If you’re not one of the lucky lads or lasses who will be in attendance for the country’s biggest and baddest beer fests, aka Great American Beer Fest (aka GABF), fret not. The 29th installation of the GABF September 16-18 might offer over 2,200 beers to try which is more than you’ll likely find at any other single festival, but after all, who can drink 2,200 beers in three days (We’re imagining a few friends contemplating it).

This month, do what so many people around the country are doing, take a staycation. Yes, it’s that catch word you’ve likely heard promoted from advocates of living local, but it certainly is good for the economy, and in these rougher economic times, it might be just what you need to enjoy the fruits of the Pacific Northwest, in our humble opinion, one of the greatest places to live on the planet.

Here’s a look at some events coming up in September that you might consider attending if you love Oregon craft beer Read More…

Posted under Beer & Music, Oregon beer, beer and food, beer to do list, brewpubs, places to drink beer

Celebrate Central Oregon’s Proud Brewing and Distilling Tradition This Weekend At The Little Woody

This year’s beer lovers’ festival to feature bourbon from local and national distilleries

Bend, Oregon – August 30, 2010 – The Little Woody was created in 2009 to commemorate one of Central Oregon’s cultural hallmarks — beer — and it’s back thanks to popular demand. The one-day event drew more than 2,000 craft beer enthusiasts last year to sample brews from local breweries, meet the brewmasters and sing the praises of great beer.

Due to the overwhelming interest, the second annual Little Woody Barrel-Aged Brew Festival will return to the Des Chutes Historical Museum in Downtown Bend — but this time for two full days on Friday and Saturday, September 3-4.

The Little Woody celebrates the ancient barrel brewing technique as adapted by craft brewers in Central Oregon and the Pacific Northwest including Deschutes Brewery, Ninkasi, McMenamins, Three Creeks and Bend Brewing.

Some of the beers these fine local breweries will be slinging include Firewater Red from Three Creeks, made by combining Firestorm Red and an ‘09 Barley wine aged in a Pinot Noir barrel for 9 months, and Barrel Head, the popular McMenamins Hammerhead aged in a Hogshead whiskey barrel for over 4 months and then cold conditioned for another 2 months, resulting in a hoppy ale with a hint of fruit in the nose but a dry and woody finish.

This year the festival will also feature oak barrel-aged bourbons from Basil Hayden, Weller, Jefferson, Bulleit and Evan Williams Single Barrel. The Bendistillery will also be sampling their line of vodka and gin as well as mixing a few cocktails, and a selection of Oregon wines will be available.

WHAT:The Second Annual Little Woody Barrel-Aged Beer and Bourbon Festival, featuring local brews, local bourbons, local food vendors and live music from local favorites The Moon Mountain Ramblers and Portland’s Jack Straw.

WHEN:Labor Day Weekend, September 3 from 5 -10pm and September 4 from 12pm -10pm

WHERE:Des Chutes Historical Museum lawn in Downtown Bend

COST:Admission to the event is $5 or $6 with a commemorative glass. A tasting package is $15, which includes glass, entry and 10 tokens. Bourbon tasting is $30 for six tastes. A portion of the event proceeds will benefit the Des Chutes Historical Society.

The Little Woody would like to thank all of our sponsors for their support to make the Little Woody 2010 a success: Nature’s Whole Food Marketplace, The Source Weekly, Perez Design, Mutineer Magazine and Bendistillery.

About The Little Woody

In the past, brewers served beer that had been aged in oaken casks. Now, brewers are turning to these historical techniques for adding depth of flavor to their beers. The Little Woody celebrates this ancient brewing technique as adapted by American craft brewers, featuring beers aged in wine barrels, whiskey barrels and oak barrels, which uniquely flavors and intensifies the beer. In addition to showcasing the wide variety of barrel-aged beer from local and regional microbreweries, this year’s Little Woody will offer bourbon tasting from some of the region’s finest distilleries. For more info, please visit www.thelittlewoody.com.

About Lay It Out Events

Lay It Out Events is a full service event production company. In addition to producing Northwest Community Bend WinterFest presented by Mt. Bachelor, Balloons Over Bend, The Bite of Bend, and The Little Woody, Lay It Out Events provides event production services and is available for contract events. For more information please visit www.layitoutevents.com or www.thelittlewoody.com.

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

Deschutes Brewing announced three of their popular seasons will be once again returning to the shelves of your favorite beer stores. Look for these three brews in the coming months in a ll 15 states where Deschutes beers are sold:

Jubelale

When: October-December

What: Winter Seasonal (6-packs, 12-packs and draft)

Every year, fall’s crisp, cool air signals the imminent arrival of winter. Thoughts of snow, friends and family, the holidays, and — Jubelale. Brewed with dark crystal malt creating a luscious holiday note with bountiful hops to excite your taste buds— it’s easy to see why Jubelale is the perfect complement to the season.

