Fermented Photo: Black Butte XXI

Black Butte XXI from Deschutes Brewery. The new batch is out. If I needed to say more, this beer wouldn't be as good as it is.

Fermented Photo: Oregon Trail Bourbon Barrel Porter

Oregon Trail Bourbon Barrel Porter. This one comes from Oregon Trail Brewery in Corvallis Oregon. Not much to say, yet--it's still in my fridge. I keep planning to crack it open, but then something happens and the circumstances are quite right for a slow sipper. Weekends usually work well and look at that, it's Friday!

Fermented Photo: My Dad, the Dissident

My dad, the dissident. This scene is from our family's first annual Cellar Series. I've been stocking up on beer for next year's series, so I took a look through last year's photos and found this one. The Fermented Photo post usually comes out on Fridays, but I wanted to wait until today to post this special Father's Day edition.

While my brothers and I were stuck in college in South Carolina, my dad made his way out to Colorado. During our frequent visits out West, my Dad introduced us to the growing Colorado beer scene. Every night, we ran around filling up our empty growlers with different beers and then re-emptying them. This was our first exposure to the concept of "To Go" beer from breweries. Going back to South Carolina was always a disappointment for our beer palettes as the selection of American craft beer was extremely limited--which in fact, is a gross understatement. We kept our eyes on the Colorado beer releases so that we would know what to look for when we arrived in town. Although that usually didn't matter since we ended up trying one growler of everything by the end of out trip.

Since those days, one of my brothers and I bunny-hopped over Colorado and made it to Portland, where we were fairly prepared for the beer scene that awaited us, thanks to my Dad. A few years ago, he also made his way out West and landed in Seattle. Now, throughout the year, I collect some of my favorite big beers and throw them into the cellar until our annual New Year's Day Cellar Series up at his house.

Those that know my Dad would find it very funny to label him a Dissident, but when it came to the craft beer movement, he thought outside the box--and brought us along for the ride.

Cheers, and Happy Father's Day Dad!

Beer Adventure in Astoria Oregon: Part Four--Wrap Up

View from Rogue Ales Public House.

Yep, this last post is seriously late. But I got a new job, had to pay some bills, and that's what happens. As soon as you start sending me big checks, I can do this full time and be at your service. Until then, you'll have to accept my apologies for running a bit behind. Just so you're not too worried about me, I have been keeping up with my drinking, just not my writing...

Well, sometimes there's good luck and sometimes there's bad luck. Other times, a situation presents itself as a wash: Even-Steven, as they say. With more alcohol than blood in my body, I'm not sure how to evaluate either.

My last stop for the day is Rogue Ales Public House. Right now, I'm simply concentrating: "right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot." I see a seagull and get distracted and forget which foot I'm on. Oh well, I am moving forward-ish, I'll just let momentum take over from here. As I aim for the front door to the building, I get my first piece of bad news: the foot I've been calling my right is actually my left.

I set my bag and notebook down on the bar and let the head waitress know that I'm here for my meeting. She gives me a confused look and I assume that it's because my eyes are pointing in two different directions. She disappears into the back and the bartender offers me a beer. Before I can make the inevitable decision to have yet another beer, the waitress appears and let's me know that there has been a mixup. Some crossed wires prevailed and my meeting was not to be. My body let out a sigh of relief as I realized that maybe this was a bit of luck--maybe I didn't actually need more beer. Maybe.

Inside Rogue Ales Public House.

Instead, the waitress offered me a tour of the building and said she'd be happy to answer any questions for me. My first questions was "Can I have a glass of water?"

Looking around, I get the feeling that I've been here before. Well, if you've been to other Rogue Ales Public Houses, you know what to expect: walls scattered with Rogue wear, cases of beer stacked up around the restaurant, and other reminders to spend a little extra on your way out the door.

When I moved out to Oregon, Rogue Ales was responsible for shattering my expectations about beer. I did as much beer experimentation as possible in South Carolina, but the possibilities there were extremely limited. I can still remember sitting down at Rogue Ales Public House in Portland for the first time and being dumbstruck by the 16 different Rogue beers on tap. A few samplers later and I knew that my world had changed in a very dramatic way. That was a long time ago, but things haven't changed at Rogue: they are still offering a phenomenal amount of draft beer styles with a few seasonals on the board as well.

Inside the Captain's Suite.

Rogue has been around for 21 years in Oregon. Along with their massive draft lineup, they've built up a small empire of Public Houses: ten in Oregon and one in San Fransisco. Rogue also has very wide distribution for kegs and bottled beers. I'm not sure about the reach, but I used to be able to find it in SC--not quite the beer mecca of the US.

Having seen a Rogue Ales Public house before, we don't spend much time in the bar or restaurant. The waitress mentions that there are some cool rooms to stay in at the back of the pier. We head out of the restaurant into the 130+ year old Hanthorne Cannery space, and then up into a back building that houses a few rooms called the Fisherman's Suites. Our first stop is the Captain's Suite. Wow. Rain or shine, the views from this room are outstanding with walls of floor to ceiling windows facing both North and West. The fully remodeled interior has a complete kitchen and is fully stocked with comfortable furniture, while maintaining an open floor plan. The first thing I think about is hosting a party. At $475 a night, it's a little out of my price range for a romantic getaway, but I'll definitely try and figure out a way to stay here over night. There are also two other rooms that aren't quite as big (or expensive), but they're newly remodeled and have great views as well. For more information, check out pier39-astoria.com.

