On our “about” page, we aren’t kidding when we say “Brewpublic leaves no beer behind in the quest to bring thirsty Brewpublicans information on the finest craft ales, lagers, yeast culture, and all things beer and brewing related.” So, to cover the vast and expansive region of Eastern Washington and Eastern Oregon, we’ve enlisted the assistance of one of our favorite beer journalists. Welcome Jason Wallace of Portland Beer and Music. Jason’s informative site not only explores the great brews he seeks out from his home in Portland where ever his life takes him, he also keeps his finger on the pulse of alternative and independent music. If you haven’t paid Portland Beer and Music a visit, make sure to check it out. We’re confident Jason’s voice is one you’ll be interested in hearing.Take it away, Jason…

I want to thank Angelo and the crew at Brewpublic for giving me the opportunity to take up some of their valuable bandwidth.  I write a relatively new blog called Portland Beer and Music.  The tagline from my blog reads:  “A Portland father with a healthy obsession for craft beer and live music brings you information and thoughts on both.”  I think that sums it up pretty good.  I have a full time job, a wife who doesn’t like beer, a two year old daughter and another daughter on the way.  So, the cards are stacked against me in getting out to drink beer and see live music.  While I don’t get out as much as my blogging brethren (and I read their tweets with envy), I try to make it to as many festivals, beer releases, and music/beer events as I can.  I also seek out live music, breweries and craft beer bars whenever I travel, whether it be for work or leisure.

As part of my job, I spend about six weeks a year working in Hermiston, Oregon.  Hermiston is located along the Columbia River about 30 minutes west of Pendleton.  While Hermiston itself is pretty much a craft beer wasteland (save for the bottle selections at Safeway and the nearby restaurant The Farmer’s Kitchen), there are at least 13 breweries within a two hour drive.  I recently spent two straight weeks working in Hermiston at the beginning of May.  To keep myself from going crazy with boredom, I decided to visit a number of these breweries.  A couple I had visited during a previous week in March.  I went into greater detail on my blog about each of these breweries and I offer you here a quick summary of each:

The Prodigal Son Brewery and Pub:  Owners Tim and Jennifer Guenther opened this new brewery in Pendleton, OR about 6 weeks ago.  The brewery and pub occupy a huge space just off of main street.  During my first visit on a slow Sunday afternoon the space seemed cavernous.  However, my second visit on a Friday night found the place packed and lively.  Brewer Brian Harder grew up in Pendleton and spent a few years working at Rogue.  On a 10 barrel system, Brian has thus far produced a British IPA, porter, hefeweizen, amber, and most recently a NW style IPA.  I enjoyed each of the first four and the Bruce/Lee porter is my favorite – a good combination of chocolate and coffee flavors. I look forward to trying the NW IPA next week.

Tri-Cities, WA:  Thirty miles north of Hermiston across the Columbia River sits the Tri-Cities, which is home to three breweries – Ice Harbor Brewing Company, Atomic Ale Brewpub, and Rattlesnake Mountain Brewing Company.  Ice Harbor is clearly the best of the bunch, with a quality lineup of beers including a stellar IPA.  Ice Harbor also produces several exceptional seasonal beers, most notably fresh hop ales.  The two locations are just a mile apart but worlds apart in atmosphere.  The original brewery and pub in downtown Kennewick is blue collar and the fancy new brewpub on the waterfront is more upscale.  Brewpublic has detailed posts on Ice Harbor as well.  I have only visited the other two breweries once but the beer did not excite me enough for return visits.  Atomic Ale serves good pizza but sits in what seems to be a renovated Pizza Hut with zero appeal for me.  Rattlesnake Mountain sits overlooking the Columbia River and would be a great spot to drink a pint and enjoy the view.  Unfortunately, I cannot recommend the beer.

Prosser, WA:  A little further north along I-82 in Washington is the small town of Prosser which is situated along the Yakima River amidst vineyards and hopfarms.  A population of roughly 5,000 people are lucky to have TWO local breweries trying to convert the macro loving locals.  My favorite was Horse Heaven Hills Brewery which will celebrate its one year anniversary on July 4th.  The brewery was started by two married couples who have been long time friends and residents of Prosser.   The brewery sits in a renovated laundromat and utilizes a 7 barrel copper system shipped by train from a brewpub adjacent to the campus of Auburn University.  Gary Vegar and Dave Keller turn out a wide range of styles from transitional beers (Ruby Spur Amber and Honey Girl) to an IPA and dark cherry stout.  Although the team is still tinkering with recipes honed on smaller homebrew systems, the beers were surprisingly good, especially the hefeweizen.  I had a chance to taste the hefe straight from the tank and it was excellent, with strong banana flavors.  I look forward to trying this one again soon.