6.7% ABV, 60 IBU

The Dissident

When: October

What: Reserve Series (22-ounce wax-dipped bottles and draft)

Eighteen months in isolation, The Dissident is a distinctive Flanders-style brown ale, with a fruity aroma and flavor. Our only wild yeast beer, brettanomyces and lactobacillus impart its characteristic sour taste. Lavished with whole western Washington cherries – pits, stems and all – (which, by the way, our brewmaster picks out personally during family vacations, to the tune of much eye-rolling from his children). It’s our wildest, most expensively pampered beer.

9% ABV, 30 IBU

The Abyss

When: Late November

What: Reserve Series (22-ounce wax-dipped bottles and draft)

The Abyss has immeasurable depth inviting you to explore and discover its rich, complex profile. Hints of molasses, licorice and other alluring flavors draw you in further and further with each sip. And at 11% alcohol by volume, you will want to slowly savor each and every ounce.

2010 marks the fifth release of this dark and mysterious imperial stout.

11% ABV, 65 IBUs

Posted under Oregon beer, beer news, beer releases

Thursday July 22, 2010 marks the beginning of the Oregon Brewers Fest weekend and, in true Beervanian style, more and more great beer events keep piling up. If you haven’t already scored your ticket for the sold out brewers dinner, there’s still a heap of other fun events that should spark your interest. Here’s some ideas for Wednesday, July 21, 2010:

Deschutes Brewery OBF Kick-off at The EastBurn – One of Portland’s premier craft beer spots, The EastBurn, known for their beer belly dinners and infamous $2 Tuesdays, invites you to join them on their outdoor patio where the folks from Deschutes Brewery will be here presenting some interesting brews. The lineup will include Mystery Hop IPA, Streaking the Quad and Miss Spelt. This event runs from 7-9PM.

The EastBurn is located at 1800 SE Burnside Street in Portland, Oregon. For more information, call (503) 236-2876.

Rogue Premier Pour of “21″ – Rogue Brewmaster John Maier has brewed 21 different beers for the 21 years of the Oregon Brewers Fest. This year’s one-time brew is an Olde Ale, called 21 Ale, to be released at the Horse Brass Pub, and is dedicated to OBF founders Art LarranceTeddy Peetz. 21 Ale will also be available in limited 750ml ceramic flip-top bottles. Release begins at 5pm. and

The Horse Brass Pub is located at 4534 SE Belmont Street in Portland, Oregon. For more information, call (503) 232-2202.

Oakshire Meet the Brewer at Bridgetown Beerhouse – Meed Oakshire Brewmaster Matt Van Wyk at the Mississippi neighborhood’s favorite craft beer bottle shop, Bridgetown Beerhouse. Try the refreshing summer Line Dry Rye, as well as some year round favorites like the award winning Overcast Espresso Stout, Watershed IPA, and their Amber Ale.  Tasting runs 4-6:30PM.

Bridgetown Beerhouse is located at 915 N. Shaver Street in Portland, Oregon. For more information, call (503) 477-8763.

Deschutes Quasimodo Tapping – As previously mentioned, Deschutes’ Portland pub is tapping a different special beer  each day through the end of OBF weekend. Tonight’s specialty is their Quasimodo soured quadruple ale. With a deep orange body and bubbly white head, Quasimodo possesses a nose of orange zest, candi sugar, honey and medium tartness. The taste is likened to puckering cherries, raspberries, and persimmons. On tap all day at the pub.

Deschutes Portland Pub is located at 210 NW 11th Avenue in Portland, Oregon. For more information, call (503) 296-4906.

For a more complete list of events going on, check out the Oregon Brewers Guild’s calendar.

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

Brewpublic announces another special meet the brewers pub crawl. You might remember back on March 20, 2010 when we brought you the first of this kind on SE Division Street in Portland. Now, we’ve got a crawl, also with four craft beer bars, less distance to cover, and even more brewers to meet while you enjoy a plethora of great brews.

What: Meet the brewers pub crawl (aka BrewPubliCrawl). 18 Oregon brewers will be on hand for this exclusive 6 hour event, each with a refreshing and unique offering designed especially for the commencement of July (Oregon Craft Beer Month). Four craft beer loving bars will open their doors as normal, but on this day with a lot more artisan brews to share. We’re really excited to have you check this out!

Where: N. Killingsworth Street, Portland, Oregon.

The crawl starts at the Red Fox bar (5128 North Albina Avenue); moves to Saraveza (1004 N. Killingsworth Street); then Overlook Lucky Lab (1700 N. Killingsworth Street); and ends up at The Hop & Vine (1914 N. Killingsworth Street).

