If you’re not one of the lucky lads or lasses who will be in attendance for the country’s biggest and baddest beer fests, aka Great American Beer Fest (aka GABF), fret not. The 29th installation of the GABF September 16-18 might offer over 2,200 beers to try which is more than you’ll likely find at any other single festival, but after all, who can drink 2,200 beers in three days (We’re imagining a few friends contemplating it).

This month, do what so many people around the country are doing, take a staycation. Yes, it’s that catch word you’ve likely heard promoted from advocates of living local, but it certainly is good for the economy, and in these rougher economic times, it might be just what you need to enjoy the fruits of the Pacific Northwest, in our humble opinion, one of the greatest places to live on the planet.

Here’s a look at some events coming up in September that you might consider attending if you love Oregon craft beer Read More…

Posted under Beer & Music, Oregon beer, beer and food, beer to do list, brewpubs, places to drink beer

Widmer Brother Brewing’s Oktoberfest returns for a sixth year celebrating Munich-style ales and German food and music.  Festivities will take place Saturday, Sept. 11 from 3 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. at Widmer Brothers Brewing Co.

WHAT: Widmer Brother’s Oktoberfest is a tribute to the world-renowned celebration in Munich, Germany, which draws more than six million people annually during the 16-day festival. Widmer Brother’s version, although smaller in scale, is large in Oktoberfest spirit. The festival features a variety of craft beers, traditional German food, accordion players, and live music throughout the day including rock and roll accordion band, Those Darn Accordions, as well as local bands Amadan, Hillstomp, Sassparilla and Chris Margolin and the Dregs.

WHEN: Saturday, September 11 from 3 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

WHERE: Widmer Brothers Brewery is located at 929 N. Russell Ave. Parking is extremely limited and public transportation is highly encouraged.

COST: Admission to Widmer Brother’s Oktoberfest is free; however, a 2010 souvenir stein is required for consuming beer. Attendees can also bring steins from previous years to the event. All beer and food is purchased with tokens, which cost $1 each. Patrons pay five tokens for a souvenir stein, four tokens for a full stein of beer and food items are $2-$5. Sales of steins and tokens end at 10:30 p.m., one hour prior to the close of the event.

Posted under Beer & Music, Oregon beer, beer and food, beer events, brewpubs, events, places to drink beer

Celebrate Central Oregon’s Proud Brewing and Distilling Tradition This Weekend At The Little Woody

This year’s beer lovers’ festival to feature bourbon from local and national distilleries

Bend, Oregon – August 30, 2010 – The Little Woody was created in 2009 to commemorate one of Central Oregon’s cultural hallmarks — beer — and it’s back thanks to popular demand. The one-day event drew more than 2,000 craft beer enthusiasts last year to sample brews from local breweries, meet the brewmasters and sing the praises of great beer.

Due to the overwhelming interest, the second annual Little Woody Barrel-Aged Brew Festival will return to the Des Chutes Historical Museum in Downtown Bend — but this time for two full days on Friday and Saturday, September 3-4.

The Little Woody celebrates the ancient barrel brewing technique as adapted by craft brewers in Central Oregon and the Pacific Northwest including Deschutes Brewery, Ninkasi, McMenamins, Three Creeks and Bend Brewing.

Some of the beers these fine local breweries will be slinging include Firewater Red from Three Creeks, made by combining Firestorm Red and an ‘09 Barley wine aged in a Pinot Noir barrel for 9 months, and Barrel Head, the popular McMenamins Hammerhead aged in a Hogshead whiskey barrel for over 4 months and then cold conditioned for another 2 months, resulting in a hoppy ale with a hint of fruit in the nose but a dry and woody finish.

This year the festival will also feature oak barrel-aged bourbons from Basil Hayden, Weller, Jefferson, Bulleit and Evan Williams Single Barrel. The Bendistillery will also be sampling their line of vodka and gin as well as mixing a few cocktails, and a selection of Oregon wines will be available.

