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.

We were excited to garner responses from the range of tasters to get a pulse for what bold beers were ones we’d need to try after our shift commenced. As can always be expected when volunteering at any beer festival, some people are very passionate about their reviews of what they’re tasting. With some it is a welcomed well-rounded assessment of the qualities that exemplify a worthy or undesirable specimen. With others, the response seems to be knee jerk and not as founded in research as it is based on emotion or product loyalty. Good thing folks there like Beer Advocates Theo Skourtis and Jim Bonomo were on hand to give some constructive feedback we could use.

Every so often another keg would run dry and Preston Weesner or Lucky Lab’s Ben Flerchinger would come by to change it and mark the update on the impressive chalkboard behind us. The list of beers was so extensive, they would need to climb a ladder to make amendments. We were crossing our fingers, hoping we’d get to try the popular brews before they kicked. The general response of the crowd seemed to indicate these were the ever-popular Hair of the Dog Doggie Claws (this time aged in bourbon casks), 2006 Anchor Old Foghorn, Ninkasi Critical Hit (their first ever barleywine available in limited quantities), and Lucky Lab’s Son Of Old Yeller (which we had already tried and could confirm was going to be spectacular). As a keg of 2007 Cascade Defroster sputtered to a halt, Walking Man’s Olde Stumblefoot took over. It really is amazing to see how much respect folks have for Walking Man, as an impromptu line formed almost immediately to sample this behemoth. If it was anything like we remembered it in the past, it was a dry-hopped beaut that demanded our palate’s attention.

As 3PM and the end of our shift neared, the crowds grew bigger and our thirst for the beers we’d been eying all morning intensified. Finally, we were off, and able to aboutface the counters and start a-quaffin’. The first sip was the 2006 Foghorn, which, along with the others mentioned previously, was surprisingly still flowing. Simply marvelous! A rusty orange body with a soft off-white head, this four year old beer aged magnificently and showed little to no signs of oxidation. Lots of fruity, chewy bubblegum notes coupled by soft, subtle complexities imparted with age. Some butyl esters coupled with a gentle hoppiness and a solid underpinning of toffee-like maltiness. Old Foghorn is always a go to for us, and we are glad again in this case, we went for it.

Following the Old Foghorn was the Hair of the Dog Doggie Claws aged in bourbon barrels. This rendition of the brew poured out a murky thick brown-amber with a thin soapy off-white head. Fruity, malty, chewy brown sugar nose with lots of floral citrus and pine hops going on. Big and bold. Sweet and complex. Vanilla, citrus, sugar, molasses, and raisin to name a few. Not aggressively bourbony, more on the wood side. Every time we get to try Hair of the Dog beers like this, it makes us happy we live in Beervana.

Save for Astoria Brewing’s Bitter Bitch Triple IPA, Ninkasi Critical Hit, from what we gathered, was one of the hoppiest brews at the fest and likely the hoppiest barleywine. Lots of toffee and piny tropical fruit notes came from this deep tawny beer. This beer could have almost passed for an triple IPA, but there was some noticeable caramel maltiness present. Very bitter on the tongue, but overall, this is the kind of barleywine many Pacific Northwestern beer lovers like, and Ninkasi ain’t no dummy.

Walking Man Olde Stumblefoot is another hop-forward barleywine. However, a main difference between this beast and Ninkasi’s is the malt bill and the perception of the hops play. According to a description, Olde Stumby makes use of four malts, dark belgian candi sugar, Northwest hops.  At 12.3% ABV, this Stevenson, Washington brew contained almost 2.5% more alcohol by volume than the average beer at this festival. On top of that, the 85 IBUs was indicative of a potent hops dosage as well. In the glass appeared a rich amber-bodied sipper with a small almond colored head that left plenty of lacing and exhibited big legs. Full, rich creamy body with a nice chewy, robust finish; noticeable were the dry hops in the nose that caressed the olfactory senses before each sip. Thanks again, Walking Man. We do love thee.

A beer we’d tried, but didn’t want to miss again was Lucky Lab’s Son of Old Yeller, a beer that turns out was a fabulous mistake. An accidental overshoot of ingredients for LL’s popular Super Dog IPA, the Son was a perfectly balanced copper-amber beer with a rich frothy white head. Also aged in bourbon barrels, Son was undoubtedly the buzz beer of this year’s festival. It was kind of nice to see this beer win people’s hearts and tongues…kind of like how the Canadians must’ve felt about their hockey team at this year’s Olympics.

