Nation's Greenest State Honors Brewery for Responsible Business Practices

Full Sail Brewing Company

Portland, Or - Full Sail Brewing Company was honored by the State of Oregon for their outstanding commitment to sustainable business practices. The Brewery received the Governor's Sustainability Award for small business. The State of Oregon, ranked the greenest state in the nation by Forbes.com and Business Facilities Magazine, presents the awards annually to innovative companies and organizations that demonstrate an exemplary commitment to sustainability.

The second annual Governor's Sustainability Awards were recently presented by Oregon Secretary of State Bill Bradbury as part of the Oregon Business Council's Leadership Summit. The Oregon Sustainability Board selected winners from more than 50 nominations.

"Businesses increasingly understand that sustainability benefits the bottom line in three ways," said Bradbury, who also chairs the Oregon Sustainability Board. "First it helps the economy, second, the environment and third, our citizens."

The judges noted that Full Sail demonstrated outstanding sustainability practices in social equity, energy and water efficiency, renewable energy, use of recycled materials, procurement of local ingredients, community involvement, and waste management.

"To be acknowledged for our sustainable business practices by Oregon, a state that has been at the forefront in its commitment to responsible business practices is an honor. For us, this sense of responsibility has been part of our core principals since we first started brewing beer over 21 years ago. Over the years we have been committed to being stewards of the environment and have remained dedicated to operating our brewery in the most responsible manner possible. As an employee owned company we share this award with our all employees who are a key part of our daily commitment to these practices. Open communication and suggestions from employees have contributed greatly to the success of managing and maintaining a socially and environmentally fair business," said Irene Firmat, Full Sail's Founder and CEO.

Full Sail Brewing Company

"Our brewery's amazing location nestled between the Columbia River and the snow-capped peak of Mt. Hood, in Hood River, Oregon makes us all feel a deep connection for our surroundings. Employees are the owners at Full Sail - and because Oregon is our home - we feel empowered to run the brewery in the most responsible manner every day. As much as we are committed to brew great beers, we are also committed to our community. It would be impossible to live and work in the Columbia River Gorge and not be inspired by the sheer beauty of the place. It is the blue skies, green forests, snow-capped mountains and pristine rivers surrounding us that insure our dedication," added Jamie Emmerson, Full Sail's Executive Brewmaster.

Some of the company's sustainability measures include:

* Efficient brewhouse: The brewery is as sustainable and efficient as possible, starting with the parts of the building that were reclaimed and recycled when the brewery first opened in the old Diamond Fruit cannery. The company utilizes energy measures such as energy-efficient lighting and air compressors, and compresses the work week into four very productive days, which helps reduce water and energy consumption by 20 percent.

* Sustainable brew process: Pure water literally flows from the peaks that surround the brewery, so Full Sail takes care to conserve this precious resource. While average breweries consume six to eight gallons of water for every gallon of beer produced, Full Sail has reduced its consumption to a mere 3.45 gallons, and operates its own on-site wastewater treatment facility. Local farms supply the other essential ingredients for award-winning brews: 85 percent of hops and 95 percent of barley come straight from Northwest farms.

* Reduce-Reuse-Recycle: Full Sail uses 100% recycled paperboard on all its packaging (and was one of the first in the industry to commit to long-term purchasing of recycled paper products). Everything from office paper to glass to stretch wrap to wooden pallets is recycled. Even dairy cows are beneficiaries of brewery waste: 4,160 tons of spent grain and 1,248 tons of spent yeast are sent back to farmers every year to use as feed for cows.

* Community-wide practices: Full Sail purchases 140 blocks of Pacific Power Blue Sky renewable energy per month. This practice results in the reduction of 168 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, the equivalent of planting 33,000 trees. Full Sail also supports over 300 events and charities each year, with a focus on those in Oregon. Employees at the company have inspired environmental change among other businesses in the Hood River area as well. Full Sail was a founding member of the Hood River Chamber of Commerce's Green Smart program, an initiative that helps businesses and organizations within the Hood River watershed increase their productivity and profitability by improving resource efficiency and by reducing waste and pollution.

Earlier this year, Full Sail was honored with a BEST (Businesses for an Environmental Sustainable Tomorrow) award by The City of Portland Office of Sustainable Development for their energy-efficient and renewable energy technologies and for demonstrating a commitment to responsible business practices and innovation in sustainability. In addition the company's Portland Riverplace Brewery and offices received recognition as a RecycleWorks business for its excellent track record of recycling, reducing waste and buying environmentally preferable products.

