My own pursuit of hoppiness and great beers lead me to Ebenezer’s Pub in Lovell, Maine for their 6th Belgian Beer Festival.  This trip has been managed by the Bieropholie website.  I could gather with friends and get a private driver for the whole weekend.  Isn’t that beautiful?

We left Montréal on Friday to reach Le Siboire, another great brewpub that opened within the last three years in our province.  Located in Sherbrooke, it came to the world in an old train station.  Brick walls, wood, nice view of the brewery, smiling staff, and with music not too loud that offers an inviting ambiance to a quite young crowd.  A tasting panel revealed a high quality of beers, without defaults.  The Belgian White Capricieuse and the Abbey Tripel Trip d’automne III where among my favourites.  The brewer Jonathan Gaudrault, poured us some of his new Citra Pilsner directly from the fermentor.  These new hops (for me) provided a bold citrus taste and made this sampling experience very interesting.  I like it when brewers go out of normal bounds to make the effort to try new recipes instead of just keeping the classical blonde, brown, red and black.

On Saturday, we pick up some US bottles to bring back to Canada at Glen Beverage, in the cosmopolitan city of Glen.  Lots of classics (Stone, Rogue, Dogfish Head, Sierra Nevada), so we didn’t purchase anything special there.  Few hours after, we reached Lovell, Maine.  I was expecting for a crowded site, without any place to put our tents and it stressed us a little, but when we showed up, there were plenty of places, so much that we could have a table for twelve.  Except the glasses and the t-shirts printed for the event, nothing gave us the feeling that a beer event would take part here.  Instead of a legion of beer geeks, families with kids and grand parents were in the place.  It was miles away of my first thoughts.  Nevertheless avoiding long queues, and being served promptly always a pleasure.  The tap menu was a real Belgian Beervana. A majority of beers I’ve never tasted before and some I’ve never even heard of. This sort of experience pleased our group. I give big thumbs up to De Struise Black Albert, an imperial stout brewed specifically for the pub, a great mix of vanilla, coffee and black chocolate flooded through 13 % of alcohol.  Simply excellent.  Another great extreme brew was the Mocha Bomb, also from De Struise.  Another explosion of coffee, chocolate and bourbon barrel.  Again, I discovered a brewery that creates products that brings your tastebuds to another level.  Thanks De Struise.

I had the opportunity to have my first Cantillon (Cuvée des Champions) on tap.  Acidic (of course), sour and a bit funky.  Great Cuvée that you want another pint of.   I had, like everybody in bar, a glass from a Methuselah of Val-Dieu Triple.  I think this bottle has been offered by Chris, the owner.  If not, thanks to the guy who order a too big bottle and to his decision to share it with the rest of us.

For the evening, an event has been planned by the pub, and Alan Sprints from Hair of the Dog was invited.  I thought there could be a booth, a promotion on HOTD beers, some special kegs, but the event was a presentation from Alan in the Ebenezer cellar including a tasting of Doggie Claws, Matt and Dave.  Yes what you red is definitely true, a taste of Dave.  Of course, some selected bottles from the pub’s cellar did complete this presentation/tasting.  Would you like to see the pictures?  Well, don’t ask me.  I wasn’t there.  Only 20 peoples were admitted in the cellar and the entrance was sold at 50 USD $$$.

Everything has a cost in life, and it is valid for beer, too.  I choose to not pay this amount for 2 ounce tastings.  Try to appreciate a beer when you share it with 20 people…  Even if it is a rare bottle, it is quite ridiculous. Sometimes, you have no obligation to join the family.  That’s why I continued to have beers with my folks at the table.  At the closure, we received a bill of 966 $ USD for the whole table.  Ouch!  But it was so good.

This huge dinner has been continued at the tent village beside the pub with folks randomly met.  We brought some of our great brewery products of Québec like Microbrasserie Charlevoix and Unibroue.  Some other folks from brought growlers of Hill Farmstead brewery.  This brewery will be considered for another trip to Vermont.

Back home on Sunday, we stopped at the Moat Smoke House & Brewing Co.  It’s been a while I had beer for breakfast.  Gee, I discovered that passion has limits.  The worst is that I wasn’t impressed by what I tasted, and it was not caused by the early hour.  Do you know only one great beer is brewed with blueberries?  Can it be only used for jam and pies please?  That was my feeling of the Violet’s B’s Blueberry.  On the opposite end of the spectrum, the German Hefeweizen was quite refreshing.  I can’t really recommend that place, but if it’s on your way, you might give them a try, but try to have a breakfast before.

marc@brewpublic.com

Posted under beer events, beer reviews, places to drink beer

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

This year’s Fred Fest was quite interesting to say the least. Not only was it an excuse to drink special beers while supporting a noble charity and celebrating the birthday of an American and Portland beer icon, but it was an opportunity to get a look at Alan Sprint’s new Hair of the Dog Brewing location.

