Archives : 2007 : July
OBF 2007: Day 2
July 31st, 2007My Day Two (Saturday) of the Oregon Brewers Festival was, as I indicated, more of a social day that a "pro blogger" day: my friend Justin and I went together. I still had my notebook, camera, and pack with me, and I took notes on the beers I was sampling, though that’s about it.
OBF 2007: Day 1, Part 2
July 31st, 2007Here’s my Part 2 of that first day of the Oregon Brewers Festival. These are more random observations that I wanted to touch on before moving to my Day 2 report.
After tasting six beers at the northern end of the Brewfest, I wandered south to check out the rest of the action. Interestingly, the southern tent was obviously busier and packed with more people than the northern tent. I’m not sure about the reason behind this discrepancy. Perhaps more people were entering via the southern entrance under the Morrison Bridge?
OBF 2007: Day 1, Part 1
July 30th, 2007Even though the Oregon Brewers Festival starts on Thursday now (and, as media, I was officially invited to attend the brunch and parade that morning), I left for Portland Friday morning to attend that day and Saturday. I was able to stay with my friends, Justin and Raegan, who generously put up with me. Justin had to work on Friday, but made it down to the Brewfest after work and we went together on Saturday.
My Day One at the Brewfest, I was in "pro blogger" mode since I was there by myself: writing a lot of notes, taking a bunch of pictures, exploring the Fest and trying to beat the crowds. Day Two was more of a social day, since Justin and I were there together; my Day Two writeup will follow tomorrow or Wednesday, after I deal with Part Two of Day One..
I’m not even writing about the beers in detail yet—that’s a post on its own since I took a fair number of notes. I’ll list what I tried each day, though, to give an idea.
OBF 2007: Brief note
July 29th, 2007More extensive writeups will follow, of course, but I must say, the Oregon Brewers Festival was really, really good this year. Lots of good beers, a few misses, and at least one that was good but very odd.
It was also the first time I’ve been considered "Media" for blogging. I had a badge, even. Something I could definitely get used to.
I hit all but one of my target beers, I believe. Pretty good! A quick note on my two favorites: Red Thistle Quercus from Golden Valley Brewing (pinot oak barrel aged red/ESB) and Bourbon Barrel Abbey Dubbel from Flying Fish (just like it sounds). Both were amazing. (Though I’ve seen a few online reviews from people who didn’t like the Bourbon Barrel. All I can do is shrug.)
More to come tomorrow and later this week.
OBF day!
July 27th, 2007I’m off to the Oregon Brewers Festival today—leaving shortly and driving to Portland. I’ll be picking up my press kit (as a blogger, I get full media privileges—how cool is that?) and start sampling beers somewhere around noon to 1:30, if all goes well.
I’m wearing a white Arrogant Bastard t-shirt and jean shorts, and will have a black and green shoulder bag slung over me, if anyone wants to meet. I’m the brown-haired guy with the goatee.
Alternatively, you can try calling and leaving me a message—I’ve signed up with the free service PrivatePhone, which assigns me a phone number for anyone to call and leave a voicemail that I can check from my phone. (I don’t quite feel right about publishing my cellphone number for all the world to see…) I’ll check messages every hour or so (maybe more frequently), and that number is 360-362-1627.
Off I go!
OBF Countdown: OBF starts today!
July 26th, 2007
Even though I won’t get there until tomorrow and I think of the Oregon Brewers Festival as (traditionally) starting on Friday, it actually starts—well, started—today.
First up was the Oregon Brewers Brunch and Parade, from 10am til noon (PDF here):
The public is invited to join craft brewers from across the country to kick off the 20th annual Oregon Brewers Festival. The Oregon Brewers Brunch will begin at 10 am at the Rogue Ales Public House at 1339 NW Flanders St in Portland. Tickets may be purchased at the door and cost $15, which includes a traditional brunch, a pint of Rogue Ales, a parade t-shirt, and a kazoo. At 11 am, participating brewers and beer lovers will set out for an old-fashioned sidewalk parade, accompanied by kazoos and marching band music. The parade will wind its way through Portland sidewalks to the opening ceremonies of the 20th annual Oregon Brewers Festival.
And then the Fest opens at noon. I wish I could’ve made it early, but that’s okay, I’ll get early reports from other blogs: Jay Brooks will be there today, and Jeff promises a preview tonight. And there’ll be others, I’m quite sure.
One more day for me!
