Oregon Brewfest 2016 Recap

1st beers of  the 2016 OBF - Picture Courtesy of me -Freshpints.com

The 29th Annual Oregon Brewers Festival started yesterday at noon. if you're at OBF today - awesome!, if you haven't been or plan to go, you still have 3 days left to make it down to Tom McCall Waterfront park and enjoy some great beers, music, food, and just plain old good times.

One notable change you will notice is that OBF has once again changed the drinking vessel. Over the years they've had the white plastic mugs, glass tasters, BPA-free plastic glass tasters, and now this new 12 oz. clear styrene plastic mug  free of BPA and phthalates. I gotta say, I really like this new mug, maybe even more than the glass tasters that were present for a couple years. I like the mug style as its easy to carry, so no worries about dropping the mug, and I think the clear styrene plastic worked well for trying to get sight, aroma,  and taste when sampling each beer. So great Job OBF, with the new sampling mugs.

Beers we really enjoyed this year.

• Ex Novo – All of the Things - Berliner Weiss
• New Holland – Dragons Milk Reserve: Mexican Spice Cake - Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout
• Boundary Bay - Escape Velocity - American Pale Ale
• Old Town - Kentucky Refresh-Mint - Mint Julep Beer
• Ninkasi – Grapefruit Sour - American-Style Sour Ale
• Culmination – Deutschland-Down Under - Berliner-Style Weisse
• Stormbreaker - Handfuls of Hops V.OBF - American IPA
• Georgetown Brewing -Gusto Crema Coffee Ale - Coffee Ale  
• Double Mountain Brewing - Randall Knife - American-Style India Pale Ale
• 54°40′  - 70% Ultra Pilsner - German-Style Pilsner
• Sasquatch - Nancy Cherrygan - Specialty Beer

So many great beers and beer styles to sample this year, and don't forget to check out the International Beer Garden and note, those beers rotate, so its worth it to go back every so often to see what has changed.

last beer of the 2016 OBF - Picture Courtesy of me -Freshpints.com

Details on the 29th Oregon Brewers Festival.
 
Venue
Tom McCall Waterfront Park, Portland, Oregon
Main entrance at S.W. Oak Street and Naito Parkway

Dates
July 27 through 31, 2016 — “Always the last full weekend in July”

Times
Wed through Sat, gates open at 11:30am, taps are open from Noon to 9pm
Sun, gates open at 11:30am, taps are open from Noon to 7pm
Token & mug sales close one-half hour prior to the taps shutting off (8:30pm daily, except 6:30pm Sunday)


For more information visit www.oregonbrewfest.com or follow Facebook.com/OregonBrewersFestival and @OregonBrewfest on Twitter and Instagram, hashtag #OBF16. For a complete list of participating breweries, visit www.oregonbrewfest.com/index2.php?p=beers.

Ecliptic Brewing Launches a New Year-Round Beer - Carina Peach Sour Ale

Courtesy of Ecliptic Brewing Co

PORTLAND, Ore. (July 26, 2016)– The expansion of the craft beer palate and surge in the popularity of sour beers has not been missed over at Ecliptic Brewing. Satisfying craft beer drinkers and sour-seekers alike, Ecliptic Brewing will add Carina Peach Sour Ale to their line-up starting August 3^rd.  Joining Orbiter IPA, Spica Pilsner, and Capella Porter, Carina Peach Sour Ale will be part of the Ecliptic All the Time Series.

“Our team has been working really hard on Carina! Peach is a flavor that people enjoy year-round and sour beers continue to grow in popularity---we wanted a beer that highlighted that. I can’t wait for people to try Carina Peach Sour Ale!” said Owner and Brewmaster John Harris.

About Carina Peach Sour Ale

Carina Peach Sour Ale takes its name from the constellation Carina, the keel of the ship Argo in the southern sky. Loaded with fresh peach flavor, Carina is a sour ale perfect for any time of year. The use of Pale malt makes for a crisp character, while lactobacillus gives Carina a tart and refreshing finish. 