Beneath the Morrison Bridge, not far from the Eastside Waterfront, and nestled into an unsuspecting neighborhood of industry and warehouses,  Hair of the Dog lives on. After joining a queue of craft beer enthusiasts that spanned around the block from the south side entrance, we passed our time in line chatting it up with others who were just as geared up to see what was to come.

Finally to the front of the line and in through the doorway where open garage doors let setting sun shine in, we entered, received our taster cup, food and raffle ticket, and quickly caught wind of this year’s buzz beer. Word was out that a special 2002 Wild Duck Barleywine was drawing quite a line around the corner and toward the back. We raced over to where this beer brewed by the late Glen Hay Falconer was located. Back into another long line.

Apparently the keg was pouring rather foamy, causing the line to take longer than expected. Still, when you hear of a beer like this, you must endure to ensure not missing out on a once in a lifetime tasting. And, happily, the mighty brew was well worth the wait. Picking up the age in an expected and pleasant mild oxidation, the notes of honey, caramel, and surprisingly sharp hops dazzled in this mighty brew that was not even included in the pre-game list of beer to be poured. Before we knew it, this beer was gone, and it made us quite pleased to get in on it.

The two jockey boxes adjacent to the Wild Duck tap were virtually empty of people. It was as if the buzz beer had drawn all attention away from anything within a ten foot radius (sans for the line). This was a perfect opportunity to pony up to the Rogue John John Juniper Pale Ale aged in Spruce Gin barrels. A unique and rather interesting beer, John John was a nice balance of light flowery notes and a subtle woody, almost minty twang. The other tap on this island was Rock Bottom’s Maude Flanders. While a few people really seemed to enjoy this, like we enjoy sours ourselves, the cutting acetic nail polish remover fumes were a little overwhelming four our preference. Still, a rather interesting specimen.

As great as the beers were, it really was the ambiance created by elated and enthusiastic beer lovers sharing in a passion that the man of the hour, Fred Eckhardt helped to create. Not just in Portland, Oregon, but on the West Coast and throughout the land where good beer is brewed, served and/or adored. Hair of the Dog founder and brewer Alan Sprints and a team of happy-to-serve volunteers did a spectacular job. Considering the mayhem of opening his new brewery and restaurant coupled with the pressure to organize this charity event for folks with high expectation from brew, Sprints did a great job putting the pieces together and churning out one hell of a fun time. Even if the festival didn’t pan out the way anyone had hoped, though it did live up to our expectations, the bottom line was that it was a success in providing 100% of the proceeds to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Other beer highlights from Fred Fest:

After the Wild Duck Barleywine, Cascade’s 2010 The Vine was perhaps the most talked about brew of the night. This Northwest Style Sour Ale is a blend of soured Triple, Blonde Quad and Golden ales that have been refermented with the fresh pressed juice of white wine grapes. The beer spent many months in lactic fermentation and aging in small oak barrels. Firestone Walker’s Parabola was another brew that is always special to taste. The abysmally dark black brew has been a major component of past anniversary blends and is one of our most aggressive offerings from the Paso Robles, California brewery. Featuring bold bourbon and tobacco aromas and a rich dark chocolate, charred oak flavor, is best enjoyed in moderation and is a perfect beer to pair with those chocolate dessert favorites like Fred’s beerthday cake or his beloved M&M candies. This 13% ABV brew is one of the most intense Russian Imperial Stouts we’ve ever had the pleasure to drink.  Hopworks’ Ben Love mixed some of the Parabola with some Hair of the Dog Cherry Fred From the Wood, for a blend dubbed FireWood (or something like that). One thing we learned on this night, don’t let Hopworks brewers blend beer. HUB’s Organic Radkeller, a mix-up of lemon drink and lager was utterly atrocious. While we’ve enjoyed this radler blend at the brewpub, something about it stewing a keg for a length of time lends to a flavor best described as “grody.” Still, give ‘em points for trying.

Speaking of intensity, Roots’ 2006 Epic Ale might have taken the cake in this category (as well as paired with it pretty decently). Nearly four years of aging later, this big boy employs about 60 pounds smoked malt flavored over cherry wood soaked in glenlivet, cognac and cherry juice that lends wonderful smoked toffee and cherry notes both to the palate and the nose and a warm bitter sweet finish. With over 1,700 pounds of malt and 65 pounds of hops, this beast lives up to its name. The 2006 vintage is weighed in at 13.5% ABV.

