A Pint for Oden

So here in P-town, we've very excited about the arrival of a long, tall drink of water named Greg Oden. He's the new Shaq, except gracious and cool--which is apt for Portland. Maybe the new Bill Russell. Anyway, as it does when anything special happens, I thought to raise a pint on this occasion, which got me thinking--which pint?

Oden is tall, obviously, also tenacious, smooth, amusing, and smart. Given his sweet nature, nothing particularly hoppy. Still, he's fierce, so nothing mild will do. I wondered about a Duvel-type Belgian strong, which is a lot of strength that goes down easy, but Duvel is a little to frilly for a low-post guy like Oden. I toyed with an old ale--Oden looks like he's 37--but that's a gimmick. It's not far off, stylistically, though. Let's move up the aisle, to where the beers are big and smooth, strong but pleasant, to Scotland, land of the big malt.

There it is: a wee heavy for Greg. Cheers!

Waiting for the Good Food Movement to Hit Brewpubs

Portland is, for its size, a pretty damn good town for food. We have a surfeit of above-average restaurants, and a few that are world-class. Our restaurants are creative and diverse. Of course, we also have the best beer in the world. But the two have yet to collide. Instead, the good food stays in restaurants with a couple-three taps, and the brewpubs serve relatively similar filling, but unspectacular versions of the same menu.*

I have been pondering this as I work on my endless "best brewpubs" post, but it's something that has crossed my mind before. I have this fantasy brewpub idea, and I wish someone would act on it. (Someone with, you know, the time, money, and culinary/zymurgical background. I'm an idea man.)

Imagine a brewery where the beer and menu were co-created, so that each was integral to the other. In my mind, this takes the form of the organic/local food movement, wherein the menu rotates with the seasons. During summer, it would feature more green vegetables and fruit, and be accomodated by drier, lighter, hoppier beers. In the fall, as squashes and pears are coming on, the beers would turn sweet and malty. The chill winter would call for potent beers to go with heartier stews and meats. And so on.

The chef and the brewer would collaborate on meals. I imagine beer would be served in smaller portions--say six or eight ounce glasses--so that patrons could enjoy complementary pours throughout their meal. When I was in Hong Kong, I was delighted to learn that most restaurants offered a jasmine tea like Americans offer water--free, when you sit down. It would be cool to have a very light aperitif to offer diners as they walked in the door--a mild lambic in a small flute, say. Or whatever. Anyway, you see what I'm after.

Many brewers actually got their start in food--Alan Sprints and Craig Nicholls jump to mind--so it's surpising brewpubs devote only 10% of their creative energy to the food. Time that changed, I'd say. Portland needs a world-class brewery-cafe to continue to stay ahead of the curve.

______________
There's Higgins, true. But while Higgins has an amazing beer list, most of the offerings are in bottle and Belgian. As a restaurant, it's wholly appropriate that they should feature this selection, and shame on Portland's other fine dining for not offering beer menus of this breadth. Still, it's not the same as brewing beer specifically for the food you cook.

Review - Astoria Brewing & Wet Dog Cafe

Note, post updated following a more recent visit.

Brewer: Bolt Minister
144 11th Street
Astoria OR 97103
(503) 325-6975

Mon-Fri, 11am -11pm, Sat 11am-2am. $4 pint, $3.75 glass, $6 for a taster tray. No smoking, kids okay.

Beers: A large range of NW-style ales, with an emphasis on ferocity.

For those of you who may have passed through town before, Astoria Brewing is the renamed Pacific Rim Brewing--though both past and present, the sign most prominent from the Astoria bayfront has been "Wet Dog Cafe." The beers and ambiance have changed, but the amazing view is the same. I stopped in for lunch yesterday and can't offer a full review. I only tried a couple beers, and there were something like eight on tap. With luck, I'll make it back to delightful Astoria soon and update the review.

Whether you're craving a beer or not, it's worth a stop for the view. One wall of the building is a window overlooking the mouth of the Columbia River, where massive ships begin their journey to the Port of Portland. There's outdoor seating for sunny days, but on cloudy, cold ones, you can sit inside and nurse a stout (or bowl of chowder) while watching the play of nature--black clouds on steel water, the angry churn that defines the Oregon Coast.

Beer
What do these names suggest: Bitter Bitch, Kick Ass Stout, Stone Cold Strong Ale. They have a certain muscularity, don't they? Names like that either mean a brewery is overcompensating, or serving notice. In this case, I'm happy to say it's the latter. I tried the Bitter Bitch (a double IPA) and the Kick Ass (an imperial stout). Both were big and aggressive . . . and rather accomplished.

I was slightly worried about the beer based on its murky appearance and lack of head--like a tall glass of unfiltered cider. But the aroma allayed my fear--it was a rich, sticky nose of saturated grapefruit, both fresh and faintly floral. Hops are the central note in this beer, but it isn't painfully bitter. The brewery describes the beer as "quadruple hopped," which while lacking in specificity, suggests a layered approach to hopping that is evident in the flavor and nose. Bitter Bitch, incidentally, won the People's Choice award at this year's Spring Beer Fest.

