OBF 2008 - The Final Roundup

I have been meaning to link to some of the commentary around the blogosphere a little earlier than a day after the event, but follow the links anyway--the edify nonetheless.

Reviews:
Rooftop Brew liked Boundary Bay and Hop Stoopid. Angelo has a nice review of the event, including beer reviews and pictures. Matt Dolman, a San Diegan, offers the out-of-towner perspective. Bill has two posts, a first look and a fuller review; he likes the Full Nelson, proving that you have to try the beers rather than trusting bloggers. Suds Sister, whose fine preview I failed to link, reminds me that I like Matilda from Goose Island a lot, too (her review's in the comments).

Something of a consensus is emerging on a few beers: Hop Stoopid, Boundary Bay, New Holland (Dragon's Milk), Rogue Glen, and of course, Pliny. A surprising amount of love was also given to the strange beers of Roots (Calypso) and Rock Bottom (Congo Queen), and I concur. (Suds Sister dissents on Roots.) Risky and successful experiments.

Pictures
John has a few nice ones, including a dandy of John Harris. Looks like he has a better camera these days, too. Also, Lighthouse Photo Art has 428 (!) pics, should you wish to get a full sense of the event.

Other Odds and Ends
I went back on Sunday for another dram of Dragon's Milk--I wanted a fresh taste--having both the mug and six tokens. I got there at noon, and there was a line of 30 people. I don't know the official word on "buzz beers," but that's gotta be in the conversation.

Also, I meant to say that I noticed one brewery had two beers at the fest, and I consider this an outrage: MacTarnahan's and Pyramid. I know that Mac's (nee Portland Brewing) was one of the founders, but it's unconscionable to give up two taps to a single brewery with two brands. I doubt it will change, and it is almost certain to worsen, as Widhook will probably get two taps next year. Nevertheless, my advice: cut it out, OBF.

My Pics
I'll download some of my pics today and post them here. I tried to do crowd shots at regular intervals to demonstrate the Friday crowd. We'll see how well they turned out.

Here they are (clear evidence only that it was super busy from midafternoon onward):

2 pm

4 pm

5:30 pm

7 pm

OBF - Saturday Edition

I am feeling a little more spry this morning than I expected. Apparently two decades of beer fests has taught me a thing or two about avoiding the worst ravages. [My technique: a fair amount of Gatorade on the morning of the fest to fully hydrate, a large meal of meat beforehand (I hop off the vegetarian wagon to save my body), water throughout the fest, stopping drinking relatively early (seven is ideal), more Gatorade in the evening, and Ibuprofen at bedtime.]

I took some photos which I'll post later, but a couple of comments for those of you heading out today:

• Get to the Pliny early. It was blown by 3 yesterday.
• Try the New Holland Dragon's Milk, a creamy, vanilla-y bourbon-cask aged strong ale from Michigan. A big winner, and it blew early, too.
• Eugene (aka Rogue) City 100 Meter Ale is wedged in awkwardly behind a part of the southernmost section of the north tent, and when those lines start getting very long, you can sneak in there quickly. It's not the best beer at the fest, but it's solid, and very hoppy for those of you with dull palates.
• Beers I liked in addition to those I mentioned yesterday included Goose Island Matilda (a tasty, zesty Belgian), Kona Mac Nut Brown (not at all sweet, but nutty and satisfying), Boundary Bay Crystal Pale, Laughing Dog Rocket Dog (an approachable rye), and Wild River Kolsch (a nice example of style).
  

Rants

It is getting busier every year. Things were super packed by three and only picked up steam. The population did, however, plateau at about six.

Water is hard to come buy. There are infrequently-placed mug-washing stations that dribble out (apparently potable, for I drank from them all afternoon) water.

Dust dust dust. Cough.

Raves

They have a new superstructure in place of the old north tent that better shields the sun. It's a tent, I guess, but it is like an airplane hangar.

On the north side, the volunteers used to bake in the sun, but this year, they've put up awnings for the folks to stand under.

