tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34686007057237781142024-03-04T21:05:31.293-08:00Beer Musings PDXSpouting off about beer in the Pacific Northwest (and wherever else we're drinking)Maghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09714408043398668476noreply@blogger.comBlogger775125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3468600705723778114.post-9769722443711045102022-03-11T10:46:00.003-08:002022-03-11T10:46:52.345-08:00Girl Scout Cookie Pairing 2022<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjc2VNR7S0Yvzq1EmUVCXO2ACZVcW6aKBffiX7yb_ITBFYu1Wv4RcEq9k76YqNZLufBOWxLgQZWw6BY-Bmm-lV6OoJwB9ckZrew5u2sFCUeTus-ioe15dRql3TZrCZTHe5TYoLtSH90T48TjbvY3AnSemoLnutevjKTHUpMAA6YSXiJUVrk8aZpSmws=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjc2VNR7S0Yvzq1EmUVCXO2ACZVcW6aKBffiX7yb_ITBFYu1Wv4RcEq9k76YqNZLufBOWxLgQZWw6BY-Bmm-lV6OoJwB9ckZrew5u2sFCUeTus-ioe15dRql3TZrCZTHe5TYoLtSH90T48TjbvY3AnSemoLnutevjKTHUpMAA6YSXiJUVrk8aZpSmws=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />It's Girl Scout cookie time and that can mean only one thing: our annual cookies and beer pairing at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pdxbeermongers/" target="_blank">The BeerMongers</a>. In keeping with tradition <a href="https://untappd.com/user/DrSci" target="_blank">Chris</a> procured the cookies and we set a date to see what kind of pairing magic we could make happen.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">As has been the case in recent years, the Girl Scouts introduced a new cookie this year. Called Adventurefuls, it's described as an "indulgent brownie-inspired cookie topped with caramel flavored creme with a hint of sea salt." In our expert opinion, this cookie was disappointing both in overall flavor and the fact that even though it is supposed to be brownie-inspired, it is a crunchy cookie. Indulgent brownies are not crunchy ever. Flavor-wise, it missed the indulgent mark as well and as such, the most successful pairings were ones that overpowered the flavor of the cookie.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjboEWCNi8lycddtelJOXej-TXCDNC1Fz5JnPI5WvNVvdiKKAbA9Cka0syXthzvSMl5FnvBzXvrEfDeNqrMWIaR30HwtwH85jh2bKGa68qVB7Tu7Hgz1Ynhs2Prf5VZOoU8pA5abQztxJeAmeE3MipubPjHCyu0SsWL5GWolBQV2bE4c8KMiDgB0rSN=s4032" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjboEWCNi8lycddtelJOXej-TXCDNC1Fz5JnPI5WvNVvdiKKAbA9Cka0syXthzvSMl5FnvBzXvrEfDeNqrMWIaR30HwtwH85jh2bKGa68qVB7Tu7Hgz1Ynhs2Prf5VZOoU8pA5abQztxJeAmeE3MipubPjHCyu0SsWL5GWolBQV2bE4c8KMiDgB0rSN=s320" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">The beers that we found the most success with were all boldly flavored beers that were actually quite different from one another. Early in the game <a href="https://untappd.com/user/PocketDogs" target="_blank">Mag</a> couldn't resist the pull of the cute mini-cans of <a href="https://harviestoun.com/" target="_blank">Harviestoun</a> Ola Dubh 18 Year Special Reserve. The 8.4-ounce cans of "black oil" imperial porter aged in Highland Park whisky casks clock in at a moderate 8% ABV. <a href="https://untappd.com/user/beermusingskris" target="_blank">Kris</a> particularly loved it paired with the S'mores cookies and would have happily grabbed a couple of cans and a box of the cookies to enjoy in the corner by herself. Mag took a chance and found an unexpectedly delicious pairing of it with the Lemon-Ups.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Although we all agree that Thin Mints are one of the great classic of the Girl Scout cookies lineup, they can be challenging to pair. Looking back at previous pairings, we've found nearly as many beers that worked with them as those that didn't, including Oskar Blues Ten Fiddy in which one vintage worked and another didn't. Ola Dubh goes down in the "works" side of things, having enough body to balance the mint of the cookie.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiGKAqKETpweCEf0GATKfhlQWyv33AVhLVpY2vKdDa3Tp1PvkM7-aT4I-fmIpc7ZHOKIwnGidlQm9O0rhFKcD28eqv1J02YpKoOgRAWJEklYdmH-cv8zSqBe7Ed_3KPvrcxwafVKbDZr9qcQd-15kRrhvQVIIYWqNFzky865avHd3EJ-ikcUjKV7NJY=s4032" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiGKAqKETpweCEf0GATKfhlQWyv33AVhLVpY2vKdDa3Tp1PvkM7-aT4I-fmIpc7ZHOKIwnGidlQm9O0rhFKcD28eqv1J02YpKoOgRAWJEklYdmH-cv8zSqBe7Ed_3KPvrcxwafVKbDZr9qcQd-15kRrhvQVIIYWqNFzky865avHd3EJ-ikcUjKV7NJY=s320" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Knowing that we've had a fair amount of success with fruit-forward beers, Chris grabbed a can of <a href="https://www.energycitybrewing.com/" target="_blank">Energy City</a> Bistro Raspberry & Blackberry Crumble. The Berliner-style Weisse beer out of Batavia, IL is made with blackberries, cinnamon and brown sugar added after fermentation. It went very well with the majority of the cookies, including Do-si-does (oatmeal sandwich cookies with peanut butter filling) where it was reminiscent of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. With the Samoas, whose coconut can sometimes be problematic to pair, it took our tastebuds to the land of a rhubarb crumble just like grandma made.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Another beer that paired well was <a href="https://www.schloss-eggenberg.at/de/" target="_blank">Schloss Eggenberg</a> Samichlaus Classic triplebock. The Austria import is a big one (14% ABV) that is only brewed once per year (on December 6) and is then aged for 10 months before bottling, or in the case of things today, canning. Due to its powerful flavor it did overpower some of the cookies but where it worked, it WORKED! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjFoRxmeuQ_J6rICeMcI5Aqe1YwVmWFDVgzJcRNFktBwdiH0ckHWCFNLnRmIeIVZDX8Dwq1FEwLRIthCJ_B7qQf0PBlbOX6rpn55bUqDD1KEVAaYGG_NOue0FG8NbcXXm7uXPSdJgyQ2RHACUY-3JsVS8fW5F-iBXNengk6BHQSWTW8cWI5o-NKdNaU=s4032" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjFoRxmeuQ_J6rICeMcI5Aqe1YwVmWFDVgzJcRNFktBwdiH0ckHWCFNLnRmIeIVZDX8Dwq1FEwLRIthCJ_B7qQf0PBlbOX6rpn55bUqDD1KEVAaYGG_NOue0FG8NbcXXm7uXPSdJgyQ2RHACUY-3JsVS8fW5F-iBXNengk6BHQSWTW8cWI5o-NKdNaU=s320" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">One of those was Do-si-does and another was with S'mores, where the beer became slightly more bitter, but in a good way, when enjoyed with the cookies. Kris and Chris were split on it's ability to pair with Samoas with Kris enjoying it thoroughly where Chris was set against it.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">As the years of these pairings have gone by we have realized that the limiting factor isn't our imagination or interest in continuing to test beer and cookie combos out but by how much sugar we can handle before we throw in the towel. Nevertheless, it's a yearly game that's anticipated and enjoyed in the moment. It's just a good thing that Girl Scout cookie time comes around only once per year. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">So until next year, support your local Girl Scout and buy some cookies. Maybe give some pairings a try yourself or just toss a few sleeves of Thin Mints deep into the freezer for later enjoyment.</span></p>Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266585394191707735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3468600705723778114.post-11020963054083246142021-11-10T09:35:00.000-08:002021-11-10T09:35:33.965-08:00Getting Our Sugar on With Beer and Donuts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><span id="docs-internal-guid-87ce978a-7fff-6843-36df-bb9940cc88b7"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9diAMvkZDF3YNOjV6YniZtoYqRWL3Crn4OrqPpBMaCzz7zK7T9Fu78MYaVUw1hqzkSK0vGES9KY-UMh3WhocmcG-aexInfuXt0sTYAVFfinXiCNnlAt09uhKbO5XXBMBvDf6_KfoMDFI/s4032/20211030_123305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9diAMvkZDF3YNOjV6YniZtoYqRWL3Crn4OrqPpBMaCzz7zK7T9Fu78MYaVUw1hqzkSK0vGES9KY-UMh3WhocmcG-aexInfuXt0sTYAVFfinXiCNnlAt09uhKbO5XXBMBvDf6_KfoMDFI/s320/20211030_123305.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>The holiday season is upon us and with that come indulgences in many areas. Have visiting friends or family in town and want a quick breakfast? Donuts are always a hit.</span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But donuts aren't just relegated to morning hours, they are quite honestly good any time of day. Some donut shops/bakeries shut down in the early afternoon or when they run out but those folks that have pink boxes and most grocery/convenience stores will have some form of donut at any hour of the day to sugar you up.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">We recently returned to our pairing shenanigans at </span><a href="https://www.thebeermongers.com/" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">The BeerMongers</a><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">, with Milners bringing a selection of Hostess and Franz products, which fall into the latter category, and Kris bringing a selection of donuts from family-owned SE shop, </span><a href="https://www.deliciousdonutspdx.com/" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">Delicious Doughnuts</a><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Once the donut haul was laid out we dug into some serious research.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEietvbG90mH2mYq8joatrRrLqY6r98d1wrByI3-DF459cDZ-FJVAQ4nvISPGImsWbZ8CkVRd9F5ClWpES6ufOVdCv1sr3zWoZBTYMBOARP-O7zmzE-pYRRxLnUgZ7VswJsrB5IZ_nq59g8/s4032/20211030_120552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEietvbG90mH2mYq8joatrRrLqY6r98d1wrByI3-DF459cDZ-FJVAQ4nvISPGImsWbZ8CkVRd9F5ClWpES6ufOVdCv1sr3zWoZBTYMBOARP-O7zmzE-pYRRxLnUgZ7VswJsrB5IZ_nq59g8/s320/20211030_120552.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>We've done plenty of sugar-based beer pairings in the past (<a href="http://bitteredunits.blogspot.com/search?q=cookies" target="_blank">cookies</a> and a variety of <a href="http://bitteredunits.blogspot.com/search/label/beer%20%26%20candy" target="_blank">candy</a>) and one thing that tends to ring true is that a dark, heavy beer like <a href="https://northcoastbrewing.com/" target="_blank">North Coast Brewing</a> Old Rasputin is generally a slam dunk with a good number of the sugary treats. Not so this time. At best it was "ok" with Hostess Donettes crunch mini donuts. For the most part it clashed with the donuts or overpowered them. The Franz birthday cake old fashioned donuts and Delicious Doughnuts Bad Grandpa (apple fritter with chocolate, bacon and peanut butter) were the exception in that they were able to hold their own. <p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of the beers on tap that day was </span><a href="https://www.urbanrootsbrewing.com/" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">Urban Roots</a><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Ales for ALS Rye IPA. This beer was a nice pairing with Franz birthday cake, with the cake mellowing the hop bite of the beer and the beer mellowing the sugar rush of the donut.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUw4YIxo2001YmS5as6fFBH6RbgyLkNPJHNLZVKs8Rrc3dkb5_P2t3e9k17WRN3VaovHTLRryF09Skvgs59Fx5Uv2HIHvouGlqcuYwIKKSeVjXPBLFtI74rVGC9s0J0CMTzbJZbcZHR0/s4032/20211030_124717.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUw4YIxo2001YmS5as6fFBH6RbgyLkNPJHNLZVKs8Rrc3dkb5_P2t3e9k17WRN3VaovHTLRryF09Skvgs59Fx5Uv2HIHvouGlqcuYwIKKSeVjXPBLFtI74rVGC9s0J0CMTzbJZbcZHR0/s320/20211030_124717.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Also on tap was <a href="http://reverendnatshardcider.com/" target="_blank">Reverend Nat's</a> Valley of the Pear spiced cider, a cider that Kris would have liked to have had a bit more spice profile but the subtleness of it may have been the key to its donut pairings. The best of the donuts with it was Hostess Donettes Strawberry Cheesecake and while sweet, it was enjoyable. It also worked well with Delicious Donuts Vietnamese Coffee raised donut and it provided a nice contrast to the double chocolate Hostess Donettes.<p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chris grabbed two </span><a href="http://www.crookedstave.com/" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">Crooked Stave</a><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Petite sours - raspberry and blueberry. The raspberry went best with Hostess strawberry cheesecake Donettes and Hostess glazed Donettes with the blueberry finding a serviceable pairing with Delicious Doughnuts maple old fashioned and Bad Grandpa.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The most surprising beer of the day was <a href="https://www.schlenkerla.de/indexe.html" target="_blank">Aecht Schlenkerla</a> Fastenbier Lentbeer, a beer Kris noted had "a lotta smoke." With Hostess crunch Donettes the smoke of the beer and the subtle coconut of the donut balanced each other well. Hostess glazed Donettes were an "interesting" pairing that worked fine as well.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finally, since it was that time of year, the <a href="https://www.wayfinder.beer/" target="_blank">Wayfinder Beer</a> Corpo Seco Pumpkin Ale worked with Hostess crunch Donettes and provided a depth to Hostess double chocolate Donettes. This collaboration between Wayfinder, Cloudburst (Seattle) and Magnolia (San Francisco) was less "spiced" than many beers of this genre, with Chris commenting that it has a bit of a "pumpkin pie crust thing going on."</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While we aren't suggesting you bust out the beers when you serve up donuts to friends/family in the morning, as long as you are willing to incur a possible sugar hangover it's an interesting exercise. Besides, one can always tap out and continue down the solo beer or donut path.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><p></p>Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266585394191707735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3468600705723778114.post-6013137895133178902021-03-07T19:46:00.000-08:002021-03-07T19:46:22.362-08:00Girl Scout Cookie Pairing 2021<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHW0dfpVfXBZ6jdN7-KITEKn0SgrFZq9PVjtTMtf07C7gMHL3flH9yWdx23I5drc5NYZ-nGIX4_U2SpZQVDjPrqNlM1fbRgkIB5hAO0xFsxgbPZNZw2JBUsDf3rnPhsqgEBwfGZIVdPzw/s1640/Girl+Scout+cookies+2021+cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="1640" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHW0dfpVfXBZ6jdN7-KITEKn0SgrFZq9PVjtTMtf07C7gMHL3flH9yWdx23I5drc5NYZ-nGIX4_U2SpZQVDjPrqNlM1fbRgkIB5hAO0xFsxgbPZNZw2JBUsDf3rnPhsqgEBwfGZIVdPzw/w640-h360/Girl+Scout+cookies+2021+cover.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: georgia;">We're still here even though it's been quite some time since the last post. And even though the pandemic may have cancelled a lot of things, it didn't cancel Girl Scout cookie season and our annual beer pairing. Per usual, Chris sourced the cookies. Then he graciously divvied them up for a
COVID-safe handoff/tasting last Saturday at <a href="https://www.thebeermongers.com/" target="_blank">The BeerMongers</a>. We both started with a draft of <a href="https://www.stormbreakerbrewing.com/" target="_blank">StormBreaker Brewing</a> Eagle Fang All-Valley style (shout out to SB for the awesome
Cobra Kai reference). We agreed that the moderately hopped IPA was a nice