The other brewery in Prosser, Whitstran Brewing Company, is worthy of a visit as well.  Also operating on a 7-barrel system, they seemed a little more willing to push the limits here, offering a couple of Belgian ales, a chocolate stout and a dry hopped pale ale.  While I didn’t think the flavors came together completely on all of the beers, I did enjoy a nice Belgian Brown.  There are very few options for Belgian style beers in this region and I am glad they are willing to give it a go brewing these styles.

Snipes Mountain Brewing:  Less than 15 miles further north on I-82 in the cow town of Sunnyside, WA sits one of the better breweries in Washington in my opinion.  Snipes Mountain brews a wide selection of excellent beers.  The fresh hop ale they produced last year was a revelation.  I won’t go into much depth on this brewery as Brewpublic has offered more detailed reviews in the past.  I will offer that I try to visit this brewery each time I am in Hermiston.  Oh, and they have fabulous prices on their growler fills!

Stay tuned as Jason reviews his visits to more Eastern Cascadian craft beer spots. To be continued…

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

Twenty miles Northeast of Walla Walla you can find yourself in the quaint city of Waitsburg, Washington. Less than one square mile in size, Waitsburg is home to more than 1200 people. For such a small town, Waitsburg offers some top notch drinking and dining experiences. The picturesque destination founded in 1865 features Whoopemup Hollow Cafe, a welcoming hot spot for wine enthusiasts in the heart of Walla Walla wine country that features affordable high-end eats like their Po’ Boy sandwich with zesty remoulade, a “Waitsburger” ground ribeye, and other cajon-inspired eats like Bry’s Famous Jambalaya and a cornmeal-fried catfish. In addition to their healthy selection of local and worldly wines, Whoopemup, like much of the area has a limited selection of beer but a few of note. Bottles of Pike Place Heirloom Amber Ale, Guinness Stout Pub draft, Samuel Smith Nut Brown Ale, Chimay Red Trappist Ale, and Lindeman’s Lambic are available as well as the brew of Waitsburg’s sole brewery Laht Neppur on tap.

Speaking of Laht Neppur, this brewery features Walla Walla Valley’s best handcrafted beer. Owner and brewer Court Ruppenthal, a Walla Walla native brings bold beer to an area unaccustomed to daring and adventurous craft brew recipes since 2006. Situated on the outskirts of tiny Waitsburg in an unassuming diner-esque establishment, Ruppenthal’s brews run the gamut of styles and colors. Here you will find anything ranging from a Strawberry Cream Ale to a Bonnie’s Barley Wine. On our last visit nine different brews gave beer hunters a wide variety of flavor options including a delicious fresh hop ale. Beginning his fermentation years as a wine maker and homebrewing for more than twenty years, Ruppenthal also includes a house Cabernet Savignon and a commercial Port Wine in his repertoire.There’s even some housemade root beer for quaffers of all ages. The patronage at Laht Neppur is nothing like you’d expect considering the smorgasbord of varietals offered. A blue collar atmosphere gives the brewpub the feel much like that of a hunting lodge an in the autumn months many folks in the pub were dawning camoflague attire.

Another stop for beer drinkers in Waitsburg is the Whetstone Public House. Situated in the downtown square, the Whetstone features a traditional English pub atmosphere not unlike the Horse Brass in Portland. Different from the Horse Brass, however, is the dearth of venerable beers on tap or in bottles. Surprisingly, no Laht Neppur beers pour here. Rather a conservative mainstream selection including Guinness, Samuel Adams Boston Lager, Boddington’s Pub Ale, and Deschutes Black Butte Porter are the most imaginative selections this cozy iron and stone pub has to offer.

During our stay in Walla Walla, we made a return flight to Laht Neppur to revisit their delicious brews and pick up a keg of their IPA to enjoy from our home keggerator. It is well advised that when in Walla Walla, make sure to pay a visit to Laht Neppur, hands down Walla Walla’s best brewery!

Posted under beer reviews, places to drink beer

Being that the Walla Walla Valley is more a destination for wine lovers than beer geeks, the search for unique handcrafted brew is one that will take the average Portander further than he’s used to for the next quaff.

