The Best Things We Drank: December 18 - 24

This week's list is a bit longer than we've seen for the last few weeks. It is however the holidays, when special beers tend to get pulled out and like a kid on Christmas we're thrilled to have shared these gifts-in-a-glass with our Beer Santa friends.

The first two, both 2015 vintages of the FiftyFifty Eclipse series, were shared at a Festivus gathering.
Eclipse Coffee - A wonderfully complex version of this 11.9% imperial stout starts off full of coffee, then transitions the barrel characteristics making themselves known, finally finishing with cocoa-y goodness. 

Eclipse Grand Cru - This version was heavy on the cocoa throughout in the most wonderful, smooth way and was the crowd favorite of the variations opened that night. Even with the high ABV it was very drinkable, to the point that it was tempting to steal off to a corner with the bottle. 

The next set of beers on this week's list were shared at our local which is perennially filled with generous souls.
McMenamins Longest Night of the Year 2017 - Enjoyed, appropriately, on the longest night of the year, this barrel-aged English Barleywine was incredibly smooth. Not hot in anyway, even at nearly 11%, it was good enough that we'd encourage you, even those of you that aren't barleywine fans generally, to grab a bottle if you can find one. Like many of the other one-offs from the McMenamins' stable, it showcases the talent and skill their brewers possess. 

Beachwood Blendery Earthbound Misfit - Switching gears to the lighter side, this fruit lambic didn't appear to display much flavor from the kumquats but was nonetheless delicious. Primarily tart in aroma and flavor with a fun effervescence, the use of rye in the brew and time in oak barrels balanced the sourness. 

Jester King Omniscience & Proselytism (Blend 2) - Continuing on the sour path, this oak-aged beer that also spent time in a foudre with hundreds of pounds of Oregon strawberries tastes like summer. The wild yeast and bacteria allowed for refermentation, producing a dry, tart beer. 

This next beer wasn't new to us by any means but stands out for the fact that it was consumed twice, days apart, at different venues.
Boneyard Incredible Pulp - As much as we enjoy RPM, we hope that this mimosa-like beer will gain an even greater following. Unlike some beers, each time we've had it we enjoy it just as much as the last time. 

The final beer on this week's list comes from a gathering at a pizza connoisseur's place. The crowd may have come for the pizza but being primarily beer geeks as well, didn't show up empty-handed. Instead many delicious bottles were shared including...
Reuben's Breakfast Stout - A very tasty milk/sweet stout with coffee, even at 8.4% it would be easy to imagine drinking this in the morning. 

As we head into what may be the longest night for many of us, we hope that however you choose to ring in the new year you are surrounded by friends, family and fabulous libations. 

The Best Things We Drank: Pro/Am Edition

This week's list is dedicated to the masterful work of the pro and amateur teams from Saturday's Willamette Week 5th Annual Beer & Cider Pro/Am. As you'll see from the list below, the ciders weren't an afterthought by any means; they easily held their own with the beers.

Fort George Bat Sh!t Hazy - It should come as no surprise that Fort George (with amateur Lisa Morrison) would turn out a stellar hazy IPA. Soursop and tangerines combine with "crazy amounts of hops" to create spot on aroma and flavor.

New West Cider Whistlin' Pete's - The first offering we've had from New West (with amateur Keegan Fennel) is like a cold cider version of a hot toddy. Aged on Jim Beam Choice and American Oak the whiskey notes are appropriately balanced with the bright lime and mildly spicy ginger.

Carlton Cyderworks Bitter Witter - Another cidery we don't have much experience with, along with amateur Coyan Corder, produced what we feel is a spot on dry English cider. The multi-varietal apple blend was 50% wild fermented and 50% Champagne yeast fermented with the resulting product named after Coyan's wife.

Reverend Nat's Riff Raff Banana Royal - Switching to a cidery we've had tons of experience with and feel is one of the best around, they teamed up with Bit House Saloon's group who call themselves "Team Riff Raff." Those familiar with Reverend Nat's know that they do not make sticky sweet ciders and once again, even when creating a cider that has "notes of coconut and vanilla mingling with rum raising ice cream and banana richness" that is truly dessert in a glass, it remains deliciously drinkable.

Fat Head's Mexican Gose - We tend to associate Fat Head's with great IPAs and the amateur they teamed up with, Ritch Marvin, knows his way around peppers. Their creation is a "margarita-like Gose with accents of lime and Serrano pepper" that mimics the drink's flavors without the disgusting sweetness. Peppers grown by both the pro and the am were used in the brew. 

Zoiglhaus Sweet Mild of Mine - While the hazelnut aroma and "layers of chocolate and hazelnut" in the flavor surprised us coming from Zoiglhaus (with amateur George Dimeo) what didn't surprise us was the incredible craftsmanship that packed all of that flavor into a 3.3% beer. We'd love to drink this beer all day, every day!

McMenamins Wonderberry: Spiced Cranberry Berliner Weisse - Standing by and supporting our assertion that McMenamins creates one-off beers that will rival anyone (here with amateur Mike Marsh) is this kettle soured Berliner Weisse. Sporting a lovely color from the cranberries used, its slightly sour aroma screams "THANKSGIVING." The flavor perfectly melds cranberries and oranges way better than the relish often found at family Thanksgiving dinners and if we had the chance we bet our relatives would agree.

