Creeping Charlie

Disclaimer: THIS beer was not brewed with Creeping Charlie.
It did catch my eye as a nice background.

No, it's not the name of yet another new brewery opening, rather it's something found in many lawns, especially in the Midwest. On a recent trip home my dad was once again beginning his yearly battle against his greatest lawn enemy. Then mere days later a friend mentioned that he didn't care that most people hated Creeping Charlie, he liked it and was going to let it flourish in his lawn. Circling back to my dad, in a call to wish my mom a happy Mother's Day, he mentioned he had heard on some program he was watching/listening to that Creeping Charlie could be used instead of hops in making beer. I threw the question out to the interwebs and one of my Facebook friends was kind enough to dig up some information.

As I had suspected, and shared with my dad, Creeping Charlie would most likely have been used as heather has been in gruit-style beer. Sure enough, not only is that the case but apparently that application of Creeping Charlie was common enough to have earned itself an alternate name - alehoof.

Going back a millennia, Creeping Charlie has been known as a medicinal herb that is extremely high in Vitamin C, making it a great way to prevent scurvy. There are plenty of other medicinal uses for it and apparently it can be part of your next salad as it's a member of the mint family, just don't eat a whole bowl of it as there could be some dangerous side effects of gorging on it.

But what about brewing with it? This guy, who sounds like he would fit in perfectly in Portland, but currently resides in Hamilton, Ontario, posted a beer recipe using solely Creeping Charlie after a couple of previous attempts in which he used it in conjunction with hops. This time he was going all in but unfortunately there was some pretty massive fermentation happening (according to follow up notes) causing his glass carboy to explode and thus preventing him from sampling the beer.

I'll definitely be sharing all of this with my dad although I'm sure he'll continue his fight against what he sees as a stubborn weed. But perhaps for those with less old-school, more progressive views on what a lawn can be this may be an enlightening look at a plant that's great ground cover (another alternate name being ground ivy) and might just be worth cultivating for a future hop-less homebrew.

Many thanks to Michael Agnew who dug up the articles I've linked to. Perhaps he'll don his homebrewing hat for a batch of Creeping Charlie brew and fill us in on how it turned out.

CTBB Marks 10th Year

2016 marks the 10th year for Cheers to Belgian Beers, a festival that was started to help introduce Oregonians to the breath of style and flavors of beers brewed in Belgium. Taking place Friday, May 13th and Saturday, May 14th, the festival will feature close to 70 beers from brewers whose beer color and strength was determined by a dart throw the first of February at Horse Brass. While there's plenty of room for interpretation, the results of the dart throw are a glimpse at what each brewer will be bringing.
 

As the festival nears the festival website will be updating the list with the specific beers, many of which utilize the featured yeast strain, Imperial Organic Yeast 58 Lioness. For the regular drinker the specifics might be more than they need to know but homebrewers may appreciate knowing the details, including temperature range, flocculation and attenuation. For drinkers the important parts are the dates, times, location and knowing that discounted advanced tickets are on sale through 5pm Friday, April 29th (make sure to use the code CTBB2016).

Friday, May 13th 1-9pm
Saturday, May 14th 12-8pm
North Warehouse, 723 N Tillamook St

Another thing to note is that parking is a bit challenging in that area so finding alternatives to driving and parking is recommended. Last year I walked to and from which offered a good chance to build up my thirst beforehand and a gentle transition after the festival to the rest of my day.

In general Belgian beers are not my favorite style, mostly because of the characteristics the yeast tends to impart to many of the beers. However that's exactly why this is a festival I (and others in the same boat) shouldn't miss. Here I have the opportunity to try a bunch of beers I'd probably never consider ordering in a larger format and there's a good chance I'll find a few that surprise and delight my palate. Then there are ones, Flanders Reds in particular and a couple using ingredients like peppercorns and papayas, which are likely to hit higher notes with me. Either way it's the spirit of a beer festival, of trying a variety of beers, that is what's important. Perhaps I'll see you there and we'll compare notes on favorites.

22nd Annual Portland Spring Beer & Wine Fest

Now in its 22nd year, the Portland Spring Beer & Wine Fest sets itself apart from the myriad of other beer festivals for one big reason and no, it's not because there's wine (and cider and mead and distillers), it's about the people.

The craft beer community is as much about the product we enjoy as the people who made that product and the Spring Beer & Wine Fest is one of the few places where you'll have the opportunity to talk to the people who made the product that you're sampling. For some of the more established breweries, like Coalition, it's a chance for me to chat with folks I don't get to see often enough but for others, like Bent Shovel, it's a chance for me to hear first hand how they came to be and what they're making. While I'd love to relay all the stories I heard at yesterday's media preview instead I encourage you to go to the festival today and hear them yourself.

In addition to being a great venue to try all manner of liquid libations, there are also tons of food booths - from chocolates and nuts to hummus and cheeses - and five food carts. Perhaps you don't need to bring home some of Eliot's Adult Nut Butters but delicious, unique products like this make for great gifts, especially for hard-to-buy-for people (i.e. parents).

Held inside the convention center the festival is immune to weather issues with the biggest challenge being parking but there's plenty of public transit that services the area or if that's inconvenient, consider parking a little ways away and walking. Unlike many festivals this two-day festival runs Friday and Saturday only so if you have to choose, say between this and Saraveza's Farmhouse & Wild Ale Festival, go to this one today and save that for Sunday.

Oh, and if you're considering not going because basketball, they've got you covered there, too. Where the presentation stage has been in past years there are TVs and plenty of chairs. Wander around for awhile enjoying the fest, take a break to watch some hoops and repeat until you've gotten your fill.

Portland Spring Beer & Wine Fest
Oregon Convention Center
Saturday, March 26th Noon-10pm