Farm to Brewery, the Centennial's Trip from Silverton to Portland

Last week we showed you the trip we took down to Goschie Farms with Pyramid/Portland Brewing to experience the hop harvest. The trip was a dual function in that we brought back with us 200lbs of fresh-from-the-vine Centennial hops.

Five bags, filled straight from the conveyor belt that shuttled the hop cones onto the drying floor, were tied up and packed into the van along with the human cargo. A little tighter fit than on our way down to be sure but the trade off was being surrounded by the heady aroma the Centennials gave off. Those hops were some of the best car mates any of us had ridden with.

The brewers that joined us on the trip, head brewer Ryan Pappe and brewer Brian McGovern, enjoyed the visit but it was clear that they were eager to get back to the brew house and get those hops into their brewing kettle. Upon our arrival they headed off with the bags of green goodness while the rest of us took a brief respite, consuming some of their previous efforts, before rejoining them in the brewery.

The Centennials had been loaded into laundry bags (apparently Bed, Bath & Beyond's are the bags of choice) and were being tied up with fishing line, efforts to keep them from going too far into the tank of Outburst Imperial IPA.

One may recognize that beer as a standard in the brewery's lineup however this will be the first time that it has been aged on fresh hops. Going by the name of Fresh Hop Outburst, Ryan chose to use Centennials in part because they’re a favorite of his and in part because they are already used in the beer. He said by doing this “we will get a chance to see the difference between the way we normally use those hops compared to the nuances that the fresh hops bring to the beer.”

In the past they have made a fresh hop version of another standard, Mac's Amber, but this year Ryan wanted to try something different. "Fresh hop beers are always experimental, because unless you are repeating a beer you have previously produced, you don’t know what is going to come out on the other side. You can’t brew a test batch, because you can only brew while the fresh hops are available."

The 55bbl batch was kegged late last week and is currently on tap both here in Portland and at the Pyramid Alehouse in Seattle. It will also be making an appearance at the Portland Fresh Hop Festival taking place September 29 & 30 at Oaks Park. He's eager for feedback, "I would love to hear what people think about our Fresh Hop version of Outburst!" so if you get a chance to try it leave a comment here and we'll pass on your thoughts to him.

Visiting Goschie Farms for the Hop Harvest

 

Over the past few years we'd been invited on various trips during the hop harvest, something we were eager to experience, but the timing never ended up working out. This year the stars aligned and we were able to take advantage of the opportunity, hopping into a van driven by Pyramid/Portland Brewing brand manager Bruce Kehe last week. Along with other members of the Portland beer community we made our way to Silverton and back, taking in the harvest of Centennial hops at Goschie Farms.

When we arrived owner Gayle Goschie informed us that the harvest had begun earlier in the morning (in fact we ran into 54 40's Bolt on our way in, his van already loaded up with a batch of fresh hops). Making our way over to one of the farm's buildings we were greeted with a view of the hop bines being lifted out of the harvesting trucks and attached to the mechanical system. The noise level made conversation impossible but there was no need to speak, only to breathe in the dizzying aroma of fresh hops and watch in fascination as the bines made their way through the processing machinery.

Mechanical harvesting of hops began in the 1940's, a system that is based on hops being round and leaves/stems being flat. Once stripped off, all of the material makes its way through a series of belts that separates the usable hop cones from the discarded material. The final set of belts, called dribble belts, are where the hops fall/roll/dribble down for collection while the leaves and stems are carried on. Since hops vary not only in the profiles they impart to beer, but also in overall shape, there is some variation in the efficiency in which the mechanical system pulls them off the bines. Regardless of variety, non-hop cone material making it through with the hop cones is less than 1%, a dramatic decrease from the 12% that was common when hand harvesting was the norm.

Once the hop cones have been isolated it's time for them to head to the drying house. Entering at nearly 80% moisture, the hops are spread out to a depth of 24 inches where 130 degree heat is pumped through, drying them to around 8% over the course of about seven hours. This part of the process has remained largely the same over the last 100 years even though computers assist in monitoring kiln operations and growers have instruments to help gauge when the hops are dry. Ultimately however, Gayle still uses the age-old process of rubbing the cones between her fingers to judge dryness, just as her father and grandfather did.

