Full Sail Hop Pursuit IPA.

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:

• Dog Fighting Clinic
• Dog Log

Southern Oregon Brewing’s Old Humbug Winter Warmer. You can probably guess from the Brewery’s name that they don’t reside in Portland.  However, now that they are bottling, it’s much easier to get your grubby hands on their beers here in PDX.  Sure, Scrooge and humbugging are related to the Winter season, but “old” this and “old” that are traditionally reserved for Barleywine style ales.  Oh well, with a beer this good, I won’t hold it against ‘em.  No notes at this point, but I’ll definitely go back and try the other available styles and hope that they’re as good as this one!

Deschutes Red Chair NWPA.

• Spring Seasonal (6-packs, 12-packs and draft)
• From the brewery: “Not up for a full–on hop assault? Red Chair NWPA is a smoother ride. Seven select European and domestic malts take a surprisingly plush, satin turn on the way to a citrusy hop kick. Edges out, layers in. Witness the subtle, aromatic seduction of the debut Northwest Pale Ale.  Red Chair NWPA is named for the oldest operating chairlift at Mt. Bachelor: a classic, old-school lift that locals seek out on fresh powder mornings.”
• Available everywhere except Oregon and Washington in January; Oregon and Washington will receive Red Chair NWPA when Cinder Cone Red runs out.

Looks like the faster we drink all of the Cinder Cone Red, the sooner we’ll see Red Chair NWPA in Oregon and Washington.  Luckily for us, there’s an event that will help us do just that:

The Last Run of Cinder Cone: Celebrating the Life of Cinder Cone Red

WHAT: That’s right, we are toasting a fond farewell to Cinder Cone Red this year, and making way for the Red Chair NWPA. Are you clutching your hair and screaming “WHY!?” Well, we’d love to bottle and distribute every beer we come up with, but if we tried that our team would be the ones screaming. Come give us your own words of farewell on our “Memorial Wall” and enter to win some great raffle prizes, including ski lift tickets, lodging, beer and more.

WHEN: January 5^th, 2010  / 6 pm

WHERE: Deschutes Brewery Pubs

Bell’s Expedition Stout. Nope not a Portland beer.  Not even a West Coast beer.  But that’s the point of the holidays: give, give, give.  I give out a lot of beer realted presents for the holidays, and sometimes I get some in return.  This year, portlandbeer.org contributor Ian gifted me my first Bell’s beer: Expedition Stout.  Hopefully, the first of many (hint, hint).  It wouldn’t be the holidays without some grovelling, right!

Laurelwood’s Auld Battle Axe. This year, for their limited addition 1 Liter swing-top release, Laurelwood brings us a Scotch-style ale.  This is a style that’s not seen too often around Portland.  Big on malt, high in alcohol, and very low on bitterness, this falls way outside of the comfort zone of many a PDX hop head.  But during these last few bitter cold days, this beer really hits the spot–warming you up from the inside with its 10% ABV.  Roasty, nutty, and sweet, this beer is a great example of a Strong Scotch Ale.

My fingers are crossed that some is tucked away in a single oak barrel.  Hmm, maybe a bourbon, scotch whisky, or sherry barrel.  And there it will sit, until March, just before Winter breaks.  And I will get an anonymous call, just a whisper,  saying “Matt, get to Laurelwood quickly!  They’ve just tapped the barrel of lightly aged Auld Battle Axe and they want you take take the inaugural sip.  Hell, they’ve even named this edition after you: Matt’s Barrel-aged Battle Axe…”

Well, while I’m dreaming, I might as well make it great, right?  Laurelwood, I’ll be waiting by the phone.

2009 Holiday Ale Festival. Wish I could sneak out of work early today. Email me if you feel like staging a kidnapping.

2009 Full Sail Wreck the Halls. While other beers go malty, this winter beer leans toward hoppy. In fact, it’s labeled as a “hoppy holiday ale”. The only thing wrong with this beer is that I only bought one. Delicious!

2009 Full Sail Wassail. Here come the winter beers! “It’s the most wonderful time of the year…”

Bailey’s Taproom. Finally, a much needed night out after work, work, work. We ended up at Bailey’s Taproom for a few beers on a typical rainy and dark Wednesday in Portland. Perfect night to warm up around a great selection of beers! Well, now that I think about it, isn’t every night?

Check out the rest of the photos here.