21st Annual McMenamins Hillsdale Brewfest

Being in the midst of winter brings the return of the annual McMenamins Hillsdale Brewfest. The Hillsdale Brewfest turns of age this year, yes 21 consecutive years that the Hillsdale Brewery & Public House in Portland is home to one of the biggest beer battles of the year for McMenamins brewers.

On February 22, 2014, the 21st Annual Hillsdale Brewfest will pit 20 beers from the McMenamins breweries against one another for the chance at winning a championship belt, bragging rights and McMenamins sole inclusion into the Oregon Brewers Festival. This is no small feet. To become part of beer history, tasters can drop by anytime between 11:00am and 1:00am to order sampler trays and cast their ballot. Heated tents will keep festival-goers warm while they sip and savor these 20 beers. And for those of you completing the McMenamins Passport there will be a bonus Hillsdale Brewfest Passport stamp that’s unique to this event.

And while your enjoying the taster trays at the fest one can absorb some Oregon craft beer history. The Hillsdale Brewery & Public House was the very first brew pub to open in Oregon after prohibition and this year the pub itself just turned 30. Back in September of 1985 is when brothers Brian and Mike McMenamin installed a small brewery in the back of their Hillsdale Pub to become Oregon’s first brew pub. True craft beer pioneers!

The Fest is free to attend and a sampler tray with 10 (4 oz.) tastes will set you back $9.00. More details on the ten beers on each of the two sampler trays is listed further down in this post.

YELLOW TRAY
John Barleycorns Brewery • Tigard, OR
#HellesLager
Here is an example of a traditional light German-style lager; a balanced beer with malt, hops and yeast all working together without overpowering each other. Cool fermentation temperatures along with a lengthy time cold-conditioning help create a crisp, clean drinkability. With one sip you’ll feel as though you just “updated” your “status.” You might “like” it so much you’ll want to “share” it with your “friends.” #HellesLager may not be trending worldwide yet, but with a few retweets we’ll see.
Brewer: Tim Proctor Beer style: Helles Lager OG: 1.050 TG: 1.011 ABV: 5.03% IBU: 30 SRM: 4 Malts: Pilsen, Caramel Malt Pils, Caramel Vienna Hops: Chinook, Santiam, Ultra
Words to live by: YOLO – You only live once.

West Linn Brewery • West Linn, OR
Bob’s Pineapple Blonde
Pineapple always seems to be an ingredient that we whip out when we celebrate or when we want to act like we’re on the beach. Well, let’s do it.
Let’s celebrate us acting like we’re on the beach. You grab the Hawaii 5-0 soundtrack and I’ll grab a few glasses and a couple tiny umbrellas. Let’s get this party started.
Brewer: Jacob Willson Beer style: Blonde
OG: 1.045 TG: 1.007 ABV: 4.90% IBU: 23 SRM: 3
Malts: Pilsen, Wheat, Goldpils Vienna, Carapils, Barley Flakes
Hops: US Golding
Words to live by: Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? Spongebob Squarepants, that’s who.

Hillsdale Brewery • Portland, OR
White Van Wheat
This Belgian-style wheat beer was brewed with traditional malts and a Belgian wheat yeast that gives it a light color and a crisp, slightly fruity finish. Crushed coriander seeds and dried bitter orange peel were added late in the boil
to complement the yeast. Cascade and Centennial hops give the beer some Northwest flavor and Tettnanger hops finish with a continental aroma. It may take a few sips to taste it all.
Brewer: Tyler Newton Beer style: Belgian Wheat OG: 1.049 TG: 1.007 ABV: 5.4% IBU: 28 SRM: 4 Malts: Pilsen, Wheat, Rye
Hops: Centennial, Cascade, Tettnanger
Words to live by: “The universe is transformation; life is opinion.” – Marcus Aurelius

Lighthouse Brewery • Lincoln City, OR
Boiler Bay ESB
Struck by the ferocious beauty of the Oregon coast, we set out to brew a drink worthy to be served from Boiler Bay. Meet Boiler Bay ESB. Shining like sun on sand, this crisp ale has a bright, fresh nose courtesy of a bountiful late addition of Crystal hops. The flavor is brisk but balanced, favoring bready complexity over malty sweetness. This winter, as you stay warm, raise a pint of Boiler Bay ESB and toast the power of nature and its delicious bounty.
Brewer: Doug Ashley Brew style: Extra Special Bitter OG: 1.056 TG: 1.009 ABV: 6.06% IBU: 38 SRM: 8 Malts: 2-Row, C75 Crystal
Hops: Nugget, Crystal
Words to live by: Beer is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy.

