Archives for August, 2010
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 [...]
Another walk down memory lane with this one. Ballard Bitter was a standby when I first moved to Portland. I was already familiar with Red Hook, as it was one of the few West Coast micros that was reliably available, even in Iowa (the Blackhook Porter was also an early favorite). Even then, it was [...]
The tough thing about drinking every day (my life is so hard) is the days that you really don’t want to imbibe. There are the obvious days (usually the day after a day when you consumed a wee bit too much), and the not so obvious ones (when your tongue just maybe needs a break). [...]
My first trip to the Pacific Northwest was when I was in high school. My mom, recently separated from my dad, packed up my sisters and I for a family vacation. We did all the tourist things, including the “Duck” tour, which was pretty fun. It was interesting to see up close this city that [...]
This is easily one of my favorite beer label designs I’ve seen in the last year. The hand-drawn illustration, color palette, and simple, hand color separations are just really artful and well-made. As is this beer. Much has been made of the time spent by Deschutes’ brewers trying variation after variation (as many as 22 [...]
I had a bottle from Brau Brothers a year or more ago, before beginning my 999 beers in 999 days journey, back when beer drinking was just for sport! As a graphic designer, I was turned off by the cheap-looking plastic label, the same material that wraps plastic soda bottles, only less well-executed than most [...]
Apparently, I’m the only beer blogger not on the list for free samples. But this is one worth paying for. After reading the glowing reviews, I asked all over town for this beer, and after nearly giving up hope, I eventually located it at Beermongers. If I were you, and I were in Portland, I’d [...]
I picked this beer up for our “RheinheitsgeWHAT?!?!” beer tasting. Most beers on the list, I just picked up a bomber or a pair of 12-ounce bottles. But on the recommendation of the salesperson, who “really liked it,” I went with a six-pack. Better value, you see. It’s not a pour-out, I’ll give it that. [...]
Trying to soak up what increasingly is looking like a short summer here in Oregon. Most beer bars in Portland tend to be of the indoor variety – it does rain 7-8 months out of the year here. But a cherished few have great patios and great beer. The Moon and Sixpence is one of [...]
I’ve tried to hit this airport brewpub at least two other times I’ve visited the Salt Lake City airport. An unhappy little boy (my own) foiled my last attempt, and a fortunate standby situation nixed the other. I’ll begin by saying that I’m a sucker for a clever name. I’m a marketer by day, where [...]
I got a text message from my friend Bruce on Monday night letting me know he and his family were getting dinner at Fire on the Mountain, a great hot wings place in Portland. They also happen to be a source of great beer on tap, and it’s a great place to watch a Trailblazer [...]
Despite enjoying this at my dining table, I somehow failed to take a picture of the beer. I will say that the label is of a somewhat amateurish/generic design, which does no justice to the contents contained within. A wonderfully complex beer that I think would be an excellent choice for Thanksgiving dinner. Beer Name: [...]
Whew! Long, hot day here in Portland. I spent most of the day prepping for and cooking at a work picnic, and with heat approaching the 100 mark, I was pretty well cooked myself when I got home. A little AC, a whole bunch of water, and this beer restored my spirits. Beer Name: Oasis [...]
Pabst Blue Ribbon probably would have been the more appropriate choice for beers, given the occasion. I went to the Portland Adult Soapbox Derby for the fourth or fifth year on Saturday, and there were more ironic mustaches and pseudo-Indie lagers than I could count. I tried to class the joint up a bit with [...]
Now, that is a picture of summer in Oregon. Please allow me to break it down for you. Fresh cherries, two kinds: Bing and Rainier, both from the farmer’s market, and probably the best cherries money can buy. BLT. Normally at this time of year the B, L, and T would all be local to [...]
Did you ever have one of those experiences of suddenly understanding a cultural reference you’d been missing all your life? Perhaps chuckling with the group when someone said “Plastics, my boy,” and just thinking it was a random thing to say. And then, years later, you watch The Graduate, and it suddenly all makes sense? [...]
You know how they make this stuff, right? It’s continuously hopped for 90 minutes? Hence the name? Once the old brew kettle is boiling, the wacky brewers at Dogfish Head load up an “electric football” game (the one that vibrates “player” gamepieces towards cardboard end zones) with enough hop pellets to last the boil. “Set [...]
I would have given this beer a four, because I really enjoyed it. But look at that picture. Is that a pale? Would that have been the beer you were expecting upon reading the label? No, sir, that beer is an amber. So I subtracted a point. It’s my blog, after all, and while there [...]
I was prepared to disclaim this review heavily, as I bought this bottle on discount at the QFC by my house, being as the bottle was nearly a year past its expiration date when I bought it a few months ago. But it turns out that this IPA, like my oft-cited and much-beloved Blue Dot, [...]
Stone sure does make a lot of “special release” beers. Theirs this series, released on the occasion of the opening of their brewery (hey, congrats!). There’s their mathematically-ascending “Vertical Epic” series (01-01-01, 02-02-02, etc.), and a host of collaboration brews (with Dogfish Head, 21st Amendment, Firestone Walker, Victory …). Good thing they’re mostly all delicious, [...]
Years ago, I tried a beer called “Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel,” brewed by Brasserie D’Achouffe in Belgium. It was revelatory. The funk and lemony citrus of a big, yeasty Belgian beer, paired with huge hop aromatics from a West Coast IPA. In fact, the rumor is that’s exactly what the brewers were trying to [...]
You know you’re running a successful beer blog when the free beer starts showing up unannounced. The folks at Tallgrass Brewing found me through the magic of the internets (apparently) and sent me a mixed four-pack of cans for review purposes. Nice surprise! I thought I’d start with the IPA, since it might be the [...]
See what happens when you don’t carry a 33 Beers book? You take badly-written, scrawly beer notes on crinkly bar napkins, especially when there’s alcohol involved. And it always is. Beer Name: Pale Ale Brewer: Hopworks Brewing Price: $4.50 Sampled: August 5, 2010 Rating: 3/5 Notes: Very toasty. Rich, white, textured head. ABV: N/A IBU: [...]
I really like the idea of this beer, which is supposed to be a hoppy, malty, lager. In the brewery’s own words: Hopfenmalz incorporates the elegant drinkability of a Pilsner, the bready maltiness of a Vienna Lager, and the hopping of a Pale Ale. The malty backbone is beautifully balanced by a bright, citrusy hop [...]