BAR PILOT

The Brews in June

Summer of Suds begins now!

Posted by: Carly Scheick on Jun 03, 2011 at 01:00PM 0 Comments

In our never-ending quest to keep you abreast of as many brew fests as humanly possible, allow us to present another installment of Mark Your Calendar.

Zoo Brew

It’s time to go hog-wild at the fifth annual Zoo Brew! Over 35 breweries will be pouring sudsy samples to refresh your flagging spirits. Your ticket price entitles you to live music and admission to the zoo. Do not—we repeat—do not pass out in the bear enclosure.

Where: Oregon Zoo
When: Friday, June 3 @ 5-10pm
How Much: $30 in advance, $35 at the door. Includes tasting glass, 10 tokens, and admission to the zoo. 21 and over.

Amnesia Single Hop Fest

We Northwesties do love our hops, and for good reason. This is the world’s second-largest hop region, and ours have their own special flair. But if put to the test, could we identify one hop from another?

Amnesia Brewing’s Single Hop Fest is a chance for you to get fresh with your hops, while keeping it monogamous. Nine breweries will be brewing nine beers (except Amnesia, who has two single-hop seasonals) made from a single variety of hop from start to finish. Along with your beer, you’ll get a cone of the hops with descriptions so you can learn more about what each variety offers.

Participants will include Burnside Brewing, Caldera Brewing, Cascade Brewing, Coalition Brewing, Double Mountain Brewing, Rogue Brewing, and Upright Brewing.

Where: Amnesia Brewing
When: Saturday, June 4 @ 12-8 PM
How Much: $2 per ticket (2 tickets for a full glass). No minors.

North American Organic Beer Festival

The concept behind the North American Organic Beer Festival is simple (and ambitious)—host the most earth-friendly beer festival in North America. They’ll be pouring 50 organic beers and ciders, all into reusable, compostable cornstarch glasses made using solar power (science FTW!). The festival is set with live music, a children’s zone, and lots of eco-compliant vendors. Be forewarned, there’s no parking. Bring the tandem bike, leave the car.

With our powers combined, we can make damn good beer in a sustainable, environmentally conscious manner.

Where: Overlook Park, N Fremont St & Interstate Ave.
When: Friday & Saturday, June 24 & 25 (Noon – 9 PM), Sunday, June 26 (Noon – 5 PM)
How Much: Free admission, all ages. $6 tasting glass (required for tasting), $1 per token (4 tokens for a full glass, 1 token for 4 oz. taster). $1 off glass with validate MAX ticket, onsite bike corral ticket, or 3 cans of food.

Portland Fruit Beer Festival

Last, but certainly not least, check out the first-ever Portland Fruit Beer Festival (click to read full post by Eat Beat’s Allison Jones).

Where: Burnside Brewing – 701 E. Burnside
When: Saturday, June 11th (11 to 9 pm) and Sunday, June 12th (11 to 6 pm)
How Much: Free to enter, All ages. $6 Tasting Glass (required to taste), $1 per drink ticket (4 tickets for a full glass). Buzz Tent beers 2-3 Tickets for 4oz pours; Special Package: 1 Tasting Glass and 10 Tickets for $15

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Tags: Beer Festivals, Amnesia Brewing, Burnisde Brewing, Organic Beer

Tappy Days

A bonanza of brew fests

Posted by: John Chandler on Apr 14, 2011 at 03:30PM 4 Comments

You might need two Sharpies to circle all these dates on your quaffing calendar. Yes brew believers, you are indeed living in the best of all possible worlds as the next four weeks brings us enough beer blasts to plaster a platoon of parched frat boys. Needless to say, in a town that prides itself on constant innovation and sudsy style points, average ales are not on the menu.

