If you’ve spent enough time living here in Portland then odds are that you have made the 3 and a half hour trip southeast to our other beer mecca that is called Bend. If you haven’t… well then crawl out from under your rock. Besides offering everything an outdoors enthusiast craves from kayaking, hiking, caving, horseback riding, skiing and snowboarding and many other activities, it goes without saying that Bend offers some of the finest beer Oregon has to offer. I mean this is the birthplace of Deschutes Brewery, 10 Barrel Brewing, Boneyard Beer, Bend Brewing and a fine few others that call this place home. That is why I was so surprised and initially disappointed when I saw the taplist for the Bend BrewFest. Now, you can call me jaded but when I go to a brew festival and pay for a mug and then stand in a line to buy tokens then go stand in another line to get 4 ounces of beer for my one dollar token… I expect that beer to really stand out and be something that I may not be able to attain easily or something I may never get to try again. So when I started reading off the familiar names on the taplist of brews such as Mirror Pond, X-114 IPA, Moose Drool, Kingpin, Rise Up Red ect. I started to wonder why I had made the trip over here when I could have stayed at home, driven 10 minutes to the nearest supermarket or convenience store, bought a six pack or 22oz bottle of one of those beers for less than the cost of the mug and then enjoyed them in the comfort of my air conditioning sans pants. But then again this kind of thinking put me at the risk of looking like a complete tool having not read the beer list before leaving Portland so I decided to put on my happy face (and pants) and I packed up my parents and we headed for the festival.

We entered the festival and stood in the previously mentioned lines to attain the required mug and tokens. Once set up with those it was time to get some brews. We scouted the guide for a beer I had not previously tried and I made my first sample a Hop Head ale from Bend Brewing. The initial impression of this beer is one of very fresh and potent hop aroma and flavor and after about 2 sips your tastebuds kind of go into a happy little flavor coma and the beer becomes an easily drinkable ale with a light body and bitter aftertaste. Next off was Bayern Dump Truck Summer Bock from Bayern Brewing Inc. out of Missoula Montana. This brew was deceptively smooth, light and easy to drink even when weighing in at 7% abv. The body is reminiscent of champagne with a very light bubbly highly carbonated profile but the flavor is that of a nice low hopped cream ale. This brew made me think it would be perfect for enjoying after a day out hiking or mountain biking in the desert. I then moved on to something I had never tried before, which was an Acai Berry Wheat Ale from Eel River Brewing Co. from Fortuna California. This is brewed with Acai Berries (duh) and pomegranate and other berries. While drinking this ale I couldn’t help but reminisce of the days when I was a kid and would enjoy a Capri Sun or Kool Aid while playing out in the sun. Hops are all but absent and all that is there is a nice clean berry flavor with a light summery body that is perfect for satisfying the kid and connoisseur in all of us. Lastly I waited for the Fire Mountain Steam Fired Stout to be released on the X-Tap. A sidenote: the X-Tap is where they hide all of the hard to get beer and release two of them at a time every two hours which is smart as opposed to the OBF where the Buzz tent ran out halfway through the festival. So I payed my two tokens for a taster of this and I was pleasantly surprised by this stout. It started off just like every other stout with a dry body and roasted malt flavor but finished with a very chocolaty aftertaste which is something usually found more in porters.

The festival was nicely laid out over the grounds of the Les Schwab Amphitheater so everyone had room to walk around, lay down a blanket in the grass or grab a table under some tents. This was something that I think made the festival stand out from others because it made the atmosphere relaxed and enjoyable unlike most of the festivals here in Portland which are generally crowded and laden with drunk people. None of that here.. just lots of people enjoying the craft of brewing and not over-doing it. The lines to the beers were short to non existent, except at the X-Tap when they first released a beer and even then I only waited 3 minutes to get my taster. The volunteers were all polite and helpful and the food choices were plentiful ranging from frozen yogurt to hot dogs to food trucks with just a bit of everything and yes… Nut Love was there too with their delicious almonds,  just in case you were starting to panic. The other cool part about this festival is that families with children can attend until 7pm and you can bring your fuzzy companion along too. Wine drinkers could enjoy four different tasters from Toasted Head Winery which included Untamed White, Untamed Red, a chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon. I also had a chance to chat with some of the guys from Central Oregon Homebrewers Organization (COHO) at their booth. We discussed homebrewing techniques and stories of brews that went good and some that went awry, plus I got to check out the sweet gravity fed brewing station they had on display.