As always, I invite you to continue to ad your thoughts. There's a bunch of chatter in the blogosphere, and I'll link to posts later today. Off to catch some breakfast now--

First Reax to the OBF

The good folks at the OBF invited the media for a tasting this afternoon (lax standards, allowing me in as "media," but generous!). Noel Blake, the scholar and gentleman from the Oregon Brew Crew guided us through a selection of--I'm not making this up--18 beers. (!) I cleverly left my notes at work, so I'll be offering truncated half memories here. The nuances will be lost, but especially those that were very good, weird, or bad, I do recall.

Make sure to try these:

• Bell's Porter. I was excited to see Bell's was coming, but slightly disappointed that they sent a pedestrian selection like this. Familiar style, true, but perfectly executed--roasty, creamy, delicious. When you crave a good porter, this is the beer you're thinking of.
• Roots Calypso. This beer is inspired by the cuisine of the caribbean, and it is a perfect evocation. It smells dangerously peppery, but the heat is subdued, and marries beautifully with the sweetness of the apricot. Won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it's a tour de force of high-concept brewing.
• Rock Bottom Congo Queen. This is a great beer to have after your mouth is feeling coated and you want a light palate cleanser. There are many herbs in the beer, but principally subtle use of juniper berries, which give it a minty-fresh flavor. Since that's not what people normally look for in beer, I'll add that it was tasty and welcome.
  
• Lagunitas Hop Stoopid. I just kept taking hits off the aroma before I tried this beer--it was like someone had plunked a pinecone in my cup. The beer is surprisingly gentle and the hops are not biting. It's a piney experience, and almost made me feel transported to the forest. I could recommend this to nearly everyone and know they'd thank me. (The previous two are ... riskier recommendations.)
  

Your choice:

• Flying Fish Dubbel. A gentle beer that was made with cherries--a fact I had missed. They are subtle, but add a nice layer of interest.
• Golden Valley Cote d'Or. This is another fermentation away from perfect. It was wonderful at the start--spicy, zesty, slightly sweet, and heady, but it finished with a cloying final note. If it could ferment out some more, it would dry and become delicious.
• Rogue Glen. Like Hop Stoopid, this was a surprisingly approachable big beer. Totally in balance, creamy and very tasty. Definitely consider short-listing it.
  
• Caldera Ginger Ale. I admired this beer but considered it ultimately a noble failure. Ginger can overwhelm a beer, but Caldera got it just right. Unfortunately, the rest of the beer was a little underdeveloped and finished with a hollow note. Fred Eckhardt, sitting across the table, suggested it could have used dry hopping. Good suggestion.
  
• BridgePort Hop Czar. This was the second-to-last beer of the 18, and I found it slightly muddy, but overall tasty. I don't deny that the muddiness could have been from my side, not the beer's.
  
• Surly Coffee Bender. This one got appreciative nods and smiles, but I found it tasted like carbonated coffee. Good coffee--mighty good coffee, but not really like beer.
• Fifty Fifty White. This was one of those beers I wanted to like but found I couldn't. It was almost mediciney in its herbal intensity.
  
• Collaborator Rye. (Not sure what the actual name is.) This is a good beer to sample if you're unsure what rye tastes like. That very sharp, dry note--that's it. To my palate, this beer was a bit too much of everything. Still, once you try it, you'll never mistake rye again.
• Cascade Raspberry Wheat. More interesting than I expected, but I expected it to be terrible. You'll know by the name if it's for you or not.
  

Maybe not:

• Widmer Full Nelson. Now I know what New Zealand's Nelson hops taste like. Sort of a cross between oranges and cat pee. Mmmm, no.
  
• Hopworks Pilsner. I've had this at the brewery and it was fine, if uninspired. Our batch had a problem though--the cabbagy, cooked vegetable quality of DMS. Maybe just a bad keg?
  
• McMenamins Madman Jack's Insane. I have to say I have only once ever smelled a beer worse than this, and it was a spoiled batch of homebrew I made early on. Smells like ... like .... Well, I don't know, but I never want to smell it again. The flavor might be tolerable, but I couldn't get past the nose.

