Zwickelmania weekend was awesome! Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time to visit every spot that we wanted to. Still, we did hit up some favorites. Here’s what went down:

Heater-Allen at Bailey’s Taproom

Our weekend began on Thursday at downtown PDX’s best beer bar, Bailey’s Taproom, where a special meet the brewer event was underway. McMinnville, Oregon’s Heater Allen Brewery owned three taps on this night. Arguably the finest lager producing brewer in the Pacific Northwest, Heater Allen’s Rick Allen was on hand for the release of his brewery’s Hugo Bock. In addition, Allen’s Bavarian-inspired Schwarzbier and Pilsner were also pouring. Allen told us that his Smoked Bob, a rauch version of his esteemed Bobtoberfest Marzen was to debut at the brewery during Zwickelmania weekend. The brew will make its Portland debut at a meet the brewer event at Belmont Station on March 10.

Cascade Brewery at the Raccoon Lodge

We made an early Friday visit to the Raccoon Lodge to try some delicious new beers. Highlights: Spring Gose that featured chamomile and two different kinds of lavendar from Sequim, Washington; the lastest Apricot Ale on tap in at the bar; a piquant saison; and a special Noyeau blend put together by brewmaster and friend Ron Gansberg. The esteemed Curtis Bain was also on hand, as was brewer Ben Edmunds of start-up Breakside Brewery. We have yet to visit Cascade Brewing without having one hell of a good time.

Full Sail River Place

This was our favorite from 2009′s Zwickel-fest. This year’s tasting was solid, but unlike the previous one, there was no ten year old bourbon-aged Old Boardhead Barleywine. Still, there was a great brown ale, the latest in their Brewers Share Series called Collin’s Dark Secret.. The chocolaty robust ale was designed by Full Sail packaging manager Collin Godkin and paired excellently with shaved Belgian chocolate that was offered. Seasoned brewer Phil Roche was on hand to talk beer. Free pint glasses were given out as well. Good times!

Rock Bottom Brewery

Speaking of seasoned brewers, there’s none quite like Rock Bottom’s Van Havig who was on hand pouring four grubbin’ beers off the RB zwickel. Havig, one of Beervana’s finest, offered up two IPAs, featuring Cascade and Centennial hop varietals. RB’s Blitzen Tripel and a new Baltic Porter also flowed in the upstairs brewhouse. Rock Bottom is the kind of place where many beer geeks might not visit due to the preppy clientele, but for the real heads who appreciate superbly crafted beers that span a variety of styles,  it’s  a must visit.

Deschutes Portland Pub

Forget about it! This place emphasized on the “mania” in Zwickelmania. Insanely long lines warded us off from joining the queue for free samples. Last year we enjoyed getting a close-up peak at Deschutes’  beautiful Bavarian-style copper brew kettles. Instead, we linked up with uber-geeks Charles and Theresa Culp and Marc Martin over a snifter of the Jubel 2010 and a pint of their new Hop in the Dark Cascadian Dark Ale (actually labeled as such instead of a Black IPA, yeah!). We also ran into The Daily Pull crew who joined us for our last stop on the Zwickel tour. If you haven’t check out Brady Walen’s new beer blog, you need to. It’s a wonderful resource for those in search of Pacific Northwest craft beer insight.

NW Quimby Lucky Lab

We biked over to one of Portland’s best brewpubs to visit Ben “Grandmaster Flerch” Flerching who was giving thirsting beer tourists a glimpse into the 15-barrel brewhouse of Quimby’s Lucky Lab. Samples of the Single Hop Galena IPA and the Pavlov Imperial Stout. Spectacular! Also got a taste of a special new quadruple IPA called Son of Gold Yeller that was a pleasant accident aka double Super Dog . Look for it at the Barleywine & Big Beer Fest coming to the brewpub in March!

Brewpublic and Saraveza’s My Beery Valentine

Serving as a Zwickelmania after party, the My Beery Valentine event welcomed a healthy gathering of beer geeks to a benefit to raise money for Mercy Corps Haitian Relief. The Saturday and Sunday event was a huge success thanks to the friendly, knowledgeable, and hardworking staff at Saraveza. Northwest Brewing News’ Bartender of the Year Jonathan Carmean and the lauded Tyler “the Elder” Vickers were amongst the celebrity servers on hand at this event. Brewpublic curated an assortment of Valentine’s Day appropriate beers from top Oregon Breweries for this one-of-a-kind menu. Highlights included Upright Four Play tart cherry Saison, Cascade sour Noyeau blend, New Old Lompoc bourbon barrel fermented Cherry Stout, Vertigo Razz Wheat, Oakshire Two-Wheeler Red IPA, Widmer W’10 Cascadian Dark Ale, Fort George Sunrise Oatmeal Pale Ale, and the buzz  beer of the event, a delectable Black Raspberry and Chocolate Stout from Block-15 Brewpub known as Love Potion #9. Thanks to owner Sarah Pederson and her lovely staff for a wonderful weekend! A portion of the beer sales and a variety of generously donated desserts from Sugar Pimp and organic chocolate from Equal Exchange helped raise a nice chunk of change for Mercy Corps Haiti Relief Fund. Thanks to all who supported!

