Celebrate Central Oregon’s Proud Brewing and Distilling Tradition This Weekend At The Little Woody

This year’s beer lovers’ festival to feature bourbon from local and national distilleries

The Little Woody was created in 2009 to commemorate one of Central Oregon’s cultural hallmarks — beer — and it’s back thanks to popular demand. The one-day event drew more than 2,000 craft beer enthusiasts last year to sample brews from local breweries, meet the brewmasters and sing the praises of great beer.

Due to the overwhelming interest, the second annual Little Woody Barrel-Aged Brew Festival will return to the Des Chutes Historical Museum in Downtown Bend — but this time for two full days on Friday and Saturday, September 3-4.

The Little Woody celebrates the ancient barrel brewing technique as adapted by craft brewers in Central Oregon and the Pacific Northwest including Deschutes Brewery, Ninkasi, McMenamins, Three Creeks and Bend Brewing.

Some of the beers these fine local breweries will be slinging include Firewater Red from Three Creeks, made by combining Firestorm Red and an ‘09 Barley wine aged in a Pinot Noir barrel for 9 months, and Barrel Head, the popular McMenamins Hammerhead aged in a Hogshead whiskey barrel for over 4 months and then cold conditioned for another 2 months, resulting in a hoppy ale with a hint of fruit in the nose but a dry and woody finish.

This year the festival will also feature oak barrel-aged bourbons from Basil Hayden, Weller, Jefferson, Bulleit and Evan Williams Single Barrel. The Bendistillery will also be sampling their line of vodka and gin as well as mixing a few cocktails, and a selection of Oregon wines will be available.

WHAT:The Second Annual Little Woody Barrel-Aged Beer and Bourbon Festival, featuring local brews, local bourbons, local food vendors and live music from local favorites The Moon Mountain Ramblers and Portland’s Jack Straw.

WHEN:Labor Day Weekend, September 3 from 5 -10pm and September 4 from 12pm -10pm

WHERE:Des Chutes Historical Museum lawn in Downtown Bend

COST:Admission to the event is $5 or $6 with a commemorative glass. A tasting package is $15, which includes glass, entry and 10 tokens. Bourbon tasting is $30 for six tastes. A portion of the event proceeds will benefit the Des Chutes Historical Society.

The Little Woody would like to thank all of our sponsors for their support to make the Little Woody 2010 a success: Nature’s Whole Food Marketplace, The Source Weekly, Perez Design, Mutineer Magazine and Bendistillery.

About The Little Woody

In the past, brewers served beer that had been aged in oaken casks. Now, brewers are turning to these historical techniques for adding depth of flavor to their beers. The Little Woody celebrates this ancient brewing technique as adapted by American craft brewers, featuring beers aged in wine barrels, whiskey barrels and oak barrels, which uniquely flavors and intensifies the beer. In addition to showcasing the wide variety of barrel-aged beer from local and regional microbreweries, this year’s Little Woody will offer bourbon tasting from some of the region’s finest distilleries. For more info, please visit www.thelittlewoody.com.

About Lay It Out Events

Lay It Out Events is a full service event production company. In addition to producing Northwest Community Bend WinterFest presented by Mt. Bachelor, Balloons Over Bend, The Bite of Bend, and The Little Woody, Lay It Out Events provides event production services and is available for contract events. For more information please visit www.layitoutevents.com or www.thelittlewoody.com.

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

Celebrate Central Oregon’s Proud Brewing and Distilling Tradition This Weekend At The Little Woody

This year’s beer lovers’ festival to feature bourbon from local and national distilleries

Bend, Oregon – August 30, 2010 – The Little Woody was created in 2009 to commemorate one of Central Oregon’s cultural hallmarks — beer — and it’s back thanks to popular demand. The one-day event drew more than 2,000 craft beer enthusiasts last year to sample brews from local breweries, meet the brewmasters and sing the praises of great beer.

Due to the overwhelming interest, the second annual Little Woody Barrel-Aged Brew Festival will return to the Des Chutes Historical Museum in Downtown Bend — but this time for two full days on Friday and Saturday, September 3-4.

The Little Woody celebrates the ancient barrel brewing technique as adapted by craft brewers in Central Oregon and the Pacific Northwest including Deschutes Brewery, Ninkasi, McMenamins, Three Creeks and Bend Brewing.

Some of the beers these fine local breweries will be slinging include Firewater Red from Three Creeks, made by combining Firestorm Red and an ‘09 Barley wine aged in a Pinot Noir barrel for 9 months, and Barrel Head, the popular McMenamins Hammerhead aged in a Hogshead whiskey barrel for over 4 months and then cold conditioned for another 2 months, resulting in a hoppy ale with a hint of fruit in the nose but a dry and woody finish.

This year the festival will also feature oak barrel-aged bourbons from Basil Hayden, Weller, Jefferson, Bulleit and Evan Williams Single Barrel. The Bendistillery will also be sampling their line of vodka and gin as well as mixing a few cocktails, and a selection of Oregon wines will be available.

