70+ Beers Not Enough? More Events During The Oregon Brewers Festival

Oregon Brewers Festival

Four days of drinking at the Oregon Brewers Festival not enough for you? 70+ beers not enough to keep you occupied? No problem! Check out these other events preceding the 2008 Oregon Brewers Festival.

July 23, 2008
Oregon Brewers Dinner
Tom McCall Waterfront Park, SW Pine St and Bill Naito Parkway
6 to 8:30 p.m.
$50
www.oregonbeer.org or 503-288-2739/800-440-2537

The Oregon Brewers Dinner is an annual barbecue held the eve of the Oregon Brewers Festival. The event is attended by beer writers, brewers, beer industry suppliers and beer lovers from around the world. Attendance at this gathering is limited to 600. The ticket price includes dinner, a souvenir glass, and six beer scrip, good for one-half pint each. The event features more than 20 specialty beers, brewed and donated by the Brewery Members of the Oregon Brewers Guild, that are not available at the Oregon Brewers Festival. Proceeds from the dinner help the Oregon Brewers Guild spread the word about great native Oregon beers.

July 24, 2008
Oregon Brewers Brunch & Parade, presented by Widmer
PGE Park, 1844 SW Morrison
9 a.m. to Noon
$20
www.oregonbrewfest.com or 503-778-5917

The Oregon Brewers Brunch and Parade presented by Widmer is the official kick off to the Oregon Brewers Festival. The event begins with a traditional brunch followed by an old-fashioned parade of nearly 300 brewers and beer lovers, led by Portland Mayor Potter and accompanied by marching band music. The parade will wind its way for approximately one mile through Portland sidewalks to the opening ceremonies and the tapping of the inaugural keg of the 21st annual Oregon Brewers Festival. Tickets include brunch, Widmer beer, a t-shirt and a 2008 Oregon Brewers Festival festival mug (good all weekend long). It's the deal of the year!

Photos: Behind the Scenes at Full Sail Brewing Company

These are shots from the Full Sail Brewery in Portland where John Harris and Phil Roche craft the Brewmaster Reserve series which include: Top Sail Bourbon Imperial Porter, Old Boardhead Barleywine, Prodigal Sun IPA, Wreck the Halls, and many others. Check out the Full Sail website for their PDF on this ever-rotating series.




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Beer of the Month - Deschutes Black Butte XX [May 2008]

Deschutes Black Butte XX [May 2008]

OK, we're a little late for May, but what's new, right? We had some ideas for May, but I wanted to make sure to get down to Deschutes' New Portland Pub to see if any of there beers spoke to me. Well, after two rounds of the Black Butte XX, not only did the beer talk to me, but so did the walls, and the floor, and the parade of pink elephants that I passed when I walked out the door. Actually, they were singing, but that's another story...

Deschutes says "To celebrate our 20th anniversary this June, we decided to pay homage to Black Butte Porter, the revolutionary beer that has excited craft beer drinkers since 1988. Our brewers have played mad scientists, creating an Imperial recipe that includes coffee, cocoa nibs, and aged in whiskey barrels. IBUs: 60 ABV: 11%"

Yep, it's a big one. While the description was provocative, Portland was in the grasp of a mini 2-day heat wave. So after a hot day, I had to ask myself, was this the best time for huge Imperial Porter? Damn right it was!

Sure, this isn't a session beer for a sunny sidewalk afternoon, but it is a great slow beer to enjoy on it's own or paired with a meal. And be careful, those of you that have been gearing up for summer with some lighter beers, you may leave the brewery without your shoes, as this beer may just knock the shoes off your feet. I'm still missing one shoe...

It may be strong, but the alcohol isn't overpowering in the flavor profile. Thick, dark brown, and rich, this beer is sweet with a delicate hop bitterness. Aged in whiskey barrels, this brew had plenty of time for the flavors to blend and mature. Everyone who tastes this will have something new to pull out of this complex treat.

I'm not sure how long Deschutes' seasonals will be available at their Portland Pub, only time will tell. So get out there and grab this one while you can, you'll be sorry if you miss it. Well, I can at least guarantee that we'll be sorry for you.

Two Beer Icons

Two Beer Icons.

Writing a caption for this photo was harder than expected. It kind of turned out to be like a chicken and egg problem, or a recursive acronym, or something.

On the left, Fred Eckhardt, homebrewing icon, author, and all around great guy. On the right, Alan Sprints, founder of Hair of the Dog Brewing Company and mastermind of great original ales. I was happy to capture these two together.