About Full Sail Brewing Company
Full Sail Brewing Company (www.fullsailbrewing.com) is an independent, employee-owned brewery operating for 21 years in Hood River, Oregon. Full Sail is committed to brewing great beer while adhering to socially and environmentally sustainable practices. Among the company's most popular brews are Full Sail Amber, IPA, Pale, LTD, and Session premium American lager. Full Sail is the only brewery to have ever been named to the "Best 100 Companies to Work for in Oregon" list by Oregon Business Magazine and maintained that distinction for five consecutive years. Full Sail is a member of the Sustainable Business Network of Portland, a founding sponsor for the Hood River Chamber of commerce's "Green Smart" program, and supports over 300 events and charities each year, the majority of which are local.

Non-Standard Deviation: Portland Beer and Portland Sports

Portland LumberJax

Over the past few years, I don't think I've posted anything that wasn't 97% beer related (I did the math). Nor, will I continue to do this--but I've got a soapbox, so I'm gonna use it today. At least it will be Portland related.

One of my other jobs--one that offsets the cost of this blog (beer, hosting, beer, giveaways, beer, etc.)--is sports photography. This is a strange job for me as I am not a big sports person. At the bar, behind my pint, I will nary utter a peep about any of the sports on the television. I'm not an encyclopedia of baseball stats, I don't know football players names (unless they are idiots making the news for dogfighting), and I don't much care to watch multi-millionaires play basketball. What I do watch is a strange mix of college basketball, soccer, and lacrosse. I know, I'm the odd man out.

Growing up on the east coast in the early 80's exposed me to lacrosse at a young age, where I played in middle school. My family used to drive to Philadelphia to see the Wings play professional box lacrosse at the Spectrum. A "few" years later, I find myself photographing National Lacrosse League games at the Rose Garden. I'm excited to see Portland embracing an alternative professional sport such as lacrosse, but the league is still fighting for stability. It can only do that through a larger fan base, so I thought I would help spread the word.

Portland LumberJax

Last season, Portland LumberJax game tickets could be easily found for $5 each. $5! The cheapest individual tickets for the 2009 season are currently listed at $10, but they have cheaper ticket packages available. But if you want to see what it's all about, it's a lot cheaper than most other sports. This first game is this Saturday, January 3rd at 7:30pm. There are only a total of 8 home games played this season at the Rose Garden, so if you want to catch a whole season, get hooked early.

Plus, these guys mean business! You've got to be in phenomenal shape to play lacrosse, you've got to be willing to hit hard (and be hit hard), and do it all for next to nothing. All of the players are either in college or have full time jobs as professional lacrosse players are on the team for the love of the sport not the Ferrari (an NLL player might be able to afford a used VW if he saved every last penny from his salary).

Want to know more about pro lacrosse? Check out the lacrosse overview from NLL.com. For info on our Portland team, check out the LumberJax official website and the fan run Portland LumberJax Blog.

And, as Jeff noted over at Beervana, you can find Widmer and Pyramid/MacTarnahan's beer at the Rose Garden! See, this post is totally beer related!

Good Times, Bad Times: A Fitting End to a Trusted Friend

Canon 50mm Lens: Maimed In Action.

Well, it had to happen sometime. Today I say somewhat of a goodbye to a trusty companion who was maimed in the field this past weekend. A few days ago, my beloved Canon 50mm f1.4 lens took a dive off of a bench and was irreparably injured. Now to say that he was my most popular or most beautiful friend would be a lie and an insult to his past accomplishments, but he was always there when I needed him.

Like an old cop relegated to desk duty, my 50mm is now destined to spend the rest of his days in the studio, rather than accompanying me on my journeys around the Northwest. That he will still be of service makes me happy, but the lightness in my gearbag will always remind me that he is missing.

But, today he goes out on a high note, achieving the grand prize in this years 2008 Yuletide Beer Photography Extravaganza put on by A Good Beer Blog and Stonch's Beer Blog. After countless days spent at Portland's breweries in the heat, cold, dust, and humidity, his efforts have been honored. As I have said 100 times: I am not a photographer, just a tripod for my camera and lenses.

Chip Conlon, Roots Organic Brewing Co.

This shot was taken with the 50mm at Roots Brewing Co. That day, Chip Conlon was running the brewery. If he wasn't brewing, he was cleaning. If he wasn't cleaning, he was racking. If he wasn't racking, he was back to brewing. And, when he had two free minutes, he was a Mexican wrestler. That's just how it goes in the early morning hours at Roots Organic Brewing Co.




Check out the rest of the Roots photos here.

Tonight's Deschutes Tasting at Moon and Sixpence

Tonight, the Moon and Sixpence is holding a tasting of rare Deschutes Brewery beer. The list is below. Get 'em while you can!

