Despite your view on what a hoppy dark ale should be dubbed, whether it be Black IPA, Cascadian Dark Ale, what have you, it’s nice to see the style that is a staple here in the Pacific Northwest get traction elsewhere. Especially in the South. Houston, Texas brewery Saint Arnold has just announced that they will be unveiling Icon Cascadian Dark Ale, a one-off brew from the state’s oldest brewery, inspired by an award-winning small homebrewed batch. In the heart of Texas you might not expect to find a beer referred to as a CDA. In fact you might assume it would be branded as a Texas Brown Ale. You might not know this but there is a connection to Texas from one of Oregon’s most beloved breweries, Fort George or Astoria. The coastal brewery purchased their up-scaled 30-barrel system from Saint Arnold a few years back and are making some Cascadian originals. We digress… Here’s the scoop from Houston and the good folks at Saint Arnold: Read More…

Posted under beer news, beer releases, press releases

A few months back I wrote an article for the Brewers Association’s website CraftBeer.com about the ever elusive and often overlooked brown ale. In this piece titled “Brown Ales: The Overlooked Spectrum of Beer”, we take a look at this non-definite style of beer that can range anywhere from an English Mild Ale to a Belgian Oud Bruin.

Like red ales, brown ales are defined by their color rather than a specific flavor profile or ingredient bill (though these factors absolutely play into the characteristics of such a beer). In Brewpublic’s ongoing series, “Best of the Browns”, this third installment looks to a local expert to provide us with some of more insight into browns. This expert is Bill Schneller of the Oregon Brew Crew. Schneller is a mentor to many aspiring brewers through his encouragement and on-going education. With a refined palate, Schneller, a national Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) judge, humbly refers to himself as a homebrewer and amateur beer historian, though anyone who has spent anytime with him knows there is much more to the man.

Some months back we caught up with Bill Schneller to discuss brown ales, their history and the range of flavors and styles they encompass. Read More…

Posted under beer and food, Beer Education, Beer personalities

The San Francisco Bay area, much like the rest of the civilized West Coast finds itself smack dab in the middle of the craft beer revolution. With this, we see a great proliferation of craft beer culture manifested in the form of new bottle shops, bars, and breweries, as well as an overall growth in the interest in artisan brewed goods. One such shining example of the region’s ongoing growth is the past weekend’s opening of Beltane Brewing in the town of Novato, CA in the region’s North Bay in Marin County.

Already with two breweries in town in the popular Moylan’s Brewery, which has been serving up handcrafted beer since 1995, and the younger Lucky Town Brewing. But now, more of the region’s nooks and crannies are getting filled with more flavors to attempt to sate the unquenchable thirst of those like us, in pursuit of the next perfect pour. Read More…

Posted under Bay Area beer, brewpubs, California Beer, places to drink beer

When you’re the President of the United States of America the simplest of tasks and decisions are never easy. It’s as though you can’t even go to the bathroom without someone trying to analyze the outcome. Well, this is understandable since there have been so few who have served as commander of the Free World, a responsibility so daunting and challenging, you’d need not even worry about its tribulations since in all conceivable likelihood, your odds of becoming President are on par with winning the next Mega Millions lotto.

But still, there has been a lot of chatter of late about the President’s choice in beer. And for us who value American companies and craft products, it’s safe to say that Obama’s decisions when it comes to beer have been quite disheartening in many ways. Understandable yes, because drinking the fizzy yellow adjunct-riddled swill owned by foreign multi-nationalist corporations does resonate and reflect the “tastes” of the common American. But then again, so does buying Chinese made trinkets from Wal-Mart. And, yes, to be the leader of the Free World, or even an higher ranking political official in our system, one must play by a set of rules that almost always means getting into bed with Big Business. Bank and automobile maker bailouts are a prime example of how corrupt our system is, so why should our officials show any more class when it comes to what tipple to pursue? Read More…

Posted under beer events, Beer personalities

Homebrew Sunday 5/13/12 Starting @ 2pm :

We will be brewing our version of Alesmith’s IPA.

Posted under beer events, events

By Jen Sotolongo

The Industrial Revolution led to great advancements in technology, machinery, generated jobs, expanded the transportation network, and created a class of very wealthy individuals. However, working conditions were often dangerous and workers had few rights in terms of hours, pay, and security.

The negative impacts of the Industrial Revolution led to a drinking problem among Americans. Alcohol abuse was blamed for societal ills, paving the road for the inevitable Prohibition. By the time the Volstead Act was signed on January 16, 1920, a number of states had already enacted prohibition laws.