The dried, yet still warm, hops are then moved to a cooling room for about 12 hours. During that time gentle, non-heated air is blown through the mountain of hops before they are compressed into 200lb bales. Mini/mobile "sewing machines" are used to seal the bags around the bales, with the final stitches on the ends being done by hand. At Goschie it is tradition that at the end of the hop harvest, when the last hop bale has been made, Gayle herself sews the final bag shut.

This year the weather has been nearly perfect for hops, meaning that soon, especially the fresh hops that went straight from the dribble belts into large bags picked up by brewers like Pyramid/Portland Brewing head brewer Ryan Pappe, will be make an appearance in our glasses as fresh hop beers begin to hit taps around town. The rest, in dried form, will make their way from Goschie and other hop farms to supply brewers throughout the coming year.

Ready Raise the Roost?

When the bottle of Portland Brewing Raise the Roost Belgian-Style Red Ale showed up on my door I was intrigued. As a self-described "non-Belgian" fan (with a list of Belgian-style beers that seems to grow daily and says otherwise) I wasn't expecting to love it but was curious to taste what Portland Brewing had crafted with Belgian yeast in the form of a red ale.

The aroma was most definitely Belgiany and I tried to keep an open mind as I tasted it. The flavor played true to the aroma but to my pleasant surprise the characteristics I generally dislike were muted or mitigated by the choice and usage of malts (2-Row, CaraRed, Melanoidin, C-120 and roasted barley) and hops (Liberty, Nugget and East Kent Golding). It struck me as a beer that nicely bridges the gap between the heavy, roasty beers of winter that are slowly departing and the lighter beers on the horizon that will herald the return of spring.

Will this be a beer for you? I don't know and there's only one way to find out - give it a go. I'll be interested to hear what you thought of it.

The Light Side is Calling Me



Ryan Pappe & Night Market paired with shrimp
and spring rolls.

It seems the tide is turning on my relationship with lagers. Perhaps it's my palate, perhaps I'm trying a greater number of them or perhaps more are being produced with a greater range of flavors. Whatever the reason the list of ones I enjoy continues to grow with the most recent addition being Portland Brewing's Night Market Special Lager which I was introduced to earlier this week.

Right off it was the surprisingly pleasant mouthfeel of the beer that caught my attention. That was followed by a slightly sweet, but by no means cloying, flavor that finished bright and refreshing. This single hop (Liberty) beer with lemongrass, Kaffir lime leaves and ginger was brewed on the 2bbl system that was acquired earlier this year. Head brewer Ryan Pappe, who has been with Portland Brewing for seven years, is enjoying the flexibility of brewing on the small-batch system, including being able to lager this beer for five weeks. That's an unheard of amount of time for their large, commercial brewing system.

Part of the brewery's Guild's Lake Series, Night Market was brewed to honor the 2nd annual Jade International Night Market, a cultural event hosted by the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO). Portland Brewing is the exclusive beer sponsor for the two-Saturday event (August 15 & 22) being held at the Portland Community College SE Campus and will donate $1 of every pint sold to APANO. The best opportunity to try this limited draft-only offering (only 4bbls were produced) will be at the event with a few, select locations receiving the remaining 1/6bbl kegs.

Todd Struble, Jade District Manager

The Guild's (pronounced like "child's") Lake Series was created to highlight the many diverse and tight-knit communities that inhabit neighborhoods throughout Portland. The name Guild's Lake comes from a now extinct oxbow cutoff of the Willamette River was temporarily deepened in 1905 for the Lewis and Clark Exposition and later filled in with silt dredged from the Willamette River. The series provides a way for one of the pioneers in the Portland brewing scene to give back directly to neighborhood organizations.

