Press release:

Bring me some peanuts and… IPA? The Single-A baseball Hillsboro Hops announced a multi-year partnership with BridgePort Brewing Company based in Portland, Ore.  As per Hillsboro Hops team policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“We knew when we named our team ‘The Hops’ that we’d need to find a beer partner that has a rich history of excellence, and BridgePort Brewing Company, Oregon’s oldest craft brewery is that partner,” comments vice president and general manager K.L. Wombacher. “It has been our goal to offer the best craft beer selection of any Single-A baseball team and having everything from BridgePort’s IPA to Hop Czar and Summer Squeeze on tap will do just that.”

The partnership includes BridgePort brands featured throughout the Read More…

Posted under beer news, brewpubs, Oregon beer, places to drink beer, press releases

By D.J. Paul

BridgePort announces pub release of new beer on Thursday February 21, 2013.

Over the past few years the line up of beers coming from Oregon’s oldest craft brewery has been evolving. There have been some hits and a few misses. But when BridgePort Brewing releases one of their small batch brews I tend to seek those out.

Being released this week is BridgePort’s newly developed Bear Hug Cherry Chocolate Stout. Only 1,500 cases of 22-ounce Bottles are being released throughout Bridgeport’s distribution network. Fortunately for us here in the Pacific NW they have a very limited amount of kegs that will be showing up at finer establishments over the next few months.

BridgePort Brewmaster, Jeff Edgerton, took a lot of time and effort in developing this new beer. Jeff stated, “This was the most expensive beer I ever made”.  He began this process by cranking up a previous stout recipe to produce more alcohol along with adding more chocolate malt to get the base beer that will be used. Jeff then sourced out cocoa nibs from Africa and dark sweet cherry puree. From here they brewed three batches. Two of these batches were with the dark sweet cherry puree and the other was with crushed cocoa nibs. They used 15 pounds of the Read More…

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

Two established brewmasters in the Oregon craft beer community have re-banded for the creation of a new beer recipe. Former McMenamins, Deschutes, and Full Sail brewmaster John Harris joined Golden Valley Brewery (GVB) brewmaster Mark Vickery to develop Valley Red Imperial, a double red ale releasing today at GVB’s two pubs.

John Harris’s career in brewing spans more than years and three brewing empires. So, it’s no wonder why so many people look up to Harris when it comes to the art of brewing, and many brewers owe the man a lot when it comes to setting them on their path. One such brewer is Mark Vickery, brewmaster at Golden Valley Brewing of McMinnville, Oregon.Vickery cut his teeth brewing under Harris at Deschutes before assuming his current role as the brewing lead at GVB.

“Many brewers and brewery’s today stand on (Harris’) shoulders.” says Vickery. “One of the first pub brewers at McMenamins, John’s Hammerhead remains to this day one of there best selling ales.”

The first Brewmaster at Deschutes Brewery, Harris is credited with developing the recipes for Mirror Pond Pale, Black Butte Porter and Jubelale. “After a long run at the Pilsner Room for Full Sail Brewing Harris creativity lifted off.” adds Vickery, “Too many to Read More…

Posted under beer events, Beer personalities, beer releases, Oregon beer, places to drink beer

Each year since Brewpublic began in 2008, we’ve taken special pleasure in rounding up the best-of-the-year lists. Most often you’ve witnessed these year-end inventories in the form of top 5′s. And, to not let down, we’ve rounded up this year’s superlatives in a multi-part series we will bring you throughout the rest of the year.

For 2012, much like we did last year, asking craft beer experts, industry workers, enthusiasts, and friends to conjure up their fondest beer memories of 2012 as well as sharing what they eagerly anticipate for the future in the coming year. We’ve also asked these folks to attest to top trends witnessed in the craft beer scene over the past year as well as some favorite events of 2012.

