Beervana

Best Beers

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 10:15:00 -0700

How did we determine our absolute favorite Oregon beers? We chatted up brewers, bartenders, and beer geeks of all stripes. We studied who won awards. And then we made some decisions: We wanted an even mix of Portland-area brews and others from around the state. We didn’t allow the region’s most prevalent beer style—the India pale ale, or IPA—to dominate. We eliminated most seasonal beers and hard-to-find brewer one-offs. And we made it a bottom-line demand that all the final pours be available by tap or bottle here in Portland. (OK, we made two exceptions well worth a drive to sample.) But from the 100 or so beers on our ultimate short list, we made the final cut solely with our taste buds—no ifs, ands, or buts.

We invite you—no, we encourage you—to disagree. Argue with us. Tell us about beers we missed. Just do it nicely, and do it on our website: portlandmonthlymag.com/beer-vote. What better way to celebrate Beervana than to refine our tastes together?

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LOCAL BREWS

Upright Six

uprightbrewing.com
A dark rye that delivers a lightning strike of complementary flavors dominated by caramel and peppery citrus notes.

Also try: Heater Allen Schwarz Lager

Full Sail Session Black

fullsailbrewing.com
Genius marketing aside—we love the stubby bottle—this is a top-notch lager that delivers subtle flavor waves you’d expect in smaller-batch beers.

Also try: Widmer W’10 Pitch Black IPA

Alameda Black Bear XX Stout

alamedabrewhouse.com
Smooth, with rich mocha flavors, this cuddly cub of a stout nuzzles tongues with a milky mix of molasses, toasted nuts, and bitter dark chocolate.

Also try: Mt Hood Brewing Hogsback Stout

Heater Allen Coastal Lager

heaterallen.com
Zippy Cascade hops and wild spice notes reined in by a placid coalition of German and British malts make this a true utility player in your fridge’s rotation.

Also try: Organic HUB Lager

Widmer Deadlift Imperial IPA

widmer.com
Taming potent, citrusy New Zealand-sourced hops—and an 8.6 percent alcohol by volume (ABV)—with sweet malt notes is proof that Widmer still innovates on a large scale.

Also try: Double Mountain Hop Lava

Bridgeport Blue Heron Pale Ale

bridgeportbrew.com
First brewed in 1987 as a tribute to Portland’s Audubon Society chapter, this pale ale continues to soar with a crisp and refreshing hop-light bite.

Also try: Alameda Klickitat Pale Ale

Cascade Gose

raclodge.com
Proffered by Cascade Brewing, the Gose has a modest alcohol content with hints of honey, lemon, and lavender.

Also try: McMenamins Ruby

Golden Valley Red Thistle

goldenvalleybrewery.com
An addictive, sweet amber with a velvety mouthfeel and toasted toffee taste.

Also try: Hair of the Dog Ruth

Lompoc Proletariat Red

newoldlompoc.com
Coppery red with subtle cherry and plum attributes balanced on a solid foundation of malt.

Also try: Laurelwood Free Range Red

Laurelwood Workhorse IPA

laurelwoodbrewpub.com
Hoppy as hell, but with enough malt on the back end and a burly 7.5 percent ABV to avoid the dreaded “bitter-beer blanch.”

Also try: Fearless Scottish Ale

Hair of the Dog Fred Golden Strong Ale

hairofthedog.com
At 10 percent ABV, Fred is no pushover. Still, the sweet and chewy body includes a sturdy dose of hops and fruit flavors.

Also try: Lompoc Special Draft

Hopworks Deluxe Organic Ale

hopworksbeer.com
It’s a testament to brewer Christian Ettinger’s skills that this strong ale is so evenly balanced. Perfectly poised between bitter and bready; muscle and malt; fruit, flower, and earth.

Also try: Amnesia ESB

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STATEWIDE BREWS

Deschutes Black Butte Porter, Bend

deschutesbrewery.com
Black Butte’s swirling dark chocolate notes and lingering roasted malt finish make it impossible to keep a sixer of this out of our grocery cart.

Also try: Southern Oregon Pin-Up Porter

Rogue Irish Lager, Newport

rogue.com
Refreshing and very drinkable lager with shades of dry grass and honey followed by a crisp champagne finish.