Firkin Fest On Saturday, Rogue Brewing hosts the fourth annual Firkin Fest, a split-session soiree of beers that are unpasteurized, unfiltered, carbonated in the cask, and served at room temperature. Some 30 Oregon breweries, including Bridgeport, Full Sail, Cascade, Upright, and Natian will be in attendance to pour decidedly distinctive ales. Ticket purchases goes to help Buckman Elementary School, so buy a whole bunch of them,

GermanFest 2011 Get ready to hoist a stein or two as the lads at Bailey’s Tap Room don their leather shorts and Tyrolean hats starting at 4 PM on Saturday afternoon. Here, a cadre of Oregon’s best breweries have created exclusive ales brewed with Old World recipes. Bocks, dopplebocks, Berlinerweisses, goses, and rauchbiers will flow from the likes of Heater Allen, Lompoc, Laurelwood, and Alameda. Ich bin ein beer drinker!

Spring Beer and Wine Festival Every year sipping sophisticates come from miles around to sample the suds, vino, and artisan munchies on display at the Oregon Convention Center. Big-name breweries and regional upstarts like Flat Tail and Calapooia will be jockeying for your tokens. Remember, it’s a two-day event, so no need to hit every single booth in one afternoon. Save a little room for Saturday.

Portland Cheers to Belgian Beers Burned out on IPA? Bid the hops a fond farewell at this celebration of yeasty, malty, Belgian-style ales. Participating brewers from Hopworks, Fort George, Lucky Lab, and Deschutes (to name just a few) actually threw darts at a specially marked board to help them decide if their brews would be light or dark in color, and strong or light in alcohol content. Taste the difference!

Cascade Saison Festival Saison, or farmhouse ales, originate from the 19th century in rural France and Belgium, where impromptu farmhouse breweries would quickly crank out these creamy, crisp, and substantial beers to whet the whistles of their seasonal laborers (saison means “season”, duh!). Rough and tumble brews from Block 15, Breakside, Oakshire, and Double Mountain will be on tap, but keep your eyes on the home team. Cascade brewmaster Ron Gansberg is one of the most skilled and imaginative cats in the business.

That’s a whole lot of beer—and it’s not even summer yet!

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Tags: Beer Festivals, Cascade Brewing, Green Dragon, Belgian Beer, German Beer

Happy Birthday, Dear Beer!

Three of our best breweries light the candles

Posted by: John Chandler on Mar 15, 2011 at 10:00AM 3 Comments

March is loaded with birthdays I would do well to remember. Darryl Strawberry…Paul Kantner… Dr. Seuss… the list goes on. Around these parts, a trio of noteworthy brewing operations also are lighting some anniversary candles and I’m taking this opportunity to offer up my best wishes to the following folks who are always there for me when my thirst for hops gets the upper hand. Cheers one and all!

Laurelwood Brewing Brawny-but-balanced brews like Workhorse IPA and Free Range Red have provided me with countless hours of inspiration and merriment. To celebrate 10 years in the beer biz, Laurelwood will be throwing a birthday bash this Friday at the Laurelwood Pub & Brewery (5115 NE Sandy) from 5-11. Laurelwood brews will be a paltry $2.50 a pint and lucky attendees can look forward to a taste of two spanking-new beers from head brewer Chad Kennedy. The “Big O” Organic Pale Ale (named for the great Oscar Robertson, perhaps?) and the Imperial Workhorse IPA (just like the excellent Workhorse IPA—but bigger!). Cheers to Kennedy and owner Mike De Kalb.

Upright Brewing Brew master Alex Ganum and his hardworking colleagues are marking their second anniversary with a party at the Upright tasting room (240 N. Broadway, Suite 002) this Sunday from 1-6. The star of the show will be Four Play, a sour farmhouse cherry wheat beer that’s been aged in pinot barrels. Brew believers, do not miss this one; it’s based on Four, Upright’s awesome wheat beer that’s been barrel-aged for a year with a load of cherries. Also making an appearance will be the guest of honor from last year’s soiree, the Apricot Anniversary Ale, aged in Ransom Spirits Old Tom Gin barrels. In fact, it’s safe to say you’ll have a barrel of fun!

