolo and look forward to being there when Civil Disobedience opens.

  

• 

  Has the Green Dragon Been Slain?

  Posted: November 19th, 2008, 5:37pm CET by Bruce

  It looks like the Green Dragon sale went through yesterday. Here’s some info from a variety of sources:

  Over at Brewpublic, Lolo declared war on the Rogue Nation. Lolo also shared with Angelo his perspective on how the sale went down. While there is a ton of “he said/she said” and rumors out there, it seems evident Ed, the former majority owner, kept Lolo in the dark on this potential sale for far too long. Lolo has every right to be pissed, dude helped build the bar and while he may not be the majority owner, he is still an owner and should’ve been given more time to line up new investors. And, any declaration of war that includes a quote from The Dude is awesome, so sign me up!

  Ed reached out to Beervana to tell his side of the story. I understand Ed’s point of view here, he sunk a chunk of change into the Dragon and he’s facing another big expenditure if he wants to take the bar where everyone wants to go, or even remain open in the case of sprinklers. But I guess the question is, where was the due diligence when Ed bought the place? He wasn’t owner very long. I can only assume he looked at the books, researched pending fees and costs and talked to other bar and restaurant owners before laying down a significant amount of money to purchase his ownership stake. It seems like perhaps he jumped in without fully looking and is reaching for a lifeline.

  Our Facebook group petitioning Rogue not to F up the Green Dragon is up to 117 members. Not bad for a little word of mouth and networking.

  So the questions remain and perhaps it’s time for people in charge address some of them and end all the rumor and speculation:

  1) What is the status of the staff at the Green Dragon? They’ve already had to re-interview for their jobs, will they be there or will there be new staff from the Rogue Pearl and other locations?

  2) How does the sale affect the future of Integrity Spirits at that location? Integrity appears to be a significant competitor in craft distillation, so does Rogue now control the entire building and bounce Integrity out?

  3) What is the future of brewing at the Green Dragon? And if brewing does start, is it just going to be the same ol’ Rogue beers or will the brewers have some independence to create their own ales?

  4) What is the future of the rotating taps and what percentage of taps will now be Rogue beers? I’m assuming mug club is DOA.

  And now an editorial comment: The people, beer geeks and general bar goers alike, are disappointed. Rogue is taking a lot of heat, but I believe it could’ve been any major brewer making the sale and people would feel the same way. This is Portland, we value and cherish our independent, locally-owned establishments and the Green Dragon has a loyal and passionate following. Great establishments have taken nosedives under new management (I’m looking at you Oaks Bottom), so when there is a change in ownership at a place people love, there’s going to be apprehension. I think what we’re waiting for is for some comment from Rogue telling us what they plan to do and help put the rumors to bed. Like any business, if this turns out to be a success or a failure, the people and their money will decide the outcome. We are lucky to live in a town with so many great taps at places such as Bailey’s, Concordia and Horse Brass. So if Rogue wants to make their investment pay off, I hope they listen to our voices and maintain the spirit of what makes the Green Dragon incredibly well liked.

  
  The Green Dragon is Dead! Long Live the Green Dragon!

• 

  A Petition for the Green Dragon

  Posted: November 14th, 2008, 4:57pm CET by Bruce

  As has been reported by other blogs in town (see here and here), it looks like BS Brewing favorite the Green Dragon is about to be purchased by Rogue.

  I don’t have a particular beef against Rogue, I drink their beer, but there’s a reason I haven’t been to the Public House in Portland for years. The food is pretty spendy for the average quality and the beer list certainly lacks diversity. So, like good beer drinking activists, we’re taking it to the Web. BS Brewing developed a simple petition for Rogue should this sale go through. Here’s the petition:

  Rogue’s buying the Green Dragon. Our demands are very simple. We want them to agree to:

  1. Not put their crappy food on the menu.
  2. Maintain the EXCELLENT tap list, and not just fill the keg cooler with sub-par Rogue brews.
  3. Keep the amazingly knowledgeable wait staff.

  So, how can YOU join the movement that’s sweeping across Portland? Simple, join us on Facebook or leave a comment here. We’ll be sure to forward everything to Rogue.

  

• 

  How to Make a Booze Sandwich

  Posted: May 7th, 2008, 10:05pm CEST by Bruce

  Courtesy of the incredibly imaginative people at CadaverBlender (via deadspin)

  We’ve all been there, some sporting event or music festival featuring ridiculously long lines with a $6 cup of flat Budweiser waiting at the end and figured there has to be a better way to get a drink.