Posted under Oregon beer, beer events, beer reviews

One of our favorite beer websites, BeerNews.org, has a detailed report on the latest beer/tragedy over at Widmer Brothers Brewing. A large quantity of the latest imperial IPA from the brewery was lost to an unfortunate power outage. BeerNews points us to various links including Jeff Alworth’s Beervana blog and the Portland Mercury. Here’s the dig:

Widmer confirms that this will be a year-round brew. It uses Nelson Sauvin hops from New Zealand. Rob Widmer disclosed the reason for dumping the beer on the Beervana blog: “The batch was stuck in the kettle for more than 8 hours. Color development continues, DMS becomes an issue and we’d miss our hop bitterness target. That and the unknown so we didn’t want to fool around.”]

(Portland, OR) – Wow, you don’t hear about a new beer in this fashion very often. Sarah Mirk of the Portland Mercury reported earlier this afternoon that there was a morning power outage in the city of Portland. Other than creating a headache for commuters, the outage left at least one other significant casualty: 7,750 gallons of beer that was in-process at Widmer Brothers. Not just any beer though.

The batch of beer that was lost is a new Imperial IPA that the Portland brewery was working on for a February 1st release. Widmer Deadlift is a heavily-hopped 9.5% ABV beer and the most expensive one that the brewery is currently making according to Co-Founder, Rob Widmer. That is 62,000 pints according to his math and a major loss for Widmer.

The Mercury notes that it wasn’t a complete loss, “According to Kurt Widmer, the ruined beer will instead be shipped off to cattle farms to be used as either feed or fertilizer. As Kurt explains, Widmer turns most of its beer by-products into cattle feed. After the sugar is extracted from barley malts and wheat malts, the grains apparently make pretty nutritious non-alcoholic cow food.”

Hats of to Widmer for handling this unforeseen and unfortunate situation with class. Once this beer hits the shelves, make sure to show your support for this great Oregon brewery!

Posted under beer news

The people have spoken. Here’s what some brewers, beer geeks, and bloggers have to say about the best beers of 2009.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Sarah Pederson – Owner, Saraveza Bottle Shop & Pasty Tavern. Portland, Oregon.

Fort George Spank – Chocolate heat…and its real heat.

Lagunita’s Sumpin Extra – Most unique, drinkable and refreshing beer i had…such great timing in the summer. (no the imperial version)

Cascade Vlad the Imp Aler – One of my all time favorite beers for sure. Unfortunately it was so limited we couldn’t get our hands on much…most people were deprived.

Barley Brown’s Fresh Hop – The wildest fresh hop I had this year. you could tell they got their hands on some different kinds of hops!!!

New Belgium Tart Lychee – Almost juice, but still definitely beer. Luscious…so tart and spiced with cinnamon!

Gordon “El Gordo” Feighner – former/longtime Belmont Station employee. Portland, Oregon.

1. Upright Four – just in sheer terms of quantity consumed.

2. Laughing Dog Alpha Dog Imperial IPA – tons o’ hops!

3. Cantillon St. Lamvinus – sampled at the brewery in Brussels!

4. Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale – in my top five every year.

5. Bridgeport Fallen Friar – one of the best American interpretations of a tripel I’ve ever had.

Amy Forma Marvin – beer geek, S.N.O.B. Portland, Oregon.

Hmm… in no particular order

Great Divide Espresso Yeti

Upright Turkey on Rye

Saison Dupont – Avec Le Bon Voux (at the pub)

Deschutes Black Butte XXI

Firestone Walker Velvet Merkin

Ritch Marvin – 2009 S.N.O.B. poster boy, homebrewer, all around lover of craft beer. Portland, Oregon

1. Firestone Walker 13

2. North Coast Old Rasputin

3. Three Floyds Gumball Head

4. Southern Oregon Brewing Na Zdravi

5. Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous

Amber Lin Jansen – from 2BeerGuys.com and Angelo’s Maine-iac friend since childhood. It is fitting that she shares the name of a beer style.