WHAT:The Second Annual Little Woody Barrel-Aged Beer and Bourbon Festival, featuring local brews, local bourbons, local food vendors and live music from local favorites The Moon Mountain Ramblers and Portland’s Jack Straw.

WHEN:Labor Day Weekend, September 3 from 5 -10pm and September 4 from 12pm -10pm

WHERE:Des Chutes Historical Museum lawn in Downtown Bend

COST:Admission to the event is $5 or $6 with a commemorative glass. A tasting package is $15, which includes glass, entry and 10 tokens. Bourbon tasting is $30 for six tastes. A portion of the event proceeds will benefit the Des Chutes Historical Society.

The Little Woody would like to thank all of our sponsors for their support to make the Little Woody 2010 a success: Nature’s Whole Food Marketplace, The Source Weekly, Perez Design, Mutineer Magazine and Bendistillery.

About The Little Woody

In the past, brewers served beer that had been aged in oaken casks. Now, brewers are turning to these historical techniques for adding depth of flavor to their beers. The Little Woody celebrates this ancient brewing technique as adapted by American craft brewers, featuring beers aged in wine barrels, whiskey barrels and oak barrels, which uniquely flavors and intensifies the beer. In addition to showcasing the wide variety of barrel-aged beer from local and regional microbreweries, this year’s Little Woody will offer bourbon tasting from some of the region’s finest distilleries. For more info, please visit www.thelittlewoody.com.

About Lay It Out Events

Lay It Out Events is a full service event production company. In addition to producing Northwest Community Bend WinterFest presented by Mt. Bachelor, Balloons Over Bend, The Bite of Bend, and The Little Woody, Lay It Out Events provides event production services and is available for contract events. For more information please visit www.layitoutevents.com or www.thelittlewoody.com.

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

The finest in bourbon and barrel-aged beers from some of the Northwest’s most popular breweries will be featured at the two-day Little Woody Festival in beautiful Bend, Oregon. Originally created to celebrate one of the region’s cultural hallmarks –  craft beer – this unique event provides a rare opportunity for visitors to enjoy beers aged in wine barrels, whiskey barrels and oak barrels, a process which uniquely flavors and intensifies the beer.  This year’s festival will also feature regional bourbons.

WHAT: Little Woody Festival

WHEN: Friday, September 3, 5-10 pm & Saturday, September 4, noon-10pm

WHERE: Des Chutes Historical Museum in Downtown Bend, Oregon

COST: $6 admission includes commemorative glass; tasting packages are also available. A portion of the event proceeds will benefit the Deschutes Historical Society.

WEB SITE: www.thelittlewoody.com

CONTACT: Lay It Out Events, 541-323-0964

About Lay It Out Events
Lay It Out Events is a full service event production company. In addition to producing Northwest Community Bend WinterFest presented by Mt. Bachelor, Balloons Over Bend. The Bite of Bend, and The Little Woody, Lay It Out Events provides event production services and is available for contract events. Lay It Out Events has produced The Mentor Fundraiser, The Black and White Gala for Art Central, Wine By The River, Maragas Winery special events and special events for The Source Weekly

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

WHAT: Join us for a beer dinner that promises a menu full of the freshest ingredients the farms of Central Oregon can provide, paired with Deschutes Brewery’s finest beers.  We will feature not only the bounty of Central Oregon’s farms and ranches, but we will introduce you to the people behind the plow as well. Please join us for this special occasion as we go from till to table.

WHEN: September 11 / 6  pm

WHERE: Deschutes Brewery Mountain Room, 901 SW Simpson Avenue in Bend, OR

COST: $65 per person. For tickets or more information, contact Winter Frisch at 541-312-6946.

Posted under beer and food, beer events, events

Last evening, Saraveza Bottleshop & Pasty Tavern hosted a special evening with Deschutes Brewery with some refreshing seasonals to help beat the heat. Unfortunately, a Berliner-Weiss-style beer mentioned earlier on was not yet ready for drinking so was not on hand. Deschutes representatives Brian Saxton and Mike Foy said the brewers were not yet ready to release the beer until it had properly aged. Still, a few other quaff-worthy brews were pouring, including the Sagebrush Pilsner and the Miss Spelt Bavarian-style Hefeweizen. The Miss Spelt has been in Deschutes’ test market for a while now, and the brewery is currently gathering feedback from consumers to decide what changes, if any, need to be made before this beer joins Deschutes’ heralded bottle lineup. Following The Dissident Flanders-style ale and a previous 20th Anniversary Wit, this will be their third bottled Belgian-style ale when and if it is released. The prospect seems promising considering the beer is both quite drinkable and complex, with phenolic notes of clove and banana indicative of the style.