  Well the guys over at CadaverBlender just got back from the infield of the Kentucky Derby where they came up with a great solution: the booze sandwich. While many places will let you bring in your own food, most frown upon bringing your own adult beverage, so the simple solution is make your booze look like a meal.

  Here it is in a nutshell: Fill a 16 oz. water bottle with your booze of choice, hollow out a nice, appropriate sized French roll, insert bottle, add some lettuce, possibly some meat around the edge, wrap the sandwich in Saran Wrap and I bet not a single security guard in the country will hassle you at the bag check.

  Here’s a couple photos (courtesy of CadaverBlender)
  

  

  Remember, please drink responsibly.

• 

  Viva Las Hofbrau

  Posted: May 2nd, 2008, 2:45am CEST by Bruce

  As a former resident of Southern California, I used to be quite familiar with weekend trips to Las Vegas. Now that life has slowed down a bit and getting there is a little pricier than a three hour drive, I get out to Vegas about every other year…. but earlier this week that’s exactly where I found myself. Vegas.

  One thing I figured is this will be a vacation away from good beer, and for the most part I was right. The beer of choice in Vegas seemed to be Bud Light in the aluminum “bottle”; talk about a beer wasteland… with one notable exception, The Hofbrauhaus

  Designed to be a faithful recreation of the Hofbrauhaus in Munich (I wouldn’t know, I’ve never been), Eryn said it did look similar, which in Vegas I suppose is good enough. Here’s what I do know, this place was fun and the beer was good.

  Pardon the photo quality, all I was armed with was my camera phone. Here’s a general interior shot, as you can see, it’s got a high ceiling making the place feel nice and open. The beer garden was closed for a private reception full of what I can only describe as drunken nerds. We arrived in town on a Sunday, so the place wasn’t packed, I’d say the room was running at about 40% capacity but I could see on a Friday or Saturday a packed house.

  Arriving on Sunday also meant I missed the tapping of their seasonal Maibock on Friday. Checking in at a healthy 7.2% ABV, the Maibock was surprisingly light with a nice malty body. Unfortunately they wouldn’t serve it in a liter mug, so here’s Eryn with our puny half liters of Maibock and Dunkel.
  

  Like any good German beer hall there was a band. The photo may not tell the whole story, but I think it is safe to say these Austrians do quite well with the ladies. I don’t understand why the dude in the lower right is wearing a lei in a German beer hall.
  

  The food also exceeded expectations. We ordered a sausage sampler plate seen below featuring some of the best frankfurters I’ve had this side of Ottos along with an excellent Brat and a chicken sausage. We also enjoyed a schnitzel with some delicious german potato salad.
  

  After the Maibock, round two arrived in the form of a liter of the Dunkel. Sweeter and with a little bit of caramel, the Dunkel was another excellent beer.
  

  As you can see, it’s BS Brewing approved.
  

  So, with all this beer flowing, fun music playing and plenty of toasts, what do you think happens, even on a slower Sunday night? That’s right, lots of dancing on tables and benches. Although not this guy, another did do enough table dancing and high fiving people he eventually got cut off, so don’t go completely crazy. Drink responsibly.
  

  Overall, if you’re looking for beer that isn’t Heineken, MGD or Michelob Amber Bock and you want to soak up a little of that faux-Vegas Octoberfest feel, I recommend the Hofbrauhaus Las Vegas as a refreshing change from the noise and clutter of the Strip.

  The Hofbrauhaus is located on Paradise Road, across the street from the Hard Rock and is open from 11 to midnight on weekends (Fri & Sat).

  Disclaimer: My meal and airfare was paid for by me; lodging was courtesy of my wife.

• 

  Spring is Finally Here

  Posted: April 17th, 2008, 1:59am CEST by Bruce

  Tried to post this yesterday but the forces of IE and Word Press were against me. Thanks goodness for Safari.

  Anyways, yesterday’s mail came with a little surprise that evoked a spontaneous “Woo-Hoo” when I saw it. The Hair of the Dog Earth Day sale is like my personal signal spring has arrived. Time to reload the basement with Blue Dot and lie to my wife about how much I spent on a case.

