Free Portlandbeer.org Stickers!

They're perfect for sticking on passed out strangers at brewfests!

We've got a stack of 200 stickers and we're giving them away to you, our loyal readers. Over the last few years, our readership has grown exponentially, we've gotten a lot of helpful feedback (mixed in with the ever-entertaining drunken rambling emails and phone calls). In the past, we've given away t-shits and Ultimate 6-Packs, but this year, our checking account is a little low, so you get stickers.

But what's the catch? Well, I don't know if I'd call it a catch, but we ain't paying for postage. That's right, we're drawing a line in the sand. You're already getting free stickers, so stop complaining and just mail us a self-addressed stamped envelope and we'll send you back a couple of stickers. It's not necessarily the cost of the stamps, it's just that we're really freakin' lazy and fewer steps will ensure a quick turnaround.

So, just use our contact form, and write "I want some stickers!" or something similar. We'll email you back with our address information.

Show your support with the latest in sticker technology! On one side it's a durable logo--on the other, it's, well, sticky!

Even the recycleable backing has a life lesson!

2008 Bend Brewfest

Coming out of Oregon Craft Beer Month in July, it's pretty easy to say how I'm feeling: worn out. I played many roles in July including host, photographer, writer, patron, and professional napper. Sometimes covering several events in a single day, I was ground up and spit out into August a weary soul. I'm not complaining about this because July is an exceptional time to be a beer lover in Oregon. It just that my anticipation for this time of year overshadows the exhausting reality of covering (and enjoying) all of these events.

And now, here I am, at another brewfest, in the middle of August, in Bend Oregon. And after all I've done during the previous months, it's still a high point for me. Maybe it's getting out of town for a few days. Maybe it's the great venue and music. Maybe it's the short lines and variety of beer. It must be some combination of all of those things.

The fact that I can try a few beers, stretch out in the beautiful grass, listen to the music, and take a quick nap without the fear of being trampled by a drunken mob is exactly what I needed. And that's why I did it a few times on Friday.

Brewery and Beer List:

Anderson Valley
Summer Solstice
Poleeko Gold Pale

Aspall
Dry Cider
Organic Cider

Baron Brewing
Pilsner
Schwarzbier
Helles Bock

Bayern Brewing
Dancing Trout Wheat

Bear Republic
Racer 5
Hop Rod Rye

Bend Brewing Co.
Axe Head Red
Met Golden Ale

Big Sky Brewing
Moose Drool Brown
Trout Slayer Wheat

Boulder Brewery
Hazed N Infused Amber
Sweaty Betty Bavarian Hefe

Bridgeport Ales
Haymaker
IPA

Caldera Brewing Co.
Ginger Ale
IPA

Cascade Lakes
Paulina Lake Pils
IPA

De Proef
La Grande Blanche Imperial White Ale
Zoetzuur Flemish Flanders Red

Deschutes Brewing
20 Anniversary Wit
Twilight Ale

Double Mt.
Hop Lava IPA
IRA

Eel River
IPA

Fox Barrel
Black Currant

Full Sail
Sessions Lager
LTD 02 Lager
Prodigal Sun

Great Divide
Samurai Blonde

Hales
Kolsch

Hopworks Urban Brewing
Crosstown Pale

Kona
Longboard Lager
Wailu Wheat

Lazy Boy Brewing
IPA
Belgien Strong

Lagunitas
IPA
Sirius

Laughing Dog
Huckleberry Cream
Dogzilla Black IPA

Lost Coast
Great White

Mactarnahans
Sling Shot Extra Pale
Amber Ale

Mad River
Steelhead Extra Pale
Double IPA

McMenamins
Copper Moon
Stingray IPA

Mt. Shasta
Mt High IPA
Weed Golden Ale

New Belgium Brewing Co.
Fat Tire Amber
Mighty Arrow Pale

New Old Lompoc Brewing
Dry Hopped Condor
LSD Lompoc

Oakshire Brewing
Espresso Stout

Pyramid Brewing
Apricot Ale
Crystal Wheat

Red Hook
Long Hammer IPA
Later Harvest

Roots Organic
Gruit Kolsch
Neverminde Pale Ale

Seadog Brewing
Blueberry Wheat

Shmaltz Brewing Co.
He'Brew Rejewvenator
Coney Island Lager
Coney Island Albino Python

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Pale Ale
Anniversary IPA

Snoqualmie Falls
Copperhead Pale
Wildcat IPA
Steam Train Porter

Stone Brewery
Arrogant Bastard
Stone Smoked Porter

Trumer Pils
German Pilsner

Victory
Prima Pils

Widmer Brothers
Oktoberfest
Broken Halo

Wildfire Brewing
Summer Golden Ale
Backdraft

Wolavers
Organic English Brown
Organic Wit


Check out the rest of the photos here.

2008 Oregeon Brewers Festival -- Exclusive Brewers Dinner Beer List

Brewers Dinner pint glass.

I just wanted to post a quick note about the beers featured at the 2008 Brewers Dinner, which kicks off the Oregon Brewers Festival the night before it opens. Along with great food, this dinner features about 25 beers which are not featured at the OBF.

