The popular Portland brewers at Gigantic Brewing have announced that they are throwing their very own beer week. Huh? Yes, you heard that correct. From May 5-12, 2013, Ben Love, Van Havig and company will be partying and pouring their fine brews at some of the city’s best craft beer establishments.  There will also be some super limited releases including barrel-aged treats and rarities from breweries such as 3 Floyds, Piece Brewing, and Haymarket. It’s gonna be huge! Here’s the full details from Gigantic: Read More…

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

Posted under beer events, places to drink beer

I don’t even know where to begin, but I suppose I will start somewhere… It really irks my bones when I can’t pump out some juicy craft beer fodder for the readers of Brewpublic, and the past few days have been lacking. I know it. I mean, Brewpublic prides itself of giving you a steady, daily glimpse into some of the many many goingson in and around Cascadian brewing and a little more. Being on planes, trains, and automobiles with a Smartphone, a thirsty palate, and a hankering to round up as many beers as possible makes the blogging a bit lacking at times, but it’s not because of will.

They say the road to hell is paved in good intentions, and we intended to scare up some goods for you the past few days, but we were short a laptop, a spare liver, and more daylight hours (heck, we can often muster just fine in the dark!). On Monday we scheduled details for rounding up as many kegs as we could while in and around Portland, Oregon. The reasons were many. SF Beer Week events, a new pub opening, and simply to blow Bay Area artisan beer enthusiasts’ minds. Spending much time in the East Bay of the San Francisco area, it has been my goal to inject as much of the Cascadian craft beer culture into the locals down here as I possibly can. With SF Beer Week about to pop off (February 8-17, 2013), I couldn’t think of a better way to exemplify what amazingness Oregon’s uniquely saturated yeast culture has to present. Don’t get me wrong, Northern California is home to some legendary breweries and beer halls that rival some of the finest in this world. Further, NorCal is booming with new breweries that vivaciously illustrate the significance of the modern day Post-Prohibition beer revolution. Thus, it makes perfect sense that while living here, I find myself working at an Oakland pub named Beer Revolution with the best selection of regional, national, and international fermented malted pours. Soon, the adjacent revamped train depot in Jack London Square will beef up the neighborhood’s selection almost two-fold. Looking to open very soon, the Olde Depot Taphouse will assert the community as an even more undeniably world class destination.

Appointed to manage Olde Depot is seasoned professional Dan “Bully” Bollwinkel who has further inspired us to take things on the West Oakland craft beer scene to the next level. Bully and I jaunted to Portland on a plane, rented a modest Dodge Caravan and sought to stock up on as many different beers as we could safely drive back 600 miles south to Oakland. On our journey, we even went a little overboard and maxed out the payload to the point where the chassis began to woefully sag toward the earth. With just 36 hours to obtain an optimal variety of mostly 1/6-barrel kegs and a few bottles, we were focused on making the most of our precious time.

Immediately upon touching down at PDX International Airport with just the clothes on our backs and Read More…

Posted under Bay Area beer, Beer & Art, Beer personalities, beer releases, beer reviews, Beer Travel, brewpubs, craft cider, Oregon beer, places to drink beer

ALEIAS
Brewed by Boneyard Beer in collaboration with John Harris long time Oregon Brewmaster.

Tony Lawrence, Boneyard’s  Brewmaster and Co-Owner, and John Harris met up many moons ago back in their days at Deschutes Brewery. Back then John hired Tony to “wreck his life” as a cleanup brewer. Now 22 year’s later Tony is rocking it down at Boneyard Beer. He called up John and said “we need to brew a beer together and ferment it in the “Harris” tank.”  John said the what tank?  Tony explained that he names his tanks at Boneyard after people. John said “Wow. you named a tank after me”

So on September 10th Tony and John met up at Boneyard to brew a India Wheat Ale (IWA).  Featuring a good portion of wheat malt along with pale malt and a touch of crystal then hopping it well beyond Boneyard’s RPM IPA. Simcoe and Amarillo were used exclusively throughout the process. Aleias IWA has a crisp malt character with loads of citrus and tropical hop flavor coming from  using 3.5 pounds of hops per barrel.  Aleias was dry hopped 3 times. Only 40 barrels of this 7.1% beer were produced. Get it while you can!

Aleias will be released on October 4th
Roving release party. Come hang with Tony and John.
5pm Belmont Station
6:30ish Horsebrass Pub
8:00ish Apex

Posted under beer news, Beer personalities, beer releases, events, Oregon beer

Earlier this month we reported on a new collaborative beer being brewed in Bend, OR at Boneyard Beer between the brewery’s founder Tony Lawrence and former Full Sail Brewmaster John Harris.