Mixed reviews were in for the Oregon Trail SoBoChePo, or Sour Bourbon Cherry Porter, but we simply loved it. Not the kind of beer to consume in large quantities, but certainly nothing we’d want to shy away from, SoBoChePo was a great balance of desirable craft brew complexities that all shined within one glass. Some acetic notes expected for such a boozy brew, but not as cutting as the Maude. The cherry character was nicely balanced, not overly sweet, while the meshing of fruit tartness, creamy tannins, and warm bourbon intermingled spectacularly.

Deschutes Double Black was another beer of interest. Not a particular favorite of the night due to a somewhat overly aggressiveness and some rough off-notes, but bold as all sin, and ready to keep you guessing about what the hell was going on with this mammoth incarnation of Black Butte Porter. Our thought was it was similar to Black Butte XX, but without the taming coffee and cocoa nibs. Still, perhaps another go in the ring with this beer could prove a new opinion. The thing with tastings like this is that there’s so much damn tasty high alcohol brews, that palate fatigue is not uncommon to set in early. Still, being in a fun beer geek atmosphere made us feel right at home and fully contented.

To view more photos from Fred Fest 2010 by Brewpublic, click here.

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

Get your wallets ready and let the hype begin! Deschutes and Hair of the Dog are following in the footsteps of Stone Brewing, Brew Dog, and others to cash in on a beer that will undoubtedly have Ratebeerians and Beer Advocates lined up around the block. Here’s the word from a press release sent out minutes ago by Deschutes’ PR team:

Deschutes Brewery and Hair of the Dog Brewing Company today announced that they are working together on an exciting new beer. These two Oregon companies have taken a completely different approach to developing their companies since their founding, and are looking forward to blending their two styles together for a new beer to be released in 2011.

“When we started talking about collaborating on a project, Alan Sprints at Hair of the Dog was the first person I thought of working with,” said Gary Fish, president of Deschutes Brewery. “We’ve known each other for a long time and partnering on a project like this was the perfect way to be able to do something original and unique together. When you have two creative companies embarking on a creative project together, something fun is bound to result.”

Larry Sidor

Sprints came over to Bend in early March to brew two of his beers at the Deschutes Brewery brewhouse. Then it was Deschutes Brewery brewmaster Larry Sidor’s turn to brew two of his own beers. These four beers (which will remain unnamed as yet) will be aged in various wood barrels and then blended together sometime in early 2011 in a ratio yet to be determined as part of the creative process. Over the next several months, Hair of the Dog and Deschutes Brewery will be meeting to sample the aging beer and contemplate the blending process.

Alan Sprints

Sprints said, “This partnership was born in an effort to express the vitality of today’s American brewing community and push the boundaries of what is commonly known as beer. Both of our companies share a pride in Oregon products and I have long admired the level of professionalism that Gary brings to the brewing industry. My idea was to do a blend of beers that we already produced, merging our products and passion for beer, hoping to create a beverage that will be deep, complex, earthy and beguiling.”

This is the first collaborative beer for each of the companies, and everyone is excited to see how the new beer will develop. Fish continued, “We have no idea how these four beers will taste blended together, but we do know that the total will be greater than the sum of its parts.”

About Deschutes Brewery

Located in beautiful Bend, Oregon, Deschutes Brewery is in the business of daring people to expect more from their beer. That’s why we started off in 1988, on the banks of the Deschutes River here in Bend, Oregon, by selling Black Butte Porter at a time when others were sure a dark beer would never catch on. Our brewers love to push the envelope, especially if it makes someone nervous. But for us, the highest praise is a raised glass and a toast of “Bravely Done!” For more information about Deschutes Brewery and its courageously crafted beers, please visit www.DeschutesBrewery.com.

About Hair of the Dog Brewing Company

Hair of the Dog Brewing Company is located in Portland, Oregon and was created to produce bottle-conditioned beers that improve with age. The main focus is to provide the beer lover with new and unusual beer styles, and is known for its barrel aged and high alcohol beers. Hair of the Dog is one of the world’s smallest Breweries, producing a mere 120 gallons per brew, last year’s production was about 15,000 gallons. For more information about the brewery and our beers, check out hairofthedog.com

Posted under Oregon beer, beer news, press releases

Americans have always been ahead of the pack when it comes to extremism, excess, and imagination. Our craft beers are no exception and our passion for those who strive to develop new and innovative brewing techniques and recipes goes unmatched. Here is a look at some beers with the spirit of ingenuity and fearless adventurousness that might not appeal to all, but will intrigue those,like us, who have an appreciation for creativity.

