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

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

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

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

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

Posted under beer reviews

On a late spring day a beer fridge was converted into a keggerator. I cellared many of the stronger brews that were in the beer fridge, put the rest in the kitchen’s food fridge, and employed the help of my buddy Dave to get the new home appliance pouring.

Two holes were drilled into the fridge-one in the front door for the pour spout and one on the side for the CO2 connection. We also drilled a hole into an adjacent storage closet in the garage for the gas line to run through.

Mike Moscarelli (photo by John Foyston)

After the initial holes were drilled, we paid a visit to Portland’s premiere brewing supply stop, F.H. Steinbart Company. Steinbart’s has been around since 1918, making it the oldest brewing supply shop in the United States. At Steinbart’s tap line master Mike Moscarelli, who has done some impressive work at places like Deschutes of Portland and New Old Lompoc’s Hedge House got me going with the essentials needed to get my keggerator going. After the lines and gas were all ready there was just one thing still missing…

The Beer

HUB brewer Jaime Rodriguez

Where to go to get a keg in Portland?  Well, there’s always the option of visiting a number of local brewpubs. This is usually the best call, since it really does support the local brewer directly and cuts out the middleperson. For selection, there’s the option of visiting great beer shops like Belmont Station or John’s Marketplace who both have lists of available kegs on line. But, being that it was already late in the afternoon, local was the key. Living close to Powell Boulevard in Southeast Portland, it made perfect sense to hit up Hopworks for my brew. Brewer and standup dude Jaime Rodriguez just finished up a long day in the brewhouse, but was happy to take time out of his brew to set me up with a quarter barrel of Hopworks’ Original Red. Gravidly packed with ambrosial hoppiness, the Red was the key to unlock the fortune of this day. Thanks a ton to Jaime-who also hits the skins for Southern Highway-and banjoist/brewer Speck Speckenbach for setting a brother up. Thanks also to Mike at Steinbart’s and my homie Dave for hookin’ me up (literally!). Now who wants some of this beer?!

Posted under beer to do list, beer tools