Half Moon Bay Brewing - Contributor Post by Mrs. Freshpints

Half Moon Bay Brewing, seen from Capistrano Blvd.

Hi everyone!  As "Mrs. Freshpints" I'm normally a behind-the-scenes contributor for this blog, but since I had the chance to try some beers outside the usual freshpints stomping grounds, figured I'd post directly this time.  I hope you all enjoy!

Recently I visited San Francisco, just for a few days and for work, so it was a fast trip and not really conducive to a lot of free-time shenanigans.  But I found myself with several free hours at my disposal one very fine Sunday afternoon.  So, I decided to take a drive out to Half Moon Bay and give Half Moon Bay Brewing a whirl.  No better way to spend the afternoon than tracking down delicious, local craft brews.

The drive was absolutely beautiful once I got outside the larger freeways.  Down through Pacifica and past, there were really amazing ocean views that all on their own made the drive worth the while. The beaches looked sandy and flat, great for strolling, and there were quite a number of people taking advantage of the mild November conditions.

Seriously can you believe this view?! Those are moored sailboats you're looking at.

Half Moon Bay Brewing itself is actually a little north of town, down Capistrano Blvd.  The building is coastal-quaint from afar, but when you get up close you see how crowded it really is.  Inside, it’s pretty dark and bar-ish.  So, I opted to sit outside facing the water.  Great choice – the view was outrageous.

What I'm seeing while enjoying my beers, aaahhhhhh!

Since I hadn’t tried the beer before, I ordered samples of a few that I figured I’d like based on nothing other than type: Princeton-by-the-Sea IPA, Back in the Saddle Rye Pale Ale, and Pit Stop Chocolate Porter.

I started with the Rye.  Hands down, this was my favorite beer of the day.  It was light and crisp, refreshing like a good Pale should be.  And after a long day in transit between PDX and SFO, I really needed some refreshment!  I wish I would have ordered a pint. This was a really tasty beer.

Next up was the IPA.  Being from the Northwest, I recognize I’m a total IPA snob.  I can’t help it; this is a thing in Beervana (Portland, OR for the uninitiated.) I’ve been drinking insanely great IPA since before most of North America knew their Bud Light from their Miller High Life.  This one was, sadly, really unremarkable.  Yeah, I’m tough to please.  But if you’re an IPA, you’ve got to leave me with a strong impression… this one really didn’t.  Verdict?  Meh.

The Chocolate Porter was next.  I love chocolate, Porter is great, chocolate porter seems to be a great marriage of two wonderful things.  But alas, that was not the case.  This beer was cloyingly sweet for my taste, with a too-strong M&M's-like chocolate flavor coming through. 

I had a pretty killer smoked French Dip sandwich with my beers though.  So, that was a plus.  And like I said, the view was awesome.  Between that outstanding Rye Pale and the French Dip (not to mention the insane views) I was pretty glad I made the trip out.  Since it's so close to San Francisco, it's pretty easy to reach. 

However, this being my first actual post, I neglected to take photos of the actual beer or food. DOH!  Rookie mistake; rest assured I'll do better next time.

Cheers everyone!

--Emily D.
Half Moon Bay Brewing Company web page
Half Moon Bay Brewing Co Twitter page
Half Moon Bay Brewing Co Facebook page

Half Moon Bay Brewing Location:
390 Capistrano Rd.
Half Moon Bay, CA 94019

Two of my three empty tasters... oops!

To make up for forgetting to take pics of my beer, I took pictures of other people drinking on the patio... ironically, these guys were having wine.

Lompoc Brewing: Crossing the River for a Washington Release of Holiday Ales.

Lompoc Brewing will be crossing the river on December 12th for the Washington release of the 2013 Lompoc Holiday Ales at the Old Ivy Taproom in Downtown Vancouver,Wa. Six different holiday beers will be tapped at 5:30 when the event starts.

Beers to be tapped:
Brewdolf
Blitzen
2013 Vintage of Old Tavern Rat
Cherry Christmas
Holiday Cheer
C-Sons Greetings Imperial IPA

Info below:

Thursday, December 12, 2013
5:30pm-10:30pm: Lompoc Ales are tapped
6p-8p: Meet Head Brewer Ryan Keilty

Old Ivy Taproom 108 W. Evergreen Blvd Vancouver, WA 98660
(360) 696-0012

 Old Ivy Taproom & By The Bottle link

Vancouver Winter Brewfest - December 13th-15th

The 2nd annual Vancouver Winter Brewfest is this weekend. 

The brewfest will be at Esther Short Park in Downtown Vancouver. They will have beer and cider from 25 breweries, vendors, and tents to stay warm and dry. Should be fun. See details below 

Fest Hours:

• December 13th = 3pm to10pm
• December 14th = 12pm to 10pm
• December 15th = 12pm to 6pm  

Fest ticket, Brewery/Beer, and Vendor Info:

• Link for ticket prices  
• Link for the Brewery and Beer list
• Link to Vendors

BridgePort Brewing Company's 5th Annual Ebenezer Pub Crawl

Join Bridgeport Brewing for the 5th annual Ebenezer Pub Crawl through Multnomah Village this Thursday. Always a crowd pleaser, this holiday tradition is sure to please even the biggest scrooge! 