The stout was a more understated beer and highlighted thick, chocolately malts. It was smooth and creamy and seemed substantial, though I don't recall seeing stats on the alcohol. Much as with the Bitter Bitch, Kick Ass was in perfect balance. That's good, because Astoria is a stout town, if ever there was one. This is a pint that fortifies and warms.

Beer, Updated
I revisited the brewery in March 2009. The Wet Dog had exchanged brewers--Chris Nemlowill went on to found nearby Fort George, and he was replaced by Bolt Minister. A longer update, with a video clip of Bolt speaking about his history is here. From that review, I excerpt these capsule reviews:

• Pumpkin ale. The last bit from fall. The spices have fallen back a bit and the squash is now evident--a good change in my view.
• Bitter Bitch. The flagship ale is over 100 IBUs and is therefore shockingly bitter. The beer was designed to be out of balance--the hops vent out of the glass like strong wasabi--but the locals love it.
  
• Solar Dog. The nose on this beer suggests its Bitter Bitch's little brother, but it deceives. Still quite a bit of bitterness, but the malt is evident underneath, as is a richer, more floral hop flavor.
• Porter. In competition with the kolsch for brewery's best beer. The head was so creamy I asked if it was on nitro. It's both a gentle, sweet porter, but also thick, with a bit of roastiness for depth. "I praise the brown malts," Minister said by way of explanation.
• Strong ale. The final beer before my palate was certifiably shattered, this very dark brown ale was surprisingly smooth and gentle. Abram declared it an old ale, and when I asked Bolt about it later, he said, "well, it's actually an old ale..." (Abram on the case.) Also a great ship-watching beer.

In addition to these, the brewery has a weisse, an ESB, and a stout. I didn't rate out all the beers separately, but none would drop below a B-, and the kolsch and porter were in the B+ / A- range. A very nice line-up.

Food
The menu is impressive. It ranges from the usual pub food into a full offering of seafood. Veggie options are somewhat limited, however. I had a plate of scallops with fries on the side. The fries (steak cut) were great--crispy and not greasy. The scallops, which you can order breaded or sauteed (I went with the latter) were a little rubbery, however. Good scallops have a smooth, even consistency and are about my favorite seafood. Maybe this was an off-day for the cook. They were just switching their menu, too, so possibly things will improve.

Despite this tepid praise, you might stop in for a meal. The prices were moderate for Astoria, and I've been underwhelmed by area restaurants in the past. I wouldn't be surprised if the Wet Dog starts making restaurant short lists in the near future.

Post updated following visit on 3/28/09

Gone

Back Monday evening.

News You Might Be Able to Use

HUB on Tap
Tonight at 6pm, Christian Ettinger and Ben Love will be at Produce Row previewing beer from their not-yet-opened Hopworks Urban Brewery. Have a pint on the patio:

Produce Row
204 S. E. Oak

Beer Contest
Guest on Tap is hosting a contest to win a beer tour of Beervana. Reading a little more closely, I see that they mean the beery region, not this blog.

Starting today, we would like your entries in 100 words or less about your ultimate beer tour in Beervana. Just imagine you and a couple of relatives or guests from out of town are looking to experience the true Beervana of Oregon in one night. Your list has to be able to be completed in one evening (6 hours-from first establishment to last establishment). You must have at least 4 establishments listed. All entries must be received by July 18, 2007 at 5 PM PST. Entries will be judged on originality and theme. Our Judges at Guest on Tap will pick a winner for each Tuesday in July 2007 which will be printed in the column and online. The five winning entries will win $50 gift certificates each from Guest on Tap Sponsors’ establishments. Word count will not include address of establishments when included. All contestants must be 18 years of age and employees of The Portland Tribune and Community Newspapers are excluded from entering. You may enter as many times as you like, but you are only able to win one prize in the contest.

Entrance form here.

PIB Mania Begins
It is weeks away, but you can now get a program for the Portland International Beerfest, formerly the undisputed heavy weight champeen of good-beer beerfests. (Thanks to the Organic fest, the title is now in jeopardy.) Online version here, printed versions around town (Belmont Station and Steinbarts for sure).

Cool Site

I was looking for a decent photo of Roots online (not available, holler if you've got one) and stumbled onto Cyclotram. It is not, properly, a beer blog, but atul666 does post regularly about beer. Here's his [her?] review of the Organic Fest, complete with beer notes (indictating a high geekiness factor) and pics, which I didn't really have. There's also other interesting, non-beer posts like this one about Block 47 in Portland, which the blogger describes:

Right across the street from the convention center, at MLK and Holladay, there's a weird little half-block, landscaped as if it was a park, but unmarked, so you can't be sure whether you're visiting a city park, or trespassing.... It's owned by the PDC, and although it sure looks like a regular park, it's (supposedly) only temporary. As soon as the PDC finds a sufficiently well-heeled crony who wants to build here, poof, no more "park". Or that's the theory, anyway.

