Category : Breweries
Suggest a new beer for Fort George Brewery
March 9th, 2010Fort George Brewery over in Astoria, Oregon, is busy this month: not only are they celebrating their third birthday coming up on March 14th, they’re also holding a contest to suggest their next new beer. From their blog:
We here at Fort George take being a Public House very seriously. It has been because of our great customers that we have been able to grow and better our business and for that, we would like to give back. Fort George Brewery would like your ideas for a new beer that could be made in our brewery. If you would like to see a new style of beer, would like us to try something new with our beers, or have a recipe of your own that you would like to see pouring at Fort George, submit an entry and it could end up being brewed!
All beer entries must be able to be made with our American Ale Yeast or our Belgian yeast. The beer selected will be based on quality, creativity, availability of ingredients, and by how delicious it sounds. You may submit as many entries as you like but only one beer will be chosen.
Click through to the blog to get the details on how to submit your beer idea. You have until April 10th to get your entry in.
Empire Strikes Back
March 3rd, 2010I’m sure the movie is the first thing you think when you see the title of this post, but in fact it’s the name of the latest limited-release beer from Double Mountain Brewery. In fact they’re holding release parties tomorrow and Friday, and thanks to the Bend Beer Blog I know that Friday’s release party is being held here in Bend, at Brother Jon’s Pub.
(I’d completely overlooked this, since I saw the “Moon & Sixpence Pub” in Portland as the first location and assumed it was all Portland.)
I had to read this line about the beer from the Double Mountain blog and smirk, though:
EMPIRE STRIKES BACK is a concept beer that answers the question, “what happens when you make a big Northwest-style IPA with all-English malt and hops?”
Um, you have a traditional English IPA?
Yes, completely snarky because it’s a silly concept question. But to be fair, it’s Double Mountain, so I’m sure the beer will be very good.
The release party at Brother Jon’s is from 5 to 9pm Friday, the 5th.
Bend Brewing Company turns 15 today!
February 27th, 2010There’s been almost no fanfare or publicity for this—indeed, even I almost missed it if not for my wife—but Bend Brewing Company is turning 15 today and celebrating in grand style:
Saturday, February 27th marks the fifteenth anniversary of the BBC. The anniversary party will last all day, beginning at 11:30 a.m. with half-priced appetizers and $2.50 pints of beer, both of which will be served until closing time that evening.
From 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., visit the BBC Garage Sale. Miscellaneous merchandise, including shirts, hats, pint glasses and more, will be offered at very good prices. Guests will also have the opportunity to win tons of great raffle prizes from 5 to 10 p.m.
From 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., enjoy live music on the patio from The Buck Rodgers Band, known far and wide for their progressive alt rock with a twist of psycho-billy and infused psychedelic jams. Fire pits will keep revelers warm as they boogie, and a server will be on hand to ensure crowds are adequately fed and watered.
In the 15 years since Bend’s second-ever microbrewery opened, what’s remarkable about it is how little it’s changed: they are still in the same building, with the same overall decor and atmosphere, and (largely) serve up much of the same menu over the years. They exist in a popular niche in Bend and done a great job nurturing that niche.
Even for all that, what’s more remarkable is what has changed: the quality of the beer. When brewmaster Tonya Cornett came aboard in 2002, she helped put BBC on the map, so to speak, from a craft brewing perspective: with Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup awards for HopHead Imperial IPA and Outback X, among others, as well as other awards, BBC has become a beer geek’s destination (and has helped cement Bend, Oregon in the “Beer Pantheon” along with Deschutes Brewing and other great brewers in town).
Happy 15th to Bend Brewing! I plan to enjoy come down and enjoy some of the party today.
So you always wanted to own a brewpub…
February 15th, 2010The Elliot Glacier Public House is for sale. Where is Elliot Glacier, you may wonder? In the small community of Parkdale, about 17 miles south of Hood River. We’ve driven by it, once, but did not stop (we were on our way home with a load of fresh-picked fruit).
Elliot Glacier is a seven-barrel brewpub with—based on the accounts I’ve been reading—a magnificent view of the north face of Mount Hood from their back patio. It was built in 1937 as a theater and was renovated into its current incarnation in 1997. Very casual, as well—with a small open kitchen that only serves up the basics.
The interesting thing is that the building and business both are for sale for only $470,000. That’s not bad at all, it seems to me. I wonder how good business could be in such a small community, of course, but they’ve fared well(?) for 12+ years so far.
Found via Lisa Morrison (the Beer Goddess!) on Twitter.