Gigantic Saison L'enorme - Taking the very highest rating in our book it completely surprised our not-always-on-board-with-Saisons palate. The "unique blend of farmhouse Saison-Brett beers refermented with apricot puree" is the result of blending barrel-aged creations from Gigantic and amateur Dean Ehnes. What turned us from "unsure" before trying it to "hells yeah" once we tasted it was the Brett fermentation. Great funk supported by the apricot and mango flavors. 

While we considered including only Pro/Am beers in this week's list it just felt wrong not to include the following three beers which were enjoyed earlier in the week. 
Surly Darkness (2011) - Pulled out of our cellar in part to celebrate the Vikings win over the Packers and to bring some luck to the Timbers playing later in the day (it worked!), we were pleased to find that at six years old it is even better than when we had it the year it was produced. It was pretty awesome back then but with the age on it slight smoky aromas are coming through along with dark fruit flavors. Two more bottles remain in our cellar; perhaps we'll share some with you. 

Upright Shades - There is so much cherry-Brett lovely in this "Fantasia on cherries" we have to thank Chris for sharing with us. The blonde color belies what is found in the flavor and should you find a bottle available we highly recommend grabbing it. 

Bruery Terreux Beret - Another "thank you, Chris" beer, it combines slight funk with a hint of fruit for a delicious, dangerously drinkable 8.5% sour. 

If you've made it all the way through this marathon list, thank you! We hope you've had some great things in your glass lately and would love to hear if any of these hit high notes with you, too.

Beer Musing's Picks for PDX Beer Week

Yesterday we looked at the official foods for PDX Beer Week. Today we look at the PDX Beer Week events we're most excited about, most of which also have a food component.

Fruit Beer Festival - Last year was the first year we missed this festival, which temporarily moved across the river. The festival returns to its original home at Burnside Brewing Friday, June 9 - Sunday, June 11 with nearly 30 fruit beers and cider. The Friday session (4-9pm) will offer 20 of those and most likely, a smaller crowd. Ticket options are $20 for a plastic cup + 12 drink tickets OR $25 for a branded glass + 14 tickets and apply to all three days of the festival.

Sweet & Sour Dessert Pop-Up - Taking place at McMenamins 23rd Ave Bottle Shop on Tuesday, June 13, the event features Culmination Peche, Edgefield Dry Hopped Sour and Ruse Noctuary Sour. The three beers will be paired with three delicious desserts from Grains of Wrath Brewing's Chef Fabiola. A limited number of tickets are available for purchase at the Bottle Shop ($16).

Culmination Brewing at the Woodsman Tavern - Also on Tuesday is a beer pairing dinner featuring the PDX Beer Week beer, Hop Berry IPA brewed by Culmination, served with the amuse of Henderson Bay Oysters, along with five other beers and food courses. Tickets are available here for $60.

Sweet & Sour encore - On Wednesday, June 14 Chef Fabiola moves over to Saraveza for a similar event, this time featuring Block 15 Love Potion #9, Fort George 3-Way IPA and Ex Novo Cactus Wins the Lottery.

StormBreaker Beer & Wings Pairing - We haven't yet gotten around to trying StormBreaker's smoked wings but this may just be the push we needed. All day on Thursday, June 15 they are offering five smoked wings, each with a different sauce, paired with five different beer tasters.

Portland Beer & Cheese Fest - We missed this event, which is returning to Culmination for a second year, last year as we were in Silverton taking in the Oregon Garden Beer Fest. In its sixth year the festival take place on Saturday, June 18 and offers 10 beer and cheese pairings carefully selected by our favorite cheesemonger, Steve Jones. In addition to beer and cheese there will be complimentary chocolate and charcuterie samples. General admission ($35) and VIP ($45) tickets here.

Now just because we're excited about these events doesn't mean we'll make it to them all. Just like that letter you sent to Santa as a kid, this is a wish list. We'll see what kind of stamina we have.

The Best Things We Drank: April 3 - 9

This week's Best Things is dominated by fruit but used in a variety of beer styles which kept things interesting (and pretty to boot).

Yachats Salal Sour - Sitting at the top of the heap according to our taste buds is one of the first beers Yachats has bottled. We've known Charlie and Jenna for awhile and are thrilled to see their beers making it up to Portland. This one presents with a tart, fruity aroma and an absolutely gorgeous color. Made with local, wild salal berries (used by the indigenous people of Cascadia for generations) it is a clean, drinkable fruit sour. Keep 'em coming!

StormBreaker Guava Man - "Don't judge a book by the cover" definitely applies to this beer. Looking like cloudy grapefruit juice the appearance belies the delicious flavor, which is in fact pithy as well as hoppy, that is found upon drinking it.

North Coast Tart Cherry Berliner Weisse - We were surprised to see North Coast making this style of beer but couldn't pass up trying it. While we found it to be a bit on the sweet end of the fruit Berliner Weisse spectrum it was very drinkable with a real cherry flavor, the result of using real Michigan Montmorency cherries. Apparently it's a very limited release beer so if you're intrigued and see it you'd better grab it now or  settle for regretting it later.

Modern Times Black House Nitro w/Coffee, Coconut & Cocoa - A take on the brewery's oatmeal coffee stout, there is an impressive amount of flavor - mild coconut, coffee and hop bitterness - packed into its 5.8% ABV. We continue to be impressed with beer after beer from this brewery and are excited to have a newcomer that is so solid in our market.

