By C. Baker

There’s a rumor going around about a new(ish) Growler that has been spotted roaming the streets of Northeast Portland. My friend, Mark confirmed the gossip, reporting a sighting at Breakside Brewery’s NE Dekum location on Sunday. A few clicks of the mouse this morning led me to the company that spits out what I would say are fine pieces of art. They refer to themselves as the Portland Growler Company (PGC). According to their website they began in the summer of 2010. The company consists of designers and ceramicists who collectively work together to create locally made, beautiful clay based-growlers. The PGC growler, which brings to mind the Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey jug, comes in several styles and colors. One design, called The Sprocket even pays homage to our vibrant cycling community by sporting a handle that looks like Read More…

Posted under beer me, Beer Merchandise, beer tools, Oregon beer

By Jen Sotolongo

In this seemingly everlasting recession, an industry near and dear to many of us has experienced tremendous growth. Yep, I’m talking about the craft brewing industry.  Ready for some statistics?

In 2011, there were 1,989 craft breweries in the United States, the highest number since the 1880s, accounting for just a sliver of the total share of the beer market at 5 percent. However, sales grew 15 percent in 2011, generating $8.7 billion in retail sales. Craft brewing accounts for an estimated 103,585 jobs nationwide, including wait staff at brewpubs. According to the Brewers Association, a craft brewery is one who produces fewer than 6 million barrels of beer annually ad is independently-owned. Read More…

Posted under beer me, Beer Science, beer tools, Oregon beer

Here in Portland, Oregon aka Beervana, we can attribute being at the pinnacle of the craft beer world thanks to a number of variables. The region’s climate goes unmatched for the growing of the choicest hop varietals (somewhere in the ballpark of 30% of all grown on the planet); betwixt the equator and the North Pole and how we are impacted by the Pacific currents, Cascadia’s cool and cloudy months might be a mainspring to our taste for a variety malty styles; the rich history of founding brewers such as Henry Saxer and Henry Weinhard. Whatever it is that instills this affinity for great beer, one thing is undeniable, and that is that the driving force behind our great beer and all its glory is an ever-growing community of dedicated and passionate human beings. Obviously, there’s the brewers making it and the pubs selling it, but we should not forget the people who have dedicated themselves and their lives to advocating of brew, people like Ms. Chris Crabb.

Crabb is the humble force behind Portland and the nation’s greatest and most attended beer festivals. These include the Oregon Brewers Festival of which she has been the head of media relations for the past 16 years, and the Holiday Ale Fest, which has also been reoccurring for the past 16 years. In addition to running these, Crabb has recently assumed the responsibilities of promotion and organization of the popular North American Organic Brewers Festival. On top of helping to orchestrate some of the largest beer events on the West Coast, Crabb is also dedicated to promoting a few breweries around Portland, providing public relations and social media services to the likes of New Old Lompoc Brewing and Cascade Brewing.

Recently we had the pleasure of interviewing Chris Crabb, the woman you can thank for much of these exceptional events. Read More…

Posted under beer events, Beer personalities, Oregon beer

It was another wild weekend in Beervana. Still no letting up with the mayhem. Now that Portland Beer Week is over, can we expect a Portland beer hour to follow? Is there ever to be any rest in the foreseeable future? Survey says: “not likely.”

Fresh hop season is knocking at our doors. So to celebrate this, we joined forces with Portland U-Brew in Sellwood, who have been tirelessly working with their community to produce a ton of great pro beers with homebrewers like us. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. As usual, the weekend started early. On Thursday, we visited Alameda Brewing to get a taste of Bre Read More…

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

It is amazing. One of the most action packed craft beer days of the year is unquestionably going to be Saturday August 20, 2011. Where to begin? Well, I’ve got a list of stuff you should consider. As for me, I will be at my dear friends’ wedding and attending my niece’s first birthday party. But here’s the lowdown on what you might consider: Read More…

Posted under Beer & Art, Beer & Music, beer and food, beer events, beer news, Beer personalities, beer releases, beer tools, beers on film, brewpubs, Oregon beer, places to drink beer, sports and beer