Astoria's waterfront walkway.

And that is the end of my trip. Four articles stretching over months, just to cover one day in Astoria--and almost completely revolving around beer! Is it worth the trip? Definitely. Astoria is prepared for you: museums, restaurants, hotels and bed and breakfasts, the waterfront walkway (or trolley ride), and plenty of other things to do in town. I recommend an overnight stay as there is plenty of beer to discover and it's a four hour round trip--if you don't stop along the way. And, while there's plenty of beer to entertain you now, rumors of a third brewery are floating around the city! But go now, before that happens, so that you can say "I was in Astoria back in the day when there were only two breweries..."


Check out the rest of the photos here.

• Beer Adventure in Astoria Oregon: Part One--Go West Young Man
  
• Beer Adventure in Astoria Oregon: Part Two--Fort George Brewery
• Beer Adventure in Astoria Oregon: Part Three--Astoria Brewing
  
• Beer Adventure in Astoria Oregon: Part Four--Wrap Up
  

Portland's Not-So-Secret Society of Beer Geeks Gathers in Secret

Brewpublic's Angelo De Ieso II, amongst friends, beer, and ghosts.

Last night at Upright Brewing, beer geeks gathered for an Imperial and Baltic Porter tasting. There were a few kegs including Block 15's Imperial Smoked Porter and Lucky Lab's Imperial Stout. Thrown in for good measure were Upright Brewing's Four, Seven, Reggae Junkie Gruit, and Anglo-Saison. Sure, not anywhere close to Baltic Porters, but they were hosting the party, so I let it slide. And of course, drank them all.

This was my first experience with Upright's beers, and I was very excited with how they turned out. To me, these beers are on the more delicate side, showing off the yeast and fermentation rather than the imperial malt and hop bombs (written with affection) Portland is known for. Delicate does not mean a lack of complexity either, as many of these are tucked away in oak barrels to mature and pick up hints of wood and earth tones. As the weeks go by, it should be easier and easier to find Upright Brewing on tap around Portland. If your favorite beer bar is not serving them, ask them to!

But enough about the host, this was a Imperial and Baltic Port tasting, so bring out the bottles:

• Heater-Allen Sandy Paws Baltic Porter
• Bridgeport Raven Mad Imperial Porter
• Deschutes Black Butte XX
• Alesmith Decadence 07 Imperial Porter
• Alaskan Baltic Porter
• Full Sail Top Sail Bourbon Barrel 08
• Sinebrychoff Koff Porter
• Victory Baltic Thunder
• Southampton Imperial Porter
• Shipyard Pugsley's Imperial Porter
• Limfjords Baltic Porter
• Capital Baltic Porter
• Flossmoor Station Killer Kapowski Baltic Porter
• Left Hand Smoke Jumper Smoked Imperial Porter
• Flying Fish Imperial Espresso Porter
• Smuttynose Baltic Porter
• Olfabrikken Winter Porter
• SKA Brewing Nefarious Ten Pin Imperial Porter
• Harpoon Leviathan Baltic Porter
• Heavyweight Perkuno's Hammer Imperial Porter

Check out the rest of the photos here.

Fermented Photo: Barrel Aged Awesomeness

Barrel Aged Awesomeness at Cascade Brewing. Without reserve, we highly recommend grabbing any available seasonals from Cascade Brewing. Ron and Curt are making some outstanding beers: Krieks, Blends, Sours, Fruits. Not your normal NW IPA fare, but that's why we love them!

Fermented Photo: Hopworks IPA

Hopworks Urban Brewery, Organic IPA. In the past couple of weeks, Hopworks beer has been popping up on shelves around town. It's great to have another local beer to support when out at the store, especially the Hopworks releases: Deluxe Organic Ale, IPA, Survival Stout, and Crosstown Pale. So, get out there and get some!

Fermented Photo: Widmer Brothers 25th Anniversary Double Alt (Signed)

Widmer Brothers 25th Anniversary Double Alt. I know. Same beer from a couple of weeks ago. But, there's a twist. I got a package in the mail this week from Widmer Brothers Brewing. I opened it up to find a fresh bottle of the Double Alt, signed by Rob and Kurt!

Last week, I was working on a photo to celebrate Widmer's 25th Anniversary. I was going to use a Widmer logo, so I contacted the brewery about this project, and asked for a high resolution logo. I ended up not using the logo--it looked too much like a Widmer advertisement--but as a thanks for supporting Widmer, I got this signed bottle in the mail! The rest of the photos are here.

So, thanks for the bottle Rob and Kurt! And thanks for 25 years of great beer!

Fermented Photo: Moose and Squirrel Russian Imperial Stout

Laurelwood's Moose and Squirrel Russian Imperial Stout. I wasn't able to hold onto these bottles as long as I had hoped. They "disappeared" rather quickly. If you see it, drink it! A little bit of this beer made it's way into bourbon barrels and then served on cask at the Pizza location--unannounced and quite a delicious surprise!

Fermented Photo: Widmer Brothers 25th Anniversary Double Alt

Widmer Brothers 25th Anniversary Double Alt. I'm not sure about the production scale or what markets this beer will reach, but if you see it, grab one! A huge double Alt, very well balanced, strong, sweet, nutty, and warming.