McMenamins Captain Neon's Mango Double IPA - We loved the colorful can artwork from first glance and were very pleased with the beer inside. At 9%+ ABV it's not surprising that the aroma is somewhat boozy. What may be surprising is that it doesn't drink that heavy. The combination of dry-hopping with Amarillo, Citra, Mosaic and Chinook and use of mango puree creates a yummy, hoppy flavor that may or may not have led to the consumption of multiple cans one evening (under the watchful eyes of Thing 1 and Thing 2).

If you've had any of these beers we'd love to hear what you thought of them. And if you've had anything outstanding you think should be on our radar, let us know.

3rd Annual Baker's Dozen This Saturday

Coffee and doughnuts are delicious. Coffee BEERS and doughnuts are more delicious. This Saturday 13 coffee beers, made with coffee from independent local roasters, and 13 doughnuts from local shops will be available in a mix 'n match format at Culmination Brewing for the 3rd Annual Baker's Dozen. Due to the popularity of the event this year their will be two sessions, the first from 10am to 1pm and the second 2pm to 5pm, with 350 tickets available per session.

We had a chance to try a few of the offerings (a full list of the beers, including a honey mead from Oregon Mead & Cider, and the doughnuts is below) earlier this week and what we had was outstanding! Block 15 makes amazing beer, often amazing hoppy beer, but their Cosmic Cold Brew is no less amazing. This complex beer drinks like a creamy, coffee milk stout and paired exceptionally with the equally complex Bourbon Bacon Breakfast Fritter from Blue Star. No fluffy doughnut, it has a hearty backbone from the shredded Yukon potatoes and just-right mix of flavors from the sage, black pepper, bacon and bourbon maple glaze. We also tried A Beer Called Death, which if this is what death is like we're happy to skip to the front of the line. Prominent local beer guru John Lovegrove teamed up with McMenamins Thompson Brewery in Salem to make an imperial stout that uses 7 cups of Kenyan single origin cold brew per 1/2bbl keg. It's good enough to drive to Salem for but why when you can have it at this event WITH doughnuts?

Tickets are $27 (plus fees) online/$30 at the door (IF they haven't sold out) and include samples of each beer and doughnut. In order to be able to power through and not go into a diabetic coma, most of the doughnuts will be quartered. The Culmination kitchen, led by chef CJ Mueller, will be cooking up savory breakfast proteins for purchase.

DRINK IT
Alameda "Coffee & Donutella" pale ale with Kainos Coffee
Block 15 "Cosmic Cold Brew: Double Ristretto" stout with Bespoken coffee
The Commons "Coffee Schwarzbier" black lager with Stumptown Coffee
Culmination "Velvet Elvis" nitro stout with Ole Latte Coffee
Georgetown "Gusto Crema" cream ale with Caffe Umbria
Gigantic "Mons Meg" coffee Scotch ale with Coava Coffee
Great Notion "Blueberry Pancakes" stout with Clutch Coffee
Kona "Pipeline Porter Reserve" porter
Labrewatory "Dirty Hippie" milk stout with Ristretto Roasters
McMenamins/John Lovegrove "A Beer Called Death" imperial stout with McMenamins Roasters
Modern Times "Bourbon-aged Monster Park with Coffee" imperial porter with Modern Times Coffee
Montavilla Brew Works "Bipartisan Porter" porter with Water Avenue Coffee and Bipartisan Cafe
Oregon Mead & Cider TBD

CHEW IT
Annie's, Devi's Foodcake
Blue Star, Bourbon Bacon Breakfast Fritter
Bowery, Apricot Hamantaschen ("Kosher as f*#$" in honor of Saturday being Purim)
Coco Donuts, Vermont-style cider
Churros Locos, churros (making them fresh, onsite during the festival)
Delicious Donuts, TBD
Donut Byte Labs, Whiskey Creme Brulee
Joe's Donuts, cherry fritter
Namu, malasada (Hawaiian-style)
NOLA, apple fritter
Rocking Frog Café, cinnamon cake
Stacatto, Prince of Darkness (triple chocolate donut hole with Coalition Loving Cup maple cream filling & Vietnamese iced coffee glaze)
Tonalli's, powdered

The Best Things We Drank: Goodbye February, Hello March

After a couple weeks with a ton of amazing beers last week was more typical (and honestly a refreshing change) where most of the beers we had were simply, solidly good. The theme that ran through the best of these beers was "events." Early in the week we attended a fundraiser for the Friends of the Library at McMenamins Market Street Pub, a media preview at the new Slabtown location of Breakside in NW that we talked about yesterday and then on the weekend the SheBrew Beer Festival (also a fundraiser).

Mexican Coffee Stout - middle, Something Wicked to the left,
Tropical Gose behind the stout

Not surprisingly two of the hits were IPAs...
McMenamins Hops in Harmony - This IPA utilizes some of our favorite hops - Mosaic, Simcoe and Perle - so it's not surprising that it was a hit. And for those who want to poo-poo McMenamins, this beer solidly beat down the guest IPA.

Breakside Something Wicked - One of those NE-style IPAs that are hitting taps heavily and loaded with Mosaic and Citra hops it was glass of hazy, citrusy-juicy yum.

But there were also two tasty darker beers...
McMenamins Nightswimming Baltic Porter - Dark and delicious without being heavy even at 8.5% ABV.

Breakside Mexican Coffee Stout - An entirely different version of dark, the roasty aroma alone was a joy to take in. That was followed by a bittersweet chocolate sweetness with just a touch of cinnamon and was easy drinking as well.

