Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
bottle shops, pubs and breweries
In my ranking of better things in life, beer is near the peak and right near it along with the Portland Trailblazers is books. I read about 30 books a year and would read even more if I could find extra time in the day.
And the Surly Goat is helping me by having them both together!
It’s simple. Buy a delicious beer and money goes to the charity Room to Read.
And, you can do it TONIGHT! I will be doing my small part with a couple of brews. Why don’t you join me?
Eastern Oregon is a great area for beer and The Bend Ale Trail, a partnership between the Visit Bend program and eight of the region’s top craft breweries: 10 Barrel Brewing Co., Bend Brewing Company, Cascade Lakes Brewing Co, Deschutes Brewery, McMenamins Old St. Francis School, Silver Moon Brewing, Boneyard Beer and Three Creeks Brewing Co. The website has many fun and helpful features for beer travelers and locals alike, including:
Trail Map and Passport Program: The Bend Discovery Map will serve as the starting point of the Bend Ale Trail. Part navigational tool to each of the breweries, and part “Bend Ale Trail Passport” that visitors can have stamped at each of the breweries verifying their visit. Completed passports can be redeemed at the Visit Bend Welcome Center for a commemorative Silipint® a folding silicone pint glass for beer drinkers on the go. Beer geeks who also visit Three Creeks Brewery in Sisters, will receive an additional prize.
An app for that: In collaboration with Sidestreet Maps, Visit Bend is creating an iPhone and Android Phone compatible interpretive guide that provides an insider’s look at Bend’s beer culture. The Bend Ale Trail iBend Tour download will be available at no cost.
On the interwebs: The Bend Ale Trail website will serve as a portal for all things related to Bend’s beer culture. This site will include links and listings to all area businesses and resources related to Bend’s beer culture, and will include detailed information about the Bend Ale Trail. The website also offers a downloadable Bend Ale Trail Passport and a printable map. Up to date information and inside scoops can be found by following @BendAleTrail.
Guided Tours: For visitors who are looking for a guided tour of the Bend Ale Trail, The GETIT Shuttle will be offering guided tours using bicycle pedicabs, or for larger groups the GETIT Shuttle bus. For reservations with GETIT by Green Energy Transport, call (541) 610-6103.
Special Offers: Many of the Central Oregon breweries are offering a variety of special deals and discounts for those who mention The Bend Ale Trail when ordering.
Beer travels are a great way to break out of the box and this sounds like a great way to hit the Czech beer scene, The Czech Republic’s New Brewery Hotels
Thanks to Richard for alerting me to this!
The Produce Row Cafe has a long history on Portland’s eastside. Now another chapter has been started with new owners and a remodel for the interior and the beer list.
It is one of the beer bars that is beer bar historical along with the undisputed leader, The Horse Brass.
Being a Left Coaster some great beer establishments fly under the radar. One of these is a great place that is on my long, long list of beer bars to visit, Taco Mac.
They have locations in Georgia and Tennessee (including Philips Arena) and a LARGE draft selection. And even though it is Wings based, the menu looks good. So if your plans take you near Atlanta check it out.
The Stone Brewing Sour Festival starts tomorrow!
Here is the description of the event (in typical Stone language):
“The human palate is capable of detecting four basic flavors, but during a typical beer tasting only two of those (well, three if you count the pretzels) are experienced: bitter, sweet, and salty. Well, here at Stone, we feel it’s high time to include the fourth flavor domain, SOUR, in the equation. “Dr.” Bill Sysak is busily hunting down the best sour beers the world has to offer in order to bring you one of the biggest gatherings ever held featuring these special brews.”
