Some beers are meant to be enjoyed right away and others reward your patience by evolving and improving with age. Full Sail’s Old Boardhead Barleywine gives a good name to delayed gratification. While ready to drink now, Old Boardhead cellars exceptionally well. Full Sail’s Brewmaster, Jamie Emmerson, suggests you store a few bottles in a dark, cool place and be patient. The newly designed label highlights the reserve year making it easier to keep track. Whether you wait or not, Old Boardhead is a deliciously rich brew with a spectacular depth and complexity of flavor. Deep and robust, it’s a luscious brew to sip in any weather.

“We have been brewing “Old Boardhead” since 1990. It is a beer that celebrates the passage of time and amazingly enough it has been twenty years since our first annual release,” commented Jamie Emmerson. “Old Boardhead is part of our rotating selection of Brewmaster Reserve beers, and every few months, we come out with a different beer that showcases the art of brewing. We began the Brewmaster Reserve series back in 1998 to celebrate our independence and creativity.”

Old Boardhead has been kegged and bottled in 22 oz bottles and is on its way to specialty beer stores and pubs throughout the Pacific Northwest. (ABV 9%  IBU 91.) The next beer in Full Sail’s Brewmaster Reserve lineup is Lupulin Fresh Hop Ale that will be released in early September followed by Wreck the Halls that will be released in November. For a full list of Full Sail’s Brewmaster Reserve beers please visit http://fullsailbrewing.com/brewmaster-reserve.cfm

Posted under Oregon beer, beer releases, press releases

Taste the full line of Anderson Valley beers: Hop Ottin’ IPA, Boont Amber, Poleeko Pale, Boont ESB, Summer Solstice, Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout, Double IPA, Brother David’s Double, and Tripel. Anderson Valley Barleywine  and more on draft.

Posted under beer events, events, 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

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

To Redhook’s credit, the brewery has been busy putting forth an array of spectacular beers. Their limited release brews such as their twice GABF medaling Treblehook Barleywine; the blended honey, cherry-wood smoked malts and brown sugar brew known as 8-4-1 Expedition Ale; and the recent hop giant known as Big Ballard Imperial IPA; have all exhibited Redhook’s ability to please the palates of extreme beer geeks.

Still, in light of such over-the-top styles, the brewery has maintained a balance with an assortment of their standby easy drinkin’ brew like the flagship ESB, spring Mudslinger Brown Ale, Slim Chance Light Ale, Copperhook Copper Ale, Long Hammer IPA, and the recently released Rope Swing Pilsner.

The most recent brew in Redhook’s repertoire is their Blonde Golden Ale. Sure, its not the most creative name for a blonde ale, but it certainly not quite as misogynistic as most either. Besides the marketing angle, what’s most important is the beer inside the bottle. According to a press release from the brewery, this beer that was taken out of production in early 2009, returned due to customer demand. From our independent assessment of the beer, the Blonde Golden Ale was about as true to style as any we’ve tasted. A light to moderate sweet malty aroma up front gave way to moderate fruity esters. No diacetyl, not much hop aromatics. The light yellow-straw body held up a frothy white head that was well retained. The flavor was soft and light with some breadiness and a very mild toast component. With unnecessary cloyingness or caramel flavors, this ale finished with a balance carbonic mouthfeel and a medium-dry faint sweetness. Fans of the Pyramid Curveball might want to jump all over this brew. Malts include Pale, Wheat, Caramel, Carapils, Munich, Vienne that are complemented nicely by a touch of woody Willamette and spicy Saaz Hops.

Widhook vs PyraMacs

Many parallels can be drawn between Redhook and Pyramid. Both are micro-macros or macro-micros (big craft brewers) that put forth greatly consistent and palatable beer. Both are beers we regularly reach for both due to said consistency and affordability.

