Fermented Photo: Oregon Trail Bourbon Barrel Porter

Oregon Trail Bourbon Barrel Porter. This one comes from Oregon Trail Brewery in Corvallis Oregon. Not much to say, yet--it's still in my fridge. I keep planning to crack it open, but then something happens and the circumstances are quite right for a slow sipper. Weekends usually work well and look at that, it's Friday!

Fermented Photo: My Dad, the Dissident

My dad, the dissident. This scene is from our family's first annual Cellar Series. I've been stocking up on beer for next year's series, so I took a look through last year's photos and found this one. The Fermented Photo post usually comes out on Fridays, but I wanted to wait until today to post this special Father's Day edition.

While my brothers and I were stuck in college in South Carolina, my dad made his way out to Colorado. During our frequent visits out West, my Dad introduced us to the growing Colorado beer scene. Every night, we ran around filling up our empty growlers with different beers and then re-emptying them. This was our first exposure to the concept of "To Go" beer from breweries. Going back to South Carolina was always a disappointment for our beer palettes as the selection of American craft beer was extremely limited--which in fact, is a gross understatement. We kept our eyes on the Colorado beer releases so that we would know what to look for when we arrived in town. Although that usually didn't matter since we ended up trying one growler of everything by the end of out trip.

Since those days, one of my brothers and I bunny-hopped over Colorado and made it to Portland, where we were fairly prepared for the beer scene that awaited us, thanks to my Dad. A few years ago, he also made his way out West and landed in Seattle. Now, throughout the year, I collect some of my favorite big beers and throw them into the cellar until our annual New Year's Day Cellar Series up at his house.

Those that know my Dad would find it very funny to label him a Dissident, but when it came to the craft beer movement, he thought outside the box--and brought us along for the ride.

Cheers, and Happy Father's Day Dad!

Beer Adventure in Astoria Oregon: Part Four--Wrap Up

View from Rogue Ales Public House.

Yep, this last post is seriously late. But I got a new job, had to pay some bills, and that's what happens. As soon as you start sending me big checks, I can do this full time and be at your service. Until then, you'll have to accept my apologies for running a bit behind. Just so you're not too worried about me, I have been keeping up with my drinking, just not my writing...

Well, sometimes there's good luck and sometimes there's bad luck. Other times, a situation presents itself as a wash: Even-Steven, as they say. With more alcohol than blood in my body, I'm not sure how to evaluate either.

My last stop for the day is Rogue Ales Public House. Right now, I'm simply concentrating: "right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot." I see a seagull and get distracted and forget which foot I'm on. Oh well, I am moving forward-ish, I'll just let momentum take over from here. As I aim for the front door to the building, I get my first piece of bad news: the foot I've been calling my right is actually my left.

I set my bag and notebook down on the bar and let the head waitress know that I'm here for my meeting. She gives me a confused look and I assume that it's because my eyes are pointing in two different directions. She disappears into the back and the bartender offers me a beer. Before I can make the inevitable decision to have yet another beer, the waitress appears and let's me know that there has been a mixup. Some crossed wires prevailed and my meeting was not to be. My body let out a sigh of relief as I realized that maybe this was a bit of luck--maybe I didn't actually need more beer. Maybe.

Inside Rogue Ales Public House.

Instead, the waitress offered me a tour of the building and said she'd be happy to answer any questions for me. My first questions was "Can I have a glass of water?"

Looking around, I get the feeling that I've been here before. Well, if you've been to other Rogue Ales Public Houses, you know what to expect: walls scattered with Rogue wear, cases of beer stacked up around the restaurant, and other reminders to spend a little extra on your way out the door.

When I moved out to Oregon, Rogue Ales was responsible for shattering my expectations about beer. I did as much beer experimentation as possible in South Carolina, but the possibilities there were extremely limited. I can still remember sitting down at Rogue Ales Public House in Portland for the first time and being dumbstruck by the 16 different Rogue beers on tap. A few samplers later and I knew that my world had changed in a very dramatic way. That was a long time ago, but things haven't changed at Rogue: they are still offering a phenomenal amount of draft beer styles with a few seasonals on the board as well.

Inside the Captain's Suite.