So, since I'm still working on the other post, you can go check out this blog.

DeFazio, Homebrew, and a Meta Note

1. I just whipped up a batch of beer that may or may not be known as "Inja Belgique." It is a strong Belgian with Summit hops. Intention: hoppy like an IPA, but with the strength and appearance of a Belgian strong. The Summits, with their orangey notes, may or may not draw out the Belgian yeast. It's really blowing off this morning.

2. Speaking of homebrewing, Peter DeFazio may have a batch of IPA bubbling down the valley. He is not only a homebrewer, but co-chair of the new House Small Brewers Caucus:

The five Oregon members of the U.S. House of Representatives dominate the newly formed 34-member House Small Brewers Caucus, co-chaired by Democrat Peter DeFazio and Republican Greg Walden.

In the world of House caucuses, having co-chairs from the same state delegation is unusual, but, as Walden put it, "Yes, but if you have the best beer, you want the best co-chairs...."

DeFazio has an even stronger connection with the industry; he's a longtime home brewer himself.

"Summers I brew IPA (India Pale Ale)," he said. "And I brew English ales in the winter."

The only brewer on the small brewer caucus? That'd be cool.

3. Finally, I'm working on my long-planned Best Brewpubs in Portland post as a part of my Beervana travel guide. This may slow other posting, but behind the scenes, I'm a busy bee.

Blitz Light Ad

In case anyone has forgotten the dark days before the craft rennaisance, here's a 40-odd-year-old ad from Blitz. Note the tag line and then recall how dire things were. Beer that actually tastes like beer--the novelty!

Text:

When you're headed for fun, you're headed for Blitz
Yes, when you're headed for fun, you're headed for Blitz.
Blitz Weinhard: the light beer with real beer flavor
Blitz Weinhard, from the oldest brewery in the West

What's in a Style?

Let's get the exotica out of the way first. Stouts come from Ireland, having evolved from the porter style that started in Harwood's Pub, London, right? A blogger in London says no, but the argument amounts to semantics:

In his book Stout, Michael Lewis tells that "the earliest use of the word 'stout' clearly referring to a beer beverage appears in a letter of 1677..." Furthermore, Lewis contends that porter originated from stout, and not the other way round.

If further evidence were need that stout was not an Irish offshoot from London porter, beer writer and historian Ron Pattinson (author of the online European Beer Guide) tells me that "all the London brewers whose logs I´ve looked at were brewing beers called 'Stout' well before 1800 ... I'm 100% certain stout originated in London".

(Incidentally, that final period isn't in error--that's how they write in England. But perhaps it doesn't jump off the page at you, aggressively, like it does at me.) Porters came from stouts or stouts came from porters--this seems like it has the makings of an irresolvable Irish-English blood feud.

But from it, Lew Bryson last week composed a nice post on the nature of beer styles, a topic that lends itself to different blood feuds.

Look at the beers called "stout": dry stout, export stout, foreign stout, imperial stout, American-style imperial stout (the GABF just added this one), milk stout, American stout, sweet stout, oatmeal stout, cream stout...

Are we really supposed to keep a straight face while saying these are all variations on a theme? These are all dark ales. But "stouts"? That's like saying the beers in Germany and eastern Europe are all lagers.

By way of illustrating the differences in the way Brits and Americans look at beer styles, Bryson compares the categories used in the British Industry International Awards (nine) against the styles of the GABF (75). (Even better, the 140 styles identified by the World Beer Cup. 140! You've got to distinguish, after all, between "American-Style Lager" and "American-Style Premium Lager.")

Bryson chalks it up to the differences in culture, but I don't think that's it. For one thing, aren't Brits maniacs about categorizing things? And aren't Americans democratic and protestant and above careful parsing, culturally, anyway?

Style fascination doesn't arise from our collective psychology, but reflects our convert's fascination with beer. American brewing is really only 30 years old. Before microbrewers re-energized the ancient art, it was a wholly commercial enterprise and the differences between beers had to do with advertising. Forced to parse between Hamm's and Blitz for generations (the great debate was "tastes great--less filling!"), there was something liberating about knowing that stouts even existed. Never mind that there were 27 styles of stouts. What bliss!

Americans have gotten a little too excited, perhaps. Once it becomes old hat--after 100 GABFs, say--we'll ratchet back on the styles. But culturally, we're still learning about beer, and that means sifting through every detail. So for now we're stuck with trying to learn the subtleties that distinguish a strong ale from a double IPA. It'll pass.

Olympia Beer Commercial

I sort of forgot my earlier fascination with old beer ads when I inadvertently stumbled across one of the old Oly "Artesian" ads. Enjoy!

Review: Organic Beer Fest (2)

Okay then, to the reviews. There are a lot of them, and a friend actually handed me her notes as we were walking out, so there's yet MORE to impart. On availability: you may actually see some of these in pubs around town, so look for them and by all means order a pint if you see one. Great stuff.

