Author: Sean Inman

Posted on

Co-Op Hop

from The Oregonian and Fort George Brewing…
The Fort George Brewery and Public House calls out to all who have hops growing in their yards & gardens, on fences, barns or houses and would love to see those hops get made into beer. Our second annual Co-Hoperative Ale wet-hopped beer will be made this Friday, so we need folks to pick and drop off their hop-vines Thursday, September 3rd.

We will have a pack of folks ready to sticky their fingers in a hop-stripping frenzy, collecting untold varieties of hops to be used for Friday’s brew. Those who have hops to contribute will be treated to some of the fruits of their agricultural prowess when the beer is ready. Call the brewery at (503) 325-7468 with any questions.

Posted on

I have soured on….

…sour beer. The great Beachwood BBQ had quite the large selection of sour beers. 5 from New Belgium alone. I ordered Green Monster from Deschutes. A sour made from their organic Green Lake ale. I normally am a big fan of Deschutes. I love their new-ish pub in Portland but this was just too much. It was just sour from the start to the finish. I tasted some of the other selections but none that thrilled me and most made me pucker and then pucker more (except for the Lychee tart which had some fruit). The beers were just too punishing for my taste buds.

I much prefer the balance of a Berliner Weiss or the subtle flavors of the Marriage Parfait 2003. Let’s stop raising the bar and go for subtle.

sour board

Posted on

Canned Beer tasting event

The fall edition of the Beer Search Party tasting event is now on the calendar!!
Sunday, September 20th at 3pm. I will be pouring 4-5 canned beers from brewers like Big Sky, Caldera, Maui and others. Only 10 slots available (Oops only 7 spots, I just checked the e-vite). Come discover some new beers or old favorites. And see what this can ruckus is all about.

can truck

Posted on

Nitro taps

I was at Blue Palms trying to decide what beer to get when I saw the magic word, “NITRO”. I thought to myself, Why do I not see it more? Is it just a Portland/Seattle thing? Is it a dying fad?

I certainly hope not because some beers with the addition of a well poured Nitro can round out the rough edges of a beer and give it perfect balance such as the Rubicon Goldfinger Bitter. Rubicon is a brewery on the cusp. I like what they are trying to accomplish but was always left wanting a little more, oomph. Nitro did it. The creaminess and carbonation added extra layers to what could be a boring beer to us hop addled folks. It was like getting a In ‘n’ Out burger plated by Wolfgang Puck. There was a little pizazz.

My plea to everyone out there on the beer interweb is to keep asking for Nitro. Every beer spot worth its salt should have one.

Posted on

Top 99 Bottles

One of my favorite magazines is Imbibe. They cover wine, coffee, cocktails and of course, BEER. And the current issue covers the best 99 bottles of beer broken up into different categories like Seasonal, Different but Good and Best beer with a burger.
Pick yourself up a copy and see how many from the list you have had.

Posted on

Top Beers of 2009

Here are my best beers of the year list (in no particular order)…..

Magic Hat # 9
had this at Naja’s place after horrible traffic and getting lost. this beer made everything melt away.
Cali- Belgique aged in Oak (Handpump)
Orange cream with hops. A breakfast IPA?
Rubicon Goldfinger (Nitro)
thank you Blue Palms for the Nitro!!
HUB 7 Grain Survival Stout
a great, hearty and complex stout that still lingers in memory
Widmer Teaser
light and completely different. tea flavors in a beer.

Posted on

To homebrew or not to homebrew…

…that is the question.

As you can tell, there is a lot of stuff going on in the world of beer. New bars, new beers, new blogs. So a case could be made that homebrewing is just too much “work” to stuff into a day. More than ever, you can find good stuff on sale that requires only whipping out your wallet.

And that is the easy way. But you would be missing out on a strange and wonderful world. Home brewing is what really kicked off the craft beer movement in this country. Without the dedicated club members, we would be thinking Bud American Ale was classy.

So check out the local club meeting. Talk with the people. Taste their beers and let them know your honest opinion, then decide if home brewing is for you. The answer may surprise you.

Posted on

Beer Search Party services

I don’t know what reason brought you to this blog or why you keep coming back but here is one thing that I think will be quite useful..

The Beer Search Party Beer Vacation Planner (BVP).

All you have to do is e-mail me at BeerSearchParty@gmail.com .
Tell me A) where you are going & B) when you are going.

I will give you a list of breweries, beers, bars and restaurants to visit. Along with addresses, phone numbers and hours of operation. As a beer geek, you know this stuff but do you want to do it when you could be drinking beer? It’s called outsourcing and for a limited time it will be free of charge.

Free is a very good price.

Posted on

Prevale!

I recently received this e-mail….
“Special Beer Release Party for PREVALE coming this Wednesday, Sept. 2 at Laurelwood (NE 51 & Sandy location). Live music begins at 7 p.m. Please come anytime to support the purchase of this special brew and help spread the word. Distribution will eventually include Fred Meyer, New Seasons, Whole Foods and any store that sells fine craft beer!

Laurelwood has generously brewed and bottled a benefit beer appropriately named PREVALE Ale. Proceeds from the sale of PREVALE (sold in 22 oz bottles or by the case or on tap) will go to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and help in the fight against cancer…

because we will prevail!”

Please help out a worthy cause and give a hearty thanks to Laurelwood for their generosity of time, spirit and money.