Stout Month Update from Fort George – Events, Beer Lineups

Fort George Stout Month February 2012

Stout Month is just over a week deep into events and killer dark brews in Astoria, Oregon. Here’s an update from the goodly folks at Fort George Brewery regarding what’s going on and what house and guest taps you can expect to try at the brewpub.

Almost a week down in Stout Month and the big bold dark beers are falling into place nicely.  We are just finishing up a Read More…

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

This post was written by Angelo on February 8, 2012

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The Mother of All Brewers Dinner – Laurelwood Collaborates with an All-Star Local Lineup of Beer Makers

Brewmasters Vasilios Gletsos (left) of Laurelwood with Alex Ganum of Upright Brewing

Laurelwood Brewing Co. is holding a one of a kind collaboration brewer’s dinner on Wednesday, February 8, 2012. The dinner will feature collaboration beers brewed by Vasilios Gletsos of Laurelwood Brewing Co., Alex Ganum of Upright Brewing, Van Havig of Gigantic Brewing Co., and Tom Bleigh of Hopworks Urban Brewery. These exclusive handcrafted ales will be served with a five-course dinner prepared by Laurelwood’s Executive Chef Aaron Nichols. Tickets are $50 per person and available at the NE Portland and Battle Ground, WA Laurelwood locations. The menu is as follows:

Gigantic Brewer Van Havig - It's Going To Be HugeAmuse: Chicken coronets with preserved lemon

Beer: Cascadian Pilsner brewed by Van Havig and Vasili Gletsos

Appetizer: Mussel and shrimp soup with lemon grass, kafir lime leaf, fish stock, chilies, garlic, shallot, and Thai spices

Beer: Thai Wit brewed by Tom Bleigh and Vasili Gletsos

Salad: Blood orange and arugula with red onions, Castelvetrano olives, and parsley

Beer: Sour Red blended by Alex Ganum, Tom Bleigh, Van Havig, and Vasili Gletsos

Entrée: Smoked pork belly and pomegranate barbequed brisket with potato-chard gratin, and pomegranate demi glaze jus

Beer: Scottish Ale brewed by Alex Ganum and Vasili Gletsos

Dessert: Grapefruit tart with pecan brittle and Chantilly cream

Beer: Milk Stout brewed by the Laurelwood Brew Team

The food for this dinner is locally sourced from Draper Valley Farms, Sweet Briar Farms, and Country Natural Beef. Laurelwood will also donate 10% of the collaboration dinner sales to the Oregon Food Bank. Join us for a night of special one of a kind beers and a wonderfully prepared dinner.

Hopworks brewer Tom Bleigh (left) and Laurelwood brewer Vasilios GletsosAs stated by Vasili Gletsos, Brewmaster, Laurelwood Brewing Co., “For this Collaborative Beer Dinner, we have broken the mold and created a unique experience by first asking the Chef to create a seasonal menu and then getting together a great set of brewers to create beers to pair with it.

The selection of the participating brewers has special significance for me since I have chosen to work with brewers who have been my past Brewmasters at my previous breweries here in Portland, and who have all gone on to other breweries, as I have. Part of what working at Laurelwood has given me is the flexibility to make lots of one-off and seasonal beers, as well as to answer the question “when will I ever get to work with those awesome brewers who have taught me so much?” This is a great opportunity for me to have a little reunion of brewers I have a high regard for as well as are good friends of mine. I know everyone else will be really pleased with the unique beers and pairings that we come up with.”

About Laurelwood Brewing Company

LaurelwoodLaurelwood is a family owned brewery that creates one of the most recognized regional craft beers. Owners Mike De Kalb & Cathy Woo-De Kalb are dedicated to sustainable and organic practices, and first began producing certified organic beer in 2001. Laurelwood’s product line is known for its creativity and quality therefore winning many national and international beer awards. Laurelwood’s handcrafted beers can be found on draft and in bottles throughout Oregon and Washington. To find out more about Laurelwood Brewing Company go online at www.laurelwoodbrewpub.com.

About Van Havig, Gigantic Brewing Company

Gigantic Brewing CoVan Havig started his brewing career in 1995 at Minnesota Brewing Company in St. Paul, Minnesota, and then moved on to work for the Rock Bottom Breweries for the next 16 years.  He was brewmaster at the Bethesda, Maryland and Portland, Oregon Rock Bottoms, as well as the regional brewer in both locations.  From 2004 to 2011 he also ran the QA/QC program for Rock Bottom Breweries.  He is currently starting his own brewery, Gigantic Brewing Company, in Portland, Oregon.