And the remaining three...
Finn River Sparkling Black Currant Cider - We enjoy ciders, but not a much as beer in general so it takes a pretty special one to make the list. This one did it with its wine-like aroma, great color and deep berry flavor.

Breakside Tropical Gose - We like our goses to prominently feature salt and this one fit the bill starting with it in the aroma, following through the flavor and into the aftertaste. The components were well balanced and bonus points noted for the velvety mouthfeel.

Breakside Wilsner - If there can be a NE-style IPA, why not a West Coast Pilsner? This beer makes a solid case for it by being a drink-all-day beer that combines a creamy mouthfeel and pleasant Pilsner aftertaste.

So while we might generally be predictable, you just never know when something like Wilsner is going to please us. Has anything unexpected pleased you lately?

The Best Things We Drank: Those Below a Four Need Not Apply

The beer bar was definitely raised this week as none of the following beers scored less than a 4 out of 5. And we don't give out 4s lightly.

Les Trois Mousquetaries (LTM) Dixieme - Shared by one of the many generous patrons of Mongers, this imperial black kriek had a beautiful, tart, dark fruit aroma with a less tart, infinitely delicious flavor that was a combination of chocolate and a touch of fruit. According to the kind patron that shared it, when he had a bottle a few months ago, there was more fruit flavor present. Either way, delicious and 10%, really?!? No way does it taste like it.

Founders Brewing Porter - Seeing this in the cooler I was shocked to see that at least according to Untappd I'd never had it before. Rectifying that I found a beer with a beautiful chocolate colored head and an even better chocolately flavor. Nice job, Michigan.

Founders Brewing Azacca IPA - Although I'd had this beer before I was determined for a re-test after hearing from a couple people that it didn't hit high notes for them. For me, it was as good as I remember and Azacca hops are definitely my hops.

Logsdon ZuurPruim - This beer is a mouthful of delicious sour fruit flavor and a fantastic, soft mouthfeel likely coming from the four months it spent on Yummy Beaut plums in Cabernet Sauvignon 

Three Magnets 2nd Anniversary Ale - The aroma of this wine barrel-aged sour red ale makes us happy and the flavor - tart but not sour, fruity but not sweet - even happier.

Three Magnets Chef's Choice No. 1 Rye Porter - Undoubtedly a most bizarre set of ingredients to combine - a rye porter with vanilla and black garlic - it turned out to be incredible and reminiscent of a complex chocolate porter.

Firestone Walker Firestone 20 (XX) Anniversary Ale - Big thanks go out to Chris for sharing this Strong Ale from FW's vintage barrel program (and the pic)! Clocking in at 13.5% one might think a few ounces would be plenty. One would be wrong. Perhaps a few bottles and then we'd reach the "plenty" level.

Thanks for your patience. We're well aware that the list got a little out of hand this week but there was no way to exclude any of these amazing beers. Should the Logsdon or Three Magnets beers intrigue you, head on over to Beer Belly where you might be lucky enough to still find them on tap (and if you go 3-6pm you'd be super lucky as HH prices are $3). While the supply of Founder's is dwindling, Tuesday afternoon both were available in the McMenamin's 23rd Ave Bottle Shop coolers. The Firestone Walker and the LTM? Well, those are going to take some harder searching but if you find them, you'll be a good beer buddy and share with us, right?

Library Fundraiser at McMenamins

In case you didn't know we do in fact do other things over here at Beer Musings besides drink beer - including reading and volunteering. Mag is on the board for the Friends of the Multnomah County Library and proving what a smart organization they are, their next fundraiser involves beer (as have past ones). This one will be taking place at McMenamins Market Street Pub located downtown adjacent to the PSU campus.

50% of the total sales during Friends & Family Night, taking place Tuesday, February 28th 5pm - 1am, will be donated to the organization. If you can get there at the beginning of the event, as we're planning to, you'll have an hour to take advantage of a Happy Hour (until 6pm) that features discounts on pints, pitchers and flights as well as bites to go along with them. Want something more substantial (and to make a greater contribution to the night's total sales)? There's a Krakatoa Burger that will only be available until the end of the month (that'd be today) and sounds delicious - spiced beef patty, pineapple sambal, peanut sauce, pickled daikon & carrot slaw, Sriracha mayo, jalapeño, onion and cilantro.

So whether you can come for one pint or more, consider stopping by to drink (and eat) for a good cause!

Friends & Family Night
February 28th 5pm - 1am
McMenamins Market Street Pub
1526 SW 10th Ave, Portland

2 Days, 10 Events (at least)

We have a busy beer weekend coming up with at least 10 beer events taking place, all of which we'd be at if we could clone ourselves. Alas, science still has a long way to go in that area. Thankfully the science of brewing fantastic beer is well developed so make your plans and enjoy!

Friday
Cascade Brewing Sour Fruit Fest - This festival actually kicked off on Wednesday and will run through Sunday, at both the SE Belmont location and the SW Raccoon Lodge. There will be 50 exclusive Cascade fruit sour beers rotating through the festival, 25 daily at Belmont and 10 daily at the Raccoon Lodge. Noon - close daily through Sunday.

Roscoe's Stout Summit - As with all their summits, this one will start Friday and run through the weekend or until the kegs blow. A full tap list is pending but the preliminary list includes some that were at last weekend's Festival of the Dark Arts and others that weren't. Taster trays available. 2pm - Sunday 8pm.