I know, if you missed it, this list won't help you. But maybe you'll see that it would be wise to get your tickets ahead of time and get to this dinner next year! Proceeds benefit our wonderful Oregon Brewers Guild so that they can help spread the word and educate people on our greatest natural resource!

Alameda Brewhouse: Lucky Devil Belgian Style Golden Strong Ale
Bridgeport Brewing: 2007 Hop Harvest IPA (Firkin)
Captured By Porches: Witbier
Deschutes Brewery: The Dissident, Beligian Style Sour Brown Ale
Double Mountain Brewery: Pils
Full Sail Brewing Co.: Lizama Summer Dunkel Weizen
Golden Valley Brewery: Red Hills Pils
Hopworks Urban Brewery: D.O.A. Barrel Aged Old Ale
Lompoc Brewing: Heaven's Helles Lager
Laurelwood Brewing Company: Framboise Sour Lambic Blend
Lucky Labrador Brewing: Super Dog IPA
Ninkasi Brewing Co.: Tricerahops Double IPA
Oakshire Brewing: Double IPA
Old Market Pub and Brewery: Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout
Pelican Pub and Brewery: India Pelican Ale
Pyramid Breweries: Draught Pale Ale
Raccoon Lodge and Brewpub: Belgian Style Strong Ale
Ram Brewery: Barefoot Wit
Ram Brewery: Palm Island Toasted Coconut Porter
Rock Bottom Brewery: Rod Flanders Belgian Style Sour Brown Ale
Rogue Ale: Imperial Younger's Special Bitter
Roots Organic Brewing Co.: Gruit Kolsch
Wakonda Brewery: Beachcomber Creme Ale
Widmer Brothers Brewing: Belgian Style Golden Ale
Wildfire Brewing: Code 24 Pale Ale

Bridgeport's Hop Czar Imperial IPA Preview

Bridgeport's Imperial IPA: Hop Czar. Available in 22oz bottles next week.

Bridgeport's Assistant Brewmaster Jeff Edgerton gave the media a preview of their new release for their Big Brews series today. The Big Brews program started last October with their Hop Harvest Ale and continued on with Old Knucklehead and Stumptown Tart--all 22oz limited release bottles. Continuing this journey, Bridgeport has taken their flagship IPA, stuck a bike pump to the bottle, and had the employees hand pump for weeks, until--POP--out came a bigger version: Hop Czar Imperial IPA--well it's sort of like that.

"Hop Czar, an Imperial IPA brewed from BridgePort’s award-winning IPA recipe, is a triple-hopped (brew kettle and two separate hop jack charges) bottle-conditioned, Imperial-style IPA. It carries a deep malt background with enthusiastic citrus and floral notes paired with high hop bitterness. Sitting at 8-percent ABV (alcohol by volume) and 100 IBU's, Hop Czar is a strong blend of Nugget, Chinook, Cascade and Centennial hops."

Assistant Brewmaster Jeff Edgerton gives a tour of the brewery.

Bridgeport IPA is often overlooked in a town where everything is hopped, hopped more, and sometimes over-hopped. Now, don't get me wrong, I seldom turn down hop-bombs, but I also feel that they tend to stretch the IPA category a bit thin. IPAs, while they can be hop heavy, should still be a balanced beer, with a noticeable malt character. For me, Bridgeport IPA has always been the IPA that exemplifies the IPA category. I have recommended it for years to people who want to know where to center themselves in the world of Portland IPAs.

That is precisely why I was so excited to hear that the Hop Czar was based on Bridgeport's IPA foundation. The tasters we had were directly out of the bottles that were filled earlier today. It pours perfectly, great aroma, and a is very well-balanced Imperial IPA. Jeff told us that their hopjack, which has about a 70 pound capacity is first filled with hops. Then, half of the Hop Czar batch(about 37 barrels) is run through the hops . The hopjack is then emptied, refilled, and the rest of the batch is run through for a total of about 140 pounds of dry hops per 75 barrel batch! As it should be, it's definitely in the "very hoppy" category, but my favorite aspect was the hop bitterness. With 100 IBUs, it going to be bitter, but the malt profile does a great job of not letting that bitterness overpower the beer.

Hop Czar on the bottling line.

Hop Czar Imperial IPA will be available starting today at their downtown on draft only. 22oz bottles should start appearing on store shelves next week. And thankfully, the Big Brews series doesn't stop there. For their next release, we will be seeing a bourbon barrel aged porter.

ADDENDUM (Same Day): I just got back home after bringing my only bottle over to a friends place, so that three of us could try it against some Bridgeport IPAs. Wow, this really puts it in context! Everyone was impressed. Definitely a great beer--grab 'em when you see 'em!


Check out the rest of the photos here.

The Biggest and Baddest Oregon Imperial IPAs: The Concordia Cup

Ten 3oz. Imperial IPA samples and scorecard for the 2008 Concordia Cup.

Imperial IPA lover? Get your butt to Concordia Ale House July 9th - July 13th for the Concordia Cup! Ten of the best Oregon Imperial IPAs battle it out for supremacy and your vote counts.

