Eugene Brewery # 1 – Viking Braggot

Our first stop in Eugene is not at a brewery. Nope, heading to Viking Braggot instead to try one of these off kilter (braggot is basically a blend of mead and beer) beverages…

Freyja Blonde – “is our light and flavorful blonde braggot. Two-row barley and wheat provide much of the body while a simple addition of Crystal and Cascade hops gives a subtle, yet present hop flavor. We’ve kept the flavors of this braggot simple in order to let the true star, honeybush, shine through. Honeybush is a South African herbal tea that we blended with local wildflower honey to create a delicate, but distinctly flavored braggot!”

Reverence – “is our take on a red ale. In this braggot, certified organic two row and specialty malts provide a strong malt profile and rich red color. Multiple hop additions, including dry-hopping, give Reverence a distinct, but not overpowering, hoppiness. The star ingredient, orange blossom honey, serves to balance out the hops while providing an inimitable aroma and truly unique taste.”

Battle Axe – “is our flagship IPA style braggot. We took the light wildflower honey and combined it with a generous amount of Chinook, Cascade, Columbus, and Centennial hops. followed by a dry hop addition of Zythosto create an extremely floral and fragrant IPA. This IPA is a balance between the bitterness of all the hop additions and the wildflower honey, that leans slightly on the hoppier end.”

Alpenglow – ” Named after the vibrant red light of high mountain sunsets, Alpenglow is a ruby red style braggot brewed with Northern California pomegranate honey. Light and sweet!”

2018 Holiday Beer # 11 – Winter Ale from pFriem


Back to Oregon where they have a better chance at snow than we do here in SoCal. This next beer is from Hood River’s pFriem Family Brewers. Winter Ale has “hints of spice, orange zest, caramel and a touch of spruce tree. You may even sense the subtle notes of fruitcake, which might encourage you to share this Winter Ale with your family and friends. Unlike fruitcake, this is a beer that will not be re-gifted.”

Portland – McMinnville – ASTORIA / Part 4

Here is the 3rd leg of the journey…

Fort George Field of Greens, Talisman Pilsner, Optimist IPA, Big Guns and Candyman at their Duane Street taphouse.

Buoy Beer No Worries Pale, Strata Single Hop, Brown Porter, Oatmeal Stout, Dunkel Lager and a can of their flagship IPA.

Reach Break Patio IPA, McRea’s Oyster Stout and their Songful Farmhouse Ale

I also bought a can of Cannon Beach based, Public Coast their O’ Valencia was a pleasant citrus IPA.

PORTLAND – McMinnville – Astoria / Part 2

Instead of travelogue, I am going to throw up some photos from my recent 3-city tour of Oregon interspersed with beer lists.

Wayfinder Hell, Flowers in the Kettle hazy IPA, Panopoly Hefeweizen, Doomtown IPA and Hidden Hand Black Lager.

Upright Supercool IPA, Old Town Pillowfist IPA and pFriem Bright Pale Ale.

Portland – McMinnville – Astoria / Part 1

I will be posting photos and additional commentary on my recent trip to Oregon, but here are some initial reactions from stops in Portland, McMinnville and finally Astoria….

It has been a patio drinking kind of trip. Sitting at Wayfinder beer watching the tables fill up with Portlanders who take every opportunity to sit outside to Allegory Brewing in McMinnville before the UFO parade to the sorta-outside seating section at Fort George. Usually, one bundles up in Oregon but even at the tip top of the state with Washington across the water of the Columbia it has been blue skies.

Beer-wise Wayfinder was strong. Primarily light and tilted to belles and dark lagers with an excellent hefe. I snuck into Beer Mongers for a quick pint and ran across Mirage Brewing of Seattle whose Neon Guts hopped pils was really nice.

From there to Allegory who had nine beers on offer and nary a dud in m6 taster tray of five. They even had a barrel-aged small stout.

Then all the way up the 101 to Astoria. Walking to Fort George, after parking the car a couple blocks from their city block I walked past a distillery, a cidery, a bottle shop and tap house and Astoria’s newest brewery, Reach Break. Typical Oregon.

More Oregon photos and a list of beers drunk in later posts.

That Bottle is New to Me

It seems that states are having to take the environmental lead in this day and age and that continues as the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative with seven Oregon breweries will begin testing a reusable beer bottle program.

The Oregon Bottle Bill is already a strong program but this adds another layer that other states will need to catch-up with. New, stronger bottles are being made of (you, guessed it) old recycled bottles.

In the Tap Lines for May 2018

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Lots of good stuff on tap for May (now that the blog is back up and viewable). There will be weekly nods to the upcoming Firestone Walker Invitational as well as a report from Oregon where I will be heading back to the alma mater.

~ e-visits to three breweries from the New England area.
~ special featured reviews of two new cans from L.A. Ale Works
~ Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark
~ A Book & A Beer reads whatever the library finds for me from my long list!
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

Here are two events to get your May started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) May 4th – System of a Stout Release at Beachwood
2) May 13th – Mother’s Day at Boomtown Brewery

In the Tap Lines for November 2017

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We are finally sliding into Fall, dammit Global Warming!, and now we can start checking out the holiday offerings without any remorse or looking over the shoulder. Instead we can look forward to more independent beer coverage….

~ e-visits to three breweries that won medals at GABF last month.
~ special featured reviews of some Oregon beers
~ Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark
~ A Book & A Beer reads Hook’s Tale.
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

Here are two events to get your November started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) November 4th – Lagunitas Beer Circus
2) November 11th – Three Weavers 3rd Anniversary

Crafty and Wild

Looks like L.A. is getting more cider…

…and on the 10th, if you are near Southland Beer in Koreatown you can taste the following:

Wild Mirabelle Plum – cider blended with plum wine
Elderberry Perry – oak-aged with pears and elderberries
Flagship Cider – funky and dry apple cider
Pioner Perry – a classic perry
Wild Rose – aromatic rose-infused cider