Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
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
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?
Snow Brawl 2009
December 9th thru 13th
Snow Brawl 2009 at Concordia Ale House will be our first Annual Winter Beer Battle consisting of 8 Great Winter Beers!
2 Winter Brews will be chosen from four states to compete. Oregon, Washington, California, and Colorado will all have two entries in the Competition.
The contest will be a blind tasting and any customer that buys a taster tray can Vote. Trays will be $10.00
From the Holiday Ale WEBSITE
“Held in the heart of downtown Portland, the Holiday Ale Festival keeps attendees warm and dry under a large clear top tent that covers Pioneer Courthouse Square while allowing for views of the city lights. Gas heaters create a cozy ambience under the boughs of one of the region’s largest decorated Christmas trees.
More than 40 potent winter ales are featured at this year’s event, all of which are created specifically to bring warmth and cheer to the holiday season. These aren’t beers you’ll find in the supermarket – our brewers have put together special recipes just for the Holiday Ale Festival. From Belgians and Barleywines to Porters and Stouts, these beers are rich, robust and full of complex flavors.
Come hoist a pint and toast to the spirits of the season. We look forward to seeing you at the Holiday Ale Festival…Cheers!”
EXTRA!!! I just heard that they will be having some great (rare) beers at this event. 2005 Samichlaus anyone? Or perhaps a 2009 Hair of the Dog Jim, a blend of Hair of the Dog beers which this year may be more Blue Dot-esque. You had better try it out.
When I think of beer afficionados, I think innovation (or collaboration, depending on the day) so when I saw this article in the online edition of the Oregonian, it came as no surprise.
“After months of construction, Prost! opens today as the anchor tenant to the new Mississippi Marketplace, at the corner of North Mississippi and Skidmore. In one of the most interesting experiments in Portland’s dining scene, the new German pub is the first restaurant to open its doors to food-cart customers looking for shelter — and a beer.
Business man Roger Goldingay spent months (not to mention $900,000 in real-estate costs) to shape a new vision for North Portland: converting a dilapidated building and an abandoned lot into a food-cart center, a community gathering place and an incubator for small artisan businesses focused on food or crafts. The cornerstone of Goldingay’s project was finding a restaurant that could work synergistically with its adjacent neighbors: a little village of spiffy food carts and market stalls.
Prost! (pronounced “proast”) was in line with that vision. Cart hoppers can sit outdoors in Mississippi Marketplace’s large tented eating area. But they now also have the option to eat — day or night — inside Prost’s handsome new Greek Revival space, as long as they buy a drink. Surviving Portland’s monsoon season is a major challenge for Portland’s cart owners, and many die with chillier weather. The option to hunker down in a homey space could make is possible for Mississippi Marketplace cart owners to survive — and pave the way for other food cart and restaurant collaborations.
That shouldn’t be too painful, especially is you like German beer (prost means “cheers” in German). On tap: 11 German beers on draft and around 8 to 10 bottled options, plus with a hard liquor license.
Owner Dan Hart will also serve a modest menu of German-style snacks: sausages (sourced locally from The Original Bavarian Sausage), fresh-baked pretzels and sandwiches, with most things under $10.
Mississippi Marketplace is possibly a model for the future, as other developers are already looking to bring similar food-cart projects to other parts of the city. Goldingay says he has been contacted by several developers in recent weeks.
“Most restaurants consider the food carts to be competition,” says Goldingay, whose “Prost! was the first who came on and said we welcome the idea and support it. We’re praying we get through the winter!”
Prost! is located at the corner of North Mississippi and Skidmore, 3 p.m.-2:30 a.m., Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-2:30 a.m. Saturday-Sunday”
The mantra of creative / out of the box thinking is overused especially in the media this last year but I applaud everyone who actually takes it heart and acts on it.
Beer is verboten to those who cannot handle gluten so this is welcome news to those who would like tasty brew that their systems could process. Enter Harvester Brewery.
They are new to the Portland scene which seems full to bursting. Thanks to Brewpublic for getting the word out!
