What's Ahead For 2017?

Since 2017 started I've been contemplating what this year will hold for Beer Musings. As of late I've not felt very inspired...for multiple reasons. I briefly let the idea of calling it quits roll around in my head but it didn't seem to take hold. Hopefully inspiration will return and you'll see more content than I've been posting lately. Perhaps committing to a weekly post...let's call it "The Best Things We Drank Last Week"...will be the momentum needed to get this ball rolling again. Expect to see it mid-week and while there may be some out-of-market beers listed with the wealth that surrounds us you'll likely be able to find most of it up around town.

Clearly we're mid-weekend, not mid-week but as to not put off what can be done today and also because of the snow/ice/cold those of you in Portland are experiencing (hopefully weathering safely at home) here's a recap of the five best things we drank during the final week of 2016.

Surly Pentagram (2015) - Cracked during our New Year's Eve gathering this sour, wine barrel aged beer is still outstanding. And at 6.66% ABV it's not gonna knock you down if you scurry off into a corner and drink the whole bottle yourself.

Alesong Shake Your Tree - Matt, formerly of Oakshire, has been killing it with what I've tasted from his new venture so far.  This sour ale aged with peaches smells and tastes like summer, something I need to be reminded will eventually come as we make our way through the darkness of winter.

Phantom Carriage Deadly Harvest - Relatively new to the Portland market, they've made an impression on me. Another fruitted sour, this one is a barrel aged blonde made with boysenberries, a fruit that transports me back to the carefree days of gobbling down pancakes soaked in Smucker's Boysenberry syrup.

The Commons Trillium - Easily one of my favorite Portland breweries, they know what they're doing with farmhouse beers and hit particularly high notes when they make sour ones. "Sweet Tarts in a glass without being gimmicky" was my impression as I thoroughly enjoyed it with the friends who so graciously shared it.

Perennial Savant Beersel - I do love me some Brett and this beer, made with wine grapes and aged in French oak Cabernet barrels is "all that and a bag of chips."

Clearly sours are one of my favorite styles and I had a wealth of delicious ones to close out a year that most of us can agree was quite sour. Thank goodness "sour" beers like these are the polar opposite of a "sour" year. Cheers to more delicious beers in 2017 and a year that is hoppy...happy...whatever!

Celebrate 20 Years with Lompoc

Bryan Keilty (L) & Jerry Fechter (R)

Zwanzig Fest, a four-day celebration to mark Lompoc Brewing's 20th anniversary, begins today. Zwanzig means "20" in German and along with being the name of the celebration, it's the name of the bitter Märzen ale that is a nod to Lompoc's very first brew, Erst Ale. The beer, brewed with the help of local beer writers, has a malty body with eight hop additions and was designed to bring back memories of enjoying pints on the New Old Lompoc patio.

During the brewing there was plenty of chatting, including a look back at the last 20 years, with owner Jerry Fechter and head brewer Bryan Keilty. Jerry acknowledged that they can't rest on their laurels and must find ways to stay "cool, hip and exciting." That's a tall order for any brewery but especially in a craft beer-rich market like Oregon. The smaller, younger breweries have to maintain the balancing act of brewing enough beer to be profitable while not over extending themselves with the purchase of new equipment should sales decrease. "Old guard" brewpubs like Lompoc face competition from new bars and growler fill locations, making it harder and harder to draw people in. Competition also comes from other brewpubs serving great food although in hiring head brewer Bryan, Lompoc also gained a CIA (Culinary Institute of America) trained chef.

Therefore answer to the question of how to stay relevant is far from a straightforward one. Jerry made it clear that expanding sales geographically isn't something they're interested in and there has been a shift in the sale-ability of bottled beer. Lompoc started out with 22-ounce bottles and has moved toward 12-ounce bottles as the larger format bottles have seen flat, and even declining, sales. There's also been a shift in the beer that sells the best; it used to be their flagship C-Note but these days it's Proletariat Red. The preferences of the consumer are a moving target but the answer to relevancy may lie in beers that don't readily fit into a traditional style.

Zwanzig, while dubbed a bitter Märzen ale, is such a beer and the next four days offer plenty of opportunities for you to try it. Swing into one of the Lompoc pubs, grab a pint (or featured taster tray) to receive a raffle ticket for a drawing of Lompoc swag and perhaps chat with Jerry and Bryan who will be at all of the 4pm tappings.

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.