Rogue has been around for 21 years in Oregon. Along with their massive draft lineup, they've built up a small empire of Public Houses: ten in Oregon and one in San Fransisco. Rogue also has very wide distribution for kegs and bottled beers. I'm not sure about the reach, but I used to be able to find it in SC--not quite the beer mecca of the US.

Having seen a Rogue Ales Public house before, we don't spend much time in the bar or restaurant. The waitress mentions that there are some cool rooms to stay in at the back of the pier. We head out of the restaurant into the 130+ year old Hanthorne Cannery space, and then up into a back building that houses a few rooms called the Fisherman's Suites. Our first stop is the Captain's Suite. Wow. Rain or shine, the views from this room are outstanding with walls of floor to ceiling windows facing both North and West. The fully remodeled interior has a complete kitchen and is fully stocked with comfortable furniture, while maintaining an open floor plan. The first thing I think about is hosting a party. At $475 a night, it's a little out of my price range for a romantic getaway, but I'll definitely try and figure out a way to stay here over night. There are also two other rooms that aren't quite as big (or expensive), but they're newly remodeled and have great views as well. For more information, check out pier39-astoria.com.

Astoria's waterfront walkway.

And that is the end of my trip. Four articles stretching over months, just to cover one day in Astoria--and almost completely revolving around beer! Is it worth the trip? Definitely. Astoria is prepared for you: museums, restaurants, hotels and bed and breakfasts, the waterfront walkway (or trolley ride), and plenty of other things to do in town. I recommend an overnight stay as there is plenty of beer to discover and it's a four hour round trip--if you don't stop along the way. And, while there's plenty of beer to entertain you now, rumors of a third brewery are floating around the city! But go now, before that happens, so that you can say "I was in Astoria back in the day when there were only two breweries..."


Check out the rest of the photos here.

• Beer Adventure in Astoria Oregon: Part One--Go West Young Man
  
• Beer Adventure in Astoria Oregon: Part Two--Fort George Brewery
• Beer Adventure in Astoria Oregon: Part Three--Astoria Brewing
  
• Beer Adventure in Astoria Oregon: Part Four--Wrap Up
  

Portland's Not-So-Secret Society of Beer Geeks Gathers in Secret

Brewpublic's Angelo De Ieso II, amongst friends, beer, and ghosts.

Last night at Upright Brewing, beer geeks gathered for an Imperial and Baltic Porter tasting. There were a few kegs including Block 15's Imperial Smoked Porter and Lucky Lab's Imperial Stout. Thrown in for good measure were Upright Brewing's Four, Seven, Reggae Junkie Gruit, and Anglo-Saison. Sure, not anywhere close to Baltic Porters, but they were hosting the party, so I let it slide. And of course, drank them all.

This was my first experience with Upright's beers, and I was very excited with how they turned out. To me, these beers are on the more delicate side, showing off the yeast and fermentation rather than the imperial malt and hop bombs (written with affection) Portland is known for. Delicate does not mean a lack of complexity either, as many of these are tucked away in oak barrels to mature and pick up hints of wood and earth tones. As the weeks go by, it should be easier and easier to find Upright Brewing on tap around Portland. If your favorite beer bar is not serving them, ask them to!

But enough about the host, this was a Imperial and Baltic Port tasting, so bring out the bottles:

• Heater-Allen Sandy Paws Baltic Porter
• Bridgeport Raven Mad Imperial Porter
• Deschutes Black Butte XX
• Alesmith Decadence 07 Imperial Porter
• Alaskan Baltic Porter
• Full Sail Top Sail Bourbon Barrel 08
• Sinebrychoff Koff Porter
• Victory Baltic Thunder
• Southampton Imperial Porter
• Shipyard Pugsley's Imperial Porter
• Limfjords Baltic Porter
• Capital Baltic Porter
• Flossmoor Station Killer Kapowski Baltic Porter
• Left Hand Smoke Jumper Smoked Imperial Porter
• Flying Fish Imperial Espresso Porter
• Smuttynose Baltic Porter
• Olfabrikken Winter Porter
• SKA Brewing Nefarious Ten Pin Imperial Porter
• Harpoon Leviathan Baltic Porter
• Heavyweight Perkuno's Hammer Imperial Porter

Check out the rest of the photos here.

