Well, one of the biggest beer weekends in Beervana has come and gone and we somehow managed to survive. In fact, this year’s Oregon Brewers Festival (OBF) – four days of craft beer-fueled fun (not to mention the largest all-craft beer festival in the country) – broke its own record for attendance this year, according to a Twitter post from festival organizer Chris Crabb. Crabb and company invest a lot of time and care not only into OBF featuring more and more great beers each year, but in assuring continual growth is still able to comfortably accommodate droves of humans at Tom McCall Waterfront Park. In fact, the organizers are already prepping for next summer’s fest, scheduled to take place July 28-31, 2011 (OBF is always the last full weekend of July). Check out some of our photos from OBF here.

This past Friday, we enjoyed a special open house at the new Hair of the Dog (HOTD) digs located at SE Yamhill at Water Street. This was our second glimpse at brewer-owner Alan Sprints’ spacious new brewery since attending Fred Fest this spring. As he’s generously done each year on the Friday of OBF, Sprints and his staff offered samples of HOTD beers including the no hops gourd brew Greg, Blue Dot Imperial IPA, Fred, Adam, Doggie Claws Barleywine, and a special Cherry Adam in addition to a lovely spread of snacks. It was great to see the work that the brewery has put forth including the installation of many brewhouse components and an attractive bar in the front space. We look forward to enjoying more beers here in the near future.

Later in the day on Friday, which was a very warm day, we ventured over to Belmont Station‘s Biercafe for a special event featuring the music of Lagunitas Brewing founder Tony Magee. While folks enjoyed the air conditioned pub space, special Lagunitas brews like Lil Sumpin’ Sumpin’, a wheaten summer IPA, and a delicious Fusion II, described by Magee as a “strong mild ale.” Essentially, it was a 4.5% mild brown ale with a gratuitous helping of West Coast hops.

Also pouring at Belmont Station was a number of specialty brews from Green Flash Brewing of Vista, California. Green Flash brewer Ryan Pearson was in house to greet folks and discuss the featured beers of the night: an Imperial IPA, Barleywine, and two new to Portland brews, a Summer Saison and a Citra Session Pale Ale. The latter was another low ABV beer with a big dose of pungently dank hops.

To make the time at Belmont Station even cooler, 21st Amendment co-founder Nico Freccia was on hand while samples of the San Francisco brewery’s Hell or High Watermelon Wheat ale (a favorite at the OBF), Live Free of Die IPA, Monk’s Blood Belgian Ale, and the new to cans, Back in Black IPA (a Cascadian Dark Ale).

On Saturday, Full Sail‘s Riverplace brewpub at McCormick & Schmick’s held its annual gathering while celebrating the birthday of Brewmaster John Harris. Friends of the brewery, including notable Oregon brewers like Full Sail’s Phil Roche, Ninkasi’s Jamie Floyd, Widmer’s Rob Widmer, Rogue’s Brett Joyce, and Hopworks’ Ben Love, beat the heat with newly released Full Sail brews that included the A Pleine Voile Saison and the Sanctuary Belgian-style Dubbel. Folks were kindly offered seasonal IPAs and the Vesuvius Tripel on tap in addition to buckets filled with ice and two kinds of the brewery’s Session ale in signature stubby bottles. Cigars were passed out and Harris was toasted to a happy birthday song and a big cake.

On Saturday evening The BeerMongers and Brewpublic hosted a special meet the brewers event highlighting MacTarnahan’s Brewing. For this night, Mac’s Amber and Summer Grifter IPA poured on tap while bottle samples of the Lipstinger Saison and brand new Ink Blot Baltic Porter were made available for sample in bottles. Brewers Tom Bleigh, Vasilios Gletsos, Eric Wathen, Ryan Pappe, Steve Fraser, and brand manager Mark Carver were in the house for this fun event. Also in attendance were Boneyard Beer brewers Tony Lawrence and Clay Storey. Look for more Boneyard and Mac’s Beer on tap this week at The Mongers.

