I can't even imagine how hardcore you'd have to be to brew beer in Palestine.

If you had wanted to set up a brewery producing high-quality Pilsner to the specifications of the German Beer Purity Laws of 1516, the occupied Palestinian West Bank would be just about the last place you would think of trying.

Given the difficulties of transporting anything thanks to the Intifada and the Israeli checkpoints, not to mention the fact that the majority of the local market is made up of tee- total Muslims, it seems a crazy proposition. But Nadim Khoury, the dapper, American-accented proprietor of the Taybeh Brewery, doesn't seem crazy. He just happens to believe that his national pride is best expressed by making Palestine's first-ever beer.

Out to dinner the other night at the always excellent Zydeco in Bend, I tried a beer I had not had before: New Belgium Brewing's Sunshine Wheat. I wasn't totally sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised—it was spiced with coriander and orange peel, very much in the style of a Belgian witbier (or white beer). (I thought it was a bit odd that there was a wedge of orange—instead of lemon—on the rim of the glass, until I tasted the beer and realized what it was.)

It was very good, though I might be biased because I really like coriander in beer in the witbier style—which is odd since I've only had maybe two or three other beers like that. It's a perfect summertime beer, New Belgium has another winner (I've yet to try a beer of theirs that I didn't like). I'm keeping an eye out for it in the store.

BeerAdvocate gives it an overall score of 80, with mostly average reviews; clearly it's not a style for everybody, but it's also hard to go wrong trying it out. If you like wheat or lighter beers in general, check this out.

To make up for my lack of posting lately, and hopefully to get back on track, here's a dump of beer-related links I've noticed lately.

• BlueOregon: Beer & Movies - an open discussion on the OLCC (Oregon Liquor Control Commission) considering creating a firm policy on the presence of beer and wine at the movies (like at McMenamins theater pubs
• Metroblogging Portland: Best/Worst places to go get a beer
• Pfiff!: Drunken tiger fighting style - links to the Brewers Association PDF report of 2005 Top Ten Craft Brewers; Oregon has three on the list
• Duluth's microbreweries are coming of age - good article on the microbrewery scene in Duluth
• There's more a-brewing in Utah than most would guess - article from March on the (somewhat ironic) state of the brewing industry in Utah
• Wikipedia:WikiProject Beer - Wikipedia's project that "aims to compile thorough and accurate information on different breweries and varieties of beer, including but not limited to their qualities, origins, and uses" - when it ramps up I imagine it'll be comprehensive beyond many other sites

The Smithsonian Magazine has a fascinating article on Prohibition and the rise of "medical beer" that was prescribed by doctors.

And in the early months of 1921, a dedicated group of brewers, physicians and imbibers attempted to convince the U.S. Congress that beer was nothing less than vital medicine. Whatever craven thirsts might have inspired its advocates, the right of physicians to prescribe "medical beer" was the subject of intense national debate, drawing the attention of officials at the highest levels of government and provoking arguments within the American Medical Association and other professional groups....

But if many doctors conceded the efficacy of hard liquor, the case of beer was rather more controversial. Beer's champions often pointed to its relaxing qualities, and to its nutritional value. In a lengthy ode to British ale, for instance, one writer suggested that beer was so chock-full of vitamins that it had saved the "British race" from extinction during food-scarce plague years.

Other healers questioned such claims. Dr. Harvey Wiley, a prominent physician and an architect of the nation's first food and drug laws, could barely contain his contempt for those who subscribed to such folk remedies. "There are no medical properties in beer, whatever may be said of it as a beverage," he pronounced in March 1921. "I never saw a prescription which contained beer as a remedial agent."...

On March 3, 1921, shortly before his last day as attorney general, Palmer issued an opinion declaring that the "beverage" clause of the 18th Amendment entitled doctors to prescribe beer at any time, under any circumstances and in any amount they saw fit. Wholesale druggists could take charge of selling beer. He also suggested that commercial drugstores could sell it from their soda fountains—though "never again beer over the saloon bar or in the hotel dining room."

Via Boing Boing.

Just got this comment on my item on Mt. Angel closing earlier this year:

This article is in error. The Mt Angel Brewing Company closed for six weeks to completely remodel the kitchen and expand beer services during February and March.