OK, now that the press release talk is over, let's get down to what's actually involved here. First of all, for all of you that think that beer bloggers have a great life--drinking beer, talking to brewers, and getting some free swag--here's what really involved. In order to get this post out before you have a chance to make it there yourself, I had to wake up at the crack of 11am, so that I could get there by noon. If that wasn't enough, my girlfriend and I were the the first to order sample trays for the 2008 event, just as the clock ticked 12:02: "Where are our ten Imperial IPAs?! It's after noon already--look at my watch!" Yeah, I embarrass myself sometimes.

And then the sample trays came. Good god. It's noon on a Wednesday and for $10 our kind server has brought us 10 3oz. samples of Oregon's finest Imperial IPAs--each. Yep, a total of 60 ounces of IIPAs sitting in front of us by 12:11. Man, I just woke up an hour ago. Sometimes you've got to take one for the team. I sighed, wiped the residual crust out of my eyes, and crossed my fingers that ten Imperial IPAs were going to be the new hangover cure of the decade. Despite my drowsiness, I was very excited to cut into these beers and pick a winner.

Checkmate.

Luckily, there was no ranking here. Just grab a scoresheet, drink all ten Imperial IPAs, and pick your favorite. Of course, this is a blind tasting, so it takes a little back-and-forth, a sip here, and a gulp to solidify your decision.

I picked the best one, and I'm sure that it will be the overall winner. Unfortunately, after polishing off all ten beers, I can't remember which one I picked--so no spoilers here.

Get down to Concordia Ale House and try your hand at this competition. You get to try some great beers, talk about some great beers, and consequently, get your ass kicked by some great beers.

[UPDATE] 2008 Concordia Cup Results (Imperial IPA):

1: I2Pa -- Rogue Ales **[Fifth Place]**
2: Hopness Monster -- Deschutes Brewery (PDX) **[First Place]**
3: C-Note -- Lompoc Brewing
4: Tricerahops -- Ninkasi Brewing Company
5: Perfect Storm -- Willamette Brewing (Debuting as Oakshire Brewing)
6: Green Mammoth -- Laurelwood Brewing Company **[Second Place]**
7: Hopasaurus Rex -- Steelhead Brewing
8: Molten Lava -- Double Mountain Brewery **[Third Place]**
9: King Screamer -- Deschutes Brewery (Bend) **[Fourth Place]**
10: Blue Dot -- Hair of the Dog Brewing Company

These results are courtesy of Patrick's comment on the Rooftop Brew Blog, so please go visit them!



Check out the rest of the photos here.

What To Do If You Run Into a Big Black Homo

Walking Man Brewer, Jacob Leonard.

Drink it. It's delicious.

There were so many rumors about a Big Black Homo being released in Portland that I thought all the news outlets would be outside of Belmont Station. Man, FOX wasn't even there.

Luckily, I was. This was Walking Man's dark malt version of their Homo Erectus, an Imperial IPA, and it was awesome. Walking Man Brewing is synonymous with big, quality beers and this was no exception. Based on their legendary IIPA, the dark malt added a great roasted quality and sweetened up the bitterness a little. Think 1/4 Stout mixed with 3/4 Imperial IPA--kind of.

Walking Man brewer Jacob Leonard and owner Bob Craig were on hand to answer any questions about the beers they had brought, including: Walking Man IPA, 2006 Walking Man Old Stumblefoot, and Sasquatch Legacy. Jacob, of course, hovered around the tap handle and ensured that everyone orded the beer by name. Instead of whispering "I'd like to try the, uh, dark IPA...", you had to say "I want a Big Black Homo!"

Walking Man Owner, Bob Craig (seated).

Well, since I don't get out to the Walking Man Brewery out in Stevenson Washington very much, I had to make sure to grab a glass of the aged 2006 Old Stumblefoot barleywine on top of my two Big Black Homos. Damn, I knew it was gonna be strong, but that 12.3% kept me in my chair with a bewildered smile plastered on my face for a bit. I wanted to tell owner Bob Craig to change the name to Old Stumbleface--and there he was, just a few feet away--but I couldn't get out of my chair. This might explain why all of the photos are shot at an upward angle.

Well, this whole experience simply reinforced one of the rules I live my life by, and what's a good blog post without a life lesson? So, in parting, I divulge one of the few rules I obey, in hopes that with a little self-assesment and introspection, you can find room for it in your life as well:

"Never pass up a chance to drink Walking Man beer."

Check out the rest of the photos here.

All these beers blend together--especially when they're, uh, blended together

Brewing grains.

As everyone (and their mothers) are reporting, it is now Oregon Craft Beer. In fact, my mother called and left me a message: "Matt, it's July. Don't forget it's Oregon Craft Beer month!" Like I need reminding!

As hyper-champions of beer blending, we at portlandbeer.org are excited to see a few events in support of this art. As Brett mentioned in an earlier post about beer blending, it seems to be a very polarizing issue among beer enthusiasts. Some cry out for the purity of the beer flowing out of the tap while others celebrate the countless possibilities when two or more beers meet in the same glass.