New Belgium Tart Lychee: Hats off to the work this Fort Collins brewery has done with their Lips of Faith series, a line-up wild yeast beers. Unfortunately, many folks think of Fat Tire from the mainstream brands of this brewery when they

think of New Belgium, but what some folks might not know is that NB uses some eccentric ingredients in many of their beers. Ingredients like goji berries, shisandra berries, wormword, and Chinese herbs bedeck some of their finer recipes. With the Tart Lychee beer, three year wild (oak barrel acidified with souring bacteria and Brettanomyces yeast) beer is blended with lychee and Ceylon cinnamon. Lychee, sometimes also known as laichi or lichu, is a unique tropical and subtropical fruit tree. It is predominately found in China, India, Madagascar, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Southern Africa and Mexico. It is a brightly flavored fruit with a sweet taste. The play of this quenching Lychee works well with the stingingly tart wild yeast to give an amazing pucking effect. The bright headless orange colored brew with hints of ruby and gold look more like a juice than a typical beer. Ceylon cinnamon, or “true cinnamon” is a widely used spice with origins in Sri Lanka and its presence can be quite potent. Of cinnamon’s many uses ranging from antioxidant to insect repellent, its use in flavor preservation and flavor enhancement are most notable in the Tart Lychee and help to liven the tannin oaken notes while balancing the lemony, vinegary overwhelming tartness. For fans of sour beers, this is must try.

Mendocino Matéveza Organic Golden Ale: Here’s another love it or leave it beer. We love it. Not only does it feature a great certified organic base beer, but its infusion with yerba maté makes it a one of a kind caffeinated treat.  Yerba maté is a species of holly native to subtropical South America in northeastern Argentina, eastern Paraguay and southern Brazil. Though recently becoming popularized in the Northern Hemisphere amongst Westerners, maté is a social drink in Argentina and Uraguay, much the same as coffee is in America. Sharing maté from a hollowed gourd (also called “maté”) is ritualistic in these South American regions and is an ingrained portion of everyday culture.

The Matéveza is worlds away from the cultural origins that meld to form this Northern Californian brewed beer, but the spirit of harmony and ecological consciousness appears to be at its core. As for flavor, Matéveza is a grassy, herbal, with earthy, almost smoky flavors that compliment the beer’s crisp, citrusy character provided by cascade hops. The effects of yerba maté are quite different that that of coffee despite both possessing similar levels of caffeine. Love it or hate it, Matéveza is a beer you must experience if you like innovation. Also, Brewpublic found a terrific blend of 50% Matéveza and 50% Boulder Hazed and Infused known as MatéHaza. Belmont Station will be hosting a special catered three course brunch paired with Matéveza and other beers on January 16, 2010. For more details visit www.belmont-station.com.

Hair of the Dog Greg: This is the beer that will squash all others. This is because it is actually brewed with several varieties of squash instead of hops. A special beer concocted by Alan Sprints of Portland, Oregon, Greg is named for Greg Higgins of Higgins Restaurant in downtown Southwest Portland. This one of a kind brew makes use of kambocha, a green pumpkin squash, for about one-third of the total sugars fermented. This imparts a distinctly gourd-eous taste. This beer is readily available on draft at Higgins, at the HOTD brewery, and occasionally elsewhere in the Portland area. It is a golden-copper hazy-bodied beer with a thick white head. The carbonation is quite low on this beer. The flavor is also enhanced with candied sugar and brown sugar-coated butternut squash. It’s relatively low alcohol level (about 4.5% ABV) makes it quite easy to drink. Like the previously mentioned beers, this type of beer is not one everyone will like, but again, you gotta give it up for pushing the envelope.

Upright Flora Rustica: Here’s a brewer who is unabashedly daring when it comes to producing off-the-wall beers. Alex Ganum is a good friend of Brewpublic and we never mind waxing his ego. In fact, his personality much reflects the kind of beers he ventures making. Whether it’s a sour beer made with chili (Turkey on Rye), a beer brewed with eucalyptus (Holy Herb), a hopless herbal gruit (Reggae Junkie Gruit), or a Brett and Lactic beer made with sour cherries (Four Play), Ganum produces zany brew recipes and makes them work. The Flora Rustica is perhaps the best example of a specific beer you’d likely think of as a one-off style, but the inertia of its beautiful flavor profile has kept it as a mainstay in Upright’s repertoire. Like most of Ganum’s beers, the Rustica is a Northwest-style saison. This particular farmhouse ale employs yarrow and calendula flowers along with a handful of Oregon grown hops to produce “a strongly aromatic beer.” Ganum adds “It’s very sparkling and dry and makes an excellent aperitif as well as as an interesting companion for certain foods like herbaceous and bitter salads or strong and fatty fish like mackerel.”