Sunday marked the conclusion of the OBF as we headed north to Seattle to catch a baseball game between the Seattle Mariners and Boston Red Sox. As is usually the case when the Red Sox come to Seattle, more Boston fans are in the stands than are Mariners (the M’s being in last place in their division doesn’t help their cause at this point in the season either). Before hitting the game, we visited Elysian Fields near the ballpark. Here we discovered less Elysian brands gracing the taps as in years past. Many guest taps were made available. In fact more guest taps now than Elysian’s own. It was also disheartening to be served beer at a not packed bar in plastic cups. We feel doesn’t appear to exhibit regard for the environment. Still, being offered were the likes of Elysian’s The Wise ESB, Zephyrus Pilsner, Perseus Porter, Dragonstooth Stout, Men’s Room Original Red, Bifrost Winter Ale, Avatar Jasmine IPA, and our option, Immortal IPA on cask.

At Safeco Field, we were excited to discover more craft beer on tap than ever before, most of which was regionally produced. Despite a hefty $8.75 price tag for 20 ounces of brew, it made us happy to be able to decide between more than your typical Bud, Bud Light, Coors, Coors Light, etc, that you see at many sporting arenas. Luckily things are changing for the better in America’s beer world, and leave it to the Pacific Northwest to lead the charge. Beers of interest that we noticed included Lazy Boy Pilsner and IPA, Alaskan Summer and Pale, MacTarnahan’s Amber, Pyramid Haywire Hefeweizen, Sierra Nevada Pale, Hale’s Kolsch, Snoqualmie Grand Slam Amber, Skagit River Skullers IPA, Dick’s Best Bitter, and our pick, Fremont Brewing’s Summer Solstice, a great sessionable pale ale with a big floral hop aroma. A nice thing about Safeco, despite the expected sporting event beer price gouge, is that spectators are permitted to bring their own food into the arena. This helps soften the blow of steep beer prices for those who plan ahead.

After the game ended, and the Mariners took a 4-2 win, we headed back to Portland, Oregon aka Beervana in attempts of surviving the final week of Oregon Craft Beer Month. Cheers!

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

Belmont Station, Portland’s Premier Beer Store & Biercafe still has many special events planned for Oregon Craft Beer Month. Friday offers three special meet the brewer tastings from some of California’s best craft breweries. Lagunita’s (Petaluma), 21st Amendment (San Francisco), and Green Flash (Vista, San Diego). Here’s the word from CBO Carl Singmaster at Belmont Station:

LAGUNITAS TASTING & MEET THE FOUNDERS. Lagunitas founder Tony Magee will be at the Station to meet with Portland beer lovers. While he chats and, as is his wont, plays some cool traditional tunes, you can also taste the full range of Lagunitas bottles, from Czech Pils to current seasonal Little Sumpin’ Sumpin.’. Fusion II and Lil Lil Sumpin’ Sumpin’ on tap in the Biercafe.

Also rolling in are 21st Amendment owners Nico Freccia & Shaun O’Sullivan (Brewmaster, too). And they are offering tastes of Back in Black IPA, Hell or High Watermelon Wheat, Brew Free or Die IPA from the can. Hell or High Watermelon on draft.

At 8PM Green Flash brewer Ryan Pearson will be here with four Green Flash drafts that have not been poured in Oregon before: Citra Session Pale, Summer Saison, Imperial IPA, and Barleywine. Wow!

Belmont Station is located at 4500 SE Stark Street in lovely Portland, Oregon. For more information, call (503) 232-8538. Cheers!

Posted under Beer & Music, Beer personalities, beer events, places to drink beer

Recently we had the pleasure of delving into some new palate awakening brews. These fine ales were of the deep, dark, and hoppy persuasion, but not all could be stylistically considered as Cascadian Dark Ales according guidelines proposed by CDA proponent Abram Goldman-Armstrong (check out his panel review of CDAs in this month’s Northwest Brewing News). Here’s a look at some interesting hoppy black ales we’ve enjoyed recently.

