My Beery Valentine 3

Brewpublic & Saraveza Present an event for Beer Lovers

On Sunday February 12, 2012, Brewpublic & Saraveza Bottleshop & Pasty Tavern team up for a special Valentine’s event to once again to bring bring sweethearts, sweet tooths, and, of course, beer lovers, the ultimate lineup of Valentine’s brews from Beervana and beyond.

Pairing with a delectable assortment of flavors from some of the most talented craft beer brewers around, My Beery Valentine will also feature the mouthwatering and decadent treats from Sugar Pimp.

The Beers

Look for some spectacular one-offs from some of our favorite brewers including:

1. Breakside “Lavender Fudge Stout” – “A sweeter version of our dry stout conditioned on cacao nibs and lavender.”

2. Coalition – “Sweet Kiss Goodnight Double Porter” – Sweet Kiss Goodnight is a strong porter, coming in at 8.2% ABV, 31 IBU.  Chilean caramel malt, munich malt, and honey malt add sweetness, with a hint of roastiness from carafa.  After fermentation, this beer was aged on cherry wood and vanilla bean to add to its alluring complexity.

3. Upright “Blend Edmunds” – A barrel aged wheaten Four with tart cherry / barrel aged Six with dark sweet cherry

4. Mt Tabor “Valencino’s Dirty Nutz” – “Valentine’s Day is a time for secrets and sweets. Surprise your taste buds with our Dirty Nutz, a stout infused with Nocino, a sweet Italian walnut liqueur. Take your time, as Dirty Nutz is built to last and some say tastes even better when warm (don’t worry, our Dirty Nutz don’t sweat). So get in the mood, grab your sweetheart and wrap your lips around our Dirty Nutz.”

5. Vertigo “Raspberry Blast” – “We took our Arctic Blast Vanilla Porter and pulled out a half-barrel to which we added 6 pounds of raspberries.”

6. Fort George “Mexican Chocolate Stout” – ?“What does a revolution taste like? Smooth, creamy, and with a kick of cinnamon! Our Mexican chocolate stout starts off with a smooth chocolate taste and balanced body. The different chocolate malts give off not only a creamy dark roasted chocolate flavor, but also a bit of bitterness to help prepare you for the wonderful spices that come at the end. With cinnamon, vanilla, and almond spices blended in the chocolate that we put in the kettle and the bright tank, this potent brew is great to enjoy before or after the revolution. Enjoy this sweet yet spicy new stout from the Fort George and celebrate the revolution that is Stout Month. Viva La Stout!” 7.6% ABV

7. Cascade – “Live From the Barrel: Bourbon Apricot” “This NW-style sour ale is a special one. Apricot nectar was barrel aged for four months then blended with spiced Bourbon Quad and Noyaux shells. Apricot skins, brandy and charred notes from the Bourbon barrel greet you in the nose. Tart rich notes of apricot flesh and oak on the palate lead to a complex finish of apricots, cherry pits, oak and vanillin. Servus!” 7.14% ABV

8. Laurelwood – “Hugh Heifer Milk Stout” “Made with British Maris Otter, Brown, chocolate malts and Roast Barley, Domestic Crystal 60 and 150 as well as oats and Black Prinz Malt, Lactose, Northern Brewer Hops and finished with Cacao Nibs and Coffee. This beer is a luxurious an velvety stout with a with a mature, rich and complex body. The nose is dominated by layers of Chocolate, Coffee, and lightly roasted Coco Puffs. The body is voluptuous. ’nuff said?” 5.2% ABV

9. Alameda “My Bloody Valentine” – “This is the second incarnation of this farmhouse style Saison. It is dry, citric, tart, spritzy, and incredibly drinkable. The orange essence comes from the use of dried orange peels and blood orange juice.”

10. The Commons “Brotherly Love” – A Belgian Dark Strong Ale aged in a Heaven Hill bourbon barrel. Red tart cherry and roasted Peruvian cocoa nibs were added to the barrel and allowed meld with the beer. 8.7% ABV

11. Block 15 “Love Potion #9” – Sweet stout conditioned with locally grown black Raspberries from Stahlbush Island Farms and matured on house roasted Fair Trade cocoa nibs. Developed by Gypsies & guaranteed to help you find love. 6.3%ABV, 30 IBU.

12. Hopworks “Army of Darkness Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout” – Black as a moonless night, Army of Darkness emerges from the Hopworks cellar after 9 months in Bourbon Barrels. What was once a roasty, fruity, warming stout has become a chocolatey and smooth. Caramel and vanilla dominate the nose, while the Bourbon barrels impart and mildly drying finish. Big, black and bold all around, this beer embodies darkness in the best way possible. 11.1% ABV, 63 IBU

13. Oakshire “Cordial Love” – Oatmeal stout made with cocoa nibs and aged on espresso and sweet cherries. 6.4% ABV

This event begins at 6PM. Sample trays available. No tickets required to enter.
Saraveza is located at 1004 N. Killingsworth St. in Portland, OR.

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

By D.J. Paul

On Monday December 12, 2011,  Belmont Station welcomed David Walker, co-founder of  Firestone Walker Brewing Company into their Beircafé for a casual meet and greet. Belmont Station proprietor Carl Singmaster dug deep into his cellar, offering up a three-year vertical of Firestone Walker’s Anniversary Series. Being poured that evening were Anniversary XIII, XIV and this year’s XV. This was a very rare opportunity to sample the past three variations of Firestone’s yearly-anticipated Anniversary Ale. While sampling my flight David Walker worked the Beircafé like no other. He took the time to introduce himself and to answer questions at each table and person sitting at the bar.

