Two Saturday Beer Festivals And Other Beer Events For the Week of January 19

Natalie Rose Baldwin (above, with friend at the 2015 Pro-Am) is moving on from Burnside Brewing to brew at Breakside’s Milwaukie brewery, which means she has to drink a yard of beer — it looks easy but it isn’t —  before she goes, as does cellarman Tyler, who’ll be moving up in the ranks of Burnside Brewers. The farewell party starts at 4:30 p.m. Friday Jan. 20 at Burnside Brewing Co., 701 E. Burnside St. and several of Natalie’s beers should be on tap. Here are the descriptions they sent me:

• Juin Bloom 3.3%ABV 10 IBU
  Low alcohol Belgian table beer aged in a pinot barrel with spent gin botanicals from local distillery, Ransom. Brewed using all German malt: base of Vienna, spelt and wheat, along with 100% Perle hops. Light bodied: bright gin nose, nutty, subtle passionfruit, hint of tart/dry spelt malt.
• The Riveter 6.3% abv 16 IBU
  The Riveter was brewed by two female brewers, Burnside’s Natalie Baldwin in collaboration with Do Bongers of Oersoep Brewing in the Netherlands. This delicate but bold rose saison uses Portland Farmland honey from Bee Local to add a subtle floral note, oats for a soft mouth feel, rose petals for a slight peppery flavor and aroma, and rose water to add a bright note that balances the spiciness of the farmhouse yeast
• New Vintage 5% ABV 10IBU
  Pilsner malt, a touch of corn, lactose for a bit of sweet creaminess and depth, Bob’s Red Mill rolled oats along with wheat for added fluffiness and creaminess. This very light ale was fermented at colder than traditional temperatures and cold conditioned like a lager for easy drinking beer but is still complex.
• Mum 8.4% ABV 50IBU
  Blended Bourbon barrel aged wheat stout
• Gin and Joose 6.2% ABV 3 IBU
  French Saison aged in Ransom Gin barrels with peaches, strawberries and lavender.

Widmer Brothers/OSU Collabo
4 p.m. Thursday Jan. 19, Widmer Pub 955 N. Russell St.;
Tapping Entekeller, brewed at the Widmer pilot brewery under the direction of Tom Bleigh and Corey Blodgett with students from OSU’s Fermentation Science program.

Widmer Brothers/54′ 40” Collabo
5 p.m. Thursday Jan. 19, Saraveza, 1004 N. Killingsworth St.;
The Widmer pilot brewery crew got together with one of my favorite brewers, Bolt Minister from 54′ 40” and brewed up Altogetherness, a moderately bitter, easy drinking, 5.4 percent Northwest style lager. Here’s the sales sheet blurb: “Is it craft or crafty? Are you a liberal or conservative? Are you for or against New England Style IPAs? In these times of great divisiveness, there is Altogetherness: a Northwest style lager brewed with flaked corn and 48 lb. of whole cone Cascade hops. Everyone can get behind this easy drinking, light colored brew with enough bitterness to please even the snobbiest of IPA drinker amongst us. We brew to bring people together. Beer welcomes all. Sit back with a friend, enemy, or just some kind stranger and enjoy a pint of Altogetherness.”

Sounds good to me…

Brewmaster Series – Barrel Aged Beers featuring Ben Edmunds & Matt Van Wyk
6:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday Jan. 19, Growler Guys, 816 SE Eighth Ave.; $24
For the first two-hour session of their Brewmaster Series, the growler Guys crew chose Ben Edmunds of Breakside Brewery and Matt Van Wyk of Alesong Brewing and Blending. Ticketholders will be able to talk to Ben and Matt who will each offer and discuss three of their limited barrel-aged beers (5-oz pours) and Steve’s Cheese will provide an assortment of meats, cheeses and bread. Here are the beers:
Breakside:
#MakingFriendsMakingMemories- Blend of sour wheat beers aged on raspberries then partially aged in French oak with Brettanomyces
Fitzcarraldo- A blend of Belgian dark strong ale that spent over 18 months in Bourbon barrels, small portion of a Bourbon barrel-aged stout that had spent 12 months in barrels a dash of Toro Red, a smoky amber ale.
Wunder Brett- Experimental blonde beer fermented 100% with Brettanomyces, conditioned on aged whole leaf hops, and blended with our Sour Golden ale.
Alesong:
Shake Your Tree- American wild ale aged in oak barrels with peaches.
Saison du Vin ’16- farmhouse ale aged in oak and acacia barrels and conditioned with Muscat juice.
Rhino Suit- Imperial milk stout aged in bourbon barrels.

