APEX is a standout craft beer bar in Portland, Oregon, a city with more great brew than it knows what to do with.  -BREWPUBLIC

First, this Friday, May 18th from 5-9 PM we’re having a few of our favorite brewers stop by with some sour and unusual beers. Firestone-Walker‘s “Sour” Jim Crooks will be on hand while pour some of his Agrestic, SLOambic and 100% Velvet Merkin. Joining Firestone will be our local sour brothers from Cascade. Here’s what we’ll be pouring from them:

Agent de l’orange:  10.78% ABV

This live NW style sour is a Blender’s Reserve spiced blond quad that was aged in Makers Mark barrels for 16 months then spiced with orange peel and honey. Orange zest and herbal honey notes present themselves in the nose. Bright, tart orange peel, huge sweet malts and spices of cinnamon and coriander on the palate give way to a crisp orange finish that lingers. This could be just the thing to quench your thirst on that rare sunny day until spring. Servus!

Summer Gose 5.5% ABV
This NW sour beer is a re-creation of a historic German wheat beer style that was nearly lost to time.  This light, slightly soured beer is spiced with coriander and sea salt.   Soft creamy wheat and spice greet you in the nose, while a light spice bite and hint of lemon cross the palate.  It finishes off with a soft lingering sour bite and just a slight dusty lemon note.

Rhubarb Crisp 6.5% ABV

This NW-style sour beer is a crisp, refreshing blend of beers that were barrel aged for seven to 12 months. Bright sweet notes of rhubarb and raspberries greet you in the nose. A light tartness of ripe berries and fruit sweetness intermingle on the palate, giving way to a light sparkling bite of rhubarb and slight nuttiness in the finish. Enjoy!

This should make for a hell of a Friday, but Saturday is going to absolutely blow your mind!

It’s our second anniversary celebration, all day and into the night from 11:30AM to 2:30 AM.  I won’t tell you what I’m going to put on the tap, but if you remember last year’s anniversary, you know that it’s a lineup that’s not to be missed. I’ll be tapping between 30 and 50 rare beers that I’ve been working for the past two years to get for this event.

In addition, it’ll be the worldwide debut of a beer I’m very excited about. Last year I asked my friend Peter Kruger, brewmaster at Bear Republic, if he’d be interested in making me a beer to commemorate our second anniversary. He graciously agreed to do so and I gave him  a few suggestions about what I liked best in my favorite double IPAs. He went to work on a recipe and the result is what he called the hoppiest beer they’ve ever made, Double Apex, a 10.1% Double IPA. An imperial version of their delicious Apex IPA. I can’t wait to taste it!

See you Saturday to celebrate our Terrible 2′s

Posted under beer events, events

APEX is a standout craft beer bar in Portland, Oregon, a city with more great brew than it knows what to do with.  -BREWPUBLIC

First, this Friday, May 18th from 5-9 PM we’re having a few of our favorite brewers stop by with some sour and unusual beers. Firestone-Walker‘s “Sour” Jim Crooks will be on hand while pour some of his Agrestic, SLOambic and 100% Velvet Merkin. Joining Firestone will be our local sour brothers from Cascade. Here’s what we’ll be pouring from them:

Agent de l’orange:  10.78% ABV

This live NW style sour is a Blender’s Reserve spiced blond quad that was aged in Makers Mark barrels for 16 months then spiced with orange peel and honey. Orange zest and herbal honey notes present themselves in the nose. Bright, tart orange peel, huge sweet malts and spices of cinnamon and coriander on the palate give way to a crisp orange finish that lingers. This could be just the thing to quench your thirst on that rare sunny day until spring. Servus!

Summer Gose 5.5% ABV
This NW sour beer is a re-creation of a historic German wheat beer style that was nearly lost to time.  This light, slightly soured beer is spiced with coriander and sea salt.   Soft creamy wheat and spice greet you in the nose, while a light spice bite and hint of lemon cross the palate.  It finishes off with a soft lingering sour bite and just a slight dusty lemon note.

Rhubarb Crisp 6.5% ABV

This NW-style sour beer is a crisp, refreshing blend of beers that were barrel aged for seven to 12 months. Bright sweet notes of rhubarb and raspberries greet you in the nose. A light tartness of ripe berries and fruit sweetness intermingle on the palate, giving way to a light sparkling bite of rhubarb and slight nuttiness in the finish. Enjoy!