About Thomas Bleigh, Hopworks Urban Brewery

Hopworks Urban BreweryThomas Bleigh started his career at Portland Brewing Company as an un-paid intern. Prior to joining Hopworks, he held the positions of Brewer, Lead Brewer, Lead Cellar Operator, Head Brewer and Plant Manager at Portland Brewing, Pyramid Breweries, Independent Brewer’s United and North American Breweries. In 2008, he was recognized, along with Pyramid Breweries as Mid Size Brewer/Brewery of the Year at GABF.?He is a graduate from UC Davis and UW-Madison with an MFA in Fine Arts. Born in Augsburg, Germany, he has an appreciation for beer appellation and the “drink local” mentality. When not spending time with his two young children, or playing soccer, he can be found spending his time pursuing charcuterie or fermenting various meats, cheese, fruits or vegetables.

About Alex Ganum, Upright Brewing

Alex Ganum is the owner and head brewer at Upright. He grew up drinking his father’s German pilsners and his older brother’s Bells Porter before moving to Portland in 2002. After meeting several homebrewers he decided to give it a go and never looked back. Seven years later his love of brewing led him to open Upright, a brewery he thinks is as much a part of the community as it is personal. When he doesn’t have beer on his mind Alex is probably thinking about what’s next in the kitchen or on his plate and what digestif to wash it down with.

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BREWVANA Connoisseur Tour w/ Migration Brewer Mike Branes

Migration Brewer Michael Branes BREWVANA Brewery Tours is hosting a Connoisseur Tour for local craft beer enthusiasts.  The tour features Mike Branes,  Migration Brewery’s head brewer, who will be leading the tour to two breweries, a public house and an English- style pub. Taking place this Sunday, February 12th from 1-5pm, the tour is $69/ person and is all inclusive.

The tour begins with a beer sampling at Migration Brewery and a tour of the facility, where Mike will introduce his brewery and discuss the beers that he brews. The next stop is the NW Lucky Lab where head brewer Ben Flerchinger will give a tour of his brewery and participants will taste their beers.  Lunch and beer will be served at East Burn, a public house that focuses on craft beers with 16 rotating taps. The final stop will be the infamous Horse Brass Pub featuring over 50 different local, regional and international varieties of beer in a traditional English-style pub.

Ticket’s for BREWVANA’s Connoisseur Tour with Mike Branes are $69 per person and are all inclusive, consisting of the tours, beer tastings, and lunch.  Register online @ http://www.experiencebrewvana.com/register/?regevent_action=register&event_id=201

or call BREWVANA @ 503.729.6804. Seating is limited and reservations must be made in advance.

Mike Branes started his career at Barley John’s in Minnesota where he learned and was inspired by head brewer and owner John Moore. There he cleaned kegs, and other brewery tasks in his 3-year internship, receiving a wealth of knowledge as his payment for these laborious tasks.  Mike took this knowledge and harnessed his craft for the next 8 years as a home brewer, while working as a pubster for the Lucky Labrador and distributing for Mt. People’s organic beer and wine distribution.  In 2008 Mike took the leap of faith and trust in his ability to become the head brewer and partner of Migration Brewing Co.

Each month, Brewvana’s Connoisseur Tour gives a different local brewer the opportunity to showcase the beers that they live to brew and create their own tour based on their favorite places around town. It is their chance to share their knowledge of beer with their community.

BREWVANA is the Ultimate Beer Tour Experience, committed to embracing the history and culture of the craft brewing industry in Portland, Oregon. Transportation is provided on a 14-passenger bus equipped with cup holders, a beer inspired mural and the Beeriodic Table for reference.

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

This post was written by admin on February 8, 2012

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Weekend In Review: Beer Revolution 2 Year Anniversary Celebration

Beer Revolution's Second Anniversary Celebration

What. A. Weekend. Certainly a memorable one to say the very least. It had its ups and downs, but overall, it was positive; the glass more than half full.

Beer Revolution 2nd Anniversary Saturday February 4, 2012The highlight of the past weekend was indeed spending two days in Oakland, California at Beer Revolution. If you haven’t been to this place yet, you really need to make plans to check it out asap. They’ve got close to fifty rotating taps of craft beer, mostly regionally sourced, and hundreds of choice bottled brews, safely stowed in refrigerated units. Husband and wife owners Fraggle and Rebecca provide a casual blue Cantillon and the Bruery treats featured at Beer Revolution's 2nd Anniversarycollar atmosphere with reasonable prices. The staff is friendly and quite passionate and educated about the products they are slinging. For Beer Rev’s second anniversary celebration on Saturday February 4, 2012, the tap lines were cleared from the previous night and we counted 45 rotating taps of some of the best brews anywhere on the West Coast. In fact, many Oregon Read More…

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Posted under beer events, beer reviews, places to drink beer, weekend in review

Puget Sound Beer Adventures – Foggy Noggin Brewing

by Dan Culver

Welcome back to another edition of Puget Sound Beer Adventures.  “I want my Fn beer!”  That’s what you’ll hear when someone wants a beer from Foggy Noggin Brewing of Bothell, WA.  Nestled in a forested residential neighborhood for the past three years, this brewery is the definition of “nano.”

