About Beervana

nirvana (n) - The ineffable, ultimate state in which one has attained the transcendent union of wisdom and compassion.

Beervana (n) -

(1) The ineffable state in which one has attained transcendent union of malt and hops;

(2) Portland; Oregon.

Me.

Beervana was founded in January 2006 as largely a Portland-area blog. It was one of the earlier beer blogs--though nowhere near the earliest. Over time, it has morphed somewhat as my focus has broadened.

In Spring 2012 Chronicle Books will publish The Beer Tasting Toolkit, my beginner's guide to beer tasting. I'm currently working on The Beer Bible for Workman Publishing. It's a companion piece to Karen MacNeil's wildly successful Wine Bible. The manuscript is due in May 2013 and Workman hasn't set a publication date. You can read more about that project here.

In the meantime, I'll keep blogging here. You might also be interested in my Tumblr photo page, which is a document of the amazing places I've visited while writing the book. Of course, I also have the obligatory Twitter feed and Facebook page, because the future of media is redundancy.

Oregon Breweries

The following companies produce distributed, bottled beer (many brewpubs sell growlers and 22-ounce bottles on-site). These breweries may also have an attached brewpub/restaurant; see Brewpubs section for information.


BridgePort Brewing Company
Founded: 1984
Ownership: Acquired by the Gambrinus Company in 1995
Brewer: Karl Ockert
Regular beers: IPA, Blue Heron (pale), ESB, Blackstrap Stout, Ropewalk (session), Ebenezer (winter warmer), Supris (Belgian golden), Old Knucklehead (barleywine)
Contact: 1313 N.W. Marshall, Portland, OR 97209. (503) 241-7179
Web: www.bridgeportbrew.com


Cascade Lakes Brewing Company
Founded: 1994
Brewer: Mark Henion
Regular beers: Rooster Tail Ale (golden), Monkey Face Porter, Angus MacDougals (amber), I.P.A., Pine Marten Pale Ale, 20" Brown, Blonde Bombshell.
Contact: 2141 SW First St., Redmond, OR 97756. 541.923.3110
Web: www.cascadelakes.com


Deschutes Brewery
Founded: 1988
Ownership: Founded and independently owned by Gary Fish.
Brewer: Larry Sidor
Regular beers: Black Butte Porter, Mirror Pond Pale, Obsidian Stout, Inversion IPA, Bachelor ESB, Cascade Ale, Buzzsaw Brown, Twilight Ale (session) and Jubelale (winter warmer)
Contact: 901 SW Simpson Ave., Bend, OR 97702. (541) 385-8606 Tours: Saturdays noon to 4 pm.
Web: www.deschutesbrewery.com


Full Sail Brewing
Founded: 1987
Ownership: Became a worker-owned brewery in 1999.
Brewers: Jamie Emmerson, John Harris
Regular beers: Amber, Pale, IPA, Rip Curl (English pale), Session Lager, Wassail (winter warmer), Old Boardhead (barleywine)
Contact: 506 Columbia St., Hood River, OR 97031. (541) 386-2247. Tours: daily on the hour 1-4 pm.
Web: www.fullsailbrewing.com/


Golden Valley Brewery
Founded: 1993
Brewer: Mark Vickery
Regular beers: Red Thistle Ale, Geist Bock, Tannen Bomb
Contact: 980 NE 4th St., McMinnville, OR 97128. (503) 472-2739
Web: www.goldenvalleybrewery.com


Hair of the Dog Brewing Company
Founded: 1993
Brewer: Alan Sprints
Regular beers: Adam, Rose, Fred, Ruth, Doggie Claws
Contact: 4509 SE 23rd, Portland, OR 97202. (503) 232-6585. Call for tour info.
Web: www.hairofthedog.com


MacTarnahan's (Portland Brewing Company/Pyramid)
Founded: 1986
Ownership: Acquired by Pyramid Brewing in January 2004
Brewer: Unknown (Lost in the corporate halls of Pyramid)
Regular beers: MacTarnahan's (amber), Oregon Honey Beer, Blackwatch Cream Porter
Contact: 2730 NW 31st Ave., Portland, OR 97210. (503) 226.7623
Web: www.macsbeer.com


Rogue Ales
Founded: 1988
Ownership: Independently founded and owned by Jack Joyce, Rob Strasser, and Bob Woodell
Brewer: John Maier
Regular beers: The most prolific brewer of beers styles. Regulars include Dead Guy Ale (amber), Younger's Special Bitter, Shakespeare Stout, Old Crustacean (barleywine), Mocha Porter.
Contact: 2320 OSU Drive, Newport, OR 97365. (541) 867-3660. Tours every day at 4.
Web: www.rogue.com


Siletz Brewing Company
Founded: 1995
Owner/brewer: Steve Lovin
Regular beers: (All beers available in 22 oz bottles only.) Paddle Me IPA, Oatmeal Stout, Spruce Ale, Red Ale,
Contact: 243 N. Gaither St., Siletz, OR 97380. (541) 574-6323
Web: www.siletzbrewing.com


Terminal Gravity Brewing Company
Founded: 1995
Owner/brewers: Steve Carper, Dean Duquette
Regular beers: IPA (other products available draft-only)
Contact: 803 SE School St., Enterprise, OR 97828. (503) 426-0158
Web: www.terminalgravitybrewing.com/


Widmer Brothers Brewing Company
Founded: 1984
Ownership: In 1997, the brothers created a "strategic partnership" by selling a minority share of the company to Anheuser-Busch in exchange for access to AB's vast distribution network.
Brewers: Kurt Widmer, Sebastian Pastore
Regular beers: Hefeweizen, Drop Top Amber, Broken Halo IPA, Widberry, Snow Plow (milk stout), Oktoberfest
Contact: 929 N. Russell, Portland, OR 97227. (503) 331-7241 Brewery tours available.
Web: http://www.widmer.com/

Picture dump.

Well, this spells doom.