Also try: Caldera Lawnmower Lager

Terminal Gravity ESG, Enterprise

terminalgravitybrewing.com
This American golden ale is balanced and lightly hopped—ideal for summertime sipping—but with a bit more body and flavor than a typical lager.

Also try: Ninkasi Radiant Summer

Gilgamesh Mamba, Turner

gilgameshbrewing.com
Made with tea leaves in place of hops, Mamba is a warm-weather refresher reminiscent of a hearty sun tea spiked with a splash of grapefruit juice.

Also try: Oakshire Vit

Ninkasi Tricerihops Double IPA, Eugene

ninkasibrewing.com
A tight-wire act of herbaceous hops, creamy citrus notes, and pine resin, none of which lose their footing—or your interest.

Also try: 10 Barrel Apocalypse IPA

Pelican Tsunami Stout, Pacific City

pelicanbrewery.com
It’s dark and brooding as a storm cloud. But don’t head for higher ground just yet. Espresso, chocolate, and sweet tobacco goodness hide beneath the Tsunami’s smoky froth.

Also try: Oakshire Espresso Stout

Walkabout Worker’s Pale Ale, Central Point

541-664-7763
Big hop flavors out of the gate slowly fade to a chorus of round orange notes, which linger happily on the back of the tongue.

Also try: Deschutes Mirror Pond

10 Barrel Sinistor Black Ale, Bend

10barrel.com
All the complex roasted malt characteristics of a porter, but less aggressive in both hop-bite and alcohol content.

Also try: Rogue Dead Guy Ale

Caldera IPA, Ashland

calderabrewing.com
Packed with whole flower hops, this is a bold, juicy citrusy beer that finishes dry. (We like it right from the can.)

Also try: Terminal Gravity IPA

Bend Brewing Outback X, Bend

bendbrewingco.com
Tonya Cornett laced this 9.5 percent ABV ale with ribbon-smooth flickers of coffee and currants.

Also try: Gilgamesh Hopscotch Ale

Wakonda Beachcomber Cream Ale, Florence

541-991-0694
You have to drive to Florence to get it, yes. But when you arrive, you’ll be greeted by a garden’s worth of dancing fruit and spice notes in what might be the state’s best beer.

Also try: Pelican Kiwanda Cream Ale

Southern Oregon Na Zdravi, Medford

sobrewing.com
Honey-golden in color, this Czech-style pilsner’s tart-apple spiciness and clean, dry finish make it a beer worth revisiting.

Also try: Wakonda Sneaker Wave Pilsner

Ask a Beer Geek

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 10:06:00 -0700

Image: Bradley R. Hughes

If I’m sampling a lot of beers, is there a certain order I should try them in?

Lisa Morrison aka "The Beer Goddess" (blogger.beergoddess.com)

Similar to wine tasting, start with ones that are lighter in flavor, such as golden ales, witbiers. Next, move into more unusual flavors, like hefeweizens. Then move to richer—yet still sweet—beers, like ambers and reds. Finally, try really hoppy stuff, porters, and imperial stouts. Don’t just move from light to dark, because you can get something like a light-colored Belgian Tripel that is light in color, yet super complex. A better rule of thumb is to sniff your beer. The more complex it is in your nose, the more complex the taste will generally be. As told to Emma Hall

How does alcohol content affect beer’s taste?

John Harris (brewmaster at Full Sail Brewing Co)

You can compare it to hard alcohol. For example, a 151 rum is going to taste different than a regular rum, even to the uninitiated drinker. Alcohol is one of the threads that carries the flavor and character of beers. Stronger beers, such as winter ales or imperial IPAs, are almost numbing on your tongue; they can be described as tasting “boozy.” Stronger alcohol content leads to a certain hardiness—richer and bigger flavors. And on the other end of the spectrum, nonalcoholic beers don’t taste very good because the malts and hop flavors can’t ride on the proverbial “alcohol train,” so they taste grainy and watery. As told to Emma Hall

Which beers pair best with summer cookouts?