This should make for a hell of a Friday, but Saturday is going to absolutely blow your mind!

It’s our second anniversary celebration, all day and into the night from 11:30AM to 2:30 AM.  I won’t tell you what I’m going to put on the tap, but if you remember last year’s anniversary, you know that it’s a lineup that’s not to be missed. I’ll be tapping between 30 and 50 rare beers that I’ve been working for the past two years to get for this event.

In addition, it’ll be the worldwide debut of a beer I’m very excited about. Last year I asked my friend Peter Kruger, brewmaster at Bear Republic, if he’d be interested in making me a beer to commemorate our second anniversary. He graciously agreed to do so and I gave him  a few suggestions about what I liked best in my favorite double IPAs. He went to work on a recipe and the result is what he called the hoppiest beer they’ve ever made, Double Apex, a 10.1% Double IPA. An imperial version of their delicious Apex IPA. I can’t wait to taste it!

See you Saturday to celebrate our Terrible 2′s

Posted under beer events, events

APEX is a standout craft beer bar in Portland, Oregon, a city with more great brew than it knows what to do with. Publican Jesse McCann celebrates two years of serving up great beer this weekend with some not to be missed beauties. Seriously, it’s epic. Here’s what Jesse tells us: Read More…

Posted under beer events

This week’s Tap It Tuesday is LIVE: Black Raspberry Reserve, a favorite of the blenders. This NW style sour ale started out as blond ale that was barrel aged for one year before spending just 10 days on 60 pounds of blackcap raspberries: think Nouveau Boujoulais with blackberries. Vinous aromas of tart blackberries start this beer off. Sharp, acidic notes of tart berries on the palate lead to a sharp, dark berry taste that results in a finish with a prolonged dry fruit note. 7.25% ABV / $7.50 glass

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

Cascade Brewing releases their much anticipated Blueberry Sour Ale on March 22, 2012. So does this mean it’s finally spring? Well, yes, technically, but it sure doesn’t feel like it in the Rose City with it just snowing the night prior. Cellarman Beck Jensen says “This is one of the few good things that has come from ‘Angry Johnny’ (brewer John Berry).” This first bottling release  since fall of 2011, the Blueberry Ale offers a sharp tart fruity presence behind the beautiful purplish hue of this 7.33% ABV treasure.

Lead brewer Chris Baggenstos tells us Read More…

Posted under Oregon beer, beer releases, brewpubs, press releases

Join us for Cascade Brewing’s Tart Fruit Extravaganza, a celebration of tart fruits and tart beers! The event will be held Tuesday, Feb. 21st at the Cascade Brewing Barrel House. We are presenting an amazing lineup of 29 fruit beers; many of these are Live beers from the Tap It Tuesday series that are returning just for this event, plus a few vintage barrels. The beers will remain on tap for one week or until the keg runs dry.

On tap when we open that day at Noon: Winter Gose, Raspberry, Blueberry, Cranberry, Kriek, Apricot, debut of The Vine 2011, Pater, Nightfall, Sang Noir, Gluh Kriek (hot), Nouveau Noyaux, Sweetartz and Live Chocolate Raspberry.

At 5 pm, the Blender Taps will open, pouring Fruit Loops, Strawberry, NW Raz Beck, Shrieking Violet, Platinum Blonde, Rhubarb Crisp, Plum Rye, Coco Gingersnaps, Barrel Aged Bing Cherry, Ginger Lime, Nouveau Cerrise, Blue on Red, Bourbon Barrel Aged Apricot and Apple Pie. Plus we will have a special beer for Tap It Tuesday that night at 6 pm.

All beers will be served in glass. Hope to see you there!

Posted under Oregon beer, events, places to drink beer

Tap It Tuesday will be Soured Mc Shagger, a 12+ month old barrel aged Strong Scotch

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

The weekend was wickedly winning as we welcomed The Beer Wench aka Ashley Routson to the Pacific Northwest. This was her third visit to Portland and there was still many great beer spots which she had not yet been to, so we had to try and knock these out. Granted, hitting up all the best Portland craft beer bars is somewhat of a daunting task that requires an intense commitment. But, we knew it was imperative to at least get a few of the essentials out of the way. Ashley’s trip was to be brief – only 36 hours in the Portland area, so every minute had to count.