In other Deschutes news, we recently discovered the Portland pub’s calendar is set to tap a different Reserve Series beer everyday from Friday July 16 through the commencement of the Oregon Brewers Festival on Sunday July 25. And, yes, we’ve got the list. It reads as follows:

Friday, July 16th     Sinfully Delicious DSA
Saturday, July 17     The Dissident ’08
Sunday, July 18     Mirror Mirror ’09
Monday, July 19     Black Butte XXI
Tuesday, July 20     Frosty the Snow Quad
Wednesday, July 21     Quadsimoto
Thursday, July 22     Jubel 2010
Friday, July 23     The Abyss ’09
Saturday, July 24     St. Ryan
Sunday, July 25     Black Butte XXII

As for the Berliner-Weiss-style brew, we’ll be keeping our eyes peeled for that one. See you at Deschutes!

Posted under Oregon beer, beer awards, beer releases, brewpubs, places to drink beer

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

Sample various brews of Deschutes!

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

Today, Sunday June 27, marks one of Oregon’s favorite brewery’s 22nd Anniversary. Deschutes is throwing outdoor parties at their Bend and Portland brewpubs to celebrate. This also marks the release date of their Reserve Series Black Butte XXII Imperial Porter. These two events will feature live music, food and beer for all at their biggest outdoor parties of the season. Deschutes’ giant traveling barrel on wheels known as “Woody”, will be present at the Portland pub.

Unfortunately, we recently learned from employees that this year there will be no Black Butte XXII in bottles. From what Brewpublic learned, this was due to an issue with the cocoa butter in the beer that coagulated in the bottle and had to be disposed of. This also raises the fear of rancidity as well. At this time, it has not been reported as to how much this mishap has cost Oregon’s largest brewery. Kegs of Black Butte XXI, however, will be available, yet limited to the Deschutes pubs in order to  regulate the quality and to assure no problems arise. Look for more information on the Black Butte XXII situation as we learn more…

Visit the pubs to try the new brew on draught, which is reported to be quite delicious. There will also be specials on an array of other fine Deschutes brews and those exclusive to their pubs.

Also, check out the great  music line up in Portland: Deschutes Brewery 22nd Birthday Party

Bands:

5:00-5:45pm Velvet Hustle

6:00-6:45pm Kinder Bison

7:00-7:45pm Mosley Wotta

8:00-9:00pm Water & Bodies

We’ll see you there!

June 27, 2010 / Portland 5 pm – 10 pm; Bend 12 pm -10 pm

Deschutes Brewery & Public House, NW 11th Avenue, Portland, OR
Deschutes Brewery & Public House, 1044 NW Bond Street, Bend, OR

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

Eighteen months in isolation, The Dissident is a distinctive Flanders-style brown ale, with a fruity aroma and flavor. Deschutes’ signature wild yeast beer, brettanomyces and lactobacillus impart its characteristic sour taste. Brewed with whole Western Washington cherries – pits, stems and all – selected by Brewmaster Larry Sidor, The Dissident is what the brewery calls  their “wildest, most expensively pampered beer.”

Available in all 15 states where Deschutes is sold, latest The Dissident recently found its way into barrels and will make an appearance later this summer. Brewmaster Sidor says  “The beer will be released (in bottles) on September 15, bugs willing, and a sour amber (a soured version of Organic Green Lakes Amber Ale to be known as “Green Monster”) will be releases on September 15, 2011.”

Posted under Oregon beer, beer releases

Having spent a week in Bend, Brewpublic was able to chat with some brewers and discover that Bend has a lot to offer beer-wise, and we should find it no surprise that it is growing. In an effort to promote the beer culture in Bend, the tourism board created a program called the Bend Ale Trail. According to www.visitbend.com:

Starting on June 1st, you can use the Bend Ale Trail Map and Passport available in the latest Discovery Map of Central Oregon to discover Bend’s 7 breweries – and for extra credit, head to our neighboring brewery in Sisters to visit the 8th! Be sure to get your passport stamped at each location. When you get all 7 stamps, stop by or send your completed passport to the Visit Bend Welcome Center and receive a commemorative Bend Silipint made especially for beer drinkers on the go! And, if you do your extra credit and visit Sisters, you’ll receive a special surprise.

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The Bend area can also see two other new breweries coming its way. Also in early development stages, Bend can expect Noble Brewing and Copper Mountain Brewing to open facilities some time in the next year. If this happens, we may consider voting for Bend as Beer City USA in the next Charlie Papazian poll.

Finally, and probably the most exciting news we heard…Boneyard Beer has big ambitions and would love to do collaborator beers with all the breweries that contributed equipment to their brewery. This would include breweries such as Firestone Walker (Paso Robles, CA), Anderson Valley (Boonville, CA) and Three Floyds (Munster, IN). To put the icing on the cake, Boneyard is in the works of bring Three Floyd beer to Oregon. Brewer Anthony Lawrence spends about 8-10 weeks a year with the folks at Three Floyds, and if things go as planned, Lawrence and company will start distributing the highly regarded Midwestern beers in Oregon.

Editor’s note: In a previous version of this post it was stated that New Belgium Brewing had plans to open a facility in Bend, Oregon and had initiated this process. Unfortunately our source for this information was not correct according to New Belgium’s media relations department and Brewpublic apologizes for this error.

Posted under Oregon beer, beer news