There's a short review from Seattle Weekly about the new Iron Horse Brewery, located in Ellensburg, Washington.

Crammed as efficiently as possible, Unit 4 is an immaculate little 15-barrel brewhouse acquired from a defunct Indiana firm. Owner Jim Quilter, as affable as his beers are quaffable, runs the operation with some administrative help from his wife, Cheryll....

His ales are damn good. Rodeo Extra Pale is a balanced, light-copper-colored session bitter; Iron Horse Brown is accessible and malty-sweet without being cloying; Locomotive Red also has plenty of malt, but the hops come out to play, too, with late-addition and dry-hop aromas provided by Cascades and Centennials. Quilter doesn't ignore hop fiends; his IPA is laden with citrusy Cascade and Columbus hop notes and is a well-attenuated beer that finishes quite dry.

Ellensburg is about the halfway point on I-90 between Seattle and Spokane. About the only thing I remember about it is that it was supposedly a notorious speed trap, because you came upon the town suddenly and had to slow down in a hurry—which of course many people didn't.

Short but interesting article about the Olde Saratoga Brewing Company, based in Saratoga Springs, New York, yet owned by Mendocino Brewing Company, which is based in California. By itself, I don't find that to be unusual; but a third of the beer they brew is for Mendocino Brewing—so a microbrewery at one end of the country brews beer for one at the extreme other end? That sounds unusual.

The Olde Saratoga Brewing Co. has been a well-kept secret in the city, says Head Brewer Paul McErlean.

The company is owned by the Mendocino Brewing Company, which is based in California. McErlean said the company opened in 1996 and was originally called North Country Brewing....

McErlean said they make about 30 different kinds of beer throughout the year. They brewed 20,000 barrels last year.

He said a third of their business is through contractors, another third is through King Fisher and a third is through Mendocino. They are the sole brewery for King Fisher, he said.

'Some contractors come up with some interesting ideas and brews,' McErlean said. 'This gives us a chance to make different beers. We're in it for the fun.'

Here's a little puff piece on spruce beer, in Alaska. It delves into a little history—dealing with sailors and scurvy—and even contains a recipe (I'm thinking it's a pretty old recipe):

Boil 10 gallons (45.5 liters) of water, six pounds (2.7 kilograms) of molasses, and three ounces (85 grams) of ginger for three hours; add two pounds (.9 kilograms) of spruce tips for five minutes in the boil. Strain, add milk yeast, wait two days for fermentation.

Yikes.

I've always wanted to brew a spruce beer. I've used spruce essence before (in a porter, I think), but I can't say as it added much to the beer since I was in a stage of adding everything but the kitchen sink and all the flavors tended to drown each other out.

I'd probably still use spruce essence in place of actual spruce shoots, just because they're harder to come by (even living in the wooded Pacific Northwest). You gotta love the convenience factor of stopping at the homebrew shop and picking up little bottles of flavoring/essences/syrups for whatever you need, be it spruce or fruit syrups or what have you, rather than having to gather up the real thing...

Doing a Google search for "spruce beer" turns up a wealth of information, including many recipes. That's a good start for learning more.

Interestingly, even though the article mentions "quite a few" breweries in Alaska that sell spruce beer, the only one I could find is Alaskan Brewing Company—they brew their Winter Ale with spruce.

Saturday, May 7 is National Homebrew Day! Yes, that's a real holiday; it was officially recognized by Congress on May 7, 1988, and it's always the first Saturday of May. Here's the RateBeer article that clued me in, and here's the Big Brew celebration page on the Brewers Association website. I'm sure I'll post more on this as May 7 approaches.

Here's a story about the rebuilding of the microbrewery that became the Alamogordo Brewing Company, in New Mexico; basically it's a longtime homebrewer's dream job, becoming the brewmaster for a local brewpub.

While he said the restaurant does not pay him as brewmaster, it did offer the enticing opportunity to expand his hobby and take on the master brewer moniker. But before he could ever start the nuts and bolts of mixing hops and yeast there were the nuts and bolts of plumbing to piece together.

"I went in and installed the boiler systems and the pipes and we got her basically up and running," English said. "Because of the limited funds — we're missing a lot of equipment — I had to take my knowledge of brewing and resort back to techniques that are pretty much 5,000 years old. This is quite literally the oldest form of chemistry known to man."

The funniest part of the article, though, is that it digresses into a whole paragraph on who Rube Goldberg was, entirely out-of-joint with the rest of the article. Was the writer trying to fill space?