Deschutes Jubel 2010 release party
February 2nd, 2010This Friday, February 5th, marks the Jubel 2010 Release Party at Deschutes Brewery—2pm at the Portland Pub, and 6pm at the Bend Pub. The Bend event blurb reads:
Jubel 2010 beer on tap with special menu items. Bottles for sale (6 bottle limit). First 100 guests will receive a Jubel 2010 commemorative goblet.
Jubel 2010, or “Super Jubel” as it’s locally known when they release it in the pub only each year, is Deschutes’ latest Reserve Series beer, basically a doubled-up version of their seasonal Jubelale. This is only the second time the brewery has ever bottled Super Jubel, the first being in 2000. From the press release, here’s the (apocryphal?) story of how it came about:
Jubel was discovered by accident two decades ago when a clumsy burglar didn’t realize the weight of his stolen keg of Jubelale. He dropped it outside to freeze in the season’s sub-zero temperatures – only to be discovered the next morning by Gary Fish, Deschutes Brewery owner. More than half the liquid in the keg had frozen and the remaining beer was a very cold, highly concentrated “Jubelale on steroids.” It was so good that the brewers set about recreating it, coming up with an annual “Super Jubel” that is aged in Oregon oak pinot barrels.
I can’t speak as to whether the story’s true or not—it’s a good story but seems a little convenient—but I’ve had Super Jubel on tap over the years, and it’s a good beer.
Check out one of the release parties, if you’re in either area; it’ll be packed but still a good time.
Zwickelmania 2010
February 1st, 2010Zwickelmania in Oregon is back again this year:
This President’s Day weekend, dozens of Oregon breweries and brewpubs will open their doors to visitors for the state’s 2nd annual Zwickelmania. Zwickelmania, hosted by the Oregon Brewers Guild (OBG), is a free statewide event that offers visitors a chance to tour Oregon breweries, meet the brewers and sample their favorite beers.
When: Saturday, February 13th, 2010 from 11-4 pm
It’s a celebration of Oregon’s brewers, and there’s an impressive list participating this year (be sure to check out the details to see what each brewery has planned), including:
- Heater Allen Brewing: “Release of Hugo Bock, free tastes of Smokey Bob out of the lagering tank and $1 tastes of everything else.”
- Oakshire Brewing: “Tours on the hour and 10, that’s right, TEN different beers on tap! Devour will be on hand selling their grilled sandwhiches, soup and tater tots.”
- BridgePort Brewing: “$2.75 pints between 11-4pm along with brewery tours on the hour”
- Deschutes Brewing (Bend): “Guided brewery tours from 12 to 5, samples of 2009 Super Jubel+brewer on hand to answer questions.”
- Full Sail Brewing (both locations): “Take a tour and sample a pairing of “Collin’s Dark Secret” the newest Brewers Share beer and artisian chocolate, a great Valentine’s weekend treat. Guided Brewery Tours at 12, 1, 2, 3 and 4PM”
- Pelican Pub & Brewery: “Meet 3 brewers who will be offering brewery tours and beer samples from the fermenter.”
- Raccoon Lodge: “Sampling beer from the Zwickel+beers from the barrel and promises of alchemy demonstrations as well.”
- Southern Oregon Brewing: “Tour and complimentary flight of tasters for people who take the tour at 4 pm.”
- Three Creeks Brewing: “Brewery tours on the hour and the Brewer will be on-site with tastings and beer discussion all day.”
- Widmer Brewing: “Widmer Brothers Brewing will have free tours of their state-of-the-art brewing facility, offering complimentary tastings and appetizers paired with the beers. They will offer special release beers not available anywhere else along with their standard beers. Kurt and Rob and their brewing staff will be on site giving tours. They will have t-shirts, pint glasses, and other gear for sale.”
Stone’s latest collaboration
January 22nd, 2010When I posted my interview with Greg Koch of Stone Brewing, mention was made of upcoming collaboration brews Stone was spearheading. This month it’s with 21st Amendment Brewing and Firestone Walker Brewing, and the Stone Blog has a good writeup of what was brewed and the overall process:
Shaun O’Sullivan of 21st Amendment and Matt Brynildson of Firestone Walker joined our very own Head Brewer Mitch Steele for one of our coolest collaborations yet. Since this was an all-California brewing team, they decided to expand upon that theme by using indigenous California ingredients in the beer, including chia seeds, pink peppercorns, fennel seeds, and 35 lbs. of Mission figs Shaun brought from a friends’ farm.