Redhook I’ve been knocking back Redhook long before the term craft beer was bandied about. Back in my rock ‘n’ roll days we referred to such tasty titles as Ballard Bitter (now called Long Hammer IPA) and spicy seasonals like Winterhook as “microbrews” (it seems almost quaint now). True, this long-running operation is based in Seattle, but it was the first microbrew to gain national distribution and thus helped pave the way for others to follow. In honor of its 30th anniversary, Redhook has unveiled it’s “back-to-basics” stubby-neck 12 oz. bottle along with some new packaging and color-coded label design. Soon to come from Redhook will be a pilsner style and its Copperhook will be available in cans.

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Tags: Beer Festivals, Craft Beers, Upright Brewing, New Beer, Redhook Brewing, Laurelwood Brewing

More Drinking Dates

Everything from soup to so long, Tommy

Posted by: John Chandler on Feb 22, 2011 at 03:00PM 2 Comments

Chowderheads rejoice!

No rest for the wicked liver.

Lompoc Brewing’s Annual Chowder Challenge Now that’s good chowder! If you’re a seafood fan with a craving for clams, you’ll want to pipe yourself over to the Fifth Quadrant on Saturday to help determine the People’s Choice Winner at the Fifth Annual Lompoc Brewing Chowder Challenge. The festivities actually commence on Friday night with a shrimp boil between 6-9, where for $12 a plate you can load up on andouille sausage, shrimp, spuds, corn, and all sorts of yummy sides. From noon-5 on Saturday, 14 pubs and eateries, including Green Dragon, Hopworks, Laurelwood, and EAT: An Oyster Bar, will ladle up their finest chowder in order to impress not only you, the public, but an esteemed panel of guest judges including Lisa Morrison (aka, the Beer Goddess), the Portland Tribune’s Bread & Brew columnist Anne Marie DiStefano (aka, the Whiskey Widow), and yours truly (aka, the Bar Pilot, aka, the Handsome Lad). My credentials? I grew up on the coast, my family owns a fishing boat, and I ate clam chowder at least once a week from 1965-80. Of course, when you’re at one of the Lompoc locales, a river of beautiful beer is only a waitress away.

Hillsdale Brewfest If you’ve still got some room after stuffing yourself with chowder, the Hillsdale Brewery and Pub is the site of the annual Hillsdale Brewfest, in which 20 McMenamins brewers will square off to see which of them will represent the company at July’s Oregon Brewer’s Festival. Again, your votes will decide the winner. It’s just like American Idol except with lots of beer and no crappy singers—a 100 percent improvement IMHO.

Lucky Lab’s Barley Wine and Big Beer Festival There’s no room for Coors Light at this annual skull-smashing soiree. Some 40 brews—strong ales, old ales, vinter varmers, barley wines, and other potent potables—will be on tap at the Lucky Lab Beer Hall on NW Quimby, Mar 4-5. You will need to purchase a glass and tokens—not to mention a taxi.

Bon Voyage, Tommy One of Portland’s best bartenders, Tommy Klus, was recently awarded a grant from Tales of the Cocktail’s apprentice foundation to study scotch-making at the Bruichladdich distillery in Islay, Scotland. To make sure young Tommy has a bit of walking around money in the U.K., his pals at the Teardrop Lounge are throwing a fundraiser on his behalf, Sunday Mar 6 at 6. A roster of all-star bartenders will prepare an enchanting array of cruise-themed cocktails (Grog, Quarter-decks, among others). If you’re wonder about the dress code, head bartender Daniel Shoemaker suggests “luxury liner during Prohibition.” Hmmm. I’ll have to get the sherry stains out of my camel’s hair coat, but it shouldn’t be a problem.

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Tags: Beer Festivals, Cocktails, Lompoc Brewing Company, Teardrop Lounge, McMenamins, Lucky Lab

Drinking Dates

A few items for your quaffing calendar

Posted by: John Chandler on Jan 25, 2011 at 12:00PM 2 Comments

What’s a brew believer to do? You’ve already dipped your beak in all the winter ales worth wrangling and the warm-weather beer festivals are still oceans of time away. Cheer up drinking buddies! Instead of trying to figure out a hangman’s knot that will bear your weight, you would do well to make note of these upcoming events that should do wonders for restoring your hibernating happy face!

