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.
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