While we realize that such lists are next to impossible to formulate with any real certainty, the process of thinking back on all of the remarkable brews tested and tasted is a fun and nostalgic process. We will not hold these reputable individuals to their beer choices with absoluteness, because we realize, as mentioned in the past, that choosing just one beer, or even only five for that matter, as a favorite, can be as constrictive and limiting as choosing a favorite song, work of art, or even friend. Variety is the spice of life, just as hops is readily that of Northwest craft brews. So, without further adieu, let’s hear what the people have to say. Read More…

Posted under beer events, beer history, Beer personalities, Oregon beer, places to drink beer

By Kim Schimke

Nothing ushers in the holiday cheer quite like a seasonal brew. While most American households were sipping on their eggnog, cider, or cocoa, I was downing the seasonal beers my parents introduced to my brother and me. Perhaps the explanation for my merry disposition as a child was a product of being buzzed. Regardless, the question of when Child Protective Services should intervene is another topic and article. Let’s stick to why beer seasonals make the holiday season bright.

For me, the holiday season meant time off from school. Time off from school meant family vacations. Family vacations meant touring breweries, taking day trips to local brewpubs, and filling growlers. If you are starting to think my parents and childhood were awesome, you would be correct. A holiday excursion to Oregon had me Read More…

Posted under beer humor, beer me, beer to do list

Press release:

BridgePort Brewing Company, Oregon’s oldest craft brewery, is excited to announce its new spring seasonal beer, Smooth Ryed. The brew gets its name from a warm malt background with a hint of spicy rye character. Smooth Ryed is a full-bodied hoppy ale that uses caramel and chocolate malts combined with 10 percent malted rye. In addition, the single hop varietal that BridgePort is using in the hopjack, Centennials, will lend a citrus aroma and clean, floral notes.

“This recipe creates a smooth, solid base for a big load of hop aroma from Oregon Centennial hops.  We source the malts from Great Western Malting just across the river in Vancouver and the hops from good friends at two local farms about 35 miles south of Portland,” commented brewmaster, Jeff Edgerton. “We use only Centennials in the hopjack so that the consumer will get the wonderful full flavor and aroma that only those hops have.”

Smooth Ryed will be available in all states where BridgePort is distributed starting in late December and early January.

BridgePort’s Smooth Ryed Stats: Read More…

Posted under beer releases, Oregon beer

In this installment of The Beer Traveler, Charlie stops by the BridgePort Brewery in Portland, Oregon to mash in some grains with Brewmaster Jeff Edgerton.

Posted under Beer personalities, beers on film, brewpubs, Oregon beer, places to drink beer

It’s nice to see BridgePort Brewing Company continue to dip their toes into the more heteroclite and esoteric realm of craft beer. With staples like their IPA (a beer that really helped change perceptions and palates in the early days of the modern day craft beer revolution) and Blue Heron Ale (not to mention the most spectacular ESB that was for some reason removed from their portfolio), the past handful of years has witnessed the Portland brewhouse delve into more and more innovative styles that Cascadians continue to demand. The latest venture from BridgePort appears to be their most daring and beer geek-centric yet. Say hello to Enchanted, a two-year-aged rendition of BridgePort’s Stumptown Tart. The 2010 release was a Framboise (raspberry beer) that has metamorphosed into Enchanted and awaits palates at this year’s Great American Beer Festival. Packaged in handsome wax-dipped 22-ounce bottles, it sounds like you’ll be lucky to score a sample of this super-limited release.

Press Release:

New Bottle Aged Brew to be Released at This Year’s Great American Beer Festival, Oct. 11-13

PORTLAND, Ore. – October 10, 2012 – BridgePort Brewing Company, Oregon’s oldest craft brewery, is set to premiere its newest beer, Enchanted, at this year’s Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colo. The new, very limited brew is an aged version of the brewery’s ever-popular Stumptown Tart from 2010. Enchanted is a Belgian Style Framboise infused with 2,000 pounds of Oregon red raspberries and then aged for two years in oak barrels.