#1 Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale from Sierra Nevada~

The long, cold nights of winter are a little brighter with Celebration® Ale. Wonderfully robust and rich, Celebration® Ale is dry-hopped for a lively, intense aroma. Brewed especially for the holidays, it is perfect for a festive gathering or for a quiet evening at home. (From Sierra Nevada web-site)

“…best beer ever made in America.”

– Stan Sessor, San Francisco Chronicle

#2 Sam Smith’s Organic Cherry Beer from Samuel Smith Old Brewery ~

5.1%…DELICIOUS! I brought this to Thanksgiving dinner and it was a HUGE hit…even the beer drinkers in the group loved it!

#3 Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout from Brooklyn Brewery ~

It is a Russian Imperial Stout and is 10.10 %…yum yum yum…It has a wonderful chocolaty flavor with notes of sweet malts, molasses and dark fruit….we have this on special ocassions and when we want a REALLY good beer!

#4 Palo Santo Marron from Dogfish Head ~

This beer is a 12% abv, highly roasty, and malty brown ale aged on the Palo Santo wood. It was a huge hit at our Rehoboth Beach brewpub when first released in November of 2006, Palo went into full production at the end of 2007. (From the Dogfish Head web-site)

My husband and I attended a beer dinner at the Portsmouth Brewery (NH) this year with the owner of Dogfish Head, Sam Calagione and his wife along with the head brewer Tod Mott and many other noteworthy beer lovers. We really enjoyed the Palo Santo!

#5 Rochefort Trappist 10 from Rochefort Brewery (Brasserie de Rochefort)

Rochefort is a Belgian Trappist Brewery. This brewery is operated by Trappist Monks to finacially support the monastary and other good causes. They only make 3 beers. The 6, 8 and 10. The beers go up in ABV as the numbers get higher. The 10 is 11.3% ABV.

I first had this beer in a small pub in Belgium with my Husband and good friend Ignace. It has since become a treat in my home ever since.

Tyler Vickers – Bartender, Saraveza Bottle Shop & Pasty Tavern.

“It all begins and ends with Pliny.” -TV

-Russian River Pliny the Elder

-Fort George Vortex

-Victory Prima Pils

-Upright Reggae Junkie Gruit

-Ommegang Rouge

Shawn Loring – Owner, brewer, Lazy Boy Brewing. Everett, Washington.

Have a Happy New Year! Sorry for the late response. Here are my favorites in no particular order.

Elysian ESB

Roots Red

Big Time IPA

Black Raven’s Pale Ale

Silver City Scotch Ale

Amanda Erickson – beer fan and cheese nerd, founder of FUCheese.com, a great site dedicate to craft cheese.  Portland, Oregon.

Over the past year I’ve gotten way in to pairing beer and cheese. I’ve put on a few tastings for both friends and paying clients and here’s a few amazing standouts: a sour tart cherry beer with a stinky, moldy cheese like the Kriek from Cascade Brewing paired with a robust swiss or a gruyere. The Hazelnut Brown from Rogue is not a rare beer but it is a standout pairing for a lot of different cheeses. I have had this with a super-creamy, nutty Robiola from Italy and with a local feta that you can find in farmer’s markets in Oregon from Alsea Acres. You wouldn’t think those would work together but the feta is pretty unique, creamy, light, not too salty or dry. At a pairing put on by Steve’s Cheese & Saraveza, I had the Diabolito from Hopworks (HUB) — it was described as a Belgian Small — paired with the excellent Elk Moutain aged farmstead goat cheese from Pholia Farms in Southern Oregon — sooo good. I wrote about these pairings and others at http://www.fucheese.com. It’s been a good year!

Marc Demeule – Brewpublic’s Quebec, Canada correspondent. Montreal, Quebec.

Here is my top 5 list for 2009:

1- New Belgium – Falling Rock

2- Beer Valley Brewery – Black Flag (At the Fresh Hop tastival)

3- Russian River – Temtpation (you share it at the party. Many thanks!)

4- Beer Valley brewery – Leafer Madness

5- The Bobcat Café (Vermont) – App-Gap IPA

Unfortunately, no beers from Quebec in that list.

Maybe I should publish a top 5 from our breweries…Salut!

Nick Arzner – Owner, brewer, Block 15 Brewing. Corvallis, Oregon.

Now that’s a tough one! I will leave out any Block 15 picks

5) Northwest Brewpubs IPA’s. Lets be honest here, we are lucky to live in the NW where a damn fine fresh IPA is usually only a brewpub away!

4) Cascade’s Gold Yeller. Awesome straight forward sour golden full of life. Didn’t drink nearly enough of this fine ale.