Start of the Pub Crawl: John's Market 3535 SW Multnomah Blvd, Portland, OR 97219 

Date/Time: December 5th at 5:00 p.m. 

Pub Stops: 

5:00 – 6:00 p.m. at John’s Market 

6:00 – 6:30 p.m. at Journey’s 
6:30 – 7:00 p.m. at Renner’s 
7:00 – 7:30 p.m. at O’Connors 
7:30 – 9:00 p.m. at The Ship (Prizes given away at 9:00 p.m.)

Price: Free 

Event-specific URL: https://www.facebook.com/events/628488883869078/

2013 Holiday Ale Festival

Wow its hard to believe that December is almost here. With December comes the always epic Holiday Ale Festival. The details for the festival are below. And the HAF 2013 pinup "Angel" has been released.

FESTIVAL FACTS

What
18th annual Holiday Ale Festival

Where
Pioneer Courthouse Square, located at 701 SW Sixth Ave. on the MAX Light Rail line

When
Wednesday, Dec. 4 through Sunday, Dec. 8
Noon to 10 pm Wed, 11 am to 10 pm Thur-Sat, and 11 am to 5 pm Sun
To avoid lengthy lines, the recommended days for attendance are Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday.

Why
While eggnog and hot toddies are commonly associated with the holidays, it’s no surprise that in the beer Mecca of the Pacific Northwest, craft ales are the drink of choice: specifically, big, bold ales designed to fend off the cold chill of a long winter night. The 18th annual Holiday Ale Festival gathers together more than four dozen of these winter warmers for a joyous five-day celebration. The beers featured are rich, robust and full of complex flavors. From Belgians to barleywines, porters to winter warmers, and spiced ales to stouts, these beers have either been crafted or blended specifically for the event or are hard-to-fine vintages. What they all share in common is their rarity - the festival works with every brewery involved to make sure they are sending a product that has either been made specifically for this event, or is a rare or vintage beer that isn’t commonly tapped in the state - which has solidified the event’s reputation as the premier winter beer tasting venue on the West Coast.

Despite being held outdoors during one of the coldest months of the year, more than 17,000 festival attendees stay warm and dry over the five day festival under clear-topped tents that cover the venue. Gas heaters create a cozy ambiance beneath the boughs of the region's largest decorated Christmas tree. In addition to beer tasting, the festival also features meet the brewer events, a root beer garden, food vendors, beer pairings with cupcakes & cheese, event merchandise and a coat and bag check that raises funds for the Children's Cancer Association.

Cost
To enter and consume beer, the purchase of an entry package is required. The general admission package at the door costs $30 and includes the 2013 tasting mug and 10 taster tickets. Advance general admission packages cost $30 and include the tasting mug, 12 taster tickets and expedited entry all five days. Advance VIP packages are available for $75 and include the tasting mug, 28 taster tickets, a bottle of water, access to VIP lines (including special tappings) and express entry all five days. Express re-entry requires a wristband and the 2013 mug, and is subject to the festival's capacity. Previous year's mugs will not be filled. Advance packages are available online at www.holidayale.com. Once inside the festival, a full mug of beer costs four taster tickets, and a four-ounce taste costs one ticket. Certain limited release and special tappings may not be available in full mug pours, or may cost double tickets. Additional beer tickets can be purchased for $1 apiece. Designated drivers in a party of two or more may purchase a designated driver wristband for $5, which includes Crater Lake Root Beer or bottled water for the duration of the stay.

Standard Release Beers (Limited & Sunday Brunch beer info has not been released)

Other
The event is for ages 21 and over.

Info
www.holidayale.com

Bridgeport Brewing Will Celebrate 30 Years in Business by Releasing a Special Trilogy of Beers

BRIDGEPORT CELEBRATES THREE DECADES OF CRAFT BREWING IN OREGON

BridgePort Brewing's Press Release on Trilogy: 

The “BridgePort Trilogy Series” to premiere in January

 PORTLAND, Ore.—November 19, 2013—  BridgePort Brewing Company, Oregon’s oldest craft brewery, will celebrate 30 years by releasing the “BridgePort Trilogy Series,” three limited edition beers. The first two beers in the series will honor pivotal moments in BridgePort’s history by highlighting the adoption of aroma hops and the IPA movement. In contrast, the third and final beer in the series will explore what’s still to come for craft beer in Oregon.

“It’s great to be turning 30, but it’s even more exciting to see how far the craft brewing industry has come in the last three decades,” commented brewmaster Jeff Edgerton. “Hop breeders in Oregon began developing varieties of aroma hops in the ‘60s and ‘70s that had intense and interesting qualities. The large domestic brewers weren’t interested at the time because the hops were ‘too intense’ for the products they were making. BridgePort and a handful of other craft brewers picked up on these varieties and started making flavorful, all-malt beers that had incredible taste and aroma. The rest is history.”

Given that aroma hops ignited the Oregon craft beer movement, it only made sense for the first beer in the “BridgePort Trilogy Series” to honor one of Edgerton’s favorite, the Crystal Hop, a varietal known for it’s slightly spicy and citrus notes.

