Liveblogging the Holiday Ale Fest

I'll be trying to liveblog from the well of the Holiday Ale Fest today. No idea how (un)succesful it may turn out to be. One thing's for sure: iPhone + jostling crowd + distractions + beer ... typos will be made.

10:09 am. HAF have annunced the 11am tastings. Three beers from Bear Republic, including one aged in a 100-year-old cognac barrel. (!)

11:42 am: the eagle has landed. Crowd mellow but growing. First pour Dogfish chicory stout. Eh. Chalky, tannic. Not me fave.

12:21pm: the Trebuchet, Bear Republic's cognac-aged beer, when warmed, was very nice. A trippel, intense, alcoholic. Ninkasi's lavender heather stout--also a bit charred. Herbs are ... odd.

12:39: First pour of Cascade Sang Noir. Damn, what a beer. Moving on to another will take some willpower.

1:01: Block 15's entry is a real winner. Aged on oak, but dry-hopped. Oak is a bit overmuch--I would have blended it 50-50 with a non-oaked batch. Still, impressive.

1:24: first whoop. Crowd getting big, lines still okay.

1:43: second whoop.

1:52: Ill Tempered Gnome. Huge, massive, large, ginormous, and so on.

2:07: another Sang Noir or Dupont?

2:19: damn. Mislaid Sally...

3:02: long chat with Peter Kruger, the Bear Republic brewer, and just learned that they do spontaneous fermentation!

Czech Craft Breweries - the "Fourth Pipe"

A very nice piece in the New York Times about how Czech craft breweries are finally starting to make an appearance in Prague:

Though Prague has become a hot spot for beer tourism, visitors can end up disappointed by the lack of options in the city’s pubs. Many bars in town are locked into exclusive agreements with large breweries, which often install and control the taps. (Obzerstvi’s standard offer is Staropramen, a mass-produced brew from Prague that is part of the giant Anheuser-Busch InBev.) But recently, a few pubs like Obzerstvi have begun selling rare craft beers on a so-called ctvrta pipa, or fourth pipe, a new term for an independent tap on which pubs can offer a greater variety of brews....

The Czech Republic is home to about 125 breweries, ranging from tiny brewpubs to industrial giants, according to the list at www.pivovary.info. A couple of years ago, I counted just 23 Czech breweries whose beers could regularly be found in Prague. This fall I counted more than twice that number of just what could be considered Czech craft brewers, the small-scale producers whose products are preferred by connoisseurs.

Not so much on the styles of beers these craft breweries are making, but it's still a very nice piece on the overall beer scene there. Sounds like some very positive developments.

Now, off to the Holiday Ale Fest!

Resting Up

Tomorrow I make my ascent on Mount Holiday; today I'm resting up in the surprisingly sunny base camp. (When was the last time we had a run of sun this late in the year?) Since it will be a slow day here, why don't you go have a look at Matt Wiater's slideshow from the fest. For those of you who don't know, Matt is a photo-blogger who has captured some of the most interesting images of beer and brewing around Beervana.


For those of you who are going today, don't forget to watch the Festival's Facebook page and Twitter feed--they'll be using those to announce limited release tappings.

Beavers and Ducks and Roses, Oh My!

So apparently there's a little scrimmage happening down in Eugene tonight. If you trawled the right news sources in the past few days, you might have been lucky enough to see a short mention of it. Apparently there's something at stake for the winner, too--some kind of bowl game in California.

If you're like me, you did not attend either the University of Oregon nor Oregon State University. (My team, which also participates in the annual Rose Bowl sweepstakes, are the mighty Badgers of Wisconsin. They will, sadly, not be facing the winner of tonight's game.) This means you have vague, divided, or oscillating loyalties. But at 6pm there will be no room for ambiguities. We must all pick a horse and ride it--to historic glory or humiliation. For those of you reading this blog, you may consider the beer connection. I have generally favored the Ducks, for no reason than their uniforms are less ugly (though this year that advantage is considerably narrower).

But consider: one of these two schools has a program in fermentation sciences (and an accompanying brewery). One of these schools has a hop research lab that is responsible for a number of commercial hop strains and may consequently have had more to do with creating the unique character of Beervana than anyone else. That school is Oregon State University, who tonight will receive my favor.

Go Beavs!