Southern Oregon La Freaque: Here is an interesting beer brewed as a part of the KLCC Brew Fest collaborative series in which several brewers, mostly from the Central Willamette Valley, developed an imaginative Cascadian Dark Ale with a twist. This brew, like the others, employed a Belgian yeast strain in a complex and resinous CDA with a mild roast character. While many of these breweries like Oakshire, Block 15, and Ninkasi utilized rye malt in the recipe, SOB’s La Freaque did not. Brewmaster Scott Saulsbury said in a recent interview: “the recipe came from Jamie (Floyd of Ninkasi Brewing) and others in the Willamette Valley. It’s a high gravity, 8.2% ABV beer. We used Belgian La Chouffe yeast with dark malts, Munich, and Carafa III for the color.” Portlanders may have already noticed the beer in the market at spots like Belmont Station, Horse Brass, and The BeerMongers as a palate made its way north through Maletis Beverage Distribution recently. In total 12 barrels of La Freaque were brewed. This is the smallest batch possible on SOB’s brew system in Medford, Oregon. As for the flavor, Saulsbury adds: “The bitterness has mellowed some. It’s a tasty black ale with some moderateness. I was scared of using (La Chouffe) yeast at first, but the flavors came together nicely.”

Hop Valley Collaboration Brew: In conjunction with the aforementioned team of imaginative Oregon brewers, Hop Valley of Springfield, Oregon also produced a black ale using a malt bill guideline. This relatively unique beer, according to Brewmaster Trevor Howard had a 17 Plato, 76 IBU outcome and used five percent rye in the recipe. Howard says “We got the (Wyeast 3522) Ardennes yeast from Oakshire Brewing. We brewed a 15-barrel batch. Half was put into Pinot Noir barrels and is still aging on oak. The other half is on tap around Eugene and Portland.” In total about a dozen kegs were released. “I am pretty impressed by how this beer turned out” says Howard. “The style is hard to picture what the end result will be. I am not usually a fan of Belgian IPAs because the hops and yeast sometimes don’t work together well. However, this one came together well.” We concur.

Sockeye Double Gnarly: Labeled a “Double Black IPA,” this bold, black beer, pours a deep brown-black body with a soft tan head. Not available in the Oregon market, Sockeye is located in Boise, Idaho and makes some of the best beers in the state (Thanks to brewmaster Shawn Kelso of Barley Brown’s for the bottle). Brewmaster Josh King has an affinity for such complex, well-built beers. Gnarly has an assertive prominence of Northwest hops followed by a touch of dark roasted malts. This subdued yet prevalent dark malt roastiness proliferates as it warms providing a pleasant balance juxtaposed with the pine hop bitterness.

Stone/21st Amendment/Firestone Walker El Camino (Un)Real Ale: Yet another out of control collaboration beer spearheaded by the ballsy brewers at Stone Brewing of Escondido, California. You might figure impression of this beer would be as complicated as the name, but it remains rather balanced for an imperial hoppy black ale employing figs, chia, and fennel (let over ingredients from these breweries’ other one-offs?). This truly is a black ale–pitchy, dark, opaque, with a thin gray-tan head, there is obvious resinous hops and dark fruits in the nose. From big legs in the glass to a thick-0n-the-tongue mealiness punctuated by waves of Northwest hops. Piny and bold but tweaked with the spiciness of the fennel and the odd sweetness of the Mission figs. Like many of Stone’s big brews, this one starts a fight in your mouth. In other words, while there’s something to be said about complexity, this beer certainly has a lot going on and is certainly not for the faint of heart (or tongue).

Right about now, we could go for a nice Berliner-weiss.

Posted under Beer personalities, beer releases, beer reviews

As can be expected, there’s a lot of options when it comes to Portland on a Friday. Tonight is no exception. The problem often isn’t that there’s nothing to do, but too much to do. The liver can only sustain so much, and though we put our best foot forward, we are not sure we will be able to make all of these fun craft beer related events ( But you can assure we’ll try.)

2010 Sasquatch Legacy Release Party: Tonight at the Horse Brass Pub in Portland (5pm), friends, family, and fans of Glen Hay Falconer congregate to remember the late Wild Duck brewer. Further, as is now annual tradition, a collaborative beer was produced at Walking Man Brewery in Stevenson, Washington by recipients of the Falconer Scholarship Fund. This fund aids in the educational advancement of recipients in the field of craft brewing. 2009′s scholarship recipients, Kachusha Munkanta of 21st Amendment Brewing (San Francisco) and Evan Taylor of Silver Moon Brewing (Bend, Oregon), with the help of Walking Man, brewed a highly anticipated Northwest Imperial Oatmeal Porter. According to John Foyston of the Oregonian, Walking Man head brewer Jacob Leonard says of the brew: “Smells like sweet citrus hops, with some dank pine, and dark rich chocolate. The taste is very smooth and creamy with balance of chocolate and sweet malt, but with an assertive bitterness and hop flavor. The hops and the chocolate malt stay on the tongue and make you want to drink more.” For more information on this event, the scholarship program, and Glen Hay Falconer, visit www.glenfalconerfoundation.org.