Jason Button (beer sommelier at Higgins)

With grilled, savory meat, you want something to offset the saltiness of the meat—something a little sweet and a little sour. Duchesse de Bourgogne, a Belgian, Flanders red beer, is delicious. It hits all the corners of the mouth, and yet it’s not overpowering. Also Ace of Spades from Hopworks, an imperial IPA, is surprisingly well-balanced, and has good hops quality. This would be great with grilled sausages on the barbecue, because the hoppiness cuts through the fat. And come summer, with sweet corn and peppers coming in, we like to steam clams in kölsch. Double Mountain in Hood River makes a nice one. So steamed clams, sweet corn, peppers, and a kölsch for yourself. Always hits the spot. As told to Christian DeBenedetti

Taste of Beervana

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 10:06:00 -0700

Image: Stuart Mullenberg

NoPo pub and bottle shop Saraveza.

Continental Selection: Saraveza

1004 N Killingsworth St; 503-206-4252; saraveza.com
The décor at this pint-size NoPo pub and bottle shop might scream Wisconsin (Green Bay Packer paraphernalia abounds), but the beer list is an ode to Old World delights. Opened in 2008, this 12-table bar and bottle shop boasts one of the biggest collections of European beers in the city, with some 66 to choose from, including an especially impressive collection of Belgians, like potent Koningshoeven Quadruple and a surprisingly tasty gluten-free variety of Green Quest Tripel. But don’t worry, Midwesterners, they’ve still got Hamm’s on tap, just for you. —Kasey Cordell

Also try: Higgins

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Image: Stuart Mullenberg

Tiny-but-cozy Tugboat Brewing Co.

Mighty Mite:
Tugboat Brewing Co

711 SW Ankeny St; 503-226-2508
Family-owned since 1992, the tiny Tugboat, which produces only a miniscule 120 gallons at a time, resembles your funky uncle’s study with a DIY bar in the back. Head brewer Terry Nelson doesn’t market his half-dozen beers any further than the Tug’s snug walls. But make no mistake—this is one vessel worth signing aboard. Unfiltered and aggressively hoppy, offerings like the brawny doppelbock and the mega-potent Chernobyl Stout (13 percent ABV!) might grow you a third arm. And if you’re just getting your sea legs, try the golden ale, whose crisp, unpolished bite will have you charting a speedy return voyage. —John Chandler

Also try: The Mash Tun Brewpub

Best Brewery Tour: Portland Brewbus

503-647-0021; brewbus.com
Launched in 1996 by beer enthusiast and avid city historian Jim Long, this Tour de Brews loads passengers up to visit as many as four area breweries every Saturday. With stops ranging from full-scale operations like Full Sail Brewery in Hood River to more intimate environs like Hair of the Dog, you’ll get sips galore and score yourself a diploma from Long’s own “College of Brew Knowledge”—not to mention a designated driver. —Rachel Ritchie

Also try: Widmer Brothers

Image: Stuart Mullenberg

Alex Ganum

Best Newcomer: Upright Brewing

240 N Broadway, Suite 2; 503-735-5337; uprightbrewing.com
Upright’s only been open since last summer, but brewmaster Alex Ganum is making considerable headway against the hoppy hegemony so prevalent in Portland with his Euro-inspired “farmhouse” ales. They are uniformly hearty, yeasty, and laced with exotic fruit-and-spice flavors. Beer geeks with adventurous palates have been flocking to Upright’s tasting room on the weekends bearing growlers, jars, buckets, and anything else that will hold a sample. —JC

Also try: Hair of the Dog’s new taproom

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Best Bottle Shop: Belmont Station

4500 SE Stark St; 503-232-8538; belmont-station.com
Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall? Yeah, right. More like 1,000 at this 13-year-old emporium of ale. Inside, neatly marked sections—Oregon, Belgian, Craft Six-Packs, for example—help you zero in on your picks, as does sampling any of the 17 beers on tap in the bottle shop’s onsite Bier-cafe. Staffers are helpful when asked, but, thankfully, they won’t stalk you as you wander the store, gape-mouthed, checking out labels. Though we just might, if you snatch up the last bottle of that sought-after Pliny the Elder. —KC

Image: Stuart Mullenberg

Geoff Phillips, Bailey’s Taproom.

