Take a look around, we’ve been pretty busy. We’ve stripped out years of cruft so that we can deliver our Portland beer goodness cleanly, and at faster speeds. We’ve kept all of your favorite content, but we have also made some great changes:

• We have removed the superfluous parts so that we can deliver the content to you, quickly and cleanly. These things included unnecessary bells and whistles that either got in the way or slowed the site down, non-optimized code, and redundant information.
• We have removed all advertising. Instead, we will be proving you with ways to support the site through purchasing cool exclusive gear from us. We hope this model will be beneficial to both sides of the equation: you get cool stuff and no intrusive ads, and we get some money to help keep this site afloat.
• We have integrated features to make our site more interactive. You can now interact with all of our Twitter feeds directly on our site.
• We have temporarily disabled the beer ratings system.  This feature will be back within the next two weeks.

It’s about to get really geeky around here though, so if you don’t care about the coding, just take a look around the new site. Of course, if you have any suggestions, questions, or concerns, please let us know! If you’re feeling brave, and know what all of the ones and zeros do, continue on.

The main impetus behind the redesign was to separate out the design and data layers. As the site has grown over the years, the two have become intertwined, creating sluggish response times and limiting our flexibility. By separating these layers, the site becomes much more modular and we can make changes and additions more easily. For the first step in this process, we’ve taken our huge database of Portland beer related objects and created a RESTful API, separate from our website. This API holds all of the beers, breweries, statistics, events, etc. Our site now holds no data, but rather makes calls to this API to get the data. This separation also allows us to use our beer data for things like our Android/iPhone apps. As we move formward, we will also be moving the API behind Varnish Cache, which is a caching HTTP reverse proxy. With several applications hitting the API, this process will be able to make the API lightning quick and the speed of the returned data will be much less dependent on website and app traffic. We will be making other  code changes to the site as we move forward. Right now, we’re going to keep an eye on the response and render times of the site during different traffic loads to target our next updates. We have also initiated a rolling effort to keep everything as lean as possible and really think about how we implement new features. This should force us  to maintain high standards when we roll out new offerings.

Brewligans Bottle Shop
275 E Historic Columbia River Hwy
Troutdale, OR 97060
Find them on Twitter and Facebook

The grand opening for Brewligans Bottle Shop has just started. Doors opened at noon today for the Troutdale shop, and they are eager to get great beer into your hands and mouths. Brewligans is starting out with about 75 different bottled beers and five rotating taps. Also avaiable during your visit: gourmet hot dogs!  Check out the photos on their website and keep an eye on their Twitter and Facebook accounts for updates. We’re planning to stop by soon and talk to owner John Griffin, so we’ll post more info as soon as we get it.  Best of luck Brewligans!

Here is the current taplist for the grand opening:

• Union Jack – IPA: Firestone Walker
• Seven – Saison: Upright Brewing
• Yeti – Imperial Stout: Great Divide Brewing
• Skunk Ape – IPA: Boneyard Beer
• Red Chair – Northwest Pale Ale: Deschutes Brewery

On Deck: Bitter American – Pale Ale: 21st Amendment Brewing, 2x – IPA: Southern Tier Brewing, Urban – Farmhouse: Commons Brewery.

Everything seemed standard upon arrival: a tent set up outside for ticket purchasing, $10 for a keepsake glass, 4 taster tickets, and a mysterious square piece of paper labeled “Best Of Fest”. After wondering about this “Best of Fest” paper, I turned to see a booth set up—conveniently marked “Best Of Fest”—with bowls for each participating brewery. Allowing attendees to vote for the best brewer is a creative way to give the Buckman-Kerns Brew Fest some originality.

My  next goal—after acquiring some beer, of course—was to find out more about the fest. Several booths had their employees or brewers pouring their own beers, a great personal touch. So I thought, who better to ask than someone directly involved? I approached the Cascade Brewing station, got a beer, and struck up a conversation. The only real answer I got about the fest was that it was organized to feature breweries in the local Buckman-Kerns area. That answer still left me wondering a few things. Why these beers? Why the voting? Is there a prize? I found out later that Migration Brewing took home the title of Best of Fest and a fancy little trophy after they featured three great brews: Black Hearted CDA, the trusty Old Silenus and Luscious Lupulin IPA.

Two of my favorites from the festival:

• Cascade’s McShagger Scottish Strong Ale: “Sweet malts with hints of chocolate and smoked peat greet you in the nose. Dark malts and hints of molasses and chocolate on the palate lead to a creamy finish with notes of peat and whiskey.”
• Buckman’s Ginger: “A grown up ginger ale brewed with fresh ginger.”

