North American Organic Brewers Festival

This June 26-28th is the 7th incarnation of this great festival in Portland, Oregon. Just take a look at this line-up….
Alameda Brew House
Portland, OR
• El Torero Organic IPA • Double IPA

Aspall Cyders
Suffolk, England
• Cyder • Estate Cider

Bison Brewing
Berkeley, CA
• Chocolate Stout • Dry Foreign Style Stout
• Single Hop IPA • Single Hop IPA

Caledonian (pending)
Edinburgh, Scotland
• Golden Promise • Golden Ale

Crannog Ales
Sorrento, British Columbia
• Backhand Of God Stout • Irish Stout
• Red Branch Irish Ale • Irish Red Ale

Deschutes
Bend, OR
• Green Lakes • American Amber Ale

Double Mountain Brewery
Hood River, OR
• Hop Lava •
• Kolsch •

Dupont
Belgium
• Foret Saison • Saison

Eel River
Fortuna, CA
• Acai Berry Wheat • Fruit wheat beer
• IPA • English Style IPA

Elliott Bay Brewing
Burien, WA
• Organic Coffee Stout • Coffee Oatmeal Stout
• Hop von Boorian • Belgian Style IPA

Fish Tales Ales
Olympia, WA
• Wild Salmon Pale Ale • American Pale Ale
• Fish Tale IPA • American IPA
• Organic Blonde • Blonde Ale with Rye

Fort George
Astoria, OR
• Quick Wit • Belgian Style Wit bier

Grand Teton Brewing Co.
Victor, ID
• Au Naturale Blonde Ale • Blonde Ale

Hopworks Urban Brewery
Portland, OR
• Hopworks Organic IPA • Double IPA
• TBD •

Lakefront Brewery
Milwaukee, WI
• Organic ESB • Extra Special Bitter
• Fuel Cafe • Organic Coffee Stout

Lammsbräu (pending)
Neumarkt, Bayern, Germany
• Dunkel •
• Pils •
• Lager •
• Hefeweizen •

Laurelwood Brewery
Portland, OR
• Organic Green Mammoth • IPA
• Something Delicious •

Lucky Labrador
Portland, OR
• Recession Session • Light Lager
• TBD •

MateVeza
San Francisco, CA
• Yerba Mate Ale • Ale
• Yerba Mate IPA • IPA

McMenamins
Portland, OR
• Crazy Enough Blonde • Belgian Blonde
• Gunslinger Pale Ale • Pale Ale

Nelson Brewing Company
Nelson B.C. Canada
• Paddywhack IPA • IPA
• Old Brewery Pale Ale • English Pale Ale

New Belgium
Fort Collins, CO •
Mothership Wit • Belgian Style Wit bier

New Old Lompoc Fifth Quadrant Brewery
Portland, OR
• Bald Guy Brown Ale • Brown Ale

Oakshire Brewing
Eugene, OR
• Watershed IPA • IPA
• Overcast Espresso Stout • Coffee Oatmeal Stout

Pelican Brewery
Pacific City, OR
• Heiferweizen •

Pike Brewing Company
Seattle, WA
• Naughty Nellie’s Golden Ale • Golden Ale
• Monk’s Uncle • Belgian Style Tripel

Pinkus Mueller
Munster, Germany
• Pinkus Munster Alt
• German brown ale
• Pinkus Hefe-Weizen • German Hefeweizen
• Pinkus UR Pils • German Pilsner
• Jubilate • Dark Lager

Rock Bottom Brewery (pending)
Portland, OR
• Oregonic Amber •

Roots Brewing Co.
Portland, OR
• ROTATING TAP •

Samuel Smith
North Yorkshire, U.K. • Organic Ale
• English Pale Ale
• Organic Cider • Sweetened Cider
• Organic Lager • English Lager
• Organic Raspberry Ale • English Ale with Raspberries
• Organic Strawberry Ale • English Ale with Strawberries
• Organic Cherry Ale • English Ale with Cherries

Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing
Sant Cruz, CA
• People’s Porter • Porter
• Pale Ale • Pale Ale

Silenrieux (pending)
Cerfontaine-Silenrieux, Belgium
• Sara Buckwheat Ale • Double IPA

Standing Stone Brewing
Ashland, OR
• Hefeweizen • Hefeweizen
• Double IPA • Double IPA
• Oatmeal Stout • Oatmeal Stout

Schneider (pending)
Kelheim, Germany
• Edel-Weiss • Double IPA

St. Peter’s Brewery (pending)
Suffolk, UK
• English Ale • English Pale Ale

Ukiah Brewing Company
Ukiah, CA
• Pilsner Ukiah • Pilsner
• Emancipator Dopplebock • Dopplebock

Upright Brewing Co
Portland, OR
• Reggae Junkie Gruit • Farmhouse Gruit
• Seven • Farmhouse Golden

Wandering Aengus Cider
Salem, OR
• Heirloom Blend Cider • Cider
• Semi-Dry Cider • Cider
• Dry • Cider

Widmer
Portland, OR
• TBD •

Wolaver’s Organic Ales
Middlebury, VT
• Ben Gleason’s White Ale • Belgian Style Wit bier
• IPA • IPA

Sloeber & XH

When you have had as many beers as I have had, surprises don’t happen frequently and when they do they are usually of the bad variety.  But lately, I have had some really good but really odd flavors.  Sloeber from Belgium has a sort of apple-esque quality but it has an sweet alcohol back.  It is really hard to find the right words for.  It is delicate and the most un-Belgian, Belgian beer I have had.

The XH aged in Sake casks from Hitachino is another odd taste.  You get a hint of sake but also fruit and grain.  It is a beer that at first tastes not like a beer but then all the flavors meld and it is wonderful.  I do not know how many people will like either of these but to me they fall into the category of “what is this? It tastes really good.”

Favorite Beer – Gose

gose_glassBayerischer Bahnhof Original Leipziger Gose
A Traditional Ale brewed by
Gasthaus & Gosebrauerei Bayerischer Bahnhof
Leipzig, Sachsen, Germany
Leipziger Gose is a top-fermenting wheat beer {60% wheat, 40% barley malt} with coriander, salt, and lactic acid bacteria added in the boil. As the name implies, the Gose originates from the city of Goslar. It is a 4.6% alc/vol eclectic beer whose name evokes a close relationship to the renowned Lambic/Geuze breweries in Belgium. Only the short supplies in the German Democratic Republic put an end to the exotic beer. Surprisingly the Gose had its renaissance before the German reunification and has been brewed at the train station in Leipzig since 2000.  I had this beer on tap in 2006 and it was spectacular.  Bottles in the states are easier to come by but have not been as good.  It is too delicate a beer to travel.

My Top 10 Beers

In no particular order….
Gose bier from Bayerischer Banhof in Leipzig
Ruby Ale from McMenamin’s
Haymaker from Bridgeport Brewing
Brrr! from Widmer
Our Special Ale from Anchor Steam
Blind Pig from Russian River
IPA from Green Flash Brewing
Hefeweizen from Landskron Brewing
Pommes Lambic from Lindemans
and sadly no longer made
Weizenberry from Thomas Kemper

Best beer for a Super Bowl

Full Sail’s Session. Comes in a case of 12 stubby bottles. Light and refreshing. An excellent choice for a large group of people. Low alcohol without sacrificing taste. And look at the bottom of the cap! Rock – Paper – Scissors!!!