Yarrow is a North American grown flower known by many names such as carpenter’s weed, arrowroot, nosebleed plant, old man’s pepper, devil’s nettle, soldier’s woundwort, thousand-leaf, and more. Quite herbaceous, a little yarrow goes a long way, so Upright uses it sparingly in the Rustica. Yarrow has many medical, homeopathic, and seasoning functions ranging from astringent to tonic, stimulant to diaphoretic. It’s unique flavor imparts an almost cheese-like, flowery odor that pairs excellently with its counterpart in this beer, calendula flower.

Calendula flower is from the second largest species of flowering plant,Asteraceae, within which yarrow is classified. Also like yarrow, calendula has many homeopathic purposes ranging from anti-viral to anti-inflamatory, and helping to treat cramps and constipation. Most varieties, such as that used in Floral Rustica also impart a distinct herbacous character. Though not quite as potent as yarrow, a small amount really goes far. This is why Upright uses these wonderful seasonings sparingly, and a bold, rich flavor does a great job in aiding in one of the most imaginative beers available.

Laughing Buddha Trade Route Pandan Brown Ale: Much like Upright, Trade Route of Seattle, Washington doesn’t rest with anything conventional or drab. Their Pandan Brown as stated on the label “represents a major advancement in Asian style beers.” A fusion of an American brown ale with Southeastern Asian flair, the brew uses palm sugar and pandan, a nutty and fragrant leaf, when withered provides a distinct sugary vanilla-esque flavor. Pandan is commonly used through areas of Thailand and Vietnam to flavor rice dishes and cakes. The brewers say “Pandan Ale is a dark, full-bodied beer that will complement spicy Thai and Indian curries, as well as savory Filipino and Indonesian stews.” The malt bill featuring crystal, chocolate, and honey malts develop a moderate (6% ABV) bodied beer with a clean, not overly sweet presence. Aside from being one of the most unusual brown ales ever made, it is also one of the most delicious ones as well. Spicy, nutty, clean, and complex…everything a beer of such imagination should be…

Well this concludes this installment of Beers with Imagination. I look forward to sharing others I’ve enjoyed in the near future.  –Angelo

Posted under beer reviews

Gol-ly! Just when you thought a beer festival could get no bigger and better, the Holiday Ale Fest continues to wow. Starting a day early this year, many of the real “heads” hit the tents early to get first dibs on a variety of high octane adult beverages brewed with utmost care, many of which were aged to perfection.

The lead dogs at the event Preston Weesner and Chris Crabb have been working diligently for months in preparation to give craft beer lovers a one-of-a-kind experience featuring beers that folks will never see the likes of again…well, until next year.

At Wednesday’s kick-off we were lucky enough to attend a special media tasting that included a sampling of some of the most anticipated offerings at the event. Weesner refrained from delving too far into descriptors, but hearing him speak about beer reveals a man with a true passion much like an accomplished art critic speaks of many masterful works.

First up, Bear Republic’s Barrel aged Old Baba Yaga–not only possibly the best named brew at 2009′s hoorah, it appeared to be this year’s people’s choice for the unnamed “buzz beer.” Out on the floor, everyone seemed to mention it when asked what they might recommend, and we had to concur. Aged in Cabernet barrels, this brew, named for a witch who guarded the fountain of life and death and held dominion over a wintry landscape, held domain over the festival with a blackhearted presence superseding most imperial stouts. Flavors of French oak, coffee, chocolate, and lots of grapes and hops domineered the palate’s landscape. 11.5% ABV, 110 IBU. Wow!

Full Sail Wassail Holiday Blend: Full Sail brewers  at last created a commercial blend that really does impress. Whereas the brewery often brings a dry-hopped version of their Wassail winter warmer, this year they truly stepped it up. Said Weesner “I’ve asked them every year to try something else. I pestered John (Harris) and Jamie (Emmerson) tirelessly, and at the last minute they called and said they’d had an epiphany. Maybe something went wrong; maybe something went right but they blended off something special.”  A blend from two of their favorite beers: Imperial Porter aged for nine months in Makers Mark casks, and freshly filtered Wassail. “The nose is Wassail’s green hop perfume washed with oak and hints of Bourbon, while the palate is full-bodied with elements of dark fruit, espresso …and caramel, all finished with a long clean hoppy bitterness.” Weesner continued “We are truly happy, thrilled, and blessed to have this (beer).” 7.8% ABV, 60 IBU.  If you like complexity and a lot of oak, this brew is for you.

