Dave Wills, Oregon Trail Brewery. Up in the third floor barrel room, Dave Wills samples the goods. I could have sat up there all day “testing” the creations at Oregon Trail Brewery.
South of Portland: Oakshire Brewing in Eugene
March 9th, 2010 by Matt Wiater No comments »
Matt Van Wyk, Oakshire Brewing.
Our last stop of the day was Oakshire Brewing, in an industrial section of Northwest Eugene. While it’s not an easy walk from downtown, it’s definitely worth the trip to check out their offerings. It’s currently only open on Saturdays for samples, but they have plans to expand your experience. From their website: “Oakshire Brewing’s tasting room is open every Saturday from 12-4pm for tastings and tours. We currently are only able to offer samples during our tasting rooms hours but will soon be able to sell full pints as well! Some great plans are on the horizon to add some picnic tables outside and maybe even bring in some live music as the weather continues to improve.” UPDATE: I grabbed the above from their website, but Matt Van Wyk informed me that they are currently serving pints and up to seven different Oakshire beers on draft.
Oakshire Brewing was founded in 2006 by brothers Jeff and Chris Althouse with a 4 barrel brewing system and 8 barrel fermenters. For everyone that can do the math: yep, a lot of double batches to fill up those conicals. They have recently expanded to a 15 barrel brewing system and added much larger fermenters, taking as many as five batches to fill up the largest. Their current capacity is now 7500-800 barrels You can see the effects of the new capacity on the their production timeline:
- 2006: 6 barrels
- 2007: about 300 barrels
- 2008: about 1100 barrels
- 2009: about 2000 barrels
- 2010: about 3600 barrels (expected)
Oakshire Brewing.
Their flagship beers are the Watershed IPA and Espresso Stout, making up 50% of their total production. Estimates on current bottle and draft production fall into the 88% draft, 12% bottles.
March 30th 2009 was the official start date for brewer Matt Van Wyk, who took over the brewing helm at Oakshire after an impressive and award winning career at Flossmoor Station in Illinois. We toured the facility with Matt and tasted some beers from the fermenters. Most surprising was their latest creation: O’Dark:30, a Cascadian Dark Ale. With only two days in the fermenter, it already tasted quite good. Usually, beer this young can taste very unfinished since it’s still in the middle of the fermentation process. The O’Dark:30 still had a bit to go, but one sip of this creation easily pointed to the beginnings of a great beer. Portland will be able to taste the finished product when bottles and draft start hitting the shelves and taps this week.
So, keep your eye out for the Oakshire name on tap handles and bottles in your area. Below is a summary list of their offerings. Check out their website for the full list and more details on their year round and seasonal and single batch offerings.
Year Round Beers:
- Oakshire Amber – ABV: 5.4% / IBUs: 30 / OG: 12.8° Plato
- Watershed IPA – ABV: 7.1% / IBUs: 75 / OG: 16.1° Plato
- Overcast Espresso Stout – ABV: 5.8% / IBUs: 37 / OG: 14.5° Plato
Seasonals and Single Batch Beers:
- Cornucopia Frog’s Wort Pale Ale – ABV: / IBUs: / OG: ° Plato
- Smokin’ Bagpipes Strong Scotch Ale – ABV: 7.0% / IBUs: 12 / OG: 16.5° Plato
- Very Ill Tempered Gnome Winter – Ale ABV: 9.7% / IBUs: 100 / OG: 18.8° Plato
- Ill Tempered Gnome Winter Ale – ABV: 6.8% / IBUs: 65 / OG: 15.5° Plato
- Red Nugget American Red Ale – Fresh Hop Series
- Harvest Ale – Fresh Hop Series
- Cascade Conundrum Black Pale Ale – Fresh Hop Series
- Line Dry Rye – ABV: 5.5% / IBUs: 35 / OG: 12.0° Plato
- Perfect Storm Imperial IPA – ABV: 10.0% / IBUs: 100+ / OG: 19.9° Plato
- Glen’s Hop Vice Imperial IPA – ABV: 9.1% / IBUs: 100+ / OG: 20.3° Plato
- Oakshire Hindsight ESB Spring Seasonal – ABV: 5.8% / IBUs: 50
- Oakshire Sasquatch Stonge Ale – ABV: 9.3% / IBUs: 78 / OG: 19.8° Plato
- O’Dark:30 – ABV: 6.3% / IBUs: 70 / OG: 15° Plato
Fermented Photo: PDX, Dogs, and Beer
March 5th, 2010 by Matt Wiater No comments »
PDX, Dogs, and Beer: Otto von Zitzewitz. Before anyone asks what this has to do with beer: I was drinking one while I took the photo. Portland goes together with dogs, just as it does with beer. All three can even go together with outdoor seating or even “dog-friendly” breweries like the Lucky Labrador. My dog Otto is absolutely nuts. He’s either literally running in circles (kitchen, backyard, living room, etc.), jumping in the air after squirrels, or bounding against the front window at the white fluffy bunny that’s always hopping down my street. And no, it’s not the same as a pink elephant—Otto sees it as well. For some reason, he was quiet on the couch last night and I grabbed the camera so that I could prove to myself and others that he isn’t always a blur.