Also try: By the Bottle, Vancouver

Best Rotating Taps:
Bailey’s Taproom

213 SW Broadway; 503-295-1004; baileystaproom.com
This downtown taproom’s selection of 20 rotating, largely regional taps changes daily, if not hourly. Bailey’s chipper cast of beer nerds make great suggestions, but if you’re still torn, try the five-beer sampler tray ($7.50) before settling on a full pint. And there’s no chow here, so remember, if a stiff barleywine sets your head spinning, Santería, the taqueria next door, will happily deliver directly to your barstool. —RR

Also try: Green Dragon

Best Beer Bar: Horse Brass Pub

4534 SE Belmont St; 503-232-2202; horsebrass.com
Beyond its abundant taps (a whopping 53), it’s the Horse Brass’s deeper charms that really soak our hops. For starters, we can pair authentic British staples (we’re talkin’ bangers, pasties, and Scotch eggs) with 7 a.m. World Cup matches or late-night dart competitions. And, sipped amid a smorgasbord of dark wood, stained glass, and Anglophilic décor, any pint we sample here inevitably tastes better. In other words, this place proves that character counts—especially when it comes to beer. —RR

Also try: Henry’s 12th Street Tavern

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Best Happy Hour: Bridgeport Brewpub

1313 NW Marshall St; 503-241-3612; bridgeportbrew.com
This granddaddy of Oregon brewers hasn’t forgotten that a key ingredient for a great brew is making it easy to share with friends. For proof, drop by Bridgeport’s expansive Pearl District brewpub any weekday between 4 and 6 p.m., when pints from their collection of hallmark ales go for a mere $3. If the fire sale on beers doesn’t rally your crew, then plates of steamed mussels and honkin’ pulled-pork sammies for under six bucks will. —RR

Also try: Laurelwood Public House

Best Brewpub Overall: Hopworks Urban Brewery

Image: Stuart Mullenberg

Hopworks Urban Brewery

2944 SE Powell Blvd; 503-232-4677; hopworksbeer.com
Organic beer, locally sourced food, and a bar bedecked with bike frames: could there be a more Portland brewpub? We think not. Plus, it’s all delicious, whether you’re chowing down on the meaty Warrior Wings or the crispy, thin-crust Margherita pizza, or sipping a pint of smooth, balanced Velvet ESB. Fair warning: Hopworks packs ’em in every night, so if you’re looking to cede from the tide of devoted HUB-heads, stake out “the nook.” The tiny, shiplike alcove, complete with a port window, has room for eight close pals—and, of course, a pitcher or two of Secession Black IPA. —KC

Also try: Lucky Labrador Public House

Best-Kept Secret: Pilsner Room at the Harborside

0309 SW Montgomery St; 503-220-1865; mccormickandschmicks.com
Just about every Portlander knows about the Pilsner Room’s sublime riverside views. But even longtime patrons of this elegant waterfront outpost might be surprised to learn that celebrated Full Sail brewmaster John Harris uses the shoebox-size brewery here as a laboratory for his exclusive creations. The taps change weekly, but you’ll always find eight of Harris’s “pilot” beers behind the bar. This summer’s variations include a luxuriously honeyed Vesuvius Belgian Ale and a rejuvenating Spotless IPA, either of which is perfectly suited for an afternoon’s idyll by the Willamette. —JC

Also try: Apex

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Best Homebrew Supply Shop: F.H. Steinbart

234 SE 12th Ave; 503-232-8793; fhsteinbart.com
When you’re ready to graduate from mere beer fan to malt-crazed mad scientist, make Steinbart’s your first stop. The oldest homebrew shop in the country, this Southeast Portland supplier offers everything a budding brewer could desire: hops, yeast, bottles, grain mills, brewing pots. The staff, who carry 100 years of combined experience with them, is more than able to trouble-shoot that finicky milk stout recipe of yours, too. And once you’ve nailed it, we’re betting you’re going to want one of Steinbart’s custom-made kegerators to store your results. Just remember to invite us to the release party. —KC

Also try: Let’s Brew

Best Irish, Scottish, & English Selection: Highland StillHouse

Image: Stuart Mullenberg

Highland Stillhouse

201 Second St, Oregon City; 503-723-6789; highlandstillhouse.com
Already known for its exceptional whiskey selection, the Highland Stillhouse is no slouch when it comes to Scotland’s other national beverage (ale) either, with 60 varieties here hailing from those windswept moors. Six of the Stillhouse’s 14 taps are dedicated to Irish, English, or Scottish brews, from the standard Guinness to micros like Belhaven Twisted Thistle IPA. Surrounded by the dimly lit pub’s green walls and creaky wood booths, you’ll almost forget that you’re not in Scotland. That is, until you head out to the sprawling deck, where you can watch the river tumble down Willamette Falls. —KC