• Big Red, 9% ABV, 10oz, $3.75
• 2007 Super Jubel Ale, 9.5 ABV, 10oz, $3.75
• Jubel Ale (Nitro), 6.8 ABV, 20oz, $5.00
• 2008 Black Butte XX, 11 ABV, 10oz, $4.75
• 2008 Abyss, 11 ABV, 10oz, $4.50
• Dissident, 11 ABV, 10oz, $4.75
• Mirror Pond, 5.4 ABV, 20oz, $4.50

Moon and Sixpence
2014 NE 42nd Ave
Portland, OR 97213
503.288.7802

99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall

Old Lompoc Brewing's C-Note Imperial Pale Ale!

OK, maybe 99 is an exaggeration, but Portland is seeing an increase in bottle releases from smaller breweries. From the serving tank to the pint glass, draft sales at local small breweries are an easy way to keep the cost of beer down. But many breweries have to turn to bottling in order to reach new markets and gain exposure for their beer. But it ain't easy.

Smaller breweries that consider bottling turn to contract bottlers that bring the bottling equipment into the brewery for a day and bottle small batches. Though an on premise bottling line would help keep the costs down in the long run, the initial expense is high. Even more important it the amount of floor space required, and most small breweries don't have a single square foot to spare.

So we see some seasonal releases pop up now and then, such as Laurelwood's Moose and Squirrel Russian Imperial Stout, or Lucky Lab's Old Yeller Barleywine. Breweries can offset the cost a little easier on these runs and price the beers a little higher due to the limited availability. But what about year round standard beers? These beers need to be able to compete on the shelves with other high volume releases, so the margins for the breweries get a little lower and production gets higher. This effort is sometimes hard to balance into the existing brewing schedule, which already has many constraints on time and capacity. Because of this, many smaller breweries will hand bottle very limited batches, contract bottle a few seasonal releases, or not bottle at all.

Of course, we see Portland beer on the shelves all the time: BridgePort, Deschutes, Widmer. It's really hard though, to support smaller breweries at the local bottleshop or supermarket as many of them just aren't bottling their beer. But this is starting to change, hopefully permanently. Roots' Woody IPA and Island Red has been sharing shelf space for a year or two with a couple of Alameda's beers such as Black Bear XX Stout and Klickitat Pale Ale. More recently, Laurelwood has joined the game with Free Range Red, Tree Hugger Porter, and Mother Lode Golden bottles.

If it wasn't 9:30am, I'd be drinking these instead of taking photos of them!

Last week, Old Lompoc Brewing entered the picture by releasing two of their beers in bottles: C-Note Imperial Pale Ale and Lompoc Strong Draft:

• C-Note Imperial Pale - This HUGE Imperial Pale Ale (100 IBU!) is a hop head’s dream. Using Crystal, Cluster, Cascade, Chinook, Centennial, Columbus, and Challenger hops. (6.9% ABV).
• Lompoc Strong Draft - Portland’s new cult beer. LSD is an American strong ale with big body, a touch of smoked malt and a generous hop profile. (6.9% a/v)
  

Hopefully, this trend will grow into a thriving business for smaller breweries as they look to expand and test new markets for their products. We at portlandbeer.org welcome the new Portland beer bottle options to the shelves as it gives us even more ways to support our local breweries, and more ways for us to share our beer with the world!

2008 Holiday Ale Festival -- Revisited

2008 Holiday Ale Festival

Ah, the 2008 Holiday Ale Festival is but a hazy memory in the minds of those who attended--and many are already anticipating next year's lineup! As we wrote earlier, we sampled a lot of different beer. Many were brewed exclusively for this event--never to be seen, smelled, and tasted again. Luckily, while we were paying attention to the beer, someone else was paying attention to the event. The following is a press release from one of the festival's organizers, Chris Crabb:

"Sunny skies and mild temperatures set the mood for the 13th annual Holiday Ale Festival, which witnessed attendance consistent with the year prior: final numbers reached 17,000. The West Coast’s most prestigious winter beer festival took place Dec. 3 through Dec. 7 at Pioneer Courthouse Square.

Organizers added a fifth day to the event this year, which was well-received by the public. According to event manager Preston Weesner, the goal was to have 500 attend on opening day: more than 1,000 turned up, many to sample an additional eight special beers that weren’t available the rest of the weekend. A new annex with a third bar was also deemed a success, as it helped to alleviate the crowds in the main tent.

The Belgian Beer and Brunch, an auxiliary event held on the Sunday of the festival, sold out, with more than 80 people sampling prestigious beers and noshing on pastries, meats and cheeses.