Blue Palms is a great place for LA Beer so I thought I would spotlight another great beer spot. As if Portland needed more places to go, Eastburn has come on the scent to provide beer and food (oh and wine too).
Eastburn should be on your list of Portland haunts or must see’s on your next visit to Beervana.
Fresh Hop Beer Tastival Overview
It’s your once-a-year chance to taste what Oregon’s finest brewmasters can do with just-picked hops. Sample some of the more than 30 fresh hop beers from Oregon’s top craft brewers, large and small.
October 10 – Oaks Park, Portland
October 17 – 948 Olive Parking Lot, Eugene
Admission is free;
glasses are $5, and individual tastes are $1 each.
Noon to 9pm.
Here is the tentative list for Portland:
4th Street Brewing Co. Fresh Hop Pale
Alameda Brewhouse Failing St Fresh Hop
Astoria Brewing Co Hoptimus Prime 2.0
Barley Browns Brewpub Roadside
Beer Valley Brewing Co. Leafer Madness
Beer Valley Brewing Co. Black Flag
BridgePort Brewing Co Hop Harvest
Caldera Brewing Cascades Alpha Beta
Cascade Brewing Cascadian Fresh Hop
Cascade Lakes Brewing Co Harvest Ale
Deschutes Brewery Hop Trip
Deschutes Brewery-Portland Pub King Cone
Deschutes Brewery-Portland Pub Fresh Hop Mirror Pond
Double Mountain Brewery Killer Green
Double Mountain Brewery Fresh Vienna
Fort George Brewery Cohoperative
Full Sail Brewing Co Lupulin
Golden Valley Brewery Mt. Hood Fresh Hop
Hopworks Urban Brewery Crystal Method
Hopworks Urban Brewery Oktoberfest Fest of Fury
Laurelwood Brewing Co Organic Goodness
Laurelwood Brewing Co Hop Bale Pale
Lompoc Brewing Harvest Man Red
Lompoc Brewing Crystal Wheat
Lompoc Brewing Crystal Missile
Lompoc Brewing Millenium Imperial IPA
Lucky Labrador Brewing Mutt Ale
Lucky Labrador Brewing Mutt Lager
MacTarnahan’s Brewing Fresh Hops Amber
McMenamins on Monroe Hop Bud-E
Ninkasi Brewing Co. Nugg. E Fresh
Oakshire Brewing Fresh Hop Ale Harvest Ale
Oakshire Brewing Red Nugget
Pelican Pub & Brewery Elemental Ale
Rock Bottom Brewery Intergrity Hoodwinked
Rogue Ales Revolution Wet Hop Ale
Three Creeks Santiam Hop Harvest
Upright Brewing Fresh Hop of Bel Air
Widmer Brothers Brewing Co Hopturnal
They just can’t stop. Here is the news from the fine folks at the brewery…
We love fall for so many reasons, but mostly because it’s time for Fresh Hop Beers! Come kick off the season next Wed., Sept. 30 from 4 to 9 p.m. at New Old Lompoc, 1616 NW 23rd Ave. in Portland. Brewers Jerry, Bryan, Zack and Sam will gather together to introduce four new fresh hop beers.
From the New Old Lompoc Brewery, we have Crystal Missile, a light and highly drinkable fresh hop beer utilizing Belgian saison yeast and 50 pounds of Willamette Valley Crystal hops in the patented Lompoc hop press (4.5% ABV); and Millennium Fresh Hop, a monstrous fresh hop Imperial IPA with more than half a pound of hops per gallon. Brewed with 10 different hop additions using a total of 100 pounds of Millennium hops straight from the Weathers Family Farm (7.5% ABV).
From the Fifth Quadrant Brewery, try Crystal Wheat, brewed with 100 pounds of Crystal fresh hops for a crisp and refreshing beer with a golden color. The wheat adds a soft, creamy texture with a nutty flavor (4.3% ABV); and Harvest Man Red, a beer brewed with 100 pounds of Crystal fresh hops, producing a malty and full bodied flavor with a deep, rich red color (6.2% ABV).