Idunware Beer is a software that allows users to store information on beer, much in the same way as sites such as Ratebeer.com or BeerAdvocate.com.  As an off-line tool, Idunware, developed by Henrik Morell of Copenhagen, Denmark, allows users to access their own customizable beer notes without the use of the Internet.  This allows for private, non-commercial, and sortable beer data to be stored for use at anytime without fear of viruses or criticism.  Morell’s goal is to provide customers with the best products and service available and to make things easy and logical in the current technological era.  I spoke with the man behind Idunware to find out more and to garner an understanding of his appreciation for craft beer.

What is your interest in beer/craft brewing?

Henrik Morell: My interest is a curiosity for what a beer can be and how a brewery can have a special idea about the taste of a beer.

I’ve noticed there are a lot exciting breweries popping up in Denmark.  What are some of your favorites?

HM: I would mention: Bryggeri Skovlyst. If I should recommend some beers it could be the “Birkebryg” (with sap from birch) and the India Pale Ale. Ørbæk Bryggeri. It is an old and innovative small brewery from 1906 – just to mention that you don’t need to be young to be interesting.  GourmetBryggeriet (from 2005). The brewery has a high stable quality.

There are a lot of people from Denmark on Ratebeer and Beer Advocate with several beer ratings (Ungstrup on Ratebeer has 11,000+,  more than anyone else).  What does your software offer these people that Ratebeer and Beer Advocate don’t for free?  In other words, why should people buy Idunware?

HM: Idunware Beer is a personal tool and not a community tool. But of course it can be used as the notes you use to collect your opinion before it is shared with other people.

I think it is nice not always to be online: you could for example use it with a laptop on the beach with a cool bag full of craft beers. It can also be used among friends tasting beer together.

Henrik Morell

I think notes about what I have bought is a bit personal and don’t need to be published on the Internet. Moreover, I think the novice often would like to build up an experience before he or she likes to share it on the
Internet. The first problem is to remember the beer you have tasted.

What do you foresee with the success of this software?

HM: If people like and buy the software it will be possible to extend it with the features called for by the users. I hope to get a lot of input from the users.

Where does the name Idunware come from? Idun + (soft)ware. According to Nordic mythology, Idun was the custodian of the apples, which were believed to maintain eternal youthfulness.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could only drink one beer for eternity, what would it be?

HM: Chimay Grande Reserve.

For more information on Idunware Beer go to their website: http://www.idunware.com/

Posted under beer tools

Now available in 22 ounce bottles in the Pacific NW

Thanks to Chris at Belmont Station for the heads up on this one.  Ninkasi Brewing Company, known for it’s hoppy treats like the Total Domination IPA. Believer Double Red, and the Tricerahops Double IPA, have just bottled their deep rich stout named Oatis.  This dark, delicious oatmeal stout, named for the brewery’s mascot dog Otis, is healthfully hopped and contains a robust chocolaty malt character.  The perennially available draught beer will complement a nice repretoire of beers in bottles by the Eugene brewery.  When I spoke to brewer and owner Jamie Floyd last year, he described the beer as having a “rich robust flavor, silky oatmeal body, and cheek-warming strength fights off the cold winter months.” Amen, brother!

Posted under beer reviews

Lots of stuff going on in Portland this time of year, as you can see on our calendar. Here’s a look at some of the best events for beer geeks in Beervana…

Hopworks Releases Noggin Floggin’

Not to be confused with Widmer’s Grog Noggin’, this mighty beer is the first barleywine brewed by the boys at H.U.B. According to Hopworks owner and brewmaster, Christian Ettinger, the Noggin’ Floggin’ is a collaborative effort of the the H.U.B. brewers. “We’re stoked to kick off the season with a real ass-kicker!” says the Hopworks’ chief beersmith. Ettinger promises the beer to be “ridiculously delicious” as well. The simple yet all-up-in-your-grill behemoth will be released in four incarnations. “We’ve got the standard Noggin Floggin’” says Ettinger ,”as well as a bourbon barrel-aged version, a dry-hopped version, and a dry-oaked version.” The dry oaked Noggin will soak up the flavors of the Macallan Scotch it has been aging in. This beer will be exhibited at the Horse Brass pub‘s 32nd Birthday Bash. The “12th and Pine Dry-Hopped Noggin Floggin‘” will be featured on November 1st at F.H. Steinbart Co.’s 90th Birthday Bash. The brewing supply company is the longest running of its kind in the United States. Dry-hopped in the keg with Centennial, Cascade, and Simcoes, this rendition of the brew will be available from 1-5pm. The Oregon Brew Crew will also host a homebrew demonstation at Steinbart’s during this time.

