Our second Oregon craft beer review is a can of Vortex IPA from Fort George Brewery in Astoria, Oregon….
Oregon Beer Review # 1 – Pure Wit from Upright Brewing
Beer # 1 of the September reviews is Pure Wit from Upright Brewing….
Beer Bloggers Conference – Wrap Up
It has now been a few days since I got back from Portland and the Beer Bloggers conference. I lingered for an extra day and a half to sample some more beer. As if I hadn’t in the previous three days!
I got to make my premiere visit to Burnside Brewing and try the Sweet Heat Apricot/Scotch Bonnet pepper beer. Snuck in a couple small sized beers at Bailey’s Taproom as well as Hooligan Brown from Laurelwood at the airport.
But now onto the better worded version of events last weekend. The initial day was probably the best. Fred Eckhardt is great. I can only hope A) to be his age and B) still be excited about craft beer and ready to re-tell stories that he has probably memorized by now. Then to follow that with a trip to an actual hop farm that was in the process of harvesting was great. Walking off the bus to that aroma was amazing. Brewery tours have their own special magic but this was double that. Watching the hops roast. Grabbing a few and smelling the aromas. I wanted to take a bucket full home or one of the big 200 pound bales.
The Night of Many Bottles was fun and not as frenzied as last year when I was trying to knock out some of the 50 States that I needed for last year’s challenge. I paced myself better and stopped earlier so the next day wasn’t a blur. Highlights included, the 1994 Rogue Old Crustacean barley wine, Double Mountain Dark Blood Kriek and Hedgreow Bitter from Pretty Things Ales.
Days 2 and 3 went by so fast. The content was fun with plenty of golden nuggets of information that I will hopefully put to use. The Speed Beer Dating featured my new favorite beer, Gin aged Double Wit from Breakside Brewery. Then close upon the heels of that revelation came the debut of the 2011 Jubel from Deschutes. The Bridgeport dinner was excellent even though the beers are not to my taste. I keep trying them but they just do not wow me.
The speakers this year were much more about engaging outside of your computer. Though I could appreciate some of the tech talk from last year, a representative from Raise Your Pints talking about beer laws and how he and his organization are changing them is so much more interesting to me.
The two down points for me were the movie, The Love of Beer which just didn’t flow for me and seemed to veer off course as to why women are important to craft beer. I loved see the women featured and there were some great scenes but I would have liked to seen a more grain to glass approach where women at all stages of the process would talk about what they personally bring to the job.
Secondly, I had hoped to see a bigger turnout considering what a great beer town Portland is. How does a blogger pass that up? This is a bargain conference. And I certainly got my money’s worth. But I wish more people will hop on the bandwagon next year. Seriously, if you are a blogger that didn’t go. Talk to me and tell me why.
The photos are coming soon!
Logsdon Farmhouse Ales
Dave Logsdon started with Full Sail then moved to Wyeast Labs. So he knows beer from multiple angles and now he has a farmhouse line of beers under his own name.
Logsdon is entering the Belgian, farm-style ales category. He plans to release two beers this spring — a Seizoen and a Seizoen Bretta.
I love this quote that I saw in one of the articles about the new brewery, “We’re probably the only brewery in the United States that’s a farmhouse making farmhouse ales,” The beer will be made on a family farm with organic hops.
Plus, it has been set-up as a co-op. So maybe more beers from different brewers will come of this incubator of sorts.
Logsdon Farmhouse beers will pop up at New Seasons and Whole Foods as well as local restaurants in Hood River and Portland and maybe beyond later.
Deschutes Base Camp in LA
Woody and the Deschutes crew will be rolling into LA with a few stops including….
Tuesday, April 12th
Beer Tasting at Verdugo Bar (5-9pm)
“Our giant wooden barrel, affectionately known as Woody, and brewer Veronica Vega will be on site for this special Jubel 2010 tasting.”
Wednesday, April 13th
Specialty Beer Tasting at Surly Goat (5-9pm)
“Our giant wooden barrel, affectionately known as Woody, and brewer Veronica Vega will be on site for this special Jubel 2010 & Lost Barrels of Mirror Mirror tasting.”
Willamette
Is this a trend developing? English style session ales would be most welcome. Here is what the up and coming Oakshire from Oregon has in store….
“The most recent in our series of Single Batch Beers is a English Style Pale Ale called Willamette Dammit. The beer is made with 100% Crisp Marris Otter Pale malt and 100% Willamette Hops. Willamette hops are a relative of the English fuggle and were first bred in the Oregon Breeding Program in 1976. They are a very pleasant hop and lend a hint of spiciness to the aroma. At 4.9% abv, WD is worth a couple of pints down at the pub. As always, get it on draft only at select bars and restaurants around town as well as at the tasting room on M, Th, F, and Sat. God Save the Queen!”
Brewer’s Union Local 180
Some cities and states claim to be the premier beer destination and I don’t doubt their credentials. But for width and depth, the state of Oregon is in a league of it’s own.
Sour ale house. Check.
Belgian. Check.
Cask ale? Check below…
Brewers Union Local 180 is owned by Ted Sobel. His goal is to serve all of his beer, cask conditioned and stored in firkins.
Here is a sample of a past beer list to whet your taste buds:
Wotcha A La Amarillo Best Bitter
Good With Bacon Amber Special Bitter
Cumbrian Moor English Porter
Union Dew I. P. A.
MUTT O. R. A.
Tanninbomb Oak-Aged English Old Ale
XMAS Beer – Christmas with the Pelican
Here are a flurry of options from Pacific City, Oregon’s Pelican Brewery.
These Pelican brews may not last ’till Christmas and some may be draft only. If you taste them, let me know what you think.
Here are Pelican’s descriptions:
About Bad Santa:
>”You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout the Brewers at Pelican are telling you why, Bad Santa has arrived. This mysterious dark elixir is filled with complex malt flavors and aromas. Toasted malt and roast character blends seamlessly to the alluring herbal hop aroma that comes from copious amounts of Fuggle hops. Bad Santa doesn’t care if you’ve been naughty or nice, he wants this beer on your list.”
About MacPelican’s Wee Heavy Ale:
“Our version of the “Wee Heavy” Scotch Ale style is literally a batch of MacPelican’s Scottish Ale brewed with half the water and twice the boiling time to create a beer with a massive malty flavor and a deep red color. The aroma hints of rich caramel, cocoa, toffee, and tropical fruit, with a full-bodied mouth feel and a velvety sweet, slightly dry finish. A robust beer with a dangerous, drinkable smoothness.”
About Stormwatcher’s Winterfest
Stormwatcher’s Winterfest is the perfect brew to savor on a stormy Oregon Coast day. Its deep amber-red color, massive toasted malt, toffee and caramel aroma, and full-bodied malty flavor lead to a smooth, soft and warming finish. The floral aroma and flavor highlights come from Mt. Hood hops, while a toasted malt sweetness balances a mild, subtle bitterness in the finish. Its big, rich flavor makes it the ideal complement to nasty weather.
XMAS BEER Video Review – Widmer Brrrr
XMAS BEER – Calapooia Kringle Krack
From Block 15 in Corvallis to Calapooia Brewing in Albany which is just around the corner almost.
Another fun and cheeky name for a holiday ale is Kringle Krack. Krack is a strong Winter Ale with a forceful malt profile backed by three different types of hops. Then it is aged for eight months to take it from strong to old and strong. Like Kris Kringle himself.