3) Ale Smiths Wee Heavy. Normally not a big hearty malty guy, but damn this beer changed the way I think about Wee Heavies.

2) Black Albert brewed by De Struise Brouwers. Belgian Imperial Stout? Hell yes! Cleaned out my local bottle shop.

1) Rodenbach Grand Gru, you just cant beat this $10 bottle of sour love

Barnacle Brian – Columbia Distributing, lover of craft beer. Portland, Oregon.

My name is Barnacle Brian, I love Craft beer to the point of working for Columbia Distributing, so I can get my foot in the door of an industry I truly believe in.

Top five? Damn! Here’s my picks:

Alaskan Brewing – Baltic Porter

Russian River – Pliney The Elder

Oakshire Brewing – Overcast Espresso Stout

Hopworks Urban Brewery – Survival Stout

Russian River – Consecration

Joseph “Joe” Middleton – Oregon Brew Crew, cat whisperer. Portland, Oregon.

Pabst Blue Ribbon

Miller High Life

Budweiser American Ale

Coors Light

Heineken

Ken Fisher – United States Postal Service employee, experienced homebrewer. Portland, Oregon.

I’ve been a homebrewer since ’88.

1. Jaipuir IPA, in England.

2 New Glarius Raspberry Tart.

3 Rogue’s Santa’s Private Reserve.

4 Marston’s Pedigree.

5 Rogue’s Brutal Bitter, on Cask! Wee bit of heaven in a pint glass!

Carl Almond – novice homebrewer. Montana native living in Corvallis, Oregon.

My five (in order):

Cascade Brewing—Five Barrel Thread

Had this with a good friend (who had never before had a sour) in from Phoenix for Fresh Hop/Killer Beer Fest. We both got just one before it blew. Him: “We’ve got to find that somewhere else in town!” Me: “Uh…no dice, brother.” We’ll always have the memory–unique and just outstanding.

Dogfish Head—120 Minute IPA (Vintage 2004)

This would have been my number one had the Cascade blown 10 minutes earlier–cracked it in June with good friends at my home in Corvallis. I’m not really a fan of fresh 120–too cloyingly sweet, too boozy. The years had really mellowed this one, though–the heat had faded, and the caramelly sweetness was more balanced with still-evident hops. We all agreed it was one of the best beers we’d ever had–amazing.

Upright Brewing—#7

Visited Upright by bike post-Fresh Hop, pre-Killer Beer Fest in October (it was quite a day). Got an informal tour and tried all the beers–what a great spot. The #7 is somehow rich and dry all at once–I couldn’t get enough.

Barley Brown’s—Roadside

Kept telling my buddies at Fresh Hop that Roadside was like drinking fresh grass clippings–what a crazy beer. I thought it was the standout of the Fest.

Carter’s Brewing—Dry-Hopped Derailed IPA

Carter’s is a fairly new brewery in my hometown of Billings, MT–a bartender there told me the owner/brewer apprenticed at Pelican in Pacific City. The dry-hopped Derailed kept calling me back the whole week I spent there in August–clearly a Pac NW-inspired IPA, it was Cascade-heavy and super-fresh–I about wore the growler out. Montana keeps churning out some seriously good beer!

Chris Devlin – The Beer Retard (one of the best beer blogs in the Northwest). His mission is “taking beer back from the douches since 2008.” http://beerretard.com . Chris also is a lackey at Bottleworks. Seattle, Washington.

…almost impossible to pick just five given how many beers I’ve tried, but I’ll give it a go. In no particular order:

1. Deschutes Fresh Hop Mirror Pond – During a weekend of amazing fresh hop beers in Portland (at the Fresh Hop Tastival at Oaks Park, Belmont Station & Bailey’s), this was the best. That’s saying something considering there were at least a half dozen others that were among the best hoppy beers I’ve ever had.

2. Hair of the Dog Matt – One of two Bottleworks 10th Anniversary beers. Somehow, Mr. Sprints took Adam and made him even better. I’ve heard several people say that this beer begs to be enjoyed with a good cigar. I’m not a cigar guy, but I get it.

3. Leipziger Gose – The $20+ price tag almost kept me from buying a bottle, but I had to try a gose. Salt, wheat, coriander & lactic acid bacteria = tart, refreshing and delicious. Maybe the perfect summer beer.

4. Baird Kurofune Porter – One of the best porters I had all year. Maybe not a crap-your-pants wow beer, but makes the list because finding a great porter from Japan was so unexpected.