Also try: Moon & Sixpence

The New Masters

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 09:50:00 -0700

Image: Stuart Mullenberg

Ron Gansberg

Cascade Brewing Co
To the truly devoted beer geeks, tart, barrel-aged beers are the next IPAs, and Ron Gansberg—a veteran of the wine industry and stints with both Bridgeport Brewing Co and Portland Brewing Co—is Stumptown’s master sourpuss. His Belgian-style brews (aged in wine, whiskey, and port barrels) crackle with acidic notes and woody tannins that blur stylistic lines. After brewing out of the Raleigh Hills—based Raccoon Lodge since the late ’90s, Gansberg is set to open the Cascade Brewery Barrel House in Southeast Portland. The 6,000-square-foot facility, with barrel-aging rooms and 18 taps, all but screams, “Pucker up, Portland.”

Favorite brew: Cascade Kriek 2009, a sour red-style ale that’s been refermented with two kinds of Northwest cherries in French oak barrels and aged for up to 16 months.

Christian Ettinger

Image: Stuart Mullenberg

HUB (Hopworks Urban Brewery)
San Francisco native Christian Ettinger found his beer inspiration in Cologne, Germany, touring the city’s famed kölsch producers and hanging out in atmospheric bierstubes during college. Back in the States, he attended brewing school through the Vermont-based American Brewers Guild, and then honed his skills at Eugene City Brewery and the Old World Pub & Brewery, which later became the Laurelwood Public House. The experiences paid off: in 2008 Ettinger opened his own eco-chic brewpub in Southeast Portland, using local organic grains and innovative green-brewing practices (such as rainwater capture systems for cleaning and heat recycling). Now that HUB is filled to capacity every night, there’s another location on the way, and plans for extending distribution to Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia.

Favorite brew: HUB Lager. “It’s so simple and stark,” says Ettinger. “There’s little body to hide behind; there’s no formidable hop character to hide behind. It has to be made perfect every time.”

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Image: Stuart Mullenberg

Tonya Cornett

Bend Brewing Co
Tonya Cornett grew up in Marion, Indiana—Bud Country. But when she moved to beer-mad Fort Collins, Colorado (home to über-successful New Belgium Brewing Co), in 1995 and landed a job in a 40-tap bar, she got so fired up about craft beer that she began making her own. A couple of apprenticeships and a brewing degree from the prestigious World Brewing Academy later (along with training in Munich, Germany), Cornett found herself in the top spot at Bend Brewing Co, making her one of just a handful female brewmasters in the nation. Soon after, she became the first woman to win the small-brewpub brewer-of-the-year award at the World Beer Cup, in 2008. In April her Outback X ale took home top honors at the 2010 World Beer Cup.

Favorite brew: Hop-Head, Cornett’s imperial IPA, is a Bend standby. “I don’t think I could ever brew enough to make everyone happy,” she says.

Image: Stuart Mullenberg

Jamie Floyd

Ninkasi Brewing Co
Back in 1994, Jamie Floyd was just another homebrewer at the University of Oregon. After graduation, he scored a gig working the kettles at Steelhead Brewery in Eugene and proved to be a quick study: today Floyd has 40 staff members to help brew nearly 10,000 barrels annually (up from just 1,600 barrels when Ninkasi started in 2006), not to mention a rabid fan base. Ninkasi is the state’s No. 1 seller of 22-ounce bottled beer. In part by harnessing the power of social networks (Floyd boasts about 10,000 Facebook fans) and clever guerrilla marketing tactics like his Ninkasi logo “Bat Signal” spotlight in Eugene, the upstart beer-lover’s hero has quickly conquered Oregon. Next up: the world?

Favorite brew: Last year, Total Domination IPA was the top-selling 22-ounce beer in the state and 10th in the nation, with just four states (Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Idaho) selling it. You do the math.