Mt Angel Brewing Company is currently open for business and has expanded to 20 beer taps and a full line of hand crafted soft drinks.

Sorry for the confusion.

Hal Oien
Brewmeister
Mt Angel Brewing Company

Cool! I'm glad I was wrong when I wrote about it initially. Glad to see they're back open, and with more beer to boot.

Yep, it's been a slow week for The Brew Site. But I'm still around. Mostly I just haven't run across anything interesting to post, nor have I drank any beer all this week to write about. I'll come up with something, though. I don't like seeing old stuff here any more than you all do.

This post isn't about a current brewery, but about an historical one: from the mis-titled article Workers uncover ancient brewery:

Workers digging out the area below the Pacific Boulevard overpass at Lyon Street in Albany [Oregon] have uncovered the concrete foundation of the old Albany Brewing Co....

Beer making was big business in Albany, but it dried up after the City Council voted to ban beer and alcohol sales in the city in 1906.

The brewery finally closed in 1908, and in 1937 was torn down. Interesting, but when I first saw the headline of the article I thought it would turn out to be a 3,000 year-old Egyptian brewery or something.

The other day my wife pointed out that this year's Oregon Brewers Festival is from July 28 through 31... the last full weekend in July, as it always is. What makes this notable is that it's the first last full weekend that we won't be celebrating my son's birthday—he was born a week earlier but we always have the party on the weekend, which usually falls on the same weekend as the Brew Fest.

Follow me so far?

So this year, there are no conflicts. I don't know if I'm going yet, but it's the first time in years that I've had the option, and if I make it, it'll be the first one in five years I've actually been to.

I'm hoping I can get there. If I do, then I'm going to take my digital camera and a notebook and take copious pictures and notes about the beers I taste and the festival itself. Maybe even blog it daily, depending on internet availability.

Exciting!

Found this story on RateBeer: OBF Announces Oregon Beer Week.

The Oregon Brewers Festival is pleased to announce "Oregon Beer Week," a weeklong celebration of craft beer by Oregon's specialty breweries. Oregon Beer Week will begin July 23 and feature a variety of special events taking place at craft breweries throughout the state, culminating with the 18th annual Oregon Brewers Festival (OBF) at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in downtown Portland July 28 through July 31.

"Throughout the state" seems to be a bit misleading, though; from what I can tell, they all take place in or around Portland. Even the one from Rogue. Oh well.

See also: the Oregon Brewers Festival.

I'm a little late reviewing this one, but I tried and enjoyed St. Peter's Old Style Porter the other day. I thought it was quite good. From the website:

This fine beer is a blend of a mature old ale and a younger light beer - just as a true Porter should be. The marriage produces an extremely characterful brew which is dark in colour and complex in taste.

This seems to me to be what the traditional English porter should be: dark, but light-bodied mouthfeel, easily drinkable, well-rounded flavor—not too heavy, but still has complexities. (I'm basing my assessment of the "traditional English porter" on what I've read about it; a blending of two or three types of beer to produce the darker, easily drinkable ale favored by the Porters of London... sounds pretentious, I know, I can't help it.) There was very little carbonation, I wonder if that's typical of St. Peter's beers (their Organic Ale had minimal carbonation, too).

It gets a respectable BeerAdvocate score as well: an overall score of 85 (out of 100), and an average review score of 3.8 (out of five). And it came in the sweet flask bottle that I liked about the Organic Ale, too.

I'm going to start keeping an eye out for more of St. Peter's beers, so far I've been reasonably impressed with the two I've been able to find. I definitely recommend this porter.

According to this Register-Guard article, plans to open a McMenamins brewpub in Corvallis, at the Oregon State University campus, are being opposed:

They want to lease space for a new brewpub right across the street from Gill Coliseum.

But student body president Kristen Downey said introducing alcohol into an undergraduate setting could be a recipe for disaster. Most dorm residents are too young to drink legally, she said.

"When things happen, it's going to be the individual students who are held accountable," Downey said. "It's not going to be the university administration taking responsibility for creating the situation."

Right, because we all know underage drinking never goes on in the dorms. Riiiiiiiiight.