Holiday Ale Fest: Early Sampling

Last night, the Holiday Ale Fest had a mini-tasting for bloggers. (Please, it's rude to laugh.) If the other beers at the fest are as good as the half dozen we tried last night, this is going to be an exceptional fest. I want to draw your attention to five in particular (in the order we tried them):

• Bear Republic Baba Yaga's Imperial Stout. An unusual imperial stout. It's roasty and smoky, and reminded me of some of the single-estate coffees I've had at Stumptown. There's one Sumatran coffee that has much of this character. It's aged in cabernet barrels, and you find a sweetness at the edges of your tongue, as if pushed aside by the bitter, roasty main note.
• Fort George North III. "North" is the beer brewed especially for this fest, now in--suprise!--it's third year. I was worried about this beer because the website says it has 99 BUs; the printed program said 50, though--which was more reassuring. A beer made with sugar plums and an abbey yeast strain, it comes across more like a typical English winter warmer. It mixes the two things you want most--a bit of gentle sweetness and a warmth from the alcohol. Hops come across more as a spicy accent note. While the imperial stout would leave non-stout fans cold, I would recommend this beer to everyone. Oh, and this is your only chance to try it--once the fest is over, the beer will be gone.
  
• Hair of the Dog Jim 2009. This year's batch is a blend featuring a preponderance of Doggie Claws and Blue Dot, a fact evident instantly, by the piney hop nose. That pine carries through very clearly in the flavor, too, giving this beer a particularly seasonal character. The hops are not enormously bitter, and the beer finishes with a sweeter note. For beer geeks trying to isolate some of the minority blends, wait for the hops to pass, then see if you can catch a glimpse of the bock or English brown also blended in. Jim is only available at the Fest.
  
• Deschutes Mirror Mirror. The brewery discovered some barrels in the brewery that had gotten mislaid. They contained some of the most-recent vintage of Mirror Mirror, Deschutes' barleywine. They have only 24 kegs, and half have come to the Fest. The rest will probably not make it out of Bend. These kegs contain 100% barrel-aged, unblended Mirror Mirror, and they are, to my palate, a far more finished beer than I recall having from the bottle. Rich, creamy, caramel-sweet, alcohol-strong, yet balanced with sprightly hopping, it's a wonderful beer.
  
• Cascade Drie Zwarte Sang Noir. The final beer was my favorite. Another blend of various potions from Ron Gansberg's laboratory, this beer falls somewhere between a Flanders red and oud bruin, with some cherries added for complexity. I intend to have another pour of this, perhaps even the $4 full pour, and I'll study it then and take more detailed notes. Suffice it to say that if you're a sour ale fan, this must be first on your list. You will find few beers this good anywhere.
  

Finally, a tip of the hat to Preston Weesner, the impresario who organizes the Holiday Ale Fest. Over the course of years, he has managed to coax and cajole breweries into brewing one-of-a-kind beers for the fest. He does a great job of mixing up the styles so there's something for everyone. And he maintains a stash of beer somewhere in the Portland area that is maintained at precise conditions so that when he brings them out a year or four later, they're magnificent. He poured us a dram of the legendary Jim 2007, for example, which went on tap yesterday afternoon. (I didn't review it because, well, it just seemed cruel to talk about a beer that is no longer available for love or money.)

It was already fairly packed with people, even at 4pm on a Wednesday, evidence that the word's out. But don't let the crowds dissuade you--this has the makings of a real gem. (Maybe tonight, during the Civil War, you would find smaller crowds? A thought.)

The elite corps of PDX beer bloggers

Preston Weesner

Outside the Holiday Ale Fest

4pm on Wednesday and already a nearly-full house

Surveying the New Breweries

[Note: I updated the post with a new, recently-opened brewery. Thanks, DA.]

In yesterday's post, I concluded by listing all the breweries scheduled to open in Portland in the next few months ... and missed at least three. Goes to show how many there are. So, let's review and see if we can capture a the full scope.

• Alchemy Brewing. This is Jason McAdam's new brewery. Jason was formerly with Roots, and brewed one king-hell of a fine imperial stout there. Alchemy will join the legions in Southeast Portland. Placeholder website here.
  
• Breakside. A brewpub scheduled to open in Woodlawn, an under-served part of Beervana. Scott Lawrence, a homebrewer, will man the mash tun. More info here.
  
• Coalition. A brewpub at 28th and Ankeny, and maybe the furthest along of this bunch. Owners Elan Walsky and Kiley Hoyt hope to work with homebrewing customers to create recipes (thus the "coalition"). More info here.
  