“We chose to do a dry-hopped pale for the first beer in this series because of how well a pale can really spotlight a hop varietal,” said Edgerton. “We’ve experimented with dry hopping in the past but never built a whole beer around it. Our brewers are really excited and we think that BridgePort fans are going to love this first beer in the BridgePort Trilogy series.”

Trilogy 1 uses a big charge of Crystal Hops at the end of fermentation for a pleasant dry-hop aroma and flavor. The presence of Rye malt gives this beer a slightly spicy malt character and the Munich malts add a soft yet definite mouthfeel. ABV 5.2% | OG: 13.1 | IBUs 40

The BridgePort Trilogy Series will be available where all BridgePort beers are sold and will release in January, May and September of next year. The release of Trilogy 3 will coincide with the re-release of the first two beers in the series and BridgePort will encourage fans to vote for their favorite. The winning brew will return as a year-long offering in 2015.

About BridgePort Brewing Company

Celebrating 30 years in 2014, Oregon's oldest craft brewery continues to evolve from a microbrewery to a regional leader committed to producing high quality craft ales. Lead by brewmaster Jeff Edgerton, the team of BridgePort brewers prides itself on using hops from an hour away and clear glacial water from Mount Hood. The BridgePort family of ales includes IPA, Hop Czar, Kingpin.  BridgePort Brewery is located at 1313 N.W. Marshall St. For more information, call 503-241-7179 or visit www.bridgeportbrew.com. 

BrewTrail.com Offers Beer Lovers One-Stop Compilation of Brewery Information

A new website called BrewTrail.com designed by Chris Pooley and Chris Margonis offers beer lovers a one stop compilation of Brewery information for the entire United States.

New Haven, CT – November 13, 2013 – Beer lovers, your prayers have been answered – visiting breweries just got easier.  Brew Trail (www.BrewTrail.com), the ultimate compilation of brewery information, has gone online and promises to make beer tourism a one-stop planning experience.  According to the Brewer’s Association, there are 2,538 breweries and brewpubs operating in the country (the most since the 1880s) and only one website - Brew Trail - has tracked them all along with the meticulous key details like their brewery tour and tasting room schedules.  Never before has so much detailed brewery data been available on one site.  With Brew Trail’s Trip Planner, aficionados can plot out a multi-state tour or simply check out some new breweries in town, easily incorporating each brewery’s schedule to cover ground most efficiently.  It’s all free, and it’s optimized for mobile devices.  From pilsners in Portland to stouts in St. Louis, Brew Trail will help plan a fantastic expedition along America’s beer trail.

“It’s been a true labor of love.  A very, very detailed labor of love,” said Brew Trail co-founder Chris Margonis.  “Why did we start the site?  My buddy and I love beer, it’s as simple as that.  And when we realized there weren’t any sites like this – a one-stop spot for all the brewery details along with brewery tour and tasting room times, we devoted ourselves even more to our hobby.  We want Brew Trail to be seen as a promotional asset for all craft breweries - to help them level the playing field and gain recognition among the big boys.  And we think Brew Trail also has the potential to become an excellent tool for state and local tourism boards as more and more localities launch their own beer trails.”  

The US craft beer movement has been exploding, with an astounding 10% annual growth – even while overall beer consumption has been declining slightly in favor of wine and spirits.  Although it makes sense given that craft beers have similar complexities and food pairings as wine.  Five out of ten fastest growing beer brands are craft (Dale’s Pale Ale, Lagunitas, Ranger, Torpedo, Shiner) and several of them  have been seeing a mind-boggling 45% growth in sales.  With this new, overwhelming beer awareness, Brew Trail arrives at the perfect time to make a potential mark on the scene and establish itself within the craft beer culture.

www.BrewTrail.com
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About Brew Trail (www.BrewTrail.com)
Visiting breweries just got easier.  Brew Trail compiles every brewery and brewpub in the country – over 2,500 - allowing beer lovers to quickly and seamlessly plan their ultimate tasting trip.  Tour schedules, tasting room hours, fees and other info is all available on one site for the first time ever.

Sources:
Brewers Association http://www.brewersassociation.org/pages/business-tools/craft-brewing-statistics/number-of-breweries 
Demeter Group (http://www.demetergroup.net/docs/perspective/Craft_Beer.pdf)

2013 Holiday Ale Festival

GA & VIP tickets now on sale online

 Standard release beer info updated


 
Holiday Ale Festival toasts the spirits of the season

18th annual event offers one of the nation’s finest gatherings of winter beers

The 18th annual Holiday Ale Festival will take place Dec. 4 through Dec. 8 at Pioneer Courthouse Square, located at 701 SW Sixth Ave. in the heart of downtown Portland. The popular event will feature at least four-dozen big, bold ales designed to fend off the cold chill of a long winter night. From Belgians, barleywines and CDAs to winter warmers, porters and stouts, these beers have either been crafted specifically for the event or are hard-to-fine vintages, underscoring the event's reputation as one of finest gathering of winter beers anywhere in the nation.

Event hours are Noon to 10 pm Wednesday, 11 am to 10 pm Thursday through Saturday, and 11 am to 5 pm Sunday. To avoid the lengthy lines that often accompany Northwest beer fests, the recommended days for attendance are Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday. The Holiday Ale Festival is for ages 21 and over.