Harris, who is in between regular brewing jobs, after leaving his illustrious brewmaster post at Full Sail to break ground on his next independent brewery venture, is a mentor to Lawrence. Harris brought in Lawrence to “wreck his life” as a cleanup brewer. That was more than two decades ago.

Now, 22 years later, and several 22-ounce bottles of beers later, the two have reunited to brew a fantastically hoppy wheaten ale dubbed ALEIAS.”  Brewed during the second week of September, ALEIAS was brewed in a tank named “Harris” after the Lawrence’s mentor.

ALEIAS will be released in Portland, OR on October 4, 2012 at three of the city’s top craft beer destinations. Here’s the full details from a presser sent out last night from Harris: Read More…

Posted under beer news, Beer personalities, beer releases, Oregon beer

We’ve said it before and it will undoubtedly be heralded once again – there really isn’t anywhere else on this planet, or at very least, on this continent, that holds a candle to Portland, Oregon when it comes to craft beer. As the last statement was typed, there may have just been another craft brewery open in what we know as Beervana.

The pinnacle of the region’s festive embrace of craft ales and lagers is without a doubt the month of July. It just makes sense for so many reasons, especially the climate. Despite the reputation that Oregon has deservedly earned for being a gray and rainy place, the summers here are simply unbeatable. Sure, this might not be until July that the season hesitantly reveals itself, but once it does, it is not to be beat. For the most part, little humidity and rain within a temperate quasi-rain forest climate means perfect beer sessioning weather. And if you’ve spent much time in the Midwest or East Coast, you know that the mugginess of those parts can really get to you. Further, for such as lush green environment, the Pacific Northwest, well, in most parts, is in comparison free of the pestering black flies, mosquitoes, minges, no-see-ums, etc that make portions of the summer months intolerable in said eastward regions. When people question why craft beer is king out here, one variable other than the obvious soft water and proximity to incomparable and bountiful hops is the climate. The dark and drizzly overcast months that keep the conifers happy between the Coastal Range and the Cascades is also quite conducive for enjoying Porters, Stouts, and other bolder styles that mightn’t be as approachable in other climate zones. Then when summer rolls in, there are so many light and quenching brews to appear that the opportunities appear limitless.This is why for the past seven years, July has been officially declared Oregon Craft Beer Month (OCBM). Read More…

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

10 Barrel Brewing has announced a special event taking place in conjunction with PDX Beer Week and the Portland Fruit Beer Fest. 10 Barrel Tap Takeover at APEX will feature many special beers from Bend, Oregon on tap.

These include Raspberries Gone Wild, Oats on Nitro, Pray For Brandy Strong Ale, One Hop Wonder Strong Pale, Okie Dokie Smokie, Rude Boy Rye, Red Headed Step Child, Cynical CDA, “He Done Did It” PB&J, “Mighty 45″ Bourbon Maple, and Red Vine Sin1st0r in addition to some of 10 Barrel’s year round favorites. Brewers Jimmy Seifrit, Tonya Cornett, Shawn Kelso, Bobby Jackson, and Ben Shirley on hand from  4-8 p.m. on Saturday June 9, 2012 for this event.

Posted under beer events, beer news, Beer personalities, beer releases, events, Oregon beer, places to drink beer

10 Barrel Brewing has announced a special event taking place in conjunction with PDX Beer Week and the Portland Fruit Beer Fest. 10 Barrel Tap Takeover at APEX will feature many special beers from Bend, Oregon on tap.

These include Raspberries Gone Wild, Oats on Nitro, Pray For Brandy Strong Ale, One Hop Wonder Strong Pale, Okie Dokie Smokie, Rude Boy Rye, Red Headed Step Child, Cynical CDA, “He Done Did It” PB&J, “Mighty 45″ Bourbon Maple, and Red Vine Sin1st0r in addition to some of 10 Barrel’s year round favorites. Brewers Jimmy Seifrit, Tonya Cornett, Shawn Kelso, Bobby Jackson, and Ben Shirley on hand from  4-8 p.m. on Saturday June 9, 2012 for this event. A Read More…

Posted under beer events, beer news, Beer personalities, beer releases, Oregon beer, places to drink beer

APEX is a standout craft beer bar in Portland, Oregon, a city with more great brew than it knows what to do with.  -BREWPUBLIC

First, this Friday, May 18th from 5-9 PM we’re having a few of our favorite brewers stop by with some sour and unusual beers. Firestone-Walker‘s “Sour” Jim Crooks will be on hand while pour some of his Agrestic, SLOambic and 100% Velvet Merkin. Joining Firestone will be our local sour brothers from Cascade. Here’s what we’ll be pouring from them:

Agent de l’orange:  10.78% ABV

This live NW style sour is a Blender’s Reserve spiced blond quad that was aged in Makers Mark barrels for 16 months then spiced with orange peel and honey. Orange zest and herbal honey notes present themselves in the nose. Bright, tart orange peel, huge sweet malts and spices of cinnamon and coriander on the palate give way to a crisp orange finish that lingers. This could be just the thing to quench your thirst on that rare sunny day until spring. Servus!