After finishing up our early day visit with the nice lads at Walla Walla Brewers on the outskirts of town, we hit US-12 eastbound for our next landing-place. Passing through Waitsburg twenty miles from Walla Walla and onward another ten miles, we found ourselves in the historic town of Dayton, Washington. Founded in the 1860s and officially incorporated by its namesake Jesse Day in 1881, Dayton boasts the oldest train depot in Washington State (1881) as well as the oldest continuously used courthouse (1887).  Tucked between the foothills of the Blue Mountains and the bluffs of the Snake River, the quiet little town was once a somewhat bustling junction along the Lewis & Clark Trail. In fact, its population today (about 2700) is only slightly greater than it was at the turn of the 20th Century. Over 100 buildings in the town are on the National Historic Register including the Weinhard Hotel, founded by Henry Weinhard’s nephew Jacob in 1880.The beautiful site was constructed to house the Weinhard Saloon and Lodge.

Skye Book & Brew

Today the only commercial craft brewing going on in Dayton happens in the basement of Skye Book & Brew. In early 2003, a farmer/school bus driver, a teacher, a retired minister, and a school secretary came up with the idea of combining a bookstore and brewpub. They purchased a building, located on Dayton’s historic main street; which had assumed many identities over the past 100 years—machine shop, saddlery, shoe repair, ice manufacturing, and bakery, to name a few. The building was gutted and the interior wall taken down to the original brick. In March of 2004 current brewer Mike McQuary took over operations at the brewpub/bookstore. “Most of the books here are just windowdressing” says McQuary, a Dayton native. “Due to the Internet and companies like Amazon, our sales have been down.” The cafe family-oriented atmosphere of the place is as inviting to the coffee crowd as it is to the beer enthusiast. “We have revived a tradition of local brewing” say McQuary who, in addition to brewing the beer at Skye Book & Brew, also helped reconstruct much of its interior. McQuary, who also plays bagpipe in a local Scottish band, constructed a spiral stairwell in the center of the space. Out back, a fat bundle of hop bines bedeck the back patio trelis.

On Skye Book & Brew’s small 3 1/2 barrel brew system, McQuary brews an assortment of easy drinking specialties including the Tucannon Honey Wheat, Johnson Hollow IPA, McTaggart Scottish Ale, and a stout. Upon our visit a session-worthy Class of ’69 Summer Ale was also pouring. The Honey Wheat is the brewpub’s best seller. At 5.8% ABV, the clear-bodied tawny beer possesses a light sugary graham cracker nose with a subdued hop character and a clean and refreshing flavor. All of the beers are quite clean and balanced. The Scottish Ale at 6.8% ABV is a dark black brew with a tint of amber. Its lasting gray head beholds a presence of peaty malt and a floral wheat-yeast play atop a softly carbonated creamy mouthfeel.

McQuary learned to brew from Don Moore, a consultant from Vancouver, WA who helped with the brewhouse’s basic set-up. McQuary is truly a jack of all trades: a handyman, a brewer, and a friendly, soft-spoken gentleman happy to keep busy in his hometown doing what he does.

Posted under beer reviews, places to drink beer

Ice Harbor Brewing

On a trip eastbound from Portland, a visit to Ice Harbor in the Tri-Cities is a must. One of the best breweries in all of Eastern Washington, the company has two pubs in Kennewick. A newer upscale restaurant and pub on the Marina recently has supplemented their charismatic North Benton Street brewpub that has been in production since 1997.Attached to the original pub is a crafty homebrewing supply shop.

On our most recent visit, we discovered superbly balanced stylistic brews including favorites like their Kolsch, Runaway Red, Nut Brown Ale, Sternwheeler Stout, IPA, and Harvest Pale Ale. There’s a fruity Tangerine ExBEERience Hefeweizen for the non-beer drinking beer drinkers. A monstrously hopped Hop Warrior seasonal imperial IPA and a cask conditioned Centennial + Warrior IPA were a welcomed find.

On our visit to the brewpub, barkeep Rick Gale was both knowledgeable and amiable. The old location was out of their fresh hopped seasonal, but we were informed that the Clover Island Drive Marina pub still has it flowing on draught.

People in the Portland area can find bottles of Ice Harbor brews at By The Bottle in Vancouver, Washington.

