By Jen Sotolongo

A recent visit to Standing Stone Brewery in Ashland inspired me to finally select a topic for the weekly blog my school, the Bainbridge Graduate Institute (BGI) requires of its students. A small school, based out of Bainbridge Island, BGI aims to create change agents through their MBA in Sustainable Systems program.

Up until this point, we had the liberty of selecting any topic of interest, so long as we discussed sustainability and business. This quarter, we were asked to pick a single topic for the entire quarter. I had no idea what to write about for three whole months.

While enjoying a pint of Standing Stone’s Oatmeal Stout, I marveled at the brewpub’s sustainability initiatives. Shiny bikes stand front and center upon arrival, waiting for the day they can go home with an employee who has put in 1,000 hours and agrees to bike commute at least 45 times within a year of receiving their new ride. Report cards detail the brewery’s use of energy, waste, and water. And, like many Oregon breweries, they support their local community events.

Experiencing Standing Stone’s commitment to people, planet, and profit led me to declare that I would write about sustainability in the brewing industry as my blog topic. I love beer and want to make this world a better place, so I thought, “why not marry the two?” Read More…

Posted under Beer Blogs, Beer personalities

John Foyston, who you know and have come to love through the Oregonian is going to be our featured artist in the upcoming first thursday, April 5th, 2012.  We will have his art up on consignment for the month of April so come and support your local beer writer and artist’

Posted under Beer personalities, Oregon beer, beer events, events, places to drink beer

Obviously many people come and go in a business like ours and we’ve had our share of great ones. But only 3 people have been with us the entire time we’ve been in our “new” location on Stark Street (now five years old). Mitzi Komisar is known to most everyone who frequents Belmont Station for her warmth, hospitality, and beer guidance and we will all miss her.

Direct from Mitzi: “It has been 5 ½ years that I’ve been at Belmont Station. I have always appreciated the opportunity to share in your beer buying, our many conversations, and all of your smiles. I liked that you often brought your children and your dogs to visit. You are all so special and it has been my pleasure to share with you. Friday, March 23rd was my last day at the Station. During that last week I was able to see so many of you for which I am grateful. I am embracing my Acupuncture practice with a full heart and 23 years of experience. If ever I can be of help with your questions or lend any guidance or service please contact me at mkacupuncture@gmail.com. Feel free to write just to say hi if you’d like. That which I will miss the most of Belmont Station is all of you. I humbly thank you…”

Come raise a glass to Mitzi!

Posted under Beer personalities, beer events, events

Well known around Portland, OR for his Examiner poll declaring Asheville, North Carolina as “BeerCity USA” for three consecutive years, American Brewers Association president Dr. Charlie Papazian admits to fixing the results. As it turns out, Papazian was originally drawn to the ten brewery NC town in 1985, shortly after writing the popular The Complete Joy of Homebrewing, due to a secretive love affair with beer cocktails.

You see, not only is Asheville the birthplace of craft beer, it also happens to be that of the increasingly popular beer cocktail. Despite some initially harsh words on Twitter discounting the idea of such mixology, Papazian Read More…

Posted under Beer personalities, beer news

Posted under Beer personalities, Oregon beer, beer news, brewpubs

Josh Grgas has been the ordering manager and palate guru at the BeerMongers for almost two years. He is spreading his wings and moving on to other projects and we would like to celebrate with some awesome brews and good cheer. Taplist:

Plus there will be PIE!

Posted under Beer personalities, Oregon beer, beer events, events, places to drink beer

By Jean De Ieso

New England offers a plethora of destinations for day or weekend trips, year round. So it happened that a three hour drive south brought us to Stamford, CT (very close to the New York border) for the purpose was visiting high-end antique malls. Arriving in town just as the St. Patrick’s Day parade was in full swing, we decided to check out SBC Restaurant & Brewery as they were revving up for the post parade crowd. We had heard wonderful things about the local beers, brewed by Southport Brewing Company. Read More…

Posted under Beer personalities, beer reviews, places to drink beer

One of the most talented brewers and nicest people we’ve met in the business is Phil Roche, brewmaster at Full Sail Brewing in Portland. A longtime employee of Full Sail, Roche has developed a new beer to be bottled and featured as a part of the brewery’s Brewer’s Share series. “Phil’s Existential Alt” will be on draught and available in 22-ounce bottles this month. Here’s the full scoop from Full Sail Brewing Co.: Read More…

