Saturday, amidst "Portland Windstorm '16," the 4th Annual Willamette Week Beer Pro/Am took place in the comfy, dry confines of the North Warehouse. This year there were over 30 collaborations, more than a couple which surprised me in delightful ways. I would not have thought an India Pale Lager, a Doppelbock, a Yerba Mate-containing beer or a couple of Belgian styles would have hit the right notes with me. Yet they did, along with a sour, a couple of IPAs and a beer based on one of my favorite Girl Scout cookies. Quite an array of beers, no?
I was also thrilled to be part of the judging team that awarded Great Notion and Chad Graham's Amprosia Saison as the Judge's Choice winner. A beautiful color with a nicely sour nose and flavor, this pair - which I know both the pros and the amateur - showcased their talents with mixed fermentation and fruit. Runner up aka Honorable Mention went to the team of Rogue and Tracy Hensley for their barreled Belgian brew that combined the worlds of beer and wine.
The People's Choice went to one of the beers with a great name - Ex Novo and Jack Hall's It Burns When IPA, a jalapeno cream ale that had balanced heat and I'd love to have with nachos. Tied for People's Choice Honorable Mention were Fort George and Chris McNeel's The Doomed Rider, a wee heavy that was smoky and sweet and Bretta Persica, the Brett fermented IPA on nectarines from Coalition and Jon and Parker Hall that was fruity, dry and tart.
And I would be remiss if I didn't mention the most unique beer of the festival, Barely Legal Hazy CBD IPA. This creation came from Dean Pottle, Portland beer scene legend and proprietor of Dean's Scene, who passed away days earlier. CBD, the non-psychoactive substance in marijuana, was infused into a New England style IPA and I for one found the aroma of freshly harvested hops rolled between my palms and the flavor that mirrored it to be delicious.
In addition to the beers the food from both of the carts on hand - Thrive Sauce and Bowls (formerly Thrive NW) and PDX Sliders - were delicious and offered exactly what was needed to soak up all the liquid goodness.
There could have been more port-a-potties (are there ever enough at "that time" at a beer festival?) and it did get crowded as the afternoon went on but overall every year Steph Barnhart has improved this festival. (The charging station was a new addition that hopefully will become a festival feature as common as water stations.) I look forward to next year's iteration with great anticipation!
A week ago I was stoked for the Willamette Week's Beer Pro/Am. This week has me already excited for next year's event and here's why.
The biggest reason is that this is one of the few, possibly the only, beer festival in town where you'll be able to talk to each and every brewer and they'll be pouring the beer. I'm not talking about just the amateurs. I'm talking about the professionals, too. Most festivals utilize volunteer pourers, many of which who have never tasted the beer they're pouring and I consider it a huge disservice to the beer and the brewer/brewery that made it.
A very close second reason is that this is a huge opportunity for both amateurs and professionals. On the amateurs' end, they collaborate with a professional and brew on a commercial system, things even well-seasoned homebrewers can appreciate. On the professionals' end this is a way to stay connected to the homebrewing and craft beer drinking community in a way that is increasingly difficult yet important to the heart of craft beer.
Beyond that the beers made for the festival rank right up there in creativity with those of the Fruit Beer Festival and tend to reflect the signature style of the brewers. For example, Capsaison from Upright Brewing and Ritch Marvin, was a barrel fermented saison with chili peppers. Saisons are in Upright's wheelhouse and anyone that knows Ritch knows his thing for growing and using chili peppers.
This year marked the third year of the festival and it's grown by leaps and bounds. Starting out in the Con-Way Warehouse in NW with a mere 12 Pro/Am pairs, last year it moved to Zarr Studios in SE where it filled the space to its gills and this year, now with 21 Pro/Am pairs, expanded to the former Metalcraft Fabrication location, now called The North Warehouse, just down the hill from Widmer. The space easily accommodated the event and I'm hopeful that it will be utilized next year. Regardless where it's held you can bet I'll be there to see what the Pro/Am pairs have brewed up.
In case you didn't attend or missed the subsequent coverage below are this year's winners and here is a full listing of the pairs:
Judges' Choice - 1st Place
13 Virtues and Bill Schneller
OG Stout, Historical 19th Century Imperial Brown Stout
Judges' Choice Honorable Mentions
Culmination and Jim Sullins
Kludde, Belgian IPA
Baerlic and Paul Key
First Crack Coffee Pale Ale
People's Choice - 1st Place
Coalition and Cullen Conway
Figtory! Saison with roasted figs
People's Choice - 2nd Place
Baerlic and Paul Key
First Crack Coffee Pale Ale
People's Choice - 3rd Place
Breakside and Larry Clouser
Palekaiko, Hawaiian Farmhouse Ale with Calamansi Lime and Habanero
Yesterday was the second year for the Willamette Week's Pro/AM event, held this year at Zarr Studios in SE. I wasn't able to attend last year's event but heard it was great and I was stoked to be attending this year. Even better, I'd been invited to be one of five judges AND I knew a fair number of the pros and amateurs that were competing.
With 21 pairs, and therefore 21 beers to drink my way through, I aimed to be strategic in my drinking, starting with the lower alcohol, lighter styles. Thankfully, there was a gigantic DigitalPour display projected on one of the walls for easy reference. It took a lot of restraint not to dive into the higher alcohol, darker styles I generally gravitate towards. And it took more focus to take thorough notes on each beer before moving on. As the afternoon wore on I also had to remind myself to keep moving to ensure that I made it through them all by 5:00 when then the judges would begin deliberating.
The beers ran the gamut from a very flavorful India Session Ale brewed at Ecliptic by home brewing couple Jenn McPoland and Jeremie Landers to a pale ale made with Hogan's cedar tips and Brett from home brewer Dave Barnes with new kid, Baerlic, to a Baltic Porter that bordered on being a milk stout, made at Fort George by home brewer Chad Graham. While there were styles and beers I preferred over others there wasn't a bad beer to be had in the room and the scores I gave the beers fell into a relatively narrow range.
In the end, after much deliberation, the judges chose their top three and by placing a marble in the pint glass of their favorite beer, so, too did The People.
Judge's Picks
1. Lucky Lab/Natalie Baldwin/Kells Boom Roaster with Ristretto Roasters (Imperial Coffee Milk Stout)
2. Pints/Kory Linsenmeyer Big Rig (Cascadian Dark Lager)
3. 10 Barrel/Lee Hedgmon Strawberry Shortcake's Velvet Hammer (Milk Stout)
People's Choice
1. Lucky Lab/Natalie Baldwin/Kell's Boom Roaster with Ristretto Roasters (Imperial Coffee Milk Stout)
2. Coalition/Matt Cortese Rock the Casbah Saison (Spiced Saison)
3. Breakside/Dan Shaw & Steven Rice Nants-Saison-Yah (Saison)
Besides Natalie having bragging rights for taking for taking both categories she also has the opportunity to have her beer re-brewed and put on tap at TILT.
Thank you to Steph and all of the Willamette Week staff that pulled off a great event. Thank you to the home and professional brewers that worked together to make so many great beers. Thank you to my fellow judges for easing the daunting task of selecting a top three.
If you weren't able to make it to the event, or are just hoping to have more of your favorites, keep your eyes peeled as I have a feeling some of these beers may be available (in very limited quantities) around town.
There could have been more port-a-potties (are there ever enough at "that time" at a beer festival?) and it did get crowded as the afternoon went on but overall every year Steph Barnhart has improved this festival. (The charging station was a new addition that hopefully will become a festival feature as common as water stations.) I look forward to next year's iteration with great anticipation!