Burton Baton
July 25th, 2007
Burton Baton is one of Dogfish Head‘s "Occasional Rarities" that I found when we were in Ashland. It’s a limited edition and can pretty much only be considered one of their extreme beers: it’s 10% alcohol by volume and their site describes it as
A blend of oak-aged English strong ale and our 90 Minute I.P.A.. Citrus notes from Northwestern hops meld with vanilla notes from the oak.
Which I guess classifies it as an oak-aged Imperial IPA. Or hybrid strong ale. Or something.
Oh, and don’t let that image fool you. The bottle I had was a standard 12 ounce bottle.
Appearance: A nice clear copper color with orange highlights and a nice tan-orange head.
Smell: Mild, considering—flossy candy sweet; mildly spicy and clean hops. Reminds me of a barleywine.
Taste: Oh my, that’s complex… brandy, sweet barleywine-style malts and sugars, grassy herb of some sort, sticky-sweet candy, definite oak/wood notes as in a cognac. By far more sweet than hoppy. Peppercorn, some spiciness that reminds me of cumin… cloying sweet with dark fruit, alcohol heat. More like a barleywine than an Imperial IPA.
Mouthfeel: Nicely smooth and syrupy. Full-bodied but lacking in hop balance.
On BeerAdvocate, it scores 89 out of 100, with 99% approval. On RateBeer, it scores 3.7 out of 5 and is in their 93rd percentile.
OBF Countdown: Other sites’ advice
July 24th, 2007Jeff at Beervana has a good Preview post up. I swear Jeff knows more about the OBF than anyone else I’m reading online… I think he must keep each year’s beer list in Excel or something. If you don’t know what kind of beer to try, Jeff’s guide should be considered mandatory. You won’t go wrong with it.
I rather liked this list of 10 Easy Steps to Enjoying the 20th Annual Oregon Brewers Festival on the Portland Metroblogging site.
2. Don’t linger in the beer line – seriously – there is a huge amount of space in the area – it’s not that hard to get back in line once your cup is finished. Don’t crowd the lines while you’re standing around drinking and socializing.
…
8. Check out some of the vendors – I’d always kind of ignored them before, but last year we bought awesome handmade wooden beers steins that you can’t get anywhere else in Portland.
9. Get out of the tents – this kind of goes with #2 – but if you’re standing really close to where they pour the beer, it’s going to seem overly crowded – but there is really a lot of room.
OBF Countdown: Gear and prep
July 23rd, 2007Getting close to the Oregon Brewers Festival this week, and I’m thinking about what to take and carry while I’m there, wandering around the park. One thing to keep in mind is hydration—that’s probably the most important thing, because not only are you (potentially) drinking a lot of beer, but you’re out in the heat the entire time you’re there. (Of course, they have water available—but when there are thousands of people there, I figure it’s better to be safe than sorry.)
Here’s a list of what I’m thinking I’ll have with me:
- Light backpack or messenger bag to hold this stuff, plus room to hold extras or souvenirs I pick up
- Bottled water; at least 2 pints worth, sealed: they won’t allow unsealed containers in (they could potentially contain outside alcohol)
- Notebook and pen(s)
- Digital camera with extra batteries
- Sun gear: Sunglasses, sunscreen, hat
- List of brewers and beers (with the must-tries highlighted)
- Snack food—something like trail mix or nuts; there will be food vendors at the fest for meals, but something in between to keep the carbs up and the stomach not too empty is good too
- Aspirin
- Wet wipes, or kleenex, or a small hand towel or something—hey, spills happen
As far as clothing goes, a light-colored shirt (darker colors absorb more sunlight and therefore heat), and comfortable shoes (lots of walking) are a must.
Also, I’m thinking vitamin B would be a good idea, too—before the drinking starts. A big dose of B (and hydration) goes a long way toward preventing the hangover that you may be in for otherwise.
Redhook’s Defy Ordinary Coaster Contest
July 19th, 2007
This is a cross between a press release and commentary. First, the PR part:
Recently, Redhook has launched an opportunity for its fans to immortalize themselves—in a soggy, cardboardy way. By visiting defyordinary.com, fans can show how they defy ordinary by entering a simple picture. It will be displayed on the Web site gallery for all to admire. In September, eight coasters will be chosen as winners; thousands of copies of each coaster will be printed and distributed to local bars.
Then, eight people in America will for the first time be able to sincerely utter, “Hey, baby, have you seen my coaster?”
