BAR PILOT

Great Pumpkins

Praise be to gourd!

Posted by: John Chandler on Oct 14, 2011 at 12:00PM 4 Comments

Since my friend Margaret Seiler shamelessly took the opportunity to wax rhapsodic about her addiction passion for the pumpkin milkshakes at Burgerville, I will happily follow suit. Anyone in the mood for an autumnal pick-me-up should venture over to the Green Dragon on Monday for the Killer Pumpkin Festival, a gathering for gourd geeks in need of liquid refreshment. Some 15 pumpkin beers will be on tap, including two from a pair of hollowed-out pumpkin kegs. Oooh! Pumpkiny! Other distractions include a pumpkin-smashing contest (Hopefully Gallagher won’t show up) and a pumpkin-seed spitting competition. It’s happening from 5 pm to close.

Until last week, I had never really considered the possible pros and cons of pumpkin beer. I happened to be browsing the aisles at Trader Joe’s in NW, when my bleary eyes fell upon six-packs of Kennebunkport Pumpkin Ale for $5.99. Stifling my disgust at the Kennebunkport brand, which will forever be associated with the Bush brood in my mind, I sprang for a sixer and savored every subsequent sip. It’s really a beer in two parts: the first-taste wave is lightly hopped and goes down like a smooth-drinking wheat ale. But it’s the spicy follow-up that really melts the brain. It’s exactly like a liquid slice of pumpkin pie that settles on the tongue for a second or two, before the taste magically levitates through the roof of your mouth and into your soul. It’s a flavor parade, and at a measly 4.7 percent alcohol it’s totally sessionable—though it’s a bit like pigging out on pie. If you find yourself at Trader Joe’s be sure to scoop some up.

So now I welcome the Killer Pumpkin Festival with open arms, and am hopeful that the featured brews from Laurelwood, Rogue, Hopworks, Natian, and Breakside, among other, measure up to the sale suds at Trader Joe’s. Since I’m in shopping mode, please enlighten me on other brands of pumpkin ale that are worthy of exploration.

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Tags: Beer Festivals, Rogue Ales, Hopworks Urban Brewery, Green Dragon, Breakside Brewing

Bikes, BBQ & Smokin’ Brews

There’s still plenty more beer fests on tap

Posted by: John Chandler on Sep 16, 2011 at 11:00AM 1 Comments

Congratulations on surviving the Summer of Beer, drinking buddies! The one-two punch of Oregon Brewers Festival followed by PDX Beer Week definitely upped the ale ante this year, but for anyone planning on drying out until the Holiday Ale Festival, well, you’re not out of the hops yet.

In order to wring the last drop of sunshine out of the summer, the good people at Hopworks Urban Brewery are encouraging bike enthusiasts to peddle over to their flagship pub (2944 SE Powell Blvd) this Saturday for Biketoberfest, a fundraising event for the Bicycle Transportation and Sunday Parkways. It’s a car-free party that starts at noon, and attendees can sample 15 HUB brews, watch daredevil cycle antics from BMX stunt riders, get an eyeful of break-dancing demos, and groove contentedly to live music from the likes of Jared Mees, Oh Darling, and Ascetic Junkies. Plus, there will be Huffy tossing, kids activities, and an appearance by the Wanderlust Circus troupe at 8:30 in the evening.

Since you’ll be out riding around on Saturday anyway, it would behoove you to spread the wealth and swing by the 10th Annual Laurelfest, a barbecue bash over at Laurelwood Brewing (5115 NE Sandy Blvd) that starts at 3 pm. In addition to a bountiful bargain menu that includes grilled albacore tuna, Dungeness crab salad rolls, double-smoked pork and sausage with beer-soaked kraut, and grilled oysters, the lads and ladies of Laurelwood will unveil Laurelfest Bier; a new seasonal that’s described as “Vienna lager style fresh hop beer,” Live music from Keegan Smith, among others, also will be part of the festivities.

By next weekend (Sept 24-25) you should be thoroughly recovered, and just in time for Fire & Brimstone, a celebration of “smoke and chili beers” happening at Hop & Vine (1914 N Killingsworth). This two-day taste-a-thon will present devilishly hot and hearty beers from Burnside, Lompoc, Breakside, Upright, Oakshire, Heater Allen, Migration, Coalition, and more. On Saturday evening, the titanic trio of Yetta Vorobik (from Hop & Vine and Brewing Up Cocktails), Ben Edmunds (Breakside), and Alex Ganum (Upright) will tap a special collaborative keg of Smoked Porter that’s dedicated to the late comedian Bill Hicks. Reason enough for a party? We think so.

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Tags: Beer Festivals, Hopworks Urban Brewery, Hop and Vine, Laurelwood Brewing

Pre-Fest Functions

Let’s warm up for Oregon Brewers Festival this weekend!

Posted by: John Chandler on Jul 22, 2011 at 02:00PM 4 Comments

You call that drinking?

Look, I know it’s hard and sometimes you just want to throw in the towel, but real competitors who want to become champions maintain their training regimens. While some misguided individuals cling to horse-and-buggy theories about reducing their beer intake—or even drying out completely—in the days leading up to the Oregon Brewers Festival, I’d just like to make myself perfectly clear: It’s Oregon Craft Beer Month, and as such requires redoubled efforts. Please don’t make me question your commitment.

For beer believers looking to sharpen their sipping skills, there are a trio of opportunities to do so coming up—starting tonight!

Farmhouse Brews at The BeerMongers

Looking for something a wee bit different? Skate on down to The BeerMongers bottle shop on SE Division for some ale expertise from the Old Country. Alex Ganum from Upright Brewing, David Logsdon and Charles Porter from Hood River Logsdon’s Organic Farmhouse Ales, and Michael Wright from Beetje Brewery will be on hand to pour some singular suds. Ganum’s offering, the Alphaphylactic Hop, is described as an “imperial IPA hybrid,” while Beetje’s Urban Farmhouse Ale and Logsdon’s Seizoen and Seizoen Bretta are throwbacks to small-batch brewing traditions that originated in Belgium and France in the 18th century when farm owners figured out that keeping their workers hydrated with rough, unfiltered beer was a proper way to ensure loyalty and diligence. I tried this line of reasoning with my own boss, but was immediately threatened with disciplinary action.

LOLA: A Celebration of Women in Beer at Saraveza

LOLA stands for Ladies of Lagers and Ales, a determined group of women brewers from some of the best breweries in the state. Bend Brewing’s Tonya Cornett is probably the most visible member of this fledgling organization, but lady brewers from Oakshire, Lucky Lab, Hopworks, Natian, Full Sail, and Heater Allen also will be present with some of their handpicked beers that should dispel any lingering vestige of sexism that may still linger in this particular chapter of the Old Boy’s network.

Ben Fest at Grain and Gristle

I was unaware that “Ben” was such a mundane moniker in the brewing community! Apparently there are “Bens” working at Widmer Brothers, Breakside, Occidental, Lucky Lab, and Hopworks. Starting at 5 PM on Monday, Benophiles can sample beers from more than a half-dozen breweries that wisely chose to employ guys named Ben. Hey, I’ve accepted flimsier excuses than that for a beer throwdown.

UPDATE!

Portland Monthly’s Picnic for Forest Park

I neglected an event for Sunday! How could I be so stupid? Portland Monthly is having a picnic for Forest Park this Sunday. Of course you’re invited!

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Tags: Beer Festivals, Craft Beers, Upright Brewing, Hopworks Urban Brewery, Lucky Lab, Oregon Craft Beer Month

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