Montavilla Brew Works beer release - Conveniently located just blocks from Roscoe's, the folks at Montavilla are combining the release of their Dark Cherry Porter with the 28th anniversary of Johnny Cash's San Quentin Prison performance. Beer at 3pm, concert showing at 5:30pm.

Three Magnets/Logsdon Tap Takeover at Beer Belly - We'll be honest, we were involved in setting up this event and we want to have great turn out. Beyond that Three Magnets and Logsdon make great beer and this is an opportunity to try over a dozen of beers, many which are difficult to find elsewhere. 4pm - close.

Saturday

Hillsdale Brewfest (aka Battle for the Belt) - This long running festival, now in its 24th year, has been a great time every time we've attended. Yes, it's a McMenamins-only beer festival but this is where you'll see the best of what the brewers at each of the 22 McMenamins locations that are participating can turn out. It's a sample-style format, available by the tray (each tray containing 11 beers) and not only does the winner get bragging rights but also the championship belt. 11am - close.

Zwicklemania beyond Portland - The zwickling continues this weekend, the first time for the Oregon Brewers Guild to have expanded the open house-style event to two weekends. Breweries outside of the Portland metro will be open so if you're in the mood to hop in the car there are plenty of options to choose from. Pick a direction and go. 11am - 4pm

StormBreaker 3rd Annual Brewstillery Festival - We talked about this in detail on Tuesday and you can read that here but the short of it is that there will be 21 beer + spirit pairings. Noon - 8pm (VIP entry at 11am).

Lompoc Black Out Beer Festival - In the 5th edition of this event there will be 25 dark beers - porters, stouts, coffee beers and black IPAs - inside Sidebar and in the heated tent in the adjacent parking lot of Fifth Quadrant. Noon - 10pm.

Triple IPA Fest at N.W.I.P.A. - If big, hoppy beers are your thing, this is the place to be. And if trying all of them is your thing, you're in luck. Beers will be poured in 2oz sizes, up to six at a time. 2pm - midnight.

PDX Bottle Share - Open to anyone, this rotating-location bottle share takes place this time at John's Marketplace in Multnomah Village. The standard "entry fee" is one bottle (typically a 22oz/750ml) and it's a great opportunity to try a variety of beers the generous folks in the beer community have acquired. 2pm

Kris Kringle Returns

The first day of December seems like a fitting time to remind my fellow beer drinkers that McMenamins' winter warmer, Kris Kringle, is back on store shelves. This annual seasonal is wrapped in a festive but subdued label, giving a hint to the solid-not-gimmicky winter warmer contained inside.

According to my not-so-rusty, but oh-so-trusty Untappd notes from past years I've found it to be malty but tasty and a nice accompaniment to the gingerbread I had on hand last year while drinking it. Perhaps it was the suggestion of gingerbread from reading my notes but upon pouring a glass of this year's brew the ginger and cinnamon in it popped to the forefront as it hit my taste buds. The flavor, one that would pair well with food, remained largely the same from the first sip to the last.  At 6.8% ABV it's a beer that can warm you through multiple pints without laying you out cold.

The beer will be available through Christmas...for you, to share with others or perhaps as a goodie to leave out for Santa as he brings gifts to all the good kids, big and small.

Picks from Day One of the Organic Beer Fest

Day one of the Organic Beer Fest is behind us, a scorcher at that, with another warm day on tap before we come into perfect beer festival weather this weekend. Before we get into the beers let me just say that if you have the time and can bear the heat, go today. Yesterday the festival was sparsely populated and I expect today's heat will keep those with lesser constitutions away until the weekend, meaning a beer festival that feels like it's for you, not you and hundreds (or thousands) of friends.

Enough about the heat, let's talk beer! Of my list of 17 beers I had planned to try there were a few hiccups in the plan - two didn't arrive (Dogwood Brewing Organic IPA and Wandering Aengus Golden Russet), two were more expensive than I was willing to pay (Pinkus-Muller Organic Munster Alt and Samuel Smith's Organic Strawberry, two and three tokens respectively, and being poured out of bottles) and a fifth that I was on the fence about that a friend confirmed was fairly true to style and I was pretty sure wouldn't be my cup of tea (Coin Toss Half Penny). What that meant, however, was that I was able to slide in one that I had considered, Loowit Guenhwyvar Session Ale, and get through my list in one day.

I'm pleased to say that there were no stinkers in the bunch that I tasted. The ones I liked least were based on my palate and style preferences and I noted on at least one of them that while I didn't love it, I'd guess that there will be plenty of people who will enjoy it. So no "avoid this" beers this time around, just the top three that tickled me.

Two Kilts Manbun IPA
I'll admit that the name and that it's an IPA, one of my favorite styles, were the reasons this was on my list. Plus the Two Kilts guys are cool. This 6.9% beer is easy drinking with a man-stanky aroma that fits the name and makes me smile. If you like your IPAs stanky as well make sure to try it.

Laht Neppur Strawberry Cream Ale
This brewery has been hit or miss with me and while I don't like to be a girl ordering a "girly" beer I'm always interested in fruit beers. This is possibly the most well made strawberry beer I've had, lacking the "farty" quality as Mag refers to it that seems to be prevalent when strawberries are involved. The aroma is of fresh, not quite fully ripe strawberries, but of those that have the promise of being delicious very soon. The flavor follows with a refreshing quality perfect for the summer and might entice me to sit down with an entire pitcher for myself. At 5.5% that wouldn't even be overkill.