The Holiday Ale Festival presented more than 50 robust winter craft beers on draught, all of which were either created for the event, or were rare or vintage beers not readily available in the state. These winter warmers were all designed to ward off the chill of winter and warm both the palate and soul. Complex in aroma and flavor, these beers were rich in color, big in body, and high in alcohol.

The People’s Choice winner, which was determined by the beer that went through the most kegs, was Collaborator’s Hallucinator Olde Ale, followed by the Holiday Ale Festival/Hair of the Dog Commemorative Blend Jim II.

Festival attendees stayed warm and dry under a large clear-topped tent that covered the venue while allowing for views of the city lights. Gas heaters created a cozy ambiance under the boughs of the city’s Christmas tree.

In addition to beer tasting, the Holiday Ale Festival also featured on-site food from Rogue Ales, event merchandise, complimentary Crater Lake Sodas for designated drivers, organic cheese pairings, mead sampling, and seasonal background music.

Next year’s Holiday Ale Festival will take place Dec. 2 through 6, 2009. For more information about the Holiday Ale Festival, visit www.holidayale.com or call 503-252-9899."

Laurelwood's Moose and Squirrel Bottle Release

Laurelwood's Moose and Squirrel, a Russian imperial stout.

Just a quick note about a great bottle release this week. Laurelwood Brewing Company just released their superb Russian imperial stout. For the first time, this brew is hitting the shelves in bottles, rather than just on tap. I'm not sure about the distribution, but these beautiful bottles are currently available at all of the Laurelwood locations.

This limited edition run created only 500 1 liter, swing-top, hand dipped bottles. They could disappear quickly, so run, don't walk! Moose and Squirrel is also available on tap at the 51st Avenue location as of yesterday.

2008 Portland Holiday Ale Festival: Preston's Picks

Festival organizer Preston Weesner talks to Firestone Walker's Matt Brynildson about the amazing 2006 Jim.

There are obvious perks for covering the beer scene here in Portland. I get to meet a lot of great people, I get a free beer once in awhile, and chicks, chicks, chicks! The girls are great, but it's actually not the best part. The part I love most about this job is being involved in a community that knows beer--and knows how to appreciate beer.

For the media preview on opening night, festival organizer Preston Weesner picked twelve standout beers from this year's beer list. The beers were accompanied by historical notes, ingredients, anecdotes, and stories from anyone who had one to share. The beers ranged in color from light to pitch dark, ABVs from 6% to 15%, and so many ingredients and blends that my head would have been spinning without the beer.

The Holiday Ale Festival is all about diversity and complexity. So much so, that it's impossible to do any of these beers justice through any poetic descriptions I could write. If you consider yourself a beer aficionado, this is your festival. If you're an adventurous type, or if you like to experiment, this is your festival. Sure, there are going to be crowds and a bit of noise, but stacked against the fact that you'll never see many of these beers outside of this festival, there is only one option: go to this festival!

There are a lot of beers to try at the Holiday Ale Festival. Listed below are the twelve picks that Preston Weesner made for the media preview. These are great examples, but keep in mind that all of the beers at the event are hand picked by Preston, so if a few run out, there are plenty of others to try!

Festival Crowd.

1. Cascade Brewing: Drie Zwarte Pieten - Sang Noir (Barrel Aged Double Flanders Style Sour Red) -- Made exclusively for the festival, "Sang Noir" is a NW take on a traditional Flanders-style Sour Red Ale. Bigger than a traditional Red this Double Red is a blend of several barrel aged beers. Portions of the beer were aged in Pinot Noir and Whiskey barrels. Fresh Bing Blood Cherries were added to a portion and refermented in the barrel for three months before being added to the blend, giving it a big full bodied tart cherry red flavor with distinct barrel notes. This is a once in a lifetime beer from one of the most innovative breweries in the Northwest. ABV: 14%
   


2. Deschutes Brewery: 2005 Mirror Mirror (Barleywine) -- Mirror Mirror is a double Mirror Pond barleywine that was aged more than eight months in a variety of wooden barrels, including American oak, pinot, port and Bourbon. It was then blended and dry-hopped. Mirror Mirror features a big, warm, malty flavor with complex oak undertones and esters. OG: 1.141, FG: 1.113, IBU: 90, ABV: 11.5%
   


3. Dubuisson Brewery: 2007 Scaldis Noel -- Three different malts give Scaldis its complexity, including a caramel malt for a rich, amber color. This beer is dry, with a clean, nutty finish. The nose is characterized by sherry, caramel, and roasted filbert aromas, complemented by some floral, hoppy notes. The finish is long and warming, but remains in balance with the flavors. ABV: 13%