Horse Brass Pub‘s 32nd Birthday Bash

Lauded as Oregon’s best brewpub, the Horse Brass will feature some excellent tap selections starting on Halloween night and lasting through November 3rd. In addition to the Scotch barrel-aged H.U.B. barleywine, the Brass will feature Laurelwood Imperial Deranger Red (no longer being produced), the debut of Ninkasi Sleigher Winter Ale, Full Sail’s 21st Anniversary Doppelbock, a two-year-old Full Sail Top Sail Bourbon Barrel Porter, Deschutes Jubel ’07, Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin Ale, New Old Lompoc’s Monster Mash, Laurelwood Barrel-Aged Barley Wine and much more! There will also be live music by the band the Lucky Dogs play at 8 p.m. on Sunday. Woo hoo!

Roots Organic Brewing Company Releases A Pumpkin Ale

The tree huggin’ and gleefully grubbin’ resume of brews at Roots continues to grow. After releasing the creamy and delicious Coconut Porter, the Roots clan will unveil a scrumptious Pumpkin ale. According to the Oregonian’s John Foyston, the beer ” …is a light bodied ale that celebrates harvest time in the Pacific Northwest. 90 pounds of hand roasted pumpkin was blended with the malt in the mashing process to develop a rich orange color and subtle taste of pumpkin. After fermentation we hot infused the finished beer with a blend of cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger and vanilla beans to give it a soft flavor of pumpkin pie.” Roots will tap the beer at 11:30AM on Halloween day. At 8:00PM a giant beer-filled gourd will be tapped as well.

Ninkasi‘s Halloween Party @ Henry’s Tavern

Ninkasi Brewing of Eugene will host a special October 31st get-down at Henry’s 12th Street Tavern in Portland’s Pearl District. A dance floor will be designated with DJ’s and a live Pirate rock band. Rockstar brewer Jamie Floyd will emcee giveaways and add flare to the fun and outrageous event. Costumes are a must! Henry’s features over 100 beers on tap and is a hop, skip, and a jump from several key Portland beer destinations.

Other names we considered calling this post were:  the Beer Witch Project, the Pagan Pint, and Witch Events to go to.

Posted under beer events

Autumn sadly marks the departure of the light lager lounging’, porch sittin’, t-shirted wearin’ days of summer. Amidst this season, extricating one’s self from a warm bed to face the chill of a dark morning can be difficult and at times, downright depressing.  However, there are several aspects of the fall season that give each year a festive glow that, without, would leave the 52-week year less imaginative and far less interesting. The colorful leaves blowing around outdoors, lighting a cozy fire, taking in a football game (ur…match) and sipping on a hardy, robust brew are some of the elements of autumn that I look forward to each and every year.  Especially the part about the hardy, robust brew.

Halloween is a pagan holiday that carries as much, if not more, excitement as all the other big ones.  It is a mystical and magical time for children and a playfully spooky time for kids of all ages.  Here are some of the beers recommended for All Hallow’s Eve or Samhain:

Unibroue Maudite:  The legendary Michael Jackson’s Beer Hunter referred to this beer perfect for Halloween.  It’s name meaning “the damned” in French, Maudite is a spicy malt emboldened brew.  The sharpness of the subtle coriander couples well with the fortuitous 8% ABV to deliver a scary good treat.  Further, the art of the label features an old Quebecois folk tale of a group of lumber jacks flying home to their families in a magical canoe after selling their souls to the devil.  This various lore surrounding the Chasse-Galerie is about as interesting as the the brew itself.  You can bet your canoe, we have one chilled for the occasion.