(I've organized these into three categories--the sublime, the delightful, and the merely tasty. I personally sampled a dozen beers, and there wasn't a single one I wouldn't recommend.)

Sublime (A)
Despite the innovation and exotica at this fest, if I were asked to cite a "best in show," I'd go for a beer in one of the most modest of styles: Cascade Lakes Organic Bitter. Brewed for the fest, it is a textbook lesson in making a lot of a little. It has a roasty, almost light-roasted coffee aroma and a biscuity malt backbone. The hopping is crisp and rounded. For a beer that only had 4.5% alcohol and 32 IBUs, it had an amazing depth of flavor. I'll admit to be a little ignorant of Cascade Lakes. No more: they caught my attention with this one.

How's this for a debut? Double Mountain Brewing, the brand-new brewpub in Hood River, brought two beers, and one was so good it blew Friday (Hop Lava). I can't imagine how good it must have been, because the beer left over on Saturday was extraordinary. Dubbed the IRA (I may henceforth call it Ira, because it has nothing to do with IPAs or Red ales), it is brewed with a Belgian yeast strain, which really removes it from the the classic character you'd expect from a muscular IPA. It has a kind of creamy sweetness that bouys the ample hops and simultaneously mellows out the palate. I am reminded of Duvel, which is also a huge, yet deceptively smooth beer. It will be familiar to fans of NW beers, but also quite distinctive.

Delightful (B+/A-)
Here's a brewery to watch: Crannog Ales from Sorrento, BC. Canada's only all-organic brewery also appears to be a spiritual sibling of Roots; not only are they exclusively organic, but they experiment with adjuncts like potatoes (see below), cherries, and flax. But of the two beers pouring, my fave was Backhand of God Stout (I prefer the former name, Black Wolfhound). It is a traditional Irish stout (appropriate for a Gaelic brewery), light, silky, and dry. As with the best Irish ales, the dry, coffeeish note is balanced by a dark-fruit sweetness that is drawn out at the final sip. No sooner is the beer slipping down the back of your throat than your hand is rising, reflexively, for another sip.

There were two buzz beers at the fest, Roots' stout and a saison by McMenamins (see both below). It is a testament to the increasing attention to beer that one of my picks was a different McMenamins' ale, Ryenoceros, from the Kennedy School. Rye is a dangerous grain--it can offer an unpleasant sharpness or a dreary sourness. But used properly, it imparts a spicy quality that is abundant in Ryenoceros. The malts and hops create a kind of continuum, from an earthy spice in the malt out to a more peppery hop finish. Yet I also noted down the word "springwater"--of the quality one finds in a good single malt.

The hosts knew they had to come out with something special, and it is possible that Roots' Habenero Stout is better than I'm giving it credit for. It was the last beer I tried, and due to the vagaries of beer fests, this meant my palate was a little wrecked. I can report that I heard raves about the beer all day long. What I was able to discern were striking contrasts in the beer. Built on a Irish stout base that was both creamy and sweet (they added chocolate nibs to the mash), the "dry hopped" peppers (added during fermentation) mainly add sensation, not flavor. Chocolate and chile is a famous combination, and I believe the Aztecs would have recognized this beer.

I tried Brouwerij 't IJ's Zatte first, and that was lucky--it was a very subtle tripel, and my palate was fresh to appreciate it. Unlike some tripels, this one was characterized by a chardonnay-like dryness of palate. Nevertheless, a rich skiff of head rode the taster through my last sip, despite the 8% alcohol. It was, moreover, surprisingly creamy for such a dry beer. The yeast character was subdued, contributing mainly a kind of cellary earthiness. I imagine it would be an ideal beer with a variety of foods, from the cheese tray through fish entrees. It was one of the few not on tap; my guess is you can find bottles around town.

Good and Tasty (B)
Christian Ettinger made his debut with Hopworks Urban Brewery IPA, a beer I think most people would have rated more highly than I did. When he was brewing at Laurelwood (which shared a booth with Hopworks at the fest), Ettinger made a minor specialty of beers with Amarillo and/or Ahtanum hops--both of which appear in this IPA. Hops react differently on the tongues of different tasters, and on mine, these have a slightly harsh, chemical signature. I believe I'm the exception. Beside this, though, it was an impressive debut: the hops were aggressive without overbearing the malt, which held up its end of the bargain. I would recommend it to anyone who loves Laurelwood's beers.

The McMenamins beer everyone raved about was Saison du Pass. My lovely spouse decried it as "too sweet" and "hollow in the middle." While I won't go that far, I don't think it was quite the buzz beer everyone claimed. It lacked the crispness I would have liked and didn't stand up to the world standard-bearers. On the other hand, it was nicely spicy and refreshing, and an impressive effort coming from the McBrothers. Probably likely to be the best thing on tap at Corneilius Pass, where it was brewed (hence the name).