All unanswered questions aside, East Burn is a great location for a small fest like this one. It was exceptionally well organized, ran smoothly, and featured some very tasty brews. There was food offered for tickets, and plenty of free stickers to snag. I can see a lot of potential in this fest. My big question of “why?” was answered with smiles, hospitality, and good beer. In the end, theme or no theme, a good fest simply offers us a place to try a bunch of new beers in a safe and social setting. But don’t wait until the 3rd Annual Buckman-Kerns Brew Fest to stop in at East Burn. They feature great beers on tap every day, games to play, and you’ll find on their calendar a variety of events to attend.

Fantasia from Upright Brewing answers the age old question: What is craft brewing? Craft beer is not defined by market segments, budgets, or campaigns. Forget the ideas surrounding the size of the brewery or the barrel production numbers and boil it down to the simple, yet often overlooked concept of “what if”. Craft beer is created by carefully executing an idea—and creative brewers will come up with equally creative ideas. Throw quality ingredients and patience into the equation, and you’re one step closer to a truly evocative beer.

Take a look at Upright Brewing owner Alex Ganum’s notes on the idea and process of Fantasia and you’ll know exactly what craft beer is. This one sounds delicious!  Bottles of ‘Fantasia’ will be wax dipped and sold in 750ml style champagne bottles for $20 a piece and $225 for a case, with a 1 case limit at the brewery this Friday 1/20 starting at 4:30 pm. There will also be just one 50 liter keg of ‘Fantasia’ pouring on draft on Friday.

From the official press release:
Upright is happy to announce the release of an exciting new beer conceptualized and brewed back in the summer of 2010. The Fantasia (pronounced fan-tah-zee-uh) is barrel fermented with fresh peaches and made with multiple yeasts and bacteria, yielding a sour beer with aromas and flavors reminiscent of traditional Belgian lambics. Hand wax dipped 750ml bottles will be on sale at the brewery for $20 each and $225 for a case with a 1 case limit. Extremely limited amounts of bottles will make it out to fine bottleshops.

“It was a tremendously friendly Trevor Baird, whose family operates an orchard producing wonderful fruit, who planted the idea in my head to make a peach beer. I set about to brew something totally different from anything I’ve done before and began by propagating some lactobacillus and brettanomyces, which don’t reproduce all that quickly. I wanted a healthy and respectable pitch to get the flavors I had in mind, and by the time the peaches were ripe and ready, the yeast and bacteria were plenty ready to go.

The few weeks leading up to the brewday were also spent procuring some appropriate oak barrels, eight in total sourced from four different wineries. After finally getting the call from Trevor that the peaches would be ready on the 23rd, everything was in order and Gerritt fired up the brewhouse while myself and a few very hardworking friends unloaded 800 pounds of fruit and spent most of the day cutting them up and stuffing them into the barrels. It took quite a while, and the wort enjoyed an extra long boil in the meantime much like the processing of traditional lambics.

The recipe on the brewlog that day was simple; all barley malt (unlike the wheaten lambic style), but employing warm aged hops from the 2008 harvest. By the end of the boil, all eight barrels were full of the fruit plus a mixture of saison yeast and the aforementioned lactobacillus and brettanomyces. The wort was then cooled and pumped directly into the barrels, all of them getting filled to roughly 2/3 or 3/4 capacity to allow room for the fermentation, which after a couple weeks was on it’s tail end and the barrels were topped off with one of two beers; the Four and the Tokay d’ Portland, a small batch barrel aged experiment of sorts.

At that point, the Fantasia was ready for extended maturation in the casks, so it was hard bunged and set aside until the following August when seven of the eight barrels were blended and bottled shortly thereafter. Those bottles have been conditioning in the back of the brewery since and are in prime form and ready to enjoy, although I expect it to develop nicely for two more years before the fruit character begins to fade away.”

Disclaimer: These are solely my opinions that have been formed from tons of experience and are absolutely correct in every way, but do not reflect on those opinions of Portlandbeer.org. But if you do have a problem with what I say.. blame Matt.

In 2011, I attended numerous beer festivals ranging from the Spring Beer and Wine Festival at the Convention Center to BIKETOBEERFEST and the Holiday Ale Festival, just to name a few. Every festival is different in many aspects, be it the beer style, the size of the festival, whether it’s put on by one brewery or includes 150. But at nearly every festival there was one constant that I did encounter. It was discourteous and drunken rude people ruining a perfectly good time for everyone else.

Everyone who loves craft beer is not only here for the beer. We’re also here for the camaraderie and the friendly community that craft beer brings together. Obviously beer makes you drunk if you drink too much, craft beer can do the trick with even less. This is no reason to turn into a certain feminine hygiene product and make everyone around you uncomfortable. If you know that alcohol makes you combative or angry, you should not drink in public because you could harm others. If you know it makes you annoying and insufferable then you should not drink in public because others may harm you. What I’m trying to say here is if you are going to the festivals for the alcohol and to get drunk and not for the brews and tasting their complexity, hanging out with friends and having a not-so-drunk good time, then you are going for the wrong reasons. It is inevitable that if you attend a beer festival now and then that one time you will overdo it and end up taking a taxi home (I hope). That’s all ok, just don’t do it on purpose.