Also at the initial tasting, we revisited Fort George’s North III. We were fortunate enough to enjoy this wonderfully unique beer at Bar Avignon not long ago. This one truly is the Sugar Plum Fairy Beer. Employing maple syrup and honey converted by a Belgian yeast strain, the beer also sat in the brite tank with approximately 60 pounds of finely chopped sugar plums. Deep and very dark unlike most modern day trippels, this is a beer that exemplifies Fort George brewer Jack Harris‘ unconventional and undeterred approach to brewing. “What ever Jack wants to do…” said Weesner before instructing us to “Put your warm meaty paws on there and swirl it around.” Fruity, rich, spicy wood textures with a most distinct play of ingredients. 8.8% ABV, 50 IBU. This beer really has something for everyone and it’s explorative nature is quite welcoming for those who appreciate beer with a don’t-give-a-damn attitude.

Hair of the Dog Jim ’09 was a beer in a series of beers that Weesner had a stake in helping to create. He and brewer Alan Sprints concocted this perennially changing blend to honor the late Jim Kennedy who Weesner refered to as the “Johnny Appleseed of beer” and “one of my most respected heroes in the beer world.” Each year the version of Jim K. changes. Weesner related this to the man, myth, and legend himself. “Every time we’d see Jim he was different so we wanted to make a beer that changed as well.” Described as a barrel aged olde ale, this year’s rendition of the brew combined HOTD Doggie Claws, Adam, Fred From the Wood, and Blue Dot as well as a keg of English brown ale, German Bock, and American strong ale. Further, the blend was toasted with a bottle of Cantillion St. Lamvinus, Scaldis Noel, Corsendonk Christmas, and Orval. This one definitely takes the cake for most “out-there” brew. The fantastic number of important beers that went into making Jim K. is reminiscent of what you might find in a dedicated craft beer drinker’s gut after, well, a great beer fest. 10% ABV. “Jim was instrumental in telling a lot of the brewers back in the early days to keep doing what they were doing.” said Weesner. All raised a glass to Jim Kennedy and the beer made in his memory. Limited pours of the 2007 and 2008 incarnations of Jim have been made available at the Holiday Ale Fest, but don’t count on them to last long.

All of the beers at this distinct tasting experience made a the geeks froth at the mouth like a movie buff finding his favorite out-of-print flick on Laserdisc. The Lost Barrel of Deschutes Mirror Mirror Barley Wine from Deschutes was no exception. Somehow a few kegs of this “accident” were uncovered at the Bend brewery. “I’ve lost car keys” said Weesner “Recently I lost my phone. But I’ve never lost a keg.” This straight-from-the-barrel 2009 brew at HAF is about half of what was recovered. The other half is at the brewery and you may be able to get you buds on it if you choose the right day to wind up in Bend. If you’d rather not risk missing that, then get yourself down to the fest pronto. 10.7% ABV, 51 IBU.  After a full mug of this one, you’ll think you’re the fairest of them all.

After we quaffed the remaining sample of Mirror Mirror, we delved into some of Hair of the Dog’s Jim ’07 to which Weesner said: “This is my benchmark for what Jim could be. Lots of Adam. Alan’s (benchmark Jim) is th ’06.” Currently there are no more known Jim ’06 in circulation anywhere. The ’07 Jim blended Hair of the Dog’s Adam, Fred, Doggie Claws, and some German Pilsner. Special bottles added included a 1989 Thomas Hardy, a 1991 Rodenbach Alexander, and a 9-liter bottle of the 2006 St. Feuillien Triple. Following all of this, the blend was barrel aged for six weeks. 10% ABV. Boo yah!

Our final tasting before hitting the floor was perhaps the other “buzz beer” of the event. Any fan of sours will likely wet his pants over this one. Noneotherthan Cascade’s 2009 Drie Zwarte Pieten “Sang Noir.” Weesner precursed the pours of this by saying “You are gonna get your palates blitzed.” Amen, brother. He also referred to this particular blend as “the ultimate melange” without any disagreement. In serving up this utopic blend he referenced Cascade’s brewmaster Ron Gansberg who has been making beers of all varieties for more than twenty years. “Ron has one of the most eclectic collections of crazy beers.” he said. “Mathematically speaking his ability to blend countless varieties of beer is unfathomable.” Big words, but backed by an even bigger beer blend. Utilizing flavors of whiskey barrels, Pinot Noir, and port barrels while meshing Gansberg’s Double Flanders Red Ale, Double Red with Cherries, the notorious Bourbonic Plague, Spiced Vlad the Imp Aler, Blonde Quadruple, and more. Weesner added “Ron reached in his arsenal for what he wanted. Curtis (Bain) was reaching for what he wanted. This is a seven barrel blend plus. 10.2% ABV, 5 IBU. Count on this one being ixnay before Sunday. Thinking about this beer makes us want to perpetually smile whilst puckering. Servus!