In the exotica category, another offering came from Bison Brewing in Berkeley: Gingerbread Ale, a hearty sweet porter spiced mildly with ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon (almost below the threshold of taste, though you could pick it up in the aroma). Not an everyday beer, but nice on a chill day. Continuing in the exotic vein, Crannog brought a potato ale called Hell's Kitchen that tasted distinctly (though not unpleasantly) of the common tubers. I occasionally drink a Polish beet drink that had a similar quality. Definitely worth a tipple if you have the chance.

A final curiosity was Mateveza's Yerba Mate Pale Ale. The basic beer was a nice recipe in the classic pale ale style, but the yerba mate added an unmistakeably medicinal note. It actually felt like it was anesthetizing my mouth. From a psychotropic perspective, even the four ounces I had altered the course of the usual narcotic sensation unfolding at the back of my brain. I suspect a pint would be an interesting ride.

Two other beers lost in the shuffle were Roots' East Side Abbey, about which I wrote one word (before, apparently, forgetting to write further notes): "Nice." Also Ukiah Brewing's pilsner, which got similar short shrift in my notes. (I seemed to enjoy it). You're on your own with those two.

Errata
Looking over my friend's notes, I find fragmentary documentation: "Ah, hop-o-licious. Big flavors--complex [unreadable] palate!" (Alamedo El Torero IPA) Actually, unreadability seems to be a hallmark. From what I can discern, these were the big winners:

• Butte Creek Revolution X Imperial IPA - "[Wow]!* I'm quite a few in, but this is definitely a big boy."
• Double Mountain Ira - "Damn, this is really good --> very, umm...full-bodied on the tongue."
• Fort George Quick Wit - "I like it."
• Hopworks IPA - "This is awesome, but I love hops."
• Roots Habenero Stout - "Excellent. Habeneros build at the back of your tongue."

Thanks, J!

And by all means, add your own thoughts in the comments.
__________________
*Profanity deleted.



Update: John Foyston has pics, and Belmont Station has a review. So does Rooftop Brew. More importantly, Belmont Station is attempting to locate some of the beers that were pouring at the fest, so keep your eyes open.

Review: Organic Beer Fest (1)

Yesterday's high temperature was 59, and it rained .4 inches in a steady drizzle from about 11 am through five or six in the afternoon-- perfectly coordinated to coincide with the second day of the Organic Beer Festival in Overlook Park. I dunno what the temperature was during that period, but it was cold enough that we could see our breath. Needless to say, the folks who showed up were serious beer fans. (In the picture at right, look closely and you can seethe rain coming down and the wee crowd beyond.) To those who looked out their windows and decided to go see Shrek 3 instead of braving the rain, you have my sympathy: you missed a hell of fest.

This was hands down the best fest of NW beers I've been to in years. In terms of overall consistency of beers, it may have been the best ever (even PIB, with its 200+ beers and dozen countries, always has a few losers in the bunch). This may have been due to a selection process--were the beers juried? More likely, it is a reflection of a particular moment in time: breweries don't lightly brew organic beers. Since they take special effort, it seems like breweries take special care with the recipes. We had habenero stouts, gingerbread browns, potato beers, and Belgian IPAs. And they weren't gimmick beers; they were serious and seriously good. (I'll go through the reviews in the next post.)

It is inevitable that this moment will not last. All trends revert to the mean. Eventually, if we're lucky, organic beer will become the norm, not the exception. And then we'll have the usual distribution of mediocre efforts and noble failures. But for now, and probably for the next couple-three years, seek out organic beers. And for the love of all that is pure and good (and hoppy), don't let the rain dissuade you next year.

Kids Okay at the Organic Beer Fest

This just in: a friend called the organizers and confirmed that kids are okay at the Organic Beer Fest. This in case you are, like me, planning on attending tomorrow. (I assume you've cracked this nut if you're already there.)

That is all...

The Virtues of Free Beer

Pyramid's Hefeweizen is a little more interesting than some other versions on the market--it's got the subtlest trace of the sour/tartness characteristic of the continental original and is nice and cloudy with yeast and wheat. But, truth be told, it's not anything to write home to Mom about. (It is styled an "American-style hefeweizen" by the brewery, and has won awards in this category. I find it more flavorful than others in this rather insipid style.)

However, as I was returning from a long day in Medford yesterday on Alaska (Horizon)--a twelve-hour round trip, not including commute times to the airport--the gracious flight attendant offered me a plastic cupful of the hef, gratis. She even came back by and offered me a refresher (I declined). It was slightly over-warm and the plastic cup did nothing to enhance the experience. Still, there's something about a free beer at the end of a long day that really hits the spot. Fred Eckhardt is famous for saying his favorite beer is the one he's drinking, and while I won't go that far, given the right circumstances, I see what he means.

Organic Beer Fest

Organic Beer Fest
Friday June 8 (3 - 9:30 pm)
Saturday June 9 (Noon - 9pm)
Overlook Park (Fremont and Interstate)

Admission is free, $5 for a mug (a dollar off if you show a Tri-met ticket or bring a can for the Oregon Food Bank). A 4-oz taster is a dollar.