The Horse Brass Pub is located at 4534 Southeast Belmont Street in Portland, Oregon

Firestone Walker Solace Release Party: Tonight at Belmont Station (5pm) you can be the first to sample Solace, a new bottled treasure from the Paso Robles, California brewery, Firestone Walker. Our friend Travis Widdefield, Firestone’s Oregon sales manager says the beer will also be on tap as well. This new spring seasonal is carries the following description: “A hint of citrus fruit and clove aroma are followed by tangy dry malt flavor and a silky finish making it an approachable and refreshing session beer.” Sounds perfect. Now where was that sun again?

Belmont Station is located at 4500 SE Start Street in Portland, Oregon

Killingsworth Lucky Lab Taproom Grand Opening: Champions of the Portland brewpub scene, Lucky Labrador will be having their grand opening of their fourth dog house tonight. The pub is located at 1700 N. Killingsworth Street just a stone’s throw from The Hop & Vine and a quick jaunt from Saraveza. These new digs will not have an on premise brewery but will feature the brews from Lucky Lab’s Hawthorne Street Brewpub. Look for a family friendly environment with lots of space and affordable eats. Lab owner Gary Geist says “We’ve kept things quiet until now, but it is evident that the Overlook neighborhood is really psyched we came in.” So are we! Congratulation to Lucky Lab for this new milestone.

The New Lucky Lab pub is located at 1700 N. Killingsworth Street in Portland, Oregon.

New Old Lompoc California Common Release Party: Join the Lompoc brew staff tonight (4-9PM) at their NW 23rd Avenue brewery for the release of a tasty new California Common Ale. According to Lompoc, the beer is “copper colored with a frothy white head. Whole leaf Cascade hops put a Northwest twist on a California original. Fermented at 60 degrees with Bavarian lager yeast, Steaming Cascade finishes crisp and dry with a pronounced hoppiness. 5.1% ABV.”  Brewer Zach Beckwith will be on hand to greet folks and discuss his new steam beer. Lompoc will also provide complimentary appetizers for guests. See you there!

New Old Lompoc Brewpub is located at 1616 Northwest 23rd Avenue in Portland, Oregon.

Do you have a craft beer related event for us to mention? Email it to us at info@brewpublic.com

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

The sun didn’t skimp one bit this weekend. Fourth of July weekend was the perfect excuse to beat the heat with some stellar brews. A new keg in the fridge, some new bottles from the store. It was almost too much to (literally) swallow, but who’s complaining. Friday’s happy hour included pints at Hopworks with Matthew “Bo” DiTullo, where Evelyn Sunshine’s Imperial IPA poured. The pricy yet delicious beer had a phenomenal hop profile. Earlier in the day we hit up John’s Marketplace alongside droves of other weekend warriors for a keg and some bottled brews. A corny keg of Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA delivered a hit-the-spot citrus hoppiness. Funny thing: the guy in line in front of us at John’s was ordering the same keg and a beer geek fistbump ensued.

What better way to please the buds than a sixer of sessionable 21st Amendment Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Ale in a can. This fruity beauty along with the brewery’s Live Free or Die IPA are finally distributed in Oregon! Per the recommendation of our man Captain Neil from Belmont Station, I had to grab a bottle of Laurelwood’s Wry Pale Ale. Delicious!  In addition, we snagged a bomber of Ninkasi’s Radiant Summer Ale-a biscuity, floral ale that didn’t exude a typical summerness to it, but was palatable nonetheless.

Still sitting in our beer fridge: a bottle of Great Divides Wood Barrel-aged IPA. Can’t wait to try it!