The result of this momentous collaboration will be a strong black ale of distinctly Californian pedigree. Named El Camino (un)Real Black Ale in honor of the historic Spanish mission trail connecting Northern and Southern California, this beer is going to be pitch-black monster loaded with roasty, spicy flavors.
15% of the batch will be fermented in oak barrels, and the beer should clock in at about 80 IBUs. No word yet on alcohol content.
Based on that ingredient list, though, this sounds like it will be a very interesting beer.
Abraxus Brewing news
January 19th, 2010You may remember I blogged back in August about Abraxus Brewing, the new microbrewery slated to open in The Dalles. Wondered what was going on with that? So was I, but it had frankly slipped my mind until I received an email from the founder, Ray Bustos:
Currently we on a hiatus because my brewer and partner relocated to northern Washington. I still have plans on opening a brew pub but it will be at least a few years down the road. I’m still brewing test batches, but until I can locate some funding the brewery is on hold.
It’s unfortunate news, but I’m glad to see that he hasn’t given up on it entirely.
Pizza Port Carlsbad
January 12th, 2010
Our first day in San Diego (which was the first Monday after Christmas), we headed up to Carlsbad to hit the shopping outlets and visit Pizza Port Carlsbad for lunch. In the past we’ve visited the Solana Beach Pizza Port, but my brother assured me that Carlsbad is a bigger (and better) location—after all, they’re one of the most-decorated breweries at the GABF this past year, and the winner of Large Brewpub and Brewer of the Year—so we decided to check it out.
It was a beautiful sunny day—even in December! That’s one thing SoCal has going for it—so we opted to sit outside. Along the length of the building there is plentiful outdoor seating at picnic tables and benches, with easy access to the pub/restaurant through the rear door. (There is also gated access to the outdoor seating, so we could have gone through the gate and front door just as easily.)
(The outdoor seating is to the right of the building in this picture.)
The first thing that’s apparent is that this is a much bigger place than the Solana Beach Pizza Port. There is plenty of seating, inside and out, and the number of taps they have available—both Port Brewing house beers and many guest beers—is impressive.
Here are the house beers:
And here are the guest beers:
Here’s a shot of the taps themselves (coolers on either side with bottles beers), one thing I liked but didn’t get in this picture is a rinse spigot built in to the bottom (in the drain catch) that allows the bartender to do a quick upside-down rinse of the glassware—which gets rid of any particulates and helps head retention.
The beer itself is really good, too—naturally, for a Great American Beer Festival winner. I started with their Plant to Pint, a 7% ABV fresh hopped pale ale. My notes on that:
Hot and hoppy—strong and intensely green and viney. Clear and amber with a nice lacing. Maybe too heavy for a fresh hop… mouthfeel moves into DIPA/BW [Double IPA/Barleywine] territory. Nose is hoppy and malty… not really “fresh hoppy” but intensely hoppy nonetheless—lupulin syrup. [BA: A-; RB, 93%]
My brother didn’t like it, the aroma was too off-putting for him. (“Dirty sock” was mentioned.)
I snuck a sip of their Reed’s Wee Heavy Scotch Ale from my sister-in-law brother, and found it to be sweet and boozy.
Next I grabbed a tray of four tasters (you can pick any four):
Left to right are Good Grief Brown (5.6%, English style Brown Ale, won the bronze at the GABF), Cow Stout (5%, Milk/Sweet Stout, won gold at GABF), Carlsbad Cream Ale (4.5%), and Trigger Hoppy IPA (8.4%). I was enjoying myself visiting with my family so I only wrote down notes on the Good Grief Brown, but I do remember some impressions of the others.
[Good Grief] Chocolate and roasty and delicious—completely GABF-worthy. Still mellow and very drinkable—possibly the best brown I’ve had in awhile. [BA, B+; RB: 70%]
I didn’t say I wrote a lot of notes, okay?
Of the others, I remember the Cream Ale to be crisp and clean, the Cow Stout to be good and roasty but possibly lighter in mouthfeel than I expected, and the Trigger Hoppy to be a tasty but fairly standard Double IPA (big and hoppy which is the San Diego beer character).
I finished with a guest beer: Sierra Nevada Belgian-style Trippel, a treat since we don’t get such things in Bend, Oregon. It was big and clean and spicy with a perfect peppercorn and coriander essence. I wish I could get this up here!
There was pizza and salad ordered, and I can confidently say that the pizza was excellent and the bites of salad I had were good too. My brother—who is the authority in such matters, living in San Diego and all—confirms that the pizza is better at Carlsbad, and overall I’d have to agree.