What makes this festival standout from other similar events is the beer selection: the festival works with every brewery involved to make sure they send a beer that has either been made or blended specifically for the event, or is a rare or vintage beer that isn't commonly tapped in the state.

"Winter is a great time to be a beer geek," exclaimed Preston Weesner, event manager. "Savvy beer appreciators come from all across the country to sample these complex beers, which typically receive more thought and effort from the brewers.”

To enter and consume beer, the purchase of an entry package is required. The general admission package at the door costs $30 and includes the 2013 tasting mug and 10 taster tickets. Advance general admission packages cost $30 and include the tasting mug, 12 taster tickets and expedited entry all five days. Advance VIP packages are available for $65 and include the tasting mug, 28 taster tickets, a bottle of water, access to VIP lines (including special tappings) and express entry all five days. Express re-entry requires a wristband and the 2013 mug, and is subject to the festival's capacity. Previous year's mugs will not be filled. Advance packages are available online at www.holidayale.com

Once inside the festival, a full mug of beer costs four taster tickets, and a four-ounce taste costs one ticket. Certain limited release and special tappings may not be available in full mug pours, or may cost double tickets. Additional beer tickets can be purchased for $1 apiece. Designated drivers in a party of two or more may purchase a designated driver wristband for $5, which includes Crater Lake Root Beer or bottled water for the duration of the stay.

Despite being held outdoors during one of the coldest months of the year, more than 17,000 festival attendees stay warm and dry over the five day festival under clear-topped tents that cover the venue. Gas heaters create a cozy ambiance beneath the boughs of the region's largest decorated Christmas tree. In addition to beer tasting, the festival also features meet the brewer events, a root beer garden, food vendors, beer pairings with cupcakes & cheese, event merchandise and a coat and bag check that raises funds for the Children's Cancer Association.

Returning to the event is the 10th annual Sunday Beer Brunch, taking place on Dec. 8 from 11 am to 1 pm on the upper level of Pioneer Courthouse Square. The auxiliary event features European pastries, cured meats and artisanal cheeses to accompany an assortment of exclusive vintage winter beers not available at the festival itself, plus special large format bottles to be shared. Tickets cost $75 and will be available at www.holidayale.com soon.

For more information, visit www.holidayale.com.

Fall Back

Now that fall is in full swing and the rain seems to have taken the place of the sun we experienced for 20-some days, it's time to take a look back on a few beer events I've attended so far this fall.

Starting back in late September I attended the Hood River Hops Fest in downtown Hood River. A huge rain storm was hitting pretty much all of Oregon that day, and the Hops Fest is an outdoor event, so we were a little concerned about how well things would go. Thankfully the the promoters installed big tents covering most of the grounds so other than moving between tents for beer, food, bathrooms, etc. the weather wasn't much of an issue. It also was nice that the heavy rain held off most of the time we were attending, picking up later in the day when we were about to head for home....That said, one thing that always makes me laugh is that Pacific Northwest folks really don't care too much about the weather when you have beer involved....rain, sun, snow...people will show up and drink.  No exception at the Fresh Hops Fest, as there was a pretty healthy crowd that turned out.  There were a lot of great beers to be had, but the highlight fresh hop beers for me this year were: #1-Gigantic Sodbuster Simcoe Fresh Hop IPA, #2 Barley Brown's Fresh Hop Pallet Jack, #3 - Base Camp Hopularity Contest

Folks braving the rain for fresh hop beer

Double Mountain for more beers

Full Sail across the street from the fest.

At this point in the season, fresh hop beers, whether on tap or in bottles, are probably getting hard to find. And even if you do find them, they're probably starting to lack the freshness that they had when they were first kegged or bottled. Even so, if you have the opportunity you should try one out (and then remind yourself to get one earlier next year!) Gotta say that fresh hop season is my favorite beer season. I can't get enough of fresh hop beers.


A few good posts about fresh hop beers from two beer blogs that I enjoy reading:

• Beervanna:On Making a Good Fresh Hop Beer:The Brewers Speak
• The New School:The Beauty of Fresh Hop Season
• The New School:Piss And Vinegar:Stop Saying Wet Hop When You Mean Fresh Hop!

In October I attended  LivingSocial's Craft Brewfest at Jeld-Wen Field. This was my first time actually setting foot in the newly-renovated Jeld-Wen Field. (I may be the last person in the Portland area not to have attended a Timbers game.) I must say it's an impressive venue and the way the brew fest was set up on the concourse level was actually really cool. The beers were set up along the entire concourse level, not just all in one place like at some events I've attended. So it made for a nice stroll to get beer tastes and see some of the games that were set up, find food, and also take in the live music ...and, surprisingly, I can say that the dueling piano performers were amazing and put on a great show. I had fun, with only a few issues that I could see, #1 - Quite a few beers were not the original beers on the beer list, and then the replacements weren't listed. So, it was a little hard to know what was being served at times. And #2 maybe have some more lights. It got dark and even with the lights it was hard to walk around and see where you were going....of course maybe I'm just old and can't see as good as the young folks.