On the Fourth, friends gathered to celebrate Margaret Brewpublic’s birthday and the 233 big one for the U.S. of A! Barbecue and backyard bangers occured as expected beneath the tall trees. Beer nut Brian Murphy busted out a special bottle of Primator Pivovar from his recent travels to the East Coast. From my cellar, I broke out a 2008 Lost Abbey Gift of the Magi golden Brett brew. It was delicous! Racer 5 was steeped in Fuggle Hops through a tea press for added lupulinity. Good food, great friends, and hot weather…what more could you expect for a fabulous Fourth. Once the sun went down and folks departed, Margaret and I carefully climbed up a ladder to our rooftop to witness a Portland fireworks show that spooked the hell out of every animal within a 20 mile radius.

We had a phat weekend and hope that you did too!

Posted under beer reviews

You wouldn’t know it’s summer already here in the Rose City. What’s that old saying about the lion and the lamb? Whatever one is the rain, she’s still here. Some folks may be a bit discouraged with the cooler damper weather, but I love it. Keeps everything green, and I know that once the sun does poke it’s head out for a stretch, my hop bines are going grow even more. As it stands, they’re already over ten feet tall.

If you love craft beer, there’s lots to do this weekend. Here’s a few ideas:

Staycation. Kick it here in the Beaver State where there’s still plenty of forests to enjoy. In Portland, you have the option of heading an hour east to Mount Hood and the Columbia Gorge, or travel an hour and a half west to the coast. Afterall, as previously mentioned the Oregon Brewers Summer Games are this weekend! It should be a whole lot of fun.

If you are going to be in Bend today, Deschutes Brewing is hosting these two fabulous events:

901 SW Simpson Ave.
Join us for our 6th Annual Open House! There will be live music on the lower warehouse lawn with $2.00 pints, $3.00 brats & chips and family friendly games. Self-guided tours and complimentary beer tastings will be going on, as well, in the brewery. The gift shop will also be open for retail therapy! Hope to see you there!
Contact Aaron at 541-385-8606 for more information.5th Annual Barrel-Aged Beer Tasting

7:00 PM (PST)
Deschutes Brewery Mountain Room
$40 per person, includes appetizers and beer
Contact Winter at 541-385-8606 for more information and/or reservations.

Featuring the following Deschutes Barrel-Aged Beers
The Dissident
Black Butte XXI
Mirror Mirror 09
Super Jubel
Black Butte Porter aged in a Rye Whiskey Barrel
Quadzilla Aged in a Bourbon Barrel
The Abyss 08

For those of you who will remain in the Portland metro area, the Raccoon Lodge will be hosting a Solstice party today from 3-9PM. Here’s the deets according to Jeff Alworth (Beervana Blog), who will be emceeing the Brewers Summer Games in Pac City this year:

The brewers will roll out a full 58-gallon barrel of Cascade Brewing’s Summer Solstice IPA. This barrel conditioned beer will be ceremoniously tapped old style, with a bung and a mallet.

It looks like it will be big fun:

The event features an afternoon of live music, including Cascade Brewing Brewmaster Ron Gansberg’s bluegrass-folk band, Black Lodge. There will be pork roasted over an applewood fire for delicious BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, as well as other food for purchase.

Raccoon Lodge & Brew Pub
Saturday, 3 – 9:30pm
7424 SW Beaverton Hillsdale Hwy
503-296-0110

If you are in the chillin’-at-home-with-a-nice-bottle-or-can kinda mood, you can kick back, listen to Lisa Morrison’s Beer O’Clock radio show, and check out some hott new brews at Belmont Station. Here’s the what’s what from the world of 1000 beers:

NEW BEER ARRIVALS in the Bottle:
Oregon Trail Bourbon Barrel Porter (very small batch this year so limit 3 per person)
Full Sail LTD#3
Anchor Summer
Einbecker Pilsner
Laughing Dog Huckleberry Cream
Lagunitas Lucky 13
Bison Honey Basil

NEW CRAFT BEER IN CANS
21st Ammendment Hell or High Watermelon (yes this is the beer with the massive line every year at the Oregon Brewers Festival)
21st Ammendment Brew Free or Die IPA

Belmont Station is located at 4500 SE Stark Street in Portland, Oregon at the corner of SE 45th and Stark.