Previous beers in the series include Round the Block Belgian-Style Golden Ale that benefitted the Audubon Society of Portland and Pier Park Piney Pale Ale that benefitted the Friends of Pier Park. Some of the Pale Ale may still be available in St. John's locations like Plews Brews and Skyline Tavern. Coming next will be the October release of a pumpkin beer for Sauvie Island tentatively named Rico Sauvie.

Bring on Summer with S.M.A.S.H.

The recent weather has been a preview of the beautiful Portland summer ahead so it was only fitting that a bottle of Portland Brewing S.M.A.S.H. Pale Ale arrived on my doorstep. You know I love to find beer and food combinations that work together so the wheels started turning almost immediately about what might be a fit for it. Coincidentally the current issue of Cooking Light had also just arrived and the recipe for esquites (creamy corn salad) caught my eye. Last night as I finished making the recipe, topping it with avocado and sautéed onions and garlic, thoughts of summer flooded in and those wheels that had been turning stopped in their tracks, urging me to crack open the bottle of S.M.A.S.H.

Knowing that the food would color my palate I tried the beer first and found it to be mild, perfect for summer drinking, perhaps on the sweet side. Then it was time to see how it would work with my summery corn creation. All of the sudden the Simcoe hops jumped to the forefront. Unable to resist a bit more experimentation, I gave S.M.A.S.H. a try with the roasted potatoes only to find the Goldpils Vienna malts strong-arming their way back to center stage.

It was one of the more eye opening experiments I've done recently and as a hop head I highly recommend making a big dish of esquites (preferably with the addition of avocado and/or sautéed onions and garlic) and grabbing a bottle of S.M.A.S.H. Even if the weather isn't cooperating as fully as it was for me last night you can make your own summer with this combination.

Portland Brewing BlackWatch Cream Porter...With Brownies

When a recent box of beer mail arrived on my doorstep containing Portland Brewing BlackWatch Cream Porter I enjoyed one bottle as soon as I could get it chilled. Porters are a style I tend to pass over in favor of stouts, which are typically more robust and more to my liking; BlackWatch however has the perfect amount of body and roast to make it a solid choice for a chilly night.

A few days later I decided it was time to restock the freezer with some cookies or brownies, for those times when my sweet tooth screams too loud to be ignored. In the process of figuring out which to make I realized there was still more porter in my fridge and I set out to find a brownie recipe that would utilize it. As it turned out all I could find were ones that called for a stout so I moved on to some tried and true brownie recipes. The closest one called for Bailey's Irish Cream but I was game. Turns out, with that substitution and a couple of others, I made a pretty tasty pan of brownies that went exceptionally well with BlackWatch.

So next time you have a hankering for brownies, I'd encourage you to give this (super easy) recipe a try. The hardest part will be waiting long enough for them to cool, or perhaps not eating the entire pan as you alternate bites of the moist, chocolately goodness with sips of the slightly dry BlackWatch.

BlackWatch Brownies
(adapted from  a Cooking Light recipe)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
4 Tbsp butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup Portland Brewing BlackWatch Cream Porter
1 tsp vanilla extract
Cooking spray
Coarse salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Stir to combine.

Place chocolate chips and butter in a sauce pan. Heat over low, stirring occasionally, until melted and combined. Stir in sugar and remove from heat. Add egg, porter and vanilla. Whisk to combine. Fold in the flour mixture, stirring until just moist.

Spread batter into a 9-inch square or 11 x 7-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Sprinkle with coarse salt and cool completely on a wire rack.

Two Firsts: Enjoying a Scottish Ale & Being on Live Radio

Recently I had the opportunity to be on the radio for the first time as a guest on Ginger Johnson's weekly show, Beer Radio, on KSKQ 89.5 FM. Not only would we be talking about all things beer but its timeslot lands conveniently during happy hour so it only seemed appropriate that I have a glass of hop goodness to whet my whistle during the show.

Shortly before "go time" I opened the fridge and pulled out a recent beer mail gift - Noble Scot from Portland Brewing. This fall season is not a style that I usually drink as many Scottish Ales I've had in the past have been too malty or sweet for my palate. However as I have mentioned before, beers are continually surprising me so dove in with an open mind and palate. What I found was a slightly sweet aroma and beautiful, rich amber color once poured. Contrary to my memory of Scottish Ales past, there was a pleasant nutty flavor that I found quite enjoyable from the first sip to the bottom of the bottle.