So I guess the big question is will I come back to this festival next year and is it worth your time to make the trip out to it? In short.. the answer is hell yes. I genuinely enjoyed myself at this festival this year and I am glad I did not judge a brewfest by it’s taplist because I would have missed out on some great brews, a great time and great people! So mark it on your calendar for next year and plan a beercation for you and even your family!

…Or you could just stay under your rock.

From Inverness, we traveled north to Black Isle Brewery, an all organic brewery producing a current lineup of about ten beers, all available in bottles. As I mentioned earlier, this is where the battle lines on real ale get a bit murky. Included in Black Isle Brewing’s beer range is a line of “Organic Live Bottle Conditioned Beers”, which CAMRA defines as real ale. Well at least at Black Isle Brewery, you can have it both ways, as long as it’s always organic. Black Isle Brewing founder and managing director David Gladwin has been creating organic beer for over thirteen years: “The Black Isle Brewery started in 1998 when I set out to make top quality beers that could stand among the best in the country and to do it using organically produced barley and hops. The labelling and packaging is deliberately contemporary and styled to, in some small way, help dispel the sometime commonly held notion that ‘organics’ is all about slightly cranky, no-knickered, tepee dwellers living off brown rice and lentils.”

Check out their website for full details on the lineup of beers they produce.  Below are the beers that we found and sampled both on tap and by the bottle as we traveled Scotland.  All of the styles that we tried from Black Isle Brewing landed in the very good to great categories with the standouts being the Organic Export Scotch Ale and the Organic Hibernator Oatmeal Stout.  These two were great representations of the style, well-balanced, and had great malt profiles.

“[We want to] help dispel the sometime commonly held notion that ‘organics’ is all about slightly cranky, no-knickered, tepee dwellers living off brown rice and lentils.”—Black Isle Brewing Founder, David Gladwin

• Organic Export Scotch Ale— “Scotch Ale is a strong full bodied, russet coloured ruby ale; a bitter sweet balance of fruit peel and malt loaf – liquid fruitcake! Naturally bottle conditioned it is secondary fermented in the bottle in a similar way to the production of champagne. This beer is made from 4 pure organic ingredients, malted barley, water, hops and yeast. It is full of vitamin B and good for you.” (6.2% ABV)
• Organic Hibernator Oatmeal Stout—”Roasted malts, hedgerow fruit, espresso and liquorice. Big, black and wholesome; This is beer with soul! Naturally bottle conditioned it is secondary fermented in the bottle in a similar way to the production of champagne. This beer is made from 4 pure organic ingredients, malted barley, water, hops and yeast. It is full of vitamin B and good for you.” (7% ABV)
• St. Nicholas’ Knicker Dropper Glory—”Strong, warming winter ale. Caramelised malt and spices – perfect with mince pies! Bottle conditioned. “(6.5% ABV)
• IPA
• Porter—”Brewed with dark roasted malts producing a rich medium dry ruby-black beer. It is excellent with oysters and crab or for lunch with some mature farmhouse cheddar and oatcakes.” (4.6% ABV)

When in Edinburgh, we learned that BrewDog had just had a soft openeing at their new pub in Edinburgh. I learned of BrewDog several years ago when their series of Paradox Barrel-aged Imperial Stouts hit the shelves in bottle stores here in Portland.  In fact, founders James Watt and Martin Dickie came through Portland to sample their beers to us west coasters.  Although very pricey—hitting about $1 per ounce—they’re great beers, showcasing the barrels that they’re matured in.  The series includes barrels from Macallan, Invergordon, Glen Grant, Springbank, and other Scotch whisky distillers.