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This post was written by Dan Culver on February 4, 2012

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Abyss Day & Night @ Concordia Ale House

2011 Deschutes The Abyss Imperial StoutABYSS DAY & NIGHT!
We saved a KEG just for you, bring your Valentine in for a pint or two of THE  ABYSS on Thursday, February 9th, Noon till Gone!  She will love you for it!

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This post was written by admin on February 3, 2012

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Full Sail Bourbon Top Sail Horizontal

Full Sail Brewmasters Jaime Emmerson (left) and John Harris

Barrel aging beer is certainly an emerging trend amongst craft breweries. The depth and complexity of this added dimension is an unquestionably benevolent element that, if properly executed, lends much to any stalwart brew. Full Sail Brewing knows this well.

On Wednesday February 2, 2012, Full Sail unmasked four renditions of their Top Sail Bourbon Barrel-aged Imperial Porter at McCormick & Schmick’s Riverplace brewpub. This “horizontal” featured three whiskey cask-aged pours of the brew and a final blend of each that married each into one exquisite conclusion. Each spent a full year soaking in and amalgamating the nuances of the bold base beer with the notes provided with each barrel.  Read More…

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Lagunitas Tasting @ Belmont Station

LagunitasTaste Cappuccino Stout, Imperial Red, IPA, Pale Ale, and Lil Sumpin. Draft details soon at http://www.belmont-station.com

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This post was written by admin on February 2, 2012

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Midnight Sun Meet the Brewer @ Belmont Station

Brewer Jeremiah Boone will be here with some fun drafts. Details coming soon.

Midnight Sun Brewing

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This post was written by admin on February 2, 2012

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6th Annual Chowder Challenger @ Lompoc 5th Quadrant

Local brewpubs & restaurants compete to see who serves the city’s best clam chowder while raising money for the Community Transitional School

Lompoc Brewing has announced the date for its sixth annual Chowder Challenge, an event that determines which Portland restaurant serves up the best clam chowder. A dozen local brewpubs and restaurants will vie for the coveted Chowder Cup at the annual Chowder Challenge on Saturday, February 25, 2012 from Noon to 4 pm.

The blind tasting competition will take place at Lompoc’s Fifth Quadrant, located at 3901 N Williams Ave. Admission into the event is free. Attendees ages 12 and over must purchase sample trays for $10 to participate in the tasting. All of the money raised will be donated to Portland’s Community Transitional School, which provides important educational services to children who are homeless or otherwise at risk of school failure.

A dozen samples of traditional New England-style clam chowders from the participants are served in non-labeled, two-ounce cups. After tasting all entries, attendees vote for their favorite. The chowder receiving the most votes will be named the People’s Choice Winner and will take home the coveted Chowder Cup; awards will also be given for second and third place.

Confirmed restaurants include Cascade Brewing Barrel House, Columbia River Brewing, D’s Bar, Deschutes Brewery, EAT, El Gaucho, Fifth Quadrant, New Old Lompoc, Rogue, Salty’s and Trebol. The New Old Lompoc, known throughout the city for its chowder, has taken home the Chowder Cup five of the past six years.

The festivities also feature a beer garden, live music, a soda garden for kids, Joe the Balloon Guy, a raffle with prizes from the participants, special beers, and pub food for purchase. Minors are welcome at the family friendly event.

Among the specials beers will be two offerings from LOLA, or Ladies of Lagers and Ales, a social drinking group for ladies who love craft beer in the Portland area. LOLA brewed a collaboration beer with Lompoc Brewing in December. Look for two versions of a Wee Heavy: Wee LOLA, and a version blended with a number of aged Lompoc beers for a woody, dry, slightly sweet and bitter ale, dubbed the Lolampoc Clan.

The Saturday festivities kick off with a shrimp boil on Friday night, Feb. 24, also at the Fifth Quadrant. Beginning at 6 pm, seafood lovers are invited to roll up their sleeves and dig in; admission is $14 a plate which includes shrimp, potatoes, corn on the cob and Louisiana spicy sausage. There will be spicy garlic butter available for dipping and Old Bay on the tables, plus special beers on tap. There are no pre-sales, so early arrival is recommended.

For more information, visit www.lompocbrewing.com.

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

This post was written by admin on February 2, 2012

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