Stone Double Bastard: Like many Stone beers this American strong ale features a mischievous gargoyle on it’s label.  It is a label that surrounds one hell of a mighty beer. This self-proclaimed “lucerative mutha of a beer” and “malt and hop monster” is just that.  Available in 22-ounce bottles as well as giant 3 liter geraboams, the 10% ABV Double Bastard is released each November to the delight of extreme beer enthusiasts and to the dismay of those drinking the “fizzy yellow beer for wussies.”  Assaulting the palate with enough IBUs to ice-out your tastebuds, this mighty maltilicious hop-bomb features an array of pine and grapefruit notes alongside subtler hints of biscuity caramel and darker fruits.  This is most definitely not a beer for the weak and weary.

Avery The Kaiser Imperial Oktoberfest: A beer style all it’s own, the Kaiser appears to be getting bolder with each seasonal release.  The 2008 clocks in at over 10% ABV and with a rich copper-orange body, a thick cream head, and enough under the hood to clear out the thickest of cobwebs.  To refer to this beer as “malt driven” would be a gross understatement.  As far as barley goes, the Kaiser is fully locked and loaded like that freaky goblin-faced tractor trailor in Stephen King’s Maximum Overdrive movie.  The Vienna and Munichs really shine in this warming and delectable sipper. Available through December while supplies last.

Calapooia Devil’s Hole Stout: From the murky banks of the Calapooia River in Albany, Oregon comes this tenebrous, stormy stout.  A hellaciously hopped, abysmal stout with great complexity, once the mesmorizingly drinkable Devil’s Hole sucks you in, there’s no escape.  Quite chocolaty with an undeniable bitterness, it is a beer with hints of vanilla, toffee, coffee, and oak that will beckon you back again and again.  Currently only available on tap at Calapooia Brewing Company and haunts where Oregon craft beer is available.

Charlie of DM makes killer beer.

Double Mountain Killer Green Fresh Hop Ale:  Double Mountain‘s simple and endearing brand logo of a plump, enticing hop is indicative of many of the brewery’s lupulin-driven beers.  With a creative knack for hops, Double Mountain ranks highly alongside brewers such as Green Flash and Russian River.  The Killer Green pours a golden-amber hue with a medium-sized white head. Grassy, earthy fruity hop notes adjoin a balanced malt spine and a finish of spicy and resinous citrus waves. Very quaffable and easy to drink again and again this autumn release will soon vanish only to rise from the dead next year.

These are just a few of the many intriguing autumn brews recommended.  If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment or email us info@brewpublic.com.  Happy beer hunting.

Posted under beer reviews

Two vessel system at Lakewood, New York

As a follow-up to Brewpublic’s news about Lakewood, New York’s Southern Tier Brewing Company making it’s way into the Northwest market, here is an interview with head brewer Paul Cain.

What’s your experience at Southern Tier been like?

Paul Cain: I have been with southern tier brewing for over four years now, my experience here has been very positive for me personally, I started working part time on the packaging line, taping cases closed and stacking finished cases on a pallet. From there I moved on to processing kegs, and then about one year in, I was a shift brewer, turning brews

Southern Tier brewers Paul Cain (left) and Jared Brown contemplate their next extreme brew

at night and cleaning up, and prepping the brew house for the next day. I soon had the opportunity to fill the asst. brewer position, and soon after was given the head brewer position, as we normally hire personnel from the inside, and I had the most experience in the brew house. Along the way I was trained on all brewery ops, I operated and maintained the bottling line; I took on all of the cellar/ fermentation duties, filtration, and management of raw materials. In a nutshell, I gained all of my experience “on the job”, as I had no formal education in brewing or fermentation or management for that matter. So the last four years have been one long learning experience.

What size system do you brew with?  Any challenges with that?

PC: Our brew house is a standard two vessel, single temp mash that includes a combo mash lauter tun followed by a 30 bbl combo kettle / whirlpool. We have over 800 bbl of fermentation space, the majority of our tanks are 100 bbl capacities, and we work in three shifts to turn four brews in a 20hr period. It is surely a challenging format; however brewing multiple turns to make one batch ensures a greater level of consistency.
What’s beer culture like in Lakewood area?  Do the locals drink a lot of extreme beers?

PC: The locals here in Lakewood have not been exposed to a lot of “beer culture”, prior to 2002. We have a pub that we open on the weekends and it is a very popular spot. Local pubs and restaurants are proud to carry our products and patrons are proud to drink local beer. Although very few, on either side of the bar, have any idea just how positively the southern tier brews are regarded in the craft brew scene.

Where did your interest in craft beer come from?