In our neck of the woods, there is only one rule when it comes to blending: You must intimately know the beers in the blend. This is not like the times when you were 12 and tried to fit all 7 of the Slurpee flavors into one cup because you knew it would piss off your brother who had the lack of foresight to choose more than one flavor. Like a sweet mix tape (yes, I'm a product of the 80's), each song needs to be a piece to the puzzle. You don't just throw random shit on a mix tape. It needs to have intention, a story, a mood , and most importantly and be exactly 45 minutes per side.

But, if it sounds intimidating, don't worry--we've got a few blending events this month that are overseen by professionals. See what they're all about. Scratch that--taste what they're all about. Ask questions. Get answers. And get confident to ask the bartender for that blend that you've always wondered about.

• Every Tuesday in July: Check out "Rock Bottom's Tuesday Special Blend" at their downtown location.

• Tuesday, July 22nd 3:00pm: "Hopworks Urban Brewery’s Special Blend Night" -- Christian, Ben, Jaime and one lucky Hopworks employee compete to see who can make the best Hopworks blended beer. Hopworks IPA+Velvet ESB blend? HUB Lager+Survival Stout+DOA blend? Something else?! This one will be crazy!

Website Update: Searching for Portland Beers

Beer, sweet beer.

With 235 beers listed in 58 style categories, we've got a lot of info to get through. Sure you can sort beers by styles, breweries, name, etc., but why stop there? Now, in the blog section of the site (uh, you're here now) and the home page, you'll find a search box at the top of the page. You can put in your favorite beer term and see what we've got to about the subject. Search for different types of hops, locations, whatever you want (caveat: searching for the word "boobs" does not bring up much--not that I tried).

If that wasn't enough, we've also changed the format on how we display beer descriptions. On the beer page, the descriptions and stats are now listed directly below the beer, without all that fancy cursor-hovering-crap.

We know, there's a lot going on with the site. That's because there's a lot going on in the Portland beer scene. We'd just be cheating you if we didn't try to cram it all in, but this time, hopefully it's a little easier to find! As always, your comments help drive the direction of the site, so leave a comment or get in touch with us through our contact form and let us know what you think!

Two Beer Icons

Two Beer Icons.

Writing a caption for this photo was harder than expected. It kind of turned out to be like a chicken and egg problem, or a recursive acronym, or something.

On the left, Fred Eckhardt, homebrewing icon, author, and all around great guy. On the right, Alan Sprints, founder of Hair of the Dog Brewing Company and mastermind of great original ales. I was happy to capture these two together.

But looking a little deeper, we find, well, some pastrami. To be exact, pastrami cured in Hair of the Dog Fred Ale. So, my initial caption became: "Alan Sprints, pictured on right, cutting and serving pastrami, cured in the Hair of the Dog Fred Ale (a beer named after Fred Eckhardt, pictured on left, and brewed by Alan Sprints, pictured on right) to Fred Eckhardt, pictured on left."

That got a bit confusing, so I just settled on: "Two Beer Icons."

FredFest 2008 Beer Lineup

I would be remiss if I were the only beer blogger in Portland that neglected to post the ridiculously awesome beer lineup for FredFest 2008:

• BridgePort Brewing: Bourbon Barrel aged Old Knucklehead Firkin
• Laurelwood Brewing: Bourbon Barrel Aged Olde Reliable Barleywine
• Widmer Brewing : Altbier!!!
• Lompoc Brewing : Oak aged LSD
• Deschutes Brewing: Br. Abe Belgian ale
• Rockbottom Brewing : Oak aged IIPA
• Cascade Brewing: 2006 Wild Blackberry ale ( Flanders red style)
• Lucky Lab: Brewing Double Alt
• Hopworks Urban Brewery: 2007 Kentucky Christmas
• Hair of the Dog: Cask Fred from the Wood
• Full Sail Brewing: Bourbon BBL aged 1998 Old Boilermaker
• Rogue Brewing : Brewer Ale
• Roots Brewing: 2006 Pinot Noir Oak aged Epic
• Ninkasi Brewing: Dry Hopped Cask Tricerahops
• Firestone: ?????
• Jim 2007 Holiday Ale Fest Collaboration with HOTD

Not only will there be a great tap lineup, but some killer food as well -- rumors of "HOTD Fred-cured pastrami" was enough for me to sign up.

This year's FredFest is a fundraiser for Parkinson's Resources of Oregon, an affiliate of the National Parkinson Foundation. It runs from 2 - 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 10 (Fred Eckhardt's birthday) at Hair of the Dog Brewing, 4509 SE 23rd Avenue in Portland. I'm not sure if there's any tickets left, but you can try begging and pleading with Preston here.

There's also a simultaneous online auction at Liquid Solutions with rare beers like HOTD Adam #1, a cool lot of Lost Abbey beers, and the ever-elusive Westvleteren 12. It starts 3 p.m. PDT Friday, May 9 and finishes up by 3 p.m. PDT Sunday, May 11. And if this works anything like eBay, it'll be interesting to watch the price wars when there's :30 seconds left on the auction. Definitely worth checking out.

...just don't blame me when you blow your whole stimulus package on rare brews.