Most of the examples of discourtesy I’ve noticed were at the larger festivals when crowds were at their peak. At the Oregon Brewers Festival people were cutting in line so bad we stood in line for a half hour and didn’t move. Same thing happened at HAF on Saturday night. When I almost got to the front we found an entire line had formed that was cutting into the actual line from people either not paying attention and due to that the actual line took forty minutes to get through. Then while standing at the front of the line a girl and her boyfriend walked up and just started moving up with the line. When I informed them of where the back of the line was, the girl said some rather unkind things to me and stormed off. At BIKETOBEERFEST, two guys who didn’t get to participate in the bike hucking contest began flipping off employees of HUB. At the Fruit Beer Festival, people were cussing at volunteers because some beers had run out.

I have a solution that could have made all of these incidents avoidable. Be understanding. Be polite. Be PATIENT. Everyone has to wait in a line for their beer, just because your friends are at the front doesn’t mean you have the right to jump ahead of everyone else who has been patiently waiting for their turn. When you’re walking through the crowd, try not to shove people out of the way. If you can’t find a path, make one by asking someone to move aside. If a beer runs out then just realize that you should have gotten there sooner and don’t take it out on the staff. Try to moderate your drinking. No one likes a belligerently drunk person, especially in a very crowded area. No one likes being puked on either (Editor’s Note: Sorry, Ian).  Everyone in a beer festival is going to be buzzed but remember that the festival is about tasting, not drinking. Most of all, if you do get drunk… do not drive home. Call a cab or take Tri-Met. Please. There is no craft beer in jail or the morgue so just don’t do it.

Now this all may sound like I’m just whining and preaching (which I am) but I hope that by ranting about it that maybe… just maybe we can get along a little better when a celebration of craft beer rolls around and we all crowd into a small space to consume something that will inevitably lower cognitive function and judgements capabilities. Remember that everyone else is there to have a good time too.

Check out director John Richards’ new project “Beer Hunter: The Movie”. He is raising funds on Kickstarter to complete not only a film about the Michael Jackson, but also a series of “Beer Hunter: The Lost Tapes” out of 63 hours of unpublished footage acquired between 2004 and Michael’s death in 2007.

Currently, the project is sitting at $8708 out of a total of $30,000 needed to fund the project. It’s got a long way to go by the end of January deadline, so check out the video for information on the movie, which also includes a trailer. Even a few pledged dollars will help.

I don’t think we can ever have too much Michael Jackson and this unpublished footage is a great glimpse of one of the fathers of the craft beer movement. It’s difficult to say that the craft beer industry wouldn’t around without him, but it would be in a much younger state. Through his writing and love of great beer, he was an inspiration to an entire industry and community of beer lovers and this film is a great way to celebrate his memory and his contribution to each pint we drink.

The Art of Beer
Opening Night: Friday, Jan. 6th, 6pm
Show runs through the month of January
at Burnside Brewing
701 E. Burnside
Portland, OR 97214

Beginning on Friday January 6th, my beer photography will be on display and for sale at Burnside Brewing for the month of January. I’ll be at the brewery to talk beer, photography, or anything else from 6pm-8pm, so come out and have a beer!

I’ve been covering the Portland beer scene for the last five years, documenting everything from brewing to beer festivals. This show will focus on the brewing process and the equipment through black and white photography. You can take a look at some of my work here.

So, stop by Friday and say hello! Of course, you’ll also be able to grab a pint and some delicious food to kick off your Friday night!

“You will find no cloying, mouth-puckering bitterness here. In its place is a straight-up, succulent, citrus punch to the nose.” Brewer John Abraham

Traditionally, a Northwest Style Pale Ale is very hoppy: big floral aroma, huge citrus taste, and a giant bitter backbone. Deschutes Brewery has bucked that tradition with their version of the Northwest Pale ale, Red Chair. Now this beer is still hoppy, but retains none of the bitterness usually associated with this style. What you are left with is a sweet, caramel malt body that dances perfectly with the citrus flavors of the hops.

The brewers at Deschutes have pulled off a masterful experiment here as it’s really hard to delineate the origin of some of these flavors. Cascade and Centennial hops are known for their huge citrus and big floral profiles, while the Crystal and Carastan malts create caramel and light toffee notes, all hitting the palate at the same time.

Red Chair will be available on tap and in bottles tomorrow at the Portland Pub. It will appear on store shelves in bottles in January, sticking around through May.