Mighty Mites – A Session Beer Festival Presented by Beervana and Coalition Brewing Saturday, August 27, noon until the beer runs out Coalition Brewing patio (Behind the pub at the Grilled Cheese Grill), 2724 SE Ankeny Street There is a pernicious assumption among beer fans that in order to bristle with flavor, a beer must be strong. The notion has led to rampant escalation in alcohol content—the steroid era of good beers. But it doesn’t have to be so. Throughout history, brewers have regularly packed intense flavors into small beers. To show just how lush and varied a small beer can be, Jeff Alworth of Beervana and Coalition Brewing are hosting the first annual Mighty Mites fest—a celebration of little beers with big flavors. All the beers are below 4.5% ABF, and many are below 4%. The fest is a part of the line-up of the first annual Portland Beer Week, a celebration of the best beer city in America. Entry to the fest is free, and pours are $1 for four ounces of tasty session ales. Fest goers should bring a mug or glass from a previous fest; some will be available on-site as well. There will be music and tasty food in the form of sandwiches from the conveniently-located Grilled Cheese Grill. The Beers The fest features a dozen beers specially designed to highlight flavor and intensity. Breweries include Block 15, Hair of the Dog, Oakshire, Upright, Double Mountain, Coalition, Fort George and more. Beers include a Berliner weisse, a smoked porter, a Belgian wit, a small saison, and an example of traditional “small beer” made with the second runnings of a high-strength mash. Fest organizers will announce the complete line-up before the fest. Beer geeks love “extreme” beer. Come to the Mighty Mites fest and see extreme taken in a whole new direction. Coalition Brewing is located at 2724 SE Ankeny, Portland, Oregon. For further details, contact the brewpub at (503) 894-8080.

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

Did you just blink your eyes? Well, if so, you just missed two more beer events. The calendar is filling up quickly with more craft beer events, and as previously mentioned, August allows for no rest for the wicked. Thankfully, however, one particular event is easing back on the high octane and barrel-aged brews to make room for session brews. Seasoned Beervana beer blogger Jeff Alworth has joined forces with Coalition Brewing to concoct one of the most promising craft beer events of the year. Say hello to the first annual Mighty Mights Fest, where the beers aren’t just sub-5% ABV sessions, their all below 4.5% ABV. Further, many of these mouthwatering treats are not just light bodied beers, but in fact an array of varying styles such as small beers, mini-saisons, and even a smoked porter that fits the criteria. Since Alworth is the wordsmith here, let’s turn it over to his press release for the eloquently waxed deets: Read More…

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

Posted under beer events

Portland Fruit Beer Fest (PFBF): What better way to celebrate the arrival of warm weather than with a festival featuring more than 30 beers brewed with fruit?

Okay, okay, so maybe some of you reading this are thinking to yourself “Ick! Fruit in beer…beer isn’t supposed to have fruit in it.” Ease up, Turbo, this isn’t your typical assortment of circa 1995 Berryweizens and Bud Light Limes. This wonderful new festival is of a new school of thinking, literally.

You see, one of the events main organizers, Ezra Johnson-Greenough, who also runs the New School Beer Blog, is known for always looking for the next scoop on new breweries and events as well as trends in the brewing world. According to Ezra, “Fruit beers are the red-headed stepchild of craft beer, often overlooked by beer lovers because of preconceptions that they are sweet, boring, or artificially flavored.” So how is the first annual Portland Fruit Beer Fest going to be more than a Reinheitsgebot loyalist’s nightmare? He said “The first annual Portland Fruit Beer Festival aims to change all that and open minds to the strange and exotic possibilities that fruit beers can offer.” And judging by the list of beers that the PFBF has to offer, you either have to be a crotchety old SOB set in his ways or full-on closed-minded not to appreciate the awesomeness of this event.

More than 15 breweries, mostly regional, will showcase never before tasted one-off brews at PFBF. Also, two rotating taps featured inside the “rare tent” will showcase even more exclusive offerings to the appeasement of the uber geeks. These will run the gamut of styles and for the most part are not just brewery mainstays with fruit added. They are carefully planned and cautiously executed liquid works of art. Wild ales, barrel-aged brews, sessions and low-alcohol beers, hoppy brutes – you’ll find all of this at this year’s event.

Last week at an exclusive media tasting preview, Ezra and a group of featured brewers took us through an all-star line-up featuring an assortment of sureshots from this year’s PFBF. Take heed, the following are some of the best brews pouring at the festival and will likely never be Read More…

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

After deciding to replace my not-so-smart phone, I went through a bunch of photos taken on its cruddy camera. Some actually came out pretty good. Here’s the first in a series of beer related phone pics taken over the past year-and-a-half. Cheers!

Posted under Beer personalities, beers on film, Oregon beer