Also in October I attended the PDX bottle share at Rev Nat's Hard Cidery & Tap Room. Its a very simple idea. Just bring a beer, cider, or mead to 

Nat West opening bottles.

share and some food/snacks, and everyone samples the goods. Since my wife and I both went, I brought two beers. One was a 15-year-old Anniversary X Ale From North Coast Brewing and a La Ferme De Demons from Block 15. Both beers were very good. I was a bit concerned about sharing the Anniversary X Ale, since at 15 years it was anyone's guess if it would still be good. Surprisingly it held up and was 
still rich and smooth. A rare beer like that should be shared, so I'm glad I was able to share it with the folks I met at Rev Nat's.  I think I tasted at least 30 beers, ciders, and one mead. I was able to try many beers and ciders that aren't distributed in Washington/Oregon and I met a bunch of great people who are passionate about great beer and cider. If you want to attend the next PDX bottle share follow the twitter feed
 @PDXbottleshare or PortlandBeer.com

PDX Bottle Share is 21 and over only.

Kells Brew Pub

You may or may not have known that the Kells organization, with pubs in Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco, opened a brew pub on NW 21st in Portland last year. My wife and I attended a media event/tour of the pub and brewery on Monday to hear from the the McAleese family about the pub, the beer, and the food.
The first thing you will notice about the Kells Brew Pub when walking in is that this is not the downtown Kells that you probably have been to. This is a more refined pub, it's quieter, has a much warmer feel to it with lots of wood, private booths with sliding doors, stained glass windows, and a big wooden bar.

Currently, Lead Brewer Garrett McAleese (Son of Gerard & Lucille McAleese) and Head Brewer Dave Fleming who has brewed for Lucky Lab brewing, Three Creeks brewing, and Lompoc Brewing, are brewing on a 10 barrel brewhouse and supplying three beers (Irish Lager, Irish Red, and Irish Pale Ale) for both Portland locations and Seattle. After just the first year they are already expanding by adding two 20 BBL fermentors to keep up with demand. With the added fermentors Dave Fleming says they plan to start adding seasonal beers, with the first being an Imperial Brown ale being made for the Holiday Ale Festival and, yes, maybe even an Irish Stout in the future.

Dave Fleming showing off the 10bbl brewhouse

The food and beer pairings were excellent. We had a Nicoise salad with really fresh, sushi-grade seared Ahi tuna, paired with the Kells Irish Lager. Then they brought out a sausage roll, which was a puff pastry with seasoned sausage/onion (this was my and my wife's favorite food of the night) paired with the Kells Irish Red. The last pairing was fish & chips paired with the Kells Irish Pale Ale.  They have a pretty extensive menu, so no lack of options for food and drink.  Here's a link to the Kell Brew Pub menu.

Amazing sausage roll

This was actually my third time visiting the brew pub. My wife and I visited for the first time right after it opened last year, and honestly at the time I wasn't too impressed. I didn't write up anything then because I figured they were new, and I hoped I would visit again with better luck after they got the kinks worked out. My second visit was a couple of weeks ago, and that visit was much better than the first. I stopped in with my brother prior to a brewfest. We sampled their three beers, which were all pretty good.  I had a pint of the Lager.  I think my brother got the Irish Pale Ale. We also got some wings which we enjoyed.  The bartenders were very friendly and one was very talkative.  I didn't realize it at the time, but the talkative one was Garrett, who is one of the brewers and a McAleese.  The third visit was for this media event, and again I brought my wife along.  We sat across the table from the McAleeses, so got the opportunity chat with them.  Really nice people, very friendly.  Gerard mentioned he prefers the Irish Red of the three beers they're brewing.  We also got to meet and talk with Dave Fleming, the head brewer. You can really feel the sense of pride that they all take in offering up a warm and inviting family-friendly brew pub that offers the highest quality food and beer.

 Kells Brew Pub – Portland
210 NW 21st Avenue
Portland, OR 97210

Kells Brew Pub is open to all ages seven days a week from 11:30am to close Tuesday through Friday, 9am to close on weekends, and 4pm to close on Monday. For more information, visit www.kellsbrewpub.com or call 503-719-7175.

Head brewer Dave Fleming enjoying one of his brews.

Kells Beer Lineup

• Kells Irish Red Ale

Our best selling beer is a traditional, drier Irish style red ale, hopped with Northwest hops that trace their roots back to their European cousins. Subtle fruitiness and pleasant esters develop from the Irish Ale yeast. This is a true, all-night session ale.
4.5% ABV, 25 IBUs

• Kells Irish Pale Ale

Hopped with healthy amount of some our a favorite NW hops including Chinooks, Summit, Galena, Zeus just to name a few, then dry hopped to set off the aromatics of our freshest hops. The beer is a blend of NW finest IPAs and a traditional English/ Irish Pale Ale. 
6.2% ABV, 71 IBUs

• Kells Irish Lager

People often think of dark creamy stouts when they think of Ireland, but the Lager is more commonplace in the younger generations. Crisp bubbles hit your tongue as you inhale the slight aromas of Czech and German variety hops. The crisp flavors are made by the lovely cold fermenting European larger yeast. This beer is enjoyed year-round.
4.5% ABV, 14 IBUs

Red, Lager, and IPA

Stone Brewing Releasing Three New Bastards Nationwide November 4th.