BrewDog is known as much for their attitude as they are for their beer, standing behind words like punk, revolution, non-conformity.   Then there is the insane competition with Germany to brew the strongest beer in the world: their Sink the Bismarck! beer is currently sitting on top at 41%, achieved through four rounds of freeze distillation.  While competitions like this do nothing to forward the craft beer movement, they definitely help get BrewDog’s name out into the world.

When we got the Edinburgh pub, we felt like we were back at home on the west coast: big open space, modern design, chalkboard full of both draft and bottled beers from around the world.  Truth be told, we did sneak in a Lost Abbey Bourbon Barrel Angel’s Share while we were there.  It was the one time we broke the “only Scottish beers” rule for our trip.  BrewDog recently collaborated with Lost Abbey Brewery on a rum Barrel-aged Imperial Ported slated for a 2011 (I think this is supposed to read 2012 on their site) release.  With inspiration coming from breweries like Stone Brewing Co., 3 Floyds Brewing, and Lost Abbey/Port Brewing, it’s easy to see how this spot, and the beer, feels like home. Beers we sampled from BrewDog:

• Punk IPA—”‘This 5.6% trans-atlantic fusion IPA is light golden in colour with tropical fruits and light caramel on the nose. The palate soon becomes assertive and resinous with the New Zealand hops balanced by the biscuit malt. The finish is aggressive and dry with the hops emerging over the warming alcohol. This fresh, full flavour natural beer is our tribute to the classic IPAs of yester-year. The post modern twist is the addition of amazing fruity hops giving an explosion of tropical fruit flavours and a sharp bitter finish.
• Monk Punk—I have no niformation no this one other than it is the same recipe as the Punk IPA, brewed with a Belgian yeast strain.
• Trashy Blonde—”A titillating, neurotic, peroxide, punk of a pale ale. Combining attitude, style substance and a little bit of low self esteem for good measure; what would your mother say? You really should just leave it alone…but you just cant get the compulsive malt body and gorgeous dirty blonde colour out of your head. The seductive lure of the sassy passion fruit hop proves too much to resist. All that is even before we get onto the fact that there are no additives preservatives, pasteurization or strings attached.” (4.1% ABV)

The beer selection was great, the bartenders were very knowledgeable and excited, and there was plenty of beer education material around.  Booklets about the beer making process, different beer style explanations, and motivational material to help you drink out side the box were on every table.  BrewDog believes in it’s own philosophies and wants to share that enthusiasm and knowledge with its customers.  Explaining the hows, whats, wheres, and whys goes a long way in forming a bond and a trust with consumers, and BrewDog is doing a great job. It can still be an uphill battle in Scotland to pull people away from their real ales and give them something else to try.

In the part one of this article, I talked a little about the real ale scene. Much of the beer above doesn’t fall into the real ale category, but instead represents Scottish craft beer. There is some crossover in these two sections of beer in Scotland, but they seem to be running their own separate races. No matter which camp you’re in—I have one foot in each—Scotland has more quality beer choices than ever. This is not only supported by the drinkers at large, but also the brewers and organizations who are saving traditions, promoting great beer, and experimenting with new styles, recipes, and ingredients.

Check out the rest of the photos here.

Becky and I decided to head out of Portland, hopped on I-205 North, and a couple of turns later ended up in: Scotland.  Alright, there was a bit more to it than that, but this isn’t a blog that specialized in travel planning.

Most beer drinkers in Scotland—who care about what they are drinking—are firmly planted into two camps: traditional real ales and emerging craft beer. I’m using the word emerging here as compared to much longer held beer traditions, even though craft beer has been emerging in Scotland for well over a decade. I did notice a bit of crossover between these two camps, but staunch traditionalists vigorously wave the flag that reads “Real Ale or Nothing!”. While this rally cry is an important to the real ale movement, I can’t help but think it was born out of a fight against the demonized mass produced, sanitized, beer, which used to be the only other option to real ales. As breweries like BrewDog and Black Isle Brewery gather a foothold in the Scottish beer scene, beer drinkers do have another, non-evil option.

To check out the real ale scene right here in Oregon, check out Brewers Union Local 180 located in Oakridge, OR. Fantastic, and true to tradition.