Fermented Photo: Barrel Aged Awesomeness

Barrel Aged Awesomeness at Cascade Brewing. Without reserve, we highly recommend grabbing any available seasonals from Cascade Brewing. Ron and Curt are making some outstanding beers: Krieks, Blends, Sours, Fruits. Not your normal NW IPA fare, but that's why we love them!

Fermented Photo: Hopworks IPA

Hopworks Urban Brewery, Organic IPA. In the past couple of weeks, Hopworks beer has been popping up on shelves around town. It's great to have another local beer to support when out at the store, especially the Hopworks releases: Deluxe Organic Ale, IPA, Survival Stout, and Crosstown Pale. So, get out there and get some!

Fermented Photo: Widmer Brothers 25th Anniversary Double Alt (Signed)

Widmer Brothers 25th Anniversary Double Alt. I know. Same beer from a couple of weeks ago. But, there's a twist. I got a package in the mail this week from Widmer Brothers Brewing. I opened it up to find a fresh bottle of the Double Alt, signed by Rob and Kurt!

Last week, I was working on a photo to celebrate Widmer's 25th Anniversary. I was going to use a Widmer logo, so I contacted the brewery about this project, and asked for a high resolution logo. I ended up not using the logo--it looked too much like a Widmer advertisement--but as a thanks for supporting Widmer, I got this signed bottle in the mail! The rest of the photos are here.

So, thanks for the bottle Rob and Kurt! And thanks for 25 years of great beer!

Fermented Photo: Moose and Squirrel Russian Imperial Stout

Laurelwood's Moose and Squirrel Russian Imperial Stout. I wasn't able to hold onto these bottles as long as I had hoped. They "disappeared" rather quickly. If you see it, drink it! A little bit of this beer made it's way into bourbon barrels and then served on cask at the Pizza location--unannounced and quite a delicious surprise!

Fermented Photo: Widmer Brothers 25th Anniversary Double Alt

Widmer Brothers 25th Anniversary Double Alt. I'm not sure about the production scale or what markets this beer will reach, but if you see it, grab one! A huge double Alt, very well balanced, strong, sweet, nutty, and warming.

Beer Adventure in Astoria Oregon: Part Three--Astoria Brewing

Astoria Brewing's Head Brewer, Bolt Minister.

Astoria Brewing lives inside of the Wet Dog Cafe, right on the Columbia River, about five blocks from Fort George Brewery.

The first thing I notice about the brewery is that it just might just fit in my living room. And after tasting the beers, I want it in my living room as soon as possible. Not sure that my girlfriend would agree with the new decor though. The 4 barrel system is tiny. To put it in perspective, a single full-capacity batch would produce at most 8 kegs of beer. With larger beers requiring more ingredients, the final production size gets even smaller.

The easiest way to expand a brewery that has this type of size constraint is to add larger fermenters. Many breweries have days where they brew their best selling beers in double batches. Astoria brewing is no different. For example, in a recent expansion, Astoria brewing has added a couple of 10 hectoliter fermenters (about 8.5 barrels). This allows the brewery to brew two consecutive 4 barrel batches and add them to the same fermenter. Of course, this makes a brew day almost twice as long, but it increases capacity in a limited amount of space.

But small size doesn't mean you have to be antiquated. In fact, Astoria Brewing is a head of the curve by becoming the second brewery in the state to use solar power for hot water. Before the solar panels were installed, bringing the water up to mash temperature would take about four to five hours. With the new system, combining direct fire to the kettle and 175 degree water from the tap cuts the time down to one hour. This is a huge time saver in a very hectic schedule. The new 1500 gallon holding tank also provides enough extremely hot water to make brewery cleaning much more efficient as well. Astoria Brewing is proof that cutting your carbon footprint in the right ways can have an immediate and dramatic positive impact on a business.

More beer? OK, twist my arm...

But, let's face it, the brewery doesn't make the beer by itself. In a brewery this size, there is a single person in charge of the entire operation which includes, but is not limited to: keg washing, transferring beer, equipment cleaning, ordering ingredients, meeting with people like me, and attending events and festivals--all of which take much more time than the brewing itself. It is not as glorious as it might seem on the surface, although the festivals can be a perk! This job requires a lot of hard word, dedication, knowledge, and most importantly, the passion to create great beer. The man behind the beer in this case is Bolt Minister.