For more fun with Otto, check out these other sets:
Paul’s Boutique: Single Hop Red Series at Laurelwood
March 3rd, 2010 by Matt Wiater No comments »
In the Northwest, beers that showcase hops usually come in the form of Pales, IPAs, or Imperial IPAs. Once upon a time, a brewer pondered, “Just how many hops can I fit into a beer?” Throw in high alpha hops for bitterness, big citrus hops for flavor, and tons of dry hops for a huge floral nose, and you’ll end up with some of big hop bombs known around Portland.
Brewer Paul Bergeman of Laurelwood Brewing Company loves hops as much as the next person, but decided to carry out a different type of hop experiment: the Single Hop Red Series. Paul chooses one hop variety and uses it for all of the hopping stages in a Red Ale: bittering, flavor, and aroma. The idea is simple, yet multi-faceted in it’s payoff. First of all, we get to try great new beers–the best benefit of all! Second, the person with the pint in front of them gets an education on different hop profiles. Doesn’t it feel good to get smarter as you drink? And third, brewers that push themselves are ultimately going to make better beers through experimentation and self-education. Again, a win for those of us bellied up to the bar or walking out with a growler.
“CTZ, Magnum, Cascade, Centennial, Liberty, Saaz, Ahtanum, Simcoe, Summit, Northern Brewer, Nugget, Crystal, Amarillo…”
I asked Paul why he started the program and why he chose Red Ales. “The program was developed to give people a better understanding of each hop variety’s components in beer as well as to utilize and identify each hop variety’s bitterness, flavor, and aroma qualities,” Paul stated. “Generally, people are given beers and assume that because of it’s color, it’s going to a have a certain profile. Whereas with Reds, each one you taste is almost always different. The idea is that people don’t think right off that bat that it is going to be either extreme, it will be in the middle. People believe that Pale’s are going to be hoppy, and Browns are going to malty. With Reds it can go to either side of the spectrum or land right in the middle.”
If you’re new to this series, you’ve already missed out on a big chunk of Paul’s experiment. He has already crafted single hop Red Ales with: CTZ, Magnum, Cascade, Centennial, Liberty, Saaz, Ahtanum, Simcoe, Summit, Northern Brewer, Nugget, Crystal, Amarillo… Here are the descriptions and stats of a few of his creations:
- El Rojo: ”Red ales have become quite the thing since we first brewed our flagship Free Range Red years ago. This style now encompasses such a wide range of flavors from malty to hoppy that we thought we’d showcase another side red ales. El Rojo is a brilliant ruby colored heavily hopped beer. Using only Amarillo hops, this beer acknowledges the malty side of the style, then kicks it aside and gets all kinds of hoppy.” (IBU: 75 Plato: 15 ABV: 6)
- Gayle: ”Alright, hop nerds. Here’s our latest single hop beer- with a little something for all you that like both kinds of music- Country and Western. Gayle was brewed exclusively with Crystal hops. These low bitterness hops are similar to Mt. Hood and Liberty varieties. Pungent, Oregon-grown hops, Crystals are used primarily for their aroma qualities.” (IBU: 57 Plato: 16 ABV: 6)
- Le Rouge: ”Number six in our series of single hop Red Ales, Le Rouge brings us the wonders of the Ahtanum hop. Also used in our Boss IPA and Stout, Ahtanum hops are a fairly low bittering variety known mainly for their similarity to cascade hops. This beer is hopped like an American Pale Ale, with medium bitterness and a bit of dry hop aroma.” (IBU: 44 Plato: 14 ABV: 6)
- Liberty Red Single Hopped Ale: ”The seventh beer in our series of single hop Red Ales, Liberty Red brings us the wonders of the Liberty hop. Liberty hops are the American version of the German Hallertau and are known for their aromatic properties and mild bitterness. This beer features a nice citrus flavor with subtle earthy tones. Liberty Red is hopped like an American Pale Ale, with medium bitterness and a bit of dry hop aroma.” (IBU: 48 Plato: 14 ABV: 6)
- Saaz Single Hop Red: ”Another in our series of beers brewed with just one hop variety. This time we’ve looked to one of the greatest brewing countries and selected the Czech Saaz hop. Saaz hops are known for their spicy, herbal quality. Typically used in lagers, we’ve found they make great ales too.” (IBU: 35 Plato: 15 ABV: 6)
Paul Bergeman.