First Annual Scottish Ale Festival No need to stare forlornly at the horizon. The Cascade Brewing Barrel House is hosting a sudsy salute to Scottish Ales this Saturday from 3 to 11. Nine regional breweries, including Cascade, Lucky Lab, Fearless, Rock Bottom, Coalition, and Upright, will have specially brewed ales in the house for your sipping pleasure. There will be some Scottish sustenance available (haggis?), and Cascade brewmaster Ron Gansberg is bringing in his band Stone Porridge to provide some trad Scottish music. Join the cult of the kilt!

Hop & Vine Bottle Shop Opening I’ve sung the praises of this sophisticated North Portland saloon on several occasions, so I’m pleased as a weasel to announce its expansion into the space next door to serve as a bigger bottle shop to house Hop & Vine’s well-curated collection of beer, wine, sake, and mead. Festivities take place Feb 5 from 3 to 7. Reps from Hopworks, Upright, Heater Allen, and Elysian will be on hand to pour some free tastings. And for the vino-centric, folks from Grochau Cellars, Winderlea Wines, Purple Hands, and Trust Cellars are likewise expected to be present. “All well and good, but I like cocktails!” you say to yourself. First of all, you should stop talking to yourself; your reputation is already on shaky ground. Secondly, at the stroke of 7, Metrovino mixologist Jacob Grier will take over with $5 drink specials featuring libations from House Spirits and Ransom Spirits. Name your poison—you’re covered.

Van Havig Night! Havig, the outspoken brewmaster from the local chapter of Rock Bottom Brewing parted company with his corporate overlords earlier this month after 16 years. Havig is certainly one of the most knowledgeable brewers I’ve ever had the pleasure to chat with, and any regional brewery would count itself lucky to hire a man with his skills, taste, and wit. On Feb 8 at the new Grain & Gristle, some of his brewing comrades from Lompoc, Widmer, Barley Brown, and Ninkasi will pay tribute to Havig, with small-batch beers brewed in his honor.

KLCC Microbrew Festival Our sister city to the south gets in on the brewfest action on Feb 11-12 with a benefit blast to help keep Eugene’s public radio station, KLCC, sounding off loud and proud. Some 50 breweries will be represented including local heroes like Ninkasi, Steelhead, Track Town, and Oakshire, not too mention one of my faves, little Wakonda Brewing from Florence.

Zwickelmania 3.0 For the third straight year, the Oregon Brewer’s Guild offers the beer curious the chance to jump on a bus and tour some of the state’s top breweries on Feb 19. Meet your brewing idols (OMG! OMG! OMG! John Harris is such a dreamboat!) and get a taste of what’s cooking in the tank. There are tours taking place in Bend and Hood River, but here in Beervana attendees can swing by Alameda, Amnesia, Breakside, Bridgeport, and many more. And it’s friggin’ free!

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Tags: Beer Festivals, Craft Beers, Widmer Brothers Brewing, Cascade Brewing, Ninkasi Brewing, Hop and Vine, Brewery Tours, Wakonda Brewing

More Ale Fest

Chugging and chatting at HAF 2010

Posted by: John Chandler on Dec 03, 2010 at 03:00PM 4 Comments

Good on me for having the sense to arrive at the Holiday Ale Festival shortly before 2. There were plenty of people present but the lion’s share of the attendees were probably still at work trying to cough their way out early with wildly exaggerated flu symptoms. The lines were extremely manageable.

One can tell a holiday ale fan at a glance: they’re big and bearded (the guys anyway, only a few of the gals), a winter beer flavor profile made flesh. Hearty and highly insulated, we’re happier than Dracula at a hemophiliacs hoedown, comparing elusive spices (“Cardamom? Clove? Cinnamon?”) and the mysterious influence of wood (“Bourbon? Pinot? Brandy?”) on the barrel-aged brews.

There were a few topics of conversation that seemed to be making the rounds. Some of the old-timers were miffed about having to wear paper wristbands. A wristband is tolerable if you’re only attending one day of a festival, but expecting return visitors to keep the damn things on for three or four days is ludicrous. For one thing, you look like a nincompoop when you’re anywhere other than the fest. For another, they begin to chafe if left on indefinitely. Could we just get microchipped or something?