WHO: Redhook Ale Brewery
WHAT: Defy Ordinary Coaster Contest
WHERE: www.defyordinary.com
WHEN: Contest ends September 3, 2007
WHY: Because Redhook ales and the people who drink them are just a little different
For rules and additional contest information, visit www.defyordinary.com
Now, the commentary:
I think this is a pretty cool idea, creating coasters out of user-uploaded photos, and an even cooler idea to let people vote on their favorites. What’s not as cool, though, is that the user voting doesn’t actually count towards how the 8 winners are picked, apparently. Todd at BeerAdvocate was the first to point this out, I believe:
Oh, and did I mention that public voting doesn’t even count? No shit. I’m sitting here voting away, only to scroll down towards the bottom of the rules to find out that the 8 winners will be picked by Craft Brands Alliance LLC and The Redhook Ale Brewery Incorporated judges. So voting is a complete waste of time and a meaningless feature.
All I can say is I hope the judges take the public voting into account when they select their winners. In the meantime, it’s kind of a fun Flash app they’ve put together to browse through the coasters—though being entirely in Flash, it’s not link-friendly. More eye candy.
I’ll have to see what images I have to upload… you never know.
Dad’s Little Helper
July 18th, 2007
The subtitle to Rogue‘s Dad’s Little Helper is "Malt Liquor" but don’t let that dissuade you—as their site quotes John Maier, "This ain’t your Dad’s malt liquor." It’s got the signature Rogue twist to it: it’s good!
We picked up a bottle when we were in Ashland a few weeks ago, and though I probably didn’t need to travel all the way to Southern Oregon to buy it (I’ve seen it here), I hadn’t tried it before and what the hey, Rogue Brewing originally started in Ashland so it fits.
So, my notes:
Appearance: Certainly looks the part [of malt liquor, to me]… fluffy white head resting over a crystal clear honey-yellow beer… wheat-colored.
Smell: Spicy (slightly), hoppy. A wheaty, toasty aroma, otherwise fairly clean.
Taste: Grain, corn, a nice spicy hop that isn’t too pronounced but has a nice crisp edge. Fairly simple in overall profile, but Rogue is shooting for that here, as an homage to classic American malt liquor.
Mouthfeel: Nice and medium-bodied, pleasantly so. (More body than you’d expect.)
Overall: I thoroughly enjoyed drinking this beer. I wish Rogue would sell this by the six-pack—or, better yet, stubbies.
On BeerAdvocate, it scores 78 out of 100, with 74% approval—not the higher marks I’m giving it. On RateBeer it got a miserable reception: 2.53 out of 5 and is only in their 18th percentile. Really, people? Really?
OBF Countdown: The beers
July 17th, 2007I’m looking over the list of participating breweries for the OBF and coming up with a list of must-tries. 73 breweries this year! And I’m sure there will be at least one or two last-minute changes or substitutions. There’s a fair number of beers I’ve already sampled, so like last year, I’m primarily focusing on the new (or very unusual) beers.
My Have-to-Try list is starting to look like:
- Amnesia Brewing: Dry Hopped Dusty Trail Pale Ale
- Boundary Bay Brewery: Galena Single Hop Pale Ale
- Brewery Ommegang: Three Philosophers Ale
- Diamond Knot Brewing: Industrial IPA
- Dick’s Brewing: Dick’s Lava Rock Porter
- Eugene City Tracktown Ales: Honey Orange Wheat
- Fifty Fifty Brewing: Donner Party Porter
- Flying Fish Brewing: Bourbon Barrel Abbey Dubbel
- Four + Brewing: Wildfire
- Golden Valley Brewery: Red Thistle Quercus
- Klamath Basin Brewing: Crater Lake Golden Ale
- Max’s Fanno Creek Brewpub: Farmer’s Daughter
- Ninkasi Brewing: Believer
- Oregon Trail Brewery: Oregon Trail Wit
- Siletz Brewing: Spruce Ale
- Stone Brewing: Stone 07/07/07 Vertical Epic
- Widmer Brewing: Noggin Grog (Imperial Wit???)
Of course, this isn’t a final list. But it’s looking good right now. As for my It-Would-Be-Nice-to-Try list, I’m thinking:
- Calapooia Brewing: Yankee Clipper IPA
- Cascade Brewing at the Raccoon Lodge: Razberry Wheat
- Fearless Brewing: Fearless Scottish Ale
- Grand Teton Brewing: Bitch Creek ESB
- Philadelphia’s: Betsy Ross Imperial Golden
- Rogue: Imperial Porter
- Terminal Gravity: TG Triple
This is just wishful thinking, but three brewers I’d like to see at the OBF someday are Dogfish Head, Brooklyn Brewery, and Great Lakes Brewing.