So there, you have it. A few of the many excellent beers experienced at this year’s Holiday Ale Fest. It’s a good thing the event lasts five whole days because the vast biggies really do demand time, especially if you plan on remembering them. Kudos to the organizers for delivering a truly amazing event. You really don’t know how lucky you have it here in Brewtopia!

Posted under beer events

Lately you’ve probably heard a lot about the late Michael Jackson, pop star. But, a new tribute brew by Portland’s Hair of the Dog Brewery slated for release on November 14, 2009 will honor the late beer scribe of the same name. Hair of the Dog brewer and founder Alan Sprints has concocted a special barrel-aged and bottle conditioned Flemish Red Ale simply named “Michael” to pay tribute to the man who Sprints calls “the most influential beer writer and critic who ever lived.” We must admit, those are hard words with which to argue.

Michael will be unveiled this Saturday at the Hair of the Dog Brewery’s annual November dock sale. Sales start at 10 a.m. and as usual, there are expected to be droves of beer geeks awaiting their turn at the Sprints’ cellarable favorites. Specialty brews sought after at the sale include Cherry Adam from the Wood, Fred from the Wood, Doggie Claws Barleywine, and the Matt, a bourbon and apple Eau de Vie barrel-aged sour originally designed to commemorate Bottleworks’ (Seattle) tenth anniversary. Expect long lines and good times once again this year.

Posted under beer events, beer releases

Hair of the Dog‘s big dog Alan Sprints made a special appearance at the Green Dragon in Portland to the delight of 1st Gen beer dorks and whippersnapper hophead hipsters. The highly anticipated annual favorite Doggie Claws ’09 coined the arrival of this year’s big winter brews. In a quasi-momentus speech, Sprints nonchalantly claimed the event was his first personal tasting of this year’s batch. Also available at this HOTD festivity was Cherry Adam from the Wood and Blue Dot IPA. The only downer of the batch, a low alcohol and chlorine-esque Ruth was unleashed. We witnessed a few of these being sent back to the bar, but the plush and dark fruity wooded Adam and 11.5% floral and resinous barleywine seemed to override any insignificance.

The Dragon was a wrought with congregating beer geeks making their way out of the wood work to work the wood beer and the emboldened pioneers. Sprints appeared as relaxed as he did confident. And why not, his beer is one that helped to shake up many of our perceptions of what a muscular yet eloquent beer could be. You can experience more of Hair of the Dog’s groundbreaking recipes at the November 14 Anniversary Sale at the obscure yet be-leagered brewery in Southeast Portland. Get there early. Perhaps even stake camp the night prior. Prost!

Posted under beer events

Thank you for reading Brewpublic. Here is the 300th post with hopefully many more to come.

Yesterday, I poked my head in Hair of the Dog to see what was brewing. Blue Dot. The rich, kickin’ India Pale Ale made with rye malt and some intense hop varieties. The smell emanating from the brewhouse was reminiscent of one of my favorite cereals of all time: Grape-Nuts. Owner and brewmaster Alan Sprints was moving palates of his fine beer following the past weekend’s Earth Day sale, and his assistant Jamie was running the labeler and moving stock as well. According to Alan, having his assistant there really helps with production and he anticipates that Hair of the Dog will continue to beef up brewing this year.

After a brief conversation over a bottle of West Vleteren 8 that I brought by, I was on my way with a bottle of 2009 Fred From the Wood.  According to Alan, the latest hype brew from HOTD, Matt, sold out at the sale, but a few more cases may become available at the next Anniversary sale in November.

Following a long day at work, I made my way by Bailey’s Taproom to snag a glass of the tart-as-can-be 2008 Deschutes Dissident and to pick up my comrade, Geoff and headed over to East Burn for the unfathomable $2 Tuesday.  Sixteen of some of the best micro handles in town for this staggering low price each and every Tuesday, all day!  Can’t beat that.  I enjoyed pints of Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale, Big Sky Moose Drool (aka Loose Stool), and Laurelwood Hop Monkey. Amongst other beers, Geoff was able to get an honest $2 pint of Bear Republic Apex IIPA. In the words of Jim Spagg, “Yowser Wowser Bowser!”