PC: My personal interest in beer has to be attributed to my older brother, who made sure that I understood right from wrong, and among other things, “tasty” beer from macro not-so-special beer.

For more information on Southern Tier, visit their website http://www.southerntierbrewing.com/

Posted under beer me, brewpubs

Deschutes Brewery sent out their most recent Bitter Truth Newsletter this month.  It is an informative, colorful, and well-designed update of many of their happenings around Bend and Portland.  It also lists several newly released and soon to be released beers of interest.  Among these are the Luckiest Lager, a German style lager with a bountiful supply of hops , the Old Samhain (Sah-win) Halloween nitro brew, six different fresh hop beers, and the Big Red Double Cinder Cone barleywine.  Perhaps, the most intriguing new offering to soon be released is a Wild Plum Stout brewed with sour wort and tart plums.  Mmm.  If the puckeringly sweet flavor of the Dissident Oud Bruin was any indication of how well Deschutes does sours, then this could be nothing short of spectacular.

I phoned Deschutes’ brewmaster Larry Sidor at the brewery in Bend this morning to find out more.  Sidor informed me that the Wild Plum Stout will be release soon and will be a pub only brew.  “We made about twelve and a half barrels of it” said Sidor.  “The plums are from our refrigeration mechanic.   He grew them in his yard and we felt it was something we should work on.”  So, about 20-25 pounds of plums were handpicked and run through a wine grape crusher.  The hand-cranked quarter-inch press extracted the sugar and tart qualities from the fresh fruit.  “(The stout) has a sour wort with a Lactobacillus culture in it.  We put about two or three gallons into the mash.”  So how did it come out?  Said Sidor: “When I tasted it, it was pretty darn tart.”

Larry Sidor Deschutes brewmaster

So when can Portlanders expect to get their palates around this imaginative new beer? “Whenever we brew anything, we send a few kegs (to Portland)” said Sidor, “We netted about ten barrels.  Two or so will be sent to Portland.”  According the the brewer, the beer was brewed on the week of October 1st at 17 degree plato.  Around 200 lovibond, the beer possesses a rich black body.  “We used a lot of roast barley, special B, and we went a little crazy and threw a little candy sugar in it, too.”  This beer promises to be real unique.

While I had Mr. Sidor on the phone, I asked him about this winter’s Reserve Series brews.  The undeniable success of the Abyss Imperial Stout over the last few years has made called for its perennial return.  “We started with a couple hundred barrels (in 2006)” said Sidor. “We didn’t know how the public would react.  Beers we personally love as brewers don’t always make it.  There’s the marketing, pricing point perspective, etc.”  But to his delight, and that of several craft brew enthusiasts, Sidor said “the stuff just evaporated.”

Taking a year to prepare for, this year’s Abyss  is slated to be unveiled around November 15 in handsome wax-dipped 22 ounce bottles.  Blended from bourbon barred-aged and pinot noir barrel-aged batches, the Abyss varies each year.  “It is different each year due to variation in blending process and barrel availability” said Sidor. “It’s a similar issue that wine makers have. If I don’t like a blend, I’ll alter it some until I get it right.” The 2008 release makes use of Maker’s Mark barrels.  2009′s blend, already brewed and waiting be barreled,  will have its own distinct personality. “We will use a whole lot of Stranahan’s bourbon barrels” claimed Sidor.  Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey is produced at craft distillery that contracts with Oskar Blues Brewing of Lyons, Colorado to make some delicious brew.  Sidor informed me that Deschutes will obtain 30 or 40 barrels from Stranahans.

In addition to these captivating brews, Deschutes plans to bring back the warm and hardy Mirror Mirror barleywine as a part of its Reserve Series.  The oak-aged bohemoth will be available again in 22-ounce bottles in March or April 2009 for the first time since 2005.  To make thing even better, the brewery is maturing a Big Red Double Cinder Cone for bottling in this series.  Further, they are working on another run of the Black Butte XX Imperial barrel-aged Porter to celebrate their upcoming 21st anniversary.  Sidor said his hands are full of specialty projects and mainstay beers at Deschutes.  They even have a follow-up batch of Dissident Oud Bruine slated for release sometime in 2011.