For the first time in over a decade, I self-consciously decided to skip the Spring Beer Fest. There has been an ever-growing tendency by that fest to include random vendors (last year's review here). At first it expanded to vintners (fine), then to some vendors more or less distantly connected to food (eh), then to random peddlers (bad), then to guys who sold vinyl windows (very bad). So I blew it off.

There arrives this year the third installation of a new beerfest that I expect to jump in the hole left by the SBF in my four-season calendar (in Oregon, Spring runs through June): The North American Organic Brewers Festival. It is headed by the boys of Roots, which is a good start, and it includes 25 breweries and 40 beers (even better), and will be held this year in the beautiful Overlook Park (hot damn). I anticipate a rocking good time. Keeping in mind that I rarely am a bandwagon promoter, I regard this as the most interesting beer event this year, and a definite must-see.

Normally, I would offer a preview of the beers here, but I have tried exactly three of them. This is mainly because organic beer is yet hard to brew. Organic hops and malt are specialty items, so most breweries (Roots, Fish Tale, and Wolaver's excepted) don't have regular organic offerings. So you get things like Deschutes Organic Carbonic Red (5.2% abv 44 IBUs). There will also be an appearance of a beer from Christian Ettinger's as-yet unopened new brewery (Hopworks Urban Brewery).

In fact, it is festivals like this that create the interest in, and subsequent market for, organic beers. It's by no means a totally obscure market, and the more brewers ask for organic malt and hops, the more growers will devote acreage to it. So by attending this fest, you help the cause of organics (and also Oregon Tilth, Oregon Food Bank, Doernbecher Children's Hospital, who will receive some of the proceeds.)

The link above is to John Foyston's post, and he has a more detailed summary of the event. I'll include a short list of the interesting-looking beers I'm hepped up for (no promises!). For more, check his site out (it's better than the official site). And plan to set aside an afternoon. See you there!

A Few Interesting-Looking Beers

• Crannog Ales (British Columbia) - Backhand of God Stout
• Deschutes Brewery - Organic Carbonic Red Ale
• Elliot Bay Brewing Co. (Seattle) - Klondike Gold Belgian IPA
• Fort George Brewery (Astoria) - Quick Wit Belgian White Ale
• Hopworks Urban Brewery ( Portland) - Hopworks Organic IPA
• Lakefront Brewery (Milwaukee, WI) - Organic ESB
• Brouwerij 't IJ (Netherlands) - Natte, Zatte [both are 2 tickets]

Pub Photos

I have added a set to my Flickr account containing grainy, sort of crappy cell phone photos of the pubs I have been to recently. They include ones I've used in reviews of other pubs as well as these new ones from a recent visit to the Chapel Pub--newest in the McMenamins' chain, and new home to their office.

At some point soon I'm going to pick up a digital cam and the quality should improve markedly, though I actually think there's something charming about the low-res quality of cell-phone photos. On mine (an older Razr), it tends to really wash out at the edges. Reminds me of a Super 8 movie I shot when I was younger--the crudeness added some visual interest. Anyway, here's the Chapel Pub:







That last one is an especially bad shot, and I normally would flush something of that quality, but you get a sense of the artisinal light fixtures they have there, suggestive of the whimsy and attention to detail for which the McBrothers are rightly praised.

Review - The Mash Tun

2204 NE Alberta St.
Portland, OR 97211

Hours: Mon - Fri: 4pm - midnight, Sat - Sun: noon - midnight
Prices: 20 ounce English-style pints: $4.
Other info: Seasonal outdoor seating (with awning); kids and smoking allowed
Beers: A range of NW-style ales plus seasonals.

You can trace the evolution of brewpub fashion from the Barley Mill through the Mash Tun. Originally, they were converted bars and they looked a lot like: bars. Into the light they came, however, and in the next phase they had windows and transparent (that is, not cigarette-blue) air. Along about the time they became restaurantized, we saw the emergence of the chain brewpub--BJ's and Rock Bottom, not McMenamins which are uniquely unchainy--which took them yet a further step away from their saloony forebears. By my reckoning, we're right around 1997 as this all happens.

Came then the backlash--hipsters eschewed the brewpub scene and found little windowless haunts with blue smoke, pool tables, and Pabst (never Hamm's, alas, always Pabst). Fortunately, the Lucky Lab had opened already and offered the promise of grit and blue collars as well as the delight only 85 BUs of Chinook hops can deliver. The Lucky Lab, perhaps not singlehandedly--though this is a blog, so who's going to hold me accountable?--saved brewpubs from suburbanization.

Now their ethos defines the newer generation of brewpubs, the ones founded by those erstwhile mid-90s hipsters who went to the Lab and dreamed of owning their own pubs: Roots, Amnesia, and now the Mash Tun, which I visited for the first time this weekend. (Yes, that's an embarrassing admission, but it's the price I pay for being an introverted lair-dweller with a beer blog.)