That's sixteen, so I missed one (Pliny was the other, see below). But it's a good place to start. I should also mention that after the first 13, Noel did a Double IPA taste-off with Madman Jack's, Hop Czar, Full Nelson, Hop Stoopid, and Pliny. It was a crazy way to finish a tasting, and the winner was a foregone conclusion. When Noel had people raise their hands for their faves, Hop Stoopid got a few hands, and Widmer and BridgePort got a couple. Pliny got not only 80% of the hands, but a rousing cheer as well. So all my Pliny boosterism was vindicated by this august panel of tasters.

What have you been trying? What's good? What's to be avoided? Tomorrow's my big day, and on Saturday I'll post more thoughts. Keep the chatter up!

Oregon Brewers Fest Preview

Today begins the 21st installment of the Oregon Brewers Fest. Our fairest celebration of good beer has passed through adolescence and is now ready for her first legal IPA. Good beer is so firmly established in Oregon that we forget how much has changed in such a short time. When Widmer, BridgePort, and Portland Brewing (now MacTarnahan's/Pyramid) threw the first OBF--essentially a kegger to promote craft beer--we were in the tail end of the Reagan administration. There were only 124 craft breweries nationwide (there are nearly as many in Oregon today). The fest featured 16 beers from 13 breweries, and was a hit from the start. There are many reasons Oregon is now known as Beervana, but the OBF is among the most important.

When Art Larrance and his cohorts first put the fest on one score and one ago, they were trying to promote craft beer; they did better than that--they helped jump start Beervana. This is the weekend of our annual suds sabbath, and if you are feeling oppressed by the noise, chaos, throngs, and long lines, remember what this fest has wrought, and raise your cheap plastic mug (another oppression to sensitive palates) to this event. Under the tents of the Fest, we find our cathedral; the OBF is the beer geek's Notre Dame. So Cheers! Prost! Sláinte! L'Chaim! Happy 21st, OBF!

Now, to the beers....

Ten to Try

Recommending beers you've never tasted poses a challenge to the previewer. One could safely fall back on those one knows and recommend with calm assurance--for example, Pliny and Ninkasi Total Domination. But we don't go to the Fest to enjoy beers we love, we go there to try the new and exciting. Later this afternoon I'll have a chance to go to the media guided tour (updates thereafter), but for now I will rely on my sometimes spotty wiles, read between the lines of the descriptions, and come up with my best bets for interesting beers to try. As always, reader beware. For the sake of amusement, I'll go in reverse alphabetical order.


Widmer Full Nelson IPA (Portland, Oregon)
Description: A huge IPA with a rare New Zealand hop (Nelson Sauvin--hence the beer's name). The Widmers always brew something special, and this is the 2008 edition.
Who will like it: Hopheads and hop connoisseurs interested in trying a new variety.
Stats: 1.088 OG, 10% abv, 70 IBUs.


Surly Coffee Bender (Brooklyn Center, Minnesota)
Description: Bender is a regular beer at Surly made with five malts and oatmeal. To this they have added estate Guatemalan coffee to the beer after fermentation. Guatemalan coffee is known for its gentle character, so it should complement a brown nicely.
Who will like it: Fans of malty beers and those who, like me, will be needing a caffeine fix roundabout midafternoon.
Stats: 1.058 OG, 5.6% abv, 40 IBUs.


Roots Calypso (Portland, Oregon)
Description: Okay, sure, you could literally walk across the bridge and try this, but it's too exotic to ignore. A wheat beer made with apricots and scotch bonnet peppers--the extremely spicy relatives of the habenero used to spice Caribbean dishes. Not clear if it will be sweet or spicy or a little bit of both.
Who will like it: Fans of experimental beers. Really experimental beers.
Stats: 1.044 OG, 4.4% abv, 14 IBUs.


Laughing Dog Rocket Dog (Ponderay, ID)
Description: I am playing a hunch on this one. It's a red rye ale that promises layered hopping.
Who will like it: Everyone, if my hunch pans out, but mostly hopheads and fans of the dry, spicy quality of rye beers.
Stats: 1.062 OG, 6.9% abv, 67 IBUs


Green Flash Hop Head Red (Vista, CA)
Description: A crowd-pleasing hoppy red that should be nicely balanced and tasty.
Who will like it: Based on the stats and the reputation of the brewery, this may be as close to a universal beer as you'll find at the fest.
Stats: 1.062 OG, 6.3% abv, 45 IBUs