McMenamins Crystal Brewery Rose City 'Til I Rye
I admit that I tend to give McMenamins on the whole a bit of a short stick when I think about their beers which is unfair because certain brewers are turning out some great stuff. A fan of rye beers in general, this one is a great use of the ingredient in a very sessionable 4.4% beer.

Keep in mind that I tasted only 25% of the beers that are available at the festival. There are likely some other great ones being poured and of course, your palate may be much different than mine, case in point being Old Town Cardamum's the Word. My friend, who has BJCP certification, really enjoyed this beer. Me, who has an aversion to cardamom, had a sip and that was more than enough for me. So go, have fun and try what sounds good to YOU. Because it's all about you...ok it's all about the beer but whateves. Cheers!

Organic Beer Fest
Overlook Park
Friday & Saturday 12-9pm
Sunday 12-5pm
Tasting mug $7, drink tokens $1 each

Grab a Bit of the Devil Thursday

Spirits are making a big comeback these days, craft spirits in particular, and as illustrated by StormBreaker's recent Brewstillery festival and with beer and whiskey pairings being a regular sight on drink menus - StormBreaker and Migration Brewing being just two examples. So even though I'm a beer lover through and through I'm gaining an appreciation for spirits. Recently I had a chance to try out McMenamins Devil's Bit whiskey alongside a beer that spent time in the same barrels.

Every year McMenamins produces and releases a limited number of Devil's Bit whiskey on St. Patrick's Day. In response to demand and thanks to the arrival of a new still that is four times larger than the original one, this year there will be more bottles available than ever before (approximately 1,600). Nonetheless Head Distiller James Whelan expects lines at each of the retail locations where it will be available and to sell out of the hand signed 200ml bottles before the end of the day. The $17 bottles will have a two bottle limit per person.

This year's release sports a redesigned label with the Black Widow Porter spider replacing the clover in the center, harkening to the whiskey-to-beer-to-whiskey shared barrel aging process for this four-year-old Hogshead whiskey. This process, a collaboration between the brewery and the distillery is something that is made easier being that they are all part of the McMenamins family. Once the whiskey barrels were emptied they went to the brewery to be filled with the beer, then when emptied of beer, back to the distillery where whiskey sat in one of the barrels for three weeks and for six weeks in the other. The two barrels were then allowed to vat (marry) for six weeks to produce the final product.

The Black Widow Porter that spent time in the barrels between the whiskey fillings, called Widowmaker, was released last October. It's nearly gone but there's rumor that there's still one keg of it around so if whiskey barrel aged beer is your thing, keep your eyes open for it. In the meantime, if you hope to get your hands on this year's Devil's Bit, clear Thursday morning and make plans to get to one of the locations selling it early (opening times vary by location).

Happening Saturday: Hillsdale Brewfest

This Saturday is the 23rd Annual Hillsdale Brewfest, known to some as the "battle for the belt." 22 McMenamins breweries will be vying not only for bragging rights but the winning brewery also gets added to this ----> belt.

Last year Edgefield Brewery's Cerberus Wild Ale won the hearts of patrons and this year Head Brewer Matt Bergfield's team has brewed up another Berliner Weiss-golden ale blend, with an addition of fruit, in hopes of a repeat win. Apricots were chosen for their soft fruit character and ability to blend nicely with funk and sour, the latter being important because the beer was aged in cider barrels from Edgefield Winery. According to Matt the barrels "previously housed some super cool, lacto'd up cider" and have yielded a finished beer that is "mild, tangy, funky and has the perfect amount of oak." Anyone besides me drooling yet?

Going to the completely other end of the beer spectrum is another of the entries that I'm quite excited about. Kilmister's DIPA (RIP Lemmy) is from Concordia brewers Dave Kosanske and Matt Carter. The double IPA is a style that has been a winning one for them in the past (with a beer called Double Helix) and has a similar grain bill to this year's entry. With the intention of creating a more citrusy version they "added eight pounds of Citra pellets" into the bright tank "then bubbled with CO2 for a few days to keep them in suspension." Dave feels this is one of their finest offerings and I look forward to indulging my love of hops and citrus with this one.

I'll be putting Concordia's DIPA up against Willamette Stone DIPA from John Barleycorns, a higher ABV but lower IBU beer, for a side-by-side comparison. Both utilize dextrose and Simcoe and Chinook hops but it's my guess that's where the similarities end. There isn't a corresponding wild ale to the Edgefield entry however Hillsdale's Fuzzy Barrel is a whiskey barrel aged peach beer and McMenamins on the Columbia's Cowabunga Radler with pineapple juice and lemonade may offer some fruity similarities. In both cases only time...48 hours and counting...shall tell how the beers compare and who will get my vote.

McMenamins 23rd Annual Hillsdale Brewfest
Saturday, February 20th
11:00am - 1:00am
Hillsdale Brewery & Public House, 1505 SW Sunset Blvd
$10 per sampler tray (There are two, each with 11 4-ounce samples.)

2/26 Update: Cowabunga Radler from McMenamins on the Columbia (brewer Jesse Grover) took 1st place, Kilmister's Double IPA from Concordia (brewers Dave Kosanke & Matt Carter) took 2nd place and Cinnamon Toast Wheat from West Linn (brewer Jacob Willson) took 3rd place. Perfect Timing IPA from Crystal Ballroom (brewers Drew Phillips & Stephen Harper) sold the most full pints.