Cast in the classic Lucky Lab industrial style, it has more than a little of the Alberta/Mississippi aesthetic to make it unique. The drinking/dining space wraps around a tiny brewery that's visible beyond the attractive bar. There's a patio out back (covered with a sheet of translucent corrugated plastic), with a big beer mural; the walls inside have local art dotting them. The space feels like it's been there forever--it is comfortable and inviting and has a lived-in quality. And, as if to highlight the ethos of the place, directly in front of the bar is a pool table; on the afternoon we visited, it attracted the kinds of kids Pabst had previously attracted. One for the good guys!

Beer
As with the Lucky Lab, beer isn't the overwhelming strength at the Mash Tun. I tried four of the five beers they had on tap (skipping, for obvious reasons, the Hunny Blonde), and one was good, two were so-so, and one was a failed experiment. None were bad, though, and they were certainly better than Pabst. It's worth noting that as a new brewpub, it could be things will improve. There are no off-flavors or anything, just recipes that don't quite rise to the highest echelon.

Most people will try the IPA first and stick with it, and they will therefore think the Mash Tun has great beer. Do that.

• Alberta Pale - Nothing sings about this workman-like pale, but it's all right. It has a nice grapefruit nose and plenty of hop interest on the tongue, but it's a one-note beer in terms of hopping. It has a slightly grinding quality that may be from too much crystal malt. Whereas a good pale need not be a transcendently complex beer, the best are usually clean and direct. This one has a slightly muddled taste. Rating: C+
  
• Mr. Rosewater Porter - This beer was being brewed at the moment the brewer heard about the death of Kurt Vonnegut. As an ode to the great author, he added rose hips to the boil and came up with a funny porter that I originally thought had an excess of fusel alcohol. Turns out it was the sharp notes from the rose hips. It also thinned out the body, making the beer disappear in the mouth. A good try and a nice ode, but not a great beer. Rating: C-
• Portside IPA - The IPA is a mid-range variety--neither too strong nor too hoppy, which makes it a reasonable choice (you can have a couple without needing a Segway to get out the door). The balance between full, rich body and hop bitterness was perfect. The hops were unfamiliar to me; they had a soapy/lavender note and finished with a bit of black pepper. Rating: B
• Inclusion Amber - This is an amber in the Full Sail style and not a bad way to go, either. It is also nicely in balance, with a strong caramel malt base and fresh, green hops. A good choice for a session beer. Rating: B-

Food
Give the Mash Tun credit for putting thought into the menu. It is expansive, with two pages of dishes: appetisers, soups, salads, and sandwiches, burgers, pita pizzas (?), wraps, and the usual pub standbyes. Where possible, they buy their food fresh, local, and organic, including local beef. They feature quite a large range of veggie options, too, including tempeh and tofu dishes. I had a brat (locally made) with McMenamins-style thin-cut fries and was pretty much perfectly satisfied. Sounds great, right? Read on.

Sally's View
My lovely and talented spouse, who knows a lot more about food than I do, offered a few observations as I was taking notes, and it occurred to me that, in the interest of multiple perspectives, you might appreciate a differing view. Here's what she said (from my notes):

"It's nice they have veggie options, but what that means is you have tempeh and some veggie burgers, but everything is heavy and there are no fresh vegetables. Nor original salads, particularly--just the stuff you'd expect in a pub like Caesar salad. Everything comes with fries, no substitutions. It's very pubby--everything's breaded and fried."

So, take your pick: perfect and satisfying or heavy and caloric.

Final Analysis
The Mash Tun won't win any awards for its beers (yet), but it would be on a short-list of places I'd recommend for its very inviting ambiance and characteristically Alberta feel. The food, while heavy, continues the theme of place and locality. It's only been open a short while, but I think it is well on its way to being a classic Portland brewpub.

Two Items About Barley

If I told you that you'd have to give up beer to save the planet, exactly how conflicted would you be? (Mighty, in my case.) It may come to that:

And that is exactly what is happening to Erdmann and other German brewers as farmers abandon barley — the raw material for the national beverage — to plant other, subsidized crops for sale as environmentally friendly biofuels.

"With the current spike in barley prices, we won't be able to avoid a price increase of our beer any longer," Erdmann said, stopping to sample his freshly brewed, golden product right from the steel fermentation kettle.

In the last two years, the price of barley has doubled to $271 per ton as farmers plant more crops such as rapeseed and corn that can be turned into ethanol or biodiesel, a fuel made from vegetable oil.

This is one of those good news/bad news things. Good news that America is currently pursuing ethanol via the extremely inefficent but politically-expedient process of converting corn, bad that we will continue to dump carbon into the atmosphere as a result. Good that we have beer, bad that it may be our last.

Onto happier news, John Foyston had a wonderful piece in the Food Day about locally-produced Scotch. No, you can't call it that, because it's made here in Portland, but that's the kind of whisky it is. I bring it to your attention on the very slim chance you don't regularly read Food Day.

Whiskeys start with a grain-based sort of beer, or wash. Medoff brews his wash of malted barley at Roots Organic Brewing, a few blocks up the street...