Image: Stuart Mullenberg

Ike Manchester

Widmer Brothers Brewing Co, Rose Garden facility
Massachusetts-bred Ike Manchester first got his brewing legs at a small Northern California brewpub and later at the vaunted Siebel Institute of Chicago, a brewing school. After a chance meeting with a Widmer brewer, Manchester headed to Portland to man the tiny Rose Quarter pilot brewery where Widmer develops new releases like its Prickly Pear Braggot. Manchester also heads up Widmer’s Collaborator Project, which helps out a few homebrewers each year by developing their recipes for a run on the big boys’ equipment. Under Manchester’s watchful eye, the beer goes on tap at select area pubs, and can even become legendary: Snow Plow, a 1998 Collaborator beer, was tweaked in 2004, released commercially, and earned a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival.

Favorite brew: Manchester loves brewing the limited-production Alt Bier, on tap at the Widmer Brothers Gasthaus. A favorite of the late beer writer Michael Jackson, the beer is a cult classic in Portland.

Choosing the Right Glass

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 09:49:00 -0700

Image: Bradley R. Hughes

CLOCKWISE Pint, Snifter, Weizen, Pilsner, Tulip, Mug.

A GOOD BARKEEP knows there’s more to serving beer than just reaching for a cold mug. “The wrong glass can be sacrilege to some,” says Leslie Bucher, the bar manager at North 45 pub. The correct vessel, she notes, is less about good looks than enhancing taste. Below, Bucher explains which glass works best for your suds.

Pint

A barroom staple, this familiar glass has a large surface area to help release the aromas of a variety of brews. Best for ales, porters, stouts, and most commercial beers.

Snifter

The snifter’s wide bottom agitates volatiles—the oils behind a beer’s fragrant nose—enhancing flavor as you sip. Best for Belgian sours, red ales, and barleywine.

Weizen

Designed specifically for wheat beers, this vessel’s leggy shape allows room for lots of airy—and aromatic—foam. Thin walls spotlight rich, golden tones. Best for hefeweizens.

Pilsner

A narrow body promotes carbonation, which floats the less assertive scents of certain lagers or pilsners toward the mouth of the glass. Best for Czech pilsners and lambics.

Tulip

The bulbous base stirs up volatiles, while the tulip’s flared lip cradles a thick head of foam, intensifying aroma. Best for Belgian strong ales and Belgian-style IPAs.

Mug

The sturdy build can endure numerous clinks from rowdy pubgoers. And an offset handle keeps warm hands off the glass, helping beer stay cold. Best for Märzen and other German lagers.

Beer Meets Grill

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 09:00:00 -0700

JULY 4 (or any other date through September) is the perfect time to pair up two good friends: beer and barbecue. Since we live in a place where a recent governor declared July to be Oregon Craft Beer Month and ranch to table is tradition rather than trend, let’s make that really good beer and barbecue. We invited three hometown brewers, who also have some serious culinary chops, to help you match-make. They all prepared a brew-inspired backyard bash with one of their own handpicked summer seasonals. For each menu, we added three of our personal picks, too. Don’t be afraid to set them up with your own favorite grill grub. These beers all share a subtle range of fresh flavors and have a modest alcohol level (6 percent ABV or less), which means they’ll pair well with just about anything. So sit back and watch the sparks fly. Don’t forget to try out the recipes at home. (Download them here.)

THE BREWER: CHRISTIAN ETTINGER
FROM HOPWORKS URBAN BREWERY

THE BREWER:ALEX GANUM
FROM UPRIGHT BREWING

THE BREWER: RON GANSBERG
FROM CASCADE BREWING

PLUS! Our Picks for the Best Local Summer Brews:

Brat-Worthy Beer:: Double Mountain Kölsch; Full Sail LTD No. 3; Heater Allen Pils

Beef-Worthy Beer:: Laurelwood Organic Pale Ale; Lompoc Kick Axe; Oakshire Line Dry Rye Pale Ale

Bird-Worthy Beer:: Bridgeport Summer Squeeze; Burnside Brewing Sweet Heat; Widmer Citra Blonde Summer Brew

AND Web Exclusive Side-dish and Dessert Recipes from Our Brewers!