“This is a special one for our team,” commented brewmaster, Jeff Edgerton. “The 2010 Stumptown Tart was a favorite not only amongst our loyal BridgePort fans – but also amongst our brewers. The only way to up the ante on that beer was to let it age in oak barrels for two years. The result is something surprising and pretty unforgettable.” Read More…

Posted under beer releases, Oregon beer, press releases

Those who know me know that I have been totally obsessed with Trumer Pils since moving to Berkeley, CA where they make the stuff stateside. Since moving here a few months back I’ve consumed Trumer in great numbers. I find the Austrian beer, a German-style Pilsner lager, when fresh, to be the perfect session beer. 4.8% ABV, a crisp filtered golden body…and when you drink it out of the appropriate flute glass, there really is nothing quite as heavenly.

I know this might read like a paid advertisement post for Trumer and their company Gambrinus, but its not. Trumer to me was a destiny that I should have realized months, even, years ago. As I grow older, I find myself gravitating toward lighter more quaffable brews. I’ve found Pilsners to be my speed lately, especially during the Read More…

Posted under Beer personalities, beers on film

The Beer Traveler documentary series looks to grow from local niche appeal to a mainstream success story as the craft beer sector continues to expand.

You may have noticed these days that the proliferation of craft beer in media is growing exponentially. A new beer blog around every corner, podcasts, and of course, documentary series about artisan beer. Perhaps the most notable to craft beer lovers has been Brewmasters, a quickly extinct series on the Discovery Channel headed by Dogfish Head Craft Brewery’s charismatic founder Sam Calagione. Before Calagione’s series that centered around his brewery’s “Off-centered Beers for Off-centered People”, the iconic British beer writer Michael Jackson also had his own brief series, The Beer Hunter (1989), also on the Discovery Channel as well as Channel 4 in the UK. There was even a more goofy, less informative short-lived series Beer Nutz. Several other documentaries worthy of regarding have dipped their toes in the mainstream such as Paul Kermizian’s American Beer (2004), Anat Baron’s Beer Wars (2009), and locally in the Northwest, Alison Grayson’s Love of Beer (2011).

While none of the aforementioned episodic documentary series lasted for very long, they are all responsible for aiding in paving the way for craft beer as a component to our lives. And while Alcoholic Beverage Control Board (ABC) agents in Alabama may be illustrating archaic and fascist governance over craft beer and brewing, most of the free Western world appears to be enjoying a growing appreciation for quality locally made brews and a departure from mainstream macro swill.

In Portland, Oregon, Charlie Herrin is heading an effort to rekindle the often derailed ambition by many craft brewing media agents. His forthcoming series The Beer Traveler begins with humble roots in a city that undoubtedly supports artisan beermaking to an almost polar opposite to much of the stupendously un-evolved South. In fact, it’s safe to say that the understanding of craft beer’s impact on the Oregon economy is widely appreciated in the area. Don’t believe us, just check the facts sheet on the Oregon Brewers Guild official website here.

Brewpublic is teaming up with Herrin and company to bring you the early episodes of The Beer Traveler. We plan on taking you on Herrin’s journey with his team of local filmmakers to some of the best craft beer spots around before heading on to reach a larger national and international scope. The road won’t be paved in gold but it will be flowing with great beer and a lot of fun. Brewpublic will debut the first episode of The Beer Traveler here on our site on Tuesday October 2, 2012, with added uploads showing up weekly.

In the time being, we offer you an exclusive interview with Charlie Herrin to learn about the scope and mission of The Beer Traveler series. It should be a hell of a ride.

What is The Beer Traveler all about?

Charlie Herrin: The Beer Traveler is a show about craft beer, and a whole lot more. Being a fan myself, I’ve watched shows that attempted to showcase craft beer as the main component not last more than a year.

I felt I knew the reason why, and that is that the shows were too craft beer focused to capture the interest of the people that weren’t craft beer drinkers. Only 6% of the drinking age population are even interested in craft beer, it just wasn’t enough to support an episodic show. I wanted to create something that went after the forgotten
94%, but would somehow still be of interest to the 6% that loved their craft beers.

I accomplished that goal by adding a couple of topics that go right along with craft beer. I wish that I could say it was all pure genius on my part, but it wasn’t. It was a lot of late nights doing research. What the research told me was that travel and food were my answers.

