Another NEW brewery in the beer rich City of Roses? Yes, please.
Now it’s Coalition Brewing!
They will be opening sometime this month. Beer start-ups are still accelerating.
More news to follow.
Pickled Hop shoots
The old adage that you learn something new every day is so, so true.
Just read this bit from the Cascade Brewing folks….Brewmaster Ron Gansberg is somewhat of a visionary, and he’s at it again. This week he’s in the hop fields, picking pounds of fresh hop shoots. Why? He’s going to pickle them, using white wine vinegar and several bottles of Cascade Kriek Ale. Young hop shoots are a culinary delicacy enjoyed in Belgium – they have also been called poor man’s asparagus! Fresh hop shoots are only available from mid-March to late April, after which they develop a bitter taste. Pickled hop shoots make a delicious garnish or tasty hors d’oeuvres. Look for them on the menu when the Cascade Barrel House makes its debut!
Migration Brewing
A brewery that blatantly loves the Portland Trailblazers. All I can say is Red, Hot and Rollin’
They started with guest taps but will slowly fold in their beers as they are ready. First up is the MPA. Their take on a pale ale. West coast style.
Get the latest news on Migration Brewing HERE
New NW Beers – part 2
Fruit seems to be the theme of the Reserve series so far. Of course, Widmer is only two beers into it. But first was Cherry Oak Dopplebock (which I still wish I could get a bottle of) and now comes the prickly pear paired with a malty mead. Sounds interesting.
Gose from Portland
Gose is a little known East German specific style that is one of my favorites. I had it in Leipzig and was hooked. Now there are two brewers in Portland re-creating this forgotten beer. Cascade and now Upright Brewing.
Here are the specs:
Gose – Upright’s first German-style beer. It’s a neat style that dates back nearly 300 years and uses a unique ingredient – salt.
Malts: organic pale, wheat, organic caramel 15
Hops: hallertauer mittelfrüh
Also: coriander, salt
Yeast: French saison
5.2% abv
Bridgeport – Highland Ambush
Reserve beers or special one-off’s are one of the reasons why craft beer is so great. And one of the series’ that I follow is the Big Brews from Bridgeport. Well, here comes one to please the BeerAdvocate crowd, who love it when the label says “barrels” & “bourbon”.
“First brewed in the 1980s as a special beer for the BrewPub at BRIDGEPORT Highland Ambush is making its triumphant return more than 20 years later. Stuart MacLean Ramsay, then pub manager, conceptualized the brew to pay homage to his Scottish heritage. This year’s Highland Ambush takes inspiration from the original ale using NW pale ale malt along with a Scottish crystal and roast malt. The hopping rate of Highland Ambush has been toned down to help highlight the complementing vanilla from the American oak bourbon barrels and caramel-toffee malt nuances. Reddish-Brown in color, Highland Ambush will warm the coldest of toes and noses this holiday season.”
Natian Brewery
As if Portland didn’t have enough riches, now they seem to cornering the market on the new wave of smaller or nano breweries. First it was Upright which has now grown by leaps and bounds, that was followed by Captured by Porches and now Natian Brewery.
Here is their list of beers…
Honey Red – 4.5% 40 IBU
Made with local Oregon honey, this beer has contrasting flavors of dark roasts and sweet bee sugar, infused together to bring you a well blended red ale. It’s all buzz and no sting!
Mild IPA – 7.3% 75 IBU
An IPA for non-Hop Heads. This IPA has a sweet floral aroma and just enough hops to leave you with a mildly bitter aftertaste. The premise for this beer is to use the same hops associated with IPA’s, only toned down enough to still be considered an IPA and yet smooth (mild) enough to drink all day, not to mention, everyday.
High Gravity Pale Ale – 8.0% 70 IBU
Smooth and clean with a mild malt character up front and just a hint of bitterness to round out the aftertaste. Leaves the pallet wondering where the 8% ABV was hiding.
Bottled Invasive Species
from The Oregonian via Captured by Porches
“We just got TTB label approval for our two beers that we will have in returnable bottles. We have sent out a few cases to choice accounts to test the waters, and all indications show that Portlanders are happy to pay the dollar deposit additional for a returnable, reusable bottle (or else they are home brewers that recognize that a dollar is a great price for a 750ml flip top!). Either way, we are super excited not only to be finally bottling, but to be doing so in a manner that breaks the ‘use once and destroy’ stream. (I have a ton of statistics and facts about how costly glass is to recycle).
Our IPA should hit the shelves of bottle shops and one New Season location on Jan 15; our ‘Friday’ beer is set for release on Feb 1.”
New School Brew Blog
Due to my being born and raised just south of Portland, I follow the craft beer scene from afar and try to get to events and new breweries as time and money permit. The next best thing is reading about what is happening. And here is another voice that you might enjoy reading…
You can check out the latest posts HERE
50 from 50 – Oregon
Fitting that I knocked off my adopted state of California and now my home state of Oregon. Widmer has been a major player in Oregon and for those who only think wheat beer with lemon wedges then you do not know Widmer. How about a cherry oak dopplebock? Citra hops? or their W series like this years model the Pitch Black IPA?