Kind of an interesting article on German beer and the Institute for Brewing Technology in Weihenstephan. Although the title of the article would seem to indicate more, well, science, it's more about the Institute and the kind of people who are enrolling...

It was the almost 1,000 years of brewing tradition that convinced Texan Ben Bailey to struggle through five extra years of German lessons so he could be accepted into Weihenstephan's ranks.

"I could go to any brewery in the USA and say that I studied in Weihenstephan and they would know what I can do," he said. "At the University of California Davis you can take a few brewery seminars, but there is no complete program and here everything is concentrated on brewery."

Although a good fact I pulled from the article is the anniversary of the Reinheitsgebot was April 23 (passed on that day in 1516). Yeah, I know, I'm a few days late on that, but I didn't have any German beer handy anyway :).

Back around the holidays I picked up a variety of specialty beers, including a couple in unique flask-shaped bottles from a brewery I'd not heard of before: St. Peter's Brewery, in Suffolk, England. Last night I drank one of the two I bought, their Organic Ale.

Overall, not bad. First thing I noted was there was barely any head, just a thin layer of foam when poured. Carbonation otherwise seemed fine, not unusually low. It was a nice light gold color. Aroma was floral, a bit herbal, a bit sour (citrusy). The flavor was similar, a bit of sourness and notable hop bitterness—the hops seemed green, almost grassy with a bitter bite. The malt is there, but is almost overpowered by the hops. I'd drink it again.

I love the bottle, it's what caught my eye in the first place. It's probably a nightmare to store and ship, but I'd love to see more breweries use this style of bottle... that would make it easier for me to collect empties for homebrew! :)

BeerAdvocate reports that two monasteries near Santa Fe, New Mexico are planning on opening a brewery.

Although the concept is not new, European monasteries have been brewing beer for centuries, it's believe that The Abbey Beverage Company could be the first monastic brewery in the western-hemisphere.

American Abbey Ale? Interesting...

Deschutes Brewery is launching their Bond Street Series of limited-edition beers released in 22-ounce bottles. Big news for us (local) Deschutes fans... from their homepage blurb:

The Bond Street Series, a year-round rotating selection, highlights Deschutes' Public House ales originally featured throughout the years at our pub on Bond Street. The first featured beer in the series is Bachelor Bitter, a long-time pub favorite. Made with English Floor malt and a blend of English and Northwest hops, Bachelor Bitter is considered a "best" bitter.

The Bond Street Series will have limited distribution in the Northwest, hitting the shelves at local bottle shops and specialty stores. Following Bachelor Bitter will be Bond Street Brown, another pub standard, and a fresh hop beer will follow in the fall.

Bachelor Bitter is available April through June, and Bond Street Brown runs July through September. I need to start looking for these in the stores...

Maybe it's just me, but I think Food Network really needs a show about beer. No specific subtopic; one episode could be exploring a particular beer style or microbrewery, another could be on homebrewing. The sky's the limit, really. My only prerequisite? Don't dumb it down for the audience.

Man, that could be a great show. Anyone at Food Network listening?

That book, of course, is Homebrewing, Volume 1 by Al Korzonas. It's excellent. It focuses on beginning and intermediate homebrewing, and it's packed with tons of info. It's also got a great troubleshooting section which most other books lack.

I've always wondered if there was going to be a "volume 2," but it's been nearly eight years since it was published, so who knows. At any rate, this is definitely one homebrewing book (if not the one) that should be on your bookshelf. You won't be disappointed.

Following up to my Gluten Free Beer post the other day, BellaOnline has a better article on the topic. Not only does the article go into more detail on the alternative grains one can use to brew gluten free beer, but there's also a much better list of brewers and beers.

The most common substitutions for gluten-rich grains are: buckwheat and sorghum; rice, maize, corn, and sunflower; amaranth, flax, millet, quinoa, teff, wild rice, soybean, ragi, and rape. Sorghum and buckwheat are the most common ones used in Western gluten-free beer.

Sorghum is native to Northeast Africa, and followed the trade routes through India and China on its way to America. It is a vigorous grass that tolerates dry weather, and is commonly used as one of the ingredients in African beer. Buckwheat is an herb of the Buckwheat family Polygonaceae, and has origins in central and western China. Its small beechnuts are milled, which separates the edible groats from their hulls. These groats are then roasted and used as a grain product. Buckwheat blossoms have a high nectar content, and are often found in conjunction with beekeeping farms.