Ice Harbor Brewing is less than 35 miles north of Hermiston, Oregon off the I-84 off highway 395.

Posted under places to drink beer

Brewpublic co-founder and Marketing Director Aaron Miles visits Spokane and the Inland Empire: part 1 of 2, Northern Lights Brewing.

Northern Lights Brewing Company of Spokane, Washington is a brewpub with which some folks from the Northwest beer scene, specifically Portland, may not be very familiar. This is because it is a good five to six hours away from Portland, and less than three hours from Missoula, Montana, by car. Located at the heart of the Inland Empire, Northern Lights is an area favorite, with solid craft brews on tap that are also available in bottles and throughout Eastern Wash and the Puget Sound area. Their brewpub is a recommended destination for craft beer lovers visiting Spokane (“capital of the Inland Empire” and the region’s most populated area).

Northern Lights has been brewing since 1993 and is one of the first craft breweries this writer has enjoyed. On this recent visit to the area, I was pleased to find out that in 2002, the brewery had moved from a suburban warehouse production operation to a spacious brewpub. My mother is quite fond of the place and highly recommended we visit. She liked to tell me about their chocolate beer, which she thinks is the coolest thing since chocolate milk.

brew crew - owner Mark Irvin (center), and brewer Bryan Utigard (right)

The news of Northern Lights’ success inspires some hope for an Inland Empire Brewpublic. Recent closures of old favorites such as the Fort Spokane and Birkenbeiner breweries has done little to benefit the Spokane brew scene. Northern Lights is today the largest and most respected craft brewery in the Spokane area, and the only one that distributes its product. Owner and Brewmaster Mark Irwin founded the brewery in 1993 after working at Hale’s Ales, the Pacific Northwest’s longest running craft brewery. I spoke with Irwin and brewer Bryan Utigard during my visit and learned that with tap handles and bottles throughout Spokane, Seattle and soon Portland, the brewery is still shining bright.

Located near downtown Spokane in a semi-industrial East-side area, the brewhouse and restaurant sit on the bank of the Spokane River. It is a peaceful location offering a great atmosphere for quaffing Northern Lights’ craft brews or enjoying some decent American brewpub fair with friends or family. This is especially prevalent in the warmer months when you can enjoy outdoor seating situated on a grassy lawn literally 20 feet from the river.

With beer sampling in mind, we decided to go for the biggest of three sample trays, experiencing eleven of Northern Lights’ offerings in total. They were all prudent and drinkable and I would give the package deal an overall average rating of a B+. I will certainly return again for some of the solid, balanced and clean brews. With a broad variety on tap, it’s easy to find one for any palate and one to pair well with the restaurant’s conforming selection of sandwiches, salads, appetizers and pasta dishes.

Here are some of our favorites:

Solar Winds – Billed as an APA, this seasonal is blonde with a thin but present head. Super crisp and refreshing for how hoppy it is. Some subtle citrus and piny undercurrents. Similar to IPA with more complex flavors. Our favorite for a hot day.

IPA - Hoppy throughout with a dry hop finish backed by a mild and barely noticeable malt presence. Clear, amberish, thin head. Good overall IPA.

Chocolate Dunkel – My mom goes crazy for this one. I could stop right there, but I’ll add that it’s smooth and creamy, but pretty thin-bodied. Good balance of chocolate and malt characters. Obviously a good dessert beer and winter beer. In summer try mixing with Blueberry Creme for an interesting blend.

Blueberry Crème Ale – Normally I don’t go for fruit beers, but it was hot and this one hit the spot. Maybe it’s because I love blueberries and they have a star role in this one. Not overly sweet, with a big but smoother and balanced berry attack. Any berry attack should be smooth, and this one hit the spot. This was my mom’s second favorite.

Some additional brews that should be on tap now: a whiskey barrel aged version of they flagship Crystal Bitter, and an Anniversary Double IPA as well as Oktoberfest beers in Fall.

Fun with Blends – We tried a blend of the Chocolate and Blueberry. It made me smile, and of course, my mom liked it a lot. She talked about it for a while – apparently one of the coolest things since chocolate blueberry pie. Brewmaster Mark Irwin said he’s heard of people also trying blends of: the Blueberry and equally refreshing Summer Wheat; and a black and tan of Summer Wheat and Stout. Irwin seemed a little leery of all this beery blending but said: “As long as people are having fun with beer, I’m happy.” Then he went mountain biking. It was the weekend.