The wash -- or mash, or distiller's beer -- ferments to about 7 percent alcohol. In the still, alcohol boils off and condenses as a much stronger essence of 30 percent to 40 percent alcohol. Because House Spirits and most Scotch producers use less-efficient pot stills (because it makes more flavorful whiskey) they distill at least twice to reach barrel strength of around 70 percent (140 proof).

The whiskey then spends several years in oak. "Everything that comes out of a still is clear," Medoff said as he stood beside the distillery's antique-looking pot still -- its top looks like a copper onion crowned by a long pipe curving over to the condenser. "Spirits are so stable that they won't age in the bottle or the tank. The only thing that can give it some color and those vanilla flavors is time in wood. That's one thing about whiskey -- you've got to be patient...."

Changes in temperature and humidity cause the barrel to breathe, which it does vigorously enough that an appreciable percentage of the spirit evaporates before aging is complete. Charmingly enough, brewers call the missing booze the angels' share. They seem resigned to the fact that distilling is a lot of hard work and waiting that, when it's all over, yields a mere fraction of what you began with. Medoff figures that he'll brew 600 gallons of wash to fill one 53-gallon whiskey barrel.

Angels' share. Cool.

A Brief History of Oregon and Washington Brewing

In Willamette Week's current Drink supplement about Portland bars and pubs, Ap Kryza presents a timeline of hooch and offers this "fact" about brewing:

1984
Widmer Brothers Brewing opens and lights a powder keg of drunken mania: the now infamous microbrewers movement. Widmer is a massive success. Soon after, Portland Brewing Co. and Bridgeport Ales follow suit, while dozens of smaller breweries start cooking.

Not quite. Microbrewing actually got started inPortland in 1980 when Chuck Coury opened Cartwright Brewing. Although the brewery didn't survive the suspect beers it produced, credit is due for starting first. The next extant brewery to start was BridgePort, which produced its first beer in 1984. The Widmer brothers may have gotten their company registered first, but they didn't get beer to the market until 1985. Credit BridgePort for being the oldest functioning brewery.

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Below is a brief timeline of key events in Northwest Brewing. Washington breweries are listed in gray text.

1856 - Henry Weinhard founds his brewery
1883 - Andrew Hemrich and John Kopp begin selling "Rainier" beer at their Bay View Brewery
1896 - Leopold Schmidt founds Olympia Brewing (originally "Capital Brewing")
1928 - Arnold Blitz's Portland Brewing Company merges with Henry Weinhard
1974 - Blitz-Weinhard introduces "Private Reserve"
1980 - Chuck Coury founds Cartwright Brewing
1982 - Paul Shipman founds Redhook.
1982 - Bert Grant opens America's first brewpub in Yakima
1983 - Mike Hale founds Hale's in Spokane
1984 - Dick Ponzi founds BridgePort Brewing--now Oregon's oldest brewery
1984 - Pyramid ("Hart") begins in Kalama
1985 - Widmer, Portland Brewing founded; McMenamins begins brewing

Oregon Trail Bourbon Porter

Oregon Trail is a funny brewery. I don't know what it's profile in Corvallis is, but in Portland, it floats in and out of our consciousness, never really finding solid purchase. What beers do they brew again? Where's it from? (And most dangerously), is it still in business? Even the website doesn't resolve these questions. It looks like it was built in 1992, and the "brewery/history" page features an 11-year-old reprinted article. I still am a little unclear about the beers they brew, but based on the bottle of Bourbon Porter I bought three weeks ago, I'm going out on a limb to declare that the brewery is still in business.

(Better evidence: Tim Akimoff at Will Blog For Beer posted a video tour of the brewery, which suggests a tangibility beyond the product.)

Tasting Notes
At some point in the past decade or more, breweries realized that they could get a hold of used bourbon barrels, opening a new vista of possibilities. After all, what goes better with beer than bourbon? You could sell boilermakers in a bottle or subtly flavor your imperial stout with the essence of whiskey. I have tasted some magnificent bourbon-barreled beer (an early offering by Widmer stands out in my memory). Alas, I've now tasted a mediocre one.

The first mistake was using a mildish brown porter, which is no match for the burly liquor with which it commingled. Stouts have a long, sweet, alcoholic middle note, and bourbon nestles right in next to it in fine harmony. Porters, on the other hand, are quaffing beers. Their middles tend to be much thinner and sweeter--no match for anything as strong as bourbon. In fact, what results is more a beer-flavored whiskey cocktail--and not a very good one.

The liquor and malt give it a cloying sweetness, but there's a strong, grating metalic quality to the bourbon, which muscles the beer out of the way. I'm going out on a limb here, but it also seemed like the bourbon was pretty cheap. That seems counterintuitive, given that cheap bourbon probably doesn't make it into barrels (or does it?), but I knows what I tastes.

Oregon Trail may be a robust little brewery that makes wonderful beers. My sample size is too small to comment. But if so, this is an anamoly: call it a gentleman's C.