Both Kilmister's Double IPA and Perfect Timing IPA were in my top five. Cowabunga Radler is better than Ruby in my book and I'd happily drink it on a summer day. Cinnamon Toast Wheat, however, I don't understand how it took third as I didn't feel the flavors worked well with the wheat beer base. Oh well, something for everyone!

Halloween Beer Pairing

Whether you're going to a Halloween party, throwing one or will be passing out candy to the neighborhood kiddies you're going to need some sustenance. Give that sustenance a festive twist by pairing McMenamins Black Widow Porter with a grown up version of caramel corn. Sweet and salty with just a touch of heat it pairs beautifully with robust roastiness of Black Widow.

Spicy Peanut Popcorn
Adapted from Cooking Light

1/2 cup unpopped popcorn kernels (to yield 12 cups popped)
1/2 cup roasted and salted peanuts
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chipotle powder

Pop popcorn in air popper (or alternative desired method). While popcorn is popping, rough chop peanuts. When done mix popcorn and peanuts in one very large bowl or split between two bowls.

Combine remaining ingredients in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly, making sure to break up any clumps of sugar or spices. Remove from heat; cool 1 minute.

Pour hot syrup mixture over popcorn mixture; toss well to coat. Immediately spread popcorn mixture out into prepared jelly-roll pan. Cool completely.

Cooled mix may be stored in an airtight container for up to two days.

Ringing in Harvest Season by Picking Hops

Yesterday's hop harvest at Hopworks Urban Brewery was a very fitting way to usher in September, fall and the best time of year for brewers - the hop harvest. Coincidentally, it was also harvest day for the McMenamins breweries. Called the "Running of the Brewers", it's a marathon of a day starting with the bines coming out of the Sodbuster Farms fields in the morning followed by a mad rush for seven drivers who delivered 1,120 lbs of fresh Simcoe hops to 20 McMenamins brewing locations for this year's Thundercone. Many photos and videos documented the event on their Instagram account.

Back to Hopworks, a smaller scale operation, but one that annually invites the public to come help with the harvest of the estate-grown hops from the SE location. Picking hops is a fairly mindless task but what makes it fun is meeting and chatting with the other harvest helpers. This year I was seated next to a couple of gentlemen from Oregon City and as usual when craft beer drinkers get together, we had no problem keeping the conversation going during the four hours of picking.

The hops that the group picked were a combination of an experimental variety that currently has the unfancy name of X17 and Willamette and Cascade hops from their backyard. In total 94.9 pounds went into the brew kettle to create Estate IPA, a beer that is the fresh hop version of the classic Hopworks IPA. The fresh hop beer will be available in two to three weeks and when it is I plan to get down there to do a side-by-side tasting of the Estate IPA and its classic cousin.

If you, too, want to get your hands dirty (literally - your hands will get dirty and sticky and you'll LIKE it), mark your calendar for next Tuesday. That's when the SE location of the Lucky Lab will be holding their community harvest. Everyone is invited to help pick the fresh hops off the bines, a combination of ones grown by Lucky Lab, homebrewers and drinkers across the city. The conglomeration of many varieties of hops will be used for the 11th annual brewing of The Mutt.

Lucky Lab
915 SE Hawthorne
Tuesday, September 8th starting at 4:00 pm

Edgefield's Matt Bergfield & a Belt Winning Beer

I was bummed to have missed McMenamins 22nd Annual Hillsdale Brewfest this year but was able to make up for that by taking the winning brewer up on his invitation to visit. If you haven't heard, the winning beer was Cerberus Wild Ale, brewed at the Edgefield Brewery where Matt Bergfield is the Head Brewer and manager.

The beer is a blend of Belgian strong golden, Berliner Weisse and golden ale that has been barrel-aged with Brett. It's a nicely tart, but not punch-you-in-the-face sour and very drinkable. As a fan of all manner of tart/sour beers I certainly would have had this on my short list if I had been at the festival and agree with Matt that this beer winning is reflective of a shift in many people's palates to less hoppy/more sessionable beers.

It'd take a pretty big pair of britches to wear this belt.

In past years the winner of The Belt, the physical prize of the festival, also had their beer showcased as the McMenamins submission to the Oregon Brewer's Festival. I've been of the mind that it's a very equitable way to select one beer out of the hundreds turned out annually from the stable of McMenamins breweries. This year McMenamins will go through a different selection process, making the decision internally instead of leaving it to a people's choice vote. At first I was disappointed but in chatting with Matt realized that it is probably a wise decision for McMenamins. OBF if not only the largest beer festival in Oregon but it draws people from all over the world, people that may never have had a McMenamins beer before and of course they want to put their best foot forward.

Matt, an east coast transplant, didn't expect to take top honors at the festival and was pleasantly surprised with the win. The Belt now hangs in the brewery office alongside a machete, which legend has it former brewer Jason McAdam (of Burnside Brewing) brought in to cut his mash. Weird, yes, but legends often are.


Matt Bergfield & Nate Whitney

Always interested to hear brewers' back stories I asked Matt about his and found out that he and his wife came to Oregon three years ago, via a cross country bicycle ride from their former home in Boston where Matt worked at Harpoon Brewing. The ride started with dipping their tires in the Atlantic and ended with a dip into Pacific waters in Astoria, after which they made the decision to set down stakes in Portland.

Working first for Harpoon and now McMenamins, neither small companies, Matt sees one of the biggest advantages of working for a larger company is that "all your payroll doesn't depend on each batch." I haven't directly asked some of my favorite small brewers about this but I suspect there is quite a bit of pressure in that regard. It also means that when Matt brews a beer he loves, a recent batch of mild for example, but it doesn't sell well it's simply one batch in hundreds that are turned out.