Another lively debate popped up on the subject of aged beers. I was tipping a sample of the Deschutes Jubal 2000 (a special pour that cost the princely sum of two tasting tickets!), a 10-year-old version of the company’s signature Jubelale. I thought it was serviceable, but a few of the fellows at my table were not pleased and proclaimed the concept of barrel-aging to be a scam. “We’re not wine drinkers!” one of them bellowed. “We drink beer and we don’t want to wait 10 years for it! And it costs a fortune!” Just stick with it, guys, and you’ll soon be singing a different tune. Life is full of surprises and disappointments. Not every beer is robust enough to stand up to the forces of time and oxidation.

For instance, Hopworks Brewing was represented by a stellar selection called Kentucky Christmas that was as inspiring and complex as a Debussy orchestral work. After aging Hopworks’ Abominable Winter Ale in Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels, the resultant brew was not only bold but replete with subtle shadings of vanilla, caramel, and toasty malts. I nursed my two-ounce sample with ultimate care, treasuring it like a gift from the beer gods.

The other brew that annihilated my palate was the Figgy Pudding Olde Stock from the much ballyhooed Block 15 Brewing in Corvallis. For such a muscular offering (11 percent alcohol), Figgy presented a cavalcade of intriguing of sensations. The presence of wine, molasses, and figs was undeniable, but the cunning addition of Christmas condiments like cinnamon and nutmeg made it more than Wassail worthy, and I greatly look forward to more beers from this enterprising operation.

I probably should have varied my tastings a bit, interspersing a few lighter beers into the mix, but the temptation to try as many barley wines and strong ales as possible proved too great. The Cranberry Saison from Gilgamesh Brewing in Turner worked as an invigorating palate cleanser. Compared with the sledgehammer beers that typify the fest, this fruity little number was a cheeky and refreshing relief.

See you next year! I could only attend one afternoon of the festival, because my dog Iggy chewed my wristband off. Does that mean he can get in?

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Tags: Beer Festivals, Craft Beers, Gilgamesh Brewing, Block 15 Brewing, Hopworks Urban Brewery

Potions & Notions

The Beer Fashioned gets a day in court

Posted by: John Chandler on Aug 26, 2010 at 02:00PM 6 Comments

The Beer Fashioned—not without its charms.

When we last left our hero, he was contemplating the ambitious and—judging by your responses—unappetizing prospect of spending some quality time with a Beer Fashioned. I’m happy to report that there were no fatalities. In fact, I see great potential there. My proportioning was rather elephantine (too much bourbon, not enough beer), but once the mixture settled a bit, the co-mingling of brown sugar, bourbon, and beer, with just a whisper of orange, proved to be an agreeable combination. The brown sugar and bourbon produced a pleasantly medicinal taste, while the wheat beer added malty notes and, along with the orange zest, provided an unmistakably festive tone. Note: I only had one due to a shortage of bourbon. More experiments to follow.

A reminder to all my drinking buddies that this weekend is the Nano Beer Festival at the Green Dragon. I for one don’t see the point of microscopic beers, but to each his own. I mean, are they served with an eye-dropper? What’s that? They’re not? Imagine my chagrin. This sudsy bash is a chance for smaller breweries (1000 barrels or less annually) like Heater Allen, Fort George, and Upright to bring out their own artisan ales and introduce them to a grateful public.

Finally, has anyone been to the Blue Parrot at 3416 N Lombard St lately? Apparently the name’s been changed to Foggy Notion, and I wanted to know if the bar was named for one of my favorite Velvet Underground songs.

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Tags: Beer Festivals, Cocktails, Bar Openings

International Beer Festival

Brews of the world land locally

Posted by: Emma Hall on Jul 15, 2010 at 03:00PM 0 Comments

Billing itself as an over-the-top beer festival, the Portland International Beer Festival brings a ton of exotic ales to Portland this weekend.

