Here’s a great idea we’re surprised hasn’t been done before: a beer dispensing arcade game. Meet the Beercade: an old-school arcade-style game with taps, drip trays and cup sensors in place of coin slots. Players insert a cup and fight to the bitter end and their reward: a cold beer. The Beercade was created by Durham, North Carolina ad agency McKinney to promote popular regional brewery Big Boss Brewing. The game is a basic fighting game featuring characters representing the five year-round Big Boss brews. The two dueling beer lovers fight to the death and the players are rewarded with a sample of Big Boss beer. The game isn’t for hard core gamers, but it’s certainly a great promotional tool that will no doubt be a hit for beer enthusiasts. We wouldn’t be surprised to see regional customizations of the Beercade start popping up at beer festivals and brewpubs across the country in the near future, and we look forward to testing it out!

Posted under beer me

By C. Baker

There’s a rumor going around about a new(ish) Growler that has been spotted roaming the streets of Northeast Portland. My friend, Mark confirmed the gossip, reporting a sighting at Breakside Brewery’s NE Dekum location on Sunday. A few clicks of the mouse this morning led me to the company that spits out what I would say are fine pieces of art. They refer to themselves as the Portland Growler Company (PGC). According to their website they began in the summer of 2010. The company consists of designers and ceramicists who collectively work together to create locally made, beautiful clay based-growlers. The PGC growler, which brings to mind the Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey jug, comes in several styles and colors. One design, called The Sprocket even pays homage to our vibrant cycling community by sporting a handle that looks like Read More…

Posted under beer me, Beer Merchandise, beer tools, 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

The Beer Traveler, Charlie Herrin, visits Sasquatch Brewing for the first full-on webisode of the show. Here we meet brewer Charlie Van Meter for some samplings of food and not-so-standard pub fare.  The highlight of this installment is not only the beer that you can’t taste through your monitor, but the (literal) pie that Charlie gets in his face.

Posted under beer me, Beer personalities, Beer Travel, beers on film, Oregon beer, places to drink beer

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.

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Posted under beer and food, beer humor, beer me

No matter what your take on Christmas and the holidays is, I believe that there resides a universal connection between all of us here in the North. It may be a culmination of the colder weather, decrease in daylight hours, pressure of these times that brings us to these times. Yes, the air of unity and family, and the festival of lights are certainly pseudo magical in their own right, as are the tie-ins for some of religious and spiritual celebration, but when I speak of pressure, it is one that can overwhelm the senses and shock the soul.

Pressure to meet expectations of family and loved ones. Pressures laid out by the media to fuel the capitalist system that supposedly benefits us all. Pressure to evaluate and re-evaluate self, so often punctuated with hard to hold up resolutions. Yes, the world is a tough place at times. Tougher for some than others. And the onslaught of the holidays can so readily serve to magnify these pressures. For the elderly, the poor, the homeless,and  the sick, the holidays, as I am sure you already are aware, can be an extraneously trying period that puts the struggles of life in the forefront of perception. Even for those who don’t resign themselves to such troubles, the emotional, financial follow-up to the celebratory times can leave the synapses a bit fried heading into the remaining three weeks of winter’s stark doldrums. Read More…

Posted under 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 me, Beer personalities

By Sara Hancock

There are just so many great seasonal beers out this time of year that I have decided to embark upon a twenty-four beer marathon leading up to Christmas Day. Think of it like an advent calendar but for grown-ups so instead of chalky milk chocolate snowmen you get a craft beer.

I am now more than ten days into the advent calendar and there have been some ups and some downs. I have included beers from many different breweries and locations, I have included many different styles and strengths but ultimately what makes a great Christmas beer will be somewhat subjective.

Do you want a hoppy crisp Northwest coast ale on Christmas morn? Or do you prefer to snuggle up fireside with a robust and spicy stout? Maybe you like a liqoury winter warmer as a nightcap after a long day skiing? While we may not always agree on what makes the best beer choice for the holidays I hope you enjoy learning about the many wondrous winter options out there.

So please follow along on www.partingglassblog.com as I continue to explore one new Christmas/Winter/Seasonal beer each day and then review and rate them on my trademarked (I wish) candy cane rating system. Like actually seeing Santa on Christmas Eve I remain vigilant in my efforts to locate (and drink) that elusive ten candy cane beer.

Happy Holidays and Joyeux Noel!

Posted under beer and food, beer events, beer me, beer to do list, beer tools, British Columbia Beer

By Kim Schimke

Droplets of condensation, vibrant hues, extreme close-ups, perfect pours with a ¾ inch head: these are just some descriptors of beer porn. Yes, beer porn. It exists and it’s pretty sexy stuff. The smartphone app, Instagram, has introduced me to this foreign subculture of beer drinkers that are eager to post and view pics of beer and documenting their sipping adventures via social media. From these sultry photos spawns interaction.

Beer lovers are eager to comment on pictures as well as offer up recommendations, inquire about the beverages posted, and get to know their fellow brew enthusiasts. The camaraderie amongst beer drinkers is quite evident and the community that exists on Instagram alone shows the increasing popularity and prevalence of craft beer in America. Read More…

Posted under beer me, Beer personalities, beer tools