Westmoreland/Sellwood Winter Beerfest, Sixpoint Brewing; craft beer events for the week of January 22
Fantasia foto by Kris McDowell
Sixth Annual Westmoreland /Sellwood Winter Beer Fest
Noon-10 p.m. Friday Jan. 22 & Saturday Jan. 23, Portland U-Brew & Pub, 6237 S.E, Milwaukie Ave. $20 for logo glass and 10 tasters, Kid friendly.
This fine little festival features nine P.U.B.-brewed winter warmers plus four local winter beers from 13 Virtues, Baerlic, Gigantic and Lompoc on tap and live music from local artists.
Sixpoint Brewing is in Town
6- 10 p.m. Saturday Jan. 23, NW IPA, 6350 S.E. Foster Rd.;
– and –
6-9 p.m. Wednesday Jan 27, Hoplandia Beer, 8600 N. Ivanhoe St.;
NW IPA and Hoplandia celebrate the release of Hi Res triple IPA and C.R.E.A.M. – Craft Rules Everything Around Me – the newest from Brooklyn, New York’s Sixpoint Brewing with separate events this week. They’ll be showcasing the Sixpoint catalog, including:
(descriptions are from the brewery)
Hi-Res Triple IPA
…Once our eyes were opened to the potential of the hop cone, we couldn’t be stopped. With a laser focus, we magnified the hop factor, and pushed the boundaries of flavor, aroma, and perception itself to create HI-RES. It’s Mad Science
Resin Double IPA
Resin is an ode to the sticky quintessence of hops – we extracted the alluring nectar from every precious citrus, pine, dank and herbal cone and channeled it all into one vessel.
Bengali IPA
The Bengali has a hoppy snap upfront, but strides at a steady pace, and finishes balanced. The signature characteristic of Bengali is the aroma…using massive quantities of whole East Kent Goldings hops to dry hop in our conditioning tanks. The result? The essential oils from the hops are an enticing treat before every sip.
The Crisp Pilsner
There is no beautifier of complexion, or form, or behavior, like the wish to scatter joy and not pain around us. Crisp Lager has nothing to hide behind – no makeup to cover up any flaws. Raw ingredients and their essence, full and unabated…uninhibited…CRISP.
C.R.E.A.M. Coffee blonde ale
The C.R.E.A.M. is brewed with a blend of pilsner and two-row pale and crystal malts, and stored cool for an extended period of time, and blended with cold-brewed coffee from Stumptown Coffee Roasters. The result is a golden blonde ale with the unmistakeable aroma of Finca El Injerto.
7th Annual CellarFest
12:00pm-Midnight Saturday Jan. 23, Bailey’s Taproom
“One way to welcome in the new year is with some big, bold beers when downtown Portland’s favorite beer bar, Bailey’s Taproom hosts its 7th Annual CellarFest. This year’s CellarFest will take place on Saturday, January 23 from Noon until Midnight with beers dating back to 2006. Admission will be free. Here’s a sneak peek of what to expect at CellarFest 2016.”
- Alaskan 2006 Smoked Porter
- Anchor Our Special Ale 2009 (Anchor Christmas Ale)
- Block 15 2013 Pappy’s Dark
- Caldera 2011 Old Growth
- Deschutes 2010 Streaking the Quad
- Double Mountain 2012 Goliathon
- Firestone 2012 Double DBA
- Fish 2009 10 Squared
- Flat Tail 2013 Wild 5 Black
- Fort George 2011 Bourbon Barrel Cavatica Stout
- Full Sail 2011 Black Gold
- Great Divide 2009 Oak Espresso Yeti
- Hales Ales 2010 Pikop Andropov’s Rushin Imperial Stout
- Hopworks 2011 Noggin Floggin
- Lagunitas 2011 Gnarlywine
- North Coast 2011 Old Stock Ale
- Rogue 2011 Charlie 1981
- Russian River 2009 Supplication
- Stone 2011 Vertical Epic 11.11.11
Backcountry Festival
Friday Jan. 22 & Saturday Jan 23, Hoodoo Ski & Recreation area;
Three Creeks Brewing sponsors the 2016 Backcountry Festival held at Hoodoo Ski Mountain and they’lll kick off the festivities by tapping BC Brown Ale, the offical Backcountry beer. “BC Brown Ale: 5 percent, 17 IBU: Back from a two year hiatus this Brown Ale is brewed for Nordic adventures taking advantage of Hoodoo’s snow filled back country. A full bodied ale with subtle pine hop notes, BC Brown is sure to provide power for all kinds of snowy adventures…” Also: live music, races, demos, clinics, snow camping and a Three Creeks Brewing Co. beer garden.
Meet the Georgetown Brewer
5 p.m. Thursday Jan. 28, Green Dragon, 928 S.E. Ninth Ave.
You know the drill by now: beers tapped at 5 p.m.; the brewer will talk a bit about the beers and the brewery at 6 p.m. and hang out to answer questions.
According to Double Mountain head brewer Kyle Larsen, the brewery’s approch to its Gypsy Stumper IPA was to create an IPA layered in flavors with a little punch to it. “While many of our beers employ a minimalist approach,” Larsen said, “Gypsy most certainly does not. Pilsner and Vienna malts make up the majority of the malt bill while Mosaic, Simcoe, Challenger, and Centennial hops intertwine to craft a wonderfully hop forward brew, with different flavors stratified throughout.It’s sturdy and assertive enough to get you through cutting down tree stumps. However, we don’t condone the use of an axe or chainsaw while enjoying.”
Gypsy Stumper IPA weighs in at 7.5 percent and 80 IBU.
The name? “In the spring of 1980, a bearded, ragtag work-crew known as Gypsy Stumpers were hired to clear stumps out of the new runs on Hood River Meadows. Camped at lift tower 10, they worked long hours falling trees six feet in diameter, but only three feet tall. Much like the stumpers, this beer works twice as hard for your riding pleasure. Tangerine and herbal flower notes make their way through the resinous, pine forest nose. Its sturdy body holds the weight of the vigorous hopping, resulting in an assertive balance.”
bottle pic courtesy Double Mountain Brewing
Fourth Annual IPA Month
Through Jan 31, Hawthorne Hophouse, 4141 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd. & 15th Ave. Hophouse, 1517 Northeast Brazee St.; $12 per entry.
During the month of January, Hophouse patrons will taste and vote to determine Oregon’s Top IPA, choosing from among a dozen of Oregon’s most popular IPAs on tap, Hophouse staff and patrons chose their favorite IPAs and balanced the list with some old stalwarts like Workhorse and some new beers such as Drinking Horse to winnow the list of 40 Oregon IPAs down to a deserving dozen, including:
- pFriem IPA
- Ex Novo Eliot IPA
- Boneyard RPM
- Breakside IPA
- Buoy IPA
- Barley Browns Pallet Jack
- Gigantic IPA
- Crux Cast Out IPA
- Laurelwood Workhorse
- Ft George Vortex
- Double Mountain Hop Lava
- Drinking Horse IPA
About The Author
John
John Foyston is Oregon's longest serving beer writer, and wrote a weekly beer column for The Oregonian until just recently. His work has appeared on CNN, and in Beer Connoisseur, Celebrator Beer News, Oregon Beer Growler, Mix Magazine and other publications and will occasionally appear on these pages, at least until Angelo and DJ get tired of him too...He can be followed on Twitter at @beerherejohnny.