The food was adequate but underwhelming. It was a creative and fairly balanced menu, but for us, the delivery was lackluster. A calamari appetizer was predictable, but tasty enough to do the trick. A Greek chop salad had potential but failed to impress. It seemed to have been made with lettuce that had been sitting out for a while. The accompanying perfectly-cooked salmon saved the day. The Reuben was just fine, juicy in all the right places. And the sausage sampler appetizer paired well with the hoppy ales. Food prices were a touch high for what you’re getting, and for Spokane in general, but overall it was much better than standard fried pub grub.

Brewer Bryan Utigard

The large building the brewpub is in also houses a Thai restaurant and other businesses you have to walk past before reaching the brewhouse and restaurant. The cavernous, high-ceiling bar area’s indoor seating has a great bar atmosphere for gathering with friends and reportedly can really fill up on the weekends. Large windows behind the formidable wooden bar provided a glimpse into the brewery where the large tanks glean mightily. This made the ales taste even fresher, knowing they came from 20 feet away. In the summer the outdoor seating can’t be beat. While the plastic patio tables leaves a little to be desired in comfort and aesthetics, the spacious lawn on the bank of the Spokane River provides a stellar gathering atmosphere. There is some residual traffic noise from a nearby bridge, but this is hardly noticeable. I took a break from the meal and walked to within two feet of the river…pretty nice. Definitely a good place to bring your mom, especially if she likes chocolate and blueberries.

Posted under beer and food, beer reviews, places to drink beer

BridgePort Brewmaster Karl Ockert

On Thursday evening, Brewpublic was invited to a special event at BridgePort where brewmaster Karl Ockert was on hand to exemplify the company’s sustainable efforts. Fellow bloggers and beer folks were on hand as well as five main areas of the brewery were highlighted in their sustainability practices.  These include: Recycling, energy saving techniques, local and organic product use, water treatment, and community outreach. Here’s a little of what was touch on regarding these five criteria:

Recycling

The building that houses BridgePort Brewpub and Bakery was built in 1888 as the Portland Cordage Company, producing rope products for ships (this explains the beer “Ropewalk Amber Ale”). A 2005 remodel utilized recycled materials to build elbow bars, dining room tables, and mezzanine, and loading dock. Reclamation projects have allowed for much of the original building to stay in tact since its erection in the late 19th Century. As for everyday recycling efforts, BridgePort has implemented a compost program that cuts landfill waste in half. All food waste is composted with the only items being thrown away being straws and aluminum foil from butter pads. Every material such paper, glass, metal, and plastic that is recyclable, is recycled. The brewpub also has condensed trash down to one container that is thrice weekly. This has reduced landfill waste to 12 cubic yards per week from 24 cubic yards per week. Spent oil from the kitchen is used to produce biodiesel for transportation and all spent grain is given to local farms to feed livestock.

Saving Energy

A set of Oregon Energy Trust projects have been implemented and hope to reduce yearly power consumption by 20 percent in the next two years. These include the use of high efficiency and compact florescent lighting with the help of motion detector to be installed hope to reduce power consumption by 10 percent. A project slated for 2010 will optimize refrigeration and compressed air utilities consumption by an addition 10 percent.

Local and Organic Product Use

BridgePort has certification from Oregon Tilth to start producing organic beer that features barley and wheat grown in Eastern Washington and Oregon and malted in Vancouver, British Columbia. The majority of BridgePort’s hops are sourced locally in the Willamette Valley. All glass bottles used for distributed brews are purchased from the Owens glass plant near the Portland International Airport. Cardboard boxes are made from recycled materials and purchased from Portland’s Weyerhaeuser plant and six pack holders are made from recycled paperboard.

Water Treatment

BridgePort Brewery separates high strength effluent for use as livestock feed and treats its remaining effluent with an on-site wasterwater treatment plant before it is sent through the city sewage system.

Community Outreach

BridgePort supports a variety of local arts and community organizations such as Water For People, Farm To Cafeteria, and Oregon Manifest. The company also teamed up with the Komen Race for the Cure of Oregon, SW Washington, and Puget Sound® with ‘Case for the Cure.’ Throughout October, one dollar of each case sold at participating BridgePort retailers is donated to this cause.

After a tour of the brewery, BridgePort treated its guests to appetitzers and delicious brews. Thanks to Karl Ockert at BridgePort and Molly GIlbert of R-West for a fun time.

Posted under Oregon beer