This year BridgePort Brewing sent their Hop Czar to the Oregon Brewers Festival.  We are not referring to their tasty Imperial IPA (no, they had the Stumptown Tart fruit beer on hand for this year’s OBF), we are referring to the actual Czar himself. He was hoisted about the festival, tossing hops into the crowd. He event took a moment to interview some folks attending the event. Above is the video. Enjoy!

Posted under beer events, beers on film, Oregon beer

By Chris Crabb

They came, they saw, they drank: 80,000 people traveled from all parts of the world to celebrate the 25^thconsecutive Oregon Brewers Festival.  The four-day event took place July 26th through July 29th at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in downtown Portland.

Posted under beer events, beer reviews, Oregon beer

We’ve said it before and it will undoubtedly be heralded once again – there really isn’t anywhere else on this planet, or at very least, on this continent, that holds a candle to Portland, Oregon when it comes to craft beer. As the last statement was typed, there may have just been another craft brewery open in what we know as Beervana.

The pinnacle of the region’s festive embrace of craft ales and lagers is without a doubt the month of July. It just makes sense for so many reasons, especially the climate. Despite the reputation that Oregon has deservedly earned for being a gray and rainy place, the summers here are simply unbeatable. Sure, this might not be until July that the season hesitantly reveals itself, but once it does, it is not to be beat. For the most part, little humidity and rain within a temperate quasi-rain forest climate means perfect beer sessioning weather. And if you’ve spent much time in the Midwest or East Coast, you know that the mugginess of those parts can really get to you. Further, for such as lush green environment, the Pacific Northwest, well, in most parts, is in comparison free of the pestering black flies, mosquitoes, minges, no-see-ums, etc that make portions of the summer months intolerable in said eastward regions. When people question why craft beer is king out here, one variable other than the obvious soft water and proximity to incomparable and bountiful hops is the climate. The dark and drizzly overcast months that keep the conifers happy between the Coastal Range and the Cascades is also quite conducive for enjoying Porters, Stouts, and other bolder styles that mightn’t be as approachable in other climate zones. Then when summer rolls in, there are so many light and quenching brews to appear that the opportunities appear limitless.This is why for the past seven years, July has been officially declared Oregon Craft Beer Month (OCBM). Read More…

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

Oregon Brewers Festival  (OBF) weekend is at the pinnacle of the state’s craft beer festivities for the year. Much like other prominent internationally acclaimed undertakings, the weekend is just as much about the satellite events happening about town as it is at the heart of OBF. One shining example of this phenomenon is Belmont Station‘s Fringe Fest taking place on Saturday July 28, 2012. This year’s fest on the fringe delivers many new faces in the ever-growing Oregon craft beer scene. Brewers Union Local 180, The Commons, Falling Sky, Harvester, Base Camp, Heater Allen, Solera, Hop Valley, and Pfriem Family Brewers will provide a range of unique styles including bold hoppy, cask, gluten-free, farmhouse, German-inspired, and more.

Here’s the details from our friends at Belmont Station. See you there! Read More…

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

Starting at 4 p.m. on Friday July 27, 2012 and running all weekend during the Oregon Brewers Fest, Roscoe’s will feature exclusively Oregon-brewed craft beer on their 16 rotating taps. According to publicans/visionaries Jeremy Lewis and Quyen Ly, the selection will include one-offs such as Oakshire Framboise, Upright Barrel-aged Lactovasilios, Deschutes Miss Spelt Sour, Fort George Hellcat Belgian Smoked Pepper Pale, Cadera Mogli Chocolate Porter, Amnesia Dopacetic Double IPA, Pfriem Blonde IPA, Prodigal Son Nitro Fatted Calf Sacrificial Coffee Stout, a Cascade Brewing and Boneyard Beer barrel-aged specialties, brews from The Commons, Gigantic, and many more.

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

Starting at 4 p.m. on Friday July 27, 2012 and running all weekend during the Oregon Brewers Fest, Roscoe’s will feature exclusively Oregon-brewed craft beer on their 16 rotating taps. According to publicans/visionaries Jeremy Lewis and Quyen Ly, the selection will include one-offs such as Oakshire Framboise, Upright Barrel-aged Lactovasilios, Deschutes Miss Spelt Sour, Fort George Hellcat Belgian Smoked Pepper Pale, Cadera Mogli Chocolate Porter, Amnesia Dopacetic Double IPA, Pfriem Blonde IPA, Prodigal Son Nitro Fatted Calf Sacrificial Coffee Stout, a Cascade Brewing and Boneyard Beer barrel-aged specialties, brews from The Commons, Gigantic, and many more.

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

Getting geared up for the 25th annual Oregon Brewers Festival (OBF)? We certainly are! With more than 100 beers to choose from, including the buzz tent featuring rare, bold, and one-off brews, and a newly established sour tent for those with a hankering for tart, wild, and funky brews, this year’s OBF looks to be the best ever.

We’ll leave the obvious choices from the buzz and sour tents off the list here. You’ll have to seek those out on your own. (Tip: Get on Twitter and follow @OBFBuzzTent and @OBFSourTent to discover updates on new kegs tapping in these sought after portions of the fest!)

Here’s our picks from the main offerings at OBF. These are based on a few factors including drinkability, uniqueness, and overall brewery reputation. But, hey, don’t take our word for it. Find your favorites and share with your friends! Read More…

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

ClusterFuggle @ Migration: To celebrate craft beer month Migration has invited four other breweries: Breakside, Burnside, Lompoc and Lucky Lab to create a beer with one requirement, use Cluster and Fuggle hops. These amazing brewers have created a wide variety of styles including a Red, ESB, IPA, Porter and Amber. ClusterFuggle @ Migration will be held Saturday July 21st @ 2PM. Meet the brewers who created these beers while enjoying the depth and variety these two hops hold.