At East Burn, we ran into a few groups of friends. My favorite beertender, Kat, was in the downstairs bar pouring cold brews and mixed drinks, and the whole experience was just a hoot.  An old friend, Jake and Belmont Station‘s Ezra “Samurai Artist and Paul were there as well.  As the night progressed, I became a bit frustrated when Geoff schooled me at Ms. Pac-Man (it was a slow version mind you), and that was that. Another day in the books. Whether it be $2 Tuesday or not, East Burn is the shiznit. A great place with a great staff with a dedication to craft beer and artisan liquors. Stop by soon if you haven’t yet.

East Burn's Kat pours beer

Posted under beer me, beer news, places to drink beer

Fall in love with Beervana’s craft brews all over again this Valentine’s Day.  Zwicklemaniacs from around Oregon will find most brewery’s opening their doors to folks wanting an inside peek at the behind the scenes operations.  Here’s a look at some breweries you might want to tour (And for a more comprehensive listing, visit the Oregon Brewers Guild site). All of these events are going down on Saturday February 14, 2009.

Mike Haines of Vertigo Brewing of Hillsboro has just informed us that the brewery will be open from 1-4PM  offering samples of their new to the market brews including Apricot Cream Ale, High Altitude Amber Ale, Razz Raspberry Wheat, and their flagship Friar Mike’s IPA.  Vertigo is located at 21420 NW Nicholas Ct. Suite D-7, Hillsboro.  For more info, call 503-645-6644.

Vertigo's Two Mikes

Deschutes Breweries of Bend and Portland are giving tours and providing samples. In Bend: 901 SW Simpson Avenue tours will occur from 12:00 – 4:00PM  with the gift shop and tasting room open from 12:00 – 5:00PM.  In Portland:  210 NW 11th Avenue. Brewery Open House and Tours available 1-4pm. For more information, call 503-296-4906.

Deschutes hop additions

BridgePort Brewing will be offering complimentary samples of the 2008 Hop Harvest. Todd Fleming will be onsite to conduct brewery tours during the day. Zwicklemaniacs need only to express an interest at the pub bar for one of the three tours we’ll conduct that day at 1, 3, and 5PM. 1313 NW Marshall, Portland. For more information, call 503-241-7179.

BridgePort's big dogs in the brew house

New Old Lompoc‘s newest brewer Zack Beckwith just informed us that the Northwest brewery has been pumping out tons of brand new and classic seasonals. This weekend Lompoc brewer Jon Berry will be hosting Zwickelmania at the 5th Quadrant location (309 N. William, Portland) with bottles of Bob’s Braggot, a blend of brown ale and dark honey mead, for sale.  Beckwith also informed us that the Munich 69 Baltic Porter is also on tap. The New Old Lompoc (1616 NW 23rd Avenue, Portland) is currently pouring the ’08 Old Tavern RatAngel’s Rest, a Belgian Biere de Garde.  “Also, we’ll be unleashing Black Dawn, a 7.1% ABV foreign export stout in the next few days and soon after that a special Inauguration Day IPA, that as the name suggests is brewed on inauguration day every four years” says Beckwith. as well as

Cascade Brewing will be rolling out the release of the 2008 Kriek, offering brewery tours, barrel tasting and Sang Noir have on tap. It’s like Zwicklemania every day in Ron Gansberg‘s lair, and the fun had on this day should be no exception. All this is happening at the Racoon Lodge and Brewpub at 7424 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway in Portland from 1-4PM. For more information call 503-296-0111.

Ron Gansberg and Cascade's barrels of brew

Hair of the Dog is a brewery that the big geeks don’t wanna miss.  It has a cult following by all the beer heads.  Brewer and owner Alan Sprints will be open to Zwicklers from 1-4PM.  The brewer is located at 4509 SE 23rd in Portland (don’t try to Mapquest it, just ask someone in the know).
Portland, OR 97202
503-232-6585

HOTD's Alan Sprints

These are just the tip of the iceberg.  Make sure to check the entire list of Zwickle events all the events going on Saturday!

Oh, and for sips and grins, here’s lyrics to a Zwicklemania song we wrote.  It is a parody of the song “Maniac” by Michael Sembello featured on the soundtrack for the movie Flashdance.

Just a P-town girl on a Saturday night, lookin’ for the brew of her life
In the A-B world no one sees her at all, they all say she’s crazy

Pullin’ pints to the beat of her heart, changing woman into life
She has stepped into the Zwickle zone, when a brewer becomes a brew

It can sparge you like a batch, that means to induce air or gas
On a mash between will and what will be

She’s a Zwickle maniac, maniac on the brewhouse floor
And she’s samplin like she’s never quaffed before
She’s a Zwickle maniac, maniac on the brewhouse floor
And she’s tastin like she’s never had a pour

Posted under Beer personalities, Oregon beer, beer events, beer me, beer news, beer to do list, brewpubs, places to drink beer