Roseburg Brewery • Roseburg, OR
Trouble IPA
Trouble’s been brewing in Roseburg recently and now it has made its way to Portland. But make no mistake, you’ll have no trouble drinking and enjoying this delicious India Pale Ale. Pale Ale and Rye malts make up an ample malt base for the hops to play off of. The focus of this beer is on the Mosaic hops, which provide tropical fruit flavors and aromas reminiscent of peach, pineapple and mango. Enjoy the mischief.
Brewer: Tom Johnson Beer style: IPA
OG: 1.066 TG: 1.012 ABV: 6.97% IBU: 69 SRM: 5
Malts: Pale, Rye
Hops: Chinook, Mosaic
Words to live by: “Milk is for babies. When you grow up you have to drink beer.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

High Street Brewery • Eugene, OR
Wunder Bär Munich Dunkel
This traditional Bavarian lager is given a beautiful copper/ruby hue by the Munich base malt. The sweetness of the heavy malt bill is offset ever so slightly by Oregon’s own Crystal hop.
Brewer: Hanns Anderson Beer style: Munich Dunkel
OG: 1.058 TG: 1.012 ABV: 5.93% IBU: 22 SRM: 18
Malts: Dark Munich, Melanoidin, Blackprinz Hops: Crystal
Words to live by: Do more, think less!

McMenamins on the Columbia Brewery • Vancouver, WA
Smooth Hoperator
This big doppelbock is rich with malts and brings a bouquet of hops with every taste. Smooth Hoperator knows how to pick you up with its confident aromas and mysterious complexity. A couple of pints of this bold brew and you’ll have a story to tell your friends. Let your hair down and take in this tall drink of water, hops and grain.
Brewer: Matt Freeland Beer style: Doppelbock
OG: 1.080 TG: 1.016 ABV: 8.3% IBU: 100+ SRM: 7
Malts: Golden Promise, Maris Otter, Dark Munich, 135/165L Crystal, Melanoidin, Extra Special, Caramel Munich 80, Roasted Rye
Hops: Horizon, Tettnanger
Words to live by: “[Always] begin with a very classy first line…something like: Say, sweet thing, can I buy you a fish sandwich?” – The Ladies Man

Highland Brewery • Gresham, OR
Hyper Heifer Stout
Let us steer you in the right direction here: with a cold-extract addition of McMenamins’ very own coffee beans in a deep black stout already full of roasty aromas it would behoof you to know that this brew will get you mooving. It’s so good you’ll wish you had a second or third stomach for more. With the lactose sugar that was added during the boil, this beer has some body and some sweet- ness to chew on like a cud. I won’t milk it for compliments, but you can cownt on this brew to slake your thirst. Okay no more puns, I promise. Enjoy.
Brewer: Tyler Staples Beer style: Coffee Milk Stout
OG: 1.067 TG: 1.018 ABV: 6.18% IBU: 23 SRM: 37
Malts: Maris Otter, Munich, Flaked Barley, Carapils, Wheat, Special Aromatic, Caramel Munich 40, Chocolate, Roasted Barley
Hops: Horizon, Tettnanger
Words to live by: “Shoulder the sky, my lad, and drink your ale.” – A.E. Housman

Old St. Francis Brewery • Bend, OR
Rum Around Double Brown
The Parson Brown has become a winter time standard at McMenamins OSF Brewery the last 5 years. Yet this year we decided to enhance the batch a little more. What did we enhance it with? More malts, more hops, more flavor and more goodness! The mellow toffee malt flavors combine well with a light roast character. More hops, especially of the floral varietal, bring a nice roundness to the beer. Earthy and floral aromas give in to a taste of piney hops that combines a slight bitter and sweet flavor. Higher in alcohol than most other brown ales, Parson’s Double Brown offers slight warmth at the back of your drink and warms your soul when shared with good friends. And for an added benefit to this full- flavored drink, we aged some in our Three Rocks Rum barrel. A sweet woody aroma gives way to an oak dry finish. Run around with the easy sweet drink that is the Rum Around Brown!
Brewer: Mike “Curly” White Beer style: Barrel-Aged Double Brown
OG: 1.079 TG: 1.018 ABV: 7.9% IBU: 53 SRM: 15
Malts: Pale, Munich, Caramel Munich 40, Flaked Barley, Brown, Chocolate Hops: Chinook, Cascade, Sterling, Amarillo, Santiam
Special aging: Aged 3 months in a McMenamins Three Rocks Rum Barrel
Words to live by: This moment is the only moment that is guaranteed for you. Live it best you can.