pairing with Lemon Ups cookies that enhanced the hop flavor.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhABgj1JZ7o_joQG6DgysDlC2O1c24g89SSXGchl3WJsMoi0fGCM1U3otbcdVe0xLEjo6qXHAKIs_j3MqF12QnwscpykC8cTa-Uw49VxApOgMmAXVxWchSUkCGT6-1mAjeJ92ZQoMsW6No/s2015/GSC1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2015" data-original-width="1504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhABgj1JZ7o_joQG6DgysDlC2O1c24g89SSXGchl3WJsMoi0fGCM1U3otbcdVe0xLEjo6qXHAKIs_j3MqF12QnwscpykC8cTa-Uw49VxApOgMmAXVxWchSUkCGT6-1mAjeJ92ZQoMsW6No/w238-h320/GSC1.jpg" width="238" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: georgia;">After the IPA, Chris took his Girl Scout cookie pairing down a dark, delicious alley
with <a href="https://www.oskarblues.com/" target="_blank">Oskar Blues Brewery</a> 2019 Ten Fiddy. Here he found one of the new cookies for this
year, French Toast, to be a great pairing. The cinnamon in the cookie was just
the right amount, steering clear of being weird with the complexity of the
beer. Also tasty were the chocolate and peanut butter Tagalongs. Last, and
possibly best, were the S'mores. If you haven't had these sandwich cookies they
provide a surprisingly facsimile of what actual s'mores taste like without the
work of building a fire and toasting marshmallows.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: georgia;">Next up Chris went another completely different direction with <a href="https://dnbcbeer.com/" target="_blank">Double Nickel</a>
Dot Matrix kettle sour blackberry and raspberry. He found it paired nicely with
the gluten-free (not that there's anything wrong with that) Toffee-tastic and I
enjoyed it with the new-this-year Toast-yay! French toast-inspired cookie as
well as Lemon-ups. We both agreed that the standout pairing was the Thin Mints.
One of the OG cookies, it was like putting mint and raspberry in lemonade. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: georgia;">The Girl Scout cookie pairing
continued with <a href="http://baerlicbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Baerlic Brewing Co.</a> Sundowner Black Lager. While it didn't work with the Thin
Mints, it provided balance to: the Toast-yay! (offsetting the sweetness), the
Samoas (especially for those who are not coconut fans) and the Lemon-up (dark
to the citrus flavor).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlNgA3h5_2aGm5t5ShFvk4704H_yywh8MscoDolslzFZ2xr9dmD3jDnvW8d6n2Il_eOAaZ9UA9TYFRxw1S-TeMOzYAQ172_snwPKiVkxlAGALvqszEhqvDBfO0SofR60sJcZlLMbi3Geg/s1129/GSC5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1129" data-original-width="843" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlNgA3h5_2aGm5t5ShFvk4704H_yywh8MscoDolslzFZ2xr9dmD3jDnvW8d6n2Il_eOAaZ9UA9TYFRxw1S-TeMOzYAQ172_snwPKiVkxlAGALvqszEhqvDBfO0SofR60sJcZlLMbi3Geg/w238-h320/GSC5.jpg" width="238" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #cccccc; font-family: georgia;">Two beers that were more
challenging to pair with the Girl Scout cookies were <a href="http://www.littlebeastbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Little Beast Brewing</a> Tiger Team IPA and <a href="http://block15.com/" target="_blank">Block 15 Brewing Co. </a>Ridgeback Red. Not ones to back down from a challenge, Chris
found a match for Tiger Team with Lemon-ups, the lemon really popping out. And
I decided that the creamy peanut butter and chocolate flavors of the Tagalongs
were copacetic with the Ridgeback Red. The abbreviated pairing, while maybe not
ideal for "scientific" purposes certainly produced less of a sugar
hangover than we've subjected ourselves to in previous years.</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></div>Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266585394191707735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3468600705723778114.post-4672455010578937672019-12-23T11:52:00.001-08:002019-12-23T11:52:13.913-08:00The Latest Installment of Beer & Cheese Pairing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEharWe_g4oIW8vGVNmOx6-OXewXibQqPV4jTVJlWH_onaaMiPd09YCbxOF7Kyz1avNND3W5MftTiIu45iHe72RjQSUH6RX8HWCoh6KQUseu9AIVGyRD43_JZYmznmnW6biWS6y-Yw2QSVM/s1600/Gun+Hill+Rise+Up+%2526+Beecher%2527s+Smoked+Cheddar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEharWe_g4oIW8vGVNmOx6-OXewXibQqPV4jTVJlWH_onaaMiPd09YCbxOF7Kyz1avNND3W5MftTiIu45iHe72RjQSUH6RX8HWCoh6KQUseu9AIVGyRD43_JZYmznmnW6biWS6y-Yw2QSVM/s320/Gun+Hill+Rise+Up+%2526+Beecher%2527s+Smoked+Cheddar.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Our periodic beer and cheese pairing adventure resurfaced this fall with some returning favorites showing up on the cheese front along with new ones and of course, new beers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Cheddar, as a broad category of cheese, always makes an appearance at our pairings. This time around we had a smoked cheddar from Beecher's and a peppercorn cheddar from Face Rock that both went quite nicely with <a href="https://www.gunhillbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Gun Hill</a> Rise Up Rye. The beer, brewed in The Bronx NY, was a gift from a friend out east and while we didn't love its rye-ness on its own, pairing it with these cheddars - one smoky and deep, the other slightly spicy from the peppercorns - brought out its best qualities.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Another return contender was the mushroom Brie from Trader Joe's, invited again due to its incredible versatility to pair with beers ranging from hoppy IPAs to hefty stouts and more. Falling into the "more" category this time was <a href="https://drinkdrakes.com/beers/quint/" target="_blank">Drake's Quint</a>, a barrel-aged Belgian-style quintuple. A beer like this is usually a little too much for us, both with its 14.5% ABV and the intense coriander, orange zest, honey and cherry flavor profile. Pairing it with the earthy cheese balanced the overt sweetness of the beer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It came as a bit of a surprise to find that this big, sweet beer actually paired quite well with Murray's Blueberry Stilton. Fruited Stiltons in one form or another (apricot, cranberry) often make an appearance and fall into the dessert category of cheeses. On the surface it may seem counter intuitive to pair a sweet cheese with a sweet, boozy beer but the cheese managed somehow to tame the excessive sweet, booze flavor of the beer. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Continuing further down the dessert path, the Blueberry Stilton was a hit with <a href="https://www.fremontbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Fremont</a> 2017 BB Dark Star Spice Wars that happened to be on tap. The beer offered heavy cinnamon flavors and when combined with the cheese was reminiscent of a blueberry muffin. Breakfast anyone?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Like cheddars, IPAs are a constant in our pairing quests. Two familiar ones - <a href="https://melvinbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Melvin</a> IPA and <a href="http://baerlicbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Baerlic</a> Cut the Fluff hazy IPA - both worked will with Alisios, a semi-soft cow/goat cheese from Spain. The cheese's inherent nuttiness complimented the hop profiles of the beer and was enhanced when adding some roasted pistachios we happened to have on hand, into the mix.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As always we are incredibly grateful to The BeerMongers for letting us indulge in our pairing adventures and pleased that so many of our friends are willing to join in the fun.</span>Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266585394191707735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3468600705723778114.post-39977286064366498222019-12-16T08:54:00.000-08:002019-12-16T08:54:31.600-08:00KEX Comes to Portland<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oli, Kiddie, Carsten & Brandon (High Road Distribution)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In Icelandic "kex" means biscuit. In Portland, "<a href="https://kexhotels.com/stay-with-us" target="_blank">KEX</a>" is the new hostel/bar/restaurant/brewery that has moved into the beautifully renovated building on the northeast corner of NE MLK and Couch.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Co-owners Kristinn "Kiddie" Vilbergsson and Olafur "Oli" Augustsson brought their concept from Reykjavik to Portland, saying at a recent media event that Portland is similar to Reykjavik in that it is home to good food and beer and close to nature. Embracing Portland as a home for their second KEX (the first having opened in 2011 in a former biscuit factory) they hope to appeal to a mixture of locals and travelers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">KEX beers are being brewed by Carsten Haney at his closed-to-the-public Ross Island Brewing space. We tasted five beers - Kolski Kolsch, Forbidden Fruit Kettle Sour, Steroids to Heaven IPA, Coffee + Cream Porter and Gretta sour mash pale ale. We found the Hull Melon-hopped Kolsch (not a style that we usually seek out) to be quite to our liking as well as the Coffee + Cream and Gretta, both more typical of beers that appeal to our palate. The Coffee + Cream porter combines Stumptown cold brew concentrate, lactose and roasty malts to produce one of the more memorable coffee porters we've tasted. Enjoyed on CO2, we were told that it is even better on nitro.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Gretta is a collaboration with Mikkeller, who opened just a hop, skip and jump away in the building that formerly housed Burnside Brewing. Originally intended to utilize fresh hops, a delay in brewing caused Carsten to rework his plans and instead the sour mash pale ale was heavily dry hopped. The name Gretta may translate in Icelandic to the pucker face one makes when drinking a sour, you'll find only smiles if you see us drinking this beer. Available on a limited basis in bottles, this is one we hope will be brewed again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The beer is just one component of KEX, which also has an open and spacious bar/restaurant on street level, above which private and shared accommodations are available. The accommodations range from hostel-style bunks in multi-bunk shared rooms to private rooms that have shared bathroom facilities to standard hotel-style private rooms with en suite bathrooms. All rooms include access to the on-site sauna and use of a guest kitchen facility, both in the lower level of the building. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We haven't yet had the opportunity to fully experien</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ce D<span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">ó</span>ttir </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">bar and restaurant but were treated to a sampling of menu items alongside the beer, of which we adored the pate (a combination of duck, pork and foie gras) and the brightly colored Skyr (yogurt) ailoi and parsley oil dipping sauce that accompanied the thick cut salt and vinegar fries. The restaurant opens at 7am for breakfast and cycles through lunch, happy hour, dinner and late night happy hour.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In an area dominated by newly sprouted, behemoth apartment buildings it is refreshing to see an existing building remodeled and re-imagined. Hopefully a bit more exterior signage will appear to draw attention to this new venture.</span>Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266585394191707735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3468600705723778114.post-12788019245642406022019-11-10T12:31:00.002-08:002019-11-10T12:31:13.157-08:00Craft Beer Concoctions Test Kitchen: Cachaca<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLxlwa9at7ckWnSpHlA18dlS7E_tKRc5U_Mk87EshapELhjP1M7Vz9otcwTJXFjDAuieKFjgVwadAMJw1w12x8wFfZdnXOqhFu1w59ZuIozryMNQZi6Jh5VojjGXKjbBYqY0TnjM2U1MA/s1600/Cachaca+4+varietiesBETTER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1507" data-original-width="1315" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLxlwa9at7ckWnSpHlA18dlS7E_tKRc5U_Mk87EshapELhjP1M7Vz9otcwTJXFjDAuieKFjgVwadAMJw1w12x8wFfZdnXOqhFu1w59ZuIozryMNQZi6Jh5VojjGXKjbBYqY0TnjM2U1MA/s320/Cachaca+4+varietiesBETTER.jpg" width="279" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">To start, you might be asking, "What's Cachaca?" A few weeks ago we wouldn't have known the answer and one of us would have had to </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cacha%C3%A7a" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;" target="_blank">consult Google</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> to find out. Now we know that it is the oldest distilled spirit in South America and made from sugar cane. Sugar cane was cultivated on the continent's coast for the purpose of being harvested and shipped to Portugal back in the day. The plant's inclination to grow like a weed also meant it was a ready raw ingredient to ferment.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">How we came to be interested in it was by meeting local Cachaca distributor Bob Nathanson of 3G Spirits. A cousin-of-sorts to rum from the standpoint that rum can be made from sugar cane (although most is distilled from molasses), Cachaca's flavor profile is wide-ranging. For the purposes of the our Test Kitchen we utilized four varieties of the spirit. Three came from Famosinha (via 3G Spirits), two of which were cask aged, and one from Avua. To become more familiar with their flavor profiles before we started the mixology, we sampled each on its own, an experience that was a further education of our palates.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In general we have found that our most successful craft beer cocktails have skewed fruity (but not overly sweet) and summery. This spirit from South America seemed well suited to our crafting and the following are three of our best creations.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>I Love You Like a Mango</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Avua Silver Cachaca</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- <a href="https://foundersbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Founders</a> Mas Agave</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Mango juice</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Lime marmalade syrup</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Fresh lime wedge & lemon wheel for garnish</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We counted ourselves lucky to find a bottle of Founders Mas Agave on the shelves of Hollywood Beverage as this is both a delicious beer and one that we found to work well in many, many cocktails. Here it is complimented by delicate sweetness from the mango juice and lime marmalade syrup and boosted by the Cachaca.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>White Oak Holiday</u> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Oak-aged Famoshinha Cachaca</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- <a href="https://www.thebruery.com/" target="_blank">The Bruery</a> Orxata</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Walnut bitters</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- The Barreled Bee honey</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Cinnamon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Orange peel garnish</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This lightly sweet cocktail uses a horchata-inspired beer from The Brewery and one of the two cask-aged Cachacas. By some mixology magic the ingredients combined to become an adults-only orange creamsicle.