Gerritt's Official Welcome

Gerritt, our feet on the street.

Many of you enjoy the beer section of our site. And why wouldn't you? We've been keeping track of beer in this city for a couple of years now and have accumulated over 200 listings! Yep, 200. But don't thank us, thank the brewers. OK, you can thank us a little, now you know where to find these new seasonal releases and fresh taps across the city.

But it takes work to get this done. A lot of freakin' work. A lot of drinking, but here at the site, we take it very seriously, so we call it work. Seriously, walking the streets of Portland and drinking beer for you good people is a tough job and requires a lot of "research", but it's worth it.

But it's a big city and we've got a limited number of feet. Luckily for us, we just gained two more. These two new feet are attached to Gerritt I., our new correspondent covering new releases in the North Portland area at such places as New Old Lompoc's Fifth Quadrant and Amnesia. He's even been known to break out of the North and make it all the way to the Southeast of the city--just to cover the beer scene for you. Gerritt came to Portland in 2002 by way of New Jersey and like many of us, Portland is where he discovered great beer.

So, welcome aboard Gerritt! Thanks for your help and please keep drinking beer--er, uh, researching--for us!

Hair of the Dog Earth Day Dock Sale > Dark Lord Day

Here's what HOTD's Earth Day Dock sale line looked like at 9:50am today:



Totally respectable, considering the madness that is going on right now in Muenster IN. I say forget Dark Lord Day -- it's overhyped and overcrowded, not to mention half a continent away.

A table set up with cheese, meats, doughnut holes, plus several bottles of beer was all the breakfast I needed on this bright, warm April morning. Meeting fellow beer geeks in a strange industrial park and waiting for the HOTD garage door to fly open was a really nice way to start the day. Then came the samples for people waiting in line -- this is hospitality! Don't call me a localvore, but a less crowded HOTD Earth Day sale is where it's at.*

Walking into the actual brewery, beer prices were a bit high, but fair. HOTD isn't known for its budget brews -- it's famous for high quality, high octane beer, and in those categories, the brewery didn't disappoint. Add to that the fact that you could go in the tasting room and sample all the styles before (and after) you committed to a full case, and the price ends up being well worth the experience. And really, what else are you gonna do on a Saturday? Mow the lawn?

Fred, Adam, Ruth, Fred from the Wood, and Blue Dot by the case, and some rarities like Adam Batch #1 and some .375s of Dave from 1995 which were gone by 10:15am. All of the above were on tap, minus the rarities and Ruth, add Doggie Claws and Greg (a squash beer made exclusively for Higgin's). I grabbed a case of Blue Dot and a magnum of Adam -- a kindly gentleman traded me in the parking lot for a few bottles of Fred from the Wood & an Adam, so I walked away with a nice diversity of beers for... well I'll just let you do the math.

It was obvious that the entire family was involved in this event, from mom and pop handing out beer samples, to the kids ringing up the credit cards. I found it really endearing that everyone works together for a big event like this. Always makes me feel good to patronize a family business. Cheers to HOTD staff for a great event!



*Admittedly, Dark Lord Day is one of the most fun beer events I've ever been to. No offense meant. Respect to FFF.

Elephant in a bottle?

Was it real, or just a dream?

True story? I'm pretty sure. I've got a witness. Unfortunately, neither her nor I were given permission to break the silence. But, on the other hand, we weren't told not to break the silence. So, in the spirit of ambiguity, I've got a tale to tell. But, good journalists don't expose their sources and good journalists don't sit on important stories either. Luckily, I'm not a good journalist. So here we go. What I'm about to tell you did not happen and the photographs accompanying this story are faked. Really.

In an alley in Portland last night, there was a knock at my window. Normally, I don't roll down my window in these type of situations, but I recognized the shadowy figure. Without a word, he dropped something in my lap, hopped back in his car, and sped away down Sandy. As my girlfriend said "What kinds of people do you hang out with...", I turned on the interior light in the car and discovered a bottle of mythical proportions. Sitting in my lap, was a 22oz bottle labeled "Organic Green Elephant". I looked out the windshield in time to see the mysterious taillights fading into the distance. Could it be? While my source was reliable, this was a bit too hard to stomach (well, until I got home and cracked it open).

Laurelwood's Organic Green Elephant IPA

Those of you in town know that this is one of the most sought after beers in town. Last year a seven-barrel batch--draft only--was demolished within 3 days of it's release. This year, several hundred cases of 22oz bottles will be available at undisclosed locations. As with other limited Laurelwood bottle releases, my guess is that they will be available for purchase at the restaurants and breweries and some retail outlets in town.

So, if this story is indeed true, and if I did indeed drink the contents of the bottle pictured here, then you should be seeing these bottles popping up (and then disappearing) around town. Grab them while you can!

World Beer Cup 2008 - Oregon Medal Winners

Oregon breweries brought back 16 medals from 91 style categories in this year's World Beer Cup.