In-depth history of the Rainier Beer commercials
July 17th, 2007About a year ago I pointed to the classic motorcycle Rainier Beer commercial on YouTube (found by Jeff) and wondered a bit about some of the other Rainier commercials. Today, I got an email from Ed Leimbacher (blog), who, it turns out, was key in the development of those:
For a dozen years from 1973 to 1985, I was the official writer-producer for all the Rainier Beer ads released during that stretch of time—each year three-to-five radio ads, maybe a half-dozen TV ads, up to a dozen print ads, and whatever other support material was needed.
This is a really good read (there’s a follow-up here), worth reading in full, but I’ll post some excerpts I like:
But I want to focus on a few TV ads that gave me some extra pleasure, or headaches, or both. The Motorcycle Spot, for example, really was the all-Northwest all-time favorite. Very simple: camera looking down a straight back-country road, nothing in sight, then gradually a spot becoming a motorcycle coming straight at the camera, passing close, flash-pan to follow it tailing off toward a looming Mount Rainier—and all the while the shifting gears have been keening/singing, distantly at first, then louder and louder, "Raaaaiiiii-niiieeeerrrr… (zoom by and receding sound) Beeeeerrrrrr…"
Looked amazingly simple, but of course there was much going on behind the scene. Building the soundtrack, for example, we found that we could not stretch the words out over the full 30 seconds, had to settle for 20-plus to be understandable—which meant the visuals had to not show any bike at first. Then trying to capture the actual motorcycle shot we found that we could not pan fast enough as the bike passed, so we had to make a hidden cut during the pan. And neither the weather nor the motorcycle itself cooperated at first—we had to go out filming on three different days to get the bike actually operating properly, at a time when Mount Rainier was also visible!
And, from the follow-up post:
Our other engineering challenge was a take-off on TV spots back then that used continuous rows of toppling dominoes which, once started, would go on tipping over sequentially, flowing in some pattern for 30 seconds. We hired an engineering firm to put a slight edge-crimp on about 2600 Rainier bottle caps that we could also stand on edge in rows. These, we hoped, when toppled and sent rippling onward, would create a giant version of the somewhat calligraphic Rainier R.
I was one of the lucky sods who had to place each and every cap painstakingly into position on the 12-foot-wide translucent surface; we "cappers" often wound up lying on our stomachs and reaching down from scaffolding above to line up the ones impossible to place from outside the circle. As I recall, the caps crew put in about 30 man-hours getting set. As a result, we all rather dreaded the actual moment of shooting, because if anything went wrong… yes, 30 more hours to set up for a second take.
And of course, there’s now a ton of classic Rainier commercials on YouTube.
Oregon Brewers Festival! Who’s going?
July 16th, 2007
I am!
The Oregon Brewers Festival starts up in just under two weeks, and I plan on being there Friday and Saturday. I’ll be taking notes, taking pictures, and my plan is to make it more of a "blogging" trip, if I can: try to be more involved with the overall Fest with an eye towards the writing/documenting part of things… (Does that make sense?)
So, other bloggers going again this year? If so, we should try to meet up at the Fest; I didn’t do so good last year with the planned Friday night meeting, and I can’t swear I’d make it to another offsite meetup—but at the Festival would work. Maybe we could commandeer a table and put a big "Beer Bloggers" sign on it?
At any rate, I’m excited about going this year (their 20th Annual!) and am going to have fun with it. I notice that at the bottom of the Fest pages they have a "Brewfest Countdown" JavaScript applet that shows a realtime countdown until the Fest starts—currently 9 days, 10 hours, 11 minute and a handful of seconds as I write this—and I like the idea so much, I’m going to be doing periodic "OBF Countdown" posts over the next week and a half or so.
Quick note: Wailua Wheat
July 13th, 2007Came across some quick notes I wrote down a few weeks ago for Kona Brewing‘s Wailua Wheat. I had it on tap here in Bend at Kona Mix Plate, a Hawaiian grill restaurant, and since I hadn’t heard of it before I tried it. What caught my eye about it is that it’s brewed with passion fruit—something I hadn’t seen in a beer before.
Here are my notes:
Flavored with Hawaiian passion fruit. Unique flavor; light gold yellow and clear. Clean grainy smell with a hint of fruit/sour. Crisp wheat with a definite tropical sourish fruit character.
Not super expressive, I know, but it’s what I was able to scribble at the time. I thought it was pretty good, a nice cold summertime beer; I’m going to pick up some at the store if I see it and and I’ll do a full review when I do.