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><u>Jalapeno Invader</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Famoshinha Cherry Cask Cachaca</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- <a href="https://greatnotion.com/" target="_blank">Great Notion</a> Pineapple Juice Invader IPA</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Spicy pineapple syrup</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Tajin dusted pineapple slice</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Candied jalapeno slice</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Using the spicy-sweet pairing of pineapple and jalapeno as the basis for this beer cocktail, the Cachaca added a slightly woody backbone and complimentary flavor to the other ingredients. For those that haven't used <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/10/dining/tajin-seasoning.html" target="_blank">tajin</a>, it is a chili/lime seasoning from Mexico that has vast applications, including use on fruit, vegetables, cocktail glass rims, etc.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Huge thanks to Bob and wife, Sarah for joining us at this Test Kitchen. They are a wealth of knowledge about Cachaca and generous sharers of the product. Also thanks to our small, but faithful group of Test Kitchen guinea pigs that continue to join us on our adventure. </span>Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266585394191707735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3468600705723778114.post-21067074365945988432019-10-02T06:15:00.000-07:002019-10-02T06:17:07.147-07:00Jam Session - Craft Beer Concoction's Latest Test Kitchen<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Have you ever read a recipe or had a craving for a cocktail that involves muddling summer fresh berries in the dead of winter? Even though you know you can probably find the correct ingredients in the produce or freezer section of your local grocery store you also know it won't be the same. So you tuck that recipe away until those luscious, local berries return.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">That was the train of thought behind our idea to use jams and jellies in place of fresh fruit in the latest <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CraftBeerConcoctions/" target="_blank">Craft Beer Concoctions</a> Test Kitchen. A stunning variety of jams/jellies are commercially available but we managed to limit ourselves to a handful and supplemented those by whipping up a few in our own kitchen. Here are a few of our favorite concoctions using jam.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"I'd Pay For That"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We admit that not all the cocktails we create are great so when one of our tasting panel sipped this one, we had to name it after the words that came out of his mouth, "I'd pay for that!" A fairly simple combination of five ingredients, we'll be making plenty of these in the future.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- <a href="https://www.totalwine.com/spirits/vodka/vodka/baks-vodka-with-bison-grass/p/192552750" target="_blank">Bak's</a> Bison Grass Vodka</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- <a href="https://greatnotion.com/" target="_blank">Great Notion</a> Pineapple Juice Invader (hazy IPA with Galaxy hops and fresh pineapple)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- <a href="https://www.rosecitypepperheads.com/" target="_blank">Rose City Pepperheads</a> Rage 'N Red jalapeno jam</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Kroger pink grapefruit seltzer water</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Candied poppy seed rim</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Lime garnish</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Lara's Strawberry Witch"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">All of us at this Test Kitchen were familiar with those wrapped candies often found at Grandma's house, the hard strawberry candy in the twisted-top foil wrapper printed to look like a strawberry. We bet you know what we're talking about, too, and if you like those you'll like this cocktail. Named for the liqueur Lara brought, this cocktail has its sweetness balanced by citrus.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Homemade strawberry liqueur*</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Great Notion Strawberry Taffy (milkshake IPA with strawberries and vanilla beans)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Homemade strawberry jam</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Lemon juice</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0heK1_EPEE_7Km6t4KJOllkYX42Z95FRc_Mqk3-2nvsa3Lz2ZZRJXjUnMv9AIVsfNnJuRnzsr7bnxsx4NaxdlRTbw_fqPQjfut56Q6Vd60hygzhqP7NzCjfp5cHe-HcKLqX3v-pDCRuE/s1600/Lemon+drop1+adjusted.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="902" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0heK1_EPEE_7Km6t4KJOllkYX42Z95FRc_Mqk3-2nvsa3Lz2ZZRJXjUnMv9AIVsfNnJuRnzsr7bnxsx4NaxdlRTbw_fqPQjfut56Q6Vd60hygzhqP7NzCjfp5cHe-HcKLqX3v-pDCRuE/s320/Lemon+drop1+adjusted.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Butterscotch Lemon Drop"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">One can find a version of a lemon drop on nearly any cocktail menu. Ours combines a straight forward vodka, a shandy beer and lemon curd, dolled up in a fancy crystal wedding flute (thank goodness those glasses are finally getting put to use!).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- <a href="https://www.eastsidedistilling.com/" target="_blank">Eastside Distilling</a> Portland Potato Vodka</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- <a href="http://www.coalitionbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Coalition Brewing</a> Harvest Shandy (CBD lemon shandy with Goschie Farms hops)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- <a href="https://www.bonnemaman.us/" target="_blank">Bonne Maman</a> lemon curd</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Lemon slice garnish</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">All in all, this was one of our most successful test kitchens and we'll certainly be looking to our pantry/fridge in the future when we want to whip up a cocktail with a fruity component. If you haven't tried it yourself, we challenge you to grab whatever jam you have on hand and mix one up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>*If you've been inspired and want to make your own fruit liqueur, <a href="https://theviewfromgreatisland.com/how-to-make-homemade-fruit-liqueur-recipe/" target="_blank">check this out</a> for directions. Perhaps that's what you'll be handing out over the holidays to lucky folks.</i></span>Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266585394191707735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3468600705723778114.post-86727146718026078352019-09-17T14:38:00.000-07:002019-09-17T14:38:00.941-07:00Terp Fest NW - Inaugural Beer & Cider Festival<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv5Gq9DvdpbqA4wKpIs2lqGxWe8k0xCezL9I3hZNfalSK4zQjm8h-HlAI-_SBSJjqKnwVWA-FqCjKqnS4hMq7L_h2q56yWmarE4ENS24yDFloT8SbEARzOSWq_UY4vnlwy23NQ0f0jV3g/s1600/20190910_195921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv5Gq9DvdpbqA4wKpIs2lqGxWe8k0xCezL9I3hZNfalSK4zQjm8h-HlAI-_SBSJjqKnwVWA-FqCjKqnS4hMq7L_h2q56yWmarE4ENS24yDFloT8SbEARzOSWq_UY4vnlwy23NQ0f0jV3g/s320/20190910_195921.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A first ever of its kind beer and cider festival debuts at Cider Riot! this Saturday, September 21. Terp Fest NW will feature eight different beers and ciders infused with non-cannabinoid based terpenes from local company True Terpenes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Although the prevalence of commercially produced terpenes has risen with the full legalization of cannabis, one of the goals of this festival is awareness, normalization and education about these compounds. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For those wondering A) what terpenes are and B) how are they related, or not related, to cannabis the short answer is that terpenes are a large and diverse class of organic compounds produced by a variety of plants (including cannabis), that give each flower, herb and fruit its own unique scent and flavor. For a longer explanation, check out True Terpenes' </span><a href="https://trueterpenes.com/terpology/" style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;" target="_blank">terpology page</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">BIG NOTE:</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> None of the beers or ciders presented at this festival contain any amount of CBD or THC.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Recently we were able to preview some of the festival's offerings. Take a gander.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.ciderriot.com/" target="_blank">Cider Riot!</a> <u>Sage and Savory</u> - The first whiff of this cider is solidly savory while the flavor rides the line between a semi-dry cider and a savory creation that seems screams out to be paired with food. The 6% cider is a combination of the cidery's Everyday cider, sage-infused cider brandy and Cherry Pie terpenes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.westcoastgrocerycompany.com/" target="_blank">West Coast Grocery Co.</a> <u>Sonic Cherry Lime Blast</u> - Inspired by the Sonic restaurant chain's cherry limeade, it sports an amber-red color and uses Black Lime terpenes blended with their key lime and cherry lacto IPA. A complex beer popping with flavor, it is reminiscent of a well-crafted cocktail where the sum is far greater than its parts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://xylemcider.com/" target="_blank">Xylem Cider Works</a> <u>Trans-dimensional Cowboy</u> - Xylem is the originator of terpene ciders even though according to Co-Founder Nick Fillis they don't want to be known for just that. Be that as it may, this semi-dry cider is a work of drinkable art. Starting off with </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">a swoon-worthy horse blanket aroma, the flavor brings together </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">blueberries and Jack Herer terpenes, finishing with a crisp citrus-ness.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We will leave it at for that for now because we wouldn't want to give away all the fest has to offer. Plus you know you want to experience it first hand! So come and learn how terpenes can be used to enhance the craft beverages we love.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://terpfestnw.com/" target="_blank">Terp Fest NW</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Saturday, September 21st 12-8pm</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Cider Riot!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">807 NE Couch Street</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Tickets <a href="https://www.merctickets.com/events/98190063/terpfest-nw" target="_blank">in advance</a> or at the door: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">$15 - Terp Fest NW festival glass + 4 tasting tickets</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">$25 - Terp Fest NW festival glass + 8 tasting tickets</span>Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266585394191707735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3468600705723778114.post-17252101962915894892019-08-31T14:19:00.000-07:002019-08-31T14:19:38.151-07:00The BeerMongers Celebrates 10th Anniversary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJdNgiYPlodgQpPNaTaqTolybdBldXy7tDETbMvISHapI9Stp4ALy_5iKti0cv1hptZs1u8sj0ZQANoI4D21_JbARXPT7Zf1PNyfoXGKn5LgxW8UowZEOjCPa7QH5Fi0bDnAWGbkpr7aI/s1600/We%2527re+at+BeerMongers+-+Jan+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJdNgiYPlodgQpPNaTaqTolybdBldXy7tDETbMvISHapI9Stp4ALy_5iKti0cv1hptZs1u8sj0ZQANoI4D21_JbARXPT7Zf1PNyfoXGKn5LgxW8UowZEOjCPa7QH5Fi0bDnAWGbkpr7aI/s320/We%2527re+at+BeerMongers+-+Jan+2013.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nine years ago this summer we arrived in Portland, after a multi-day drive from our former home in the Midwest. As we settled in to our new surroundings in SE PDX we naturally gravitated to places with good beer and </span><a href="https://www.thebeermongers.com/?fbclid=IwAR3dETP4E1ldiG12w4giiHd3Cqgvcsd6eUa0_yxdLLkmG6d5x8kJU9UXtn8" style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">The BeerMongers</a><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> was one of the first we stumbled upon. At the time they had been open just over a year and from the start we were warmly welcomed. Today we count many of our friends as people we met there and are thankful to be part of “The Mongers Community.”</span></span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-3b76acf2-7fff-dab6-181d-44b19f035f27" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thursday, September 5 marks the 10th anniversary of The BeerMongers' opening and their 3,652nd consecutive day open. Owner Sean Campbell said, “We never planned on being open every day, it just happened organically. The community that has developed around that idea has been </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">inspirational, allowing The BeerMongers to host community potlucks annually on major holidays </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">when most establishments aren’t open. We all felt like our community needed a place to gather </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">on holidays.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To mark the milestone they have collaborated with some of their brewery friends to create 11 unique and creative beers, all on draft with some being canned/bottled as well, for the September 5 main celebration. In addition, daily events will take place September 1 - 8 highlighting the The BeerMongers’ greater role as a beer-loving community space.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj183_AF3D6oSDceIohU0H8TO9XK8z7pBsKCDd6pm2Py5tKmIqvnssbPEkDgBJZ64i-s6Y-sARQMKZONhn46hyphenhyphenbflpJuTH_mrJfschCj1f6BzouLc3oYVKY6TaY1p66sVo1NjKu7zc5ryI/s1600/Spinal_Beer__02.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="985" data-original-width="984" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj183_AF3D6oSDceIohU0H8TO9XK8z7pBsKCDd6pm2Py5tKmIqvnssbPEkDgBJZ64i-s6Y-sARQMKZONhn46hyphenhyphenbflpJuTH_mrJfschCj1f6BzouLc3oYVKY6TaY1p66sVo1NjKu7zc5ryI/s320/Spinal_Beer__02.PNG" width="319" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Beers</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Barley Brown’s Cascadian Dark Pilsner (Draft)</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Trap Door & Stormbreaker “Flip Ya For Real” Hazy DIPA (Draft/Cans)</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Block 15 “The Pitch” Oregon Amber Lager Conditioned in Pitched Barrels (Draft/Bottles)</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Wayfinder & Breakside American Pale Ale (Draft)</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Von Ebert Kumquat Farmhouse (Draft)</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Alesong The BeerMongers Biscotti (Draft/Bottles)</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Upright & Danodan Extra Special Herbs (Draft/Bottles)</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Alvarado Street West Coast IPA (Draft)</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ex Novo & Level Rustic English Old Ale (Draft)</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Modern Times & Baerlic Coffee Vienna Lager (Draft/Can)</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ruse & Indie Hops Fresh Hop IPA (Draft)</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Events</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sunday, September 1 - Cellar Sale, featuring carefully-chosen aged beers from The BeerMongers’ extensive cellar stock</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Monday, September 2 - Labor Day Cookout & Potluck, where friends and family (21+) are encouraged to bring a dish to share and gather for food, fun, and festivities</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tuesday, September 3 - High Stakes Cribbage Tournament at 6pm, plus 1st Annual Russell Awards in memory of Russell Riebesehl</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Wednesday, September 4 - G.O.A.T. Bottle Share (Greatest of All Time), starting at 6pm</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thursday, September 5 - The Big Day! 3,652 Days in a Row! 11 Beers for 10 Years!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Friday, September 6 - Trappist Beer Appreciation Day (Cheese too!)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Saturday, September 7 & Sunday, September 8 - Outdoor Beer Garden and Games</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(more details on all events <a href="https://www.thebeermongers.com/?fbclid=IwAR3dETP4E1ldiG12w4giiHd3Cqgvcsd6eUa0_yxdLLkmG6d5x8kJU9UXtn8" target="_blank">here</a>)</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.thebeermongers.com/?fbclid=IwAR3dETP4E1ldiG12w4giiHd3Cqgvcsd6eUa0_yxdLLkmG6d5x8kJU9UXtn8" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The BeerMongers</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Big Day: 10th Anniversary</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thursday, September 5th 11am - 11pm</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1125 SE Division</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">See you there!</span></span></div>
Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266585394191707735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3468600705723778114.post-27439671667529100432019-07-29T14:11:00.000-07:002019-07-29T14:11:21.619-07:00Coasters: Cool or Kitschy?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7zYc2uZQp6kPjVQaY5SWumF34UyRxw9lWi2lgoYVzI4qCC4IZNDLFVtbrc4J9r8C18yU2ilog4iGOCVP7uJwdird_FkO-FfEeIkgQipGmgC3tbBDpqeT5uDO5Po1rb0B2ljaQRPVjfVA/s1600/Great+Ace+Coasters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="566" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7zYc2uZQp6kPjVQaY5SWumF34UyRxw9lWi2lgoYVzI4qCC4IZNDLFVtbrc4J9r8C18yU2ilog4iGOCVP7uJwdird_FkO-FfEeIkgQipGmgC3tbBDpqeT5uDO5Po1rb0B2ljaQRPVjfVA/s400/Great+Ace+Coasters.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Are drink coasters fuddy-duddy? We don't think so but if "yes" was what first thing that popped into your mind, just remember that glass rings and pizza box-induced heat damage are why we can't have nice things. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Seriously though, coasters can be cool and the modern looking <a href="https://www.groovygroomsmengifts.com/collections/bar-groomsmen-gift-ideas/products/awesome-great-ace-coasters" target="_blank">Great Ace Coasters</a> from Groovy Groomsmen Gifts most certainly are not your grandma's coasters (or if they are, please, introduce us to her. We'd like to invite her to hang out with us because she sounds cool). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The 4-pack of coasters and optional, handy wooden storage box, can be personalized with up to three letters. We're simple folk so for the sample we accepted we requested a single letter. Maybe the two or three letter version jives better with your personal aesthetic; to each their own.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The box, if you choose to order it, can be used as intended or for the storage of an incalculable number of small items measuring less than four inches while the coasters hang out in the (included) stainless steel holder awaiting use. Either way, when it's time to step into the adult world where we <b>can</b> have nice things, consider ordering these for yourself or that friend who just acquired a table that really ties the room together.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.groovygroomsmengifts.com/" target="_blank">Groovy Groomsmen Gifts</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Great Ace Coasters</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> $34.99 base price/$39.99 with box</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Beer Musings PDX was supplied with a sample product for review.</i></span>Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266585394191707735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3468600705723778114.post-43549340348318405382019-07-25T05:50:00.000-07:002019-07-25T05:50:18.872-07:00I Scream, You Scream for Ice Cream (and Beer?)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieMMWNcE94NSacfahqVdXapEet1REw_Q67ED2wp8Av23eyec2diZ8z9iPTCCSDcIoV57Ch9JzzIz0PQ970qCTEETE4_7xgEtUr4vSmKDbPq6xYvxDcTzkIdhf7X8cXpa1lxDpT9xaW7Z4/s1600/Beer+%2526+ice+cream+players.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1140" data-original-width="1600" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieMMWNcE94NSacfahqVdXapEet1REw_Q67ED2wp8Av23eyec2diZ8z9iPTCCSDcIoV57Ch9JzzIz0PQ970qCTEETE4_7xgEtUr4vSmKDbPq6xYvxDcTzkIdhf7X8cXpa1lxDpT9xaW7Z4/s400/Beer+%2526+ice+cream+players.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Do you remember the first time you had a root beer float? Cool, creamy ice cream bathed in effervescent sugary liquid...the collision of two things you could probably never get enough of. We rarely drink soda/pop/root beer these days, instead preferring a pint of hop soda but decided to make a compromise, keeping the hop soda and adding ice cream. Could we be successful in balancing our inner child and our adult preferences?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The first order of business was to browse through the store freezers, which turned out to be packed with a lot more flavors than they were back when we were kids, and pick up some flavor standards as well as other things that just sounded good. Gathering at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pdxbeermongers/" target="_blank">our favorite haunt</a>, filled with plenty of beers to select from, we sat down for a sticky good time of pairing. While some pairings were no-brainers - stouts, light or heavy, with both chocolate and vanilla ice cream - we also came up with some more creative and interesting pairings that we quite enjoyed. Take a gander.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The two most successful "ice creams" were actually sorbets - Open Nature lemon and raspberry - with the raspberry slightly edging out the lemon as Best Pairing with Beer. From the light <a href="https://www.brasserie-dupont.com/en/" target="_blank">Saison Dupont</a> to the hoppy <a href="https://georgetownbeer.com/beer/details/lucille" target="_blank">Georgetown Lucille IPA</a> to the big, boozy <a href="https://foundersbrewing.com/our-beer/kbs/" target="_blank">Founders KBS</a> (Kentucky Breakfast Stout) </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Bourbon Barrel Aged Chocolate Coffee Stout,</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">these sorbets were a hit with the widest spectrum of beers. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjon6jJAEOrxWfgEkZFAzFhdV1qd3U4ZJOOJ-ze7BCOTlEgB6syHxdj8HfqjfFnBhab1KDm0sxOoBCx4a5as3Q0wuos0MGOLbQ4j_DI68gaQu-OnDaBuA696G4Y4ZTujdHf-OG-UU6XRg/s1600/Beer+%2526+ice+cream+tools.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjon6jJAEOrxWfgEkZFAzFhdV1qd3U4ZJOOJ-ze7BCOTlEgB6syHxdj8HfqjfFnBhab1KDm0sxOoBCx4a5as3Q0wuos0MGOLbQ4j_DI68gaQu-OnDaBuA696G4Y4ZTujdHf-OG-UU6XRg/s400/Beer+%2526+ice+cream+tools.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Talenti Sicilian Pistachio Gelato </u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Pistachio ice cream surely existed when we were kids although it doesn't stand out as a top pick. Gelato is similar to ice cream and in this case the creaminess is complimented by the texture the pistachios. Whether the solid bits at the bottom of the glass are a bonus or a detraction is a personal matter. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Intrigued by the possibility that this would be a flavor that wouldn't work well with any beer we found that in fact its nuttiness meshed well the hop profile of Georgetown Lucille IPA. So, too, did Culmination's take on a KBS-style beer, </span><a href="http://culminationbrewing.com/multnomah-county-stout-the-culmination-back-bar-podcast/" style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;" target="_blank">MCS (Multnomah County Stout).</a><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Haagen-Dazs White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As the name implies, this is a rich, very sweet ice cream. Both Saison Dupont, a beer that we'd found to be a great pairing with Girl Scout cookies, and <a href="https://www.wildridebrew.com/seasonal-brews" target="_blank">Wild Ride Tarty to the Party Peach Raspberry Sour</a> helped to balance that sweetness. In addition, the subtle lemon in the Saison Dupont was enhanced when paired with the ice cream.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Tillamook Marionberry Cheesecake</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Wild Ride Tarty to the Party Peach Raspberry Sour also paired well with this ice cream, with its tartness coming out at the beginning, the cream mellowing it mid-palate and the graham cracker crust bits adding a buttery finish to the experience. Founders big, bold KBS was our optimal dark beer with this ice cream.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Colombian Cold Brew Caramel</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">An intensely coffee flavored ice cream, it paired nicely with <a href="https://pelicanbrewing.com/beer/tsunami/" target="_blank">Pelican Tsunami Export Stout</a>. The 7% stout is not of the sweet variety, instead being roasty. Paired with this ice cream, a slight, pleasant saltiness presents itself on the finish.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This type of pairing might not be for everyone but if you're feeling a bit adventurous, grab a pint from the freezer and a pint from the fridge, find a warm sunny place and indulge.</span><br />
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Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266585394191707735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3468600705723778114.post-30070250770004245642019-07-18T17:00:00.000-07:002019-07-18T17:00:14.632-07:00Crushable, Light and Fruity - Two Beers for Summer<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We were recently gifted two beers to try, one a lager and one a fruited wheat beer, and we're pleased to say that we'd be happy to stock our fridge with either or find them as we dig into a cooler at a summer gathering. If that's all you need to seek some out yourself, great! Head out and grab some Zoiglhaus/Zupan's Farm-to-Market German-style Lager and Public Coast Farm Stand Series Blueberry Wheat Ale. Want a few more details first? Read on.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsyG61JoGM3qKo6vD1JIoUpXrONQKa78QtGBJ-Dzfsu-HPD83kG32ITSunIbuT1ZHbh7PjUC9DMXtzT1KVsR9jD_9S8bSG8yffV3sY3XIxF36aWPrrkucd15S8NmasiXXrT_5jR7o_s8Y/s1600/Zoiglhaus+Zupan%2527s+Farm+to+Market+Lager.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsyG61JoGM3qKo6vD1JIoUpXrONQKa78QtGBJ-Dzfsu-HPD83kG32ITSunIbuT1ZHbh7PjUC9DMXtzT1KVsR9jD_9S8bSG8yffV3sY3XIxF36aWPrrkucd15S8NmasiXXrT_5jR7o_s8Y/s320/Zoiglhaus+Zupan%2527s+Farm+to+Market+Lager.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><u>Zoiglhaus/Zupan's Farm-to-Market German-style Lager</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This lager is the ninth beer in Zupan's <a href="https://untappd.com/search?q=Zupan%27s%20Farm%20To%20Market%20&type=beer" target="_blank">Farm-to-Market series</a>, one that began in 2015 and has produced collaborations with Coalition Brewing, Buoy Beer Company, Hopworks Urban Brewery, pFriem Family Brewers, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Commons Brewery </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">and now Zoiglhaus takes its turn. This is the first beer in the series that has been presented in can format - 12oz cans for sale at all <a href="https://www.zupans.com/" target="_blank">Zupan's Markets</a> in 6-packs for $10.50.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Those familiar with <a href="https://www.zoiglhaus.com/" target="_blank">Zoiglhaus</a> won't be surprised to see that this beer is solidly in their German-style beer wheelhouse. Nor should one be surprised that it is very well done. Crisp and clear in appearance with a characteristic Pilsner aroma it drinks easy and finishes clean. At 4.7% ABV it goes down as gently as a summer breeze. In addition to being enjoyed on its own, we feel it would pair very nicely with a wide variety of foods.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><u>Public Coast Farm Blueberry Wheat Ale</u></b><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;">Our first visit to <a href="https://publiccoastbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Public Coast Brewery</a> in Cannon Beach was two and a half years ago and since then we were able to enjoy their Black Jack Bumbleberry Sour Stout at Festival of the Dark Arts in February. Having found that one to our liking, it was not surprising to find this beer to be equally well made. Pouring a stunning berry shade with the slightest hint of haze that adds to the depth of color, there is a slight acidic fruitiness up front. The mild blueberry flavor carries through, without being sweet, and a moderate level of carbonation enhances the flavor.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;">The beer features blueberries from Public Coast Farm, situated on 40 acres in Banks, OR. This is the first foray between the brewery and the farm but both parties are hoping that it will be the start of something ongoing. If the fat, fresh, beautiful berries that came along with the beer sample we received are any indication, things are off to a great start.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;">We give both of these beers two thumbs up for appealing to a broad range of palates and being packed with flavor while remaining low in ABV. Dare you to disagree. </span><br />