4. Firestone Walker: Velvet Merkin Stout (Barrel Aged Imperial Stout) -- A rich oatmeal stout 25% aged in bourbon barrels blended back to the original batch. ABV: 5.5%


5. Hair of the Dog/Holiday Ale: Jim 2006 (Blended Barrel Aged Specialty) -- JIM 2006 is collaboration between the Holiday Ale Festival's beer steward Preston Weesner and Hair of the Dog Brewer Alan Sprints. Made exclusively for the event, JIM honors the late Jim Kennedy, founder of Admiralty Beverage and a tireless promoter of craft beer and a major inspiration for many in the NW beer circles. This is a blended beer, made with Hair of the Dog beers Fred, Adam, Doggie Claws, Rose and Belgian Dubbel Maredsous 8, and then aged on oak; it's a beer not to be missed, and the Holiday Ale Festival is the only place to get it. ABV: 10%


6. Hair of the Dog/Holiday Ale: Jim 2007 (Blended Barrel Aged Specialty) -- JIM 2007 is collaboration between the Holiday Ale Festival's beer steward Preston Weesner and Hair of the Dog Brewer Alan Sprints. Made exclusively for the event, JIM honors the late Jim Kennedy, founder of Admiralty Beverage, a tireless promoter of craft beer and a major inspiration for many in NW beer circles. This is a blended beer made with Adam, Fred and Doggie Claws, some German Pilsner was added to dry it out a little, and a few special bottles were added as a toast to Jim: from Alan a 1989 Thomas Hardy's and a 1991 Rodenbach Alexander, and from Preston a 9 Liter bottle of 2006 St. Feuillien Triple. The blend was then barrel aged for 6 weeks. Only available at the fest and the brewery. ABV: 10.5%
   



Beer, beer, beer!
7. Hair of the Dog/Holiday Ale: Jim 2008 (Blended Barrel Aged Specialty) -- JIM 2008 is collaboration between the Holiday Ale Festival's beer steward Preston Weesner and Hair of the Dog Brewer Alan Sprints. Made exclusively for the event, JIM honors the late Jim Kennedy, founder of Admiralty Beverage and a tireless promoter of craft beer and a major inspiration for many in the NW beer circles. This is a blended beer, made with Hair of the Dog beers Adam of the Wood aged 4 months in wet Elija Craig bourbon barrels, Fred of the Wood aged in new American oak, Blue Dot for Hop nose and Doggie Claws to nicely round it out. Jim was remembered and toasted with a 2003 Samichlaus and 2007 Chimay Grand Reserve. It's a beer not to be missed and the Holiday Ale Festival is the only place to get it. ABV: 9%
   


8. North Coast Brewing: Old Stock Ale (Old English Ale) -- Like a fine port, Old Stock Ale is well-designed to round-out and mellow with age. Featuring a dark chestnut-amber hue and exotic winey aromas, this ale is brewed with classic Maris Otter malts, and Fuggles and East Kent Goldings hops, all imported from England. OG: 1.1, IBU: 36, ABV: 12.5%


9. Redhook Ale Brewery: Double Brewed Double Black Stout (Imperial Stout) -- Double Black Stout is a smooth Imperial stout enhanced by the addition of rich, flavorful coffee and dark malts to create a big roasted flavor. This batch was double brewed especially for the Holiday Ale Festival: coffee was first introduced in the mash tun, then cold coffee was added during filtration. The resulting beer has a much richer coffee taste than the normal production batch. OG: 1.07, FG: 1.012, IBU: 47, ABV: 7%


10. Rock Bottom Brewery: Blitzen (Belgian Style Tripel) -- Blitzen is a rich, golden strong ale with fruity and spicy notes. It tastes like Christmas! ABV: 8.3%


11. Schloss Eggenberg: 2005 Samichlaus (Bavarian Doppelbock) -- Samichlaus Bier is brewed only once a year on December 6th and is aged for 10 months before bottling. Samichlaus is one of the rarest speciality beers in the world and with 14% alcohol by volume, it is the strongest of its kind. It is ideal for aging, and older vintages become more complex with a creamy, warming finish; perfect for the holiday season! ABV: 14%


12. Widmer Brothers Brewing: Babushka's Secret (Black Raspberry Russian Imperial Stout) -- This extremely rich and complex beer was brewed exclusively for the Festival. Widmer started with its now cult classic KGB as the base beer, then added local black raspberries at a rate of 14 lbs per barrel throughout fermentation. The result is an almost purplish opaque color with a beautiful brown head. You'll notice the combination of fruit and chocolate in the nose, along with a coffee-like roastiness. You will feel a warming sensation from the alcohol that finishes with a nice hop bitterness. OG: 1.086, FG: 1.02, IBU: 70, ABV: 9%

Check out the rest of the photos here.

