Our group arrived safely to the 30th Annual Great American Beer Festival, America’s largest beer festival. As we prepare for our first day of the actual fest, we reflect on our first night back in Denver, Colorado.

After a two-hour flight from Portland, we landed at Denver International Airport in the late afternoon and jumped on a shuttle toward where we were staying in the west part of town. At our lovely vacation home, we were happy to discover beer already stocked for us in the refrigerator. After those were quickly depleted, we walked a few blocks to the corner liquor store to pick up some sixers of choice regional brews. Flying Dog Pale Ale, Breckenridge Agave Wheat, and Odell IPA all hit the spot before heading out into the city. First stop: Great Divide Brewing in Denver’s LoDo district. Close to a slew of great beer spots such as Falling Rock Tavern and Wynkoop Brewing, Great Divide is an amazing example of how much brew can be produced in such a small space. Here we were given a full tour by our friend Hanna Laney, Great Divide’s “word nerd” and “the queen of bad pun” (perhaps this is why we like her so much).

After kicking their keg of Fresh Hop brew, we moved on to pours of Wild Raspberry and the mighty Yeti Imperial Stout. Then, we moved on to Star Bar, a lovely dive bar. For this particular evening the pub had regional brews including some tasty sour ales on draft from jockeyboxes.

Our last stop of the evening was at Blake Street Vault, also in the LoDo District. Here an Oskar Blues tap takeover was in effect. Tastes of their big Ten Fidy Imperial Stout served as a nice nightcap. Also, the Home Grown Hops (HGH) Dry-hopped Strong Ale was tasting quite good.

With the first night in the books, we are now set to hit the floor of the Colorado Convention Center downtown and get into some serious tasting. Stay tuned…

Posted under beer reviews, places to drink beer

While we are getting geared up for next weekend’s Ladies of Lagers and Ales tastival, next weekend at Saraveza, we look back over the past weekend and remember an amazing flavorsome celebration of another group of females – hops.

You see, hops are the female flower clusters, or strobiles, of the hop species, Humulus lupulus. At this time of year, the herbaceous perennials are reaching to high heaven, and just recently, if you’ve observed your bines, you may have noticed the flowering finger-like fruits beginning to form spicy cones.

Saraveza’s 2nd Annual IIPA Fest took place on Saturday and Sunday, July 16 and 17, and was a celebration of the most regal, magisterial, and potent of all hoppy beers. Ah, the Imperial India Pale Ale (IIPA) – bigger and bolder, and often more bitter than its already amplified parent. Read More…

Posted under Oregon beer, beer events, places to drink beer, weekend in review

It was a weekend filled with brews, birthdays, and beer bashes.

To keep the alliteration rolling, Friday was a Bend beer ball at The BeerMongers. Brewers and representatives from around the Bend and Central Oregon region made the trek to Portland to share some of their finer offerings. Highlights included having Tonya Cornett of Bend Brewing, Jimmy Seifrit of 10 Barrel, Tyler Reichert of Silver Moon, Ryan Schmiege of Deschutes, and Tony Lawrence of Boneyard Beer in the house.

The taps were loaded with some Bend’s best, ranging from sessionable to extreme. On the light side, Three Creeks of Sisters brought their Golden Ale, Deschutes supplied their Portland brewed Armory XPA (an American Extra Pale Ale), and Silver Moon tapped their GABF medal-winning Read More…

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

By Aaron Brussat

Chip Hardy, owner of The Bier Stein Bottleshop & Pub of Eugene, is putting his brewing boots back on. It started with last year’s “High Five,” a deceptively strong imperial red ale that Hardy brewed at Ninkasi to commemorate the Stein’s fifth anniversary, and which took first in a blind imperial red taste-off. His first collaboration of this year, “Missing Link” IPA, was brewed at Oakshire and took first place in a flight of local IPAs.

Due out soon is another strong, hoppy offering: a revisiting of a Glen Hay Falconer tribute beer that Hardy and Todd Friedman, now a brewer at Hop Valley, brewed when they worked together at West Brothers. The new beer, the 6^th Element Imperial IPA, should be available at The Bier Stein and Hop Valley in early July. Future plans include a beer with Read More…

Posted under Beer personalities, Oregon beer, beer history, beer releases

The Brewers Association announces that the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) eligibility rules have been updated. Beginning in 2011, breweries located in the unincorporated, organized U.S. Territories of Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands will be eligible to enter the GABF.

Each year, breweries throughout the U.S. enter commercially available beers to be judged by the GABF’s professional judge panel. Festival attendees can also sip the beer entered in the competition during four tasting sessions.

The Great American Beer Festival invites sensory trained beer industry professionals from around the world to evaluate entries in over 80 style categories. Judge panelists recognize up to three beers in each category with gold, silver and bronze medals. These awards are among the most coveted in the industry and heralded by the winning brewers in their national advertising.

Posted under beer events, beer news, press releases

Brewpublic just caught wind of a very special upcoming “Drink The Beer” night at Apex Bar in Southeast Portland. Apex founder Jesse McCann and company welcome award winning, nationally acclaimed Pizza Port of Carlsbad, California and their brewmaster Jeff Bagby to town, as well as some other talented PP brewers and staff.

Jeff Bagby

McCann says “My friend Jeff Bagby, head brewer at Pizza Port Carlsbad, is coming up for a visit a long with his three assistant brewers and one of the owners of Pizza Port,” adding “They were nice enough to send ten of their delicious and award winning beers up for an awesome night of liquid sunshine on tap at Apex.”

This unique opportunity to taste the choice brews of Pizza Port will be held on Wednesday, January 26th, from 5 to 9PM at Apex.

