Double Mountain, one of the best breweries in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest, has just informed us of their third anniversary party (you have to say “par-tay” when it’s this cool).

Double Mountain co-founder Charlie Devereux says “Come on down to Double Mountain and help us celebrate three years of fantastic beers, tasty fare and good times with friends. We pay homage to our great family of fans every March with a big blowout party… It’s our way of saying thanks for supporting us all the year round.”

(l to r) Amy Singmaster (Belmont Station), Matt Swihart (Double Mountain), Charlie Devereux (Double Mountain), Carl Singmaster (Belmont Station)

Well, if it’s anything like last year’s Double Mountain party, you know you’re in for a real treat.

This year’s gig promises to be bigger than ever, featuring:

*A 40′x60′ heated tent right in front of the brewery;

*At least fourteen Double Mountain beers on tap, with some rarities from the “archive”;

*Homestyle Mexican food specials, including some killer tamales made by Silvia’s mama;

*Great bands all day and night. Here’s the lineup:

–2:30pm PARIS SLIM (slide guitar blues guru)

–4:30pm GARRETT BRENNAN and the GREAT SALT LICKS (acoustic roots supergroup)

–7:00pm TONY SMILEY and the BIRD (our favorite loop ninja)

–9:00pm CHRONICLE (conscious reggae, on the dance floor)

And as always, the entertainment is FREE!

For all you out-of-towners, Double Mountain’s good friends at the Hood River Hotel are offering a special $89 rate in honor of our gig. Call (800) 386-1859 or visit them online at www.hoodriverhotel.com to book.

This year’s party will be kid-friendly until 8pm. If you have any questions, give us a buzz at 541-387-0042, or shoot us an email at info@doublemountainbrewery.com. Hope to see you on the 13th!

If all this isn’t enough DM goodness for you, check out the release of their new beer “The Empire Strikes Back” on March 4, 2010 at Moon & Sixpence.   This British-style pub is the perfect hosting place for this IPA made with all-English malts and hops — Maris Otter pale, Crisp “coloured malt”, Fuggles and Goldings hops. Currently sitting on a bed of dry-hop Goldings. Devereux says “This is my one-beer-a-year-I-brew (which was Das Boot last year) in honor of our Anniversary. We’ll be doing the meet-the-brewer thing and raffling off schwag.” May the firkin be with you!

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

Lisa Morrison, aka the Beer Goddess, is hosting one of her popular women-only beer classes at Fort George Brewery & Public House on Feb. 20. It’s called Hoppy Housewives. You don’t have to be a housewife to attend, but you do have to be a woman! The two-hour afternoon class takes ladies on an entertaining and educational tour of several beer styles, as Lisa shares tips on pairing beer with food, cooking with beer — participants even get a take-home recipe book — and great stories about beer’s HERstory (instead of history). Light fare in the form of finger food and tapas will be provided so students don’t get hungry!

Don’t forget, it’s also Stout Month at the Fort George, with rotating stouts on draft from countless different breweries all month! Class attendees and their escorts are encouraged to make a weekend of it by booking a room at the newly opened Commodore Hotel, nearly right across the street from the brew pub! Details: http://www.commodoreastoria.com/

Please note: Lisa is teaming up with Fort George and the Commodore to offer a contest to win a package that includes one entry to Hoppy Housewives and one night’s stay for two in a deluxe cabin at the Commodore Astoria, valued at more than $100. Listen to “Beer O’Clock!,” Saturday, Feb. 6 at 3 p.m. on kxl.com or check out the podcast on iTunes or kxl.com for details on how to enter.

Posted under beer events

Here’s a look the scene at the Upright Brewery on Sunday January 10, 2009. Lots of fun and delicious brews enjoyed by all.

Brewpublic visits Upright Brewing from Brewpublic.com

Posted under beer events, beer releases

It’s not very often that I start drinking in the A.M.   But when it comes to events like this and beers like these, drinking in the early morning isn’t out of bounds either.  By the time 9 o’clock rolled around, I had experienced several rare beers that I had never had before.  I spoke with Preston Weesner, an organizer of the Portland International Beerfest and the highly anticipated Holiday Ale Fest.  Weesner informed me of seemingly endless wonderful beers coming up at this event  I was feeling almost overwhelmed with craft beer…if that is at all possible.

Crowd reacts to the posted beer list

HOTD Dock Sale List

8:50AM The Beer List Appears

Alan Sprints posted his list of available beers for the Hair of the Dog dock sale to the left of the garage door or the brewery to the bedazzlement of the zealous beer pilgrims.  It was made official-the Cherry Adam from the Wood would be available.  Also, Fred from the Wood, Doggie Claws, Blue Dot, and verticals of some of his brews would be available while supplies lasted.

That's the Ticket!