Looks like some interesting Stone Brewing Bastard ales coming our way.

THREE NEW BASTARDS A trio of new brews are laying low at the moment, shrouded in mystery and shielded from the world's scrutiny...except for you! We're thrilled to introduce you to three new Quingenti Millilitre beers that will be unleashed nationwide on November 4th. Meet our newest bastards: CRIME - Lucky Bastard Ale with an addition of ultra-hot chilies aged in Kentucky bourbon barrels PUNISHMENT - 2013 Double Bastard Ale infused with even hotter chilies and aged in Kentucky bourbon barrels SOUTHERN CHARRED - (too deep under cover for a pic) 2012 Double Bastard Ale aged over a year in three types of barrels, including virgin charred American oak Stone Brewing Stone Brewing Twitter Stone Instagram

OBF DONATES $10,000 TO HONOR STATE’S FORGOTTEN BEER PIONEERS

 Art Larrance, director of the Oregon Brewers Festival and longtime craft beer advocate, has donated $10,000 to the Friends of Lone Fir Cemetery/Lone Fir Cemetery Foundation on behalf of the festival. The donation will support the restoration of the tomb of George Frederick Bottler, one of Oregon’s earliest brewers.

Bottler’s tomb, now crumbling in the oldest part of Lone Fir, is one of the first structures built in the historic cemetery in Southeast Portland. It paints a picture of two key figures in the origin of Brewvana: pioneer brothers, both named George, who arrived in Oregon in 1856.  George Michael Bottler  — a Portland fireman, founding member of the German Benevolent Association and a Mason — established Portland’s second brewery, City Brewery, in 1857 with partner Henry Weinhard, while brother George F. started The Dalles Brewery in 1859.

“Supporting the restoration of Bottler's tomb is an opportunity for fellow brewers to pull together and show support for two of the first brewers in the state, just as the brewing community pulled together 150 years  ago,” explained Larrance. "This is a project where we can restore and preserve our craft brewing heritage."

George M. was traveling in Germany when George F. died, so fellow Portland brewers — including Edward F. Schrader, Henry Saxer and Henry Weinhard — made arrangements for George F. to be buried in the Lone Fir Cemetery. When George M. returned from Germany, he built a tomb over his brother’s grave and purchased two other plots nearby to house his own remains. George M. later died in Munich, Germany, leaving no family to care for the tomb.

To learn more about the Bottler Tomb restoration project, visit www.friendsoflonefircemetery.org.

Coming Cascade Brewing Barrel House Bottle & Draft releases.

Pumpkin Smash bottles and draft will be released this Thursday October 24th at 4:30pm. The Barrel House will have both bottles and draft, while the Raccoon Lodge will have bottles only. Bottles cost $30 each, limit 4 per person. The draft version costs $8 glass or $3 taster. This was a limited run, therefore bottles are available in-house only, no online sales.

The Diesel draft release (no bottles, as we do not bottle non-soured beers) will be next Thursday, October 31st at 4:30pm at both the Barrel House and Raccoon Lodge. This is a limited batch.

The Gose bottle release will be on Thursday, November 6th at 4:30pm at both the Barrel House and Raccoon Lodge. Bottles are $15, limit 6 per person. This was a limited run, therefore bottles are available in-house only, no online sales.

Cascade Brewing Barrel House website
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Portland Brewery Deck

Looking for a good “deal” for holiday gifts?

Beer fans have 52 reasons to love the Portland Brewery Deck

PORTLAND, Ore. – Just in time for the holidays, Portland artist Aaron Trotter has released the Portland Brewery Deck, a limited edition deck of playing cards that features hand-drawn pen and ink illustrations of 52 iconic Portland breweries, brewpubs and bottle shops.

The Portland Brewery Deck is the third in a set of Portland-themed playing cards created by Trotter. The back of each card features an effervescent golden ale, while the front features one of the 52 drawings, each of which was sketched on location without the aid of a photograph. Trotter embellished and added crosshatching details to the images in his studio using his Great-Aunt’s 1910 ink pen.

The decks are printed locally on UV coated card stock, have rounded corners and are shrink-wrapped. Every deck comes in a signed and numbered hand-folded box, and includes an illustrated map of the featured locations along with random beer trivia. The deck retails for $20 and is available at a number of Portland locations and online at www.illustratedplayingcards.com.

Trotter conceived of the Portland Brewery deck earlier this summer in conjunction with Oregon Craft Beer Month as a way of using his art to celebrate Portland beer and promote local breweries.

“Capturing and celebrating Portland icons is my labor of love, and with so many breweries in the city, it seemed like a natural fit to create a brewery deck,” explained Trotter. “I have drawn many great cities, but it is always a pleasure to discover and share a new treasure in my own town, and the Brewery Deck allowed me to do just that.”

Since producing his first deck of illustrated cards in 2010, Trotter has distributed thousands of handcrafted, locally produced decks across the country. His drawings are documentary artifacts that capture a visual record of iconic landmarks for a growing roster of cities, including Astoria, Bend, Eugene, Las Vegas (in color!), Los Angeles, Manhattan, Paris, Portland, San Francisco, Rome, Seattle, Vancouver BC and Washington DC. For more information, visit www.illustratedplayingcards.com.