Old Lompoc Blasts Portland with Six Holiday Seasonal Beers!

Bryan Keilty, New Old Lompoc's 5Q Brewery.

Sometimes it's best just to let the beers speak for themselves. This is one of those times. New Old Lompoc has released six distinct seasonals covering a huge range of styles: Spiced Golden Ale, Belgian Style Strong Ale, Imperial Pale Ale, Strong Amber Lager, Aged Dark Barleywine, and a Vanilla Porter! Five of the releases are available at the various Old Lompoc locations and Brewdolph will be exclusive to this week's Holiday Ale Festival.

Blitzen -- Dry-hopped, spiced Golden Ale (5.0% ABV): This beer is the house Fool’s Golden Ale that was dry-hopped and spiced with coriander, and dried orange peel in the bright beer tanks. Golden color, spice and orange aroma, with a balanced malt and hop finish.

Brewdolph -- Belgian-style Strong Ale (8.8% ABV): This beer was brewed with malted barley, flaked oats, malted wheat, and raw honey. The Belgian yeast strain used during fermentation produces a spicy clove flavor and aroma. Reddish brown color, clove/spice aroma, malty and honey flavor on the finish. Available exclusively at the 2008 Holiday Ale Festival.

C-son’s Greetings -- Imperial Pale Ale (8.0% ABV): Imperial version of the C-Note. Brewed and dry-hopped with all seven C-named hops (Cluster, Columbus, Challenger, Chinook, Crystal, Cascade, and Centennial) Deep copper color, piney, citrusy, floral, resinous aroma and full hop flavor, rich caramel malt finish with an endless developing hop presence.

Jolly Bock -- Strong Amber Lager (7.0% ABV): This cold fermented lager was brewed with a generous amount of Munich malt to develop the deep color and rich malt flavor. Amber-russet color, malty flavor, balanced spicy hop bitterness, with a warming alcohol finish.

Old Tavern Rat -- Aged Dark Barley Wine (9.0% ABV): Imperial version of the Lompoc Strong Draft. This ale was brewed last January and was cellared for 10 months prior to its release. Deep mahogany –brown color, rich and complex malty flavor with enough hop bitterness to help balance the warming alcohol finish.

Holiday Cheer -- Vanilla Porter (7.0% ABV): This robust Porter was infused with fresh vanilla beans. Dark reddish-brown color, rich malty flavor with hints of vanilla, bourbon, honey and roasted malt.

Beer Photo Contest -- And A Lot Of Beer Prizes!

Beer + Photos = Prizes!

A Good Beer Blog and Stonch's Beer Blog are putting on their annual Yule Beer Blog Photo Contest. The original posts talk about the rules and the first round of prizes, but keep checking back with their blogs for prize updates, as they just keep rolling in.

I've working with both blogs to get some local breweries involved with prizes and so far Laurelwood Brewing Company and Hopworks Urban Brewery have stepped up to offer prizes. Laurelwood is offering a gift box consisting of four pint glasses, t-shirt, and hat. Hopworks is offering a growler, organic beer growler fill, and organic t-shirt. I'm also waiting to here back from a couple of other Portland breweries, so we may get a few more Portland prizes on the list.

So get your photos in. It's free. And you could win cool stuff!

I know that there are already more prizes that aren't listed on the blogs yet, but as of today, here is the current list of goodies:

There are three UK-only prizes:

• From Beer-Ritz, Britain's bestest online beer retailer and this site's generous sponsor, an international selection of a dozen harder-to-find dark ales, stouts and porters.
• From BrewDog, Aberdeenshire (the closest thing to rock stars in the beery firmament), two mixed cases of their singular concoctions.

For Ontarians, we have this to offer:

• From Roland + Russell, beer importers, a gift basket of miscellaneous love and good feeling.
• From Church-key Brewing of Campbellford, a brewery tour and lunch at their Stinking Rose pub.

For those in the USA:

• From Flying Dog Brewery of Maryland, USA (and this is verbatim, because it makes no sense to me) "a Barrel-aged Gonzo, Humphrey the Humper dog, Gonzo Poster and Gonzo T-shirt".
• Andrew Mason, brewer at Flossmoor Station Brewing, named best small brewpub in the USA at the 2006 Great American Beer Festival, has written an email and says "I'll make it a growler and a sampler when they come in". Andrew has also added an entry which makes him the only person to play both sides of the fence so far. That prize will have to go to someone local to the Illinois area.

