If you are in North East Portland …

…then you should check out this event. Lompoc makes some good beer. LSD is one of my personal favorites. Even the roasty smoky beer has piqued my interest.

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PORTLAND, Ore. – Sept. 4, 2009 – The brewers at Lompoc Brewing are welcoming autumn with a release party of their newest seasonal, Lompoc Oktoberfest. The event will take place Sept. 11 from 4 to 9 p.m. at the Sidebar, Lompoc’s new tasting room located at 3901A N. Williams.

Staying true to the theme, the evening will feature a buffet of sausages and snacks, as well as five other specialty and barrel fermented beers, and the opportunity to mingle with the Lompoc brewers.

Pale orange in color, Lompoc Oktoberfest features a clean malt flavor artfully balanced by a touch of Perle hops. A portion of the grains used was roasted in the oven at Lompoc’s Fifth Quadrant restaurant, giving the beer a slight biscuity flavor. The beer is 5% ABV and 15 IBUs. Lompoc Oktoberfest will be on draft in all five of Lompoc’s pubs beginning Sept. 14.

Party attendees will also have the opportunity to preview tasters of Monster Mash, Lompoc’s Halloween seasonal. An imperial porter, Monster Mash is a dark ale with strong chocolate and roast flavors and a touch of red fruit. It weighs in at 8% ABV and 50 IBUs.

Other beers on the menu include Smoked Gold, a twist on the brewery’s popular Fool’s Gold that includes the addition of beechwood smoked malt for a subtle note of wood smoke (4.6% ABV, 16 IBU); Flower of the Gods IPA, a summer seasonal hopped with Simcoe and Tettnangers for a slight citrus flavor followed by a spicy finish (6.4% ABV, 60 IBU); Barrel Fermented Red, Lompoc’s Proletariat Red 100% fermented in a vintage white English oak barrel for a malty and full bodied ale with a deep, rich red color and a slight touch of oak (6.2% ABV, 45 IBU); and Bourbon Barrel Aged LSD, a deep mahogany strong ale crafted with seven specialty malts, then aged in bourbon barrels for three months and cellared for an additional 10 (6.9% ABV, 58 IBU).

Funny beer news to start your week

from the Associated Press…

Heineken cracks down on tiny Swiss “Keineken”

AMSTERDAM — Swiss police have seized 1,000 bottles of locally made “Keineken” beer after the Dutch beer giant Heineken NV complained its brand was being infringed.

The name “Keineken” appears to be a pun in German meaning “No Heineken.”

Heineken spokesman Jeroen Breuer said Tuesday a judge in the Swiss canton of Obwalden ordered police to seize the brew after agreeing Keineken infringed the Heineken brand.

Breuer said Heineken doesn’t consider the size of its opponents when its brand is being misused.

“Whether the name is a joke or a way of getting publicity — those are questions for them to answer,” he said.

A note on Keineken’s Web site complains that foreign companies have “swallowed” all Switzerland’s independent brewers.

“Our name says it all: Keineken.”

Echigo Stout review

My mystery dark beer reviewer has this to say about another Japanese beer…
“Nice dark chocolate almost black color. Pretty hefty alcohol smell. 7% abv. Nice rich taste. Fairly full mouth feel. First after taste was pretty bitter but as I drank more the flavors melded nicely. Nice lacing on the glass as well. Drank after an green enchilada dinner while airing out my ole filled house. There’s little doubt that my taste buds have been influenced by my surroundings.
Even though I have only had 2 Japanese beers, they both seem somehow lighter and brighter than the us and Brit beers I’ve had.”

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German Beer hall

from the L.A. Times…

Schnitzel, pretzels and beer!

German restaurant Schmidt’s Brauhaus is scheduled to open downtown this fall, serving regional favorites, including sausages, schnitzels and pretzels in a 7,000-square-foot space at Olympic Boulevard near Olive Street. There will be a biergarten separate from the dining area. Also, a new supper club called First & Hope is scheduled to open in the fall — at 1st and Hope streets — with “modern American comfort food,” according to a release. Schmidt’s Brauhaus, 330 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles; (213) 514-5354; www.schmidtsbrauhaus.com.

Woodruff + Berliner Weiss =

…one of the weirdest beer tastes that I have ever had and I have had a few. The Bruery in Orange County has their Hottenroth Berliner Weiss on tap and they offer a traditional style serving with Woodruff syrup.

I asked the bartender what he thought of it and he said “Lucky Charms”. I was unbelieving. That is not a beer flavor to me but he was spot on. It tasted like freeze dried cereal marshmallows.

woodruff

I am still on the fence about how to review it. It was a light absinthe green. The aroma was faint but that Lucky Charm taste was pronounced without completely overpowering the beer. The tartness of the Berliner Weiss was very muted.

I may have to get it again to really come to a sound decision either for or against.

Ommegeddon

Beer America TV

Follow that link and you will find a review of a beer that I had at my first beer tasting event for the Beer Search Party. This beer sharply divided my guests and is not one of my favorites either.

I also just received my very cool Beer America TV shirt. Thanks guys!