Found this review of Steelhead Brewing Company (Eugene, Oregon). I can't say for sure, but I think we might have been there, once—we went to one of the microbreweries in Eugene some years ago, and I can't exactly recall which one.

Steelhead has at least four regular ales on tap at all times: Hairy Weasel Hefeweizen, Barracuda Blonde, Raging Rhino Red — which won the gold at the Great American Beer Festival in 1991 — and Bombay Bomber IPA. Prices of these ales range from $2.75 to $5.25. Steelhead also offers plenty of seasonal and dark beers, such as the Strawberry Blonde, the Pacific Crest Porter and McFaddin's Oatmeal Stout. For those who like to stick to the domestic beers, Bud Light and Michelob Ultra are also available. But not even teetotalers are left out — Steelhead also specializes in two flavors of freshly brewed root beer.

For those more concerned with the environment of Steelhead rather than the specialty drinks, Steelhead offers a friendly, lively, outdoorsy atmosphere great for dinner parties, casual get-togethers and dates. The only real drawback to the whole scene is the lack of diversity found inside. The servers were friendly when they had time to come by the tables, which was pretty rare but understandable on a busy Saturday night....

The first "Blooms and Brews" beer festival is coming up April 22 and 23 at the Oregon Garden. Where's the Oregon Garden? In Silverton, east of Salem (don't worry, I had to look it up too).

The inaugural Blooms and Brews Craft Beer Festival is April 22-23, and organizers hope the combination will become a destination event in future years as well as raise money to market the Garden.

"This is the start of a situation that will bring more people to the area," said Silverton City Council member Denny Stoll, who has been involved in the project with his wife Genie for several months. "We are hoping the Blooms and Brews fest will develop into the Oktoberfest of Silverton."

Nice list of brewers involved, too, including Alaskan Brewing, Deschutes Brewing, Kona Brewing, Pyramid Brewing, Rogue, Widmer, and Sierra Nevada Brewing. Price is $10, you get a commemorative mug.

Interestingly, I found this line in the article: "Laurelwood [Public House and Brewery] is the only certified-organic brewery in Oregon," and I have to wonder how that squares with the article I posted the other day (Oregon's First Organic Brewery). Laurelwood has obviously been around longer than Roots (the "first" one), so what's the deal? Is Laurelwood simply organic with several of their beers while Roots is organic with everything?

This press release on BeerAdvocate is interesting:

The 9th Annual Amber Waves of Grain Homebrewed Beer Competition is looking for beers made with some very special ingredients. This year's competition has added a special brewing style called "Category 99 - Gluten Free Brewing". This category, sponsored by Bard's Tale Beer, provides a very unique challenge to beer brewers because most of the traditional brewing grains cannot be used....

Bard's Tale Beer stems from the efforts of Celiac Homebrewers that wanted to create a drinkable beer for their own consumption. This required experimentation with acceptable grains that could be malted to be able to produce a palatable beer. Some grains that have been proven to be tolerable by Celiac sufferers include Amaranth, Sorghum, Quinoa, Corn, Rice, Buckwheat, Sunflower & Soybean. Information on several Gluten Free Homebrewing projects can be found on the Internet by searching for "gluten free beer".

The Amber Waves of Grain Competition dates are May 20th - 21st and the entry deadline is May 6th. There is a $5.00 entry fee for each entry. Details about the competition, including entry forms and instructions, can be found at http://www.betterbeermovement.com. Due to the sensitivity of this beer category, you must submit a complete list of ingredients for each entry.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that basically renders the sufferer intolerant to gluten (found in wheat, barley, rye, and oats). So obviously, regular beer is out, and this becomes a real interesting question of, what kind of beer can you brew with alternative grains?

Of the grains they listed as alternatives, sunflower and soybean caught me off guard; I'd think they would be too oily to brew beer from. I'd be interested in trying to brew with some of these alternatives, though I imagine I'd have to have an all-grain setup to do so.

Bard's Tale Beer (found from the press release) offers a sorghum beer. Their Dragon's Gold beer is reviewed here on BeerAdvocate, garnering an average rating. Unfortunately, the beer is not available in Oregon, so I'm unable to report on it.

Any other commercial gluten free beers out there? Has anyone tried brewing their own with any alternative grains?