2008 World Beer Cup

Bend Brewing Co.
Black Diamond Lager
American-Style Dark Lager
Gold

Bend Brewing Co.
Outback X
Strong Ale
Gold

BridgePort Brewery
Beertown Brown
English-Style Brown Ale
Gold

BridgePort Brewery
Blue Heron Pale Ale
Ordinary Bitter
Silver

Deschutes Brewery
Sorghum Beer
Gluten Free Beer
Gold

Hopworks Urban Brewery
Organic IPA
American-Style Strong Pale Ale
Gold

Hopworks Urban Brewery
HUB Organic Lager
Bohemian-Style Pilsener
Silver

Laurelwood Brewing Co.
Organic Deranger
Imperial or Double Red Ale
Silver

Pelican Pub and Brewery
Doryman's Dark Ale
American-Style Brown Ale
Gold

Pelican Pub and Brewery
Kiwanda Cream Ale
Golden or Blonde Ale
Silver

Pelican Pub and Brewery
India Pelican Ale
American-Style India Pale Ale
Bronze

Pelican Pub and Brewery
Tsunami Stout
Foreign (Export)-Style Stout
Bronze

Rogue Ales
Morimoto Soba Ale
Specialty Beer
Gold

Rogue Ales
Morimota Black Obi Soba Ale
Specialty Beer
Bronze

Widmer
Brothers Brewing Co.
Widmer Hefeweizen
American-Style Hefeweizen
Gold

Widmer
Brothers Brewing Co.
Widmer Pale Ale
American-Style Pale Ale
Gold

Champion Brewery and Brewer Awards

World Beer Cup Champion Brewery and Brewmaster
Large Brewpub
Pelican Pub & Brewery
Darren R. S. Welch

World Beer Cup Champion Brewery and Brewmaster
Small Brewpub
Bend Brewing Company
Tonya Cornett

For the full results sheet, check out the World Beer Cup website.

Pins, plates, and broken bones

Pins, plates, and broken bones

As most of you know, almost one year ago, I was in a motorcycle accident. Not my fault, but that didn't seem to matter to my leg--which kept me couch and bed ridden for 2 straight months. My tibia was split down the middle--kind of like you would chop a piece of firewood--and it required surgery, plates and pins. As seen below, I also got a cool 9" of surgical staples to hold the skin around my leg.

It's funny, all of the pain and suffering wasn't even the worst part. During the second week of my incapacitation, my wonderful girlfriend left for work and accidentally left the TV on and the remote control out of my reach. At this point in my recovery, I was unable to move without help and had to lay on the couch, helplessly watching what was left on the television: "Legally Blonde 2" followed by "Tuck Everlasting". It was the most excruciating day of my ordeal.

It's now almost a year later and I'm about 95% healed. A lot of people got in touch with me through portlandbeer.org to wish me well and I wanted to say thanks! Thanks! To return the favor, I've posted some new photos for you to "enjoy". Cheers!

Our Faithful Departed, Remy

Remy, reminding us to go outside and play!

Well, many of you know that we are a small group here at portlandbeer.org. My brother and I started this site a few years back and it has grown, and grown, and grown. Though we've gone through many changes over the years, both in style and content, one thing has remained constant through it all: Mine and Becky's faithful dog, Remy. Many of you know her through our contact page, where she has always been listed as a founding member (and 'drinker of spilled beer'). A few of you have even contacted her through her email address, and while she hasn't always been extremely prompt, she has always answered her emails.

Remy and Becky, getting ready for the Bend Brewfest.

As of this past weekend, due to complications with cancer, Remy is no longer with us. Though she will be here in spirit, we will miss her around the office. She was always a welcome excuse to peel ourselves away from the monitors and go for a walk.

So, raise your glass this weekend and say a toast to Remy, the most reliable one of us here on the portlandbeer.org team.

Cheers Remy, we'll miss you!

Ultimate 6-Pack Giveaway Entries

The Ultimate 6-Pack Giveaway!

Well, although the contest is over, you can check out all of the entries on our forum post. The 40+ entries span the globe to fill up their ultimate 6-pack. Sure, there were many hop-headed local beer entries, but also many dreams of German, English, and Belgian beers. Check it out and take a peek into the secret beer thoughts of your friends, neighbors, and enemies.

Some entrants simply listed their ultimate 6-packs and hit submit, while others took their time to tell their story through their beer choices. It's interesting not only to see which beers were chosen, but also the reasons behind these picks. Read and enjoy!

We'll be announcing the winning entries in about a week or so. Good luck!

Waffles and Stout Breakfast @ Besaw's

Waffles and Stout Breakfast

Last week, a job interview brought me to the Northwest side of Portland. The discovery of a nail in my front left tire causing slow leak kept me there for a few hours. After dropping the car off at Mr. Schwab's, I wandered the neighborhood for a while, hunting for early-morning sustenance. I walked by both the New Old Lompoc and the Tavern & Pool McMenamins -- neither was open yet, but Besaw's was!

Besaw's was hopping with a moderately full dining room, so I did what I normally do in an unfamiliar place -- I found a seat at the bar. It's a small place, but not cramped, with a beautiful wood bar, and I believe they had a little patio in the back for dining when the weather gets nicer.