Another beer of note was the 2007 Butte Creek Train Wreck, a certified organic 10.6% ABV warmer. We are still surprised upon viewing the label on these bottles that the TTB allowed this beer to state “You’ll be lucky to walk away from this one!” but we dig the smart Alec marketing that coincides with BC’s “Go big or go home” mantra. In all honesty, this beer was not hyper aggressive on the tongue. Perhaps this is due to the three years of aging it underwent to reach this point. The deep brown color under a minimal head offered a unique mesh of chewy maltiness, dropped out yet prevalent hops and a distinct mintiness that could have been equated to the citrus hops mingling with the boisterous and once aggressive malts. We think we’ll pick up a bomber of this brew and try it fresh…maybe even put one down in the cellar as well.

So, there’s a glimpse at just a few beer from the Barleywine and Big Beer Festival. To us, this event is more about the camaraderie of good friends where the skullstompin’ brews serve to aid in the good times. It doesn’t take much to get you where you’re going, and if you are on a bicycle, you best watch your limit. A big thank you to Ben Flerchinger, Lucky Lab, Preston Weesner, and all the breweries, volunteers, and attendees who made this year’s BB+BW Fest a monster hit!

View more photos from Lucky Lab’s Barleywine & Big Beer Fest here.

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

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.

Posted under Beer personalities, Oregon beer, beer events, beers on film

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.

Abbey Hoffman: A deceptively drinkable quaffer served in a 12 ounce goblet, the name for this beer was stolen from a particular Delaware brewpub. Landing stylistically somewhere between a Belgian Abbey Single and Abbey Dubbel. Estery, spicy, nutty and mild on the palate, but with a bold ABV, Abbey Hoffman is one of DM’s best brews yet.  “Dangerously tasty.” 7.5% ABV, 10 BU

Terrible Two: We’re so glad this beer exists. Not only for its bourbon forward presence, but for the simple fact it denotes the brewery’s two years on the map. Released initially back in March of 2009, Terrible Two has picked up some oxidation, but the Heaven Hill barrels gave DM’s Uber Brown a shot in the arm. The brewery calls this one “A whisky lover’s fantasy ale.” That’s hard to argue with.  10+% ABV, 30 BU

Next time you’re in the Hood, stop by Double Mountain and see what exclusive brews are pouring. You won’t be disappointed. We have never been.

Posted under beer reviews

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.

We arrived at Fort George Brewing a little past noon on Friday and were welcomed by Fort George’s Chris Nemlowill and Astorian beer connoisseur and former Astoria city manager Dan Bartlett.  First things first, a colorful twelve-brew sampler tray featuring a plethora of styles concocted by Chris and head brewer Jack Harris, with some highlights including the Cavatica stout aged in 15-year-old Heaven Hills bourbon casks, the piquantly hopped Vortex IPA, the Grand Crue, now available in 22-ounce bottles, the Lovell Lager, the first Pre-Prohibition lager produced in Astoria since the 21st Amendment passed in 1933, and sitting in the fermenter is this year’s Illuminator, a bourbon barrel-aged doppelbock scheduled to release on Mother’s Day. Fort George is also producing a special XVI Chapel Imperial IPA that employs the Ingelmunster yeast strain being used for Portland’s Cheers to Belgian Beers even coming up on May 2. “A lot of people have been making Belgian IPAs lately” said Nemlowill “but they kind of come across as a Tripel that’s a little bit more abrasive, with just a little bit more hops there. We felt that the true way that style should be made, if you’re going to call it an IPA, it should have enough hops, that that is the first thing you smell and the nose that you get on that beer. And it should have enough hops to balance out that sweetness.”  The Belgian XVI Chapel is triple dry-hopped to “overwhelm the Trappist yeast.”