Inside there are video games on the back wall (near the rear door leading to the outdoor seating), lending to the “old school pizza parlor” vibe that they’re cultivating. There’s ample seating inside as well, and some room at the bar if you only feel like a beer. It’s very comfortable and laid-back, we were able to take our time without being rushed and the kids had a great time as well (the video games helped with that).
I highly recommend visiting, both for the beer and the pizza, and though it’s located some 30 miles north of San Diego proper, it’s well worth the trip.
Pizza Port Carlsbad
571 Carlsbad Village Dr.
Carlsbad, CA 92008
(760) 720-7007
A(nother) week in San Diego
January 3rd, 2010My year-end was spent in San Diego for the second time this year; how was yours?
It was a bit of a last-minute trip. When we visited in June, it was to attend the baby shower of my sister-in-law and see them (her and my brother) before their first baby was born. We had talked about doing a post-Christmas trip to see the baby, but had ruled it out until the very last minute.
So, the day after Christmas we packed up everything and the next day (Sunday) we got up really early and drove to San Diego.
In one day.
Which is not really a trip I recommend two days after a major holiday.
But while we were there, I was able to squeeze in a couple of beer-related things—of course! We visited Pizza Port Carlsbad (one of the most decorated breweries at the GABF this past year, as well as winning Large Brewpub and Brewer of the Year), and I was able to sit down for a little bit with someone you may have heard of: Greg Koch of Stone Brewing.
I’ll have a write-up of that visit over on my Hop Press blog this coming Saturday, and I’ll post some extra notes (think of them as “special features” on a DVD) here on this blog shortly thereafter.
I’ll post my review of Pizza Port Carlsbad this week too. So far it’s my favorite of the Pizza Ports I’ve visited (the other thus far being Solana Beach—haven’t been to San Clemente yet).
Eight Malty Nights
November 10th, 2009This is a neat brewing idea from Portland’s (New Old) Lompoc Brewing:
Every year, Lompoc Brewing releases more than a half dozen Christmas beers around the first of December. This year, the brewers are excited to brew a beer in honor of Hanukkah as well.
Dubbed “Eight Malty Nights,” the Chocolate Rye beer will be brewed tomorrow, November 10. Rabbi Bradley Greenstein from the Congregation Neveh Shalom will be present to bless the mash and deliver a toast. The beer will be released on the first day of Hanukkah, Dec. 11.
To witness the blessing of the mash and take part in the toast, please be at Lompoc Brewing, 3901 A N Williams Ave, Portland on Tuesday, at 7:30 am.
(That’s today Tuesday at 7:30am; that means they are brewing—maybe done—even as you read this. So I’m a little late on the posting, but you get the idea.)
When I first read this, I had the impression that they would be releasing eight different beers, one for each night. (Can’t help but think of the Adam Sandler movie “Eight Crazy Nights” either.) That might be a bit much; what they’re doing is quite a bit more manageable. How many beers get blessed by rabbis?
The “Chocolate Rye” part of the beer sounds pretty interesting, too.
French Beer Week: Bières23
October 29th, 2009
Even though I’m doing an entire week on French Beer, there were only three actual beers from France that I was able to find locally this week: Fischer Amber, Les Sans Culottes (review tomorrow), and Bières23 Bière de Mars. (I found the Gavroche in Eugene and while I have found Jenlain Ambrée in the past, I haven’t seen it lately.)
It’s the Bières23 I’m writing about tonight, because while I found the bottle of their Bière de Mars at Whole Foods, I didn’t buy it: it cost $11.99 for at 750ml bottle. Now, I’ve been known to occasionally spend similar amounts for similar volumes of beer, but it’s rare, and this week was one where I just couldn’t justify the price.
But I thought the brewery itself was notable enough to write about. And, to add to the review-that’s-not-a-review, I’ll at least spare a few words about the Bière de Mars.
What makes Bières23 interesting, at least to me, is that it’s not your traditional French brewery: the owner and brewer is a “cranky Englishman” (according to the label). Following nine years of brewing in England, John Davidson and his wife moved to the town of St. Etienne de Fursac in France in 2004. The “23″ in the name comes from the fact that they are located in the 23rd department of Creuse.
Here’s their capsule description:
As devotees of artisan brewing our aim at Bières23 is to produce both Continental and English style beers by the high fermentation method, using only the finest natural ingredients, water, malt, hops and yeast.
Our three vessel brewery was designed and built in Austria to our requirements, specifically for our unique brewhouse. All of our artisan brewed beers are fermented and matured in a turn of the century granite cellar.
They produce four “house” beers, and at least two for export (Shelton Brothers handles the import for these two): the Ambrée and the Bière de Mars.