The Pelican Pub & Brewery has just won the top prize, "Grand Champion Beer," from the Australian International Beer Awards, held May fifth in Melbourne, Australia. In addition, the brewery won Champion International Brewery, and Champion Ale.

Doryman's Dark Ale won a Gold in the Dark Ales category, a best in class trophy, the "Champion Ale" award, and finally the "Grand Champion Beer" trophy. Doryman's Dark Ale is an American-Style Brown Ale with a deep red-brown color, an assertive but balanced floral and roasted aroma, and a clean, snappy finish balanced with a subtle coffee and caramel notes.

"I'm absolutely thrilled and amazed to win such a huge award again!" commented Darron Welch, head brewer of the Pelican Pub & Brewery, "For Doryman's Dark Ale to be chosen as the best beer among 885 international beers is an honor! To win Champion International Brewery on top of that, well, it just doesn't get much better."

"In Australia we call this a Trifecta," said director of judges Rob Grieg. This is the first time a brewery has won three major awards in one year!

The Pelican Pub & Brewery also won Grand Champion Beer at the AIBA in 2004 for India Pelican Ale. The craft brewer also makes Kiwanda Cream Ale, MacPelican's Scottish Ale, Tsunami Stout, and a host of ever-changing seasonal beers. Past awards and honors for the Pelican Pub & Brewery include winning ten medals at the Great American Beer Festival, four medals at the World Beer Cup, "Champion American Ale" at the Real Ale Festival, and winning "Small Brewpub of the Year" and "Brewer of the Year, Small Brewpub" honors at the 2000 Great American Beer Festival.

The Australian International Beer Awards is the third largest annual professional beer competition in the world. Held in Melbourne each year, the AIBA is Australia's most prestigious beer event. It is now firmly established on the international brewing calendar as a renowned and recognized barometer of diversity and quality in beer brewing across the world. The awards are run by the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria (RAS) in conjunction with the University of Ballarat, which offers the only accredited brewing courses in the Southern Hemisphere. The RAS and the University of Ballarat established the Australian International Beer Awards in 1993. The beers are judged by professional brewers using strict controls to ensure impartiality and "blind" tasting. This year 111 breweries participated, sending 885 beers from thirty countries.

Now here's a festival that got my attention: Mondial de la bière, in Montréal, June 1 through 5. Some 340 beers and a beer conference even, featuring six beer experts holding 45-minute seminars. Sounds très cool.

The beer experts at the conference ("Conference MBeer05") are Stephen Beaumont, Jean-Claude Colin, Mario D'Eer, Fred Eckhardt, Tony Forder and Charlie Papazian.

Oh yes, and the admission is free, with $1 tastings (3 to 4 ounces per tasting), and $8 for a tasting mug.

Via The Globe and Mail.

Just a quick note about finding good beer in Bend (not counting the microbreweries—I'm talking about bottled beer). While I've found that most of the grocery stores now carry most "mainstream" microbrews and imports, the two stores that have the widest selection, including a good number of unusual beers, are Newport Avenue Market and Ray's Food Place, both on the west side.

Central Oregon is generally lacking on shops that carry broad beer selections. Jim's Homebrew Supply in Spokane, for example, has an incredible selection, but there's nothing like that here.

On the other hand, Demetri's Greek Cusina on the east end of town is the only place I know that has lambic on tap (Lindemans Framboise).

This article spotlighted an unusual beer from Boston Beer Works (one of the most unusable websites I've seen): Boston Tea Party Ale. Apparently it's brewed with a lot of tea, and served over ice.

Beer Works doesn't seem to be pandering to micro-brew-loving snobs with this one - except that anyone who loves beer ought to love innovation and experimentation as well. As with its previous daring concoctions, such as peanut-butter porter, Beer Works has created a unique, compelling taste in defiance of all logic.

Boston Tea Party Ale is brewed with real tea and lemon essence, resulting in a refreshing yet invigorating beer. From sip to sip, the flavor evolves with the melting ice. What starts as a bracing ale with sweet-tea undertones eventually becomes a fizzy iced tea with a kick.

Different. I actually like the sound of that peanut butter porter...