• Harvester. A gluten-free brewery from James Neumeister and Katrina “Kat” Jensen. Neumeister roasts the sorghum used in the beers. (See Brewpublic for more.)
  
• Migration. This brewery is just North of Coalition at 28th and Glisan. The owners say it will be open in "early 2010." (See Bill's write-up and also their Facebook page.)
  
• Mount Tabor. Bill sussed this one out on the OLCC website (.pdf). All we have is an address: 824 SE 73rd.
• [New!] Natian Brewing. A recently-opened 1.3-barrel nano brewery located at NE Sandy and Couch. They appear to specialize in cosmically-hoppy beers. (The 75 IBU IPA is described as "An IPA for non-hop heads.") Info: webpage, Facebook, Myspace.
  
• Occidental Brewing. Another phantom, this one has a logo, but we know no more.
  
• Rivergate Brewing. A North Portland pub on Lombard and Peninsular that plans to add a brewery. Early reviews are a bit mixed.

Holler if I missed anything.

Update: It occurs to me to mention that while there are eight breweries listed here, I can imagine at least a few reasons why some won't ever come to be. It's a lot easier to plan to open a brewery than it is to actually open one. That said, a couple of these are well on the way.

New Portland Brewery: Breakside

You gotta be kidding me--another brewpub slated to open in Portland? Yup. This one, however, is going into Woodlawn, a woefully under-served neighborhood. From Neighborhood Notes, here's the skinny (hat tip to eagle-eyed Jim Parker):

"I know ‘breakside' can mean a couple of different things—going against the flow, going your own way, or even just going for a break," [owner Scott] Lawrence says. "We kind of mean all of the above. We want to do things a little differently, but ultimately our goal is to create a relaxing neighborhood hangout." Lawrence and his partner (silent, for the time being) have been devout home brewers for years, and after a trip to an Alaskan brewery last year, decided it was time to give up their corporate gigs and turn their passion into a profession.

"I started looking at space all over town," Lawrence says. "I found this spot on Craigslist and biked over." He said he was drawn to the space, and to the neighborhood. He says the burgeoning business district feels very welcoming, that they seem to be supportive of one another. He is also eager to include the residents surrounding them—with some sort of reward for people who walk or ride their bikes there.

We'll have 4 or 5 different drafts on a rotating basis, and we'll keep our customers in the loop when we choose them," he says. "We'll take customer suggestions to come up with new recipes. We want this to feel like it's their place, so we'll listen to what they want."

Let's see if I have this right. Breweries now under way: Alchemy, Coalition, Migration, and now Breakside. Good time to be a beer blogger, eh?

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PHOTO: Neighborhood Notes

Honest Pints in Salem

Venti's Cafe
Purveyor of an Honest Pint
325 Court Street NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-399-8733

The newest certified purveyor of an honest pint is down in Salem: Venti's Cafe. The owner, who sent me this photo, also notes that it's not actually all that easy to get 20 ounce glasses with a "calibrated logo." Well, we appreciate any pub willing to go the extra mile.

Venti's is principally a cafe, but they have eight taps, and appear to be expanding the beer line-up. (They also have an expansive bottle list, too.) The food includes a nice vegetarian selection, something you can't find at a lot of pubs. If you're down in Salem, be sure to stop in and have a pint.

Cheers!

Scenes From Oregon

Amid the chaos and excitement of winter beer season, I spent last evening in a lost little corner of Beervana--the Barley Mill Pub. Earlier this year, Sally and I let our television die with the transition to digital (it still gets channel five, so I periodically tune in for a little Matt Zaffino and Joe Becker). This was fine and dandy until the fall sports season kicked in. I now have to try to find pirate video feeds online if I want to see the Blazers or catch a football game. Or, more rarely, I go to a pub. Sports pubs are always cheek to jowl, but the old Barley Mill--it doesn't attract the sporting crowd. The guys who work there are football fans, and they now recognize me as a Packer guy.

Anyway, Sally and I went in to catch that Saints-Patriots game last night. As usual, it was a modest crowd. The Barley Mill is one of the more important shrines in the Sacred Walk of Beervana. It was the first of the McMenamins Pubs, and in it resides the eponymous mill from Oregon's first microbrewery, the short-lived Cartwright. (Less famously, it's where I spent my post-college, under-employed afternoons, shooting pool and wondering if you could live on Terminator Stout alone.) I always nod appreciatively at this history before blessing myself with a pint of holy water. I wonder how many people are aware they're drinking on sacred ground.

