Today marks the official opening of the latest addition to the Portland Brewing scene, Assembly Brewing. Located on busy SE Foster in what had been a grocery store since 1948, the new charcoal and orange paint job makes it hard to miss from any direction. With plans to be open from 11am - 2am daily making time to stop in to check them out shouldn't be too hard.
We had a chance to check out the beer and food earlier this week and hear from owners Adam Dixon and George Johnson. The beer, according to George, is intended to be "flavorful, balanced and drinkable" with the goal that one can have a few pints and remain upright. The beers will be brewed in the 5.5% - 6.5% range and from the ones that we sampled, we agree that they do hearken back to the days before hop bombs and aggressive ABV beers became so common. The SMaSH, using 2 Row malt and Ekuanot hops, hit a high note for us with its bright, light hoppiness and easy drinking quality. In addition to their seven beers, they're also offering two Cider Riot! ciders and a handful of cocktails.
On the food side, the focus of the menu is on their Detroit style pizza which George makes from a proprietary dough recipe. Apparently the style started in a speakeasy and as one may have noticed, has been growing in popularity in recent years. Ex Novo, Ranch and East Glisan all offer their own versions of the square pies, with Assembly's sticking to similar parameters but putting their own touch on it, including the ability to order a veggie or vegan pie. If one isn't in the mood for pizza, they also offer sandwiches, salads and a handful of appetizers.
The space itself is big enough for a crowd, offering a mixture of high top and standard tables. An extensive mural dominates two of the walls and is worth taking the time to fully appreciate. There is also outdoor seating between the building and the 12-space parking lot. With spring just around the corner it will no doubt see plenty of use. As pinball fans we were thrilled to spy three machines - Ghost Busters, Hurricane and Theatre of Magic - that will need some of our attention next time we're in.
Adam, on the right, said that they hope "Assembly Brewing will become a cornerstone of the Foster-Powell neighborhood." It's a neighborhood that is changing and one that had been devoid of a brewery, with the closest ones being Hopworks west on Powell, Double Mountain south in Woodstock and Zoiglhaus to the east.
The grand opening, next Saturday, March 29th, will include live entertainment and some of the local artists that contributed to the aesthetics. Check out all of the details on their Facebook event.
Assembly Brewing
6112 SE Foster Rd
Open 11am - 2am daily
21+
A few weeks ago we were contacted by the folks over at Portland Passport on Tap about the app that they describe as “Portland’s first self-guided beer & cider tasting experience.” Initially launched in Montreal, Portland is their second market and there are plans to add Vancouver, BC and Seattle later this year. Basically it is a discounted way to experience pints or taster trays at local breweries and cideries. For $40 one selects 12 locations from the 21 currently available, conveniently listed in the app by geographical location. At each location the Passport user will receive either a pint or a three-glass taster set.
The first location we visited after installing the app was Coalition Brewing. It’s a favorite of ours and we were pleased to find that when we ordered, the beertender was very familiar with the app. After we clicked to use Coalition and selected the beer (Circus Hour fruited CBD sour), we handed our phone to the beertender and she signed off on it. Easy-peasy. The app provided a welcome reminder that a tip was not included and after taking care of that we sat down and thoroughly enjoyed our beer.
The second location we visited with the app was Ex Novo. This beertender seemed a little less sure about the process but knew the basics and once again we were able to use it with absolute ease. The app notes that locations may place restrictions on what can be ordered, however as with the our visit to Coalition, no restrictions were conveyed when we ordered a Stereophonic hazy IPA at Ex Novo.
From the date of purchase users have one year to drink through the 12 locations they select. We appreciate that one does not have to select all 12 locations immediately and even once selected, they can be removed if they have yet to be used. Most of the 21 locations available are ones that we like and are happy to have yet another reason to visit (so many good places in Portland, so little time, right?). Also appreciated is that there is an online chat option within the app should any questions arise. Our inquiry was answered right away and as an extra bit of follow up we found a transcript of the chat in our inbox.
One caveat with this app is that it can only be used once at each location. Of course this is part of the goal of the app - to get users to make their way to multiple locations to taste [at least part] of what the Portland brewing scene has to offer. Whether it is more useful for locals or visitors is up for debate however what isn’t debatable is that it is a straightforward and user friendly addition to the encouragements-to-drink app market. Plus, at $40 for 12 pints, that's less than $3.50 a pint (+ tip).
We’ll be interested to see if they take off in this market, how often new locations in Portland are added and what other cities they pop up in.
We were recently contacted by Joe Debicella, Right Hand Man, at Groovy Guy Gifts with the offer to test out one of their products. To benefit the greater good we took him up on the offer, selecting the Gunmetal Glugger from their offerings and shortly thereafter it arrived at our door.
Before we get to the Glugger, a bit about GGG. The company was started to be “a site offering several unique personalized gifts for men” and while guys might be their target market our perusal of the items they offer - all with the ability to be personalized - would be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of what’s in their pants. The four person GGG team also has one female on the staff who “adds a woman's touch to a site run by and for men.” Now onto the mug.
The Gunmetal Glugger appears at first glance to be made of metal but is in fact a heavy duty glass mug (think in terms of the glass mug a bartender would heft out of the cooler to fill with a macro lager). Since we’re not big fans of drinking out of metal this suits us just fine, especially when one considers the cool see through bottom (see ----------->>>>).
Like all of the gifts on the GGG site, the mug can be personalized. There is space for up to 15 characters on each of two lines with an additional option of adding "best man", "groom", "groomsman", or "usher" to the banner below it. If none of these are fitting for the person you're buying it for, it can be kept plain.
Even if a mug doesn’t seem to be “the thing” for the person you have in mind, GGG has plenty of other options: travel bags, coolers, flasks, knives, cuff links, watches, wallets, decanters, bottle openers and lighters. Turn around time is pretty quick, as soon as 3-4 business days if you pay for the “Super Fast Shipping.” If you’ve planned ahead and don't need to rush it Standard Shipping is free for orders over $50.
Whether your looking for a gift for a sibling, spouse, parent or friend wander over to Groovy Guy Gifts and at least scroll through what they offer. Maybe you'll find the perfect thing for that person...or yourself.