Bavarian Wheat Infusion: Mike Branes is going to take 3 to 4 kegs of Migration’s Bavarian wheat beer and infuse it with seasonal fruit such as but not limited to; gooseberries, rhubarb, salmonberries, cherries, blackberries and boysenberries. This beer will be released at the end of July providing a great treat for those warm summer afternoons on Migration’s patio.

Coffee IPA: What does Portland love more than coffee and IPA’s, the two put into the same glass. Migration has created a beer infusion like no other. This amazing collaboration is created on a keg-by-keg basis with Migrations Lupulin IPA and Batdorf and Bronson coffee varietals. Check our website and follow us on twitter and Facebook to know when this decadent beverage is available.

Lucky Lab:

This amber is our ode to the traditional but less celebrated fuggle and cluster hops. Both are low alpha
and described as having an earthy aroma, rather than the citrus or pine so often associated with NW ales.
A.B.V.- 5.0
I.B.U.-34

Breakside:

A traditional robust porter made with 25% beechwood smoked malt.
ABV. -7.5%
IBU. -35

Burnside:

Is an Irish style Red Ale featuring a medium hop bitterness that is accented by a subtle amount of
chocolate malt and a candy like sweetness from caramel and melanoidin malts. Brewed exclusively with
fuggle and cluster hops for bitterness and aroma.
ABV: – 5.8%
IBU: – 58

Lompoc:

This light slightly malty brew is pale/straw in color with hints of fresh cut hay in the nose. Earthy and
floral we added over 1.5# per barrel of organic fuggle hops grown from our friends at Ploughman farms in
Veneta, Oregon.

ABV: -5.7%
IBU: -60

Migration:

Ever feel like things are just one big Cluster Fuggle? Send in our incredible British Ale to save the day! A
pleasure to drink any time of year, this Pale/ESB is hopped generously with the floral Cluster and spicy
Fuggle hops to bring about a sense of English even-tempered calm. A blend of malts, including ESB 2-
row as its base, have ClusterFuggle drinking in true Burton on Trent style with a smooth, dry yet malty
finish. At just over 6% ABV, this hoppy ale has all the right characteristics to clear your head and save your
palate.

ABV: – 6%
IBU: – 45

CLUSTER-FUGGLES AMBER

Breakside Smoked Porter

Cluster’s Last Stand

Lompoc Organic IPA

ClusterFuggle

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

Eugene, Oregon’s finest craft beer destination, The Bier Stein (345 E. 11th Ave.) is rocking Oregon Craft Beer Month with a few not to miss dual tap takeover events. This means that two Oregon breweries will dominate the taps on Wednesday evenings to the pleasure of thirsty Oregon beer lovers. These not to miss events will feature brewers and brewery reps and the Stein’s world class staff. Here’s the details from beer guru Dave Stockhausen: Read More…

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

To celebrate Oregon Craft Beer Month, Full Sail will release a new beer in their Brewer’s Share Experimentalline up: Clinton’s Wertzbier brewed by Brewer Clinton Wertzbaugher. Wertzbier is a Rauchbier which is a traditional German beer style using smoked barley malt. In fact, rauch means smoke in German. Used modestly in this recipe, the smoked malt imparts a delicate smoky character to Wertzbier. Munich malt complements with a pleasant sweetness. At 5.6% ABV and 17.5 IBU, this lager has a light body with a spicy hop nose from Czech Saaz hops, and finishes clean and crisp with a hint of smoke.

“I made this beer to celebrate the good times of summer. Two of my favorite things about the season are campfires and barbeques with friends.  Since I can’t always be around a glowing fire with buddies, I wanted to brew a Rauchbier to remind me of these good times. In just a sip, the smokiness transforms my bar stool into a camp chair. As a summer beer, it is brewed lighter in alcohol and less smoky than a traditional Rauchbier.  I used my favorite hops, Saaz and Crystal, and balanced it with Smoked, Munich and pale 2 Row malts. It makes for a unique and easy-going summer companion,” said Wertzbaugher.

Full Sail has scheduled two “Meet the Brewer and the Beer” events to showcase this new beer. The first Meet Brewer and the Beer event will be at Full Sail at Riverplace in Portland, Tuesday, July 10th from 5:00 – 6:30PM. The second is at the Full Sail Tasting Room and Pub in Hood River, on Thursday, July 12th from 5:00 to 6:30PM. Join the Full Sail crew to celebrate and toast a pint of the new brew. 

With each Brewer’s Share series beer, Full Sail picks a local charity to receive a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the beer. Clinton has chosen to support the Oregon Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and every keg of Clinton’s Wertzbier benefits this organization. The National MS Society funds more MS research, provides more services to individuals with MS, offers more professional education and furthers more advocacy efforts than any other MS organization in the world.

The Brewer’s Share series is a line-up of small batch draft beers where each Full Sailor takes a turn hand-crafting their own single batch recipe and a portion of the proceeds benefit a local charity of their choosing. Full Sail’s Brewer’s Share Experimental beers will only be available on tap at Full Sail’s Tasting Room and Pub in Hood River, Oregon, and at Full Sail’s Brewery at Riverplace, in Portland, Oregon. Growlers to go are available. The next Brewer’s Share Experimental will be brewed by Brewer Gavin Lord and is expected in late September.

In recognition of the positive impact that Oregon craft brewers have made to our communities, the entire month of July has been designated by the Governor as Oregon Craft Beer Month. “It is an honor to brew a beer for Oregon Craft Beer Month with one of my own recipes,” added Wertzbaugher.

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