The festival will feature over 150 different beers from 15 countries, including many unusual and hard-to-find beers that even the biggest beer aficionados have never seen.

When: July 16 4-10 PM, July 17 Noon-10 PM, July 18 Noon-7 PM

Where: Pearl District North Park Blocks. Entrance at NW Davis and NW Park Ave. Here is a map.

What: Over 150 beers, the official website has a complete list of beers they’ll be serving if you’re interested.

How much: Just $25 at the gate gets you a snazzy official glass and 10 beer tickets. Four-ounce pours cost between 1-6 tickets, with plenty of 1 ticket beers available for all you cheapskates.

What if I don’t use all my tickets in one day? Well, I have no idea how this would even happen, but in the rare case it does, just keep your wristband and glass and you can use your tickets the next day!

Tips: Some of these beers are really rare and will likely run out, so don’t wait until Sunday to try that Saison you read about on your favorite beer blog. Also, the event is cash only.

See you there!

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Tags: Beer Festivals

June Under Glass

Train your liver with lager

Posted by: John Chandler on Jun 02, 2010 at 09:00AM 5 Comments

Perhaps with the proper application of positive thinking, daily affirmations, and prayer, we can get the rain to cease and desist—and get the beer pouring in its place. July is the month that brings both the Oregon Brewers Festival and the Portland International Beer Fest, but June has plenty of opportunities to make the suds scene as well. Think of it as a month-long training regimen for the main events. Bottoms up!

The 4th Annual Zoo Brew
Oregon Zoo
Friday, June 4
5 PM – 10 PM

At the Oregon Zoo your $25 entry fee includes a glass and 10 beer tokens for sampling hoppy selections from Alameda Brewhouse, BridgePort Brewing, Cascade Brewing, Double Mountain Brewery, Full Sail, Hopworks, Lompoc, Widmer, Red Hook, and many more. Venerable funk and ska band the Crazy 8’s will provide some dance therapy and there’s a menagerie of critters that will stay up late to observe your antics. So be on your beast behavior!

Deschutes Brewery Barrel-Aged Beer Tasting
Deschutes Brewery Mountain Room
901 SW Simpson Ave. Bend, OR
Friday June 11
7 PM – 10 PM

If Eastern Oregon is on your travel itinerary, make it a point to drop by the Deschutes Brewery in Bend for a few rounds of Deschutes’s most potent beers that have been aging in oak barrels since the dawn of time (OK, they’re not that old). Abyss 09, Black Butte XXI, Bourbon Quad and more will be available, paired with an array of tempting hors d’oeuvres, all for the paltry sum of $45.

Third Annual McMinnville Area Habitat for Humanity Brews and BBQs
The Granary District in McMinnville
Friday June 18 – Saturday June 19
Friday 3 PM – 10 PM
Saturday Noon – 10 PM

Raise a glass while raising cash for Habitat for Humanity in picturesque McMinnville. Live music, wine, and food will be plentiful, as will brews from the likes of Heater Allen, Cascade Brewing, Golden Valley Brewery, Block 15, Caldera, Deschutes, and more.

Brewpublic Presents Microhopic
Saraveza Bottle Shop
1004 N. Killingsworth
Saturday June 19
4 PM – midnight

Just because they’re small doesn’t mean the beer should be overlooked. Reps from several area “nanobreweries” will be in the house at Saraveza Bottle Shop on North Killingsworth for an evening’s worth of small-batch sampling. Try worthy ales from Mt. Tabor Brewing, Big Horse Brewing (Hood River), Ambacht Brewing (Hillsboro), and Rivergate Brewing from North Portland, and give some love to the little guys.

North American Organic Brewers Festival
Overlook Park on N. Interstate Ave.
Friday June 25 – Sunday June 27
Friday – Saturday noon – 9 PM
Sunday noon – 5 PM

This is Year 6 for the Organic Brewers Fest, and lucky attendees can dip their beaks into some 75 different ales from all over the map. Fuel organic fervor by tasting brews from Laurelwood, Lompoc, New Belgium, Roots, Pelican, Lucky Lab, Oakshire, McMenamins, and Hopworks. Admission is free, but to get in the beer lines you’ll need to buy a (compostable cornstarch) glass for $6 with beer tokens for an additional buck apiece.