And here are some of the draft options. (It is quite a list)
Alvinne Kerasus Lost Abbey Isabelle Proximus
Avery Altar Boy Lost Abbey Red Poppy Ale
Avery Bad Sally Lost Abbey Veritas ’02
Avery Brabant Moonlight #16 Blonde Sour Beer
Avery De Vogelbekdieren Moonlight #28 Sour Ale
Avery Voltron New Belgium Bottleworks 10th
Anniversary Wild Ale
Avery Anniversary Ale-16 New Belgium Eric’s Ale 2007
Ballast Point Hout Series Dark Cherry New Belgium La Folie
Ballast Point Hout Series Gueuze New Belgium Le Terroir
Ballast Point Sour Wench Blackberry Ale New Belgium Love Barrel #3
Boon Oude Lambic New Belgium Spicy Folie
Boulevard Saison-Brett New Belgium Tart Lychee
The Bruery Cuvee Jeune New Belgium Transatlantique Kriek
The Bruery Hottenroth Berliner Weisse Ommegang Rouge
The Bruery White Zin Russian River Consecration
Craftsman El Prieto Dark Sour Ale Russian River Sanctification
Craftsman Honesty Ale Russian River Supplication
Deschutes Green Monster Russian River Temptation
Deschutes Little Buddha St. Louis Gueuze Fond Tradition
Deschutes Saison de la Bond Telegraph Reserve Wheat
Deschutes St. Lucy’s Artisan Ale Valley Chilie Wonka Sour
Dogfish Head Festina Peche Valley Decadence Grand Cru 2009
Drake’s George Brett Triple Valley DysFunktion-Ale Part Deux
Drake’s It’s Fity Valley Olallieberry Sour
Green Flash Grand Mantis-Merlot
Barrel Aged Grand Cru Van Honsebrouk Bacchus
Lost Abbey Cuvee de Tomme 2009 Verhaeghe Duchesse de Bourgogne
Lost Abbey Duck Duck Gooze Verhaeghe Echte Kreikenbier
Go HERE to get your tickets for the 2nd LA Beer Week finale party on October 17th.
And if you thought last year at Descanso Gardens amongst the roses was cool. How about upping the ante to historic Union Station!
Now you can metro to the beer and not have to worry about driving or parking.
Great news from Beachwood BBQ! On two fronts!
1)“We are very excited to officially announce that Beachwood BBQ and Brewing will soon be coming to downtown Long Beach. We’re opening our second Beachwood BBQ, but we’re going to be brewing our own beer. We’ve partnered with Julian Shrago, a fantastic brewer, who is going to spearhead our brewing operations. Our Downtown Long Beach location will have 12 house beers plus a rotating guest beer program. We’ll be serving the same menu at both Beachwood locations and we are going to try our hardest to make sure that we create a space where everyone finds a friend, enjoys a good meal and drinks some phenomenal beer. We are so thrilled that this is happening and will keep you all posted as we get closer to opening day.
2) In the next several months, Seal Beach Liquor on Main Street will become Home of Beachwood Bottleshop. We’re working hard to get everything together to make this happen as soon as possible. We think that Beachwood Bottleshop is a great compliment to what we do at Beachwood BBQ, it gives us another opportunity to provide awesome products, educate people and interact with our patrons in another way. More details to come, but expect the bottleshop to represent some of the best craft beer, wine and spirits we can find.”
There are two “B”s that Portland has an affinity for. One is bikes and the other is the subject of this here blog, beer. Hopworks Urban Brewery has a bike motif and the newly opened beer bar, Apex is bike friendly as well.
“APEX is the beer bar Portland deserves. Combining a love of great beers from around the world with a life-long passion for all things two-wheeled.”
Here is a peek at a part (the part I like) of one of the beer menus to give you an idea of the eclectic mix and brewers they like:
Adam Hair of the Dog USA 10.0% 12oz
Cream Ale – (Nitro) Hales USA 4.9%
Cream Stout – (Nitro) Hales USA 5.1%
Erics Ale New Belgium USA 7.0%
Galactic – Imperial Red HUB USA 9.3%
Hop In The Dark CDA Deschutes USA 6.5%
Kraken Ninkasi USA 6.7% 16oz
Late Harvest Upright USA 7.0%
Molten Lava Double Mountain USA 8.2%
Pale Ale HUB USA 5.3%
Poppy Jasper Amber El Toro USA 5.3%
Procrastinator Dopplebock Fort George USA 8.9%
Seven Upright USA 8.0%
Spring Gose Cascade USA 4.5%
Truffle Shuffle Stout Fort George USA 7.2%
Workhorse IPA Laurelwood USA 7.5%
From Los Angeles we head cross country to Newport, Rhode Island and a little beer bar that I have heard mentioned on blogs a couple times now. Pour Judgment has a great name and a great reputation. Notably picky websites like Beer Advocate and Yelp give it super high marks so you know they must be doing something right.
If you want Northeast beers and a great burger then this is your destination. You can find it at 32 Broadway in Newport. Phone number: (401) 619-2115