Here’s a list of what will be served: Read More…

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

Those who attended Brewpublic’s KillerBeerFest at Bailey’s Taproom has the opportunity to try Pelican Pub & Brewery‘s re-release of Full House, an imperial brown ale commemorating a big win at the Great American Beer Festival a few years back: three Gold medals, two Silver medals and “Large Brewpub of the Year at the 2006 GABF. One of Pelican’s fans said, “Three golds and two silvers, that’s a full house!” This huge win inspired this big ale. Full House has a dark red-brown color, a solid foundation of caramel and cocoa-like chocolate malt, and a pronounced floral Northwest hop character. Full-bodied and full of flavor, Full House finishes clean, balanced, warming and satisfying.

Attendees at two more great beer bars in Portland, Oregon will be able to meet some of the Pelican brewing team and taste the Full House brew.

When/where: Wednesday, October 27, 2010, 6-8 PM at  Saraveza, 1004 N Killingsworth Street

Thursday, October 28, 2010, 6-8 PM at Belmont Station,  4500 SE Stark Street

Posted under Oregon beer, beer events, beer releases

More than a year after winning gold and silver medals at the 2009 Great American Beer Festival, Cascade Brewing will begin selling 750 ml bottles of its Bourbonic Plague and Vlad the Imp-Aler at a release party this Saturday, October 16, from 9 am to 6 pm at the Cascade Brewing Barrel House.

Cascade Brewmaster Ron Gansberg will be in attendance to promote the beers and answer any questions.  From 4 to 5 PM and 6 to 7 PM, Gansberg will switch hats and hit the stage with his bluegrass-folk band, Black Lodge. The pub will be serving its typical menu, plus a smoked pork sandwich special beginning at 11 AM.

Bourbonic Plague is a blend of strong dark porters aged in oak, wine and bourbon barrels, then blended with a dark porter that had been brewed with vanilla beans and cinnamon.  The blend was then aged an additional 14 months on dates.  The resulting beer is 12% ABV.  This was the gold medal winner in the wood- and barrel-aged sour beer category at the 2009 GABF.

A strong Northwest Sour, Vlad the Imp-Aler is a blend of 23- and 25-degree Plato sour blonde quadruppels and sour bourbon barrel tripels aged in oak and bourbon barrels, then further blended with spiced blondes and left to condition for an additional five months.  It comes in at 10.3% ABV.  This beer won the silver medal in the same category as Bourbonic.

Each bottle retails for $22 and the maximum purchase per person is a half case – 6 bottles – per style (this policy is subject to change based on availability).

The Cascade Brewing Barrel House is the country’s first “House of Sour,” with no fewer than a dozen taps devoted to the brewery’s sour beers, and another two reserved for sour beers directly from barrels in the cooler wall that are tapped every Tuesday at 6 PM.

Cascade Brewing Barrel House is located at 939 SE Belmont Street in Portland, Oregon. For more information, call (503) 265-8603.

Posted under Oregon beer, beer news, beer releases, brewpubs, places to drink beer, press releases

More than a year after winning gold and silver medals at the 2009 Great American Beer Festival, Cascade Brewing will begin selling 750 ml bottles of its Bourbonic Plague and Vlad the Imp-Aler at a release party this Saturday, October 16, from 9 am to 6 pm at the Cascade Brewing Barrel House.

Cascade Brewmaster Ron Gansberg will be in attendance to promote the beers and answer any questions. From 4 to 5 PM and 6 to 7 PM, Gansberg will switch hats and hit the stage with his bluegrass-folk band, Black Lodge. The pub will be serving its typical menu, plus a smoked pork sandwich special beginning at 11 AM.

Bourbonic Plague is a blend of strong dark porters aged in oak, wine and bourbon barrels, then blended with a dark porter that had been brewed with vanilla beans and cinnamon. The blend was then aged an additional 14 months on dates. The resulting beer is 12% ABV. This was the gold medal winner in the wood- and barrel-aged sour beer category at the 2009 GABF.

A strong Northwest Sour, Vlad the Imp-Aler is a blend of 23- and 25-degree Plato sour blonde quadruppels and sour bourbon barrel tripels aged in oak and bourbon barrels, then further blended with spiced blondes and left to condition for an additional five months. It comes in at 10.3% ABV. This beer won the silver medal in the same category as Bourbonic.

Each bottle retails for $22 and the maximum purchase per person is one half case – 6 bottles – per style (this policy is subject to change based on availability).

The Cascade Brewing Barrel House is the country’s first “House of Sour,” with no fewer than a dozen taps devoted to the brewery’s sour beers, and another two reserved for sour beers directly from barrels in the cooler wall that are tapped every Tuesday at 6 PM.

Cascade Brewing Barrel House is located at 939 SE Belmont Street in Portland, Oregon. For more information, call (503) 265-8603.

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

Silver Moon Brewing of Bend, Oregon has been wowing palates of late with some of their specialty beers. In fact, the brewery landed themselves a bronze medal at this year’s Great American Beer Fest for their Bridge Creek Pilsner (Bohemian-style Pilsner). Look for their recently bottled Fresh Hopped ale dubbed “HOPpopatamus.” We talked to our friend Tim Ensign of Mountain Peoples Beer & Wine Distributors and agree with him that “It was AWESOME!” Brewed with fresh harvested Oregon Cascade Hops, this 6.7% ABV brew states “IBU-unknown” though it’s clear it is on the high end of the scale. Ensign says “I have tried over 15 Fresh Hop beer this year and this one is super Hoppy and is probably my favorite…and you all know I’m a hophead!”  Look for it at the fresh hop tastivals around Oregon and around Oregon in limited bottles where fine beer is sold.

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