First, let us preface the telling of our adventures with more about Ashley. Known widely in the craft beer world as The Beer Wench, she is first and foremost a wine sommelier with extensive knowledge of the many tiers of the craft beverage world. She has worked on many levels within the industry from bar managing, tap crafting, event coordinating, and product inventory to writing her world renowned “Drink with the Wench” website and more recently her attention-grabbing and palate wowing “BeerMixology” site that tackles the emerging trend of beer cocktails. Perhaps most impressive about Ashley is that on top of all this, she also works for Bison Brewing as their official “Director of Awesomeness”, a title well deserved. Her presence is felt vertically integrated throughout the entire brewery from the most simple and essential of tasks to those most complex and labor intensive. She has even helped to brew beers such as the popular seasonal Saison de Wench that will be released again soon.

So, as you can imagine, this wasn’t just any beer geek that we were striving to entertain. Our journey logically began at our favorite Read More…

Posted under beer reviews, places to drink beer, weekend in review

This Thursday at 4 pm, we’ll be releasing two beers on our new Blender Reserve taps. First, we’re bringing Auld McShagger Scottish Strong Ale out of the cellar. This strong Scotch ale cuts the chill and warms from within. A nose of sweet malt and a hint of chocolate and smoked peat start the journey. Chocolate, kilned coffee and German Rauch malts combine to lend this big Scottish ale a hint of whiskey. This be a beer that any clansman would be happy to put to his lips! 8.35% ABV, $5 for a teardrop glass.

The second tap will feature vintage Barrel Aged Crude Diesel, a barrel aged stout brewed with chocolate and roasted malts, black strap molasses and dark Belgian candy sugar, then aged for eight months in Heaven Hill Bourbon barrels and Pinot Noir barrels. Now over 13-months-old, the layers of flavors are just starting to unfold. Dark sweet chocolate, coffee, Bourbon and molasses with hints of vanillin greet you in the nose. Dark coffee and bittersweet chocolate intermingle with the roasted malts and dark molasses to finish with a noticeable Bourbon heat and a lingering sweet, dark vanilla finish. Look for notes of milk chocolate, coconut and cherry as it warms up. 8.8% ABV, $8 for an 8 oz glass.

The kitchen will release a hand-crafted coconut flan on Thursday as a special treat to pair with the Barrel Aged Crude Diesel, although it goes well with any of our beers ($3)!

This week’s other food specials at the Barrel House include a Chicken Royal Petit Sandwich with smoked chicken, pungent Italian taleggio cheese & red onion, served on grilled purple Sang Royal bread dressed with tomato chutney & the rotating fruit compote ($4.5); Mu Shu Chicken Crepes filled with smoked chicken, egg, cabbage, broccoli, red bell pepper, mushroom & green onion, and topped with Plum Rye reduction hoisin sauce ($7); Smoked Turkey Pâté Roll, featuring smoked turkey & roasted root vegetable pâté rolled in toasted cornbread and topped with a Triple Cranberry reduction ($5.5); and Mixed Berry Sour Cream Cheese Pie, a sour cream cheese pie speckled with mixed berries and topped with a Rhubarb Crisp reduction ($4).

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

This Thursday, we’ll be releasing Vintage Vlad the Imp Aler (09) from the cellar. This award-winning NW-style sour is the one and only original Vlad. The sharp tart notes have softened, giving way to smooth caramels and hints of vanillin, toasted sweet biscuits and ripe fruit. Soft Bourbon and vanilla on the palate leave you with a slight Bourbon and spice burn to ponder before your next sip. 10% ABV.

We’ll also release Frost Killer that day, a seasonal one-off from the brewery that’s a big winter warmer. Belgian candi sugar, rich malts and notes of ginger and spice greet you in the nose. Caramel malts, spices and sweet hop resins on the palate lead to a mellow sweet finish, with hop notes appearing at the end for a pleasant warming. The spice and candy notes come from the delicate interplay of the dark aromatic candi sugar, sweet and bitter orange peel and the hops. No need to sip this by the fire, it will warm you from within! 8.3% ABV / 75 IBU / $4.50 Tear Drop

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