I meet up with Bolt in the brewery and we decide that it would be prudent to drink some beer while we talk. Why not start with a snifter of Imperial Wit? Why not indeed. It is evident immediately that the main function of the brewery is to meet demand. Of course, that's the goal of any brewery, but with Astoria Brewing's capacity, it's quite a chore just to keep up with demand as word of their beer spreads far outside of Astoria's borders to the ears thirsty beer drinkers.

House beer, guest taps, and espresso.

Bolt brews about 4 to 8 barrels each week with one day spent brewing either a single or double batch. While brewing one day each week isn't very much, it subsequently generates about 5 days of work for the rest of the week: cleaning, transferring, kegging, paperwork, etc. When a batch is brewed, it needs an immediate home for fermentation. So a fermenter must be emptied, cleaned, and the contents moved somewhere else, usually kegs--before the brewing can take place. With such a small capacity, there is never (ever) any unused equipment just waiting around. Picture one of those flat puzzles with 25 squares that slide around and only one empty spot to move to. In order to solve the puzzle, you must think several steps ahead and you can only complete the puzzle by working backwards. A brewery is exactly like this, but with no real solution, just a never ending revolution of pieces. Of course, the reward is beer, but it's never as simple as brew and drink. Add to this process, a commute from Vancouver Washington, and you can begin to see the dedication involved. Yes, that's not a drunken note in my book, Bolt lives in Vancouver. He will be making the move out to Astoria eventually, but for now, he's got a long, long commute. Fortunately for us in Portland, you can find Bolt at some of the events taking place here, so you can catch him and talk shop.

This is the most legible of my notebook hieroglyphics. My best guess is: "Porter -> A++"

If all of that hard work wasn't enough, Bolt is taking on much more work to get Astoria Brewing's beer to the masses: entering the Oregon Brewers Festival. Participants are required to bring at least 15 kegs of a single beer to the festival. This is to ensure that the beer will have a better chance of lasting the whole four days of the festival. For larger breweries, no problem--just peel a few kegs off of the inventory and send them to the festival. For Astoria Brewing, this is like squeezing an extra week's work into a week that's already completely full. But that's what Bolt does: takes the impossible and makes it possible! And that's the only way to accomplish the task of promoting the beer, keeping the restaurant taps flowing, rotating the beer style offerings, and entering festivals.

We move the conversation over to the restaurant and sit down for some beer sampling. I put down an empty glass and realize I just drank a Bitter Bitch Imperial IPA: Astoria Brewing's flagship beer. How did that get in my hand? This beer has won the People's Choice Award for the last three years at Portland's Spring Beer and Wine Festival. So, while my notes are useless, the people have already spoken on this beer. We sample a few more Astoria Brewing beers including the Kirby Kolsch, Astoria ESB, and a fantastic Poop Deck Porter. Other beers available from Astoria Brewing today are: Great White Shark, Volkweissen, Stone Cold Strong, Kick Ass Stout, Solar Dog IPA, and Old Redbeard Amber. Yep, a total of about 9 different beers from a four barrel brewery, in Astoria Oregon. Bolt is working hard--for the sake of beer, and for his customers. And the results are paying off--just stop by any time and check out any of the beers in Astoria Brewing's lineup. You'll have to keep your eyes wide open to spot any of their beer here in Portland, but take my advice and make it a part of your next trip to Astoria!

Okay, I can't sit here and say that working on a story while drinking beer isn't awesome. To be able to talk to the brewers while tasting their beers--those released and unreleased--makes for a great day. But now I'm up to almost 100 ounces of beer across, I don't know, 15 styles, on an empty stomach--all while trying to take notes, photos, and talk coherently about beer. And I'm plagued by the thought that I keep tilting to the left.

I have one more place to go today. Next stop, Rogue Ales Public House. Hmm, maybe I can sober up over a few more samples of beer.


Check out the rest of the photos here.

• Beer Adventure in Astoria Oregon: Part One--Go West Young Man
  
• Beer Adventure in Astoria Oregon: Part Two--Fort George Brewery
• Beer Adventure in Astoria Oregon: Part Three--Astoria Brewing
  
• Beer Adventure in Astoria Oregon: Part Four--Wrap Up