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Tags: Beer Festivals, Craft Beers

American Craft Beer Week

Just another excuse to chug a mug

Posted by: Emma Hall on May 17, 2010 at 04:00PM 2 Comments

It could be argued that every week in Portland is craft beer week, but this week it’s official. Get yourself excited about toasting our mighty craft beer industry and then start wishing it was July (Oregon Craft Beer Month). Here are some local events to pour over:

Full Sail Brewing has come out with its own signature brew for the event, a German style weizen bock called the “Vendell Veizen.” You can belly up to the bar at the Harborside Pilsner Room if you’re craving a pint.

Lompoc Brewing will be pouring a special beer (read: tapping a limited-edition keg!) at each of their local pubs to celebrate the week. Today at Oaks Bottom, Wednesday at New Old Lompoc, Thursday at Fifth Quadrant and Friday/Saturday at Sidebar.

PDX Green Dragon is serving over 50 American craft beers this week, so head down to quaff a few and sign the Declaration of Beer Independence.

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Tags: Beer, Beer Festivals, Craft Beers

Spring Beer and Wine Festival

Lots of brews and no lines = bliss

Posted by: John Chandler on Apr 06, 2010 at 11:00AM 5 Comments

Photo: Dan Cronin

Who needs the sun? The Spring Beer and Wine Festival is a good excuse for indoor imbibing.

View Slideshow » Photo: Dan Cronin

Who needs the sun? The Spring Beer and Wine Festival is a good excuse for indoor imbibing.

View Slideshow » Photo: Dan Cronin

Bridgeport’s Hop Czar proved a popular pour with hop enthusiasts.

View Slideshow » Photo: Dan Cronin

The organic ale was flowing courtesy of Hopworks Urban Brewery.

View Slideshow » Photo: Dan Cronin

Souvenirs were plentiful for those wishing a memento of their drinking experience.

View Slideshow » Photo: Dan Cronin

Spring Reign from Ninkasi was a hit with reporter and photographer alike.

View Slideshow » Photo: Dan Cronin

The good people from Canby Asparagus Farm had all manner of filling foodstuffs for sale.

View Slideshow » Photo: Dan Cronin

Still feeling peckish? A delicious two-bite snack from the Pie Spot is good for what ails you.

View Slideshow » Photo: Dan Cronin

Widmer Brothers Brewing is a powerful company that’s never lost its zeal for promoting beers from aspiring brewers, thanks to the Collaborator program.

View Slideshow » Photo: Dan Cronin

The offerings from Gllgamesh Brewing exemplify craft beer at its craftiest.

View Slideshow » Photo: Dan Cronin

Ladies and gentlemen, a man who needs no introduction—Fred Eckhardt. He’s a rock star in the beer community.

View Slideshow » Photo: Dan Cronin

For tipplers in need of a palate cleanser, Portland’s New Deal Vodka was serving up samples.

View Slideshow » Photo: Dan Cronin

On the way out, a quick huff on the breathalyzer was useful for deciding on your method of transportation home.

No two ways about it, the annual Spring Beer and Wine Fest is a horse of a different color. It’s held indoors within the cavernous confines of the Convention Center, and instead of the bronzed brew believers milling about in sunglasses and cargo shorts that characterize summer’s Oregon Brewers Festival, there is an altogether more furtive air that pervades the spring gathering. After all, my skulking brethren and I had come to guzzle beer at noon on a Friday. I realize that this represents a stain on my permanent record. My dreams of higher office have been scrapped.

And while there are fewer brews at this event than at OBF, the lines are almost nonexistent, and that’s a major blessing for folks like myself who were born without a scintilla of patience. In fact, I’m now forbidden to stand in lines due to an unfortunate incident that I’m not at liberty discuss until a settlement can be reached with the injured parties. These are litigious times we live in.

