Unusual Beer Week: Ambacht Golden Rose Ale

Unusual Beer Week: Ambacht Golden Rose Ale

Hillsboro, Oregon, is not one of the first places that comes to mind when you think of craft beer, but the under-the-radar Ambacht Brewing might help to change that. I’ve been hearing their name occasionally, but I had yet to see or sample their beer, until our Labor Day trip … Continue reading

Unusual Beer Week: Bison Organic Honey Basil Ale

Unusual Beer Week: Bison Organic Honey Basil Ale

Bison Brewing out of Berkeley, California is known for brewing only all-organic beers, and with 21 years of experience behind them they have a pretty good handle on what they’re doing. I’ve previously reviewed their Chocolate Stout and Gingerbread Ale (which also earns some “unusual” cred), but it was their … Continue reading

Unusual Beer Week: Kelpie Seaweed Ale

Unusual Beer Week: Kelpie Seaweed Ale

Williams Brothers Brewing out of Scotland brews a line of “historical” ales that punctuate the unusual brewing history of Scotland, particularly in the pre-hops days. I’ve reviewed their Fraoch Heather Ale and Ebulum Elderberry Black Ale before, but the Kelpie Seaweed Ale was a new one to me. This 4.4% … Continue reading

Theme Week: The Unusual

Theme Week: The Unusual

This week is Theme Week here at The Brew Site, and I’m breaking the mold a bit with an overall “Unusual” theme: bucking my usual convention and ending on the first of October, which also coincides with The Session (hosted this month by the Beer Wench). The theme for the … Continue reading

In the local paper, on the new breweries

Today’s (Sunday’s) edition of the Bend Bulletin has a long(ish) article on the new breweries cropping up in Central Oregon of late; the article is behind the Bulletin’s paywall so I can’t link you to it, but suffice to say I have a brief quote near the end of it. … Continue reading

Another brewery rumor

Perhaps this should be filed under “brewmors.” But on the topic of new breweries in Bend, rumor has it that there could be another at some point (probably next year at the very earliest). All I’ve heard for sure is that someone bought a five-barrel brewing system from Boneyard Beer … Continue reading

Sisters Fresh Hop Festival (first of the Fresh Hop Tastivals)

This Saturday, September 25th, the first of the Fresh Hop Tastivals is taking place here in Central Oregon, in the small town of Sisters (home of Three Creeks Brewing): the Sisters Fresh Hop Festival. Taking place from noon until 9pm at the Village Green Park (“under the tent”), it follows … Continue reading

Jubelale (2010)

Jubelale (2010)

This week is the official Deschutes Brewery release of their annual Winter Warmer, Jubelale (the release party at the Portland Pub was yesterday, and the Bend Pub is hold their release party today at 5:30), so to coincide with that I opened up one of the bottles they had sent … Continue reading

Next week’s Theme Week: The Unusual

This week being the last full week of September, I would have normally (by my own “rules”) been running a Theme Week, but after batting around some ideas (back to school, fall harvests, pumpkins), I decided that next week instead will be Theme Week, and I’m tailoring it so it … Continue reading

The Oregon GABF winners

The Great American Beer Festival awards ceremony was yesterday (I watched part of it live online), and the official results are posted today. Oregon’s brewers brought home a number of medals, and I’m pleased (as always) to see that Bend had a good representation as well. Bend winners: Deschutes Brewery: … Continue reading