Cornelius Pass Roadhouse Brewery • Hillsboro, OR
Rum Runner Double IPA
How does a brewery commemorate its 6,000th batch of beer? We invited over the distillers, cranked up the music and brewed up a huge double IPA. Along the way we christened the brew with ceremonial additions of our favorite rums, conditioned it over multiple courses of dry-hops and let it matriculate in a rum barrel. The result is a robust beer with hints of oak, vanilla and orange peel complemented by a sturdy hop nose with prominent citrus and resin character. Brewers: Chris Oslin, Brady Romtvedt Beer style: Double IPA
OG: 1.081 TG: 1.014 ABV: 8.64% IBU: 100+ SRM: 11
Malts: Pilsen, Vienna, Victory, Caramel Munich 40, Flaked Barley
Hops: Chinook, Citra, Falconer’s Flight
Words to live by: Brady – When in doubt, dry it out. Chris – When you argue with a fool, you become a fool.

BLUE TRAY
Wilsonville Old Church Brewery • Wilsonville, OR
Radiant Sky Pils
Experience the bright radiance of this crisp Bohemian-style Pilsner. Generous hop additions give the beer a distinct noble hop aroma with just the right amount of bitterness. Meanwhile, the use of Premium German Pilsner and Special Aromatic malts provide a pleasant malt character throughout. Each pint goes down smooth and is sure to leave you wanting more.
Brewer: Justin Azevedo Beer style: Pilsner
OG: 1.045 TG: 1.007 ABV: 4.90% IBU: 3 SRM: 44
Malts: Pilsen, Carapils, Special Aromatic
Hops: Tettnanger, Ultra, Santiam, Sterling
Words to live by: “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle” – Plato

Oak Hills Brewery • Portland, OR
Stephen Weizen
Named for the best brewer in the “Oak Hills Village” strip mall, I have made a traditional German wheat beer or Weizen. The part that makes it so unique is the yeast. The strain used is called Weihenstephan. It produces flavors that include spicy clove and fresh banana. This Weizen has medium body, but suspended yeast may increase the perception of body. The texture of wheat imparts the sensation of a fluffy, creamy fullness that may progress to a light, spritzy fin-
ish aided by high carbonation. This style is always effervescent and satisfying. Thank you for coming—enjoy!
Brewer: Stephen Harper Beer style: Weizen
OG: 1.056 TG: 1.010 ABV: 5.9% IBU: 28 SRM: 7
Malts: Wheat, Pale, C30 Crystal
Hops: Nugget, Amarillo, Crystal
Words to live by: If you don’t win at first, get up and try, try
again. – A very wise person

Fulton Brewery • Portland, OR
Panhandle Oatmeal Pale
Amarillo, Texas happens to be the most populated city in the Texas Panhandle.
It is no accident then, that Panhandle Oatmeal Pale is heavily populated with Northwest-grown Amarillo hops. The result is hoppy ale with a rich texture and a delicious orange-like citrus flavor and aroma. Mild caramel notes round out the finish of this Northwest-style pale ale.
Brewer: Ryan Mott Beer style: American Pale Ale
OG: 1.050 TG: 1.009 ABV: 5.29% IBU: 46 SRM: 6
Malts: Pilsen, Rolled Oats, CaraMunich 40
Hops: Chinook, Amarillo
Words to live by: “Don’t ever try and be like anybody else and don’t be afraid to take risks.” – Waylon Jennings

Mill Creek Brewery • Mill Creek, WA
Hillfire Red
This take on the Irish Red Ale uses a touch of smoked malt to give it a hint of fire. The rich malt flavors of toffee, biscuit and roasty goodness are tempered slightly by a moderate floral bitterness. Relax and enjoy the raging fire in the safety of a pint. Brewers: Charlton Fulton Beer style: Irish Red
OG: 1.054 TG: 1.010 ABV: 5.7% IBU: 28 SRM: 15
Malts: Pilsner, Amber, Caramel Munich 40, Roasted Barley, Chocolate, Smoked Malt Hops: Chinook, US Golding
Words to live by: “Life is like Sanskrit read to a pony.” – Lou Reed

Thompson Brewery • Salem, OR
Dahlia Moon
Easygoing currents of Italian Plum lay across this deeply hued unique ale. Fermented with Sake yeast and blended with malts that bring the body to a dark- er color, she is not as heavily bodied as she looks. These two worlds come togeth- er to create an ale with a modern mouth feel as your mind sits and identifies all the unique tones, flavors and characteristics this lovely lady has to offer you. Brewer: Jen Kent Beer style: Japanese Sake-yeast Beer
OG: 1.062 TG: 1.014 ABV: 6.19% IBU: 28 SRM: 42
Malts: Pale, Wheat, Vienna, Organic C60 & 135/165L Crystal, Midnight Wheat, Blackprinz
Hops: Chinook, Cascade
Words to live by: “I am at two with nature.” – Woody Allen