The Bière de Mars is a 5% farmhouse ale, a nice session beer that gets high marks on the review sites: BeerAdvocate grades it at B+, and RateBeer scores it 3.71 out of 5 (their 90th percentile). Some of the descriptors from the reviews:
- Green apple, leathery Brett, nice aromatics
- Tart apple and pear fruitiness, herbal-spicy hops, clove spices
- “Expertly balanced sweet, sour, funk, and bitterness”
- Delicious funk
- Lavendar, hibiscus, rose, following “tangerine, mango, lemon, apple, a hint of banana, and even a bit of cherry”
Definitely sounds like a winner. Perhaps I’ll pick up a bottle after all.
Sacramento Brewing: Closed
October 19th, 2009Pacific Brew News broke the news that Sacramento Brewing Company closed abruptly today.
Workers and patrons at Sacramento Brewing Company discovered today that Sacramento Brewing Company has officially closed. For us at PBN we’ve come to truly appreciate the beers put out from this location over the past couple of years, under the watchful eye of brewmaster Peter Hoey. The closure comes just a few weeks after Hoey won another GABF medal for the brewery, a true testament of the quality of beer made at SBC.
That sucks; I’d been hearing lots of good things about Sacramento Brewing lately and was hoping to someday drink their beer.
But, I may yet ome close: Peter Hoey is currently also the Brewmaster for the up-and-coming Odonata Beer Company, along with Rick Sellers of Pacific Brew News.
News from the Raccoon Lodge
August 25th, 2009Received the email newsletter from the Raccoon Lodge Brewpub (also Cascade Brewing—not to be confused with Cascade Lakes Brewing), and I thought this was interesting to share:
We have literally a ton of Bing cherries and another 2,400 lbs of sour pie cherries fermenting in barrels. You can see them bubbling out of the bung – Brewmaster Ron says the beer is talking to him. These will make wonderful base beers for our award winning Cascade Kriek Ale.
We’ve also processed more than one ton of apricots for our Apricot Ale. The base beer on the apricot has been aging for six to eight months, and we are thrilled with the flavor so far. We’ll keep the fermentation temperature very low for the apricots to maintain the wonderful aromatics of the fruit. Brewmaster Ron thinks this may be the best Apricot Ale to date, but you’ll have to wait to find out – the Apricot and the Kriek will both age until next April or May.
I’ve only ever had the Razberry Wheat from Raccoon/Cascade, but the Apricot Ale is said to be transcendent.
And check out this beer, as cutting-edge as anything I’ve heard of lately:
We’re really excited to talk about our Bourbonic Plague. This beer defines style – it started as a Belgian Spiced Double Porter, and has been aging and souring since February in bourbon barrels filled with dates. This is a hearty beer, and at 11.5% abv, it will keep you warm on winter nights.
Apparently it’s been bottled, so I’m hoping that means I’ll be able to procure one somehow…
Finally, they have an “Autumnal Prequinox Celebration” coming up:
The event will take place on Sept. 19 from 3 to 9:30 pm on the back patio. We’ll be debuting our Autumn IPA and serving up slow roasted chicken, corn, potatoes and sausages. Brewmaster Ron’s group Black Lodge will provide Bluegrass music.
That’s on a Saturday. Road trip?
Fresh hop beers are coming
August 24th, 2009Well, at least the fresh hop beers are coming for Deschutes Brewing; I can’t speak for other breweries but I assume they’re on the ball, too.
Deschutes has their annual “Hop Trip” coming up this Wednesday:
This year’s hop harvest has arrived early, and Deschutes Brewery is ready. On Wednesday, August 26th, between 10:00 and 11:00 a.m., trucks full of fresh hops will arrive at the Colorado Ave. brewery. The hops will immediately be transferred to an already-brewing batch of Hop Trip Fresh Hop Ale.
They have also been Twittering about it, and the Portland Pub actually has a version of Hop Trip brewed with Centennial hops (rather than Crystal) going on tap this week—on (you guessed it) Wednesday.
(Look for the bottled version of Hop Trip to hit the shelves sometime in October.)
I have a few hops on my own small(ish) vines, probably enough for a batch or two, and it does seem like the hops are ready early this year. (My mom also has a ton of hops, and so far they appear to be aphid free—and ready to pick in as early as a week, we think.
Don’t know if I’ll brew a fresh hop beer myself, though. If I did, though, a bit of research suggests a 5:1 ratio of wet hop weight to dry hop weight, which means I’d probably want to use 10 ounces of wet hops for a two-ounce dry equivalent.