Brand Identity

Both companies have struggled with an identity crisis since straying from their roots in the past. While Pyramid-Magic Hat-MacTarnahan’s-Portland-Norwester-Saxer-Hart has obviously had many incarnations and directions, Redhook Ale Brewery has had its share as well, though nowhere near as many changing of the guards as PyraMacHat. It seems that the forming of the Craft Brewers Alliance in 2008 with Widmer only served to improve the image and quality of Redhook. Like Widmer, Redhook continues to stay at the top of the craft brewing game, unlike many other ’80s breweries have either faded or failed to evolve. Pyramid has recently made strides to keep their head above water with some somewhat interesting and undoubtedly delicious new brews, like those from their Ignition Series (Outburst IPA is one of the best Imperial IPAs produced anywhere, and chances are most beer geeks in Portland probably haven’t even gone to the taproom to try it). Redhook’s merger with Widmer and CBA initially made us think that the brewery would devolve into a more boring and less inventive conglomerate entity, but the contrary has unfolded. More bottled one-offs, and more of the signature session brews that originally put ‘em on the map. Pyramid on the other hand, went from a publicly traded company to a privately owned one when Magic Hat of Vermont took the rains in ’08. It appears that Pyramid has more of an uphill battle when it comes to extricating themselves from the past. Word on the street (unconfirmed) is that Magic Hat is looking to sell Pyramid not long after moving in. As previously mentioned, we feel job one for Pyramid should be ditching their god awful branding that appears to cater to teenagers with a passion for X-games and energy drinks. Wanna play it safe, Pyramid, how about labels with dogs, bikes, hippies, rivers, mountains, or, hell, all of the above… Redhook’s labels gracefully evolved over the years. And while we’re not in love with their look, it maintains tradition while employing some modernity. Between MacPyramid’s and the CBA brews there appears to be a ping-ponging of names and similarities. Drifter, Grifter, Sling Shot, Mud Slinger, Rope Swing, Spring Fling… What’s next? Ding-a-ling or Spliff Gripper?

Both make a vast lineup of sessionable beers and have recently come ’round to the 21st Century’s demands for more innovative styles. Both seem to put forth a plethora of lighter, easy quaffing brews within a short timeframe. Much line Pyramid/MacTarnahan’s Curveball Golden Ale (once called a Kolsch) and Slingshot Pale Ale hit the shelves at about the same time, so does Redhook’s Pilsner and The Blonde Golden. Perhaps this is an indication that while craft beer drinkers are making room for the big brews, a new attitude of slow beer drinkers is emerging to demand subtler and more approachable artisan styles of beer.

Posted under beer releases, beer reviews

Two breweries from the far reaches of Eastern Oregon to showcase some of the state’s best beer for the BrewPubliCrawl.

Oregon’s easternmost brewery and purveyor of monstrously hoppy brews, Beer Valley Brewing will be on hand for Brewpublic’s March 20th BrewPubliCrawl. Not only will founder-brewer Pete Ricks be on hand for the event at The BeerMongers, he will also be pouring two brand new Beer Valley exclusives: the Rosebud IPA and a special one-of-a-kind never seen before blend. The Rosebud is Ricks’ first anointed India Pale Ale despite his beers’ affinity for muscular hop bittering and titanic malt character (see: Black Flag Imperial Stout, Leafer Madness Imperial Pale Ale, Highway to Ale Barleywine). For a hint as to what the special blend might be we looked to Beer Valley’s website. However, nothing is confirmed except this new blend will be there and will be electric. These beers will be making their way from Ontario, Oregon, nearly 400 miles, and six hours drive to Portland.

Beer Valley brewer-founder Pete Ricks

Joining Ricks will be Shawn Kelso from Barley Brown’s Brewpub in Baker City 70 miles west of Ontario. These two hop-driven brewers, as Kelso states, are “brewing on the right side of Oregon.” Kelso will showcase his Tumble Off Pale Ale that took home a bronze medal at the 2009 Great American Beer Fest and was named as one of the top 25 beers in America by Maxim Magazine (Said Maxim: “with more hops than Bugs Bunny and a grassy, herbal aftertaste that recalls our second-favorite Oregon export; this refreshing concoction from the award-winning Barley Brown boys is guaranteed to cure what ‘ales’ ya.”)

Tyler Brown (left) and Shawn Kelso of Barley Brown's Brewpub

If having these two brewers together under one roof wasn’t enough, we asked Walking Man Brewing to join in on the action at The BeerMongers. More to come on the special offering from them soon…

Beer Valley, Barley Brown’s, and Walking Man brewers will be at The BeerMongers on Saturday March 20, 2010 from 4:30-6pm where special beers will be flowing. The BeerMongers is located at 1125 SE Division Street, Portland, Oregon (at the corner of SE 12th and Division St.).