Nemlowill kept on his toes working the first half of a double shift managing the bar, periodically checking in with us to see if we needed anything and taking a moment here and there to chat about his wonderful establishment.  We had an invigorating conversation with Bartlett, learning much about Astoria’s rich history. He provided me with a tremendously insightful late 1980′s piece by Evelyn G. Hankel called “Early Astoria Breweries” that unlocked a rich history of beer dating back to 1872 when Michael Myers of Switzerland made history by opening the Astoria Brewery, the city’s first brewhouse. The Weekly Astorian, in 1871, reported that “Mr. Myers has facilities seldom equaled for carrying on a successful business, and the orders on his books show his success.” Since the Astoria Brewery, many other breweries, including the Columbia Brewery (1875) and the North Pacific Brewery (1884), came and went serving the multicultural waterfront town with refreshing brews. What today is known as the city’s Ale Trail, over 100 years ago, might have have been known as  Lager Lane, since the bottom-fermented variety of beer was king back then. Today, a few pubs built after a devastating 1920′s fire that burned away most of downtown Astoria remain. The Triangle and the Portway both built in the 20′s are dingy dive bars that cater to the blue collar crowd and feature a few craft beers on tap amongst yellow swill and chiming video poker machines.  Since the statewide smoking ban in Oregon, these places have become far more tolerable for us clean air lovers. Chris was happy to inform us that the Triangle is currently pouring Vortex and Cavatica. When I asked him if the pub would carry the bourbon-aged Cavatica, he smiled and said “No. It’s just the regular Cavatica. I think they would propably be pretty scared if they saw what we charged for a keg of bourbon barrel Cavatica.”

Astoria, it turns out, was also home to the first white woman west of the Rockie Mountains, a barmaid named Jane Barnes. According to our guide, Bartlett, Barnes “stayed at the Fort, and of course, one lady amongst a bunch of guys created battles and fights. She went back to Britain and ended up marrying one of the Northwest or Hudson Bay Company guys and she came back (to Astoria). Back in the days when it was politically correct, which is unpolitically correct now, our town had Jane Barnes Day races where waitresses from local pubs would race with carrying trays with pitchers of beer.”  Today such events are enjoyed by all at the Oregon Brewers Summer Games.

Twenty-four hours in Astoria, Oregon is just a tease when it comes to discovering all that the town of just over 10,000 has to offer. Filled with a staggering amount of things to do and places to see, the city’s general populous seems in tune with much of its rich history. This might directly correlate with the number of museums and beer bars that outrank Portland per capita. Said Bartlett:”A lot of folks here are really focused on the history, because that’s one thing we have over Portland or Oregon City.”

Lots more to come…

Posted under Oregon beer, brewpubs, places to drink beer

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

PORTLAND, Ore. – October 16, 2008 – BridgePort Brewing Company, Oregon’s oldest craft brewery, is unveiling its next limited-edition 22-ounce Big Brew, Raven Mad. At 7.3-percent ABV (alcohol by volume), this Imperial Porter is a deliciously dark porter brewed with naughty intentions. Aged in bourbon and pinot noir barrels, this brew conjures a unique blend of roasted malts, hints of vanilla and subtle oak flavors. Stronger and bolder than typical craft brewed Porters, Raven Mad is the perfect brew for those with an adventurous spirit and enjoy a porter that is as pitch black as the bird it’s named after. Moreover, the brewers have taken this ale to the next level and packaged it with a 3-dimensional label. Each 22-ounce bottle will be sold with a pair of 3-D spectacles that are to be worn while enjoying this latest brew produced by BridgePort Brewery’s mad scientists.

BridgePort will host a Raven Mad release party Thursday, October 23 from 5-8 p.m. at the BridgePort brewpub + bakery in the Pearl at 1313 NW Marshall St. Free and open to the public, attendees can be among the first to try free samples of the new brew while supplies last and purchase the limited-edition 22-ounce bottles of Raven Mad. Guests will receive a pair of 3-D glasses in order to check out the fantastic 3-D graphics on the label and for those looking to win some extra dollars, come dressed as Alfred Hitchcock. Cold hard cash will be awarded to the winner of the look-alike Contest.

About BridgePort’s Raven Mad Imperial Porter Ale

This 22-ounce Big Brew is masterfully blended with BridgePort’s Porter, transforming the classic ale into a villainous black, rich and complex libation. With the addition of hops, comes a bitterness that swoops in to round out the flavor. BridgePort’s Raven Mad Imperial Porter Ale will be on tap at BridgePort brewpub + bakery and at BridgePort Ale House. With 1,300 cases produced, this limited edition brew will also be sold at retail grocery stores throughout Oregon and Washington while supplies last.

BridgePort’s Raven Mad Stats:

IBU’s: 45 ABV: 7.3% Color: Black

Ingredients: Humongous amount of chocolate malt and roasted barley.

Description: An Imperial Porter with a big, rich flavor born from being aged in both Bourbon and wine barrels. It has a maximum roasted malt flavor, hop bitterness, wood/oak overtones and bourbon-vanilla notes.

Posted under beer events