By D.J. Paul

Getting ready for the 6^th Annual Portland’s Cheers To Belgian Beers requires a friendly dart throwing competition. Yes, it’s what you throw that tell which Belgian style beer will be brewed. And this competition featured who’s who in local brewing.

Taking place once again at the world famous Horse Brass Pub, brewers gathered to throw a dart. It is this dart throw that will determine to some extent the style of beer that they’ll brew. If the brewer throws a dart in the inner circle on the dartboard, the beer will be higher in alcohol and a dart thrown outside the inner circle the beer will be lower in alcohol.  And to decide if the beer will be dark or light depends on which radial section the dart hits. A black radial will produce a dark style and the whitish radial will produce a light style of Belgian beer. And for the ringers out there, you hit the bull’s-eye and it’s brewer’s choice. I noticed at least one being hit on this night!

As done in the past, the previous year’s winner gets to choose the yeast strain that will be used. At the 2011 festival there was a tie between Hopworks Urban Brewery and the new kid, Logsdon Farmhouse Brewery. Because of the tie brewers this coming year will get a choice of two different Wyeast yeast strains. Hopworks chose Wyeast Yeast Strain: 37864 – PC Canadian/Belgian Ale Yeast and Logsdon chose Wyeast Yeast Strain: 3763 – Roeselare Ale Blend.

Something new this year is that the dart throwing event took place two months earlier than in prior years. By doing so, this will allow the brewers more ample time to get this special Belgian-style beer into their production schedule. It also will allow for the more creative brewers to possibly barrel age a beer.

Mark your calendars, the 2012 edition of Portland’s Cheers To Belgian Beers event will take place on Saturday, April 21 from Noon-9PM. Continuing from this year’s new location it will once again be hosted at Metalcraft Fabrication at 723 N Tillamook Street in North Portland, Oregon.

All of the dart throwing results can be seen on the Oregon Brewers Guild website.

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

A rising star in Portland’s craft beer scene is Roscoe’s Pub. This Friday, May 27th, 2011, the Montavilla bar kicks off Labor Day Weekend with their 2nd Annual Belgian Beer Summit. The fun starts at 4PM; from here, the great Belgian and Belgian-inspired ales will flow all weekend.

The 2nd Annual Belgian Summit will feature 14 Belgique brews on tap from all over the world. According to Roscoe’s founders Jeremy Lewis and Quyen Li, some of the highlights will include: Read More…

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

Here’s some pictures for this weekend’s Portland’s Cheers To Belgian Beers!

Posted under Oregon beer, weekend in review

Today’s Portland Cheers To Belgian Beers kicks off at noon. From the looks of things at last nights preview dinner, we are feeling pretty confident that this year’s PCTBB will prove to the the best yet. Here’s three key reasons why… Read More…

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

Roscoe’s All-Oregon Belgian Beer Summit will take place on Friday, April 29th beginning at 4PM.  A fitting inclusion in the Portland Cheers To Belgian Beers weekend, the Montavilla neighborhood pub will feature 14 Belgian-Style beers, all brewed by Oregon breweries.

Here you will have the opportunity to try some real gems like Oakshire Frederic’s Lost Arm, Hopworks Muscles from Brussels, Boneyard Whitshack Wit, Upright Rose City Seven, Prodigal Son Neuer Morgan, and many more.   As always, this summit will provide 5-ounce tasters.

Prost!

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

Friday April 29th
Metalcraft Fabrication
723 N Tillamook St.
Portland
5-9pm
$40
21+ only
$40 gets you twelve drink tickets, a stemmed tasting glass, program, and Mussels and Frites from Simpatica Catering.
Tickets must be purchased in advance by using the shopping cart below. Dinner will be served outside under a tent, which you can eat dinner when you like. All tickets will be held at will call.

Get your tickets here

Posted under beer and food, beer events, events

If you’re like us, you’re probably fired up about this coming weekend’s Portland Cheers To Belgian Beers (PCTBB). Now in its fifth year, the annual showcase of a specifically selected yeast strain will serve as both an educational and delicious experiment. In addition the proliferation of interest in Belgian-styled ales is becoming more and more evident. The emergence and popularity of area breweries such as Upright, Beetje, Block 15, Cascade, Double Mountain, and Logsdon Farmhouse illustrates our fascination with Belgian social culture as well as its yeast culture. And, nowadays it seems you can find a Read More…

Posted under beer events

The Belgians are coming! The Belgians are coming!
The 5th Annual “Portland’s Cheers to Belgian Beers” Festival Returns April 30th

What:
Portland’s Cheers to Belgian Beers is back for its fifth year and promises to be bigger and better than ever, with 42 Oregon breweries crafting signature Belgian-style beers specifically for this annual event. A majority of the beers at the festival have been produced using the same strain of yeast, highlighting the wide range of flavors and styles produced in this beer category.

This year the festivities are moving to Metalcraft Fabrication in North Portland where ample space allows for more breweries and Belgian beer fans to participate in the event. A selection of Portland’s favorite food carts will be on-site with food available for purchase. Tickets are $15 and include entry to the festival, a commemorative tasting glass and five drink tickets.

After sampling all the Belgian style ales, attendees will vote for their favorite in the “People’s Choice Awards.” To the victor goes the spoils, and in this case the winning brewery earns the right to select next year’s yeast strain. Block 15 Restaurant & Brewery won the 2010 competition and has chosen Trappist High Gravity as this year’s yeast strain, which is ideal for classic Belgian dubbels or triples with a balance of complex fruity flavors.

When:
Saturday, April 30th from noon to 9p.m.

Where:
Metalcraft Fabrication 723 N Tillamook St., Portland

How:
Admission is free! There is a $15 charge for five drink tickets and a tasting glass, which is required to taste. Additional tastes are $1. Tickets can be purchased at the festival entrance.

For More Information:
More information and a list of participating breweries, please visit the OBG’s website at http://oregonbeer.org/pctbb

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

The trio behind Brewing Up Cocktails is excited to announce the release of a series of collaboration beers that it has brewed with Breakside Brewery, a recently opened Portland brewpub that has released numerous experimental and avant-garde beers. For this year’s Portland Cheers to Belgian Beers (PCTBB) festival, mixologists Jacob Grier, Yetta Vorobik (also the owner of Portland’s The Hop & Vine bar), and Ezra  Johnson-Greenough teamed up with Breakside brewer Ben Edmunds to create three ‘cocktail beers.’ Each of these barrel-aged creations attempts to mimic a classic or contemporary cocktail using the same base beer, brewed with the Wyeast Trappist High Gravity yeast strain. Much barrel-aging focuses on taking regular beers and simply adding an additional layer of flavor from the barrel. These beers are different in that the beer functions as one component in the finished beverage, much like the way a spirit functions as the base of a classic cocktail.

The three cocktail beers are as follows: Read More…

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

Another fun night at the Horse Brass Pub in Portland on Tuesday January 11 featured a special event organized by the Oregon Brewers Guild. Many local brewers and well-known industry folks were on hand to partake in the fun. Representatives from each brewery threw a dart to decide what beer style would be made by their brewery for the 5th Annual PCTBB scheduled for April 30, 2011. A high number dictated that a strong beer would be brewed. Similarly a low number meant a lower ABV offering.  Darts landing in Read More…

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