Goose Island Matilda (Chicago, Illinois)
Description: The more I read the description, the more I wonder if this isn't an Orval-inspired Belgian. In any case, the yeast contains some of the dangerous Brettanomyces, which is enough to lure me in.
Who will like it: Anyone tired of hops and looking for something new and interesting. And fans of native son Barack Obama.
Stats: 1.062 OG, 7% abv, 32 IBUs


Fifty Fifty Foggy Goggle White (Truckee, California)
Description: Of all the Belgian wits here this year, I am most intrigued by Fifty Fifty's. It is made not only with a unique stew of spices (orange peel, lemon peel, chamomile, coriander, rose hips), but the brewers employed a sour mash, a mixture of yeast strains, and a little lactic acid for tartness.
Who will like it: This may be a step beyond for casual drinkers. I'm guessing the beer geeks will love to try to sort out which flavor characteristics are contributed by which processes and ingredients. An easter-egg hunt in a beer.
Stats: 1.062 OG, 6% abv, 21 IBUs


Caldera Ginger Ale (Ashland, Oregon)
Description: Caldera is one of Oregon's premier breweries, but this offering is something different--a pale ale spiced mainly with ginger.
Who will like it: Truthfully?--people who don't like their beer too "beery." But those who like offbeat beers with adjuncts (like me!) may also appreciate it as a contrast.
Stats: 1.042 OG, 4.7% abv, 10 IBUs


BridgePort Hop Czar (Portland, Oregon)
Description: BridgePort's latest "Big Brew," with lots and lots and lots of Nugget, Chinook, Centennial, and Cascade hops. It should be a quintessential Northwest hop bomb.
Who will like it: Hopheads.
Stats: 1.071 OG, 8% abv, 100 IBUs


Boundary Bay Dry-Hopped Crystal Pale (Bellingham, Washington)
Description: A single-hopped pale made for the OBF. Boundary Bay is one of those small breweries with exceptional beers and an outsized reputation. I have no doubt that this beer will add to the mystique.
Who will like it: Fans of well-made, classically Northwest ales (ie, everyone).
Stats: 1.056 OG, 6% abv, 45 IBUs

Wild Cards

Rogue Glen (Newport, Oregon)
Never discount a Rogue. Like Widmer, the boys from Newport often send a "buzz" beer to the fest. Glen is made in honor of Glen Falconer, late brewer of Eugene's Wild Duck. Perhaps John Maier is honoring Glen's most famous brew, Sasquatch Strong with this one, which weighs in at 8.7% and 74 IBUs.

Rock Bottom Congo Queen (Portland, Oregon)
Rock Bottom's interesting entrant is a Sorghum-based beer made with ginger, coriander, juniper berries, grains of paradise, lime zest and lime juice and fermented with the yeast strain from this year's Cheers to Belgian Beers (LaChouffe).

Kona Macadamia Nut Brown (Kona, Big Island, Hawaii)
A new beer from Kona. A brown ale made with macadamia nut honey. Dunno if the honey contributes nut flavor, but I was impressed enough by Kona beers when I was there in January that I'm willing to take a shot. A good beer to try early.

Golden Valley Cote d'Or (McMinnville, Oregon)
The brewery translates Cote d'Or as "golden slope," but I like the one I found on the internet--"golden hillside." It is a more poetic nod to the brewery's name and to the rolling hills and valleys of Yamhill County. This beer is a strong Belgian golden aged in oak barrels, a growing specialty of the brewery.

Flying Fish Dubbel (Cherry Hill, NJ)
This is a much-anticipated abbey ale from a well-regarded brewery, but I'll confess that last year's bourbon-aged variant left me cold. Still, I'll give this one a shot, so much do I love Belgium and New Jersey.


Others
Standing Stone Almond Brown Ale is made with almond flour and could be transcendent ... or weird. Old Market sends a kitchen-sink beer, Hopcask Triple Tripel, a Belgian with lots of hops (Saaz, Tettnanger) and aged in a bourbon barrel. From the Hillsdale McMenamins comes Madman Jack's Insane, winner of the Hillsdale Brewfest and a burly 8% beer with a shocking 113 IBUs. You have probably had it already, but Allagash White is one of the first witbeers brewed in the US and the flagship of this most interesting Portland, Maine brewery. Bison Chocolate Organic Stout is a tasty fan fave and a nice, sweet alternative to some of the hop bombs.