Finally, for everyone, there's all of this lovely gubbins to be shipped to wherever the bloody hell you live:

• From BrewDog, a signed t-shirt.
• From Beau's All-Natural Brewing of Ontario, Canada, a hat and t-shirt.
• From Shipyard Brewing of Maine, USA, three separate prizes of a Shipyard travel coffee mug and a Shipyard aluminum water bottle.
• Ron Jefferies of Jolly Pumpkin of Dexter, Michigan USA - named one of that nation's top ten brewer's by Beer Advocate is adding a t-shirt. You will all know by now that I have a crush on Jolly Pumpkin so agreeing to joining in the photo contest is a great treat. I think that is going to be a global prize.
• Widmer Brothers, makers of that new fine winter ale called Brrr has gone all over the top and has pledged SIX prizes of a t-shirt and a pair of glasses each which, I think, will be going to anywhere the planetary postal system can send them. Six! That is great.
• Jeff Cunningham of the Cracked Kettle beer store in Amsterdam has announced in the comments that they will provide a Cracked Kettle t-shirt and a bottle of Westvleteren 12 for one lucky winner. Famously named best beer in the world in 2005, that sounds like one very impressive offer of some "collectible glassware" that will be most welcome anywhere.

Find Beers Like This One!

Many of you have asked for this feature, so here it is. For lack of a better name, we'll call it the "Find beers like this one" tool. I know it doesn't really roll off the tongue, but what's in a name anyway?

In our beer lists, you'll now see the tag "Find beers like this one" at the end of the description of many of the beers on the site. In order to be part of this feature, the beer must include a certain number of stats so that the tool can do it's job. For some beers, this information is not available, and this feature will not be available.

To use this new tool, just click on the link under the description and our database monkeys will go to work and deliver a list of similar beers. I know, it seems like magic, but it's really only monkeys making guesses, pushing buttons, and flipping switches. These monkeys compare styles, IBUs, ABV, Plato, and other proprietary weights and measure to give you the most accurate list.

So there you have it, one more tool in your arsenal for finding great Portland beer! As always, keep sending us your feedback and do our best to make this your Portland beer home!

Lompoc Lager Night hosted by Bailey's Taproom

Limited Space: New Old Lompoc's 5Q Brewery Cooler.

Portland is a land of ales. Lagers pop up as seasonals at a lot of breweries, but it's ales that dominate the Portland beer scene. Lagers are brewed the same as ales, with the exception of the yeast used. Lager yeast is a bottom fermenting yeast, that requires colder temperatures and a longer primary fermentation time than ales. Colder and longer fermentation has a large impact on breweries who have limited cooler space, as lagers have to age longer before it can be served. Many breweries rely on the ability to brew and serve beer as quickly as possible to make the most efficient use of limited brewing equipment, which usually means brewing ales.

There are many different styles of lagers such as Pilsners, Bocks, and Viennas, with colors ranging from extremely light to very dark. Like ales, there is quite a bit of variety in lagers. So, now you want a lager, right? They may be a bit harder to find in Portland, but luckily, Baily's Taproom is hosting a rare event where people can sample five different lagers from Portland's Lompoc Brewing Company:

"Please join us for a five month vertical tasting of 2008 Lompoc Brewing Co. Lagers Wednesday the 19th of November. Meet the brewers and tip a pint of our Summer through early Winter seasonal Lagers."

Here's the list:

• Heaven's Helles 5% ABV Bavarian-style pale lager (July)
• Saazall 5.5% ABV Bohemian-style dry-hopped Pilsner or lager (August)
• Oktoberfest 5.0% Bavarian-style Maerzen or amber lager (September)
• OktoBock 6.7% ABV Bavarian-style Bock or amber lager brewed with 5 lbs/bbl of fresh picked Crystal hops (October)
• Saazilla 7.6% ABV Bohemian-style double Pilsner or pale lager brewed with over 2 lbs/bbl of Saaz hops (November)

All five of these 2008 cellared Lompoc Brewing Co. lagers will be available for one night. Flights of Five will be served as well as individual pints or glasses.

November 19th at:
Bailey's Taproom
213 SW Broadway
Portland, OR
503.295.1004
baileystaproom.com
4 pm until midnight

Roots Organic Brewing: The Five Beers of Winter

Brewer Chip Conlon making the beer we love!