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Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266585394191707735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3468600705723778114.post-35427658683156307242019-06-28T15:15:00.001-07:002019-10-03T05:34:18.085-07:00Beer Cocktails: Gin Edition<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"I love Gin</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ginny Ginny Gin</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">mmmmm Gin</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I love Gin"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Ron Burgundy, Anchorman</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We agree with Ron that Gin is a lovely thing. It is also one of the staples of any liquor cabinet or cocktail list and the varieties range from subtle to highly botanical. For infusions, like the ones we made for this <a href="https://www.instagram.com/craftbeerconcoctions/" target="_blank">Craft Beer Concoctions</a> Test Kitchen, we chose subtle <a href="http://www.newamsterdamspirits.com/gin" target="_blank">New Amsterdam</a> to allow the flavor we were infusing to take center stage. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Here are our most successful concoctions, ones that we'll likely be refining in the future.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Gin & Jam</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Laurelwood Lost in Happy Mountain Saison</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lavender infused Gin</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Rhubarb lemonade</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Marionberry jam</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The beer is a collaboration between <a href="https://www.laurelwoodbrewpub.com/" target="_blank">Laurelwood Brewing</a> and <a href="http://www.happymountainkombucha.com/" target="_blank">Happy Mountain Kombucha</a> and caught our eye while we were shopping for beer for this installment of the Test Kitchen. Not something we'd normally pick up to drink on its own, the subtle flavors of the beer were accentuated by the infused Gin, the lemonade added a touch of tartness and the jam gave it just the right amount of sweetness, leading us to comment, "that just goes down easy."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Arnold Gin & Juice Bomb</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Matchless Brewing Juice Bomb Units</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hendrick's Gin</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Rhubarb lemonade</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Pearl Soda Company Blue Mountain Sunshine bitters</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This alcoholic take on an Arnold Palmer gets its lemonade flavor components from both the <a href="http://www.matchlessbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Matchless Brewing</a> hazy IPA and the lemonade while the <a href="http://www.pearlsodaco.com/" target="_blank">Pearl</a> bitters contributed a tea-like quality that gave the cocktail added depth.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Rosemary's Baby Mama</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Wild Ride Tarty to the Party Sugar Plum</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lavender infused Gin</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Rosemary sprig</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A simple cocktail, the fruity sourness of the beer (yet another in <a href="https://www.wildridebrew.com/" target="_blank">Wild Ride's</a> great Tarty to the Party series), the floral-boosted gin and a savory balance contributed by the rosemary played remarkably well with one another.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Peachy Gin Fizz</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://tietonciderworks.com/" target="_blank">Tieton Cider Works</a> Bourbon Barrel Peach Cider</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.rollingriverspirits.com/our-collection/" target="_blank">Rolling River</a> Gin</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.luxardo.it/liqueurs-and-distillates/maraschino-originale/" target="_blank">Luxardo</a> Marschino Liqueur</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.torani.com/" target="_blank">Torani</a> Amaretto syrup</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Egg white</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lemon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Pearl Soda Company Blue Mountain Sunshine Bitters</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Our first try at this cocktail was sans the egg white and while it doesn't contribute any flavor to the sour and sweet flavor profile, it did give the cocktail the missing body component. Besides a frothy top makes for an eye pleasing drink.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Mas Nap</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Founders Brewing Mas Agave Gose</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://prairieales.com/" target="_blank">Prairie Artisan Ales</a> Lil Nap </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ginger infused Gin</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Luxardo Maraschino Liquor</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Squeeze of lime</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Gose style beers are usually low on the ABV meter, however this version from <a href="https://foundersbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Founders</a> went well out of the typical ballpark clocking in at a robust 10%. Instead, Lil Nap, a blackberry and lime sour, filled the low ABV slot while being highly flavorful. Looking at the other components of this cocktail one might think there is a little too much going on but thankfully we were able to find the right ratios to create a cohesive, summery, pre-nap cocktail.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>The Crooked Cucumber</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.crookedstave.com/" target="_blank">Crooked Stave</a> Sour Rose</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Cucumber infused Gin</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Marionberry jam</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Inspired by the refreshing flavor of cucumber water, we infused Gin with cucumbers and here, paired it with the effervescent and slightly fruity wild ale from Crooked Stave. The jam added a touch more sweetness and helped amplify the pink color from the beer for a cocktail worthy of a fluted glass.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Tea Cream Shandy (aka Sweet Creams Are Made of These)</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://greatnotionpdx.com/" target="_blank">Great Notion Brewing</a> Orange Creamsicle IPA</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Jasmine tea infused Gin</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sparkling water</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://thebitterhousewife.com/" target="_blank">The Bitter Housewife</a> orange bitters</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Orange squeeze</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Equal parts of orange and tea flavors keep this lower ABV cocktail light in flavor, light enough that we decided it should be served in a pint glass. If it makes the cut to be refined we may look at getting some shaved ice to serve it with for a playful cocktail.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">With each Test Kitchen we're learning more about the basic components we'd want to have in our beer cocktail kit. Some things are nice to have and fun to play with while some are quickly becoming essential. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Thanks again for sticking with us as we explore beer-related pursuits. If we've inspired you to venture out on some of your own, or have suggestions for the future, leave us a comment.</span>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266585394191707735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3468600705723778114.post-15968700427999521712019-06-20T06:18:00.000-07:002019-06-20T09:34:35.108-07:00Oregon Cider Week 2019<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.oregonciderweek.com/" target="_blank">Oregon Cider Week</a> starts today, and just as Portland Beer Week was, this "week" is an 11-day long celebration that encompasses two weekends. We were fortunate to be able to attend a preview event earlier this week that featured 20 local cidermakers and over 60 ciders. Try as we might, we didn't make it through all of them but of the ones that we had those that rose to the top of the barrel were:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://tietonciderworks.com/" target="_blank">Tieton Cider Works</a> Single Varietal Harrison - Tieton cans some of their cider but the Single Varietal series is in bottles. Speaking to them we learned that they grow all of their own fruit in Yakima and that the Harrison apple was a variety that nearly went extinct shortly after Prohibition. Not an eating apple as much as what one would consider a baking apple, it hit the mark for us as a cider apple.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://squaremilecider.com/" target="_blank">Square Mile Cider</a> Hopped Cider - First off, yes, Square Mile is a Widmer Brothers "sibling" - make of it what you will. As for this Galaxy dry-hopped cider what really impressed us was that not only did the dry-hopping impart a beer-like aroma, it provided plenty of beer-like flavor to the still-a-cider base. It's certainly not for some people but should we run across someone who was gluten-free and craving hoppiness, we'd recommend checking this cider out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://2townsciderhouse.com/" target="_blank">2 Towns Ciderhouse</a> Camp Clementine - We've been impressed by 2 Towns ciders again and again so it wasn't a surprise that this passionfruit and clementine cider was one of our favorites. Passionfruit can sometimes be a bit too sweet but the clementines nicely restrained the sweetness here. Bonus points for a "sunny" and thoroughly summer looking label.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://wildcraftciderworks.com/" target="_blank">WildCraft Cider Works</a> Willamette Heritage - There are a ton of American ciders we love but the key to our heart really is a funky, barnyard French cider and this offering from WildCraft is one of the closest we've had to something from across the ocean. If you like a bit of barnyard in your cider, too, seek this out.</span><br />
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<a href="https://avidcider.com/" style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;" target="_blank">AVID Cider</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Dragonfruit - While the aroma was a bit muddled, the flavor combination from the dragonfruit and raspberries used was quite nicely tart. The can sports an eye-catching label and we also loved it paired with the </span><a href="https://www.bluestardonuts.com/" style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;" target="_blank">Blue Star</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> donut*</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> featured at the event. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://avidcider.com/" target="_blank">AVID Cider</a> Watermelon Rhubarb - Would you expect a cider that smells like a Jolly Rancher to actually taste good? Of course not. You'd expect it to be gimmicky and over the top sweet. Not so in this case. Yes, it smells like a watermelon Jolly Rancher but the actual flavor is far less sweet and somehow the rhubarb manages to provide a rind-like flavor to the cider. It might possibly be black magic.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We won't re-list the information about all the Week's events here, but direct you to their <a href="https://www.oregonciderweek.com/" target="_blank">website</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ORCiderWeek/" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>. One event, however, that we enjoyed last year and if we were able to attend again would be the <a href="https://www.cidersummitnw.com/portland-1" target="_blank">Oregon Cider Summit</a>. It takes place at The Fields Park Friday and Saturday and like the preview we attended, is a great way to try many ciders in one place. If you <a href="https://www.cidersummitnw.com/tickets?fbclid=IwAR3_ajD45g0R4pN4REtJvuejlFSj1OBTcFWEQeIZ2guh6CJnVi91Mrf1p2c" target="_blank">buy your ticket online today</a> it is $30 (+ $2.85 fees) for a glass and 12 tasting tickets. At the door, if tickets remain, they will be $35.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>*Vanilla cake donut with a glaze made from <a href="https://www.baumanscider.com/" target="_blank">Bauman's</a> Loganberry Cider, fresh raspberries and juicy blackberries. Topped with a salted crumble made with olive oil and lemon, vegan to boot. Available at all Blue Star locations throughout the Week.</i></span><br />
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Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266585394191707735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3468600705723778114.post-28886318398125670432019-05-13T17:58:00.000-07:002019-10-03T05:35:09.956-07:00Beer Cocktails: Tequila Edition<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Our first three forays into creating beer cocktails found us testing our hand with <a href="http://bitteredunits.blogspot.com/2018/05/boilermakers-with-bulleit.html" target="_blank">whiskey</a>, <a href="http://bitteredunits.blogspot.com/2018/09/beer-cocktails-oktoberfest-vodka-edition.html" target="_blank">vodka</a> and <a href="http://bitteredunits.blogspot.com/2018/10/beer-cocktails-rum-edition.html" target="_blank">rum</a>. This time around we went for a slightly more challenging spirit - tequila. While not our spirit of choice in general we have enjoyed some professionally made tequila-based cocktails. Gathering up some traditional cocktail recipes to use as our basis of inspiration we met up at <a href="http://www.gatewaybrewingpdx.com/" target="_blank">Gateway Brewing</a> with an assortment of fruit juices and other mix-ins, bitters, rimming ingredients and a few other select beers to round out our tequila cocktail-making bar. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Joel and Karen Sheley, owners of Gateway, not only fully opened their brewery up to us but also their inviting and perfect-for-entertaining back yard on what turned out to be a gorgeous early May evening. That full access allowed us to sample and select from Gateway Pilsner, Exit 7 IPA, Wood Hill Stout, Jet Coffee Stout, Ventura Red Ale and Mahogany Dark Lager to match with the Reposado (oak aged) and Silver tequilas. Here are the best of this session's creations.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Gateway Mule</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Reposado tequila</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- <a href="https://www.facebook.com/gatewaybrewingpdx/" target="_blank">Gateway</a> Ventura Red Ale</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- <a href="http://cocknbull.us/" target="_blank">Cock'n Bull</a> ginger beer</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Jalapeno simple syrup</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Lime juice</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As fans of the ginger beer based "mule" we couldn't resist creating our own version, using the Ventura to provide a more complex backbone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Spicy Pineapple Margarita</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Silver tequila</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- <a href="https://www.facebook.com/gatewaybrewingpdx/" target="_blank">Gateway</a> Pilsner</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Pineapple juice</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Jalapeno simple syrup</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Lemon wedge</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Salt rim</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We are not fans of the overly sugary versions of a margarita that one might find at a national chain restaurant and in making our beer cocktail version we opted for just a splash of fruit juice.</span><br />