LivingSocial's Craft BeerFest This Friday at Jeld-Wen Field in PDX

 

LivingSocial's Craft BeerFest!

Jeld-Wen Field • Portland, OR

 

LivingSocial's Link for tickets.

 

what you get:

Enjoy Pours of More Than 80 Craft Beers and Delicious Local Food
Live Music, Giant Beer Pong and Other Games, Interactive Art, and More!
Limited Day Of Tickets Available At The Door

participating breweries

Bend Brewing, Blue Dog Mead, Bridgeport, Cascade Lakes, Deschutes, Full Sail, Hair Of Dog, Hopworks, Mt. Hood, Portland Brewing, Tracktown, Worthy Brewing, Alaskan, Elysian, Georgetown Brewing, Lazy Boy, Mac & Jack, Pike Brewing, Anchor Brewing, Ballast Point, Lagunitas, Left Coast, Lost Coast, Mad River, Russian River, Sierra Nevada, Stone, Avery, Blue Moon, New Belgium, Dogfish Head, Sam Adams, Leinenkugel, Widmer, Redhook, Ninkasi, Laughing Dog, Burnside Brewing, Ft. George Brewery, Oakshire Brewing, and more!

available food options (not included in ticket price)

Timber Brat: Quarter-pound Zenner's bratwurst wrapped in bacon and served on a Franz soft pretzel roll topped with Widmer beer-braised onion

Timber Pie: Local bakery Pacific Pie Co. brings Portland a spin on an English football treat: a buttery, flaky pie crust filled with locally sourced spinach, tomato, and organic feta cheese

Bacon-Bleu Tots: Crisp, golden brown tater tots toped with chipotle ranch, crumbled Rogue Creamery bleu cheese, chopped bacon, diced tomatoes and scallions
Plus More!

LivingSocial's beer extravaganza is back! With an amazing selection of brews to indulge in and loads of awesome entertainment, BeerFest is sure to be one of the season's best events. Head to the concourse level of Jeld-Wen Field from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, October 11 to enjoy this jam-slammed fest featuring some 80 craft brews, Portland's best local eats, live entertainment, games, and much, much more.
$29 for General Admission (price will increase as event date draws closer)
• 10 tokens valid for tastings of more than 80 craft beers
• Live Music
• Top-notch local food (food not included in ticket price)
• A 5-ounce souvenir BeerFest mini-stein
$39 for Early Entry General Admission (price will increase as event date draws closer)
• Everything included in the General Admission ticket
• One-hour early entry
$49 for one Widmer VIP Experience, including:
• Everything included in the General Admission ticket
• One full pour of Widmer
• One Timber Brat
• One-hour early entry
• Exclusive VIP-Only Section at Widmer Southern Front w/ games and lounge seating
• LivingSocial BeerFest mini-stein neck lanyard
 

Follow the event on Twitter and tweet us your pics! #lsbeerfest

Need to know

6 to 10 p.m. | Event hours
6 p.m. | Doors open for GA ticketholders
5 p.m. | Doors open for Early Entry and Widmer VIP ticketholders
Directions and parking
Check-in is located at Gate 2 of Jeld Wen Field (corner of SW 18th and Morrison)

location

• 1844 SW Morrison Street Portland, OR 97025 877-521-4191

Heathen & Hops

Heathens & Hops is tonight at the White Owl Social Club in PDX. If you missed any of the fresh hop festivals, this might be your last chance to get out and try a bunch of fresh hop beers all in one place.....and what's better than beer,  heavy metal trivia, and heavy metal videos.

Heathens & Hops is a massive celebration of this special time of the year—so get ready because FRESH HOPS are here! We've rounded up special offerings from fifteen different craft brewers and we're rolling them out for one special night on Tuesday, October 8.

Festivities commence at 6pm, when we tap the first batch of kegs and get the party going with HEAVY METAL TRIVIA--and pay attention, there will be prizes. Then at 9pm, the second batch of kegs will go on while you raise your glass and bang your head to HEAVY METAL VIDEOS until midnight and beyond!

And the best part of all...there is NO COVER for this awesome event!

FEATURED BREWS:

Fort George - XVI chapel (Belgian Style fresh hopped Vortex IPA)
Deschutes - Chasin' Freshies (Fresh hopped IPA)
Elysian - Kama Citra (Fresh Citra Hopped Red Ale)
Double Mountain - Killer Red and Killer Green
Sierra Nevada - Northern Hemisphere
Ninkasi - Total D (Fresh Crystal Hopped Total Domination)
Coalition - Green Pig (Fresh Hopped Mr Pig's Pale)
Bridgeport - Hop Harvest (Imperial Double Fresh Hopped Pilsner)
Laurelwood - Fresh Hopped Workhorse IPA
Schooner Exact - Fresh Amarillo Hopped Pale Ale
Widmer - Dark N' Dank (Fresh Santium and Golding Hopped Red)
Hop Valley - Citra Self Down (Fresh Citra Hopped Pale Ale)
Goodlife - 150 Hippies
Migration - Better Off Fresh (Fresh Hopped IRA)
H.U.B. - Bitchin' Camaro (Fresh Crystal Hopped Lager)