Russian River Inauguration Celebration
5-9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20, Imperial Bottle Shop & Taproom, 3090 S.E. Division St.;
Whether you’re celebrating or lamenting, do it with a good beer in hand, and the Imperial crew has assembled a fine taplist of Russian River beers and some Russian Imperial Stouts to help you make it through the night – you’re on your own for the next four years or until impeachment day, whichever comes first. Here’s the list:
Blind Pig IPA
Pliny the Elder IIPA
Temptation Sour Blonde aged in Chardonnay Barrels
Consecration Sour Dark Ale aged in Cabernet Sauvignon Barrels with Currants
Supplication Sour Brown Ale aged in Pinot Noir Barrels with Sour Cherries
Hopworks 2015 Bourbon Barrel Aged Motherland Russian Imperial Stout
Fort George Matryoshka Bourbon Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout

They’ll also have bottles of Temptation, Consecration, and Supplication for sale…

Cellar Fest 2017
Noon-close Saturday Jan. 21, Bailey’s Taproom, 213 SW Broadway;
Bailey’s kicks off its tenth year (!) in fine style, with one of its most eagerly anticipated events:
CellarFest, which debuted in the winter of 2010 with the aim of gaining more knowledge about the aging process and cellaring capability of certain beers.

“We tuck away a handful of kegs yearly that we think will evolve in some way over time. Oxidation and time are two elements that may allow beers to open up and unveil new flavors. Sometimes, harsher alcohol notes mellow out over the years and we get a product with rounder edges and softer tones. This year’s iteration is the official kickoff for our year-long 10 year celebration. Join us for a day of exploration into the fine art of cellaring beer and please share your tasting notes with us…”

• Alaskan 2011 Perseverance Ale
• Anchor 2011 Old Foghorn
• Avery 2012 Samael’s Ale
• Block 15 2012 Super Nebula
• Boneyard 2012 Suge Knite
• Deschutes 2012 Black Butte XXIV
• Humboldt Brewing 2011 Black Xantus
• Flat Tail 2012 Bourbon Porter
• Full Sail 2011 Old Boardhead
• North Coast 2008 Old Stock
• Ommegang 2012 Three Philosophers
• Sierra Nevada 2011 Life and Limb 2
• Southern Oregon 2012 Black Heart
• Southern Tier 2010 Choklat
• Stone 2012 Old Guardian
• Uinta 2012 Labyrinth
• Widmer 2012 Old Embalmer

Fifth Annual Winter Beer Festival
Noon-10 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21, Portland U-Brew/Unicorn Brewing, 6237 SE Milwaukie Ave; $20 includes logo glass and 10 samples.
The festival features six Unicorn Winter Warmers and winter beers from 13 Virtues, Lompoc, Gigantic, Uptown Market, and Laurelwood Brewing Co. plus live music. A portion of sales will be donated to a local post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Putting the Bell’s in Belmont Station
Monday Jan. 23, Belmont Station, 4500 SE Stark St.;
They’re excited at Belmont Station for the return of Bell’s Hopslam Double IPA: Last year, we were fortunate to get a very small amount of Hopslam for the first time ever in Portland. This year, we are getting a whole lot more (along with some really fresh Two-Hearted Ale), so come on in and get all you need to take home AND enjoy in the tap room.”

Jamaican Taste PDX
5- 8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 23, Culmination Brewing Co., 2117 NE Oregon St.;
Jamaican Taste PDX will be in the Culmination Brewing kitchen cooking up some tasty Jamaican cuisine such as Jerk Chicken; Caribbean style fish cakes; Jamaican beef and/or veggie pasties; and all dishes are served with a side of vegan Caribbean slaw and fried sweet plantains. Also the Culmination kitchen will still be open with a LIMITED menu, and the taproom will be open for beer as usual…

Cider School
6.30-9 p.m. Monday Jan. 23, Cider Riot! Pub, 807 NE Couch St.; $30 per session, $100 for all four.
Cider 101 is the first in a four-course education series on ciders of the world. From cider basics to in depth looks at regional cider styles from classic cider regions. You will learn all about how cider is made, how to taste cider, and the history of cidermaking, with a guided tasting of world-class examples of New World, English, French and Spanish Ciders.
Cider Riot! Instigator Abram Goldman-Armstrong, BJCP National Beer Judge, and editor of NW Brewing News, shares his knowledge of cider gained over 20 years of cidermaking, writing, and travel to cideries and breweries around the world.

DeDolle Tasting
6:30 – 9 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 25, Bazi, 1522 SE 32nd Ave.; $20 includes gratuity.
Join the Beercycling crew to explore one of their favorite Belgian breweries as they host a tasting of De Dolle Brouwers based in the province of West Flanders. The tasting will include 4 oz pours of five different De Dolle beers.

• Arabier Belgian Pale Ale: 7.8 percent, brewed from pure malt and then dry hopped with Popering hops for an earthy bitter finish.
• Boskeun: 8.9 percent, meaning “rabbit” hence being one of the first Easter beers, very hazy golden color with a slight reddish/orange hue. Massive head leaving a nice lacing along the glass.
• Dulle Teve Tripel: 10 percent, mild citrus and lemon note with a fruity taste. Nice dry bitterness in the finish.
• Oerbier Strong Dark: 9 percent, dark reddish brown color with ivory head, flavors of dried cherries and apricots combined with a subtle spicy yeast creates a nice balanced flavor.
• Stille Nacht, 2015: 10.8 percent, heavy malt aromas, caramel, toffee mixed with fruity scents. Finishes dry and crisp.