Posted under Oregon beer, beer events, beer news

In case you missed it (and your liver might thank you if you had), Lucky Lab’s Barleywine and Big Beer Fest this year was a huge success. Everything you’d expect from a beer festival, the selection was exceptional, the atmosphere was welcoming, and the crowds were not overwhelming.

The event kicked off for the 13th annual installment on Friday March 5 at noon and lasted until 11PM before recommencing again the next day, again at noon. We did not attend the first day of the festival in fear of us not being able to return for our volunteer shift Saturday. Saturday the weather was spectacular, and a bicycle ride across town to the fest was invigorating. The warm sun shined through the partially opened garage door of the spacious brewpub on NW Quimby Street; a hearty and well needed beer fest was underway. A few people made their way to the tables as the event kicked off. These folks were the beer geeks who live for this kind of thing, some of whom were still recovering from the previous day’s samplings.

We were excited to garner responses from the range of tasters to get a pulse for what bold beers were ones we’d need to try after our shift commenced. As can always be expected when volunteering at any beer festival, some people are very passionate about their reviews of what they’re tasting. With some it is a welcomed well-rounded assessment of the qualities that exemplify a worthy or undesirable specimen. With others, the response seems to be knee jerk and not as founded in research as it is based on emotion or product loyalty. Good thing folks there like Beer Advocates Theo Skourtis and Jim Bonomo were on hand to give some constructive feedback we could use.

Every so often another keg would run dry and Preston Weesner or Lucky Lab’s Ben Flerchinger would come by to change it and mark the update on the impressive chalkboard behind us. The list of beers was so extensive, they would need to climb a ladder to make amendments. We were crossing our fingers, hoping we’d get to try the popular brews before they kicked. The general response of the crowd seemed to indicate these were the ever-popular Hair of the Dog Doggie Claws (this time aged in bourbon casks), 2006 Anchor Old Foghorn, Ninkasi Critical Hit (their first ever barleywine available in limited quantities), and Lucky Lab’s Son Of Old Yeller (which we had already tried and could confirm was going to be spectacular). As a keg of 2007 Cascade Defroster sputtered to a halt, Walking Man’s Olde Stumblefoot took over. It really is amazing to see how much respect folks have for Walking Man, as an impromptu line formed almost immediately to sample this behemoth. If it was anything like we remembered it in the past, it was a dry-hopped beaut that demanded our palate’s attention.

As 3PM and the end of our shift neared, the crowds grew bigger and our thirst for the beers we’d been eying all morning intensified. Finally, we were off, and able to aboutface the counters and start a-quaffin’. The first sip was the 2006 Foghorn, which, along with the others mentioned previously, was surprisingly still flowing. Simply marvelous! A rusty orange body with a soft off-white head, this four year old beer aged magnificently and showed little to no signs of oxidation. Lots of fruity, chewy bubblegum notes coupled by soft, subtle complexities imparted with age. Some butyl esters coupled with a gentle hoppiness and a solid underpinning of toffee-like maltiness. Old Foghorn is always a go to for us, and we are glad again in this case, we went for it.

Following the Old Foghorn was the Hair of the Dog Doggie Claws aged in bourbon barrels. This rendition of the brew poured out a murky thick brown-amber with a thin soapy off-white head. Fruity, malty, chewy brown sugar nose with lots of floral citrus and pine hops going on. Big and bold. Sweet and complex. Vanilla, citrus, sugar, molasses, and raisin to name a few. Not aggressively bourbony, more on the wood side. Every time we get to try Hair of the Dog beers like this, it makes us happy we live in Beervana.

Save for Astoria Brewing’s Bitter Bitch Triple IPA, Ninkasi Critical Hit, from what we gathered, was one of the hoppiest brews at the fest and likely the hoppiest barleywine. Lots of toffee and piny tropical fruit notes came from this deep tawny beer. This beer could have almost passed for an triple IPA, but there was some noticeable caramel maltiness present. Very bitter on the tongue, but overall, this is the kind of barleywine many Pacific Northwestern beer lovers like, and Ninkasi ain’t no dummy.

