Sometimes we can forget how freakin’ cool it is to have a Deschutes Brewpub in downtown Portland. Not long ago, you’d have to make the three hour trek out to Bend to get your paws on some of the exclusives that are now just a hop, skip, and a jump away. Even better, too, is that now that there are more locations, this means more tasty one-off Deschutes’ brews in general.

This week, as usual, we rolled into Deschutes Portland and were gladdened by the presence of some interesting new brews.

In case you missed it (and your liver might thank you if you had), Lucky Lab’s Barleywine and Big Beer Fest this year was a huge success. Everything you’d expect from a beer festival, the selection was exceptional, the atmosphere was welcoming, and the crowds were not overwhelming.

The event kicked off for the 13th annual installment on Friday March 5 at noon and lasted until 11PM before recommencing again the next day, again at noon. We did not attend the first day of the festival in fear of us not being able to return for our volunteer shift Saturday. Saturday the weather was spectacular, and a bicycle ride across town to the fest was invigorating. The warm sun shined through the partially opened garage door of the spacious brewpub on NW Quimby Street; a hearty and well needed beer fest was underway. A few people made their way to the tables as the event kicked off. These folks were the beer geeks who live for this kind of thing, some of whom were still recovering from the previous day’s samplings.

Brewpublic interviews Nick Arzner founder and brewer at Block 15 Restaurant & Brewery in the cellar of the old Gazette Times Printing Press where some dynamic barrel-aging is underway.

More from our cellar sampling:

In case you missed it, the Block 15 Restaurant and Brewery in Corvallis, Oregon has been flipping any and all switches when it comes to craft beer. Founder Nick Arzner continues to challenge himself through an ongoing process of designing not only imaginative brews that run the gamut of flavor, but what he’s making is simply delicious.

On Saturday February 27, 2010 Block 15 celebrated their 2nd Anniversary at their downtown brewpub where nearly 400 batches of beer have been brewed to date. With an impressive line-up of at least a dozen (usually more) beers on tap at any given time, Arzner operates on the Belgian brewers creed “Create something new based on age old traditions.” This is not only true of the beers that include high alpha hops behemoths, light session fruit infused pours, and funky farmhouse style wild ales, but it is also indicative of the delectable and sustainable menu options. Pastas, seafoods, salads, all that employ locally harvested ingredients whenever possible. Further, Block 15’s passion for community and art is evident in almost every aspect of the pub. Live music is a regular occurrence here. An ecclectic assortment of zydeco, blues, jazz, funk and blue grass and be felt resonating through the place.

Get your stunt liver primed for this coming Friday and Saturday, March 5 and 6. You’re gonna need it. Lucky Lab is hosting the thirteenth annual Barleywine and Big Beer Festival at their NW Quimby brewpub. The spacious setting is the perfect venue for such an event. In the leading city for craft beer, this brewpub isone of Portland, Oregon’s finest.

A recent tour of the cooler thanks to brewer Ben Flerchinger revealed nearly 60 beers waiting to be tapped. More are still on there way. According to the Lab technician, the average alcohol by volume of all these brews is 9.89%. Hot damn!

Check out the New School blog’s preview and picks for this year’s festival. There’s a list of the beers there, too.

The Barleywine and Big Beer Fest will occur at 1945 NW Quimby in Portland, Oregon.

Migration brewer Mike Branes (left) with Lucky Lab brewer Ben Flerchinger

Thirsty eager beer geeks rejoice! Migration Brewing , the brewpub that opened last week, is releasing their first ever beer. According to head brewer Mike Branes, about five barrels of the beer known as MPA (Migration Pale Ale) is an IPA style brew that was produced at New Old Lompoc’s brewery while the company’s 7-barrel brewhouse is being put together. Another batch is anticipated to be brewed soon at Three Creeks Brewing in Sisters, Oregon. Enjoy the inaugural pour of MPA today at 3 p.m.

Migration Brewing is located at 2828 NE Glisan St., Portland, Oregon.

Portsmouth Brewmaster Tod Mott

Recently you may have read the New School Beer Blog’s post about the hype surrounding Russian River’s Pliny the Younger Triple IPA. To some, a highly sought after brew such as this should inevitably lead folks to extreme measures. For others, the hype repels those who believe firmly there are equal if not superior brews available that can be more easily obtained. Regardless of what your stance is on such a topic, there will continue to remain a fervent desire to possess such noteworthy specimens.

Relating to this sort of buzz for the next best beer, Portsmouth Brewery of Portsmouth, New Hampshire is preparing themselves for a whirlwind of beer geeks angling for their dibs on the brewery’s most anticipated brew, Kate the Great. Kate is an imperial stout that brewmaster Tod Mott has been making since his first days with the brewery in 2003. In 2007, Beer Advocate hailed the brew, named for Catherine the Great, a Russian Empress of the 18th Century, as the #2 beer on the planet, and the #1 beer in the United States. Mott, a humble brewer with a masters degree in ceramics, has brewed professionally with Harpoon, Commonwealth, Back Bay Brewing, Quincy Ships (where he was a founding partner) and, most recently, the Tap in Haverhill, where he designed and set up the brewing system. Many of today’s modern brewers in New England can thank Mott for his guidance in brewing and name him as an inspiration to their craft.

Brewpublic will be heading south this weekend to visit the beer hot spots in Eugene and Corvallis. As expected, the weekend here in Beervana promises a slew of great tasting opportunities that you might regret missing out on. Even if you don’t happen to find a keg much hyped Russian River Pliny the Younger before it blows, you might want to seriously consider making it out for the following pours:

Upright Brewing’s Oyster Stout Release Party

Brewpublic was storming the gates when the good folks at Migration Brewing made their official opening on Wednesday February 24, 2010. Right beside us was Portland Beer and Music’s Jason Wallace for the inaugural pours of Widmer’s Collaborator brew, the Hallucinator (Check out Wallace’s site for a nice write up on Migration and an update from Concordia’s Beer Brawl III). According to Migration brewer Mike Branes, the first brew will be coming sometime next week. It will be dubbed MPA (Migration Pale Ale), and promises to be a crisp, hoppy, and aromatic India Pale Ale somewhere in the ballpark of 5.7% ABV. Branes apprenticed at Barley Johns Brew Pub in Minneapolis, Minnesota before moving to Portland, Oregon, and says the inspiration for his first release comes from Bell’s Two Hearted Ale.

Yesterday I was riding my bicycle down through NE Portland and noticed Migration Brewing, a soon-to-be-open brewpub at 2828 NE Glisan. I’d met with brewer and co-founder Michael Branes a while back at Belmont Station and had read a post about the new spot from Bill at It’s Pub Night. Branes began brewing professionally at Barley Johns Brew Pub in Minneapolis, Minnesota and has been actively brewing beer for the past six years in Portland.  For the last three years, he worked as a distributor with Mountain People’s organic beer and wine distributing company. Branes’ partners in crime are McKean Banzer-Lausberg and Colin Rath. Banzer-Lausberg, a former pub manager at Lucky Lab, will run in-house finances, employees and kitchen management. Rath will handle bar management, outside marketing, and oversee community-based programs. His involvement with the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) makes him a great fit for this outpost.