Found this little tidbit about Oregon's first all-organic brewery opening in Portland last month, named Roots. Sound interesting:

In addition to organic beers on tap and by the keg, the Roots facility features a host of other recycled/eco-friendly elements. The brewery/brewpub is itself a renovated tattoo parlor, and the 14-foot bar is made of recycled hardwood flooring and siding. Inside, a mosaic logo created by local artist Tiffany Shaw, is crafted from "rescued" glass....

Eventually, seven Roots' organic beers will be on tap, including Roots IPA and Roots Organic Red. The pub menu features panini and other sandwiches.

I like the fact that it's a renovated tatoo parlor. Seems appropriate :). BeerAdvocate also has an early review:

The place is just off Hawthorne and has a great presence on the street. The brewing equipment takes up roughly half of the floor space, including some lagering tanks in a cold room.

The place has a very Caribbean feel to it with red, green and yellow favored heavily (though tastefully) in the decoration. The bar and woodwork are excellent recreations from salvaged building materials and do wonders for the place's karma. A good set of speakers delivers a great variety of reggae. Overall there is still a feeling that there is more coming.

Maybe I'll make it over there next time we're in Portland...

Yeah, this is a short review of the Bend Brewing Company. I haven't really reviewed our local breweries much because frankly, it's been a good while since I've been to any of them and drank some serious beer. We made it to Bend Brewing tonight because I had some gift certificates left over from Christmas.

Bend Brewing is probably my preferred brewery here in town, not because they have the best beers (that distinction goes to their distinguished competition, Deschutes Brewery), but because they have the best brewpub atmosphere, in my opinion. And good food. The decor is mostly hardwood with outdoor sports memorabilia on the walls, like antique skis and snowshoes and such. During the summer they open a small patio overlooking the river, which is great seating if you can get it.

The food was good, though the portions are huge. That's not a bad thing; I brought half of my red snapper burrito home, my wife brought most of her chicken cordon bleu. I also like their fish and chips a lot, but since I've been watching what I've been eating lately I decided to be good and avoid the deep-fried dinner.

Usually I'll order one of the regular ales, Outback Old Ale, which for me is the best of the bunch. Tonight though I tried two of their seasonals: Barcelona Amber and German Hefeweisen.

The Amber is one they brew for a relatively new restaurant in Downtown Bend, called (appropriately enough) Barcelona. The description claimed it has carmel and nutty flavors, but I thought these (if they were there) were overpowered by the hops. It's a decent amber, a little lighter than I would expect, but the hop bite was surprising. Not bad, but I got more of an altbier impression than an American style amber ale. Worth ordering again.

The Hefeweisen was a hefe in the true style—light, yeasty, fruity, tart. Not really any clove or banana that I could discern, there was more of a tang from the sourness. It wasn't bad, and I'm torn as to whether I'd order it again. They also stuck a wedge of lemon to the glass, in the style of the American hefeweizen that Widmer perfected, but doesn't really fit for the German style. Overall, not terrible, worth a try. The Amber was better, for me.

Next time I'll order their taster tray, to get a sense of how their regulars are faring these days.

Contact info

Bend Brewing Company
1019 NW Brooks St.
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 383-1599

Found a review of the Coeur d'Alene Brewing Company that takes me back to when we were living in Spokane in the mid-nineties.

It's all because of the beer. The Coeur d'Alene Brewing Co., on the corner of Second and Lakeside in downtown CdA, draws its name and inspiration from the micro-brewed product that put the Lake City on the Northwest brewing map. Did I say Northwest? Make that the national brewing map. The ales of the Coeur d'Alene Brewing Company (all of which are brewed on-site here and at the brewery's other plant in Spokane's Steam Plant Grill) are award-winning and deservedly so. They are distinctive, clean-tasting and delicious — and they come in at least a dozen varieties.

Though the brewery dates back to the late 1980s (when it was called T.W. Fischer's), the restaurant portion of the brewpub (as it is known today) opened under the Coeur d'Alene banner in 2002 after undergoing an update. Today, dark hardwood tables and trim, along with eye-catching wall candy consisting of fishing tackle, boating paraphernalia and an extensive beer stein collection give the place an atmosphere that falls neatly between rustic and sophisticated.

Why does this take me back? I remember going there once with some friends (though I can't remember if they were still called T.W. Fischer's at the time), it was one of my earlier exposures to the microbrewery scene. Incidentally, Coeur d'Alene is in northern Idaho, about thirty miles from Spokane, Washington. I have fond memories of the breweries in Spokane, particularly the Birkebeiner Brewery ($1 pints on Tuesday nights), but sadly nearly all of them are closed, according to Beer Me!