WHAT:The Second Annual Little Woody Barrel-Aged Beer and Bourbon Festival, featuring local brews, local bourbons, local food vendors and live music from local favorites The Moon Mountain Ramblers and Portland’s Jack Straw.

WHEN:Labor Day Weekend, September 3 from 5 -10pm and September 4 from 12pm -10pm

WHERE:Des Chutes Historical Museum lawn in Downtown Bend

COST:Admission to the event is $5 or $6 with a commemorative glass. A tasting package is $15, which includes glass, entry and 10 tokens. Bourbon tasting is $30 for six tastes. A portion of the event proceeds will benefit the Des Chutes Historical Society.

The Little Woody would like to thank all of our sponsors for their support to make the Little Woody 2010 a success: Nature’s Whole Food Marketplace, The Source Weekly, Perez Design, Mutineer Magazine and Bendistillery.

About The Little Woody

In the past, brewers served beer that had been aged in oaken casks. Now, brewers are turning to these historical techniques for adding depth of flavor to their beers. The Little Woody celebrates this ancient brewing technique as adapted by American craft brewers, featuring beers aged in wine barrels, whiskey barrels and oak barrels, which uniquely flavors and intensifies the beer. In addition to showcasing the wide variety of barrel-aged beer from local and regional microbreweries, this year’s Little Woody will offer bourbon tasting from some of the region’s finest distilleries. For more info, please visit www.thelittlewoody.com.

About Lay It Out Events

Lay It Out Events is a full service event production company. In addition to producing Northwest Community Bend WinterFest presented by Mt. Bachelor, Balloons Over Bend, The Bite of Bend, and The Little Woody, Lay It Out Events provides event production services and is available for contract events. For more information please visit www.layitoutevents.com or www.thelittlewoody.com.

Posted under Oregon beer, beer events, brewpubs, events, places to drink beer

Migration Brewing co-founder Colin Rath says “We are planning on releasing two new beers, at this event BBQ’ing, hopefully a whole pig which is fed by our spent grain by a local farmer here in town, as well as live music and a DJ closing the party in the later hours.”

Posted under Beer & Music, Oregon beer, beer and food, beer events, beer releases, brewpubs, events, places to drink beer

Just when you thought the craft beer life would calm down, in just a blink of an eye, Oregon Craft Beer Month has slipped into harvest season. With less than a month left of summer, 2010 has been a mildly comfortable season for most folks in the Willamette Valley, the nation’s second largest hop growing area specific to the greater Cascadian region where approximately 30% of the world’s hop supply comes from. Washington State’s Yakima Valley to the north accounts for around 75% of the nation’s hop rations. The Willamette Valley boasts 15%. Before the turn of the 20th Century, the Willamette held a stronghold on hop production, but modern agricultural practices, especially irrigation techniques have aided in Yakima’s rise.

Still, there is no where like Portland, Oregon, which is unique in its close proximity to bountiful hopyards. Where Seattlites find themselves more than two hours from the vast humulus lupulus orchards of Yakima Valley, Portland aka Beervana rests less than an hour from places like Mt. Angel, Woodburn, and Hopmere. The latter destination is the home of Sodbuster Farms, run by Doug Weathers and his skilled crew. Full Sail Brewing generously organized a tour of the farm for roughly forty lucky people from the craft beer industry including many pub owners, bartenders, and media. The trip was replete with provisions of Full Sail’s Session, Black Session, IPA, and Pale Ale.

The tour started in the hopyard where we were able to witness firsthand the felling of the mighty hop bines that grew up substrates almost twenty feet to the summer sunshine. Weathers reported that 2010′s harvest was  not on par with last year’s bountiful yield due to a late start to summer and cooler weather. Still, the dank fields of Magnum hops we watched being harvested were plump and resinous. According to Weathers, these cones possessed about 18% alpha acidity, which is on the high end for most hops.