The Barley Mill is also a museum to culture. When the McMenamins first hit the scene, they tricked out their pubs with memorabilia from the psychedelic 60s. In the early eighties, Portland was still a major holdout for this subculture, and hippies were everywhere. Over time, the pubs became more generically psychedelic, with the emphasis on folk-art painting, ultimately arriving at a distinctive McMenamins look. The Barley Mill, always geographically at the epicenter of the gradually retreating hippie subculture, has remained devoted to the original inspiration. In addition to being a shrine to beer, it's also a shrine to Grateful Dead. When you arrive, you see a floating Jerry Garcia hanging to the neck of a skeleton over the bar. He seems to welcome you, a fellow-traveler. And so it has also been a haven for the tie-dyed crowd.

As one of the graeat epochs of Portland's popular culture, hippiedom has mostly died. It was still ascendant when I arrived in the mid-80s, but within a decade gentle longhairs were fighting a lot of blowback. It was enough of a subculture that it could provoke strong antipathy, and that eco-bombing phase didn't help. Move another decade forward, though, and it's mostly nostalgia. Not enough of the old guard left to count as a huge subculture nor to provoke the ire of the majority. But it's not totally gone.

Last night, we settled down in front of the television and ordered a beer. (The porter they have on tap is flat-out great, by the way. Not respectable, not good-by-McMenamins-standards good, but great, by any standard.) A young woman--not quite a full-on hippie, but a little crunchy nonetheless--went to the juke box and dumped in a lot of quarters, and for the next hour our football played to a soundtrack of the Dead.

Like the Bee Gees and Flock of Seagulls, the Grateful Dead are unavoidably stuck in a moment in time, yet they are really an exceptional band--and a pleasant one. As I drank that fine porter, listened to the Dead, watched football, and chatted with my wife, I was aware that this particular combination was probably only possible in one state and one city and maybe even one pub. One of those moments of delicious local color.

[Note: upon re-read, I spied some clunky language and atrocious spelling and did a clean up.]

Holiday Ale Fest Preview

Holiday Ale Festival, Dec 2-6
Pioneer Courthouse Square
Wed, 2 pm - 10pm
Thurs-Sat, 11am - 10pm
Sun, 11am - 7pm
Website | Twitter feed

Portland now has three or four festivals that beer geeks consider must-see events, but putting one atop the list would be hard work. With one very major caveat, the Holiday Ale Fest may now be in the driver's seat. At no other fest do breweries send such rare, limited-release beers. Barrel aging is now the norm, and some of these have been treated to months of care. Beers come mainly from the West Coast, but the Fest manages a few international classics, as well. Add to that the special tastings that include vintage beers and you have Beervana's most concentrated collection of fine beer of the year.

The caveat: until organizers figure out how to fold space into inter-dimensional pockets, the size of the venue (Pioneer Courthouse Square) is not adequate to manage the size of the crowd. Last year they eked out a bit more space by adding an upper level, but it was still insanely busy. That upper tier returns this year, along with the expanded days, so you might find a time and place to enjoy a relatively peaceful pour. Friday and Saturday nights? Not so much.

Trends
While barleywines and winter warmers are a regular feature, we have a couple of interesting trends this year. Porters and stouts are making a serious showing. This is excellent news, for they are ideally suited for the Portland winter months. In particular, there are three Baltic porters, four imperial stouts, and four flavored stouts (plus a flavored porter). I don't know if this counts as a trend or not, but there are four abbey ales. Experimentation with Belgian-inspired beers, mainly in the form of Upright and Cascade, continues apace.

Interesting Beers
You know what you like. You don't need a blogger to tell you what to drink. But if you're looking for something to fill in your hand, these are the ones I'll be looking at:

• Stouts. Perhaps my fave style, and I may not drink anything else. (Not true.) In order, these are the ones that call to me: Bear Republic Baba Yaga, an imperial stout aged in cabernet barrels, MacTarnahan's Chocolate Imperial, not exactly imperial strength, but featuring chocolate nibs and oats, Ninkasi Unconventionale, a tarragon, lavender, and heather-spiced imperial.
  
• Cascade Sang Noir. An absurd mixture of vintages, mixtures, and barrels, with a few bing cherries for good measure. Only available at the fest.
  