It’s not fair to the other hops if you pick a favorite, but when posed the question: ”My stand alone favorite for personal taste would have to be the Centennial hop because of it’s sharp bitterness and it’s floral aroma. However, my fall back—and most consistent hop—would have to be the Cascade hop because of it’s versatile use. Cascades can be used in anything from an IPA for it’s clean bitterness and citrus like smell, to a Porter because it has hidden qualities that give the beer a hint of hoppiness but doesn’t take away from the maltiness that people prefer to enjoy in the darker beers.”
You can find El Rojo on tap at the NE 40th Avenue location—if you hurry. And keep an eye out for the next beer in the Single Hop Red Series when Paul hopes to use Sorachi-Ace hops: “I am excited to use this because I have yet to brew with this variety. This hop comes from Japan and is said to have a lemon/citrus like characteristic.”
South of Portland: Ninkasi Brewing Company in Eugene
March 2nd, 2010 by Matt Wiater 1 comment »
Jamie Floyd, Ninkasi brewing.
Well, I don’t need to tell you that Ninkasi (www.ninkasibrewing.com) is a brewing company in Eugene. If you haven’t heard of them or tried their beers, then you don’t live in the Northwest. With beers like Total Domination, Sleigh’r, and Tricerahops, the company is anything but shy about their brewery or their beer.
Started in 2006, Jamie Floyd and business partner Nikos Ridge began contract brewing in the space that Hop Valley Brewing now occupies in Springfield (formerly Spencer’s Restaurant and Brewhouse followed by Sofia’s Restaurant and Bavarian Brewery). Quickly reaching their maximum production levels, Jamie and Nikos moved into their own space in the Whiteaker neighborhood of Eugene. And they didn’t stop growing.
Jamie must have closed his eyes and covered his ears, ignoring the recent and devastating recession. In the last two years, the company has grown from 2 employees to 37, now including benefits (and a 1 barrel brewing system for the employees to “play with”). The maximum production at their contract space was 1600 Barrels per year in 2006 and the output at the end of 2010 is estimated to be 32,000 Barrels. But that’s not enough for Ninkasi, whose current brewery remodeling will raise the capacity to 90,000 Barrels annually. The expansion also includes a new Krones bottling line capable of filling 240 bottles per minute.
Currently, Ninkasi’s flagship is their Total Domination IPA (6.7% ABV, 65 IBUs), which makes up about 60% of their total bottle production. Other standards include:
- Tricerahops Double IPA: 8.8% ABV, 100+ IBUs.
- Believer Double Red: 6.9% ABV, 60 IBUs.
- Quantum Pale Ale: 5.6% ABV, 35 IBUs.
- Oatis Oatmeal Stout: 7.5% ABV, 45 IBUs.
And seasonals:
- Radiant Summer Ale: 6%% ABV, 40 IBUs.
- Spring Reign: 6% ABV, 38 IBUs.
- Sleigh’R: 7.2% ABV, 50 IBUs.
- Maiden the Shade
Upcycling.
Ninkasi beer is beginning to appear all over the Northwest and beyond in bottles and draft. But this outward distribution growth into other regions isn’t a reflection of their core principal of local community. While wider distribution helps pay the bills, the focus of Jamie and Nikos, and by extension the company, is focused very locally. No matter what their size, Jamie will always see Ninkasi as the village brewery and an integral part of their community. By concentrating on regional sourcing as well as supporting local arts and direct community activism, the brewery and the employees are living out this philosophy. One promoted idea at Zwickelmania is upcycling. Where recycling is grinding everything down into a uniform substance of lesser value to be used as a new base material, upcycling is getting to the products sooner and trying to turn them into something of more value. ”Upcycling refers to reusing an object in a new way without degrading the material it is made from, as opposed to recycling which generally involves breaking down the original material and making it into something else, using more energy,” (from Trash or Treasure? Upcycling becomes growing green trend on Reuters).