After spending about an hour frolicking like bemused children through the enchanted columns of seemingly infinite hops (according to Weathers the farm grows on about 500 acres of land) while truck after truck zipped away with loads of sticky green, our group headed up the road to the processing plant. Here the individual clumped bines were attached to a conveyor and suspended from the ceiling above, then shucked of their fruits before multiple custom-made belt, ramp, and screen filterings honed the lush cones down to their desired form. After this, the cones where brought to a heated kilning loft above the farm to dry and eliminate risk of mildew and other undesirables. The scent in this warm loft was pure heaven for those who enjoy the olfactory of ripe resinous hops. The same could be said of the vast refrigeration unit that housed the kilned hops bailed into 200 pound quantities. From about ten feet to the massive cooler door, the whiff of air was unfathomably luring.

Concluding the detailed tour by Mr. Weathers, our crew was treated to a barbecue under two large outdoor tents in front of Sodbuster Farms. As a special treat, our group was presented with to two quarter barrels of hoppy Full Sail beers including the Brewers Reserve Spotless IPA, and the champion of the day, Read More…

Posted under Oregon beer, beer news, brewpubs, places to drink beer

NOL's Side Bar

Lompoc’s Sidebar is a  tasting room that features barrel aged and seasonal specialty beers; it’s located at 3901 N Williams, just past Pix Patisserie on the left. Hours are 4 to 10 PM on Friday and 2 to 10 pm on Saturday. This weekend’s line-up includes:

Bob’s Memorial Braggot – brewed in the summer of ’08 and blended and bottled in March ’09, this beer is 2.25 parts mead to one part brown ale. The late Bob Farrell, one of the true gentlemen of the Oregon craft-beer world, was a great fan of braggot, and helped blend this before his untimely death from cancer. We raise our glass to Bob when we drink this! 7% ABV

’08 Bourbon Barrel Aged Pagan Porter – Brewed in August ’08 and aged in bourbon barrels for three months, this porter is black in color with hints of bourbon and vanilla. There is a soft roastiness in the nose and a rich chocolate flavor. 6.4% ABV

Sockeye Stout – This is a perfect stout, featuring roasted malt flavors with rich chocolate and coffee undertones combined with an addition of oats for a lasting finish. 4.9% ABV

Red Scare Imperial Red – This imperial red ale brewed with Nottingham ale yeast is a certified malt bomb. Medium bodied with a deep crimson hue, Red Scare tastes of dark fruit with a light biscuit character. 9.5% ABV

Centennial India Pale Ale - Our classic Northwest IPA is brewed with Crystal malts for a rich golden color. Centennial hops provide a floral nose and sharp bitter finish. 6% ABV

Condor Pale Ale – A crisp and nicely hopped Pale Ale that’s great for quaffing with comrades or enjoying along side with some pub grub. 5.2% ABV

Have a great weekend!

Posted under Oregon beer, beer events, brewpubs, places to drink beer

Pull out the Lederhosen, it’s time for Oktoberfest! The brewers at Lompoc Brewing are welcoming autumn with a release party for their fall seasonal, Lompoc Oktoberfest.  The gathering, which includes a German barbecue, will take place Sept. 11 from Noon to 8 PM in the Lompoc’s Fifth Quadrant Brewery and inside the Sidebar tasting room, both located at 3901 N. Williams Ave. Staying true to the theme, the menu will feature a selection of German sausages with a variety of condiments/toppings. There will also be a traditional accordionist playing beer polka tunes from 2 to 5 PM.

Pale orange in color, Lompoc Oktoberfest is a Marzen Lager featuring a clean malt flavor artfully balanced by a touch of Perle hops.  A portion of the grains used was roasted in the oven at Lompoc’s Fifth Quadrant restaurant, giving the beer a slight biscuity flavor.  The beer is 5% ABV and 15 IBUs.  Lompoc Oktoberfest will be on draft in all five of Lompoc’s pubs beginning Sept. 13.

Posted under Oregon beer, beer events, brewpubs, events, places to drink beer

Come discover Silverton! And for those who have been here before, Rediscover Silverton at Septoberfest!