5. Caldera Rose Petal Imperial Golden Ale – When I heard this was made with 11 pounds of rose petals and two liters of Bulgarian rose water, I thought there was no way I’d like it. Perfumey, potpourri beer is what I figured. Nope, this was something way more than that. The rose flavor came through in a good way. One of the most interesting beers I’ve ever come across.

Honorable mentions: Firestone Walker Double Jack, Firestone Walker XIII, Founder’s Canadian Breakfast Stout, Hopworks Ace of Spades, Oakshire Harvest Ale, Barley Brown’s Roadside IPA, Chuckanut Rauchbier, Bell’s Hopslam, Hanssens Gueuze, Russian River Sanctification, Weihenstephaner Festbier, Smuttynose Robust Porter and so many more…

Bill – It’s Pub Night. Portland, Oregon.

Here are my top five beers of 2009:

5. Upright Five

4. Widmer 84/09 Double Alt

3. Hopworks Ace of Spades

2. Hair of the Dog Matt

1. Deschutes Fresh-hopped Mirror Pond

I know the Mirror Pond isn’t a “new” beer, but it’s one of the finest beer-drinking experiences I can think of.

Jeff Alworth – Beervana blog. Portland, Oregon.

I haven’t yet pit together a list of my best ofs for the year–from which I choose my annual Satori winner. Off hand I’d say Upright Four, Full Sail LTD 3 and Session Black, Cascade’s 09 Sang Noir and Kriek, Oakshire Espresso Stout, that hoppy beer from Double Mountain this summer … Jeez, too many. And that’s just off the top of my head.

Charles Culp – An Ear for Beer

Not necessarily in this order…

Upright Brewing Five

Double Mountain Dapper Dan

Upright Brewing Fatali Four

Hopworks Urban Brewery Ace of Spades Double IPA

Russian River Consecration

Christine Jump – Craft Brew Cast. Portland, Oregon.

Top 5 -hm, okay, off the top of my head

Hair of the Dog Doggie Claws

Firestone Walker 13 Anniversary

Ommegang Hennepin – a long time favorite that I never tire of.

Ninkasi Oatis Oatmeal Stout

Rogue’s Chocolate Imperial Stout

Man if I thought about this for awhile there’d probably be 5 different beers up there.

But then, You’d probably never get a list from me on time.

Jami Landeros -homebrewer, future commercial brewer. Portland, Oregon.

I had so many great beers this year that it is so hard to pick! I’m pretty sure I would have an easier time picking musicians than beer.

1. The first really amazing beer I had this year was Rogue’s XS: Old Crustacean Barleywine. I recieved a bottle of it as part of a Valentine’s Day present of beer. At first sip I was hooked, and feeling a nice warm buzz about half way through it.

2. Root’s Organic Brewery’s Chocolate-Habanero Stout comes in second for beers I enjoyed this year. It’s an interesting combination of chocolaty goodness and spice. It’s not really a beer I like to sit down and enjoy, but it is great for baking. From pancakes to bread and more I had a lot of fun experimenting with this beer.

3. Lindemans’ Lambic Framboise. This beer replaced the usual wine my family enjoys during holiday dinners.

4. MacTarnahan’s Hum Bug’r

5. Great Divide Brewing Co.’s Wild Raspberry Ale.

My relationship to beer for now is just as a hobby, I home-brew, but I am going to school to get a degree in brewing so I can make a career out of it.

Shawn Kelso – Head brewer, Barley Brown’s BrewPub. Baker City, Oregon.

I would have to say all of Barley Brown’s beers. I know they make more than five but…

Seriously, I would have to say Barley Brown’s Roadside Ale. It is what a true fresh hop or green hop beer should taste like. My relationship to the beer is I brewed it. It was very unique to make since I used all local wild grown hops. We have received a huge response by Portlanders saying it was there favorite fresh hop beer for the year.

Other four?

Let’s see…. Bell’s Exhibition Stout “05″ that beer was a dream, Widmer W10 was a nice beer, Lauelwood Wrye Pale Ale was very drinkable, I also liked 10 Barrel Sinister Black Ale. Those are the ones that pop in my head that I didn’t brew.

Ezra Johnson-Greenough aka Samurai Artist – local beer artist, brewer, promoter, amateur writer and runner-up best bartender of the year for Upright Brewing.

Upright Brewing: Fatali Four

A supremely well balanced beer weighing the sublime fruitiness and heat of the Fatali chili peppers with the refreshing dry zing of the beers natural tartness and lemon-pepper qualities.

Double Mountain: Killer Green

This beer has been a hit for awhile but I thought this years, the 3rd I believe was the best.