First of all, what is real ale?  Let’s start of with the definition from the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA):  ”Real ale is a natural product brewed using traditional ingredients and left to mature in the cask (container) from which it is served in the pub through a process called secondary fermentation. It is this process which makes real ale unique amongst beers and develops the wonderful tastes and aromas which processed beers can never provide.”  Tired of pasteurized, growth stunted, status-quo beers, CAMRA was formed to support the traditional, cask matured, still fermenting, wood leeching, hand pumped deliciousness that comes straight from the cask.  This beer is naturally carbonated.  This beer is alive.  This beer will keep changing and evolving from one day to the next.

CAMRA goals:

1. Protect and improve consumer rights
2. Promote quality, choice and value for money
3. Support the public house as a focus of community life
4. Campaign for greater appreciation of traditional beers, ciders and perries as part of our national heritage and culture
5. Seek improvements in all licensed premises and throughout the brewing industry

Despite the above definition for real ale, CAMRA also includes bottle conditioned beers under it’s umbrella of real ales. While not served directly from a cask, these are beers that still contain active yeast when they are bottled—usually more yeast is added at bottling for further growth and fermentation.  Most bottle conditioned beers also rely solely on the natural carbonation from the yeast, rather than being injected with CO2 as most cans, bottles, and kegs.  Keeping beer alive and natural is at the heart of the discussion at CAMRA.   Bottle conditioned beer is the connecting point between the two beer camps as we’ll see with Black Isle Brewery, which has a line of Organic Live Bottle Conditioned Beers.

When we got to Inverness, we found out that we were staying less than a block from the Castle Tavern.  Having done little to no beer research, this point was lost on us at first—we were simply told it was a place to get a proper pint.  With about 5 cask beers available, almost all Scottish, the pints were indeed proper.  Within two nights, all of the cask beers had rotated to brand new selections.  Over the next couple of nights we sampled (too) many beers and whiskys:

• An Teallach: Ale
• Atlas: Three Sisters—4.2% ABV
• Cairngorm Brewing Co.: Wildcat—”5.1% ABV, A deep amber coloured ale with a complex malt and fruit flavour, with a delicate bitterness from Challenger and Fuggles hops. Strong and distinctive.”
• Cairngorm Brewing Co.: Howler—”4.2% ABV, Rich flavoured Russet (red/brown) ale. Very smooth with lots of fine condition. The initial strong malt flavours gives way to bitter sweet estery finish with a hint of blackcurrant.”
• Isle of Skye Brewing Co.: Red Cullin—”4.2% ABV, The Skye Brewery’s much-prasied flagship ale. Reddish-hued, slightly malty and nutty in character, smooth to the taste. A multi-award-winning ale, named after the well-known hills of the Isle of Skye.”
• The Orkney Brewery: Corncrake—”Introducing our new seasonal ale Corncrake! at 4.1% abv, it is a straw Gold colour with a white creamy head, soft citrus fruits and floral notes.”
• Fyne Ales: Vital Spark—”4.4% ABV, A very dark ale with a glorious reddish glow. A full bodied ale which is rich in taste with a dry finish.”
• Springbank—10 Year Single Malt Whisky
• Cragganmore—12 Year Old Single Malt Whisky
• Tomatin—12 and 18 Year Old Single Malt Whisky
• ???—One of several undecipherable scribble on a napkin. The best I can figure is that it might say “R2-D2″, but I’m not sure if that has anything to do with beer or whisky.

A quick look at the descriptions and you’ll notice that the ABVs on these beers are really low when compared to the high-octane beers that many craft breweries in the U.S. are pumping out. The first thing I thought when looking at the list is: I don’t think I’ve had a beer under 5% ABV in a long, long time.  For the 382 Portland beers with ABV information that our site is currently tracking, the mean ABV is 6.65% (Min/Max: 4/13, Standard Deviation: 1.74).  Add in my tendency to reach for the bigger beers, and you’ll see I’m way out of my comfort zone with these sessionable beers.

