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

Here in Portland, Oregon aka Beervana, we can attribute being at the pinnacle of the craft beer world thanks to a number of variables. The region’s climate goes unmatched for the growing of the choicest hop varietals (somewhere in the ballpark of 30% of all grown on the planet); betwixt the equator and the North Pole and how we are impacted by the Pacific currents, Cascadia’s cool and cloudy months might be a mainspring to our taste for a variety malty styles; the rich history of founding brewers such as Henry Saxer and Henry Weinhard. Whatever it is that instills this affinity for great beer, one thing is undeniable, and that is that the driving force behind our great beer and all its glory is an ever-growing community of dedicated and passionate human beings. Obviously, there’s the brewers making it and the pubs selling it, but we should not forget the people who have dedicated themselves and their lives to advocating of brew, people like Ms. Chris Crabb.

Crabb is the humble force behind Portland and the nation’s greatest and most attended beer festivals. These include the Oregon Brewers Festival of which she has been the head of media relations for the past 16 years, and the Holiday Ale Fest, which has also been reoccurring for the past 16 years. In addition to running these, Crabb has recently assumed the responsibilities of promotion and organization of the popular North American Organic Brewers Festival. On top of helping to orchestrate some of the largest beer events on the West Coast, Crabb is also dedicated to promoting a few breweries around Portland, providing public relations and social media services to the likes of New Old Lompoc Brewing and Cascade Brewing.

Recently we had the pleasure of interviewing Chris Crabb, the woman you can thank for much of these exceptional events. Read More…

Posted under Beer personalities, Oregon beer, beer events

The five day extravaganza that is Holiday Ale Fest (HAF), you know, the biggest winter beer fest on the West Coast, is upon us. Beginning at 2PM on Wednesday November 30, 2011 and lasting throughout the weekend, this beer lover’s occupation of Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse square once again will bring merriment to the space beneath several heated tents.

Each day at HAF brings to light new select vintage and one-of-a-kind brews not to be missed. As a whole, the selection is quite daunting, with mostly above 7% ABV one-offs as the focus. Curator Preston Weesner, who also works as general manager at Cascade Brewing’s Barrel House, a boutique pub mongering some of the region’s most touted sours, has been calculatingly stowing away special kegs while encouraging breweries to formulate new and insightful styles. This year’s lineup is no exception to the ever awe-inspiring score of brews HAF has continued to build upon. Here’s ten beers that we greatly look forward to tasting, and if you are as fanatical about beer as we are, you might just want to seek out as well: Read More…

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

Each Tuesday Cascade Brewing Barrel House releases a new and unique direct from barrel live ale ready for your enjoyment. Starts at 6PM. So check it out. More details can be found on their website: http://cascadebrewingbarrelhouse.com/ or call (503) 265-8603.

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

Each Tuesday Cascade Brewing Barrel House releases a new and unique direct from barrel live ale ready for your enjoyment. Starts at 6PM. So check it out. More details can be found on their website: http://cascadebrewingbarrelhouse.com/ or call (503) 265-8603.

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

Each Tuesday Cascade Brewing Barrel House releases a new and unique direct from barrel live ale ready for your enjoyment. Starts at 6PM. So check it out. More details can be found on their website: http://cascadebrewingbarrelhouse.com/ or call (503) 265-8603.

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

Beer expert Joshua M. Bernstein will celebrate his new book “Brewed Awakening: Behind the Beers and Brewers Leading the World’s Craft Brewing Revolution” at the Cascade Brewing Barrel House’s weekly Tap It Tuesday event on Tuesday, November 15 at 6 pm. The Cascade Brewing Barrel House is located at 939 SE Belmont St.

Josh will start the evening as the guest tapper at Tap It Tuesday, a weekly event at which a tap is driven into a live barrel of aging sour beer. He may be an expert on beer, but how good is he at tapping a barrel? According to Josh, “I’ll make sure to bring my poncho,” referencing the likelihood of what is known at Cascade as a “sour shower.”

Josh will then reveal some stories and insights about the World’s Craft Brewing Revolution, while signing copies of the book (which retails for $24.95).

Cascade is one of the 1,700 craft breweries leading the beer revolution Josh chronicles in the book. This event will join together the craft brews Josh describes and the beer drinkers who love them all in celebration of Brewed Awakening — the ultimate beer geek’s guidebook.

Posted under Beer personalities, Oregon beer, beer events, books about beer, events, places to drink beer