Summer Gose 5.5% ABV
This NW sour beer is a re-creation of a historic German wheat beer style that was nearly lost to time.  This light, slightly soured beer is spiced with coriander and sea salt.   Soft creamy wheat and spice greet you in the nose, while a light spice bite and hint of lemon cross the palate.  It finishes off with a soft lingering sour bite and just a slight dusty lemon note.

Rhubarb Crisp 6.5% ABV

This NW-style sour beer is a crisp, refreshing blend of beers that were barrel aged for seven to 12 months. Bright sweet notes of rhubarb and raspberries greet you in the nose. A light tartness of ripe berries and fruit sweetness intermingle on the palate, giving way to a light sparkling bite of rhubarb and slight nuttiness in the finish. Enjoy!

This should make for a hell of a Friday, but Saturday is going to absolutely blow your mind!

It’s our second anniversary celebration, all day and into the night from 11:30AM to 2:30 AM.  I won’t tell you what I’m going to put on the tap, but if you remember last year’s anniversary, you know that it’s a lineup that’s not to be missed. I’ll be tapping between 30 and 50 rare beers that I’ve been working for the past two years to get for this event.

In addition, it’ll be the worldwide debut of a beer I’m very excited about. Last year I asked my friend Peter Kruger, brewmaster at Bear Republic, if he’d be interested in making me a beer to commemorate our second anniversary. He graciously agreed to do so and I gave him  a few suggestions about what I liked best in my favorite double IPAs. He went to work on a recipe and the result is what he called the hoppiest beer they’ve ever made, Double Apex, a 10.1% Double IPA. An imperial version of their delicious Apex IPA. I can’t wait to taste it!

See you Saturday to celebrate our Terrible 2′s

Posted under beer events, events

APEX is a standout craft beer bar in Portland, Oregon, a city with more great brew than it knows what to do with.  -BREWPUBLIC

First, this Friday, May 18th from 5-9 PM we’re having a few of our favorite brewers stop by with some sour and unusual beers. Firestone-Walker‘s “Sour” Jim Crooks will be on hand while pour some of his Agrestic, SLOambic and 100% Velvet Merkin. Joining Firestone will be our local sour brothers from Cascade. Here’s what we’ll be pouring from them:

Agent de l’orange:  10.78% ABV

This live NW style sour is a Blender’s Reserve spiced blond quad that was aged in Makers Mark barrels for 16 months then spiced with orange peel and honey. Orange zest and herbal honey notes present themselves in the nose. Bright, tart orange peel, huge sweet malts and spices of cinnamon and coriander on the palate give way to a crisp orange finish that lingers. This could be just the thing to quench your thirst on that rare sunny day until spring. Servus!

Summer Gose 5.5% ABV
This NW sour beer is a re-creation of a historic German wheat beer style that was nearly lost to time.  This light, slightly soured beer is spiced with coriander and sea salt.   Soft creamy wheat and spice greet you in the nose, while a light spice bite and hint of lemon cross the palate.  It finishes off with a soft lingering sour bite and just a slight dusty lemon note.

Rhubarb Crisp 6.5% ABV

This NW-style sour beer is a crisp, refreshing blend of beers that were barrel aged for seven to 12 months. Bright sweet notes of rhubarb and raspberries greet you in the nose. A light tartness of ripe berries and fruit sweetness intermingle on the palate, giving way to a light sparkling bite of rhubarb and slight nuttiness in the finish. Enjoy!

This should make for a hell of a Friday, but Saturday is going to absolutely blow your mind!

It’s our second anniversary celebration, all day and into the night from 11:30AM to 2:30 AM.  I won’t tell you what I’m going to put on the tap, but if you remember last year’s anniversary, you know that it’s a lineup that’s not to be missed. I’ll be tapping between 30 and 50 rare beers that I’ve been working for the past two years to get for this event.

In addition, it’ll be the worldwide debut of a beer I’m very excited about. Last year I asked my friend Peter Kruger, brewmaster at Bear Republic, if he’d be interested in making me a beer to commemorate our second anniversary. He graciously agreed to do so and I gave him  a few suggestions about what I liked best in my favorite double IPAs. He went to work on a recipe and the result is what he called the hoppiest beer they’ve ever made, Double Apex, a 10.1% Double IPA. An imperial version of their delicious Apex IPA. I can’t wait to taste it!

See you Saturday to celebrate our Terrible 2′s

Posted under beer events, events