Kegs waiting to be repaired, beer being barrel aged & sour magic happening.

Many of us, me included, tend to give McMenamins less than a fair shake when it comes to their beer. Matt admitted that in the past, when the price caps on batches were in place, there was perhaps a different focus for the McMenamins brewers. These days, however, they have more flexibility and if you've had more than just a passing pint I think you'll agree that the quality has gone up. At Edgefield they're putting more beer in barrels from their winery and distillery and delving into sour beer.

Thanks again to Matt for inviting me out. If I've managed to convince you to give McMenamins, and Edgefield in particular, a second glance I suggest following Matt on Twitter for updates on special releases and more.

Mmm...McMenamins Sleepy Hollow & Beer-Cheese Bites

Faithful readers know that I like food as much as I like beer and I can't help but playing with the two. Recently I'd culled my pile of recipes I had been collecting (hoping to make them at some point) during which time I re-found one for beer muffins. The timing was perfect, having just picked up a grumbler of McMenamins Sleepy Hollow Nut Brown, as I wasn't interested in using a stout or IPA (two of the most common styles found in my fridge) to try it out.

The beer is one of the nuttiest representations of the style even though no nuts were harmed in the making of the beer. As with many nut browns, it starts with a mild aroma, followed by an even milder upfront flavor but what sets this beer apart is the nuttiness that kicks in just as one is starting to think it's going to leave you hanging and leaves a pleasant aftertaste. After enjoying an introduction to the beer on its own I dove into making the recipe, altering it from standard muffin size to mini size, perfect for sharing and snacking on alongside a beer.

As luck would have it I didn't need all of the beer for the recipe and not long after I pulled the little buggers out of the oven I had to have one (ok, maybe more than one) with the beer. And you know what? Even though the mini muffins have plenty of flavor on their own they didn't overshadow the beer, allowing the nuttiness to still come through. I'd call that a win.

If you want to try your hand at some of these delicious bites, here's the recipe. And if you want to get some Sleepy Hollow, you've got about 10 days left to do so. After that the next McMenamins seasonal will be coming into rotation.

McMenamin's Kris Kringle Meets Gingerbread

Perhaps it was my recent (and very successful) foray making brownies with and subsequently eating alongside Portland Brewing BlackWatch Porter but when I received beer mail containing McMenamin's Kris Kringle I was immediately preoccupied with what I would like to make and then drink it with. For whatever reason gingerbread sprang to the forefront of my mind and upon locating my go-to recipe for it I forged ahead.

Before embarking on the baking however I wanted to sample Kris Kringle on its own. Poured into a glass the dark amber color again made me think of gingerbread. Inhaling the aroma, I found it to be sweeter than expected. That sweetness didn't carry through to the flavor however; it seemed more that of an amber or a nut brown with a more assertive hop presence.

Setting the beer aside I began making the gingerbread, opting to bake up mini-muffin bites instead of using a standard baking pan. Partway through I returned to the beer and found as the beer warmed the hops became more prevalent from start to finish and ultimately overtaking the sweetness.

Mixing up the batter and baking the mini-muffins went by quickly and soon I ready to see if my experiment would pay off. As it turned out not only did the bites turn out delicious on their own, their mild sweetness meshed well with the hoppiness of the beer. In turn the beer served to help make the ginger and cinnamon pop.

If you're looking for something new to leave out for St. Nick I'd highly recommend a plate of these gingerbread bites and a bottle of Kris Kringle. No matter how bad you've been all year he's likely to overlook those lapses as he enjoys this pairing, finding someone else's stocking to leave your lumps of coal in.

Beer Mail Becomes the Basis for an Experiement

A couple weeks ago I ran across this recipe for a beer cocktail that intrigued me. Having recently switched over from drip coffee to a French press every day we have the requisite "coffee grounds left in the bottom of a French press." Next I confirmed that there was still a bottle of Jameson in our very small booze collection. At that point the only thing that was missing was a can of stout.

I meant to pick one up but hadn't gotten around to it by the time a little birdie told me that beer mail in the form of McMenamins Black Widow Porter would soon be gracing my doorstep. Sure, it would be a porter but since I often make substitutions when cooking I decided to use The Widow.

Once the box arrived and the beer was properly chilled I cracked open the bomber for an unadulterated taste. It poured opaque black with a creamy head and roasty chocolate aroma. The flavor mimicked the aroma and pleasantly lingered. Although I was tempted to enjoy the rest of the bottle I stuck to my guns and started the beer cocktail experiment.

After allowing the beer to "steep" in the leftover grounds I reserved a bit of the mixture before adding the Jameson so that I could do a side-by-side progression tasting. You probably won't be surprised to hear that the beer and coffee grounds only mixture was a tad bitter and while I enjoy the beer solo best, the addition of the Jameson to the mixture served to smooth things back out. I didn't have a cigar handy as the recipe suggested but I can see how it would have been a nice accompaniment.

The verdict? I'll stick to straight up beer for the most part but I'll definitely keep this in mind the next time I decide to have a cigar and intend to sit around for a spell sipping and smoking. If you happen to be similarly intrigued I'd love to hear what beer you used and what you thought about the resulting cocktail.

Thank you to McMenamins for (unintentionally) fueling my experimenting. Please don't hold it against me; I believe in having fun with beer.