It is all about the hops and piles them on while always catching the subtle fresh floral and citrus qualities of wet hops. This one managed to do that while remaining clean and not overly “green” or bitter.

Sierra Nevada Celebration

A lot of people take SN and this beer for granted. I know I did. I have always thought Celebration was solid but this year I learned a whole new appreciation for it. A lot of people like to age this beer. And it ages surprisingly well. But this years batch fresh, cannot be improved upon. Striking just the right balance of hoppiness and chewy malts it quenches both the sweet tooth the winter gives you and the constant craving for hops. Not to say that this beer is sweet. It isnt, just malty and good.

Sierra Nevada Keller-Weiss

As if Celebration wasnt enough to remind you how good SN is then along comes this new year round beer from them. Overshadowed by their solid (but not as good) new Torpedo IPA this beer was a favorite among friends. It manages to reinvigorate a little known style while updating it for the masses but not losing its edge. SN uses open-fermentation for this beer and it shows in all its lovely tart-dryness. So refreshing!

New Belgium Le Terroir

NB is another brewer everyone likes to trash on because of their more commerial beers like Fat Tire. But if you think these guys are just making beers for the masses you dont know their lineup too well. This beer is one of the best, if not the best sour beer I have ever had. It has an amazing extreme peachy sourness and ends with a funky brett note and just a touch of citrusy hop bitterness. Dry-hopped sour beer? The idea did not appeal to me until I had this baby. My mouth is watering just reminiscing about it.

Van Havig – Senior brewer, Rock Bottom Brewing. Portland, Oregon.

I’m super crap about things like 5 favorite beers, but I’ll tell you that I think the sour stuff that Gansberg has put out from Cascade Brewing, and Alex’s stuff from Upright brewing are the best new things going on in town. We’re finally starting to spread out our beer scene, instead of just having every brewery produce 6 kinds of IPA. Oh yeah, and the cask stuff from Brewers Union Local is great too. I think the “fun” stuff that Christian is doing at Hopworks is great (beer bike, washoes, biketobeerfest, etc.) and we could use some more of that, particularly things that reach out to beer drinkers that aren’t beer geeks (like the bike crowd). Now if in 2010, people would just start to drink lager and lower alcohol beers, then we might really have something going on. We’re a little too self congratulatory these days (have been for a long time), and it’s nice to see a bit of a shake up, but to stay Beervana, we have to keep evolving. Just my two cents.

Alex Ganum – Owner, brewer, Upright Brewing. Portland, Oregon.

Hop Czar – not really new but in 6-packs at least.

Highland Ambush – beautifully balanced and flavorful.

Deschutes (pearl) Pilsener (may have a longer name) – off the hook

and their Miss Spelt – a great hefe with nice spelt flavor.

Lompoc – bourbon barrel porter (also may have another name) – not sure if it was released this year (I think so) but man that was nice, gorgeous barrel character and begging for coconut ice cream.

Chuck Macaluso – beer geek, beer fest attendee. Vancouver, Washington.

1 – Samuel Adams Utopias

2 – Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

3 – Russian River Pliny the Younger

4 – Oskar Blues Ten Fidy (best beer in a can)

5 – Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron

Matthew DiTullo – Brewpublic videographer, artist. Portland, Oregon.

1. Hair of the Dog Bourbon Fred From the Wood:

Brewmaster Alan Sprints graced us with this version of Fred at his open house during Oregon Craft Beer Month. An incredible Bourbon aged brew. Smooth, vanilla notes and sweet, malted grains. Soft, subtle textured palate that allowed the booziness to finish smooth and clean.

2. Russian River Consecration:

I first enjoyed this at Saraveza back in February. An also chance encounter with Angelo De Ieso and Margaret Lut which started a great friendship. A tart, oaky, acidic, bacteria/yeasty brew that packed a punch of sourness. Aged with currants in oak barrels, this 10% bomb still has the nice warmth to get you through the damp Portland winter.

3. Cascade Drie Zwarte Pieten Sang Noir II:

This was the big hit for me at the Holiday Ale Festival. One of Ron Gansberg’s finest. Rich, fresh cherry flavors with a dry, sour base and sharp whiskey and oak flavors. All creating a wonderful concoction of a beer.

4. Double Mountain IRB:

I first visited their Taproom in January of this year and was treated with this blended brew. Man do I love whiskey, and do I love whiskey aged beers. IRB is a big beer which has parts of a brett aged Belgian style, blended with their IRA aged in Elijah Craig barrels, blended with a little more IRA aged in Oak barrels. The result was a smooth beer with some great smokey and charred flavors and a dominate whisky profile.

