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.

Last evening the Brewpublic faithful made our way down to the Green Dragon Pub and Bistro to enjoy a variety of hearty nebulous darks from Fort George Brewery and Public House of Astoria. On this night, Fort George co-founder Chris “Nimz” Nemlowill was on hand with his lovely wife Zeddy and the good folks at Mountain Peoples Distributing to share some sumptuous and sought-after stouts. In a sense, the coastal brewery was bringing a little of their Stout Month with them to a thirsty Portland pack. Zeddy runs a coffee shop on Astoria’s Pier 39 (next to Rogue’s Alehouse) known as Coffee Girl. A special Fort George stout of the same name pressed in a wonderful Ethiopian blend. Also, two versions of Fort George’s Cavatica Stout was pouring on this night: one of which was barrel-aged in bourbon casks. Lastly, an oyster stout dubbed the Murky Pearl gave adventurous beer geeks something to discuss and was a highlight of Fort George’s recent Oyster Dinner Pairing. Lisa Morrison, known also as the Beer Goddess, was on hand to enjoy in the tasting and mentioned a special event for female craft beer lovers known as Hoppy Housewives coming up at Fort George on February 20th. During this event Lisa will educate attendees on brewing, cooking with beer, beer pairing, and provide copies of her highly anticipated new beer cookbook. As far as we know, a few tickets for this event are still available but not for long. A great description of last night’s event can be found at Jason Wallace’s Portland Beer and Music Blog, a great read for folks like us who love pairing the two.

Brown ales are not always the go-to beers of uber beer geeks, but that could very well be changing. On a recent trip through the Columbia Gorge, we visited one of Oregon’s best breweries, Double Mountain, and were both surprised and pleased to discover four different browns pouring.

Dapper Dan: A wonderful English mild, this one is “a true session ale.” Named for brewer Matt Swihart’s good friend who is said to have inspired the brewer’s his interest in beer. Well, if this is the case, we’ll tip one back for Dan as well. Brewer Kyle Larsen says this is a brew he reaches for after a long day in the brewhouse. Could this be Hood River’s best session beer? 3.5% ABV, 31 BU

Dapper Dan on nitro: A cascading creamy version of the aforementioned treat, this luxurious and lush light incarnation is arguably dapperer than its fellow tapmate.

Here is the first part in Brewpublic’s 24-hour beer adventure in Astoria, Oregon.

I had been to Astoria, Oregon before, but never on a beer crusade such as this.  Like many beer reporters of late, I was delighted when I received an invitation to join “the Astoria Ale Trail”, a visit with Astoria’s quaint yet burgeoning beer community.

Grab your 3-D glasses and a snifter glass

BRIDGEPORT BREWING COMPANY RELEASEs Raven mad, An Imperial Bourbon barrel aged porter, at the raven mad release party on October 23

Come Dressed as your Favorite Hitchcock Character, Sip Samples of the Dangerously Dark Brew and Celebrate the Release of the Next 22-Ounce Big Brew Packaged with an Awesome 3-D Label