Well, obviously no one told Roots that hibernation starts in winter. Over the next two months, Roots Organic Brewing will be hard at work releasing it's next five winter seasonals:

*11-26 Festivus Olde Ale 7.8%
*12-10 Chocolate Habenaro Stout 6.1%
*12-18 Epic Ale 14%
*12-31 Oak Aged Imperial Stout 10.5%
*01-14 The Long Awaited Belgian Flanders Red 10.5%

To kick off this seasonal surge, Roots is throwing a party on November 26th, starting at 6pm. Along with live music and great food, they will be tapping kegs of last years Festivus which has been aging for 15 months!

If you took your time to read through the list above, you no doubt noticed that the Root's Epic Ale weighs in at a whopping 14%! But this is not a one trick pony, the devil is in the details:

"We hand smoke 55 lbs. of Munich malt over Cherrywood. We have built a special stainless perforated “contraption” that we put the malts in to smoke. We then have to hand turn (3 lbs. at a time) the malts every 10 to 15 minutes. This goes on for up to a week, about 4 hours a day! The Cherrywood been soaked in 18 year old Glenlivet, Cognac, Rum & NW Cherries."

Roots organic beer, proudly made by Mexican wrestlers.

And how do owners Craig Nicholls and Jason McAdam squeeze all of this action into a small bar? Well, it ain't so small anymore. Roots has just completed their remodeling and expansion. Along with adding a new 2000 square foot event room, they've remodeled the existing dining room and kitchen:

"We hired a Head Chef to run our brand-new kitchen. Allow us to introduce you to Chef Chris Helmintaler. He’s from Phoenix, Arizona. He has over twenty years of kitchen experience, ten of which, as an executive chef. He’s prepared a fabulous lunch and dinner menu with all-new, healthy soups, salads, sandwiches and of course our signature hand rubbed Jerk Chicken and Jerk Baby Back Ribs to tell your friends about. We even offer an extensive vegan and gluten free menu."

Over the last three and a half years, Roots has grown by leaps and bounds, continuing to push the envelope on beer styles and brewing pace. And now there's plenty of room to enjoy their great beer and new lunch and dinner offerings!

10 Questions with Eric Wathen of Alameda Brewhouse

Brewer Eric Wathen.

Brewer's Name:
Eric Wathen

Brewery:
Alameda Brewhouse

1) If you were stranded on a deserted island, and you could only choose one pound of either hops, water, barley, or yeast, which would it be, and why?
Clean water to survive and possibly make beer with!

2) What is the best aspect of NW beer drinkers?
Palate versatility.

3) What is your favorite beer style, and why?
Pale Ale, for its tradition, drinkability, and availability.

4) What is the first beer you brewed that was worthy of a name?
A Belgian Golden Strong Ale Called "Lucky Devil".

5) Where do you get your inspiration from when creating new beers?
Research and experimentation.

6) What is the most misunderstood aspect of being a professional brewer?
The time and physical work involved.

7) What characteristics of Portland make this area so popular for brewers, breweries, and consumers?
Great water to brew with, a great climate for growing essential ingredients such as hops, and a population ready to drink what is created.

8) If “Northwest Ale” was added as a new style of beer, what would it be?
Heavy on the hops!

9) What is the most underrated hop?
I don't know if it is underrated, but I love Simcoe hops.

10) What are the relationships like between competing brewers? Is there a sense of community, friendly competition, etc.?
There is a sense of community with brewers that I believe rivals any other competitive industry.

Beer of the Month - Hopworks Noggin Floggin' Barleywine [November 2008]

Hopworks Noggin Floggin' Barleywine [November 2008]

Well, we're back. Our Beer of the Month segment has been missing for a few months, but we're going to get back on track and make sure to keep this section up to date. We've got some napkin and coaster notes from past months, so we'll go back and fill in some earlier missed months as well.

November's Beer of the Month installment is Hopworks Noggin Floggin' Barleywine. The official description is

"Gunter glieben glauchen globen. Nuff said. ABV: 9.6% IBU: 90 Plato: 23.5"

While a novel description, it sure doesn't do this beer justice. In fact, there isn't enough that can be said about this beer. It is a very warming 9.6% ABV Barleywine that is not excessively sweet, but still has a complex malt bill. One things is for certain, the name is dead on: this beer will whip your brain.

Assertive hopping leans the needle towards overall bitterness rather than sweetness. There are both floral hints in the aroma and a citrus taste from the hops, and while noticable, they are well-tamed by the malt. While beers like this are very complex, it is this complexity that can unravel these beers. Complexity doesn't mean dumping everything in and crossing you fingers, it is the result of the ingredients playing well with each other. Luckily, everything in this beer plays well with each other.

But my words, while purposeful and poetic, are not the same as sitting down and enjoying this barleywine. So go grab some while it lasts!