First B-to-the-E, then Molson Kick, now this: Bud-maker launches watermelon beverage. While it's not technically a beer (it's a flavored malt beverage in the Bacardi Silver product line), it's certainly indicative of a trend.

Anheuser-Busch Cos., the nation's biggest brewer, is adding a watermelon-flavored brew to its Bacardi Silver lineup, hoping it will give a warm-weather boost to a company with suddenly sluggish sales.

Bacardi Silver Watermelon is the latest flavored malt beverage, or "malternative," whose sweet taste is expected to appeal to people in the 21-27 age group, Geri Hirsch, brand manager for High End Products at the St. Louis-based brewer, said Wednesday.

Maybe it's just me, but it seems like the megabreweries producing this type of beer/malt beverage/whatever are getting desperate. I don't know. Although not as exotic as ginseng or guarana, watermelon in a beer-like drink just doesn't sound that appealing either.

Rob from A Welsh View sends along a pointer to this article: U.K.'s Asda brings beer to the ballot. It's kind of a head-scratcher, but the gist of it is that the store is selling political party-specific beers...

Britain's second-largest grocer Asda is to cash in on the country's forthcoming general election through a range of beers it hopes will slake thirsts across the political spectrum.

Labour Landslide Bitter is described as "confident and smooth" and "has a nice head that may not stay around too long," while Tory Triumph Bitter is "for the richer palate" and is brewed "without any continental ingredients."...

"Depending on how many bottles we sell of each type, we can tell how well each party is doing in the election," he said, adding the beers were equally suited to accompanying victory celebrations or electoral post-mortems.

Heh. Anyone want to chime in and suggest what beers best represent each political party here in the States?

Found this article on Beverage World about what I'm terming the "Oregon beer bubble":

Sales may be flat at the nation's biggest beer companies, but they continue to be frothy for Oregon's fast-growing craft brewers. The state's predominantly small breweries sold 18.3 million gallons of beer in 2004, nearly 10 percent more than 2003, and craft brewers nationwide posted a 7 percent gain, making it one of the fastest-growing segments of the beverage alcohol industry.

Total sales by U.S. beer companies, dominated by mega-brewers such as Anheuser-Busch Cos., fell 1.6 percent during the year. Counting imports, overall beer sales nationally inched 0.6 percent higher.

While the biggest brewers continue to merge and consolidate and reposition themselves in response to lackluster sales, Oregon brewers and brewpubs are in many cases taking advantage of their good fortune to increase production and revamp facilities....

The craft segment nationally accounts for just 3½ percent of the beer market — Anheuser-Busch and Miller Brewing Co. spill more beer in a year than American craft brewers produce, according to the Brewers Almanac. But in Oregon, craft beers account for 11 percent of all beer sold and 38 percent of draft beer sales, the highest percentages in the country.

According to Oregon Brewers Guild figures, craft brewers directly employ 3,000 people and provide thousands more jobs in distribution, retail, agriculture and supply. All told, the guild estimates that Oregon craft brewing has an annual economic impact of $2.24 billion.

Basically, it's a good time to be a beer drinker in Oregon. It's an even better time to be a beer brewer here.

Yes, this is old news now, but I've been pretty much offline for a week or more, and it's worth noting: Rogue Ales ordered to pull American flag merchandise.

Following a citation issued by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF), Rogue Ales has pulled all merchandise depicting the American flag, specifically items related to the promotion of its American Amber Ale.

During the weekend of the Newport Seafood & Wine Festival, held in February at the Rogue Ales brewery in South Beach, a BATF agent spotted a Rogue Ales delivery vehicle sporting an American Amber logo including the American flag. BATF regulations prohibit the use of the American flag on point of sale items promoting alcohol, including beer taps, posters, T-shirts, and delivery vehicles. While a likeness of the flag is allowed, such as the stars and stripes motif used on many items that promote the beverage, an actual depiction of the American flag is not....

American Amber Ale items with a stars and stripes theme - not including the actual American flag - will remain on the brewery's coasters, the ale's bottle logo, and on other promotional merchandise.

Man, if you've got any unopened bottles of American Amber Ale, or merchandise, hang on to them, they'll be worth money. At least to collectors, anyway.