At 6.5% it is an easy drinking beer and suitable for times, like live radio, when one needs to keep their wits about them. Perhaps you'll grab a bottle and que up the archived version of Beer Radio to listen to me ramble on about my favorite beverage.

A Honey of a Beer

Summer officially starts tomorrow (at a time that most of us would consider ungodly early) and with that we'll probably be spending more time outside, perhaps looking for a more summery beer to drink or share with friends. Portland Brewing's summer seasonal, Oregon Honey Beer, might just be what the beer for that.

My first taste of the beer came recently on a beautiful, warm evening in Portland, a perfect preview of the summer evenings ahead.

Besides having honey in the name, it was present in both the aroma and flavor. None of that artificial honey flavor either; the mild white clover honey that was used came through as cleanly as if I had dipped my spoon into one of the jars on my shelf. Additionally, Portland Brewing used just the right amount of it so as not to create a beer that was overly sweet. Instead what they have crafted an easy drinking beer.

While the initial sips provided a bit more lager characteristic hanging on the back end than I prefer, it wasn't enough to keep me from wanting to drink more. As the beer warmed the lager aftertaste faded and the beer became even more drinkable and pleasant.

This is one I'd happily stock in my fridge, both to enjoy on my own and to share with friends who have a wide range of palates. Perhaps you'll give it a try the next time you see it on tap or at the store.

Summer Beer Suggestion



Holy crap, gorgeous weather in PDX! While this isn't the beginning of summer it is most certainly a peek into the crystal ball at what's ahead. It's time to start shunning the barley wines and the Russian imperial stouts for something more refreshing, more quenching. To this end I offer up a suggestion: Portland Brewing ZigZag River Lager.

If you know me or have been following along here for a while you probably know that lagers aren't generally high on my list of beer styles. These days there seem to be more and more exceptions to the "rules" of what I like and this is yet another.

ZigZag is a light-drinking, not-too-lagery-for-my-palate beer has become a year-round offering from Portland Brewing and is named after an actual river. The caramel notes that the malts impart definitely pop out to me, reminding me more of a blonde ale rather than a lager. Hey, an easy drinking, 5% beer that's easy to find and easy on the pocketbook, I'll take it. Perhaps today would be a good day for you to try one out.

Drinking a Rose, Avoiding the Thorns

As a super beer geek I'm always on the lookout for what's new on the shelves or the taps. I won't deny that there are certain styles I gravitate toward but if someone gives me something to try that I haven't had before, regardless of style, I'm willing to give it a go. Sometimes I'm right in finding that I did not like the Belgian Quad that my drinking companion let me try. Sometimes I find myself pleasantly surprised by the Rauchbier whose initial smell was intimidating turned out to taste pretty good. 

Such was the case with the Portland Brewing Rose Hip Gold that I was gifted. Being a Belgian-Style Ale, based on its style alone I would have been hard pressed to order it. However from the start, pouring it out of the bottle, I was surprised. With "gold" in the name I expected something a color along the lines of a blonde ale, not this rich golden/amber color that filled my glass. The aroma continued to surprise, subtle and atypical to what I expect from a Belgian. Then to the flavor, again a subtleness instead of an overpowering, disagreeable, banana-clove bomb.

I'm not suggesting that this beer made me, or will make you, a Belgian beer convert but I would suggest giving it a try. Rose hips are an interesting ingredient, one I know I haven't had a beer containing it before, and I appreciate Portland Brewing working to remain relevant in the craft beer market. Just like Summit and Schell's (MN breweries) that are part of the old guard, resting on their laurels is dangerous. I don't like every new thing they are trying out but the effort is appreciated. Old dogs can learn new tricks.