For those of you who will be near downtown, swing by Roots Organic Brewing and check out a special Solstice release. According to the Oregonian’s John Foyston:

Sounds just plain wrong, doesn’t it — a Portland beer brewed with fewer hops (none, in fact) than Budweiser, but give Roots Gruit Kolsch a chance. Gruitbiers predate the common use of hops and brewer Craig Nicholls devised a recipe that includes lavendar, grains of paradise, bitter orange peel, bloodwort, bayberry and chamomile.

Release party, Saturday, June 20th, Roots Organic Brewing Co. 1520 S.E. Seventh Ave. 503-235-7668.

So, let your dreads down and enjoy the ride. Rumor has it Roots may be closing its doors soon, though nothing has yet been confirmed. Let’s hope this is not true since they make some of the best brews in Oregon and are indeed the state’s first certified all-organic brewery.

Full Sail is celebrating the summer sun with the release of the latest brew in their summer “sun” series. Grandsun of Spot is a new flavorful IPA concocted by John Harris, the company’s masterbrewer who has inspired many great beer minds and palates. According to Harris, each summer Full Sail brews an aggressive IPA style for this series using a similar malt bill and explores a different hop combination depending on what was available at harvest. This year the brewery chose Columbus and Zeus hops that accentuate a malt blend featuring Munich and Honey malts for a full malt flavor. Always hopped in excess of 80 IBU, this year’s offering comes in around 100 IBU. “It’s a pleasure to drink for hop lovers,” added Harris. ABV: 6%

And for those of you who missed out the inaugural release of Rogue’s John John bourbon barrel-aged Dead Guy at Horse Brass, Saraveza will be tapping it on this fine day. Here’s what owner Sarah Pederson had to say:

Saturday, June 20th. Take Rogue’s Dead Guy Ale, age it for 6 months in Dead Guy Whiskey barrels and what do you get? John-John Dead Guy! Named after head brewer, John Maier and head Distiller, John Couchot, this VERY limited concoction – only 12 kegs made – is available at select locations. We’ll be pouring a three-way: Dead Guy, Double Dead Guy and John-John Dead Guy side-by-side this Saturday!

There’s always something crackin’ in the Northwest beer scene. If you have an event, news, or beer to share, shoot us an email at info@brewpublic.com or Angelo at brewpublic dot com. Cheers!

Posted under beer releases

December 5, 2008 marks the 75th anniverasy of the repeal of the 18th Amendment.

Posted under beer events

City Beer Store in San Francisco

City Beer Store

It had been four days since we’d left Gold Beach and already we had already visited fourteen California breweries.  We packed up our belongings at Erik’s place in the Presidio after a beer filled night on the town in San Francisco and headed back to the lower mission for one last San Francisco hurrah.  Our first stop was the City Beer Store on Folsom Street. The place was a little cubby hole filled wall to wall with craft and imported beers.  I am guessing there must have been about 300 in all.  They also featured an assortment of beers on their six taps.  Many of the bottled beers were not in coolers and randomly hanging out on a tall shelf in the back of the shop.  This is where I discovered some hard to find bottles for Oregonians like Drakes Imperial Stout, Port Imperial Pilsner, as well as a can of 8.5% Belgian-style fruit beer from Santa Cruz..  I also noticed that they had the 2008 Deschutes Abyss available, but decided to try my luck with it upon returning to the Rose City.  I purchased three different 750ML bottles of beers from the Bruery, only to discover they had become available for distribution in Oregon while I was on the road.  Still, some excellent beers including the Black Orchid, the White Orchid and the Autumn Maple brew were worth discovering.  Being from Oregon and working at a beer store in Washington, I wasn’t blown away by the selection, but being a beer lover, I can appreciate what this place is attempting to do for the people of San Francisco.  Outside of BevMo and larger supermarkets, SF doesn’t really have a place like Belmont Station, the Bier Stein, or By the Bottle.  City Beer Store is an oasis of sorts.

21st Amendment Brewery and Restaurant

After purchasing a mixed case of beer, and already going over budget on my trip, I reorganized the cramped trunk space in our car and the three of us headed down to 2nd Street to 21st Amendment Brewery and Restaurant for our first meal of the day.  It was a no-brainer for me.  I ordered the Holiday Spiced Ale, a wonderfully dark chestnut-brown robust beer filled with nutmeg, coriander, and cinnamon spices.  It was essentially Christmas in a bottle.  The menu board indicated that the place had 22 ounce bottles of this to go and I was surely going to grab one for the road along with some cans of their Hell or High Watermelon Wheat and the sharply hopped 21-A IPA. Margaret ordered the Autumn Wheat, a lightly hopped American style wheaten ale with a hazy golden body and a fruity essence that went well with food.  Erik opted for a Fat Bavarian, a German style hefeweizen served in a tall fluted glass.  It had a wonderfully bold phenolic nose of bananas and spiced with a spritzy carbonic mouthfeel.  All were very nice beers.