Philosophy, education, and community: the ingredients in every Ninkasi beer.
Fermented Photo: Nick Arzner, Block 15 Brewery
February 26th, 2010 by Matt Wiater No comments »
Fermented Photo: Nick Arzner, Block 15 Brewery. Nick unleashing barrel-fermented, brett-pitched, sour goodness directly from the source. Today, it’s good to be me.
South of Portland: Hop Valley Brewing Company in Eugene
February 26th, 2010 by Matt Wiater No comments »
The best way to start the day: a sample tray.
Our first stop of the day was at Hop Valley Brewing, 11:00am on Saturday. I usually don’t drink beer this early in the day, so I just keep telling myself that this is work. Justifications come easy to me.
We meet with brew master and partner Trevor Howard who walks around their 15bbl brewing facility. Trevor started his career at Rogue in Newport six years ago. He moved back to Eugene and became brew master at Rogue’s Eugene City Brewery before becoming a partner at Hop Valley Brewing in 2008.
With Trevor at the helm, Hop Valley currently brews six standard styles:
- Stepchild Red (NW Red Ale): 15.5° Plato, 80 IBUs, 6.1% ABV
- Double D Blonde (Blonde Ale): 12° Plato, 20 IBUs, 4.9% ABV
- Alphaholic IPA (NW IPA — will hit the streets as Alphadelic IPA): 16° Plato, 90 IBUs, 6.5% ABV
- Impeller Pale (Pale Ale): 14° Plato, 50 IBUs, 5.6% ABV
- Vanilla Porter (Porter): 15° Plato, 50 IBUs, 5.9% ABV
- The Heff (American Hefeweizen): 11.5° Plato, 15 IBUs, 4.9% ABV
- Seasonals: Many other styles, including: Natty Red (Imperial Red Ale), and Alpha Centauri (Imperial IPA) which the First Place People’s Choice Award at that weekend’s KLCC Microbrew Festival.
Hop Valley Brewmaster, Trevor Howard.
Since it was Zwickelmania, what else could we do but zwickel? While the word is strange, the meaning is simple: tasting beer directly from the tanks. Depending on the style of beer, these samples can taste vastly different from the finished product. In its earliest stages, beer is called wort. It’s the state of the beer before the yeast hits it in the fermenter. For first time samplers, it can be very difficult to draw the connection between the sweet, unfermented, uncarbonated wort and the final beer. At this stage, it’s merely tasting levels of sweetness and bitterness, both of which will drastically change through fermentation.
Fermentation is the next stage, and that’s when “beer” becomes beer. The yeast metabolizes the sugars from the wort into alcohol and CO2 and the beer begins to take a more familiar shape. Of course, the beer is still warm from active fermentation and there is the residual sweetness of the unburned sugar, but tasting at this point is all about appreciating the progress of the beer. Though young, these beers are a very good indicator of what the they will be like when released to the public.
Education comes in many forms, but the best way to learn is usually hands on experience. Talking to the brewers, spending time in the brewery, and sampling beer at different stages is a perfect way to spend a Saturday—and you’ll get smarter with every sip! Thanks to Trevor Howard for taking the time to walk us through his domain and show us where the magic happens. Keep an eye out for Hop Vally’s beers by visiting them in Eugene, or finding them on draft or in 22oz bottles.
Auction for Haiti Relief Conclusion
February 22nd, 2010 by Matt Wiater No comments »
Red Cross Donation
For everyone that’s been following the auction, we’ve finally assembled all of the pieces and made our donation to the Red Cross Haiti Relief Fund! Through the bidding wars, we were able to raise $381.00. We rounded it up to $400.00 and made the donation on February 10th.
First of all, thanks to everyone for participating. Several bloggers helped spread the word via their websites, twitter, and word of mouth. Also, thanks to Deschutes Brewery, who not only helped spread the word, but got founder Gary Fish on board to sign the auctioned Deschutes prints as well, adding to the uniqueness of the items we had to auction. With all of this help, I’m not surprised that the auction reached one of the winning bidders all the way in Denmark!
Finally, thanks to everyone who submitted bids! Obviously we couldn’t have done this without you. Even if you didn’t end up winning, your participation was essential to the whole process of starting us off quickly and getting to our total amount. The five day auction was surprisingly exciting as the bids rolled along at a fast pace and continued up to the last minute.
