Puckerfest, Today Through July 20

A July programming note. This is the month when there are 73 events happening at any given time, including 927 beer festivals. Roughly. But one of these is not like the others and deserves the spotlight when it arrives: Puckerfest, Belmont Station's celebration of the sour and wild. It starts today, with special beers pouring every day through next week. Here's the lineup:

• Today, Tuesday, July 14: Breakside. Passionfruit Sour, Bellwether, Bricolage, Framboise.
• Wednesday, July 15: Cascade. Sixteen (!) taps pouring, including the usual Wonka-esque creations of Ron Gansberg and team.
• Thursday, July 16: Double Mountain. Tahoma and Devil's Kriek, as always, plus the debut of Peche Mode, a peach beer. 
• Friday, July 17: Out-of-state Day. Offereings from (among others) Russian River, Crooked Stave, New Belgium, and Firestone Walker plus kegs that have been squirreled away for years.
• Saturday, July 18: Block 15 and De Garde. At least four beers from each brewery.
• Sunday, July 19: Upright. Small World Saison, Saison du Blodget, Fantasia, a new, unnamed cherry beer, and possibly more. 
• Monday, July 20: The Belgians. A great wrap-up that includes Cantillon, Oud Beersel, St. Louis, LambickX, "and more." 

See you there--

The Incredible, Indispensable Puckerfest

When Carl Singmaster and the folks at Belmont Station launched Puckerfest in 2006, they were trying to figure a way to maximize the utility of an abandoned keg of Cantillon.  In its first year or three, Puckerfest showcased a mixture of rare beers from Payottenland and early wild experiments happening across the country.  Soon the emphasis shifted home, boosted by the inaugural Devil's Kriek--Double Mountain's wild ale made from brewer Matt Swihart's own cherries.  Now the week of Puckerfest is almost wholly a showcase of local wild ales--a testament to how much of this kind of brewing is now happening in Oregon.  The West Coast is famous for hops, but perhaps we should be known for making some of the more impressive examples of subtle, sophisticated tart, sour, and funky beers.

I wonder if Puckerfest is at least partly responsible for the interest--both on the brewer and drinker side--because it is such a good showcase.  Each day one or two breweries gets center stage, and they bring a lineup of their best stuff.  Often it's a keg that has been squirreled away or a beer that is debuting there.  In the best tradition of Beervana, the brewers are on hand to discuss their beers.  (And who can  resist Double Mountain's annual appearance, when Matt doles out orchard-fresh cherries to go along with Devil's Kriek?)

This year's lineup is once again a daily must-try:

• Today, Friday.  Block 15 (Corvallis) and Cascade (Portland)
• Saturday.  The Commons (Portland) and De Garde (Tillamook, see below)
• Sunday.  Trinity Brewing (Colorado Springs, CO) and Upright (Portland)
• Monday.  Flat Tail (Corvalis)
• Tuesday. Logsdon (Hood River) and Schooner Exact (Seattle)
• Wednesday.  Double Mountain (Hood River) and Solera (Parkdale)

Trevor Rogers and Linsey Hamacher,
De Garde Brewing

At least one name on that list is probably unfamiliar to you--De Garde Brewing from lovely Tillamook, Oregon. They debuted in March (Ezra, of course, was on the scene) with the intention of making rustic and spontaneously-fermented ales.  I've been waiting to see what they've come up with, and I have to wait no more than another 24 hours. For the full run-down on the specific beers the breweries will be pouring and the times the brewers will be on hand, go to the Puckerfest website.

One final, important note.  When you go, take your greenbacks: Puckerfest is cash-only.

Devil's Kriek, Preview of Coming Attractions

I was going to post my thoughts about this year's vintage of Devil's Kriek today, but I was waiting for the brewing notes. In politics, if you release news on Friday afternoon, it's called the "Friday news dump"--that's where you bury unwanted information. So I'll save it for Monday. But meantime, it appears to still be on at Belmont Station, and for you Rose City types, I strongly recommend you have a pour. Your next chance will be PIB next week, but thereafter it will be scarce. Obviously, I thought highly of it.

Puckerfest kicks off today, and Jolly Pumpkin kicks off the fun, so a trip to Belmont's probably in order in any case, right?

Meantime, you can go read Matt Swihart's comments about the beer at the Double Mountain blog.

Pucker up for the Devil

Craft Beer Month takes one of its finer turns beginning tomorrow as Belmont Station kicks off "Puckerfest," a weeklong celebration of sour beers. The inaugural event is tomorrow, starting at six. I'll go ahead an excerpt Double Mountain's entire listing here:

Devil’s Kriek Release/Puckerfest
Friday, July 10, 6-9pm
Belmont Station,
4500 SE Stark, Portland

It’s an honor for us to kick off Puckerfest at Belmont Station with the release of this year’s Devil’s Kriek, our Belgian-inspired ale brewed with cherries from [brewer] Matt [Swihart]’s orchard in Odell. Matt will be on hand to give a short talk, and to share some cherries from this year’s harvest. We’ll also have a quarter-barrel of Rainier Kriek, a super-limited sister brew made with Rainiers instead of Bings. This is an event not to be missed. Check back later this week for a blog post from Matt with more detail on the brewing process, tasting notes and whatnot.

Last year I got all of a couple mouthfuls of Double Mountain's Kriek, and that was enough for me to strongly consider awarding it the coveted Satori Award. This year's version is going be different, but I've been anticipating it for a year. That there will be a bonus kriek on the side means I'm likely to be there by 5:45 just to make sure I don't miss the tasty goodness.

No idea what's on tap this year for Puckerfest, but it's always good. Adjust your calendar appropriately.