Crystal Brewery • Portland, OR
Hop Bock and Roll
This is a Bavarian specialty first brewed in Munich by the monks of St. Francis
of Paula. Historical versions were less well attenuated than modern interpreta- tions, with consequently higher sweetness and lower alcohol levels and hence were considered “liquid bread” by the monks. Traditional versions are malty with very little hop aroma and flavor, but this version was Americanized with more hop aroma and flavor. The malts provide flavors of plum, chocolate, and roast while a blend of American and Noble hops provides spicy, earthy and flo- ral notes. Then we double dry-hopped this batch with a new American variety of hops called Ultra that gives it a citrusy flavor and aroma.
Brewers: Dan Black, Mark Goodwin Beer style: Maibock
OG: 1.078 TG: 1.015 ABV: 8.2% IBU: 44 SRM: 10
Malts: Vienna, Pilsner, Corn Flakes, Munich, Flaked Barley, Caramel Munich 40 Hops: Tettnanger, Sterling, Ultra
Words to live by: “People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they’re not on your road doesn’t mean they’ve gotten lost.” – Dalai Lama

Edgefield Brewery • Troutdale, OR
Glory Boy
This Black India Lager is a hoppy, dark beer that doesn’t give a damn about beer styles. It is a tribute to the brewer who sticks ten kinds of exotic fruits and spices in one tiny batch of beer and ferments it with the rarest Mesopotamian yeast. It’s a beer for the brewer who refuses to be bound by technical guidelines or tradition and seeks greatness through a Trappist-style Belgian Quintuppel aged on Norwegian wood in a humidor kept next to a crate full of poblano chil- ies. This is a beer for the brewer or brewery we all know and love; keep pushing the boundaries, Glory Boy.
Brewers: Matt Bergfield, Nathan Whitney, Bruce Loux, Drew Phillips, Will Gaither Beer style: Cascadian Dark Lager
OG: 1.060 TG: 1.014 ABV: 5.93% IBU: 71 SRM: 26
Malts: Pilsen, Rolled Oats, CaraPils, C40 Crystal, Extra Special Malt, Midnight Wheat Hops: Nugget, Simcoe, Sterling, Cascade, Mosaic Dry hop: Meridian
Words to live by: No hops, no glory.

McMenamins on Monroe Brewery • Corvallis, OR
Griff’s Porter
This Porter is a kinder, gentler beer than the more aggressive Terminator Stout. The Blackprinz malt is dehusked before it is roasted, removing the astringent bitterness and leaving in the dark color and sweet flavor. I named this brew after a good friend of 35 years. Porter is his favorite beer, so cheers Glenn.
Brewer: Gary Nance
Beer style: Porter
OG: 1.054 TG: 1.015 ABV: 5.03% IBU: 29 SRM: 32
Malts: Pale Malt, Flaked Barley, C120 & 135/165L Crystal, Victory, Chocolate, Blackprinz
Hops: Chinook, US Golding
Words to live by: If you can’t use it for what you need it for, then it’s no damn good.

Concordia Brewery • Portland, OR
Double Helix Double IPA
We decided to go all out and try to craft the perfect pint for all the hop-heads out there–and here it is! Loaded with more than 20 pounds of hops, this beer is packed with citrus and pine flavors but goes down incredibly smooth. The addi- tion of dextrose helps to lighten the body and make it an easy drinker. Enjoy!
Brewers: Matt Carter, Dave Kosanke
Beer style: Double IPA
OG: 1.071 TG: 1.006 ABV: 8.38% IBU: 100+ SRM: 5
Malts: 2-row, Dextrapils, Flaked Barley, Caramel Vienna
Hops: Chinook, Simcoe, Falconer’s 7 C’s
Words to live by: Friday is the beginning of my liver’s workweek.

Dad Watsons Brewery • Seattle, WA
The Reckoning
The Roy St. Brewery is stepping aside this year to showcase what is the last remaining keg from our beloved Dad Watson’s Pub. The Reckoning was made to satisfy the thirst of those who know that all things good begin with the most sinister of ideas. This evil beer took 13 hours and a lifetime’s worth of patience to make, all because of one thought: “Is there such a thing as too much? No.” And then reality set in. This three-year-old Dark Belgian Strong has had quite the transformation in flavor and aroma as it sat in a dark corner of the cooler for what seems like an eternity. “Green” would be a good word to describe this beer when it debuted. With time, it has come around nicely, with a traditional Belgian flavor and a hint of rich chocolate, making it a big beer for these cold winter nights.
Brewer: Brian Lawrence
Beer style: Dark Belgian Strong Ale
OG: 1.094 TG: 1.011 ABV: 10.71% IBU: 38 SRM: 26
Malts: 2-Row, Vienna, Rolled Oats, C75 Crystal, Chocolate
Hops: Crystal, Sorachi Ace
Special ingredients: Turbinado Sugar, Trappist High Gravity Yeast Words to live by: “Ideas are, in truth, force.” – Henry James

Hillsdale Brewery & Public House
1505 S.W. Sunset Blvd.
Portland, OR 97239