By Kim Schimke

Beercation: traveling to new beer destinations in search of deliciousness. Okay, so that may be my definition, but neither Webster nor Wikipedia has yet to adopt this term, so I’m improvising. In the past couple months; I have been fortunate enough to take two major beercations; one to LA and the other to Boston. Both were incredibly successful. What makes for a successful beercation you ask? I have thrown together some tips so you may be equipped to take and fully enjoy a beercation of your own.

I may not be a craft expert, but beercations are something I have pretty much specialized in since I was knee-high to a grasshopper. Growing up with my craft loving parents, I’ve been traveling around the country hitting up brewpubs, breweries, and bottle shops for quite some time. I’ve picked up a thing or two and have now acquired a beercation bag of tricks. It’s important to keep in mind that though a hoot and a half, beercations also take preparation, just like any other vacation. Read More…

Posted under Beer Education, beer humor, beer me, beer tools, Beer Travel

Posted under beer events, beer humor, Beer Travel, beers on film

By Kim Schimke

The term “beer snob” is an oxymoron to me. It doesn’t seem like those two words and concepts go together. The beauty of beer is that you can make it whatever you want it to be. You can formalize it by always using the “proper” glassware, become a Cicerone®, do a sensory assessment, etc. All of these activities I wholeheartedly respect. I also enjoy not making it too serious, formal, or structured. There are so many things in life where we have to strictly adhere to the rules, and my beer doesn’t have to be one of them. If I like the taste of citrus in my Hefeweizen, then dammit a slice of lemon is going in my glass. If on the off occasion I crave a Blue Moon, then dammit I’m going to buy and consume a Blue Moon. Read More…

Posted under beer humor, beer me, Beer personalities

Burnside Brewing and crosstown rivals Breakside Brewery have been in a squabble of their similar names. According to a trusted undisclosed blogger source, Breakside founder Scott Lawrence hit the owners of Burnside Brewing with a cease and desist for the use of a similiar name. According to Burnside insider Jay “Glazer” Gilbert, “Apparently that guy thinks he’s Art Lawrance (sic), like he has some power over our medal-winning wizardry.”

Breakside Brewmaster Ben Edmunds responded simply with “Pfft!” as he pointed to two GABF medallions hanging around his neck. Then, less than an hour after talking with both parties, we found out from barmaster and libation specialist Tom “Tom Cat” Fischer that the two breweries are now one thanks to a shotgun merger. According to Mr. Fischer, the new brewhouse collective will be dubbed B-Side Brewers Alliance.

With the new merger almost complete, Lawrance has Read More…

Posted under beer awards, beer humor, beer news, Oregon beer

By Kim Schimke

I am but a common gal who drinks from a common jar. Yes, I drink from a Mason jar. I often encounter friends, acquaintances, and Instagram followers that are perplexed by my glassware habit. Some are big fans of the Mason and applaud my drinking vessel selection; others feel I am doing a disservice to the brew. Due to the buzz surrounding the Mason jar, I figured I would write a little something that gives a quick glimpse of the history behind this object and profess my delight in drinking from it.

Once upon a time long, long ago, a world without technology existed. Modern industrial improvements were undiscovered. Canning was one such activity that was done by hand. A clever fella, respectively named John Landis Mason, invented and patented the Mason jar, for food storage purposes. The world upgraded its awesome status in 1858 when Johnny boy, a tinsmith, introduced the masses to this container. Also known as a Ball jar, the Mason which was (and still is) sought after as a collectable antique, has made a resurgence in modern society, and the craft beer industry is no exception for this glassware paradigm shift. One of the most notable examples in craft is Read More…

Posted under beer humor, beer me, Beer Merchandise, Beer personalities

By Kim Schimke

I’ve never been one to collect postage stamps, build models, scrapbook, or pick up a musical instrument. Sure I tried my hand at the harmonica and attempted to kick around a soccer ball, but never did I find a hobby that I truly felt passionate about, until craft beer. It’s practically a fairy tale of how quickly the beverage and I connected. Craft beer has everything I have ever wanted and needed in a hobby. Let’s review why the craft is the ultimate past-time activity.

Read More…

Posted under beer and food, beer humor, beer me

By Kim Schimke

Nothing ushers in the holiday cheer quite like a seasonal brew. While most American households were sipping on their eggnog, cider, or cocoa, I was downing the seasonal beers my parents introduced to my brother and me. Perhaps the explanation for my merry disposition as a child was a product of being buzzed. Regardless, the question of when Child Protective Services should intervene is another topic and article. Let’s stick to why beer seasonals make the holiday season bright.

For me, the holiday season meant time off from school. Time off from school meant family vacations. Family vacations meant touring breweries, taking day trips to local brewpubs, and filling growlers. If you are starting to think my parents and childhood were awesome, you would be correct. A holiday excursion to Oregon had me Read More…

Posted under beer humor, beer me, beer to do list

Posted under Beer Education, beer humor, beer to do list, beer tools

KillerBeerWeek kicks off Sunday October 21 at Roscoe’s Pub and rocks on for eight days. Here’s a rap parody done to the tune of The Beastie Boys “No Sleep Till Brooklyn.”

No sleep till Portland
Foot on the pedal, never ever false metal
Engine running hotter than a brewing kettle
My job ain’t a job, it’s a damn good time
City to city, I’m running taplines
On location, touring around the nation
Brewpublic always on vacation
Itchy kegger finger but a stable bier de table
I do what I do best because I’m distilling and able
Ain’t no faking, your brews I’m taking
Across Cascadia, watching all the beer geeks shaking
While you’re at the job working nine to five
The Brewpublic crew at Roscoe’s, cold kickin’ it live
No sleep till Read More…

Posted under beer humor, Oregon beer

Portland, Oregon based Green Bottling is known in the regional craft beer community for their work in helping breweries without their own 22-ounce bottling system to get their beers into bombers. Breweries like Coalition, Full Sail, Alameda, Lompoc, and Southern Oregon Brewing  have employed the services of Green Bottling. For their hard work and success, co-founder Mike Weksler has announced this month’s employees of the month: Joe Kasprzak and Paul Bastian. Congratulations, fellas!

Posted under beer humor, Beer personalities