While I’m extremely happy with the final outcome, I think we could have made some improvements. The whole idea was to get this started and finished quickly so that the money would be donated as soon as possible. This limited the amount of time to do the programming for the bidding engine, organize the participants, and get the word out. Without this limit, we probably would have involved more breweries, added more items to the auction, and let the auction run a little longer.
And to the winning bidders: thanks for your patience! I’ve been trying to figure out this shipping fiasco for awhile and finally have a grasp on what I’m doing! The items are going out soon, all across the world. But, first they’re going to Deschutes for the signing. So, I’ve had to figure out how to:
- ship a box of pre-shipped domestic and international boxes to Deschutes Brewery
- within a FedEx designated time limit so that
- Deschutes could drop the boxes off on my predesignated ship date
Sound confusing? It was to me. Now I’ve got it all straightened out and I’m finally getting the winning items out!
So, thanks again everyone–I’m glad we pulled this off!
4th Annual Zoo Brew Microbrew Festival
February 19th, 2010 by Matt Wiater No comments »
PORTLAND, Ore. Nights at the Oregon Zoo are full of excitement several nocturnal species keep the zoo hopping from sunset to sunrise but usually only the animals get to partake in the fun. On Friday, June 4, humans get to join the party at Zoo Brew, where some of the best beer in the Northwest will combine with one of the greatest bands ever to come out of Oregon: the Crazy 8s.
Inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame in 2007, this ska-rock band will provide the microbrew festivals soundtrack, playing live on the zoos main stage as attendees sample beers from 20 local microbreweries.
Were excited to kick off our summer tour by headlining at Zoo Brew, said Marc Baker, manager of the Crazy 8s. Its a unique way to reconnect with our Portland audience.
Kris Carico, Oregon Zoo Foundation special events manager, agrees that the festival is special: No other Northwest event allows guests to enjoy fantastic local brews and take in great live music while mingling outdoors at a zoo.
Tickets to Zoo Brew are $25 and include a commemorative glass and 10 tokens. The festival, sponsored by Willamette Week, runs from 5 to 10 p.m., rain or shine. Proceeds from this years event will support the Zoo To You education program, which helps engage kids in animal education through hands-on learning activities and allows them to get up close with live animals.
Participating breweries are: Alameda Brewhouse, Blue Mountain Cider, BridgePort Brewing Co., Cascade Brewing, Crater Lake Root Beer, Deschutes Brewery, Double Mountain Brewery, Fish Brewing Co., Full Sail Brewing, Hopworks Urban Brewing, Klamath Basin Brewing Co., Kona Brewing Co., Lompoc Brewing Co., Oakshire Brewing, Pale Horse Brewing Co., Redhook Ale Brewery, Seven Brides Brewing, Spire Mountain Cider, Trumer Pils, and Widmer Brothers Brewing Co.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.oregonzoo.org/ZooBrew. Only guests 21 and over will be admitted.
The zoo is a service of Metro and is dedicated to its mission to inspire the community to create a better future for wildlife. Committed to conservation, the zoo is currently working to save endangered California condors, Washingtons pygmy rabbits, Oregon silverspot and Taylors checkerspot butterflies, western pond turtles, Oregon spotted frogs and Kincaids lupine. Other projects include studies on black rhinos, Asian elephants, polar bears and bats.
The zoo opens at 9 a.m. daily and is located five minutes from downtown Portland, just off Highway 26. The zoo is also accessible by MAX light rail line. Zoo visitors who travel to the zoo via MAX receive $1.50 off zoo admission. Call TriMet Customer Service, 503-238-RIDE (7433), or visit www.trimet.org for fare and route information.
General admission is $10.50 (ages 12-64), $9 for seniors (65 and up), $7.50 for children (ages 3-11) and free for those 2 and younger; 25 cents of the admission price helps fund regional conservation projects through the zoos Future for Wildlife program. A parking fee of $2 per car is also required. Additional information is available at www.oregonzoo.org or by calling 503-226-1561.
AKA 2010 Lucky Labrador Barleywine and Big Beer Tasting
February 18th, 2010 by Matt Wiater 3 comments »
In the past, it’s been called a tastival. It’s also been called a festeroon. This year? Who knows. But a festival by any other name would be as sweet! Whatever the name, you’ll be tasting barleywines and big beers!