From Christian Ettinger of Hopworks:: Caesar Salad with Spicy Lager Shrimp; Pineapple Upside-Down Lager Cake

From Alex Ganum of Upright Brewing:: Grilled Romaine Salad; Cheese and Quince Jelly

From Ron Gansberg of Cascade Brewing:: Spicy Melon

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THE BREWER: CHRISTIAN ETTINGER

FROM HOPWORKS URBAN BREWERY

Image: Michael Cogliantry

The Hopworks Urban Brewery founder has had a nearly lifelong fascination with beer (“It’s the perfect marriage of art and science—with a little inebriation thrown in”), from disastrous early experiments with malt and hops in his parents’ kitchen to a semester spent in Germany learning about traditional European brewing culture. Over the last 16 years, Ettinger has served as brewer for Eugene City Brewery and Laurelwood Brewing. But since Hopworks’ inception in 2007, he’s also had a hand in devising the pub’s signature comfort food. It’s instinctual, Ettinger says, crediting his German heritage. “Even the food is beer driven.”

ETTINGER’S PICK

HOPWORKS ORGANIC LAGER

Image: Michael Novak

Anyone who still carries a torch for bland mass-marketed suds needs to be properly introduced to this lovely lager. Balanced and buoyant, it’s an easy-drinking beer with surprising body and complexity.
Ettinger says that the beer derives its character from the inclusion of Saaz hops. “The lager is crisp and dry, but the spiciness of the hop acts as a flavor hook for the pepper and garlic. And when the sausage begins to caramelize on the grill, the honey and malt characters bring out the delicate flavors,” he says. “These flavors all exist in your palate, so it makes sense for them to play off each other rather than beat each other up.”

THE MENU

BLACK PEPPER GARLIC SAUSAGE AND LAGER MUSTARD

Image: Michael Cogliantry

BLACK PEPPER GARLIC SAUSAGE
Poach the sausages (from Olympic Provisions if possible) in boiling water and lager (3 parts water to 1 part beer).

Place fully cooked sausages on grill to mark.

Add grilled sausage, sauerkraut, and lager mustard to a fresh hoagie roll.

LAGER MUSTARD
Mix HUB Organic Lager with Inglehoffer Stone Ground Mustard, 1 part beer to 3 parts mustard. Whisk briskly.

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THE BREWER: ALEX GANUM

FROM UPRIGHT BREWING

Image: Michael Cogliantry

Alex Ganum was a brewing virgin when he moved to town 10 years ago, but he had the good fortune to immediately fall in with a merry band of homebrewers. He went on to apprentice at upstate New York’s famed Belgian-style Brewery Ommegang, then returned to Portland and started Upright Brewing in 2009. Last year he became a co-owner and beer curator for Grain and Gristle restaurant. His family hails from Argentina, where huge, daylong cookouts are commonplace, and he fervently believes that sweetbreads (the thymus gland of a cow) is not only a superb addition to any barbecue, but that it’s criminally overlooked here in the Northwest.

GANUM’S PICK

UPRIGHT FOUR (FARMHOUSE WHEAT)

Image: Michael Novak

The most popular warm-weather beer in Ganum’s ale arsenal, the Four crackles on the palate with a subdued hop count but an infinity of malt characteristics.

Ganum selected this beer for its mellow temperament—the ideal mate to his gutsy, Argentine menu. “It doesn’t overpower anything,” he says. “The sweetbreads are delicate, so the beer and food match up perfectly.” He likes a beer that lingers on the taste buds to maintain flavor accumulation. “The Four has a long finish, which draws out the fatty flavors of the sweetbreads,” he says.

THE MENU

GRILLED SWEETBREADS

Image: Michael Cogliantry

GRILLED SWEETBREADS
3 whole sweetbreads (available at Laurelhurst Market or Chop Charcuterie)

The preparation is simplicity itself. Ganum says to blanch the sweetbreads in boiling salted water for 1–3 minutes, or until firm. After cooling in ice water and drying fully, salt the meat liberally and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes—flipping once or twice—until a crispy crust has formed on both sides. Cut into medallions and serve. One sweetbread should feed two people. Add a squeeze of lemon to brighten up the flavor.