            ABV: 5.5%
            IBU: 10
            Gravity: 12.5°

Carina Peach Sour Ale will be available in draft and 22oz package.

About Ecliptic Brewing

Ecliptic Brewing is a venture from John Harris, an Oregon beer icon whose background is steeped in the state’s rich craft brewing history. The name Ecliptic unites Harris’ two passions: brewing and astronomy, and as such, the brewery celebrates the Earth’s yearly journey around the sun through both its beer and restaurant menus. Executive chef Michael Molitor rotates his seasonally inspired menu every six weeks in accordance with the old world calendar. Harris’ signature beers include Spica Pilsner, Orbiter IPA, Phobos Single Hop Red Ale, and Capella Porter. For more information, visit: www.eclipticbrewing.com.

Ecliptic beers are available at the brewery (825 North Cook St), in bottle and on-tap throughout the area, and distributed by: Maletis Beverage (Portland, Salem, Vancouver WA), Bigfoot Beverage (Eugene, Bend, Coast), Fort George Distributing (Northern Oregon Coast), Summit Distribution (Southern Oregon), Click Distributing (Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane, Northern Idaho), Dickerson Distributing (Bellingham), Crooked Stave Artisans (Colorado), Freedom Distributors (North Carolina), BeerThirst (Canada), and Graybeal (Eastern Oregon).

Lagunitas Brewing Releasing New Beers - 12th of Never Ale and Stoopid Wit

Courtesy of Lagunitas Brewing Co

Lagunitas Brewing is releasing two new beers this month. 12th of Never Ale and Stoopid Witt. 12th of Never Ale is a new year-round beer and the first ever canned beer for Lagunitas, and will also be available on draft. Stoopid Witt is a limited release, available July through September and will be sold in 12oz bottles-6 packs and on draft.

Details from Lagunitas:

The magical, mystical 12th of Never is a blend of Old and New School hops that play bright citrus, rich coconut, and papaya-esque flavors, all on a solid stage of English puffed wheat. Tropically hoppy. Light, yet full-bodied. Bright and citrusy. The 12th of Never Ale is everything we’ve learned about making hop-forward beer expressed in a moderate voice.  Pale, cold, slightly alcoholic and bitter.  It’s all we know.

These 12oz mini-kegs (AKA cans) are an exciting new option for us, and we are stoopid stoked at the opportunity for y'all to take us to all those new, nelophobic locations…

Video of the caning of 12th of Never:
 

Beer Specs:
ABV: 5.5
O.G: 1.050
IBU: 45

Pairs With:

Pizza, Spicy Thai, Korean, or Indian food, Pizza, Whitefish (without heavy sauces) like Sea Bass, Trout, & Most Lake Fish, & Pizza

Video of Lagunitas Master Brewer Jeremy Marshall, and #Mouthfeels on 12th of Never Ale.

 Details on the new Stupid Wit

Courtesy of Lagunitas Brewing Co

This UNFILTERED Belgian-ish Wit-ly-esque-ish-ness brew features a dry twang of hoppy bitterness and is perfect for the summertime drinking!

 Beer Specs:

ABV: 6%

O.G: ?

IBU: ?

Video of Lagunitas Master Brewer Jeremy Marshall, and Mouthfeels on Stoopid Wit.

McMenamins Blackberry Cider On Tap Now

Courtesy of McMenamins

Blackberries are harbingers of summer in the Pacific NW – it takes a lot of sunshine to coax them from green and sour to ripe and bursting with juice. So don’t be surprised when you get your first taste of McMenamins’ newest seasonal cider, Blackberry, and it tastes just like summer.

Dark garnet in color, this cider is overflowing with the aroma and flavor of fresh blackberries. The slightly tannic and tart blackberry component is balanced out by a small amount of residual sugar, while the fermented apple rounds out the mid-palate and finish.

McMenamins Blackberry Cider

ABV: 6.7%

On tap at McMenamins pubs now – October

Learn more about McMenamins seasonal ciders and cider production: 

 http://www.edgefieldwinery.com/Cider/Seasonal-Ciders.