And … I’m on summer vacation. I wouldn’t normally tackle a 10% abv beer on a Wednesday night, but I have a flight to catch mid-morning tomorrow, and this seems a fine accompaniment to packing. It’s also a delightful sipper on a cool and rainy Oregon evening, but likely a terrible match for the humidity and heat I’ll soon be experiencing.
Look forward to some fun beer and barbecue posts in the coming days as I explore the KC metro area.
Beer Name: Jubel 2010
Brewer: Deschutes Brewery
Price: N/A
Sampled: September 1, 2010
Rating: 4/5
Notes: Creamy mouthfeel with lots of raisin and date action. Huge linger, but fairly alcoholic resolution. Some coffee but lots of prune.
ABV: 10% abv
IBU: N/A
OG N/A
TG N/A
Serving Type: Bottle.
I’m heading to the midwest in a few days (I’ll be touring Boulevard Brewing on Sunday), so I thought I might acclimate my tastebuds by sampling this Minnesota beer (from the last stash provided by my generous, beer-smuggling mother-in-law). I was expecting something a little less hoppy than a Northwest Red, but I was very pleasantly surprised – as I say below, I could drink a lot of this beer. Very tasty.
Beer Name: Horizon Red Ale
Brewer: Summit Brewing
Price: FREE!*
Sampled: August 31, 2010
Rating: 4/5
Notes: Yummy. I could drink a lot of this. Good caramelly body but not too thick or sweet. Gives way to long bitter finish with a hint of heat.
ABV: N/A
IBU: N/A
OG N/A
TG N/A
Serving Type: Bottle.
I attended Portland’s monthly “History Pub” for the first time a few nights ago with a history buff friend. History Pub is a production of the Oregon Historical Society, and usually includes historical presentations in the theater at McMenamins Kennedy School.
If you’re not an Oregonian, you may not be privy to the McMenamins story, but the two brothers are local heroes, being founding members of the Oregon craft beer scene (they started Produce Row, and were among the first to open brewpubs in the state) and an economic force.
Beginning in the 1980s, the brothers began buying up disheveled property and re-habbing it as restaurant/bar/entertainment space. Today, they own several beer theaters (cheap second run movies and beer while you watch) in Portland, as well as a host of restaurants and hotels. Last I counted, they were up to about 30 properties.
This month’s history pub was on the topic of … you guessed it. Beer. A guest lecturer from the Unversity of Nevada at Reno gave a stilted, but informative talk on the history of hops in Oregon (aka “Hoptopia.” Watch out, Mr. Alworth … you may have a new catchphrase on your hands!).
After the presentation, the real fun started. A panel of local beer celebs held sway, looking back on the evolution of craft beer culture in Oregon. I won’t recap the presentation here (you should follow the @33beers Twitter feed if you’re looking for that kind of reportage), but the panel included the Ponzis (started Ponzi vineyards, and then Bridgeport Brewing), Art Larrance (Portland Brewing, Raccoon Lodge, Cascade Brewing), the McMenamin brothers (the first time I’ve seen them in a public appearance), Fred Bowman (Portland Brewing) … several key politicians, and of course, the inestimable Fred Eckhardt.
The beer I tasted during the event was historic, too. It’s a 2010 revival of a 1985 McMenamins recipe – an accidentally too watered-down version of their (in)famous Terminator Stout, which in those days was brewed with malt extract!
Beer Name: Liquidator Porter
Brewer: McMenamins Pubs and Breweries
Price: $4.50
Sampled: August 30, 2010
Rating: 2/5
Notes: 1985 recipe at History Pub. Sweet and dry. Some smoky malt flavors and dark candi sugar. Lingering crisp bitterness. Homebrew-y.
ABV: 5.16% abv
IBU: N/A
OG 1.059
TG 1.019
Serving Type: Draft.
Once more I dipped into the four-pack of Tallgrass beers I received from the brewery. Reading a bit more on their website, it seems there’s a reason most of the beers I’ve tried from the brewery don’t neatly fit an established style – some are at least in part based on brewer Jeff Gill’s homebrew recipes, and they reflect that kind of small-scale creativity. Think of Tallgrass as a kind of Dogfish Head of the Great Plains, I guess, but with a more reserved, Midwestern sense of propriety (and economy – cans are way cheaper than bottles!).
Beer Name: Tallgrass Ale
Brewer: Tallgrass Brewing
Price: FREE*
Sampled: August 29, 2010
Rating: 3/5
Notes: Dark caramel and anise? Clove? Something sweet and tasty. Somewhat creamy mouthfeel. Kind of a dry-ish amber with a bit of RC cola.
ABV: N/A
IBU: N/A
OG N/A
TG N/A
Serving Type: Can.
Took the family over to Hopworks’ 2nd Annual BikeToBeerFest yesterday (inter-capitalization mine; they prefer the less-readable BIKETOBEERFEST) and had a great time. I didn’t attend the inaugural event last year, but after spending a few hours there yesterday, it’s officially in my “Top 10 Portland Beer Events” list. I like my beer festivals low-key, family friendly and short-lined, and this event was all three.
I don’t usually care much about music at a beer fest, unless that music is annoying (NAOBF, I’m looking at you!), in which case I’d prefer none at all. It’s a beer fest, after all, not a music fest. But this festival seemed to be a good combination event, with great beer, great music (I really dug the Ravishers, who seemed somewhat like a cross between the Old 97s and Pedro the Lion), and activities. I’ve always appreciated how the Park Blocks’ Portland International Beer Festival has a few games, and the Huffy Toss was fun for spectators and participants alike. I think it’s generally good to provide something beyond just drinking for attendees to do.
The food was the only let-down. I love Hopworks’ pizza and calzones, and we intentionally postponed dinner hoping we would get to experience them at the fest. In retrospect, I can see that was a somewhat delusional idea, as it’s difficult to cook things like that for a big crowd, but the brats and gardenburgers left a lot to be desired. I’m not sure what the answer is there (invite carts? include other vendors?), but it’s the one thing I felt didn’t meet my expectations.
But what about the beer? I really enjoyed my taster of Piledriver, noted below, but I think a full pour would have been excessive on a warm, sunny day. The surprising thing to me was how distinct each component flavor was: the tongue could easily pick out cherries, bourbon, wine and oak. These type of beers tend to muddle together flavors in my experience, often resulting in something delicious, if indistinct. This was delicious and distinct.
I also had a full pour of “Ace of Spades IPA,” which I reviewed a few months ago, which I’m told will be bottled again soonish. It was as delicious as I remember it, and went down almost a little too easy.
My final beer was the Radler (aka “Shandy”), a 70% beer/30% fresh lemonade concoction that’s historically popular with bicyclists. The lemonade was the tart, fresh kind, which paired well with the beer (HUB Lager), but paired especially well with the warm summer day. With its low alcohol (3.8%), it’s a perfect afternoon session beer.
Beer Name: Piledriver
Brewer: Hopworks Urban Brewery
Price: 1 ticket*
Sampled: August 28, 2010
Rating: 4/5
Notes: Big time sweet oak flavor. Some yeasty dryness with hints of both bourbon and cherries, even some wine. Interesting you can pick them all out.
ABV: 8.5% abv
IBU: 18 ibu
OG 17.7°
TG N/A
Serving Type: Draft.
* I received a VIP pass (which included free admission and 10 tickets) to the event as a member of Local 503: the Beer Bloggers Union.