The breakfast menu runs until 3:00pm, which I really dig. I had a Belgian waffle which was decent, but not crispy enough for a rave review. The three tap handles were all local-ish beers, and I chose the most breakfast friendly brew, Anderson Valley's Oatmeal Stout. It was nice and smooth, easy to drink, and the roasty flavor offset the sweetness of the real maple syrup on my waffle.

I must somehow exude beer-geekiness, because soon, the bar manager chatted me up and enlisted me in an impromptu early-morning beer tasting. She was admittedly "not a huge beer drinker," and wanted me to give her some notes on how to describe the beers to customers, so she set me up with a sample of each. I love it when anyone is eager to learn more about beer, but especially servers, because no matter how much advertising (read: money) a company puts behind their brand, a bartender or waiter is the person who has contact with the customer, and the more they know, the better.

So, it's been a week, and I haven't heard back from the job interview. I still have the nail in my tire because they're too worn to patch, and I don't really don't have the cash flow for four new tires, so I settled for a can of Fix-A-Flat as insurance.

But at least now I know another good place for breakfast and friendly service when I'm on the NW side.

Portland's Cheers to Belgian Beers 2008

Walking into the craziness of the "back room" of Roots last Saturday went something like this:



So many Belgian beer fans! And even better: so many Belgian beers!

For those of you not in the know, this year's "Portland's Cheers to Belgian Beers" was a mini beer festival (I dislike the word "tastival") where all the breweries used the same yeast strain (Ardennes/ La Chouffe), but could make any type of beer they liked.

Now, I am a big fan of the Belgian beers -- especially dubbels -- so I was pretty hyped for this event, looking forward to some fruity, estery goodness. I walked up, paid my $10 bucks for a commemorative cup (I think I was one of the last to get the official glass) and five beer tickets. Read on for my unprofessional and highly unscientific reviews.

I started with the HUB El Diablo, which I guessed was supposed to be their interpretation of Duvel. It was fairly sweet and had a deep green hop presence which I found a little too aggressive for the style. Good, but given a choice, I'd rather have the HUB 7-Grain Stout.

Next was Rock Bottom's Floreal, which must have been fairly subtle, because I couldn't taste it at all after the Diablo. After a trip to Roots' self-service water station to cleanse my palate, I got a lot more out of the Rock Bottom beer; very smooth bodied, slightly dry finish, and not as fruity as some of the other entrants.

Next down the line was Laurelwood's Saison d'Arduinna which was absolutely killer. It poured a wonderful clear gold with perfectly sized bubbles. A light citrus tang was the perfect complement to the fruitiness of the Ardennes yeast. Not too fruity, not too malty. I could drink this all day.

Further down the line I found the Full Sail Dubbel, which I found somewhat thin bodied. The aroma and flavor were all there, but it had a strange acidic finish which I found kind of unpleasant.

After that, it was the Roots Bruin, Lompoc's Diablesse, something from Cornelius Pass Roadhouse, but by this time I started forgetting to take notes and some strange ingredient in the beers was affecting my memory. This has never happened before!

Anyways, I enjoyed the majority of the brews, but like Jeff over at Beervana, I got a "squash" character from several of the beers; one I wrote down as tasting like a "pumpkin beer." Though some of the beers didn't quite hit the high notes I thought they would, I highly suggest you put this on your calendar for next year.

:::edit::::

The winners are in!

1st: Lucky Labrador's Malt Bomb

2nd: Laurelwood's Saison du Arduinna and Lucky Devil from Alameda Brewhouse (tie)

3rd: El Diablo from Hopworks Urban Brewery

Honorable Mention: Roots Farmhouse Bruin

Incurring the Scorn of Beer Geeks - Spring Beer & Wine Fest 2008

Judging Sheet for Spring Beer & Wine Fest 2008

How I was chosen to be a judge at this year's Spring Beer & Wine Fest was serendipitous to say the least. As I was happily browsing through the German beer section of Belmont Station, I was approached by a certain Oregon Brewers Guild member who inquired if I could be bothered to wake up early on Saturday and judge some beers.

...as if I'd say no. Are you kidding?

I arrived early, and helped my OBG friend carry a few items into the hall, whereupon some of the other judges started showing up. Some I recognized, most of them had been at the Fest the day before, and from the looks of their faces, quite a few had been up late celebrating with brewing buddies. But beer waits for no man, and we soon took our seats.

I was assigned the Lager category, and I was lucky to be paired up with some seasoned industry folk who knew their way around a tasting. Dave and Jamie were throwing out tasting notes left and right, while I chose to take notes and stay a little quieter, lest I be looked at funny for not knowing the difference between German and Czech style Pilsners.

Though our experience levels were quite disparate, we all had relatively similar things to say about the beers. We all agreed that the top two beers were the American Light Lager and the Dortmunder. Though not what we'd normally order at our favorite pub, the American Light Lager won out, being spot-on for style and drinkability.

PBR Traveling Art Gallery

So after my breakfast of beer, the sheets were turned in and tallied, and the winners were announced. Much to our surprise, the beer we awarded the gold medal to was...

...Pabst Blue Ribbon?

Yes, you read that right. Hipster beer of choice, PBR. And yes, the other tables booed us.