Posted under Beer personalities, Oregon beer, beer news, beer releases

Upright is three years in! To celebrate, come join us at the brewery Friday the 30th from 4:30 to 9 pm and check out our newest seasonal beer, Blend Love! Four casks containing a sour cherry version of the Four were blended with about a cask and a half of raspberry laden Six to create this characterful sour ale, full of lactic and acetic character, fruit and oak tannins, and a light funkiness from brettanomyces yeast. It was a blast to produce and then name this beer after one of Upright’s favorite people and brewers, Ben Love. It’s perfectly ready to enjoy now but will cellar well for several years. One keg will be on tap along with plenty of bottles for sale at $12 a 750ml and $125 a case. Please note there will be a single case per person limit. During the anniversary on the 30th, expect to see some other neat beers on tap as well!

More New Seasonal Bottle Releases:

Gose

The third annual Gose is conditioning now and should be ready for release either the 16th or 23rd depending on how that goes. The salt can retard the process so we’ll be tasting it just before to determine the final date. The recipe was basically unchanged but this batch fermented out excellently and was displaying great aromas and flavors before bottling. It should be the best batch yet!

Pure Wit

Pure Wit, also on it’s third go-round has been out on draft for less than a week and another batch designated for bottling is in the works for an early/mid April release. Our take on the style is a bit more rustic than most with a distinct tartness, flowery nose, and a super dry finish.

Monk & Mingus

Also in the works is the annual Monk and Mingus, a collaboration with former longtime Oregon brewer Corey Blogett (sic), now head brewer at Maritime Pacific in Seattle. The Monk and Mingus is made for the Cheers to Belgian Beers fest in April and completely different every year. This particular batch is a strong stout fermented rather cool to keep the yeast profile in check and make room for a cold pressed infusion of coffee from Heart Coffee Roasters. The beer is very early in its process but we’ve got a great feeling about it!

New Distribution

Upright just started shipping beer to Nevada through Cepage Selections. Look for bottles on the shelves already and draft coming soon.

Posted under Beer personalities, Oregon beer, beer events, beer news, beer releases, events, places to drink beer, vintage beers

Upright Brewing celebrates their third anniversary on Friday March 30, 2012 with the release of Blend Love. Although not mentioned in their press release, this tribute beer to brewmaster Ben Love, was a concept that we came up with in the brewhouse on one of many bottling days. Frequently founder/brewer Alex Ganum and brewer Gerritt Ill would entertain seemingly endless ideas for beers named after brewers. Evolving from the more objectifying labeled Four Play, Blend Love is a more respectably presented nod to one of Portland’s finest and kindest brewers.

In the past Alex was so kind as to allow us to organize Van Night for longtime Rock Bottom Brewer Van Havig (now a business partner and fellow brewmaster at Gigantic Brewing with Love) at the Grain & Gristle Pub. Alex and the G&G also let us put together Ben Fest to pay homage to Ben Love and four other Bens in the Portland beer scene. Oh, and let us not forget the Shawn Kelso Night in which Upright devised an uncharacteristic mammoth hops beast poured alongside 10 Barrel Brewery’s newly acquired brewer who gained notoriety whilst developing over the top hop behemoths at Barley Brown’s Brewpub.

As you can see, Alex appreciates his friends and  fellow brewers in the industry, and likes to have fun with the naming of beers. He also is highly passionate about breaking into uncharted territory when it comes to developing and executing craft beer styles. One obvious example that comes to mind is Upright’s Flora Rustica (brewed with calendula flower and yarrow). Further, Upright has not only gotten radical with its brewing but has also revisited some historically significant styles such as Gose, Oyster Stout, and Bavarian Hefe, and Pilsner.

Perhaps the most endearing element for us about Alex’s brewery is that it is undoubtedly a labor of love that is more about friendships and the enjoyment of beer itself rather than it is about the marketing or the hype that so many others get caught up in. So, for Upright’s third anniversary, we couldn’t be happier for our buddies Alex and Gerritt, two of our favorite brewers of all time.

Blend Love is an amalgamation of four barrel-aged versions of Upright’s wheaten Four, with more than a barrel of raspberry Six rye ale. Here’s the details from the steed’s mouth: Read More…

Posted under Beer personalities, Oregon beer, beer events, beer news, beer releases, places to drink beer, vintage beers