Posted under Uncategorized

Offering a selection of brews impressive even by Beervana’s standards, Victory Bar at 3652 SE Division Street (at 37th Avenue) in Portland offers a relaxed atmosphere with a rotating tap selection worth discovering.  Voted one of the best places to drink beer in America by Imbibe Magazine in 2008, Victory also offers a full bar with choice wine and liquor selections as well as delicious happy hour food. The bar’s front man, Yani informed Brewpublic that the bar is soon to feature three additional taps.  This means the current five beer on tap will soon be eight. Victory features an assortment of beer geek favorites from around the world. On our last visit we were pleased to find Ommegang Rouge Grand Cru pouring as well as a Speakeasy Big Daddy IPA.  Check the most recent list below for an idea of how cool Victory is.

Victory Bottle List

Posted under places to drink beer

By Margaret Lut

We all have memories of various first time experiences. Our first kiss, our first apartment and for beer enthusiasts, there is no fonder memory then our first taste that turned us on to craft beer. Drinking your first brew and savoring the taste is a first that will last a lifetime. Maybe it was the citrusy palate of a pale or IPA, or the robust mouthfeel of a rich porter or stout. Whatever it was, you will never forget your first tasty beer.

I remember my first encounter with enjoying and appreciating craft beer. It was the spring of 2000. I had a friend that liked to drink craft beer and I would try one from time to time. For the most part I was not a fan. From a household of Polish immigrants, the beer of choice for my father was a standard European premium lager. These light beers were devoid the assertive hop profile associated with Pacific Northwest brews. My first impression of the local beer choices were that they were often either too bitter or too strong for my taste. But then, one day, it happened. I took a drink and was amazed at the flavor that was filling my mouth. A slightly hoppy taste that was smooth and not harsh on the palate. It was kind of citrusy, floral, and surprisingly refreshing. It was a beer that was well balanced and very drinkable. This beer was no other than Deschutes’ Mirror Pond Pale Ale. It is beer that is generous spiced with Cascade hops and at 5% ABV makes it a brew that a first timer can easily enjoy.

Once I got my palate acquainted with the flavor of Mirror Pond, sampling and expanding my palate with different brews became quite enjoyable. I had found a new appreciation for beers that I was skeptical of in the past. My taste buds had evolved to understand the different flavors that hops, malts, and yeast had to offer a beer.

On a resent visit to Deschutes in Portland, I was excited to find a fresh hop version of my so-called “first” beer—a Cascade fresh hopped Mirror Pond. This beer was a fresher, grassier version of Mirror Pond with a warm, pleasing, easy drinking, balanced malt backbone. This brew also emitted a big fresh floral hop aroma that was very pleasing to the senses. One of the exciting things about Mirror Pond’s solid recipe is that it is has been transformed into the winter barelywine “Mirror Mirror.” Since then, other Deschutes brands have intrigued my palate such as the roasty Black Butte Porter, the robust Obsidian Stout, and some special Reserve Series releases like the tart Dissident Oud Bruin, the chocolaty barrel-aged Black Butte XX Imperial Porter, and the indescribably flavorful Abyss Imperial Stout.

These days I enjoy a sampling the gamut of brews from near and far and find great pleasure in seeking out and distinguishing the flavors that each has to offer.

Please feel free to comment on your first beer experience that turned you onto craft beer.

Margaret Lut’s tongue is fluent in the Polish language and has enjoyed sampling more than fifty beer styles from around the world.

Posted under beer reviews

The idea of Yellow Snow in your mouth might make you want to gag. In 1974 Frank Zappa warned us “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow.”  Now, it is recommended you drink one kind of yellow snow–Rogue’s winter IPA release. Brewed exclusively with high-alpha Amarillo hops, Rogue’s Yellow Snow IPA is a florally and fruitily hopped brew.  The beer was created in 2000 for the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Yellow Snow is Rogue’s tribute to winter sports everywhere—downhill skiing, snowboarding, cross country, ice hockey, ice fishing, snowmobiling, and even curling. According to the brewery, it will be available November 1st in select states where mountains and snow can be found. At 15 degrees Plato, it seems that Utes might not be able to buy this brew on the slopes but you can. It’s out now!  Mmmm  Yellow Snow!

Here’s a funny commercial:

Posted under beer reviews

Here’s a look at what Widmer currently has on tap.

Posted under brewpubs