“It’s like Costco in here—except with beer!” This observation came from my giddy photographer Dan Cronin, who was on hand to snap some Kodak moments for my blog. True that. It was free admission for the first two hours of the fest, and along with regional purveyors of beer, wine, and assorted spirits, there were abundant samples of everything from fried asparagus to Barbie-sized pies to industrial strength habañero beef jerky. A sample of the latter—dutifully cooked in an active volcano for six months before being slathered in napalm marinade—compelled me to chug three vases of daffodils from a nearby flower vendor. Too bad we didn’t get a picture.

Portland is a town sadly bereft of actual celebrities, but I did manage to chat with local notables who included Brian Butsenschoen head of the Oregon Brewers Guild; beer judge and homebrew pioneer Fred Eckhardt; Horse Brass owner Don Younger; and Portland’s ambassador of Happy Hour, Cindy Anderson, who was on hand promoting her latest guide to good drinking in PDX.

On the beer front, the power players—Widmer, Bridgeport, Full Sail, Laurelwood, Ninkasi, Lompoc, and Deschutes—were in the house with a healthy assortment of ales. Ninkasi’s Spring Reign, a clean and sturdy American pale ale with shades of citrus, caramel, and nuts, was especially memorable. Consider this a plea from me on my bended knee: may this super seasonal be promoted to Ninkasi’s regular rotation. Our parting would be sorrowful indeed.

The presence of young and hungry micro brewers served as a potent reminder that even our big beer barons came from humble roots. And if the ales proffered by the likes Astoria Brewing, Oakshire Brewery, Fort George Brewing, and Panty Dropper Ale (gotta love that name) are any indication, the spirit of competitive brewing is alive and kicking.

I’m a sucker for beers sporting offbeat ingredients and I was rewarded with a few innovative jolts. MateVeza Brewing from Ukiah, California, featured a Yerba Mate ale that set my pulse racing. Far and away the tastiest and most intriguing beer I tipped all afternoon was the Black Mamba Ale from Gilgamesh Brewing in Turner. Instead of hops, this crackling brew was made from black tea leaves. Sounds weird, but it was love at first sip, and I’m already jonesing for more. Maybe I’d better check the list of active ingredients and make sure there’s nothing in it from Columbia.

Without further ado, please enjoy our web exclusive slide show from the Spring Beer and Wine Fest. It was fun! Where were you?

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Tags: Beer, Beer Festivals, Slideshow

I’d Tap That

Zwickelmania is for brew believers

Posted by: John Chandler on Feb 10, 2010 at 09:00AM 6 Comments

It’s a recurring dream: I’m being escorted through a brewery. Suddenly, I scream “May Day! May Day! I’m going down!” I then scale a nearby ladder and execute a perfect one-and-half into a beckoning vat of crisp, pure, virgin beer. And I never surface. News of my demise spreads quickly and Salma Hayek enters a convent. Sigh. Such a lovely vision.

Imagine my giddy excitement at the thought of my firkin fantasy becoming a reality. OK, there will be no diving and I suppose Ms. Hayek is utterly indifferent, but nonetheless, this Saturday between 11-4, ale aficionados can get a gander inside some of the state’s top craft breweries at the Zwickelmania Statewide Brewery Tour, sponsored by the Oregon Brewer’s Guild. Meeting the brew barons and the sampling of suds are definitely on the itinerary.

Here in Portland you can jump on a chartered bus that will roll to such malty meccas as Amnesia Brewing, Hopworks Urban Brewery, Lompoc Brewing, Rogue Distillery and Public House, Widmer Brothers Brewing, Laurelwood Public House, BridgePort Brewing, and many more.

Brewer’s Guild executive director Brian Butenschoen notes that nearly 10,000 folks went on the tour last year, so it pays to research your destinations. And it’s all free, baby.

Fun fact: Zwickel is the name of the sample valve found on the outside of the fermentation or conditioning tank used by brewers to track and taste the beer throughout the brewing process. And Salma, if you’re reading this, I’ll be the taller, Hugh Jackman lookalike sitting in the back of the bus.

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Tags: Beer, Beer Festivals, Events, Craft Beers