45: Ginseng Porter

The beer-tasting trip* in Oregon’s central valley continued Sunday with Oregon Trail Brewing, the soon-to-be-opened Flat Tail Brewing (will open with brews from Calapooia and guest taps, and start brewing on-site in April), and concluding with Block 15 Brewing, all in Corvallis. I had to drive back to PDX in the afternoon, so my samples were small, but I did manage to bring back a few growlers from Block 15, which I’ll be reviewing over the next several days.

Visiting Oregon Trail Brewing was a real treat. It’s basically a one- or at most, two-person operation, structured in the traditional vertical manner of historic breweries. Grain starts at the top, on the third floor, and exits at the ground level as finished beer. Like many home-brewers and craft beer enthusiasts, I’ve daydreamed about opening my own brewery someday, but the sight of so many sprawling, stainless steel clad structures has always looked a little … expensive. Oregon Trail began in 1987 with a lot of enthusiasm, but not a lot of cash, and the setup remains basically the same as it was then. Every element in the brewery was at one time used for another purpose, or custom-made from a fair amount of bubblegum and baling wire. The brew kettle has an interesting lineage (it’s the kettle that launched Portland Brewing), as does almost every other piece of equipment, from the home-built plywood grain hopper, to the surplus 1960′s-era lab equipment salvaged from OSU’s microbiology lab for rock-bottom prices.

This would all just be an interesting footnote were it not for the high quality of the end result, which proves the old adage – it’s not the tools, it’s what you do with them. Oregon Trail produces some great, funky beers that never travel too far from home, but I think that’s how they like it. It’s just big enough to serve the community, but not so big it becomes a chore. Definitely worth stopping in if you find yourself in Corvallis – a brewery unlike any I’ve ever seen, and beers worth savoring.

Beer Name: Ginseng Porter
Brewer: Oregon Trail Brewing
Price: FREE
Sampled: February 14, 2010
Rating: 3/5
Notes: Earthy and thick, with nice long linger. Some definite mushroom funk. Almost anise, but not quite.
ABV: 6.8% abv
IBU: N/A
OG N/A
TG N/A
Serving Type: Draft.

* Saturday night and Sunday, I was a guest of Corvallis Tourism, who were good enough to put me up for the night in the unpronounceable Salbasgeon Suites and arrange for tours of the aforementioned breweries. I also had an amazing meal Saturday night at Zia Southwest Cuisine in downtown Corvallis. I highly recommend the Carne Adovada enchiladas and especially the sopapilla (great as a side AND a dessert), especially if you need a spicy bite to de-resinate a hoppy beer-coated tongue following a long day of beer-tasting.