  

  For more info check out Hair of the Dog Brewing

• 

  Ribs and Wings

  Posted: January 29th, 2008, 1:20am CET by Bruce

  Here’s a couple updates on my second favorite way to get fat….. all the delicious food in Portland. And I know Nate has his own food post to come as well.

  Podnah’s Pit BBQ - It had been awhile since Dave, Andrew and I made our way out to Podnah’s at 15th and Prescott so on Saturday night Eryn and I treated ourselves to some delicious BBQ. What was new to me were the lamb spareribs I found on the menu. While they were a little bit fatty, if you love lamb you should definitely check these out. Seasoned with just salt and pepper and then smoked, these ribs were delicious, no sauce neccessary.

  As always, a small but nice draft selection and a good bottle list, I washed these ribs down with an Anchor Bock.
  
  Also, I highy recommend the Black Eye Pea salad, the dressing tastes like a perfect mix of dijon mustard, vinegar, sugar, celery and parsley. Many BBQ places treat their sides as an after thought but all the sides we had at Podnah’s were great.

  I don’t know what the All Day rib and draft Happy Hour on Tuesdays gets you, but you can bet I’m going to find out soon.

  Fire on the Mountain - I love chicken wings, and in Portland that can really only mean one thing, a trip up Interstate to Fire on the Mountain. At least that used to be the case until I found the new FOTM at 17th and Burnside this afternoon. The new building has a lot more space than the original in NoPo and an expanded tap selection as well, Hopworks, Double Mountain, Laurelwood, Amnesia, Caldera, Anderson Valley and of course, Rainer were all on tap to wash down the delicious hot wings. My personal favorites the fried pickles and deep fried twinkie both survived the trip south and appear on the menu.

  Here’s a couple views of the place including one of the more interesting murals in Portland featuring Willie Nelson serving a platter of wings.
  

  

• 

  More on Beer and Kids

  Posted: January 11th, 2008, 11:10pm CET by Bruce

  Browsing through this week’s Willamette Week, I came across a review of “kid/parent friendly” places in town to have a pint and bring the little one. Clearly the editors at Willy Week are reading TCOB for story ideas and our recent post on kids, beer and the OLCC.

  I’ve been to Laurelwood, which is pretty much as advertised, but I’m a little curious at the inclusion of Rogue. I’ll admit, I don’t get over there very often but my impression of the Public House on Flanders has always been smoky, crowded and not kid-friendly. I’ve never been to any of the other places listed in the story but I’ll probably head out and check out a few of them over the coming year, especially the Dr. Wort-approved Sip & Kranz, with its glassed in playroom of silence.

  “Look ma, no sound!”
  

  I’m also going to give a little plug for Mickey Finn’s over in my part of town in Woodstock. The place has a nice tap selection, approx. 15 beers or so and I’ve had a good number of Hopworks, Double Mountain and Ninkasi there lately. The food is standard pub fare, burgers, sandwiches, salads with a couple pasta and other entree plates thrown in as well. What’s nice about Mickey Finn’s is it’s pretty noisy and active and if the little kids make a little bit of noise no one seems to care because there’s always some good tunes playing and a game on the TV. It’s sort of the opposite of the glass partition, it’s just loud enough no one really hears a kid over every thing else going on. Also I believe on Tuesdays magician Adam the Great is there, and what kid doesn’t like magic?

  There are plenty of great places in town like the Green Dragon and Concordia Ale House to find a great selection of beer and bring your kid, but wherever you go, please be responsible and make sure your kid isn’t a nuisance to others. It is up to parents to take their children outside, or even head home early if Pee-Wee is causing a scene. Sadly, it took me three tries before I got through a pint and ordered a burger at Concordia.

  I suppose the alternative is you can always help Junior out and ease him to sleep with a certain tasty beverage…
  

• 

  The Octopus Tap

  Posted: January 4th, 2008, 8:42pm CET by Bruce

  Definitely want to file this one under “why didn’t I think of that?”

  Tired of waiting for the tap at keg parties, someone came up with the brilliant invention of the Octopus Tap, and instead of a single hose delivering cheap beer to college students, now you can have four. If I had this thing at my wedding I can only imagine the time that would’ve been saved by everyone as they barreled towards inebriation.
  

  I wonder how well the pressure holds when you’ve got all four lines going or if it requires fairly constant pumping. If only there was some way we could receive one and review it….