Twitter & FB page/FB Heathens & Hops Page

Smooth as Suede:10 Barrel/Bluejacket/Stone Suede Imperial Porter Released Today

ESCONDIDO, CA (Oct. 7, 2013) – Suede evokes a sense of smooth, sexy coolness and, for some, perhaps the ‘70s. But when used to describe the latest Stone Brewing Co. collaboration, 10 Barrel/Bluejacket/Stone Suede Imperial Porter, it’s just groovy. The beer was created in collaboration with Tonya Cornett of Bend, Oregon’s 10 Barrel Brewing Co. and Megan O’Leary Parisi of Bluejacket in Washington, D.C. Starting today, the imperial porter will be available in bottles and on draft at select retailers, restaurants and bars across the U.S. The trio of brewers met each other in typical fashion (at beer events, obviously) and began conversations that eventually led to invites from Stone Brewmaster Mitch Steele to Cornett and O’Leary Parisi to come out and brew. From there, recipe formulation began. The trio envisioned using ingredients indigenous to Southern California, which was accomplished by including avocado honey, dried jasmine, and calendula flowers plucked from the fertile grounds at Stone’s North County San Diego farmstead, Stone Farms. O'Leary Parisi, Cornett, and Steele The result is a luscious, smooth and flavorful beer that incorporates the deep cocoa and coffee notes of an imperial porter with a delicate but discernible bouquet of herbs and floral sweetness. “I have always enjoyed the subtleties of ingredients – botanicals, spices, sugars and other things like that, which can enhance the flavors of a base beer,” said O’Leary Parisi. “There is a certain joy to finding that balance of making your additional ingredients perfectly complementary and not overwhelming.” At 9.6 percent alcohol by volume (ABV), the beer is ready to enjoy now, or may be properly cellared for months or years. Over time, the jasmine and calendula flowers will take a back seat to rich java and chocolate aromas and flavors. Whether enjoyed now or in the future, this beer is a brilliant example of the spectacular things that can happen when masterful brewing minds converge. Check out the New School as they had an early release of the beer and give a brief review of the beer and have a rundown of all the release parties for the 10 Barrel/Bluejacket/Stone Suede Imperial Porter in Oregon.

10 Barrel/Bluejacket/Stone Suede Imperial Porter Quick Facts Name: 10 Barrel/Bluejacket/Stone Suede Imperial Porter URL: http://www.stonebrewing.com/collab/suede Stats: 9.6% ABV, 50 IBUs Availability: Limited 22-ounce bottles and draft, beginning October 7 Hops Bill: Magnum and Sterling Distribution: AK, AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, and WA

Stone Brewing Co. Introduces the “Stone Mixed 12 Pack” to Retailers and Bottle Shops

Press Release: It’s every craft beer lover's dilemma: What beer should I pick when at the grocery store or bottle shop? With an incredible array of tasty craft beers to choose from these days, the answer isn’t always easy. To aid in every beer enthusiast’s decision-making process, Stone Brewing Co. is introducing a variety pack dubbed the Stone Mixed 12 Pack. The Pack may currently be found at select retailers and bottle shops in California. The Stone Mixed 12 Pack features three 12-ounce bottles of four beloved Stone year-round releases: Stone IPA, Stone Levitation Ale, Stone Ruination IPA and OAKED Arrogant Bastard Ale. The Stone Mixed 12 Pack is ideal for the craft beer fan who wants (and rightfully deserves) more than just one of the many flavor experiences that Stone has to offer. Whether it’s a beer they can’t live without or one that perhaps they haven’t tried before, the Stone Mixed 12 Pack offers what beer enthusiasts love today: choice. It’s also a great option when faced with entertaining guests with varying palates and desires, making the act of choosing sometimes difficult. “We hope this new Stone Mixed 12 Pack allows our fans to enjoy their Stone favorites or revisit a beer they haven’t had in a while. It also introduces new fans to the big, bold and hoppy beers Stone is known for,” said Stone CEO and Co-founder Greg Koch. “Sometimes you are in the mood for something overly aggressive and hoppy, other times you might be looking for something that isn’t quite as intense to help you wind down after a long day.” The Stone Mixed 12 Pack will be available more widely across America beginning in 2014. Occasionally, Stone will mix up – yes, pun intended – the beers included in the Stone Mixed 12 Pack so fans always have a new variety to look forward to.

About Stone Brewing Co.

Known for its bold, flavorful and largely hop-centric beers, Stone Brewing Co. has been brewing in North County San Diego since 1996. Founded by Greg Koch and Steve Wagner, Stone is the 10th largest craft brewer in the United States—a position it achieved without paid advertising, discounting or compromised standards. In addition to brewing, Stone owns two eclectic farm-to-table restaurants—Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Escondido and Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station—and Stone Farms, an organic farm located near the brewery which grows produce for the restaurants. Stone also operates an off-site events company, Stone Catering, as well as Stone Distributing Co., which distributes more than 30 craft beer brands throughout Southern California. For more information on Stone Brewing Co., please visit stonebrewing.com or the company’s social media sites: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google+, YouTube and The Stone Blog.