New Brews and New News from PINTS Brewing

There’s a lot of great beer coming out of the small brewpub at 412 NW 5th Avenue, known simply as “PINTS.” Brewmaster Alan Taylor (former brewmeister at Widmer Bros) and company have been continually concocting (and decocting) a diverse array of traditional and innovative beer styles, both lagers and ales, for which we find it difficult not to pay notice and give well-deserved respect. PINTS opened in 2012 and boasts being the Oldtown/Chinatown neighborhood’s first brewery since Henry Saxer’s original Liberty Brewing Co. opened in 1852. With a mission of producing many traditional Northwest and British inspired ales using the best quality base and specialty malts along with Oregon grown hops, their beer is brewed in small 3.5-barrel batches. PINTS’ beers are “designed to be complex, yet focused, and ultimately beg another pint.”

Check PINTS Brewing’s recent accolades for lead bartender Kory Linsenmeyer’s “Big Rig” Cascadian Dark Lager; and take note of a handful of new beers now available, as well as other fermented barley treats to come out soon:

Press release

Kory and PINTS got more love from the Willamette Week beer specialists.  In a blind tasting of Oregon lagers, the Big Rig CDL took second place. Check out the article:
http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-23395-drank_eternal_oktober.html

Were planning ahead towards the holiday season.  Our newest tradition, Nikolaus, will be tapped on December 6th for Nikolaustag, the German holiday.  The auburn colored German lager spiced with gingerbread spices was a real hit last year.  We serve it in a boot here at PINTS and are looking forward to heralding in the season with the delicious brew.

Here are our new beers and other upcoming projects:

New beers available now:

Altstadt Altbier          4.9% ABV  –  34 IBU
$150 per 1/2 bbl
Brewed with a true Altbier yeast from Düsseldorf (one that revolutionized the Oregon brewing scene in the 1980s), this copper-colored ale has rich and flavorful malt notes from the imported German malts.  The complex malt bill is balanced with German noble hops, which provide a clean bitterness and spicy hop aroma.  The lower fermentation temperature adds to the smooth and satisfying character of this beer. Prost! Lass es gut schmecken!

Columbus Single Hop          5.0% ABV  –  35 IBU
$150 per 1/2 bbl                                                              
Rumor has it that a hop breeder had a wonderful hop and went out into the marketplace to sell it.  He ended up selling it to three different groups who each gave it a different name:  Columbus, Tomahawk and Zeus.  Whether true or not, the hop is great for bittering and for aroma as well.  Woody, fruity and spicy notes with a rich citrus flavor.

Schwarzbier          4.4% ABV  –  24 IBU
$150 per 1/2 bbl     
Schwarzbiers are dark, but without the stout or porter flavor the color would imply.  What they do have is a clean, light malt sweetness from the Pilsner and Munich malts, a gentle roast note from the Carafa II and moderate bitterness and hop flavor.  All in a tasty lager!

Seismic Upgrade Imperial IPA                        8.2% ABV – 100+ IBU
$175 per 1/2 bbl
An homage to the seismic reinforcements PINTS Brewing installed at the brewery.  We threw nearly all the hops we had at this one:  Columbus hops provide the clean, even bitterness. Styrian Golding (actually derived from the Fuggle hop, fruity, spicy, woody), Dana (lemon, lime, floral), and El Dorado (tropical fruit with a savory touch), and a pound per barrel of a blend of fresh hops (including the ones we grew on our roof!!) all went into the whirlpool.  Post primary we dry hopped with more Dana, El Dorado and Aurora (child of Northern Brewer).  The result really leans deeply into the territory of citrus peel, some savory mint with the lush caramel notes of the malt backing it all up.  Definitely an upgrade!

Big Rig – CDL          7.2% ABV – 65 IBU
$165 per 1/2 bbl
Brewed for the Willamette Week’s Beer Pro-Am with Kory Linsenmeyer.  Big Rig is a dark and luscious lager spewing Cascadian hop aroma out its stack.  It took Judges’ Runner Up at the Willamette Week’s Pro-Am on the October 11th fest! 

Upcoming brews:

(Please let us know if you are interested in 1/4 or 1/6 bbl kegs of these products.  We will fill them for you accordingly):

Helles Hefeweizen          5.2% ABV  –  15 IBU
$150 per 1/2 bbl     
German Wheat, Pilsner and Munich malts provide the light breadiness, German Magnum (bittering) and Hallertauer (flavor addition) give this modestly hopped beer a light spicy flavoring, then the Bavarian Hefeweizen strain provides the rest: banana ester with a light phenolic clove note.  This beer can be paired with nearly any food and is great for drinking on its own as well.  Available November 6th.

Braumeister’s Mess Up – Doppelsticke          8.5% ABV – 75 IBU
$175 per 1/2 bbl
“Sticke” came from an old term when people spoke in hushed tones about the Brewmaster being a bit too generous when weighing out the malts and hops for a brew.  A “Doppelsticke” is truly a catastrophic failure to portion out the raw materials.  We like the occasional mess up, so here you go!  Rich, deep malt notes, clean German hop bitterness and aroma. Here’s to mistakes!  Available mid November.

Aurora Single Hop Pale Ale          5.0% ABV  –  35 IBU
$150 per 1/2 bbl  
The hop formerly known as “Super Styrian,” this child of Northern Brewer is spicier and more floral than its parentage. It hails from Slovenia, a former Eastern Block country which produces some wonderful Continental European hops.  Available November 6th.

Nikolaus          5.1% ABV  –  36 IBU
$150 per 1/2 bbl  
Do you really think St. Nick wants to eat chocolate chip cookies and drink milk after busting his ass all night?  Hell, no!  He wants to pound lagers and eat gingerbread.  With that image in mind, we thought we would save him some trouble and just put the two things together:  German Pilsner, Wheat, Munich, Caramel, Carapils, and Carafa malts were selected to work their magic with a secret blend of gingerbread spices and a splash of German Magnum and Hallertauer hops.  Nikolaus is spicy, delicate, nuanced and plain fun.  Enjoy our celebration of the seasons!  Available December 6th!

Dunkelweizen                                                   4.9% ABV  –  14 IBU
The second in a series of German Weizens, we made the Dunkelweizen a bit maltier and spicier than the Helles Hefeweizen.  The base Light Wheat and Pilsner malts are blended with Dark Wheat, Dark Caramel, Munich, and a splash of Carafa II to round out the all-German malt bill.  German Magnum hops contribute to the sense of spiciness alongside the phenolic clove note from the authentic Bavarian Hefeweizen strain, which also imparts the classic banana fruitiness to the brew.  Available late November.