When: Saturday July 31, 2010 Noon until 6pm. Brewers with beers at each stop will be on hand for 1.5 hours at each stop. (Red Fox Noon-1:30PM; Saraveza 1:30-3PM; Overlook Lucky Lab 3-4:30PM; The Hop & Vine 4:30-6PM)

Why: Because we are nutty about Oregon Craft Beer and love our community and the artists who brew great beer here in Oregon. Also, we want to toast another great Oregon Craft Beer Month that is closing out on this day.

Other Details:  No tickets are required for this pub crawl. Folks 21+ will be able to purchase beer from the bars like you’d normally expect. The entire pub crawl route from start to finish is just 0.7 miles. Brewers in attendance with their beer pouring include: Alameda, Boneyard Beer, Cascade, Deschutes, Double Mountain, Fort George, Heater Allen, Hopworks, Laurelwood, Lucky Labrador, MacTarnahan’s, Migration, Natian, New Old Lompoc, Ninkasi, Oakshire, Seven Brides, and Vertigo. Also, Bailey’s Taproom’s 3rd anniversary barrel fest is happening on this day and we strongly recommend that you visit them for some of the rarest and most unique beers as well!

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

Here’s a look at some events not to miss on this fine Friday July 16, 2010 here in Beervana

Portland International Beer Fest – Any tried and true beer fest-goer knows that the early part of the opening day of most beer fests is the best time to attend to avoid long lines and elbow to elbow crowds. That being said, the thoughtful organizers of this Portland International Beer Fest (PIB) have interspersed some special and mystery brew releases slated to hit throughout the three day extravaganza to keep the real heads returning. This fest is one of our favorites because of the plethora of rare and truly mind-blowing selection of offerings from anywhere on the planet fine beer in brewed. Italy, Norway, Belgium, Germany, and of course , Beervana, just to list a few. Get your 33 Beers notebook out and get ready to rack up some cred on RateBeer and Beer Advocate. This is perhaps the best beer fest of the year in Portland. Don’t miss it! Today’s opening begins at 4PM.

The PIB is located in the North Park Blocks of Portland. For more information, ask anybody wearing a craft beer t-shirt.

IIPA Fest Hopworks Night – Get your face melted with some of the hoppiest beer in the Pacific Northwest (yeah, right where the hops grow!). Hopworks Urban Brewery will lay down three of their hoppiest beasts on Saraveza tonight including the gold medal Ace of Spades, and seasonal specials Galactic Imperial Red and Evelyn Sunshine IIPA (named for brewmaster Christian Ettinger’s daughter).  Other brews on tap for this fun festivity include Cascade’s Imperial Wheat IPA and the unfathomably lupulin laden Avery Maharaja (10.24% ABV, 102 IBUs). If any of these kegs kick, the crew has many other special surprises in the cooler.

Saraveza Bottle Shop & Pasty Tavern is located at 1004 N. Killingsworth Street in Portland, Oregon. For more information, call (503) 206-4252.

Upright Brewing Barrel Release – As previously mentioned, Upright brewers are unveiling a different barrel-aged beer each Friday during July to celebrate Oregon Craft Beer Month. Today’s tapping is an exotic Hungarian oak barrel-aged Four with homegrown yarrow and rose flowers. Employing many of the intriguing ingredients of other beloved Upright brews like their Flora Rustica, Organic Rose City Seven, and with a light, tart base of their flagship Four, this beer is as complex as its name indicates. The taproom is open from 4:30-9PM today, so get to it!

Upright Brewing is located at 240 N. Broadway Street in Portland, Oregon. For more information, call (503) 735-5337.

BridgePort Stumptown Tart Firkin Tapping – The Highland Stillhouse is the finest place to enjoy rare single malt whiskeys and other exotic liquors. It also happens to have a kick-ass tap selection. In fact this place is so cool, it’s actually worth the drive out to Oregon City to check it out (We recommend you find a designated driver coming home). Tonight they’ll be tapping a super-limited firkin of BridgePort‘s third incarnation of their fruit brew. Each year, the beer has employed a different fruit. This year’s tart uses 2,000 pounds Oregon grown red raspberries and is brewed with Pacific Northwest pale malted barley, Pacific Northwest malted wheat, German hops, and a Belgian yeast. It is a blend of 50% Belgian Tripel aged in wine barrels one year blended with Belgian Tripel and Raspberries. 7-9PM.

The Highland Still House is located at 201 S. Second Street in Oregon City, Oregon. For more information, call (503) 723-6789.

Deschutes  Reserve Series Beer Tapping – Today marks the beginning of ten days of special Deschutes Brewery tappings at their Portland pub. The Sinfully Delicious Belgian Dark Strong Ale, a beer Deschutes originally unveiled to the public at this year’s Cheers to Belgian Beers, is the first. Then, each day, count on a new specialty brew from their repertoire. For a list of all their tapping, check out this older post.  Starts at 11AM each day.

Portland’s Deschutes Brewery is located at 210 NW 11th Avenue in Portland, Oregon. For more information, call (503) 296-4906.