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<u style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Nice & Easy</u><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Silver tequila</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- <a href="http://baerlicbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Baerlic</a> Nice & Easy</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Triple Sec</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Salt rim</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Just like the Baerlic gose we used for this beer cocktail, the name seemed fitting for this easy to drink cocktail.</span><br />
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<u style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Night Falls</u><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Silver tequila</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Homemade Kahlua</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- <a href="https://prairieales.com/" target="_blank">Prairie Artisan</a> Bomb (imperial stout aged on espresso beans, chocolate, vanilla beans and ancho chile peppers)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Transitioning from a sunny day of patio drinking to gathering around a fire, this three ingredient cocktail was inspired by the flavors of Mexican hot chocolate.</span><br />
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<u style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Muffin Maiden</u><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- <a href="http://greatnotionpdx.com/" target="_blank">Great Notion</a> Blueberry Muffin</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Silver tequila</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Limeade</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Lemon sugar rim</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Lime wedge</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Great Notion Brewing's beers can be polarizing - either you like them or you don't. We happen to appreciate their unique contribution to the Portland beer scene and found that one of their beers made a very nice contribution to our cocktail creating.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Huge thanks go out to our hosts, Joel and Karen, along with our merry band of taste testers! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Follow our adventures in picture form on our newly created Instagram account just for our cocktails, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/craftbeerconcoctions/" target="_blank">Craft Beer Concoctions</a>.</span>Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266585394191707735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3468600705723778114.post-7527498340550994022019-03-23T12:15:00.000-07:002019-03-24T05:41:23.272-07:00Opening Day at Assembly Brewing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Today marks the official opening of the latest addition to the Portland Brewing scene, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/assemblybrewing/" target="_blank">Assembly Brewing</a>. 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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">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</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> 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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">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 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/575360589612858/" target="_blank">Facebook event</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/assemblybrewing/" target="_blank">Assembly Brewing </a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">6112 SE Foster Rd</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Open 11am - 2am daily</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">21+</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266585394191707735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3468600705723778114.post-61499894478921437222019-03-12T09:16:00.001-07:002019-03-12T09:16:26.967-07:00Portland Passport on Tap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiEf22J7aoyqhNTseL_FjznazjvQOMPDCc3Dh2gZcxQ8KIJP5AyJrHhvIOgXCmzFDC7j51hhp5e7G52reYb01cphp-_Iz_rwlqh2toITRZcABL0LahuvMPia2zzRQJXw2YtA2oI7yFh0s/s1600/Screenshot_20190210-111246_Passport+on+tap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="779" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiEf22J7aoyqhNTseL_FjznazjvQOMPDCc3Dh2gZcxQ8KIJP5AyJrHhvIOgXCmzFDC7j51hhp5e7G52reYb01cphp-_Iz_rwlqh2toITRZcABL0LahuvMPia2zzRQJXw2YtA2oI7yFh0s/s640/Screenshot_20190210-111246_Passport+on+tap.jpg" width="308" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A few weeks ago we were contacted by the folks over at </span><a href="https://www.passportontap.com/" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;" target="_blank">Portland Passport on Tap</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> 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. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The first location we visited after installing the app was <a href="http://www.coalitionbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Coalition Brewing</a>. 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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The second location we visited with the app was <a href="http://www.exnovobrew.com/" target="_blank">Ex Novo</a>. 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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">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).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">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. </span>Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266585394191707735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3468600705723778114.post-58998888240527261482019-03-05T10:19:00.001-08:002019-03-05T10:19:19.908-08:00Personalized Beer Mugs & More<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiV2F175MEQcIC2uwr2khPKIDDUg9V1MZgbLlun4OHyHJInXQjZGvRFhnvF-ZyYepLETh194SPIiVxadyM2YKXFHl5E9jEerMrELSLywggt5-m6C8p_EY0EwDdyg1Cz3RCaZ1zw0z8a5g/s1600/20190224_130949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiV2F175MEQcIC2uwr2khPKIDDUg9V1MZgbLlun4OHyHJInXQjZGvRFhnvF-ZyYepLETh194SPIiVxadyM2YKXFHl5E9jEerMrELSLywggt5-m6C8p_EY0EwDdyg1Cz3RCaZ1zw0z8a5g/s400/20190224_130949.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">We were recently contacted by Joe Debicella, Right Hand Man, at <a href="https://www.groovyguygifts.com/" target="_blank">Groovy Guy Gifts</a> 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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">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.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">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 ----------->>>>). </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">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.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">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.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Whether your looking for a gift for a sibling, spouse, parent or friend wander over to <a href="https://www.groovyguygifts.com/" target="_blank">Groovy Guy Gifts</a> and at least scroll through what they offer. Maybe you'll find the perfect thing for that person...or yourself.</span></span>Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266585394191707735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3468600705723778114.post-60028832340898387532019-02-26T08:51:00.002-08:002019-02-26T08:51:52.568-08:00Girl Scout Cookies & Beer - Year Six<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5e79vxPMKs5Mthlg_s7Nh75wQVj8MSjc4wS6m2E0n-JuTy3GoCHDkJemVTW_Hfrd-VxjJ_ryp2nX_ZhIlevipdqqIxTAL0y2zqgbo3sbyzHJouHQfL6T-C80B1uJGfzWqNk2-b59Ui6k/s1600/20190224_131745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5e79vxPMKs5Mthlg_s7Nh75wQVj8MSjc4wS6m2E0n-JuTy3GoCHDkJemVTW_Hfrd-VxjJ_ryp2nX_ZhIlevipdqqIxTAL0y2zqgbo3sbyzHJouHQfL6T-C80B1uJGfzWqNk2-b59Ui6k/s400/20190224_131745.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It’s that time of year again and if you haven’t seen them hawking their sugary treats around town or been asked by a friend or relative to buy them then clearly you’ve been living under a rock. Since <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DocScience" target="_blank">Chris’</a> niece was once again selling them, he was once again buying a box of each variety available. Apparently the beer gods looked favorably upon us because we were able to sit down for our annual pairing foray less than a week after the cookies arrived. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In advance of gathering at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pdxbeermongers/" target="_blank">our local</a> we perused <a href="http://bitteredunits.blogspot.com/search?q=girl+scout+cookies&max-results=20&by-date=true" target="_blank">past years’ pairing posts</a> to see what beers had worked with what cookies, keeping a particular eye out for the unexpected pairs like Do-Si-Dos (peanut butter sandwich cookies) and Bell’s Winter White (Belgian style) or Samoas (coconuty) with Baerlic What the Fluff (hazy IPA). Referencing that information aided some of our decision making while the rest was left to our palates’ preferences and what shiny new things were available this year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://block15.com/" target="_blank">Block 15 Breakfast with Woodford</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Our friend <a href="https://www.facebook.com/paul.snyder.3954" target="_blank">Paul</a> brought this treat from his collection and overall the big, boozy stout brewed with maple syrup was a hit both on its own and with many of the cookies. With Toffee-tastic, the gluten free cookie that we were quite happy to see return this year, the pairing took on the flavor profile of French toast. The cookie provided a brioche-like base with its toffee bits playing off the maple syrup notes in the beer. Not surprisingly the rich coconuty Samoas made for a very decadent pairing. Thin Mints, for all of their perceived easy pairing with big, dark beers, have often not been as compatible as we had hoped however here the beer brought the mint to the forefront, making it pop in a deliciously sharp way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.stonebrewing.com/beer/special-releases/stone-xocoveza" target="_blank">Stone Xocoveza </a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A favorite beer of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/caren.rockwood" target="_blank">Caren’s</a>, this imperial stout was brewed to have a flavor profile similar to that of Mexican hot chocolate - deep with a balanced spiciness. As with the Block 15, it worked well with many of the cookies but particularly well with S’mores. This sandwich cookie not only does a great job of smelling like a s’more but also tasting like it and when paired with this beer the marshmallow flavor became enhanced to the point of almost reaching coconut.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://trapdoorbrewing.com/beer/" target="_blank">Trap Door Mango Lassi</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We’ve been impressed with Trap Door’s beers in general however none of us were particularly enamored by this sour/gose, that is until we had some cookie in our mouth at the same time. A tropical take on the traditional peanut butter and jelly sandwich resulted from pairing it with the Do-Si-Dos and the bright fruit helped to lighten up the chocolate covered peanut butter goodness of the Tagalongs. That light fruitiness also worked well to balance the overt sweetness of the S’mores cookie.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://tietonciderworks.com/apricot/" target="_blank">Tieton Cider Works Apricot</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">While we have primarily stuck to beer pairings, we have occasionally cracked open a cider and often found a compatible cookie for it. This year we tried out an apricot cider, agreeing that it was enjoyable on its own, and found its best mate in the tried and true Trefoils (aka Shortbread). The cookie’s butteriness held strong with a pleasant contribution of bright fruit from the cider. For a lighter pairing, the Savannah Smiles lemon cookie hit the mark.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://greatdivide.com/beers/orabelle-belgian-style-ale/" target="_blank">Great Divide Orabelle</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This Belgian-style ale “with spices” is in the same family as the Bell’s Winter White we mentioned previously. Similar to it, it’s not a beer we find particularly enjoyable on its own but we did find a pairing that redeemed the beer - the super sweet Samoas. The beer did its part to balance the cookie’s sweetness while the cookie transformed the beer into something that we quite enjoyed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.exnovobrew.com/brews" target="_blank">Ex Novo Wooden Teeth</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Another big, dark beer, this 13.4% ABV whiskey barrel-aged wee heavy ale also found a friend in the Samoas, here being decadent instead of being lightened. For being a "controversial" cookie (depending on your feeling about coconut) this year it turned out to be one of the most versatile and successfully paired cookies.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Thanks to all the friends that joined us, our local and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/davidjvoss" target="_blank">the beertender</a> on staff for making this another fun and palate-informing outing! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266585394191707735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3468600705723778114.post-72287648522329522162019-02-20T05:33:00.001-08:002019-02-20T05:34:39.819-08:005th Annual Brewstillery Festival<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcck_GJF_Tix4hYCrjX1gTGNG1AlOMxeNWLsqBJcoJRrnbN9-kGQrnZACvHBlhyphenhyphenb1M-O47BvlGVsO7rqSu6vQCcOq5yMq-aE0z-H2cxf9Hg02kV1r4bJjypxJCO9M5yvGp0tj2Lz25tSc/s1600/Stormbreaker+Brewing-Brewstillery+5-WW+Online+Event+Calendar+Ad-800x432.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="433" data-original-width="801" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcck_GJF_Tix4hYCrjX1gTGNG1AlOMxeNWLsqBJcoJRrnbN9-kGQrnZACvHBlhyphenhyphenb1M-O47BvlGVsO7rqSu6vQCcOq5yMq-aE0z-H2cxf9Hg02kV1r4bJjypxJCO9M5yvGp0tj2Lz25tSc/s640/Stormbreaker+Brewing-Brewstillery+5-WW+Online+Event+Calendar+Ad-800x432.