Finding the Holy Grail

We are predators. This impulse, embedded deep in the most primitive reaches of our lizard brains, is ancient and mostly unused. We do not have to rely on this hardwiring when we stop by the meat counter at the grocery store (or tofu aisle). And yet it's there, waiting to guide us.

Avid fans of anything (WWII memorabilia, cars, beanie babies) know the experience of the hunt. Not for wildebeest, but for the elusive ephemera needed to round out a collection. Beer geeks are no less avid, and we can occasionally stoke our predator lizard brain with a hunt for the obscure. Last night, much by chance, I happened to discover, finally, long after I thought all hope was lost, a tap with Collaborator CXI, that pumpernickel-bread beer I have been seeking.

With a spare hour of free time, I stopped into Belmont Station last night and there it was. Belmont is currently hosting its Bigger, Badder, Blacker beer week, and there are a lot of great pours to be had: the Abyss, Chocolate Oak-Aged Yeti (the night's buzz beer), Life and Limb, Velvet Merkin, etc. But it was the Collaborator, along with that rush of excitement at a found object, for me.

In a case like this, it hardly matters how good the beer is. And yet, as an added bonus, the beer was exceptional. It was served, in the Belmont fashion, in a tulip glass--perfect to capture the complex aroma coming off the beer. Pumpernickel bread loaves were added to the mash, and the aroma is oven-fresh, yet not so much of bread. Cake, perhaps, and chocolate and a touch of evergreen. The sensuous body is creamy and frothy--retaining a nice skiff of head to the last drop. The flavors are like the aroma, a quarter turn left of expectations. It's a dark, earthy beer, with spicy, herbal notes. The rye comes through as peppery-minty, but is subtle enough that it hangs behind the more expected nutty, chocolatey first notes. A big beer at 8.5%, with the requisite warming but no sharp edges.

One of the best beers I've had in recent memory, and I wish it was easier to make and likely to be seen again. But, since it's not, I have at least the consolation of knowing that at least my lizard brain will keep its memory close, waiting for a chance to strike again.

Collaborator CXI, a Pumpernickel Ale

Folks, I wanted to mention that the 11th-Anniversary Collaborator beer is now on tap at It's a Beautiful Pizza (3342 SE Belmont) and at the Widmer Gasthaus. This is a very special beer, sort of the tenth anniversary, but brewed a tad late. I've been waiting on it for months, but haven't yet had a pint. With luck, it will start appearing elsewhere soon.

To whet your interest, here is a brief description from a member of the Brew Crew. The beer was made not just with rye, but actual pumpernickel bread. (According to Wikipedia, pumpernickel is a mixture of rye flour and whole rye berries. So, they added bread straight to the mash:

"Twenty 3lb loaves of pumpernickel rye bread were hand-split and added to the mash. True pumpernickel flour (not just standard rye flour) is pretty difficult to find, and Ike had to do some work to find a bakery that could fill the order."

It's a big boy, perfect for the weather--8.3%, 19.5° Plato. Homebrew architect Michel Brown says of it " The finished beer tastes malty, yet hoppy, with nice nutty coffee/chocolatey/herbal flavors and aromas from the bread. The alcohol is hidden nicely without any harshness or warming being detected."

The Collaborator Project is a joint effort between the Oregon Brew Crew Homebrew Club and the Widmer Brothers. The homebrewers come up with the recipe, and the Widmers step it up to a commercial 10-barrel recipe. And then you can find it on tap around town. Encourage them and go have a pint--

Ten Years of Collaborator

John Foyston has a very nice post about the Collaborator project, which turns ten this year (the first beer was released in January, 1998):

The partnership, known as the "Collaborator Project," began in the spring of 1997 when members of the Oregon Brew Crew lamented the fact that there were many outstanding beer styles that were not being brewed by their local breweries. As a result, Kurt and Rob Widmer, members of the Oregon Brew Crew themselves, invited members of the home brewing club to work with the Widmer Brothers Brewing team in identifying and creating the unique beers they felt were missing. 2007 marks the Collaborator Project's 10th anniversary.

He also includes a list of the beers produced in the Collaborator project, along with the names of the brewers. You'll see some familiar ones--Noel Blake (writer, brewer, man about town), Ken Johnson (whose Scotch Ale is now made in his microbrewery), Preston Weesner (maestro of the recently-concluded Holiday Ale Fest), Brian Butenschoen (Director, Oregon Brewers Guild), and more.