Now before you begin crying about our how our tastebuds must be malfunctioning, remember that judging is mainly based on specifically defined style points, and the PBR simply met all the criteria, whereas the other beers all had notable detractors.

So read 'em and weep Portland. I love me some locally crafted beer, but there's a blue ribbon on the label for a reason.

Beer Chips & Chicks

...And now, a totally gratuitous shot of the Beer Chips girls, who apparently shop at party outlets for their mylar bodysuits.

The Local Brew DVD Review - The Stone Brewing Company

The Local Brew

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about a show called The Local Brew. Jared Cotton got in touch with me to help spread the word about their new episode. We traded a few emails and got my hands on a copy of their premiere episode featuring Stone Brewing Company. Yeah, I know, not Portland beer related, but they will be filming an episode up here during the summer, so I wanted to help them gain any momentum I could offer. Plus, it would be hard to argue that Stone Brewing isn't doing their share to make the beer world a better place.

Normally, I wouldn't have to state my impartiality, but this is going to be a very positive review. This is not because I got paid to write it (damn!) and I have no affiliation with this company (damn!). The reason that the review is really positive is because the show is that good.

The two aspects that I want to cover about this DVD are content and presentation. These categories do overlap a little, but to me, this is the best way to break this show down. We can measure these areas up to the mission statement on their site:

"In an attempt to put a face on the artistry behind each unique craft brew, we’ve set out to meet the brewers whose passion and skill are setting a new standard for what it means to be a great beer. We'll visit their breweries, hear their stories, and spread the word about craft beer. Along the way, we'll find out what makes local brews local. We'll show viewers new locations (and sometimes familiar ones) through the lens of craft brewing. You can call it an ongoing, purposeful road trip; you can call it passion. One thing is certain: we believe in craft beer."

Let's start with content. The show did a great job of balancing the basic concepts of beer, introducing Stone Brewing, and managing Greg Koch's discourse--all within the 30 minute runtime. When I talked to Jared, he said that they were shopping the show around to get picked up for a television slot. Hence the 30 minute episode. Don't worry, the DVD contains A LOT of extra footage. There some digital cutting room footage, outtakes, and a very cool extra feature called Beer Vs. Wine:

"DVD now includes full episode of the epic Beer vs. Wine dinner at El Bizcocho restaurant, documenting Stone Brewing C.E.O Greg Koch's historic battle on behalf of craft beer against the prevailing popular perception that wine is the only beverage suitable for pairing with fine cuisine."

The show does an intelligent job of knowing what questions to ask and how to ask them. Now, Stone Brewing already has a lot to say. From their CEO to their brewery tour guide, they produce as much information about beer as actual beer. Parsing through the massive amounts of content was probably a lot harder than coming up with content for this episode.

This brings us to presentation. The final show is professional and polished. The delivery of the information is engaging because of the varied mechanisms used to change the pacing and the... Ugh, my tone is getting a bit antiseptic. I think I need a beer.

There we go. [Sound of Stone Russian Imperial Stout Bottle Opening]

Perfect. [Sound of Stone Russian Imperial Stout Pouring]

Much better. [Sound of Stone Russian Imperial Stout Disappearing]

What I mean is, the delivery is not dry and boring. There was a lot of time put into the production and presentation of the DVD. There are many corners that could have been cut to save time and money, but it's obvious from this episode that creativity and quality remained a core value to the creators of the show.

The end result is a great show that gets our stamp of approval. You can get more information and watch the trailer at www.thelocalbrew.com. Buy it for yourself. Buy it for a friend. Do both! It's currently listed at $14.99, and with all of the stuff crammed on the DVD, it's well worth the price.

We're definitely looking forward to their coverage of our scene up here in Portland over the summer. We welcome their perspective on the beer scene here and are happy to have their contribution to the craft brewing industry! Cheers guys, and thanks for the great show!

Portland Beer Tools

Helping you find your perfect beer!

After the redesign of our site, we want to make sure that people are checking out the other areas of our site, and not just the wonderful blog area. Of course, in the blog section, you can find articles, news, events, photos, and almost everything else you need. Almost.

It made sense for us to consolidate a few areas together for the blog, but there are still some great features that exist outside of the blog. For example, did you know that you can print up or save dynamic PDF beer to-do lists, based on our current inventory of 199 beers brewed in Portland? Damn right! 199! In fact, you can customize your lists to include things like: All Pale Ales in Portland, or All Beers from Amnesia Brewing, or All IPAs available at Laurelwood.

Print it up, put it in your pocket, and make a weekend out of it. Check it out in the tools section. Let us know what other tools you'd find handy while exploring Portland's beer scene!

Hopworks Urban Brewery Official Opening Date!

Christian Ettinger, Owner of the HUB

This just in! Official Hopworks Urban Brewery Announcement:

"Hopworks opens for business on Tuesday, March 25th!

Hopworks Urban Brewery is excited to announce that we will be opening our doors on Tuesday, March 25th at 11:00am. Construction is finally complete and the taps are flowing with ten Organic, handcrafted beers.

We look forward to seeing you and your friends at the HUB. Cheers!"