5. Laurelwood Moose and Squirrel:

Every year, Laurelwood bottles a special beer for a December release. The 2008 version was this Imperial Stout. I popped a bottle when the ball dropped this past New Years. My very first beer in 2009 and it has stuck with me all this time. A strong, roasted beer with sweet toffee and caramel flavors. It was smooth, and had a nice coffee, smoked, creamy finish.

Got a top five for 2009?  Feel free to post it as a comment here. Prost!

Posted under beer awards

Those creative beer-lovin’ wordsmiths at BS Brewing aka the Champagne of Blogs have devised a handy new contraption just in time for the holidays. Say hello to 33 Bottles of Beer, the outfit’s first official product.

This handy “beer sketchbook” aids in a beer geeks note taking with its own unique web-like “flavor wheel” and spaces for the notes. Covering much of the same criteria that many beer judging websites like Ratebeer.com and Beeradvocate.com, this personalized, crafty and handsome little book fits easily into your pocket if you squeezed into a beerfest or simply on the go.

If you are as last minute as we are about your holiday shopping, make sure to scoop at least three of these for that special craft beer lover in your life. Plus, you’ll be supporting one kick ass Portland beer blog!

These books retail at $4 each or 3 for $10. Buy ‘em at www.33beers.com or at cool beer shops like Saraveza or Belmont Station. Beery crisp sips and a hoppy brewed beers!

Posted under beer tools

Knock, knock…Who’s there?…Monday morning, and a hard liver.

90 degree days seem comforting following last week’s string of triple digits. It helped to justify the kind of beer we subjected ourselves to, like it was the heart of winter and we needed a warming glass of strong beer.

Friday evening we started off our weekend at Roots Organic Brewing to say goodbye to July, soaking in every last drop of Oregon Craft Beer Month. It was Christmas in July at Roots, as some of the fantabulous beers of winter reared their bodacious heads. The 2007 Epic Ale rose from the coffers and crushed any idea, at least momentarily, that the brewery was done for. The bold, brown-bodied Festivus remained for the rest of us. And, a snifter of Flander’s Red aged to perfection gets my vote for best sour beer of the year. It was like we were provided with a helpful extension of Puckerfest.

Speaking of which, Belmont Station is always a good idea when you are seeking out a place for a top notch tipple. On barkeep Paul Fiely’s recommendation, we enjoyed a hearty pour of Great Divide’s 15th Anniversary brew-an imperial IPA recipe based on the brewery’s Denver Pale Ale, but jacked up to 10% ABV and aged in oak chips. Friday was electric. After a glass of Boulevard’s interestingly complex and drinkable Singlewide IPA, our train left the Station, and we visited the venerable Victory Bar for a nightcap. Barkeepers Yanni and Eric always keep something special on tap at our local bar. This time, St. Bernardus Wit hit the spot. Bright, clouded yellow, with a favorable spice profile. The only beer that could match the satiating smoothness of this treat was the small glass of Bayern Pils that officially called it a night for us.

Saturday came too soon. But we didn’t have time to fuss. Bailey’s Taproom, a favorite destination for craft beer, was flexing their malt muscles with a mindblowing display of 18 barrel-aged beers. It was all in celebration of their two-year anniversary. Dubbed Annibrew, Bailey’s opened their doors early, and after a greasy breakfast at the Hungry Tiger, Too, we were quasi-prepared to face the music at the downtown taproom.

Upon arriving to a bustling but not over-crowded Bailey’s Taproom, Derek Arent from the mighty Beer Around Town blog gave us some suggestions of beers to try. His top picks would be ours, I guess, like Great Divide’s catch phrase says, Great Minds Drink Alike. Firestone-Walker’s Parabola Imperial Stout aged in Bourbon and The Bruery’s White Oak Wheat Wine on Bourbon were top choices.  Cascade Brewing’s Bourbonic Plague was not only my favorite pour of the day, it gets my vote for best name as well. Over several hours, I was fortunate enough to at least get a nip of the plethora of big brews that would make any beer zealot jealous. All this under one municipality. You really gotta love Portland.

Sunday was truly a day of rest. We met with some old friends from out of town and were less than adventurous with our beer on the Sabbath. A glass of Trumer Pils over dinner was all for me. And as I force myself to chronical this before I head off to work, I can still feel the carnage in my innards. Craft beer month has to end at some point. Or maybe I should move somewhere there’s not so many good choices all the time.