OBF Beers by Style

I made a .pdf of the beers at this year's OBF arranged by style. I actually sorted the beers a bit, since many of the "styles" listed online aren't actual beer styles but descriptions. It may or may not be useful, but I'm fooling around with new technologies. So enjoy.

OBF by Style - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: OBF by Style

Oregon Brewers Fest By the Numbers

The first of many OBF-related posts continues with this numerical breakdown of the fest. I may add purty graph(s) later. Or a PDF of the beers by category. Or ... ? Well, we'll see how busy I get.

Total beers: 72
Total breweries: 72
States represented: 17
Percent Oregon: 40%
Percent California: 21%
Percent Upper Midwest: 10%
Percent Washington: 10%

Number of styles: 24
IPAs: 9 (13%)
Pale ales: 7 (10%)
Total wheat ales: 11 (15%)
Belgian witbiers: 6 (8%)
Fruit wheats: 4 (6%)
Beers with adjuncts: 17 (24%)
Minimum number of years in a row 21st Amendment brewery has brought Watermelon Wheat: 7


Breakdown of styles and the number of beers in each:

Amber ale/alt: 5
American lager: 1
Belgian ale: 5
Belgian witbier: 6
Bitter: 1
Bock: 2
Brown ale: 2
Coffee-flavored ale: 1
Cream ale: 1
Double IPA: 4
ESB: 1
Extra pale ale: 4
IPA: 9
Kolsch: 3
Pale ale: 7
Pilsner (German and Czech): 4
Porter: 1
Red ale: 2
Rye ale: 1
Spiced beer (excluding wit): 2
Stout: 2
Strong ale: 2
Wheat: 1
Fruit wheat: 2

Compared to past years, this is nice style diversity. Last year there were 15 IPAs and another six Double IPAs. There were also only 14 states, so we've increased our diversity a bit there, too (although fully 71% are from the West Coast.)

Oregon Brewers Festival: Pliny Ho

I just took my first gander at the beer list for the OBF (yes, at this late date; been one of those kinds of summers). There are some beers and/or breweries of definite interest (the much-celebrated Bell's from Michigan, BridgePort Hop Czar, Kona Macadamia Nut Brown, etc.), but mine eyes looked to see the glory of the coming of the Pliny. And there, under the "R's" (Russian River) did I behold it. Oh, hosanna!*

With the meat of Pliny assured, all else is but gravy.


Pliny the Elder, Russian River Brewing
From my 2006 description: Years ago, Eugene's now-defunct Wild Duck Brewery made a strong ale called Sasquatch. It was my favorite big beer, a fantastic way to end a brewfest once my tongue could no longer distinguish subtle flavors. Each year, at the end of the OBF, I greatly missed its passing (as well as the man who brewed it, Glen Falconer, who died in 2002). While I will always miss Glen, I finally found a beer to rival Sasquatch: Pliny the Elder from Russian River. Named for the Roman who gave the name to hops ("lupus Salictarius," or "wolf among scrubs"), it fills a long-vacant need. Whatever you do, save a token for Pliny. You might even offer a toast for the Sasquatch of your choice.

____________
*Please forgive my petty blasphemies, certain beers make a sinner out of me.

Oregon Brewers Fest: Whoops!

Last week, the Oregon Brewers Fest released the poster for the '08 event. I will post it below and ask if you see anything amiss:

Did you see it? It reads "Celebrating the repeal of the 21st Amendment." It's the 21st Anniversary of the start of the fest, and being a little too clever, organizers must have thought they'd go for a triple-entendre: 21 is the fest's age, also the legal drinking age, and the 21st Amendment created prohibition. So organizers determinded that this year's theme would be the repeal of the 21st. Except that the Amendment that created Prohibition was the 18th.

The 21st Amendment repealed the 18th:

Section 1. The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.

Section 2. The transportation or importation into any State, Territory, or possession of the United States for delivery or use therein of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited.

Apparently, organizers are "aware of the problem" and we should expect to see a revision to the poster.