Red Chair Portland Pub Launch
11am – 11pm
Deschutes Brewery Portland Public House
210 NW 11th Ave.
Portland, OR

Beer Stats: ABV: 6.2% | IBUs: 60 | Malt: Pale, Crystal 75, Crystal 135/165, Munich, Carapils, Pilsner, Carastan | Hops: Cascade & Centennial

Happy Holidays to all of Portland from Hopworks Urban Brewery! Big releases this week including one of the standouts at this year’s Holiday Ale Festival: Kentucky Christmas (on Thursday). Today from the brewery is a double header of their Noggin’ Floggin’ Barleywine. As of noon, you can stop in and do a side-by-side comparison of the vintage 2009 version against the 2010 bourbon barrel aged version. Tuesday’s Imperial Stout sounds great as well, so you may find me strapped to a barstool this week to check out these special big beer releases from Hopworks.

As always, you can rate the beers on our site by logging in with your Facebook ID. Check out the release notes below:

Sunday, December 18 – We’re re-releasing our 2009 Noggin Floggin barleywine and 2010 barrel-aged Noggin Floggin barleywine. Come on in and cozy up with these special vintage beers and explore the nuances time and bourbon barrels add to our winter warmer. Both beers go on at noon and run until they’re gone.

Tuesday, December 20 – Special release of Hopworks Brouwer’s Anniversary Imperial Stout.  We brewed an imperial version of our 7-Grain Stout (minus the coffee) to help celebrate the 6^th anniversary of Seattle’s famed Brouwer’s Café. The beer has a very complex roasted, fruity, brown sugar aroma and is full-bodied with flavors of roast barley, chocolate, cocoa nibs, molasses and dark fruit.  It’s followed by a warming alcohol finish and lingering notes of all the aromas and flavors listed above.  Look for it on-tap beginning at 4:00 p.m.

Thursday, December 22 – Drop into the brewery on  Powell Blvd. and take advantage of our 12/22 case beer sale. Purchase a case of any of our core brands (IPA, DOA and Stout) for $36 as well as special discounts on seasonal offerings including  Bike Beer Kolsch, Noggin Floggin Barleywine and Abominable Winter Ale. At Hopworks Urban Brewery, 2944 SE Powell only.

Thursday, December 22 – Track down our elusive bourbon barrel-aged Abominable Winter Ale, better known as Kentucky Christmas, before it disappears. We’ve lined up a limited release at both Hopworks locations at 4:00 pm until it’s all gone for the season.

What happens if you say Skookumchuck three times quickly? Unfortunately, nothing. Though people will look at you. And you’ll be wasting time. Instead, you should be heading down to Belmont Station between 5pm and 8pm tonight to get your hands on a very limited quantity of Skookumchuck Wild Ale from Oakshire Brewing. Belmont Station has a few cases of Skookumchuck 750ml for sale at $19.99 each along with Skookumchuck, Hellshire II, and Ill Tempered Gnome on draft. Brewmaster Matt Van Wyk will be on and to talk about the beer, the brewery, or whatever else you want to chat about.

Oakshire Brewmaster Matt Van Wyk

Skookumchuck is the third release in the 2011 Eugene Water and Electric Board (EWEB) series. This series commemorates the 100 years of service and clean water by EWEB. ”Brewing these beers with EWEB was a rewarding experience and giving back to help preserve the water that makes out local beers taste so great is an added bonus, ” explains Brewmaster Matt Van Wyk. The previous releases were draft only Green Power Pale Ale and Land Trust Lager on draft and in 22oz bottles.. All three beers were named via submissions by EWEB employees. EWEB, along with employees of the McKenzie River Trust, put their brawn behind their words as well and hand-bottled about 70 cases of Skookumchuck Wild Ale. All profits will be donated to the McKenzie River Trust and the Berggren Demonstration Farm.

Skookumchuck Wild Ale is a blend of three different beers coming from a total of five wine barrels:

• 2 barrels of Collaborative Evil, a Belgian-style Golden Strong Ale
• 2 barrels of La Ferme Farmhouse Ale, aged on apricots (with both La Folie and Drie Fonteinen yeasts)
• 1 barrel of an American Wheat Ale (inoculated with Lactobacillus)

What you get is a great blend of tartness, fruit, and funk. The Brettanomyces is evident in the profile, which comes through as soft leather while the Lactobacillus creates a subtle sour tartness. These flavors sit on a light, sweet, fruity body, with hints of oak and wine. The beer is a great creation from Van Wyk and Co. over at Oakshire Brewing—a one-off experiment that we’re lucky to get in bottles here in Portland.  But they are very limited, so get over to Belmont Station at 5pm, er, right now!  Be sure to visit the brewery down in Eugene to check out some of their small batch draft only brews that are only available at the brewery.