21A Fat Bavarian, Autumn Wheat, and Holiday Spiced Ale

We kept a close eye on our parking meter, since the ticket for a violation of the time limit will land one a $60 fine.  On top of that, a quarter only got us five minutes, so we were watching that avidly.  After our meal we were excited about a peak into the brewery.  This was often the most fun part of visiting various places.  However, we were disappointed to find the door to the brewery locked and no one with the key to open it.  To make matters worse, we were told by our server that 21st Amendment didn’t bottle any beers, just cans of the two aforementioned perennial brews.  I mentioned the sign on the wall, and our server said it was not true.  Margaret insisted and directed him to the sign where it clearly said “22 ounce bottles of Holiday Spiced Ale to go.” Upon being shown his sign, our server said “Well I guess you win.” turned away from us and left us answerless.  Oh, well, it was still better than the mean lady at Anderson Valley.  We got a six pack of Watermelon Wheat and IPA in cans and headed on our way out or San Francisco. Next time we hope to arrange tours of the production only Anchor Brewing and Speakeasy Brewing, two of our favorites.  But we felt pretty content in the fifteen we had managed to visit thus far in California, and looked forward to a few more on our journey north through wine country.

Our next stop: Rubicon Brewing in Sacramento.

Posted under beer reviews

Oskar Blues: A canned beer pioneer

The first thought that leaps into many folks’ minds when they hear the phrases “canned beer” or “beer in a can” is the proverbial old swill that Pa used to drink after a hard day of work.  Perhaps quite fitting for this Pa character to be sittin’ in his favorite arm chair in a wifebeater watching the boob tube, or out on the porch counting cars.  These days the perception of Pa and his metal-clad accessory is changing thanks to breweries like Oskar Blues Brewing Company of Lyons, Colorado, who started hand-canning their flavorsome microbrews in 2002 and haven’t looked back since.  With full-bodied craft offering such as Dale’s Pale Ale, Old Chub Scottish Ale, and Gordon, a double red IPA, the microbrewer was the first of its kind to can its product. From those days of two-at-a-time hand-canning, OB first thought the idea of putting a “bold, hoppy pale ale” in a can to be humorous and claim it made them “laugh for weeks.”  This pale ale named after main man Dale Katechis changed a lot of misconceptions about canned brews.  Says Katechis: “We discovered that the belief that cans impart flavor to beer is a myth. The modern-day aluminum can and its lid are lined with a water-based coating, so the beer and the can never touch.”  The use of cans on quality brews serve other advantages over bottled brews.  “Cans, we discovered, are actually good for beer. Cans keep beer especially fresh by fully protecting it from light and oxygen. Our cans also hold extremely low amounts of dissolved oxygen, so our beer stays especially fresh for longer. Cans are also easier to recycle and less fuel-consuming to ship.”  Today, the Oskar Blues is still hand-canning their delicious beer, but with a more advanced mechanism that allows for five cans at once to be filled and sealed.

Caldera Brewing Company of Ashland, Oregon began canning their floral, bitterly hopped pale ale in 2005 and now offer their award winning IPA in the same format.  The can-only brewery notes some overwhelming advantages of the format such as “Cans chill quicker and keep the cold longer, are lighter in weight, are easier to store, don’t break, and are easier to construct pyramids and model airplanes from.”

Other breweries are catching on to the advantages of placing their beer in cans. 21st Amendment Brewing of San Francisco, California has been canning it’s Hell of High Watermelon Wheat Ale and Brew Free or Die IPA for a few years and plans on distributing the beer sometime in the next year.  Also, New Belgium Brewing of Fort Collins, Colorado began canning their Fat Tire Amber Ale in May of 2008.  No word on when the can version of this beer will be widely distributed. Stay tuned…

Posted under beer reviews