01/22/98: Milk Stout - Jeff Brinlee, Jeff Langley, Ken Bietschek
02/12/98: English Brown - Scott Sanders
00/00/98: Belgian Dubbel - NA
05/05/99: Belgian Wit - Noel Blake, Martin Wilde
10/28/99: Hallucinator - Gary Corbin, Mike Rasmussen
12/20/99: La Vie - Martin Wilde
02/28/00: Bermuda Schwartz - Eric Dana
05/16/00: Pre Prohibition Lager - Curt Hausam
12/22/00: Steel Bridge Porter - Noel Blake
08/30/01: HB 25 - Mitch Scheele
12/14/01: Hop Nation - Matt Hollingsworth
03/07/02: Fearless Scotch Ale - Ken Johnson
10/09/02: Sled Crasher - Noel Blake
01/24/03: Moore Fearless Maibock - Ken Johnson, Preston Weesner
11/13/03: Saul's Stout - Ingmar Saul
04/08/04: Saison Christophe - Bill Schneller, Chris Johnson
12/06/04: Alpenhorn Vienna Lager - Mitch Scheele
03/25/05: Hopnosis - Brian Butenschoen
00/00/05: Zephyr - Dan Schultz
10/06/05: Lagerhead Pilsner - Bill Schneller, Chris Johnson
01/06/06: Big C Stout - Craig Edwards
00/08/06: Ember Ale - Jamie Dull
00/03/07: Continuum Brown - Scott Sanders
00/07/07: Rawkin Bock - Noel Blake
00/09/07: Cascadian Dark Ale - Patrick Miller

I was just starting my stint as Willamette Week beer writer when this project began, and I remember what an innovation it seemed like--not to mention a slightly dangerous thing for a commercial brewery to undertake (what if the Collaborator beers were better; what if they sold more; what if ... ?--these are the kinds of questions marketing asks, usually dooming ventures such as these). One of the main movers and shakers of that era was Bob McCracken, a lively, healthy advocate for homebrew who took me out for more than one beer. Gary Corbin, writing in an email, tells what happened next:

Then-OBC President Bob McCracken and Rob and Kurt Widmer originated this program back in the late 90's. The scholarship was named for Bob after his untimely death at the young age of, I believe, 38, in the last scheduled month of his OBC stewardship.

As a result, the proceeds from the project that go to a scholarship fund at OSU are now named in his honor--the Bob McCracken Scholarship Fund.

It's been a wonderful experiment, and I hope this is just the first of many decades of good beer to come.

Collaborative Releases of Note

The Collaborator Project is announcing its current release of "Continuum Brown Ale." (Collaborator, you'll recall from my Snow Plow review, is a partnership between the Brew Crew, a Portland homebrew club, and Widmer.) The beer will debut tonight at the Brooklyn Park Pub (3400 SE Milwaukie Ave.). The homebrewer who created the recipe is named Scott Sanders, and he'll join Rob Widmer at the pub from 6-9pm. I believe the style is an English brown ale.

I probably won't get into the habit of mentioning press releases I receive, but this came in the inbox today, and it's just intriguing enough to pass along (emphasis mine):

The Pelican Pub & Brewery (Pacific City, OR) and Midnight Sun Brewing (Anchorage, AK) are inviting beer fans to join them in their Conspiracy:

Conspiracy is a collaboration brew between Midnight Sun Brewing and Pelican Pub & Brewery. During a trip to Alaska for the Great Alaskan Beer & Barley Wine Fest, Ben Love of Pelican conspired with Gabe Fletcher and Ben Johnson of Midnight Sun to brew a Belgian-Style Black Beer. Conspiracy features a rich, spicy aroma with hints of dark fruit, raisin, roast and caramel. A toasted and slightly roasty flavor lead into caramel and a super smooth finish. Debittered black malt was used to get the jet-black color and tan head without adding significant roast flavor. The brewers also added Belgian candi sugar and Mexican Piloncillo sugar (a maple-sugar-like brown sugar) to increase fermentability and depth of flavor. Conspiracy comes in at 8.5 percent ABV and 25 IBUs.

A release party is scheduled for Thursday, April 5 at 7 p.m. at the Horse Brass Pub, 4534 SE Belmont St . Gabe Fletcher (Head brewer at Midnight Sun) is making the trip to Portland for the release party and is also bringing along kegs of Midnight Sun's Envy Imperial Pils (9% ABV), Gluttony Triple IPA (11%) and FH Double IPA (9%). This will be a one-time-only chance to try these beers on draft outside of Alaska . All the beers will be tapped at 7pm. Conspiracy and Envy will be available at $3.50/glass & FH will cost $5/pint.

There will also be a bottle release event on Friday, April 6 from 5-7 p.m. in the new café at Belmont Station. Gabe Fletcher & Ben Love will be there to pour and talk about Conspiracy. Guests will be able to purchase a 4oz taster or a bottle to enjoy there or take home.

I'll mention it again as the events approach. Sounds interesting, though.