What started me thinking along these lines was watching television with my wife. I love shows about craft beer, my wife not so much. What my wife and I could agree on were travel shows and food shows. Along with the rest of America, we are absolutely food and travel nuts.

What is your role in the project?

CH: I ask myself that same question every day, and laugh. I wear any hat needed to get the job done. At the end of the day you could say I am the creator, executive producer, and host of the show. Although at times, I’m also the secretary, the lunch guy and the clean up crew.

Who else are key players in The Beer Traveler project?

CH: Everyone on my team is a key player. None of this would be possible without the group of incredibly talented folks I’m fortunate enough to work with.
Will Nelson – Editor, Camera, Director
Duke Geren – Consulting Producer, (BTS) Behind the Scenes photos, Asst. Director, Tech Guy
Andrew Owen – Head Camera/DP, Lighting, Tech Guy, BTS Photos
Taylor Jones – Sound Guy, PA
Gigi Goodrich – Makeup Artist
Andy Aldridge – Writer

What inspired The Beer Traveler?

CH: Like I said, I wanted a show that my wife and I could watch together and enjoy. However, my biggest inspiration was the brewers and their incredible stories of what they did to get where they are today.

What is your background and how does it tie in to this craft beer undertaking?

CH: I was originally in sales and management. Then I spent some time working with a small TV studio to satisfy my curiosity and got into filming sports. I have worked on small shows, movies, commercials, fashion and other miscellaneous projects over the years in just about every capacity. I have owned numerous businesses over the years which have taught me quite a lot about both how to build a successful project and what folks want. I’m also a home brewer who is crazy about the craft scene. I have experienced craft all over the United States and was considering taking a job in the industry as a brewer. About that time I shared my idea with another producer in the business and she said it sounded like I already had a job in the industry and just didn’t know it. With a few
key friends and my wife pushing me to go for it, I did just that.

Is The Beer Traveler set to focus primarily on Oregon or are you looking to expand beyond and go national/international?

CH: We started in Oregon due to Portland’s unbelievable craft brewing scene, and I live here so it just made sense. Plus, why not start with some of the folks who really paved the way for everyone?

There have been a number of documentaries, webisodes, and programs covering craft brewing. What is your specific focus with this project? What is it about The Beer Traveler that sets itself apart from the pack?

CH: We are not a show that was built solely around beer. I wanted my design to appeal to a larger audience, yet still be exciting for the beer geeks out there. I am also a major beer geek, so getting to create a show about my favorite subject has definitely been incredible, and a lot of fun.

Are there any memorable moments from filming that stand out in your mind?

CH: The very first day we shot with Kurt and Rob Widmer stand out to me. These guy’s are the rockstars of our industry, in my opinion. They’ve proven that by using quality ingredients and a bit of artistry, they could create a product that people loved. So, because of my small case of hero worship, I was so nervous for the first twenty minutes with them we had to do numerous takes.

Honestly, every moment of this show has been memorable and I don’t ever see that changing. I get to travel and hang out with an incredible team and meet the folks behind the whole craft beer movement. I have the BEST JOB in the whole world.

What are some of the greatest challenges you’ve come across in pursuing this endeavor?

CH: Money, Money, Money! Or lack thereof. I thought I had budgeted for everything, but there are always the unforeseen circumstances. Let’s just say it’s been very educational, a process that no amount of planning can prepare you for.

What are your goals with The Beer Traveler? Do you anticipate going mainstream or getting picked up by a network for wider distribution?

CH: The plan has always been to go mainstream. We hope to be in contract with a network in the next three to six months. If for some crazy reason that doesn’t happen, we will find some way to self fund it. I didn’t give up a year of my life to see this amazing opportunity sit in a can.

We would love feed back from the folks who take the time to watch our webisodes. This show is ultimately for them. I have seen every piece of footage way more than I care to admit. The crew and I are now in what I call tunnel vision land and sometimes it becomes difficult to see the forest through the trees. Each person who watches is a
fresh set of eyes and we would love to hear from them, both the good and the bad.

Posted under Beer personalities, beers on film