A little after 7 p.m. David stood up near the front window of the Beircafé to address the crowd that had gathered. He spoke a bit about Firestone Walker’s history and stated some interesting facts about their beer and brewery. One particularly fascinating fact learned is that 85% of Firestone’s sales occur within a 100-mile radius of their brewery in Paso Robles, CA. We also learned that their Abacus Barleywine from their Reserve Series would be renamed this year to §ucaba. Yes, Abacus spelled backwards with a section sign, §, being used in replace of the S. This is a result from a winery, ZD Wines, which produces a Cabernet Sauvignon with the same name. To avoid legal action Firestone Walker changed the name of their barley wine.

After David completed his roaming of the room we went next door to Belmont Station’s Bottle Shop to ask him a few questions about his brewery that is now 15 years old. Here’s the interview: Read More…

Posted under Beer personalities, vintage beers

By Matt Van Wyk, Brewmaster of Oakshire Brewing

As the craft beer industry continues it’s meteoric rise through the adult beverage category, one can’t help notice the scores and scores of specialty, one-off, rare, barrel aged beers being produced across the country.  Whether you are a fan of Three Floyd’s Dark Lord or Portsmouth’s Kate the Great or you regularly receive shipments from the Bruery, you know what I am talking about. If you trade HotD for Surly’s Darkness or Lost Abbey’s Cable Car for Cigar City’s Hunahpu Imp. Stout, you have an idea what I mean. The amount of special collectible beers is growing out of control, and I know because I raided my cellar over the Thanksgiving Holiday and the 15 awesome beers I pulled out barely left a dent. (I have a slight issue with saving beer though).  At Oakshire, we have begun two series of barrel aged beers, Hellshire, which is our spirits barrel aged series of beers and Brewers Reserve, which is very small quantity, mostly wild beers aged in wine barrels. Skookumchuck, our first release  blended wild ale and a Eugene Water and Electric Board Centennial Celebration beer, was released on November 18th and will make a brief appearance Thursday December 15th at Belmont Station.  These beers will mostly be sold out of the tasting room as our friends at Upright Read More…

Posted under Beer personalities, beer releases, beer tools, vintage beers

We wish you a safe and satisfying Thanksgiving. What beer will you be enjoying on this fine day? We’re thinking of some treats from our cellar like a 2006 St. Bernardus 60th Anniversary, a Deschutes Black Butte XXI Imperial Porter, 2007 Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout, some Ninkasi Sleigh’r, Pyramid Snowcap, Sierra Nevada Celebration, and a two year vertical of Odell Friek wild Framboise-Kriek. There will likely be a couple dozen other great craft brews at the table. Keep it safe out there and never drink and drive. Cheers!

Posted under beer me, beer to do list

Another great weekend here in Beervana and we’re still finding no rest for our hard working livers. Still, what do you expect when the robust, dark and triumphant brews of winter have been knocking at our doors since late summer.

Movember Spawned a Monster

So if you haven’t heard, the eleventh month formerly known as November is now referred to as “Movember.” Supposedly conceived by a group of Aussie dudes, the term is a portmanteau of the words “mustache” and “November.” Tippling about a town in a region where bearded brethren and mustachioed monsieur are often par for the course, we Read More…

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

After weeks of compiling some of the best pumpkin brews, Brewpublic and The Green Dragon have at last put forth this amazing list to share. This event kicks off this evening (October 17, 2011) at 928 SE 9th Avenue. Here’s what’s pouring: Read More…

Posted under Oregon beer, beer and food, beer events, craft cider, places to drink beer

Brewpublic loves tasty beer. Really, it’s true. I mean, the whole reason we started this website in the first place was to spread the gospel of artisan brew and keep people (including ourselves) up to date with the hoppenings around the scene. The last three years have flown by and so much has changed. The craft beer industry has grown to close to 2,000 breweries in the United States today. And, well, it doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

To celebrate the awesomeness of craft beer, especially here in Beervana, Oregon, Cascadia, the Pacific Northwest, Brewpublic is coordinating our “Brewniversary” week with an ongoing party hosted at eight stellar craft beer bars around the Portland area.

KillerBeerWeek is happening October 16-23, 2011. Here’s a quick look at what to expect: Read More…

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

Look for twenty bomb-ass beers pouring at Brewpublic’s KILLERBEERFEST 2011. It is he third year of this event and it’s no surprise that the brews to be featured will killer! Look for at least five beers brewed with Rooibos in honor of Brewpublic’s favorite brewer Alexander Legume. More details to come soon.

Posted under Brewpublic Events, Oregon beer, beer events, beer me, events, places to drink beer

Join Saraveza for a special toast to three years of Brewpublic, Portland, Oregon’s most visited craft beer blog. This event is a thank you to all who have helped support the craft beer industry and enjoy great beer. Saraveza is undoubtedly one of the best beer bars on the planet so it made perfect sense to host this fun and tasty event here. Beers featured will be from the following breweries:

• Boneyard Beer
• Upright
• Laurelwood
• Walking Man
• The Commons
• Mt. Tabor
• Lompoc
• Taras Boulba (Smierlap!)
• Roots (vintage keg)

Posted under Brewpublic Events, Oregon beer, beer events, beer releases, events, places to drink beer

Southwest Washington and the Portland metro area’s best selection of Washington state brews is unquestionably By The Bottle in downtown Vancouver, WA. On this special night, look for exclusive craft breweries’ beers not found in Oregon such as Black Raven, Silver City, Fremont Brewing, Sound Brewing, Ice Harbor, Naked City and many more. Don’t miss this event or you’ll regret it!

Posted under Brewpublic Events, beer events, events, places to drink beer