Walking Man Olde Stumblefoot is another hop-forward barleywine. However, a main difference between this beast and Ninkasi’s is the malt bill and the perception of the hops play. According to a description, Olde Stumby makes use of four malts, dark belgian candi sugar, Northwest hops.  At 12.3% ABV, this Stevenson, Washington brew contained almost 2.5% more alcohol by volume than the average beer at this festival. On top of that, the 85 IBUs was indicative of a potent hops dosage as well. In the glass appeared a rich amber-bodied sipper with a small almond colored head that left plenty of lacing and exhibited big legs. Full, rich creamy body with a nice chewy, robust finish; noticeable were the dry hops in the nose that caressed the olfactory senses before each sip. Thanks again, Walking Man. We do love thee.

A beer we’d tried, but didn’t want to miss again was Lucky Lab’s Son of Old Yeller, a beer that turns out was a fabulous mistake. An accidental overshoot of ingredients for LL’s popular Super Dog IPA, the Son was a perfectly balanced copper-amber beer with a rich frothy white head. Also aged in bourbon barrels, Son was undoubtedly the buzz beer of this year’s festival. It was kind of nice to see this beer win people’s hearts and tongues…kind of like how the Canadians must’ve felt about their hockey team at this year’s Olympics.

Another beer of note was the 2007 Butte Creek Train Wreck, a certified organic 10.6% ABV warmer. We are still surprised upon viewing the label on these bottles that the TTB allowed this beer to state “You’ll be lucky to walk away from this one!” but we dig the smart Alec marketing that coincides with BC’s “Go big or go home” mantra. In all honesty, this beer was not hyper aggressive on the tongue. Perhaps this is due to the three years of aging it underwent to reach this point. The deep brown color under a minimal head offered a unique mesh of chewy maltiness, dropped out yet prevalent hops and a distinct mintiness that could have been equated to the citrus hops mingling with the boisterous and once aggressive malts. We think we’ll pick up a bomber of this brew and try it fresh…maybe even put one down in the cellar as well.

So, there’s a glimpse at just a few beer from the Barleywine and Big Beer Festival. To us, this event is more about the camaraderie of good friends where the skullstompin’ brews serve to aid in the good times. It doesn’t take much to get you where you’re going, and if you are on a bicycle, you best watch your limit. A big thank you to Ben Flerchinger, Lucky Lab, Preston Weesner, and all the breweries, volunteers, and attendees who made this year’s BB+BW Fest a monster hit!

View more photos from Lucky Lab’s Barleywine & Big Beer Fest here.

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

Today, Monday March 8, 2010 you can taste Ninkasi‘s Spring Reign seasonal release and and their year-round line-up of Total Domination, Believer Imperial Red, and Tricerahops Imperial IPA. Spring Reign and a very rare small keg of Critical Hit Barleywine will also be featured on draft. If you didn’t try the The Critical Hit at Lucky Lab’s Barleywine fest this weekend this is your last chance. We tried it there and highly recommend it to any fan of big, hopped-the-hell-out brews!

6-8PM at Belmont Station, 4520 SE Stark Street, Portland, Oregon. For more info call (503) 232-8538

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

Get your stunt liver primed for this coming Friday and Saturday, March 5 and 6. You’re gonna need it. Lucky Lab is hosting the thirteenth annual Barleywine and Big Beer Festival at their NW Quimby brewpub. The spacious setting is the perfect venue for such an event. In the leading city for craft beer, this brewpub isone of Portland, Oregon’s finest.

A recent tour of the cooler thanks to brewer Ben Flerchinger revealed nearly 60 beers waiting to be tapped. More are still on there way. According to the Lab technician, the average alcohol by volume of all these brews is 9.89%. Hot damn!

Check out the New School blog’s preview and picks for this year’s festival. There’s a list of the beers there, too.

The Barleywine and Big Beer Fest will occur at 1945 NW Quimby in Portland, Oregon.

Posted under Beer personalities, Oregon beer, beer events, beer releases, beers on film, brewpubs, places to drink beer

“This is the hour of the Shire-folk, when they arise from their quiet fields, to shake the towers and counsels of the Great.” -Elrond, from Lord of the Rings.

This past weekend Brewpublic made the journey south to Oregon’s second largest city, Eugene. In this “Emerald City” which is home to Oregon’s largest University and the birthplace of Nike, a thriving craft beer community is home to well known hot spots like Ninkasi Brewing, Rogue Track Town Brewery, McMenamin’s High Street Brewpub, and  Oakshire Brewing.