For a full list of events going on, check out our calendar or visit the Oregon Brewers Guild website.

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

Sample various brews of Deschutes!

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

Yesterday, on Deschutes’ 22nd anniversary, we learned that Deschutes was not going to sell bottles of this year’s Black Butte XXII and that kegs of the beer would be limited to the brewery only. After reaching out to Brewmaster Larry Sidor, we gained some insight into the issue. Turns out it is more of an aesthetic issue and in no way is tied to the fear of the beer turning rancid. This makes sense, considering we’ve yet to have a bad beer from the brewery.

We were recently informed that Black Butte XXII Imperial Porter will not be appearing in bottles due to an issue with cocoa butter coagulated and potentially turning rancid.Is this so?

Larry Sidor: No way on the rancid thing!!!! As you are aware Deschutes chooses not to add over processed ingredients or artificial flavors to our beers. Our philosophy is that the closer the ingredient is to the field, the greater the customer experience will be. Well, the chocolate we added to this Double Black Butte Porter didn’t go into solution in a manner that we had perfected over the years. The result was a layer of chocolate at the liquid interface. While the beer tastes fantastic, those consumers that “drink with their eyes” would find the beer objectionable. Thus, we chose to sell the beer only at our pubs where our Bartenders can control the appearance.

Statement from Gary Fish, founder and president, Deschutes Brewery:

We will not be releasing our Reserve Series Black Butte XXII in 2010. This Imperial version of our popular Black Butte Porter has helped to commemorate Deschutes Brewery’s June 27^th anniversary since 2008.

The experimental chocolate used in this year’s formulation is coming out of solution and is forming a butter-type layer on the surface of the beer. While the beer tastes perfectly fine, the visual in the bottle is not up to our long-held commitment to quality and positive customer experience.

Pushing boundaries like we do means that things don’t always turn out the way we expect. However, we promise to never back away from the line, even when the risk is great.

There will be very limited amounts of Black Butte XXII on draft, only available at the Bend pub, Portland pub and the Bend tasting room.

So there you have it, straight from Deschutes. Make sure to get down to the Portland and/or Bend pubs and get a snifter of the Black Butte XXII while supplies last!

Note: Deschutes Portland Pub is closed today for an employee party.

Posted under Beer personalities, Oregon beer, beer news, beer releases, brewpubs

Today, Sunday June 27, marks one of Oregon’s favorite brewery’s 22nd Anniversary. Deschutes is throwing outdoor parties at their Bend and Portland brewpubs to celebrate. This also marks the release date of their Reserve Series Black Butte XXII Imperial Porter. These two events will feature live music, food and beer for all at their biggest outdoor parties of the season. Deschutes’ giant traveling barrel on wheels known as “Woody”, will be present at the Portland pub.

Unfortunately, we recently learned from employees that this year there will be no Black Butte XXII in bottles. From what Brewpublic learned, this was due to an issue with the cocoa butter in the beer that coagulated in the bottle and had to be disposed of. This also raises the fear of rancidity as well. At this time, it has not been reported as to how much this mishap has cost Oregon’s largest brewery. Kegs of Black Butte XXI, however, will be available, yet limited to the Deschutes pubs in order to  regulate the quality and to assure no problems arise. Look for more information on the Black Butte XXII situation as we learn more…

Visit the pubs to try the new brew on draught, which is reported to be quite delicious. There will also be specials on an array of other fine Deschutes brews and those exclusive to their pubs.

Also, check out the great  music line up in Portland: Deschutes Brewery 22nd Birthday Party

Bands:

5:00-5:45pm Velvet Hustle

6:00-6:45pm Kinder Bison

7:00-7:45pm Mosley Wotta

8:00-9:00pm Water & Bodies

We’ll see you there!

June 27, 2010 / Portland 5 pm – 10 pm; Bend 12 pm -10 pm

Deschutes Brewery & Public House, NW 11th Avenue, Portland, OR
Deschutes Brewery & Public House, 1044 NW Bond Street, Bend, OR

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

Eighteen months in isolation, The Dissident is a distinctive Flanders-style brown ale, with a fruity aroma and flavor. Deschutes’ signature wild yeast beer, brettanomyces and lactobacillus impart its characteristic sour taste. Brewed with whole Western Washington cherries – pits, stems and all – selected by Brewmaster Larry Sidor, The Dissident is what the brewery calls  their “wildest, most expensively pampered beer.”

Available in all 15 states where Deschutes is sold, latest The Dissident recently found its way into barrels and will make an appearance later this summer. Brewmaster Sidor says  “The beer will be released (in bottles) on September 15, bugs willing, and a sour amber (a soured version of Organic Green Lakes Amber Ale to be known as “Green Monster”) will be releases on September 15, 2011.”

Posted under Oregon beer, beer releases