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THE BREWER: RON GANSBERG

FROM CASCADE BREWING

Image: Michael Cogliantry

Résumés among Northwest brewers aren’t built with more bona fides than Gansberg’s. Even before his 13 illustrious years with Cascade Brewing, he spent time with Portland Brewing and Bridgeport. If there’s any doubt that he was born for his job, consider that at age 12, he became his neighborhood’s root beer baron. Culinary instincts run deep in his Celtic-French family tree. Or as he puts it, “There’s Brittany, Normandy, Gourmandy, and Gluttony.”

GANSBERG’S PICK

CASCADE SUMMER GOSE

Image: Michael Novak

Cascade’s seasonal comes from a 1,000-year-old German style recently resurrected from obscurity. It’s an unfiltered wheat beer that presents a parade of different flavors, from lemon to sweet malt to lightly sour to a tingle of salt.

Gansberg explains that his curry rub imparts “fairly intense” flavors to the chicken. The lemon and “ephemeral sweetness” from his beer blends nicely with the bird’s hot, peppery personality. But, he adds, the acidity and carbonation of the Gose also cleanse the palate. “There should be an evolution of flavor with each bite,” Gansberg says. “I want to have a clean palate so I can taste the other things on my plate.”

THE MENU

GRILLED CHICKEN WITH CURRY RUB

GRILLED CHICKEN WITH CURRY RUB
2 tbsp yellow curry powder

1 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp cracked pepper

1 tbsp salt

½ tsp cayenne

Combine ingredients in a bowl and rub thoroughly on one chicken—apply less rub for a chicken that’s been halved or quartered. Refrigerate bird for 4 hours to let flavors absorb before grilling. Slow-cook till tender on medium heat.
We recommend chickens from Taylor Made Farms, which can be purchased from Eat Oregon First (eatoregonfirst.com). But Draper Valley chickens are just fine and easier to get.

Beervana

Best Beers

LOCAL BREWS

Upright Six

Full Sail Session Black

Alameda Black Bear XX Stout

Heater Allen Coastal Lager

Widmer Deadlift Imperial IPA

Bridgeport Blue Heron Pale Ale

Cascade Gose

Golden Valley Red Thistle

Lompoc Proletariat Red

Laurelwood Workhorse IPA

Hair of the Dog Fred Golden Strong Ale

Hopworks Deluxe Organic Ale

STATEWIDE BREWS

Deschutes Black Butte Porter, Bend

Rogue Irish Lager, Newport

Terminal Gravity ESG, Enterprise

Gilgamesh Mamba, Turner

Ninkasi Tricerihops Double IPA, Eugene

Pelican Tsunami Stout, Pacific City

Walkabout Worker’s Pale Ale, Central Point

10 Barrel Sinistor Black Ale, Bend

Caldera IPA, Ashland

Bend Brewing Outback X, Bend

Wakonda Beachcomber Cream Ale, Florence

Southern Oregon Na Zdravi, Medford

Ask a Beer Geek

If I’m sampling a lot of beers, is there a certain order I should try them in?

How does alcohol content affect beer’s taste?

Which beers pair best with summer cookouts?

Taste of Beervana

Continental Selection: Saraveza

Mighty Mite: Tugboat Brewing Co

Best Brewery Tour: Portland Brewbus

Best Newcomer: Upright Brewing

Best Bottle Shop: Belmont Station

Best Rotating Taps: Bailey’s Taproom

Best Beer Bar: Horse Brass Pub

Best Happy Hour: Bridgeport Brewpub

Best Brewpub Overall: Hopworks Urban Brewery

Best-Kept Secret: Pilsner Room at the Harborside

Best Homebrew Supply Shop: F.H. Steinbart

Best Irish, Scottish, & English Selection: Highland StillHouse

The New Masters

Ron Gansberg

Christian Ettinger

Tonya Cornett

Jamie Floyd

Ike Manchester

Choosing the Right Glass

Pint

Snifter

Weizen

Pilsner

Tulip

Mug

Beer Meets Grill

THE BREWER: CHRISTIAN ETTINGER

ETTINGER’S PICK

THE MENU

THE BREWER: ALEX GANUM

GANUM’S PICK

THE MENU

THE BREWER: RON GANSBERG

GANSBERG’S PICK

THE MENU

Mighty Mite:
Tugboat Brewing Co

Best Rotating Taps:
Bailey’s Taproom