9:13AM Rights to Dave

Sprints posted the list of twelve numbered tickets who would be able to purchase the coveted bottles of Dave.  My girl Margaret appeared with ear to ear smiles and a Golden Ticket.  Veruca Salt was no where to be found, but the beer factory filled with wonderment and a peculiar mystique would allow us to pool our remaining funds to purchase a beer we’d only dreamed of experiencing.  Holy mackerel!

Now that's democracy

9:55AM Movin’ on Up

The crowd suddenly shifted forward.  I wondered “could this be the moment of truth?”  I had been to HOTD dock sales in years past, but never made an event of it like this.  The time was now.  The beer we all had anticipated so much would finally be in our grasp.  To be honest, though, the festivities leading up to the actual purchase were so much fun, that if I walked away with nothing other than my experience, I would leave more than satisfied.  We purchased our Cherry Adam and our bottle of Dave.  It seemed surreal (or maybe that was the Dark Lord taking hold).  My cell phone lit up with calls from friends who knew I was about to score.  I imagined their messages angling me to hook them up with the bounty before me.  They knew me well.  A friend with Cherry Adam from the Wood willing to share is a friend indeed.

Samplings abound

11:28AM HOTD Samples

Upon purchasing our HOTD specialties, we loaded the brews into our car around the corner to witness the slough of people in a seemingly infinite line.  The general attitude of the crowd was relaxed and upbeat.  Margaret and I headed back inside the brewery to sample the 2008 beers on tap.  We met up with a few familiar faces before deciding to head home for a well needed nap.  Before leaving the premise, I decided to interview the people at the end of the line.

Loraine and Tim

11:40AM Tim and Loraine

Tim and Loraine were at the back of the line.  They smiled when I approached them with no tension or distress over probably not getting any Cherry Adam from the Wood. To the contrary, when I asked what they came for, Tim said “We came for beer.”  Silly me.  “A couple magnums of doggie claws would be nice.  But Alan always has beers” he said with a grin. It was evident that they were more about the whole experience than what geek beer they might score.  “I’ve seen Fred Eckhardt here” he continued. “I’m in a big Hair of the Dog phase. I love Blue Dot IPA with its lots of complexities.  I am a big fan.  It’s amazing the beer we had out here.  Portland is a big influence.”   Loraine, who recently moved to Portland from Wisconsin, concurred saying “It’s the atmosphere of people who enjoy it here like wine.”  According to Tim, who spent time in Toronto before coming to Portland five years ago, “back then there was no line.  It’s amazing how big this is.  It’s a big happy party.”  Tim continued to tell me another story about Hair of the Dog…  “I attended a friend’s wedding in India this summer, an old colleague that I worked with in Toronto ten years ago” he said. “My friend Karan’s one request that I take along? Hair of the Dog! I brought some Blue Dot, Fred, and Doggie Claws. These beers were an incredible hit! When my friends from Toronto come out here, this is the first brewery they want to go to.  They absolutely love the beer here.  This is the beer capital.”  Amen.

Dave (Foyston)

Posted under beer events

My beer brewing friend Shane Walz and I compiled this list of ways to determine if you are a beer SNOB/geek.

You might be a beer snob if:

Cerveza says:

1. You’ve paid as much or more to ship beer as you have for the beer itself.
2. You take pictures of your beer.
3. You’ve actually returned beers.
4. You choose an eatery based upon taplist.
5. When you hear the name “Michael Jackson”, your first thought isn’t about a pop star.
6. Your vacations are planned around beer spots.  (This could mean you’ve never been to places like Alabama or Mississippi)
7. You become agitated if forced to utilize what you consider to be “improper glassware.”
8. You wear craft brew t-shirts to rock concerts.
9. You could spout off five beers with “dog” in the name in less than thirty seconds.
10. Your guests’ itinerary revolves around “must have” beers.
11. You call bars in advance to find out what they have on tap.
12. You’d pour out a beer just to try a different one.
13. A typical conversation for you and your friends involves the terms “IBU”, “ABV”, and “GABF.”
14. You consider telling a brewer how his/her beer could be better.
15. You possess a hops or malts tattoo.
16. “The Reinheitsgebot” are fightin’ words.
17. Every meal involves a pairing.
18. You’d consider spending time around someone you do not particularly care for in order to try a beer you consider hard to find.
19. You attempt to justify a night night out as “research” or “field work.”
20. You know how to spell Brettanomyces, Lactobaccilus, and Saccharomycetales.
21. You’ve paid more than $1 per ounce for beer.
22. Your favorite party accessory is a mixed-six.
23. You check the Dow Jones or market report for hops trading stock.
24. You whiff your beer before most quaffs.
25. The last word alphabetically in your common vernacular is “zymurgy.”
26. You’ve sought out fungus beers.
27. You care more about the barrel empty.
28. You have beer holidays marked on your calendar.
29. You know the exact dates of beer festivals 4-6 months in advance.
30. You look forward to the change of seasons due to new beer releases.
31. You have a favorite distributor.

That’s it for now.  Happy sampling!

Posted under beer me