Silverton’s Septoberfest–a tradition since 2010–will take place Friday through Sunday, September 17-19 on the grounds of the Seven Brides Brewing Tap Room. The outdoor festival will showcase the best of local restaurants, breweries, wineries and entertainment for the entire family. Proceeds to benefit SACA (Silverton Area Community Aid), Silverton Volunteer Fire Association and the Silver Fox Foundation Scholarship Fund.

“The Silverton area has so much to offer out-of-town visitors,” says Jeff DeSantis, one of the founders of Seven Brides Brewing, “from the Oregon Gardens, with more than 20 specialty gardens, including pet and children’s gardens, to the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Gordon House,  Silver Falls State Park–the largest in all of Oregon featuring 10 different waterfalls. Experience downtown Silverton as it bustles with galleries, antique stores and specialty shops as well as a variety of great restaurants. Septoberfest will give visitors–and local residents–a real taste of Silverton.”

WHAT: Septoberfest–a tradition since 2010
Food • Fun • Music • Beer & Wine

WHERE: Seven Brides Brewing Tap Room
990 N. First Street, Silverton

WHEN: Friday, Saturday and Sunday
September 17-19, 2010

Posted under Oregon beer, beer events, brewpubs, places to drink beer

Come discover Silverton! And for those who have been here before, Rediscover Silverton at Septoberfest!

Silverton’s Septoberfest –a tradition since 2010–will take place Friday through Sunday, September 17-19 on the grounds of the Seven Brides Brewing Tap Room. The outdoor festival will showcase the best of local restaurants, breweries, wineries and entertainment for the entire family. Proceeds to benefit SACA (Silverton Area Community Aid), Silverton Volunteer Fire Association and the Silver Fox Foundation Scholarship Fund.

“The Silverton area has so much to offer out-of-town visitors,” says Jeff DeSantis, one of the founders of Seven Brides Brewing, “from the Oregon Gardens, with more than 20 specialty gardens, including pet and children’s gardens, to the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Gordon House,  Silver Falls State Park–the largest in all of Oregon featuring 10 different waterfalls. Experience downtown Silverton as it bustles with galleries, antique stores and specialty shops as well as a variety of great restaurants. Septoberfest will give visitors–and local residents–a real taste of Silverton.”

WHAT: Septoberfest–a tradition since 2010
Food • Fun • Music • Beer & Wine

WHERE: Seven Brides Brewing Tap Room
990 N. First Street, Silverton

WHEN: Friday, Saturday and Sunday
September 17-19, 2010

Posted under Oregon beer, beer events, brewpubs, events, places to drink beer

Come discover Silverton! And for those who have been here before, Rediscover Silverton at Septoberfest!

Silverton’s Septoberfest–a tradition since 2010–will take place Friday through Sunday, September 17-19 on the grounds of the Seven Brides Brewing Tap Room. The outdoor festival will showcase the best of local restaurants, breweries, wineries and entertainment for the entire family. Proceeds to benefit SACA (Silverton Area Community Aid), Silverton Volunteer Fire Association and the Silver Fox Foundation Scholarship Fund.

“The Silverton area has so much to offer out-of-town visitors,” says Jeff DeSantis, one of the founders of Seven Brides Brewing, “from the Oregon Gardens, with more than 20 specialty gardens, including pet and children’s gardens, to the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Gordon House,  Silver Falls State Park–the largest in all of Oregon featuring 10 different waterfalls. Experience downtown Silverton as it bustles with galleries, antique stores and specialty shops as well as a variety of great restaurants. Septoberfest will give visitors–and local residents–a real taste of Silverton.”

WHAT: Septoberfest–a tradition since 2010
Food • Fun • Music • Beer & Wine

WHERE: Seven Brides Brewing Tap Room
990 N. First Street, Silverton

WHEN: Friday, Saturday and Sunday
September 17-19, 2010

Posted under Oregon beer, beer events, brewpubs, events, places to drink beer