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/631298680618242/" target="_blank">Brewstillery</a>, the beer and spirits pairing festival from StormBreaker Brewing, kicks off its fifth year this Saturday, February 23 offering <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QmmJYaGGY8UTV8I1XF_PqyRyj4TD_AgQHP2CIT3ZGkg/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">22 beer and spirits pairings</a> to attendees. The festival is something founders Dan and Rob had in mind from the beginning with Dan saying that they wanted to provide “an opportunity for people to try things they wouldn’t usually try.” We’ve certainly found that to be true every time we have attended and again recently when we had a chance to preview some of the pairings. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Both the beer and spirits lineups are diverse and wide ranging. From sours to IPAs to porters on the beer side and rums to whiskeys to liqueurs on the spirits side, it’s likely that even the most seasoned drinkers will come away from the festival having tried something new to their palate.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We don’t want to give away all the festival’s secrets but here are a few of the pairings that hit the mark with us.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u>Amigos e Amigas (Pono Three Amigos + Engenho Bruiti Dona Branca)</u></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Three Amigos is a Mexican-style Lager made with a touch of agave to bring out the slight sweetness in this cane spirit from Brazil. We loved the overall light, simplicity of this pairing and highly recommend it as one of, if not the first, pairing festival goers try.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilPjc8TGN7ZPWs8cHlXflgSgdlqMPNGMA5D-E_lJgX4Dwuvgt9KIb3b5EDZEZ0sSX3q6KWQhZU_AjOIYbg40DrvWHmCDKdfe90N0Mkdx6CqmbiA18V_j-I0v-tGj9CWl7qX4gljMAdOgY/s1600/20190213_182850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1353" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilPjc8TGN7ZPWs8cHlXflgSgdlqMPNGMA5D-E_lJgX4Dwuvgt9KIb3b5EDZEZ0sSX3q6KWQhZU_AjOIYbg40DrvWHmCDKdfe90N0Mkdx6CqmbiA18V_j-I0v-tGj9CWl7qX4gljMAdOgY/s400/20190213_182850.jpg" width="337" /></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u>The Filbert in the Rye (Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar + Rogue Oregon Rye Malt Whiskey)</u></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Back in the day Rogue’s Hazelnut Brown was one of our favorite beers. Since then our palates have matured and we are generally far less enamored with it than in the past. In this pairing, with Rogue’s spirit arm of the company providing Rye Malt Whiskey, the beer returns to some of its old glory. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u>Brewstillatron (StormBreaker Peter Hazel-rial Brewstillery 5 IPA + Rose City Citrus Vodka)</u></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It’s no secret that we’re fans of IPAs and their sub-group hazy IPAs. While we enjoyed this beer on its own, the vodka trumped it in terms of citrus goodness. Together the two play off one another with the combination being slightly botanical and definitely delicious.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u>Wild Basin (Wild Ride Laughing Face Imperial Coconut Porter + New Basin Light Strong Whiskey)</u></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This pairing is best described as “vacation in a glass” and not surprisingly with the use of an imperial coconut porter, is dessert-like. One of the few pairings we preferred boilermaker-style, save this until towards the end of the festival to sip upon and savor.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In addition to offering imbibers a unique pairing experience, the event benefits <a href="https://dollarfor.org/" target="_blank">Dollar For Portland</a>, an organization that assists those with financial burdens due to medical and hospital debt, and Sierra Nevada’s Resilience IPA, with StormBreaker’s one-of-a-kind Westward Whiskey barrel-aged version.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.merctickets.com/events/83902450/5th-annual-brewstillery-festival" target="_blank">Tickets</a> for the one-day event are available online until 10 am the day of the festival and for you, dear readers, at a price of $20 when you use the code “beerandwhiskey5” for general admission; $40 for VIP when you use the code “brewstileryVIP5”. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">General admission: festival beer tasting glass and 10 tickets with Noon entry</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">VIP: festival beer tasting glass, festival whiskey snifter, 15 tickets and 11 am entry to mingle with brewers/distillers</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">5th Annual Brewstillery Festival</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.stormbreakerbrewing.com/" target="_blank">StormBreaker on Mississippi</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Saturday, February 23 Noon - 8pm</span></span></div>
Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266585394191707735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3468600705723778114.post-11767314688944265302019-02-12T11:43:00.001-08:002019-02-12T11:43:44.879-08:00A Cheesy Start to February<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUJJROpveSuE5n5Yq9yejeB_jifCl9U6CJilk_enAtQUWawPN4I-BI3lejtgiOWfrcJxLKVN-h5wbcyfpq4yXXtLeYqTe89Fiv0sF-0SJBCesXQcY4R4rfQo5AzpN3Lxr5_S-kmX8-4vM/s1600/Aecht+Helles+Maren+with+Westminster+Cheddar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUJJROpveSuE5n5Yq9yejeB_jifCl9U6CJilk_enAtQUWawPN4I-BI3lejtgiOWfrcJxLKVN-h5wbcyfpq4yXXtLeYqTe89Fiv0sF-0SJBCesXQcY4R4rfQo5AzpN3Lxr5_S-kmX8-4vM/s400/Aecht+Helles+Maren+with+Westminster+Cheddar.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We kicked off the "month of love" feeding our love of cheese with another installment of pairing it with beer, assisted by numerous, like-minded friends. Our usual crew picked up cheeses from Trader Joe’s, Fred Meyer and Grocery Outlet (we’d heard they often have some good deals on good cheese), trying to select ones we hadn’t used in previous pairings. One friend, with family in Wisconsin, brought back three blocks of dairy goodness from his holiday visit. Other friends contributed their pairing skills helping to select beer and cider. From this fine time we found the following eleven pairings, in no particular order, to be our favorites.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Westminster Aged Cheddar with Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Helles Marzen</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">At 12 months old this cheese remains creamy, balancing the thin sharpness of <a href="https://www.schlenkerla.de/indexe.html" target="_blank">this smoky beer</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Trader Joe’s Ghost Pepper Cheddar and Heretic Make America Juicy Again IPA</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The cheese wasn’t overly spicy but did have a late palate heat that when combined with <a href="http://hereticbrewing.com/" target="_blank">the juicy IPA</a> was reminiscent of Burnside Brewing’s Sweet Heat. Since that beer is unlikely to be available again, if it’s something you enjoy, try out this beer and cheese pairing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Trader Joe’s Ghost Pepper Cheddar with La Chouffe Blond</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Going in a completely different route with <a href="https://belgium.beertourism.com/belgian-beers/la-chouffe" target="_blank">this beer</a>, the effervescence of the Belgian Strong Golden Ale complimented the cheese’s heat nicely. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTvzdQZCuvNslDb5ATa5oS9ydij9yo0Iq_3hTOKbICS-E3XrPXm0GSy_bTBjCffrPfFs78hqgmoLapdQW7SA5M54trgHrQI4uXJbwrMLX7rLyEKgXjirOIRkBtDJFQ4sdYdaP_NoqxBQ0/s1600/2+Towns+with+Roth+Surchoix+Grand+Cru.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTvzdQZCuvNslDb5ATa5oS9ydij9yo0Iq_3hTOKbICS-E3XrPXm0GSy_bTBjCffrPfFs78hqgmoLapdQW7SA5M54trgHrQI4uXJbwrMLX7rLyEKgXjirOIRkBtDJFQ4sdYdaP_NoqxBQ0/s400/2+Towns+with+Roth+Surchoix+Grand+Cru.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Roth Surchoix Grand Cru Alpine-Style Cheese with 2 Towns Riverwood Cider</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Somehow this nutty cheese from Monroe, WI managed display both soft and hard characteristics at the same time, becoming more earthy when paired with <a href="https://2townsciderhouse.com/" target="_blank">the effervescent cider</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Guinness Cheddar with Deschutes The Dissident with Marionberries</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The oddest looking cheese of this installment, it looks and even tastes a bit like root beer...in a good way. When eaten with <a href="https://www.deschutesbrewery.com/" target="_blank">this tanic beer</a> it goes from root beer to chocolate. Hard to describe but trust us on this one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Guinness Cheddar with Sam Smith’s Nut Brown</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Less decadent than the previous pairing with The Dissident, it still goes the dessert route, reminding us of eating chocolate cake.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Mullins 12 Year Super Sharp White Cheddar with Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The sharpness of the Mosinee, WI cheese was brought out by <a href="https://lagunitas.com/" target="_blank">this coffee beer</a> and in return the cheese pulled the coffee flavor forward out of the sweetness of the beer. After a few bite, sip, bite, sip back and forths the combination was rich and dessert-like.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj00GortlBcntz-daGvRobK7ll0V9QGioBF4Onnz2op-E6VW1ZJPHV-wDIAOa-iY5xnYBAuvPuHGePKQNZ-HAXzh7d5E3yDpysfNSKDtEnnynKd3OJUvKhhwtHO9prHUERLIjdI4leMhjM/s1600/20190201_181802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj00GortlBcntz-daGvRobK7ll0V9QGioBF4Onnz2op-E6VW1ZJPHV-wDIAOa-iY5xnYBAuvPuHGePKQNZ-HAXzh7d5E3yDpysfNSKDtEnnynKd3OJUvKhhwtHO9prHUERLIjdI4leMhjM/s320/20190201_181802.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Murray’s Stilton with Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As with other stout/blue cheese pairings we've tested out before, this one was a hit. A hunk of this delicious blue cheese and a bottle of this stout and bye, bye we’ll go off in a corner by ourselves, stopping only when the both of them have vanished.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Trader Joe’s Cheddar & Gruyere Melange Cheese with Fremont 2018 B-Bomb</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The <a href="https://www.fremontbrewing.com/" target="_blank">intensely flavorful beer</a> combined with the first-time-we’ve-seen-it blended cheese to create a deliciously unexpected chocolate bar flavor profile.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Murray’s Stilton with Deschutes The Dissident with Marionberries</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Along the same vein of the pairing with Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout, the creamy blue cheese found a fast friend in this Flanders Oud Bruin that was aged for nine months on Oregon Marionberry puree.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u>Castello Vintage Havarti with Saison Dupont</u> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A big selling point on this 24 month aged cheese was the crystalline texture. The crunchy bits found in some aged cheeses are the result from the unraveling of protein chains, adding what we believe to be a very desirable texture to the cheese. <a href="https://www.brasserie-dupont.com/en/age-verification?destination=node" target="_blank">Saison Dupont</a> has proven to be a very pair-able beer for us in the past and in this pairing it amplified the flavor of the aged cheese further still, much to our delight.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Big thanks to everyone that joined in the fun with us! The more palates and minds we have contributing, the better as far as we're concerned. And even bigger thanks to <a href="http://thebeermongers.com/" target="_blank">The BeerMongers</a> for indulging our pairing forays.</span>Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266585394191707735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3468600705723778114.post-38690076095779308462019-02-01T13:33:00.001-08:002019-02-02T07:09:33.910-08:00Pairing with Pringles<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">At some point, probably while perusing the chip aisle, we realized that there were a multitude of Pringles flavors. Obviously pairing them with beer was a task we should undertake, for the greater good. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Through the combined efforts of our group we assembled 16 flavors* of Pringles and while we may have jumped the shark with our latest [</span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">hair-brained]</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> pairing idea, what is done is done. Therefore we present to you, dear readers, our findings. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lesson #1</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A moderate amount of Pringles is acceptable. Consuming large quantities of Pringles is a recipe for a salt hangover. Heed this warning should you choose to replicate such an endeavor.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lesson #2</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Just because a group comes to a consensus, such as “the Honey Mustard Pringles are unpleasant,” doesn’t mean it isn’t possible to find some beers that actually pair quite well with them. One such beer is <a href="http://www.coalitionbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Coalition</a> King Kitty Red and another is <a href="http://www.breakside.com/" target="_blank">Breakside</a> Kids These Hazy IPA. Very different beers but each managed to mitigate whatever flavor components of Honey Mustard we disliked, transforming them into something that with the right liquid partner, we wouldn't object to snacking on.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCXHrvpKDOUT142zIySwqZ5KbEy6YarPAJQ0DhB3mvCPA1O6uODzn5nCqUoHFbSo6lCZpOH3lSGXuADP6gGhVfVsvcICoYrecz2Q_fbuTf1dYDWWJnUVOb8vaXZjBaV8upK2x7SG-Dw40/s1600/20190127_140048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCXHrvpKDOUT142zIySwqZ5KbEy6YarPAJQ0DhB3mvCPA1O6uODzn5nCqUoHFbSo6lCZpOH3lSGXuADP6gGhVfVsvcICoYrecz2Q_fbuTf1dYDWWJnUVOb8vaXZjBaV8upK2x7SG-Dw40/s320/20190127_140048.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Lesson #3</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A German smoked beer lager worked really well with quite a few Pringles flavors. On its own, <a href="https://www.hellers.koeln/" target="_blank">Brauerei Heller</a> Bamberg Helles Lagerbier not something we would enjoy drinking more than a few ounces of but like Lesson #2, we quite enjoyed it with multiple Pringles flavors, including Jalapeno, Flame Grilled Steak, Cheddar Cheese and Loud Salsa Fiesta. For those who have not had the beer, perhaps a description that came out of our group will help: beer jerky. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As we undertake our next pairing, in which we return to cheese, <i>lovely cheese,</i> this beer will be making a return to our pairing table. Check back soon to read about that!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>*16 flavors of Pringles: Loud Salsa Fiesta, Honey Mustard, Cheddar Cheese, Salt & Vinegar, Extra Hot Chili & Lime, Cheddar & Sour Cream, Sour Cream & Onion, Ranch, Jalapeno, Loaded Baked Potato, BBQ, Buffalo Ranch, Flame Grilled Steak, Ketchup and Dill Pickle.</i></span></span></span></div>
Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266585394191707735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3468600705723778114.post-16098494011258570272019-01-30T05:25:00.000-08:002019-01-30T05:25:08.893-08:006th NW Coffee Beer Invivational<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Last Saturday saw the sixth installment of the </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/328907157919929/" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;" target="_blank">NW Coffee Beer Invitational</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> beer festival take place at Goose Hollow Inn in SW Portland. Once again festival organizers Dave and Jean Fleming were blessed with a dry January Saturday, although as thoughtful stewards they provided a fully tented and heated space for beer lovers to enjoy creations of 20 breweries.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">With the exception of <a href="http://kiitosbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Kiitos Brewing</a>, all of the participating breweries hailed from Oregon and southern Washington. "What’s the deal with Kiitos then?", one might ask. The answer is that they took home gold at GABF in 2018 in the Coffee Beer category with their Coffee Cream Ale. Had Bend Brewing not been at this festival with their Coffee N Cream Coffee Blonde, Kiitos would have gotten our nod for “best light coffee beer.” As it was, Bend Brewing offered a beer that had a great coffee cream aroma and a perfectly balanced, mild flavor and was more to our liking.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Two of the beers at the festival spoke to this imbiber saying, "I'm meant to be drank with food." The first was <a href="http://vonebertbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Von Ebert’s</a> Hegel Sipped Coffee in Bamberg, a Roggenbier (smoked beer) with beech and cherry wood smoked malts. The smokiness of the malts came through and although a bit more body might be nice, what would be really nice would be to have this with food...like Von Ebert’s delicious wings. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The second food beer in our mind was from <a href="https://www.portlandwings.com/brewery" target="_blank">Fire on the Mountain Brewing</a>. While we didn’t find much coffee character in the beer, the flavor spot-on matched its name: Mole Stout. The fact that they committed to the assertive flavor profile is to be commended and we think that although FotM is known for their wings, this might be mighty tasty with tacos. Or perhaps a taco pizza special at their Fremont location.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The remaining three beers that we particularly enjoyed were all on the darker end of the spectrum.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.sunriverbrewingcompany.com/" target="_blank">Sunriver Brewing</a> His Dudness - Inspired by The Dude and his love of White Russians, this was the embodiment of a beer White Russian.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.wildridebrew.com/" target="_blank">Wild Ride Brew Co.</a> Nutty Joe Jr. Porter - Hazelnut isn’t a flavor we often see in beer (or at least used well in beer) but we still have a soft spot in our heart for it that goes back to our early craft beer explorations and Rogue Hazelnut. That beer and this beer likely taste nothing alike but Joe Jr. reminds us of the feeling we got back then drinking Rogue’s beer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.rusebrewing.com/" target="_blank">Ruse Brewing</a> The Stages of Dawn - For having the highest ABV of the beers at the festival, 9.4%, it most certainly did not drink like it. The creamy imperial oatmeal breakfast stout came close to feeling as though it was being served on nitro, enough so that we would really hope to find it being poured that way in the future.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Thanks to all the breweries and coffee roasters that participated in this festival! It's one of our favorite and a great way to start a new year of beer festivals.</span>Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266585394191707735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3468600705723778114.post-19500306907765356302019-01-22T16:10:00.002-08:002019-01-23T06:55:10.344-08:00Behind the Scenes of the Oregon Beer Awards<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We have been fortunate enough to participate in the judging panels for various beer competitions but it wasn’t until we got involved with the Oregon Beer Awards (for the first time in 2018) that we acquired an even deeper appreciation for all that goes into competitions. Last year we replied to a last minute call for volunteers, assisting wherever we could during the two-day judging. We thought we had gotten a good “look behind the curtains” then but it wasn’t until this year, when we returned in a greater capacity that we realized there were even MORE steps leading up to what will ultimately be a happy day when the awards are presented.<br /><br />The Willamette Week <a href="https://www.wweek.com/uncategorized/2018/08/16/oregon-beer-awards-2019/">Oregon Beer Awards</a> is now in its fourth year and was co-founded by <a href="http://breakside.com/">Breakside Brewery</a> owner Ben Edmunds. Ben is the competition director, being hands on during all stages of it, something that is hard to comprehend especially when one understands the scope - 133 Oregon breweries entered a combined total of 1,080 beers. Each single entry consists of four to six bottles/cans of the beer being entered (depending on whether it is a 12 ounce bottle, 32 ounce crowler or something in between). That translates, on the low end, to over 4,000 containers of beer that are received by Breakside’s Milwaukie facility to be sorted into the 25 categories. We participated in one of three sorting sessions this year, opening boxes from the breweries, putting them into new boxes corresponding to their assigned judging session (Saturday AM, Saturday PM, Sunday AM or Sunday PM) and then packaging those palates back up for eventual delivery to the judging location - <a href="https://www.maletis.com/">Maletis Beverage</a>.<br /><br />A week later we arrived at Maletis for training where the overall flow of the judging process was fully explained and details on the three steward categories (sorting, pouring and serving) duties laid out. The sorting stewards follow a reverse process similar to the intake sorting that we participated in at Breakside. From there the beers are transported to the pouring area where the pouring stewards fill glasses that are marked by a number (i.e. 2807) that corresponds to the number on the bottle it is being poured from. Those glasses, along with glasses of other entries in the same category, are then presented by the serving stewards to the judges in tasting flights. In total 165 flights were be poured and presented to 89 judges.<br /><br />As a serving steward during two of the four judging sessions we were able to observe the judging process. The judges, in small groups, were presented with descriptions of the beers, each evaluated the entries individually, then discussed the entries as a group, deciding which beers got moved on to the next round. In addition to recording their discussion digitally, a comment sheet was filled out for each beer, both providing a paper trail for the judging itself and, post-competition, are sent to the brewers. Particularly for those beers that did not advance on and receive a medal, these comment sheets can be very useful in making adjustments to the beer in the future. Maybe the beer was solid but the category it was entered into wasn’t appropriate (ever had a beer being touted as an IPA but presents more as a pale ale? Or a “stout” that was more like a porter?). Maybe there were aspects of the beer that fell within guidelines (most competitions use BJCP guidelines) but weren’t as solid as other beers it was competing against. Maybe there were outright flaws in the beer (off flavor, inappropriate mouthfeel).<br /><br />In addition to all of the official duties, each group of stewards is in continual clean up mode of their area. For sorters, that means moving empty boxes to the appropriate area and compiling the extra bottles of beer that were submitted but not needed, in another area for “dispensing” after the judging concludes. For pourers there’s the clean up of extra beer that is poured or extra glasses that are labeled and the laying out of new trays and glasses to be filled. For servers, once the judges they are serving are done with a flight of beer, the comment sheets and recorders are collected, the table cleared of glasses, the dump buckets emptied and the requisite water pitchers and oyster cracker supply refilled. It’s a circular process for each group, a rhythm that becomes more steady as time goes on until the end is in sight and the final clean up process can begin.<br /><br />All in all, it takes a village of committed, mostly volunteer beer folks to pull off a beer competition. We are grateful to be part of this village and eagerly anticipate awards ceremony on February 26 at Revolution Hall. <br /><br />Oregon Beer Awards<br />Tuesday, February 26 6pm<br />Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark<br />Tickets: $18 <a href="https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/1815770?utm_medium=bks">on sale now</a></span>Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266585394191707735noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3468600705723778114.post-69676181618143432122019-01-07T12:06:00.001-08:002019-01-07T12:23:18.380-08:00What We're Looking Forward to in 2019<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">With the first week of the new year under our belts and a more normal rhythm resuming we figured it was a good time to share some of the things that we are most looking forward to in 2019.</span><br />
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<u style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Beer Festivals</span></u><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">No matter how many beer festivals we've been to or the abundance of them we are fortunate to have in this area, there are still some that get us excited about what will be poured and we make a point to attend. Here are three that take place in the first quarter of the year that fit that description.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/328907157919929/" target="_blank">NW Coffee Beer Invitational</a> - This will be the sixth year of the festival and with the exception of 2017, we have been at every one. Dave Fleming's festival has grown in prominence among beer drinkers but has remained true to its original location - Goose Hollow Inn. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/328907157919929/" target="_blank">This year</a> 20 brewers will be showing off their collaborations made with locally roasted coffee on Saturday, January 26. It has historically been the literal bright spot in one of the darkest times of the year and with any luck, that day will be another sunny one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- </span><a href="https://fortgeorgebrewery.com/event/festival-dark-arts-2019/" style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;" target="_blank">Festival of the Dark Arts</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> - For us this festival is about more than just what one finds in their glass. It's the whole experience of getting out of Portland and making an always overdue trip to Astoria for a long weekend. Besides the festival, and staying at </span><a href="https://www.roseriverinn.com/" style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;" target="_blank">our favorite B&B</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, we do our best to hit old favorites in Astoria and along the way, as well as anything new that may have popped up since the previous year. The mid-February festival is sold out and overnight accommodations are likely in short supply but there always seems to be a few last minute tickets available for those who look hard. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- <a href="http://www.stormbreakerbrewing.com/brewstillery.html" target="_blank">Brewstillery</a> - Just a year younger than Coffee Beer and taking place two weeks after Dark Arts, this festival is hosted by StormBreaker Brewing and showcases the delicious flavor combinations that can occur when beer and spirits get together. When we first attended we had little experience with spirits but it has been part of the process that has opened our eyes to a world that we are coming to realize is as vast and complex at beer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u>Beer Cocktails</u> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Dovetailing on our anticipation of Brewstillery, we are excited to continue the adventure we started last year creating beer cocktails. So far we've experimented with <a href="http://bitteredunits.blogspot.com/2018/09/beer-cocktails-oktoberfest-vodka-edition.html" target="_blank">vodka</a> and <a href="http://bitteredunits.blogspot.com/2018/10/beer-cocktails-rum-edition.html" target="_blank">rum</a> and we've found ourselves paying more attention to cocktail menus, looking for new sources of inspiration. The year end crush of the holidays threw off our plans for December but we've got a late January date on the calendar to start up anew.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><u>Beer and Food Pairings</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Whether attending formal pairings put together by professionals or the happy-go-lucky pairings we dream up (Easter candy, <a href="http://bitteredunits.blogspot.com/search/label/beer%20%26%20chips" target="_blank">Doritos, Kettle Chips</a>, <a href="http://bitteredunits.blogspot.com/search?q=girl+scout" target="_blank">Girl Scout cookies</a>, even <a href="http://bitteredunits.blogspot.com/2018/05/we-paired-beer-with-what.html" target="_blank">coffee creamers</a>) finding what goes together is a source of delight. Even the missteps we make are palate-educating and we are all on board with learning. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Beyond what we are looking forward to finding in our glass this year is those we will be sharing the experiences with. The craft beer community - from brewers to consumers - is overall incredible. The generosity, the creativity, the willingness to explore is unique and we are thrilled to be part of it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In addition to reading what we spew out here (thank you!) check us out on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BeerMusingsPDX/" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/beermusingspdx" target="_blank">Twitter </a>and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/beermusingskris/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Cheers to 2019!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07266585394191707735noreply@blogger.com0