On March 23, 1933, after 13 long years, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed into law legislation permitting the sale of 3.2% beer, effective April 7 of that year.  Anxious beer drinkers, thirsty for a pint, lined the streets to celebrate the repeal of Prohibition and toast the president at the stroke of 12:01 AM. Unfortunately, an accidental omission of the words “and beer” from the bill legalizing home winemaking meant that home brewing remained illegal, and would remain so for many years. Read More…

Posted under beer history

Boulder, CO. April 10, 2012 A celebration of National Homebrew Day, known as AHA Big Brew, is now in its 15 th year. F.H. Steinbart Co. will host a local site on May 5, 2012. Organized by the American Homebrewers Association (AHA), AHA Big Brew celebrates National Homebrew Day, honored on the first Saturday of May. AHA Big Brew brings together thousands of homebrewers from around the world, all brewing the same beers simultaneously. More than 5,000 homebrewers from North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, South America and Australia are expected to participate this year.

F.H. Steinbart Co. is happy to invite anyone interested in homebrewing to stop by from 9am to 4pm on Saturday, May 5, 2012 to join the fun! F.H. Steinbart Co. 234 SE 12th Ave. Portland, OR 97214 www.fhsteinbart.com Call 503-232-8793 or email info@fhsteinbart.com for more information. Homebrewers may register their AHA Big Brew sites online at HomebrewersAssociation.org. On May 5, friends and family gather to brew one or both of the two AHA Big Brew recipes. At noon Central time, homebrewers raise their glasses of homebrewed ales and lagers for a simultaneous toast to homebrewing, a hobby that hundreds of thousands of people around the world enjoy. “AHA Big Brew highlights what is so special about homebrewers—their friendliness, interest in sharing with others, passion for beer, and of course, their affinity for having fun.” said Gary Glass, AHA Director. For more information on AHA Big Brew, please visit the Events section of HomebrewersAssociation.org or homebrewersassociation.org/pages/events/national-homebrew-day.

The American Homebrewers Association has worked on behalf of the homebrewing community since 1978 and celebrates a membership of more than 30,000 homebrewers. The American Homebrewers Association (AHA) organizes events including the National Homebrewers Conference and National Homebrew Competition. The AHA also publishes Zymurgy magazine. The AHA is part of the Brewers Association, whose Brewers Publications division is the largest publisher of contemporary and relevant brewing literature for today’s craft brewers and homebrewers. Follow the AHA on Twitter, and join us on Facebook.

Posted under beer events, events, Oregon beer

The public has voted and It has been decided, Widmer is going to be brewing their Pitch Black IPA at Uptown Market on April 14th, 2012.  This event is going to be an epic event of grand proportions.  The plan thus far is for WIdmer to take over all 6 of Uptown Markets Beer Taps.  Uptown Market in the mean time is going to try and do their best to clone a couple of Widmer’s beers, the Drifter Pale ale and the Alt Beer.  Those two will also be on tap for tasting during the event.!

What this means for you:  We have agreed that 4 special people will get the opportunity to be the ones actually brewing with the brewer!

How you ask:  We will be running a contest through our shop with an entry available at purchase announce the winners the first Thursday in April at Uptown Market.  Check back soon for further details!

Posted under events, Uncategorized

Trevor Thurston has been an integral part of the North Portland beer community for quite some time. Serving in a myriad of roles from heading NoPo Brews which advocates craft beer culture and provides a forum and resources for homebrewers to thrive,  to running the taps and organizing events at Plew’s Brews in Portland’s St. Johns Neighborhood. Thurston’s passion for craft beer has remained unwavering for years and now he is taking this passion to the next level by breaking ground on a commercial brewery, Defy Brewing, in the heart of St. Johns where one other popular brewery, Occidental, has shown microbrewing can survive and even prosper.  Thurston gives us a glimpse into the future of his new brewery. Read More…

Posted under beer news, Beer personalities, Oregon beer

The Hoppy Brewer is all about beer.  And even better, this destination is sharing their passion for the craft with locals in Gresham, OR. Founded in 2010 when proprietor Steve Krause, 46, and a homebrewer friend were brewing up a homebrew for a party in August of that year. The Hoppy Brewer stocks homebrewing supplies ranging from equipment and ingredient kits to all the loose ingredients and supplies needed to make beer.  In addition to providing for the aspiring brewer, the shop offers a selection of bottles that has grown to over 200 and houses 10 revolving taps which can be enjoyed in Gresham’s only heated beer garden.  Currently the shop has three employees, including Krause, and their growth is a testament to the region’s burgeoning embrace of craft brew.

We spoke with Krause to learn more about his undertaking. Read More…

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