Upon arriving late on Friday, we met up with Oakshire founder Jeff Althouse and brewmaster Matt Van Wyk at Eugene’s best craft beer locale known as The Bier Stein. Here, several desirable bottles of craft brew from around the world can be found as well as great wines, ciders, a sakes. They’ve also got a great selection of beers on tap. Upon Jeff’s recommendation, my first choice was a glass of Alpha Centuri Imperial IPA from Hop Valley in neighboring Springfield. Hop Valley was founded by Trevor Howard, former head brewer at Rogue’s Eugene City Track Town brewery. Howard’s palate is geared toward big citrus-hop beers and the Alpha Centuri was no exception. The beer board behind the counter simply read “Off the charts hops” to describe the Centuri. Hop Valley’s lead brewer these days is Todd Friedman, the former brewer for Oakshire. Friedman is the architect behind the Centuri, a beer with a phenomenally vibrant grapefruit and tangerine-pine nose. Exploding with searing yet well balanced lupulin flavor and a bolstering grain underbelly. We’re happy to say that Jeff’s recommendation was a great one, and the first beer we enjoyed on this visit to Eugene was one of the best.

Other beers pouring at The Bier Stein included Sierra Nevada ’10 Big Foot, Hopworks Lager, Ninkasi Total Domination, Terminal Gravity Double IPA, Silver Moon Brown Eyes Ale with dark molasses added, a Belgian La Rulles Tripel, Hale’s Cream Stout on draught, and Calapooia Fresh Hop Rye. It is always interesting to try a purposeful adjunct brew such as this rye ale. The rye gave off a unique sweet nuttiness that balanced the hops nicely. Surprised we were to find a fresh hop beer in the midst of winter. We very much enjoyed said quaff, but on the whole,  it was scrimped in comparatively appearance, aroma, and flavor to the Alpha Centuri.

From here, we decided a bit of wild yeast sour action was in order and the Oakshire sires concurred. When you are in the presence of beer geeks, especially those who run a phenomenal brewery, one mustn’t be fastidious or conservative with the good stuff. Thankfully, The Stein had a chilled bottle of Cantillon Saint Lamvinus, an extraordinarily magnificent Lambic brewed with Merlot grapes and aged in oak barrels. Could this be the best beer ever? It would be hard to argue against this. Matt’s story of his last adventure to the brewery in Brussels, Belgium inspired us to take Brewpublic across the pond in the near future (except the part about the sweaty shirtless man stirring the grains, but we won’t get into that here…). After this wonderful sour ale, Matt opened a bottle Cantillon Bruocsella 1900 Grand Cru. An organic Lambic aged for three years in oak, the Grand Cru was less assertive with the puckerdom than the its predecessor. The Broucsella claims to be “the only unblended real Lambic you can find anywhere.” Dark yellow bodied with no head, this horse blanket brew with Brett was quite dry and subdued in comparison the the Lamvinus. Perfect for pairing with sharp cheeses or salty olives, it was awesome to have these two Cantillons back to back in one setting. Killer!

Last call was announced so we left the Bier Stein. Convinced we needed on more brew before calling it a night, we traipsed across Eugene’s quaint downtown to an industry pub favorite known as the Jackelope. Named for the mythical antlered rabbits, of which some heads were mounted on the wall (rather disturbing to us, probably humorous to others), the Jackelope was bustling with locals out for a late night tipple. This bar offered a decent beer selection that included Three Ninkasi handles (Total Domination IPA, Believer Double Red, and Renewale ESB), Lagunita’s Dog Town Pale Ale, Hopworks IPA, Oakshire Ill Tempered Gnome Winter Ale, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, PBR, Coors Light, Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale, and Blue Moon Wit. One bummer was receiving our tasty craft beers in 14 ounce shaker glasses with the thick-ass bottoms. Booo!

Despite the cheat pours, all was good when we ran into Jamie Floyd and Nikos Ridge of Ninkasi Brewing in Jackelope’s upstairs area. It was a great way to close out our night in Eugene, and we were geared up for the next day when we’d visit both Oakshire and Ninkasi for a tour of their breweries. Prost!

Thanks to Travel Lane County and Stacey Malstrom for arranging this trip and our stay in Springfield, Oregon.

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