Zwickelmania Eve

Some people will call today Valentine's Day, which we all know is a made up holiday from the purveyors of jewelry, chocolates and flower arrangements. You my dear craft beer lovers likely have another name for it: Zwickelmania Eve. Less than 24 hours from now locations across the state will be flinging open their doors. I'll be staying in Portland and while I haven't quite decided my plan of attack for the day, here are some places that after going through the official Zwickelmania page, have caught my eye.

13 Virtues Brewing - 5 oz tasters of their beer will be available for purchase starting at $1.25.
Breakside Brewery - Draft release of five beers, including the Suburban Farmhouse I told you about earlier this week.
Coalition Brewing - To go beer specials and the release of their coffee IPA, Night Cap, which if you weren't able to make it to the NW Coffee Beer Invitational, is a tasty beer.
Ecliptic Brewing - Their new CDA, Coalsack, will be available.
Occidental Brewing - A canning demonstration by Craft Canning.
Portland Brewing - Free appetizers and bottle openers, plus a blind beer tasting.
(The above notes are in addition to the facility tours and sampling that are staples of the day.)

Another one that I feel compelled to mention is Kells Brew Pub. While they are listed on the Zwickelmania page, they didn't include that they will be pouring samples of their ISL (India Session Lager). Earlier this month I had a chance to try it and I'd recommend you do the same.

Brewed with lager yeast, it was warm-fermented and then dry-hopped with Mosiac hops. Although cloudy, the color is bright and it has a great citrusy aroma that carries through to the flavor. At a mere 4.2% ABV you'll be able to enjoy multiple pints.

Shuttles provided by Kells, Rogue and BREWVANA will be running throughout town making getting to multiple locations easier. Whatever your plans are, enjoy Oregon's statewide beer open house!

A Foursome of Portland Brewing Beers

I was recently gifted a sampler box of Portland Brewing beer containing two each of IPA, BlackWatch Cream Porter, MacTarnahan's Amber Ale and Royal Anne Cherry Stout. Earlier this year I had become reacquainted with the IPA and it has since become a go-to IPA for my fridge at home. With plenty of good hop flavor and a very reasonable price tag it's one I'm happy to find a chilled bottle of waiting for me anytime.

It was Royal Anne however that really caught my eye upon spying it in the box, for two reasons. One is very superficial (my middle name is Anne) and one is very beery - how would this stout made with Oregon-grown cherries taste? Would the roasty coffee and chocolate notes overwhelm the fruit? Would the fruit flavor come off artificial tasting? With only one way to find out I cracked a bottle of it open.

While I was pleased to find that there was no artificial cherry flavor I was also a bit disappointed that there was very little cherry flavor overall. There was definitely "something" in addition to the lingering, slightly chocolately flavor, but if I hadn't known it was cherry I'm not sure I would have been able to identify it. For a 7.8% stout it was nicely drinkable - not watery but not so heavy as to fill you up - yet I tend to enjoy fruit stouts where the fruit flavor is more prominent.

Ambers are not a style I expect much from however MacTarnahan's is a perfectly fine representation of the style. One redeeming quality in a mild beer like this is that they can serve double duty - you can enjoy drinking them and they tend to work well in cooking applications. With this in mind I whipped up a batch of mini soufflé bites. I'd made the recipe once before, as directed using milk and was pleased with the results, but was confident there were infinite other variations just waiting to be tested out. This time I used a different kind of bread, changed up the cheese and did a straight substitution of beer for the milk that was called for. And you know what? They turned out great! The beer flavor isn't overpowering but it's there and along with the other changes really makes this recipe more of an appetizer than a breakfast item. It'll be one I'll continue to play with, especially when I'm looking for a nice "something to eat while drinking beer" appetizer.

Finally I came to the porter, a style that is all over the board for me. This one I'm happy to say is the kind that is right up my alley - opaque black in color (blacker than many stouts), very roasty in back with just enough creaminess up front to keep me coming back for more. At a mere 5.3% this is a sessionable porter that roasty beer fans should check out.

Thanks to Portland Brewing and Watershed for not only their generosity but for reminding me that it's a good idea to check back in with local staples from time to time. You never know when you'll be reminded of something you'd forgotten how much you enjoy.