Many of the real ales that I sampled were variations in the red/amber color spectrum with very subtle hop characteristics: less bittering, and much less floral/citrus contributions than we are used to in this region.  Side by side, they were definately distinct from each other, but much less aggressive than many of our local beers. For me, most beers were reminiscent of the Special/Extra Special Bitter, English Brown Ale, and Brown Porter categories. While the real ales I sampled tend to practice subtlety, served at cellar temp, these live beers can still be complex, usually showcasing the malt side of the ale. For a local taste of this tradition and these styles of beers, check out Brewers Union Local 180. It’s the perfect way to see what real ales are all about and well worth the trip down to Oakridge, OR.

The next installment of this article will cover the “new” faces on the Scotland beer scene like Black Isle Brewery and BrewDog.

Article continues here >>.

Check out the rest of the photos here.

Yesterday, my girlfriend noticed a beer bottle in a seldom seen area of the refrigerator, mixed in with the secondary condiments.  She asked me why I was hiding a bottle of Bourbon County Stout (BCS).  I yelled from my spot on the couch that I had just picked it up yesterday.  “You picked up a 2008 yesterday?” she asked.  That piqued my interest.

Earlier this year, we moved to a new house without a basement.  This caused us to move several boxes of cellared beer to a friend’s basement.  Most of the whole cellared lot were moved, but some were consumed in celebration of our new house.  When we couldn’t locate the BCS, I removed it from my meticulous spreadsheet assuming that we had already enjoyed it.  Apparently not.

Finding both the 2008 and 2009 BCS in the fridge we were faced with the inevitable mini-vertical.  Well, we could have put them away for more aging, but sometimes it’s impossible to resist.  Besides, finding that beer seemed like a message from somewhere higher: “Drink me!”  So, both bottles came out of the fridge to sit for about 30 minutes to take the cold bite off.

Then, we dove into the mini-vertical.  Both poured pitch black and as thick as oil.  Each had a dark tan head, with the 2009 version sticking around for much longer.  Even with a year on it, the 2008 was only subtly different than the newest release.  The earlier vintage was a bit smoother, and not quite as hot.  But this is written with my tongue firmly in my cheek, because I can’t imagine what could possibly cool this 13% Bourbon Barrel monster.  It’s already high ABV is only taunted by it’s saturated bourbon flavor.  This beer is not afraid to show its many, sharp teeth.  The 2009 was very heavy on the bourbon right up front: you can smell it, taste it, and possibly even hear it.  The older vintage has aged enough to blend in the bourbon taste with more of the malt character and that taste doesn’t hit as soon or as strong as the newer bottle, but it’s definitely still there.

Final thoughts: My girlfriend has loved this beer since she first tried is a couple of years ago, and it remains as one of the top beers on her ever-evolving list.  I have a feeling that if it came down to me or a bottle of this beer, I wouldn’t make the cut.  For me, this beer certainly is a favorite, but the bourbon is far too strong to make it perfect.  The bottle states that it will age well for up to five years, but I don’t know if I have the patience (or the willpower) for this practice—though I would love to taste a five year cellared version!  Please contact me for cellared donations!

We like to keep most of our coverage on the local Portland beer scene, hence the URL portlandbeer.org. Makes sense to us.  A lot of beer news happens outside of our little beer utopia though.  Some of it is relevant, some of it is interesting.   Though our main concentration will remain in our community, we will be bringing you some worthy news from the outside in an aptly named column called “On the Outside”.

In this first installment, we’re going to cover an outside beer from Firestone Walker, simply called “13″.  You can find Firestone Walker beers in your favorite specialty stores.  Beers such as DBA (Double Barrel Ale), Pale 21 (California Pale Ale), and Union Jack (IPA), are all great representatives of the beers that Firestone Walker crafts.   One thing you’ll notice is that these beers are not riding on any “extreme” beer trends: no hop blasts, no malt bombs.  What they do create are amazing, well-balanced beers.  From complex malt bills to intricate hop additions, these beers are all about subtlety.

