Keg-o-Raiders

On a late spring day a beer fridge was converted into a keggerator. I cellared many of the stronger brews that were in the beer fridge, put the rest in the kitchen’s food fridge, and employed the help of my buddy Dave to get the new home appliance pouring.

Two holes were drilled into the fridge-one in the front door for the pour spout and one on the side for the CO2 connection. We also drilled a hole into an adjacent storage closet in the garage for the gas line to run through.

Mike Moscarelli (photo by John Foyston)
Mike Moscarelli (photo by John Foyston)

After the initial holes were drilled, we paid a visit to Portland’s premiere brewing supply stop, F.H. Steinbart Company. Steinbart’s has been around since 1918, making it the oldest brewing supply shop in the United States. At Steinbart’s tap line master Mike Moscarelli, who has done some impressive work at places like Deschutes of Portland and New Old Lompoc’s Hedge House got me going with the essentials needed to get my keggerator going. After the lines and gas were all ready there was just one thing still missing…

The Beer

 

HUB brewer Jaime Rodriguez
HUB brewer Jaime Rodriguez

Where to go to get a keg in Portland?  Well, there’s always the option of visiting a number of local brewpubs. This is usually the best call, since it really does support the local brewer directly and cuts out the middleperson. For selection, there’s the option of visiting great beer shops like Belmont Station or John’s Marketplace who both have lists of available kegs on line. But, being that it was already late in the afternoon, local was the key. Living close to Powell Boulevard in Southeast Portland, it made perfect sense to hit up Hopworks for my brew. Brewer and standup dude Jaime Rodriguez just finished up a long day in the brewhouse, but was happy to take time out of his brew to set me up with a quarter barrel of Hopworks’ Original Red. Gravidly packed with ambrosial hoppiness, the Red was the key to unlock the fortune of this day. Thanks a ton to Jaime-who also hits the skins for Southern Highway-and banjoist/brewer Speck Speckenbach for setting a brother up. Thanks also to Mike at Steinbart’s and my homie Dave for hookin’ me up (literally!). Now who wants some of this beer?!

 

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