The Lucky Lab’s Ben Flerchinger just sent me the newest list: 46 beers with an average ABV of 9.8%—big beers indeed! Ben also said to expect about 15 or 20 more offerings by the time the event opens.
When and Where: Friday and Saturday, March 5th and 6th, Noon to 10 p.m.
Cost: A custom glass and two tokens are $8 and additional tastes are $1.50.
The List:
| Vintage | Brewery | Beer | Style | ABV (%) |
| 2009 | Alaskan | Rough Draft | Barleywine | 10.40 |
| 2006 | Anchor | Old Foghorn | Barleywine | 9.40 |
| 2007 | Anchor | Old Foghorn | Barleywine | 8.80 |
| 2009 | Anchor | Old Foghorn | Barleywine | 8.80 |
| 2008 | Astoria | Bitter Bitch | Strong Ale | 8.20 |
| 2008 | Beer Valley | Highway To Ale | Barleywine | 10.50 |
| 2008 | Bend Brewing | Outback X | Old Ale | 9.50 |
| 2009 | Boulder | Killer Penguin | Barleywine | 10.00 |
| 2007 | Bridgeport | Old Knucklead Bbl | Barleywine | 10.00 |
| 2009 | Buckbean | Very Noddy | Imperial Schwarzbier | 10.50 |
| 2007 | Butte Creek | Train Wreck | Barleywine | 10.60 |
| 2007 | Cascade | Defroster | Winter Ipa | 7.20 |
| 2009 | Deschuttes | Mirror Mirror | Barleywine | 9.86 |
| 2009 | Dogfish Head | Olde School | Barleywine | 15.00 |
| 2009 | Double Mt. | Chaos Stout | Imperial Stout | 9.50 |
| 2009 | Eel River | Raven Eye | Imperial Stout | 11.00 |
| 2009 | Fish Tail | Leviathan | Barleywine | 10.00 |
| 2009 | Fish Tail | Ten Squared | Ipa | 10.00 |
| 2009 | Fish Tail | Monkfish | Belgian Trippel | 8.50 |
| 2009 | Flying Dog | Horn Dog | Barleywine | 10.20 |
| 2007 | Friar Tucks | Glutius Maximus | Barleywine | 11.00 |
| 2007 | Great Divide | Old Ruffian | Barleywine | 10.27 |
| 2008 | Great Divide | Old Ruffian | Barleywine | 10.20 |
| 2008 | Hales | Rudyard’S Rare | Barleywine | 9.20 |
| 2008 | Hopworks | Noggin Floggin | Barleywine | 9.60 |
| 2007 | Lagunitas | Gnarley Wine | Barleywine | 9.70 |
| 2009 | Lagunitas | Gnarley Wine | Barleywine | 9.70 |
| 2008 | Laht Neppur | Eniw Yelrab | Barleywine | 11.20 |
| 2008 | Laughing Dog | Alpha Dog | Imperial Ipa | 9.50 |
| 2009 | Laughing Dog | Dogfather | Imperial Stout | 11.00 |
| 2008 | Laurelwood | Old Reliable | Barleywine | 10.10 |
| 2007 | Lucky Lab | Old Yeller | Barleywine | 11.40 |
| 2009 | Lucky Lab | Old Yeller | Barleywine | 11.60 |
| 2009 | Lucky Lab | Son Of Old Yeller (Bbl Aged) | Barleywine | 9.20 |
| 2009 | Mad River | John Barleycorn | Barleywine | 9.50 |
| 2008 | New Old Lompoc | Old Tavern Rat | Barleywine | 9.00 |
| 2008 | Ninkasi | Sasquatch | Strong Ale | 8.40 |
| 2009 | North Coast | Old Stock | Barleywine | 9.40 |
| 2008 | Oakshire | Sasquatch | Strong Ale | 9.30 |
| 2009 | Oakshire | Very Ill Tempered Gnome | Barleywine | 9.50 |
| 2008 | Rock Bottom | Black Peter | Evil Dark Black | 9.36 |
| 2009 | Sierra Nevada | Bigfoot | Barleywine | 9.60 |
| 2008 | Speakeasy | Old Godfather | Barleywine | 10.20 |
| 2008 | Terminal Gravity | Festive Ale | British Strong | 8.30 |
| 2009 | Terminal Gravity | Festive Ale | British Strong | 8.30 |
| 2009 | Widmer | Cxi Collaborator | Pumpernickel Ale | 8.50 |