And if a beer can be extremely subtle, “13″ leads the way.  Yet, this beer was not brewed.  It was not even fermented.  Well, at least not in the traditional sense.  This beer is a 100% blend.  It is made up entirely of a not-so-secret blend of seven other Firestone Walker beers.  Seven other amazing beers, in fact.  Beers that you would be very lucky to try individually—almost none of which make it to Portland (though, coincidentally, you can check out their Velvet Merkin at the Holiday Ale Festival this week).

Firestone Walker brewer Matt Brynildson.

In a fantastic display of “we’re not so different from you”, the brewery reached out to its winemaking neighbors, who know a thing or two about blending.  Notes from Brew Master, Matt Brynildson: “We were once again honored to enlist seven of the best winemakers from the Paso Robles region to assist in blending.  The blend was created in two sessions over the course of two weeks.  Scott Hawley (www.torrinwine.com) joined us again this year.  He is an exceptional wine maker who makes some incredible small lot wines and does a good dealof vineyard and winemaking consultation.  Matt Trevison (www.linnecalodo.com) played a huge part in this year’s blend.  Sherman Thacher from Thacher Winery was with us this year.  Sherman was a brewer for more than 15 years before he turned to wine making.  His skills were again a wonderful addition to our blending efforts.  My very good friend Steve Martell (www.kaleidoswine.com) joined us for the fourth year in a row.  Neil Collins (www.lonemadrone.com & www.tablascreek.com) was another major force in this blend.  Also from Tablas Creek, assistant winemaker Chelsea Magnusson sat in on our first session and added some great flavor vocabulary to the mix.  Making his first appearance as a beer blender, Eric Jensen (www.bookerwines.com) joined the team.  Eric has developed the amazing Booker vineyard and winery on Paso’s west side.  Along with the wine makers, Tom Griffin who provides many of our barrels, Rick Sellers from Draft Magazine (www.draftmag.com), Pete Slosberg of Pete’s Wicked Ale fame and Arie Litman sat in on the final tasting.  Special thanks go out to Michelle Brown, for organizing the sessions and keeping the notes. This process can get more than a little confusing at times.”  Who knows, maybe my name can be added to the list next year. Are you listening Matt? Check out what goes into this unique beer:

39% of final blend:
Parabola (aged in bourbon barrels)
Russian Imperial Oatmeal Stout
15% ABV, 80 IBU
Hopped with Simcoe, Bravo, Styrian Golding and East Kent Golding

24% of final blend:
Bravo (bourbon barrels 50% / brandy barrels 50%)
Imperial Brown Ale
11% ABV, 35 IBU
Hopped with US Fuggles

15% of final blend:
Velvet Merkin (aged in bourbon barrels)
Traditional Oatmeal Stout
6% ABV, 32.5 IBU
Hopped with US Fuggles

6% of final blend:
Opal (aged in rye barrels)
Wheat Wine
11% ABV, 45 IBU
Hopped with Saaz

6% of final blend:
Rufus (aged in rye barrels)
Continental Imperial Amber Ale
11% ABV, 40 IBU
Hopped with Styrian Goldings and Saaz

6% of final blend:
Double Double Barrel Ale (aged in retired FW union barrels)
Double English Pale Ale
10.9% ABV, 45 IBU
Hopped with Magnum, Styrian Golding, and East Kent Golding

4% of final blend:
Saucerful of Secrets (aged in bourbon barrels)
Belgian Strong Ale
9% ABV, 25 IBU
Hopped with “everything but the kitchen sink”

Firestone Walker XII and 13, to be cracked in one month.

Is there any surprise that it might be hard to discern what goes into this beer by tasting alone?  This beer is way more than the sum of its amazing parts.  It is a wonderful blend that demands sipping, pondering, and daydreaming.  At a price of about $23.99 for a single 650ml bottle, this probably doesn’t fall within your normal beer purchase range.   Due to its careful and deliberate blending, amazing heritage, and very limited quantity, it’s a solid value for any beer connoisseur out there.   Serve at 55°F, relax, and enjoy this one of a kind beer.

In keeping with full disclosure, Firestone Walker did send me a sample of 13.  In another disclosure, I’ve since purchased two more bottles.  One to be paired with my last XII from last year and one to crack open next year at our annual New Year’s Day tasting.