But looking a little deeper, we find, well, some pastrami. To be exact, pastrami cured in Hair of the Dog Fred Ale. So, my initial caption became: "Alan Sprints, pictured on right, cutting and serving pastrami, cured in the Hair of the Dog Fred Ale (a beer named after Fred Eckhardt, pictured on left, and brewed by Alan Sprints, pictured on right) to Fred Eckhardt, pictured on left."

That got a bit confusing, so I just settled on: "Two Beer Icons."

Fred Fest 2008 Recap

Fred Eckhardt making the rounds.

Well, Fred Fest 2008 has come and gone--except for what's left in my liver. If you are in Portland and consider yourself a beer enthusiast, this is the place for you.

This gathering is much more like a party than a formal event, complete with home cooked food, sporadic cheers, and verses of happy birthday sung throughout the day. Amidst the Hair of the Dog brewing equipment, there were four beers stations supplying the party with 16 different beers. Many beers were barrel-aged varieties on some familiar Portland standards and seasonals, with the bourbon barrel aged Old Boilermaker dating back ten years! Since my fridge doubles as my beer cellar, the beers that I age usually only reach the 2 week mark before I rip the cap off (though one or two were aged for a month because my girlfriend hid them in the crisper). It was a nice change to try some of these beers that were brewed and cellared by professionals!

Alan Sprints, Brewmaster at Hair of the Dog, preparing food for guests.

Not only are the beers great, but at Fred Fest, you also get celebrities. Of course Fred Eckhardt was there, happily making the rounds, talking, and taking photos with any of the guests who crowded around to meet him. If you know who to look for (or if they filled out their "Brewer" name tags at the door), you'll also see a bunch of other Portland brewers at the event. At Fred Fest, there are no booths with shirts and brewery swag, and no one is trying to sell you anything. Everyone attending was only there to enjoy the beer and support the Parkinson's Resources of Oregon.

So, happy birthday Fred! We'll see you again next year for Fred Fest 2009!

Photos: Fred Fest 2008

Photos from the FredFest 2008.




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FredFest 2008 Beer Lineup

I would be remiss if I were the only beer blogger in Portland that neglected to post the ridiculously awesome beer lineup for FredFest 2008:

• BridgePort Brewing: Bourbon Barrel aged Old Knucklehead Firkin
• Laurelwood Brewing: Bourbon Barrel Aged Olde Reliable Barleywine
• Widmer Brewing : Altbier!!!
• Lompoc Brewing : Oak aged LSD
• Deschutes Brewing: Br. Abe Belgian ale
• Rockbottom Brewing : Oak aged IIPA
• Cascade Brewing: 2006 Wild Blackberry ale ( Flanders red style)
• Lucky Lab: Brewing Double Alt
• Hopworks Urban Brewery: 2007 Kentucky Christmas
• Hair of the Dog: Cask Fred from the Wood
• Full Sail Brewing: Bourbon BBL aged 1998 Old Boilermaker
• Rogue Brewing : Brewer Ale
• Roots Brewing: 2006 Pinot Noir Oak aged Epic
• Ninkasi Brewing: Dry Hopped Cask Tricerahops
• Firestone: ?????
• Jim 2007 Holiday Ale Fest Collaboration with HOTD

Not only will there be a great tap lineup, but some killer food as well -- rumors of "HOTD Fred-cured pastrami" was enough for me to sign up.

This year's FredFest is a fundraiser for Parkinson's Resources of Oregon, an affiliate of the National Parkinson Foundation. It runs from 2 - 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 10 (Fred Eckhardt's birthday) at Hair of the Dog Brewing, 4509 SE 23rd Avenue in Portland. I'm not sure if there's any tickets left, but you can try begging and pleading with Preston here.

There's also a simultaneous online auction at Liquid Solutions with rare beers like HOTD Adam #1, a cool lot of Lost Abbey beers, and the ever-elusive Westvleteren 12. It starts 3 p.m. PDT Friday, May 9 and finishes up by 3 p.m. PDT Sunday, May 11. And if this works anything like eBay, it'll be interesting to watch the price wars when there's :30 seconds left on the auction. Definitely worth checking out.

...just don't blame me when you blow your whole stimulus package on rare brews.

Photos: Hair of the Dog Brewing Company

Photos from the Hair of the Dog Brewing Company.




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Photos: The Lucky Labrador Brewing Company [Quimby]

Photos from the Lucky Labrador Brewing Company on Quimby.




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