Posted under beer reviews

Apparently the news we broke of Rogue’s intention to acquire the Green Dragon Pub and Bistro raised quite a stir.  In John Foyston’s article about this yesterday in the Oregonian, it was mentioned that it sounded like “(I) didn’t talk to the Rogue Folks.”  This is true.  In fact, being a lesser known resource than the big O, we often don’t get the press releases or inside scoop on a lot of the local beer happenings.  I tried to comment on the Beer Here’s blog, but was unable to do so.  What I wanted to let people know is that I made attempts to contact Rogue and the Green Dragon.  Rogue sent a vague letter from their “Attorney General” (lawyer), Brian Schweppenheiser demanding a retraction and clarification.  Schweppenheiser wanted me to clarify that “no employs have been fired.” I didn’t say anyone had been fired.  I reported that “Officially no one has been fired but no one is expecting to have a job and they already have new people lined up.” Schweppenheiser also asked me to clarify that “no employees at the Green Dragon have been fired, we do not have new employees “lined up”, the proposed purchase is not final and is subject to regulatory approval, the Green Dragon will not be closed down for 3 days.  It will not be closed at all.”  Schweppenheiser continued: “while it is true that we export Rogue Ales, Stouts, Porters, and Lagers to 19 countries, it is not accurate that “many feature repackaging of other available brands.”  We make special bottles (Red Fox, White Crane, and Brown Bear) in Japanese for our long-time importer, bar owner, and Japan craft beer pioneer Phred Kaufman.  All other Rogue Nation countries offer the same beers made available in the U.S.A.- no “repackaging” at all.”  When I sent a follow-up email to Schweppenheiser for my own clarification, my message was ignored.  I asked him “Why don’t you clarify what is really going on with Rogue and the Green Dragon so I can let people what is up.  Also, I know for a fact that you repackage your beers such as the Jazz Man, the Saturday Market Beer, and a number of the Aquarium series beers which are simply other Rogue beers with different labels.  Is this not true or are websites like Ratebeer.com and BeerAdvocate.com wrong about this?”  Thusfar, no response.  We also received a comment on the post from Brett Joyce, current president and son of founder Jack Joyce, announcing the demand for retraction and clarification, restating the same bulletin points as  sentiments of his lawyer. Joyce also commented “So, the rumors are true that there is a proposal, but nothing concrete. Glad to hear the staffs jobs are safe for a little while. Everyone at the GD always treated me great, sad to see it go.”  What is that supposed to mean?  “Safe for a little while”?!  How long is a little while and isn’t he the president of Rogue?  Most people’s fears echoed in the comments of this blog appear to be that of what Rogue will do to the establishment and its labor once they have control of assets.  Joyce, from this perspective could be interpreted as making it sound as if the Green Dragon is the one who would be responsible for job cuts.   Hmmm.

So, after a day of anticipation to talk to a human being about what is really up with this situation, I was able to speak with Ed Schwartz, majority owner of the Green Dragon.  Schwartz appeared up front and cordial about the goings on with the deal, and has always come across to me as a straight shooter.  I interviewed him this morning and he put some perspective on things from his end.  Schwartz said “I am looking to sell (the Green Dragon). I have gotten some amazing surprises to change occupancy.  When we opened it was 49.”  When I asked him what the current occupancy is, Schwartz was unclear whether it is 49 or 98.  “(Occupancy) needs to be 200.” Apparently after toiling with the city, a struggle for many business owners, especially when dealing with alcohol, Schwartz seems tired, frustrated, and in financial upheaval.  “I just got a call from the city and they another $50,000 in fees” said Schwartz.  “For what needs to be done, is going to cost $220,000.  I don’t have it. Here’s the deal: the only way the company has been going on is by me putting $10,000 into it.  I am trying to do what’s best for the employees.”  According to Schwartz, however Rogue, as a potential buyer views the Green Dragon as “over-staffed by five people.”  To accommodate this issue, if Rogue buys the company, people would be forced to move to Flanders (Rogue’s current Portland ale house location).  Said Schwartz “The only people to lose a job would be those who are hung up.”  From his tone, I wasn’t certain if Schwartz was truly confident in Rogue or in dire need of a quick financial fix.  “The whole reason Rogue is doing this is they don’t want to make it a typical Rogue Place.  I mean, they don’t want to completely take over and make it Rogue.  The idea is to keep all the current guest taps and install an additional twenty taps for (Rogue) beers.”  Schwartz seems to genuinely care about the welfare of his staff.  “I am trying to do what is best for the employees” said Schwartz. So what is the timeframe on a potential changeover to Rogue?  “We’re looking at Wednesday-ish.” he said “There will be no interuption of service but if and when it goes through, (Rogue) will shut it down for a few days.” As of right now: “Nothing has been signed.”  May the Schwartz be with you.

Posted under beer releases, places to drink beer