• Baltic Porters. Perhaps my fave style. Wait... Anyway, three here, but depending on which booth I arrive at first, I'll be trying either Laurelwood's Polska Porter (10%!) or Hopworks' Kronan the Barbarian.
• Block 15 Oaked Saint Nick. An old ale aged in toasted American oak and dry-hopped with Mt. Hoods.
• Hair of the Dog JIM, 2009 vintage. A blended ale brewed only for the fest.
• Fort George North III. I am drawn to the diced sugar plums added to this trippel, but I fear it might be overhopped (99 IBUs). Still.
  

No doubt this will not form a complete list, but it's my target starting beers. Also of note, I've had the Dupont Avec Les Bons Voeux in the past, and it's amazing. Spend the two tokens if you've never had it.

Special Tastings
Again, you know what you like. Still, I should draw your attention to a couple of stand-outs. 2007 was the year Hair of the Dog first released JIM, and it was an exceptional beer. Just one keg of this vintage remains, and it will be tapped at 2pm on Wednesday. Also in that time slot, the Fest's oldest beer, a 2003 Old Knucklehead (BridgePort) and a 2005 Samichlaus. At 5:30, they'll tap a 2007 Scaldis Noel. I don't know what this beer tastes like aged, but it's sublime when they release it. Probably worth a couple tickets to find out.

If you're around at 11 the next morning, you might watch Bayern tap its wooden cask of Face Plant with a wood hammer and spigot. But for beer (not to say that Face Plant, a weizenbock, won't be delicious), I'd try the Kona Da Grind Kona Coffee Imperial Stout. At 5:30, they'll tap Lompoc's Bourbon-barrel Aged Pagen Porter, which looks tasty.

They'll do special tastings Friday and Saturday, too, but they haven't yet released the line-up. Check in on their Twitter feed or Facebook page for updates.

I will be at the Fest on Wednesday for a blogger tasting, and I'll report back my findings. I'll go one other time with friends, too--probably Saturday. Reports as I have them, plus I'll guide you to other news/reviews as I see them. Cheers!

64 Proof Beer

And to think that BrewDog's Atlantic IPA looks inexpensive by comparison:

A controversial Scottish brewery has launched what it described as the world's strongest beer - with a 32% alcohol content. Tactical Nuclear Penguin has been unveiled by BrewDog of Fraserburgh. BrewDog was previously branded irresponsible for an 18.2% beer called Tokyo, which it then followed with a low alcohol beer called Nanny State. Managing director James Watt said a limited supply of Tactical Nuclear Penguin would be sold for £30 each.

It provoked a predictable reaction that will no doubt encourage the BrewLads to aim even higher:

However Jack Law, of Alcohol Focus Scotland, described it was a "cynical marketing ploy" and said: "We want to know why a brewer would produce a beer almost as strong as whisky."

Yes, why indeed?

Thanksgiving Leftovers

The New York Times has a business piece about brewery start-ups, contrasting the local versus national models:

Patrick Rue, who operates the Bruery out of a 10,000-square-foot warehouse in Placentia, Calif., is pursuing a different strategy.... “We need to sell a little bit of beer in a lot of places,” Mr. Rue said. “That’s our bridge to survival.”

On the other hand, the Mt. Carmel Brewing Company, which is based in Cincinnati, is focusing on its local market, where demand has outstripped the supply this tiny brewery can produce.

I have long wondered about these models, and this may bear some closer scrutiny--is one model better than the other, and does it matter where the brewery is located?

Also of note, Samurai Artist tweeted about yet another new brewery--Alchemy, helmed by a famliar name, Jason McAdam, formerly with Roots. From the website:

Alchemy is brewing up a sensational lineup of old and new world beers and artisan meats that will be crafted and served at our SE Portland location. Our unfiltered beers will be brewed with organic ingredients and expertly aged by veteran local brewers. Alchemy beer will be available in-house, to-go, and off-premise at fine local establishments.

Yet another brewery to be thankful for!

TV Segment

At long last, here's the segment on winter ales from KOIN's "Keep it Local." My gaffes were limited to staring at my shoes at the start (my, isn't Jeff bald!) and totally blanking out on what an alt was. KOIN, unfortunately, has gaffed by cutting this clip short--and leaving off most of the Oakshire tasting. Sorry Matt!

Favorite Things

Those of which I am particularly thankful.

1. Twenty-one breweries within 6 miles of my house

2. Theater pubs

3. Aroma hops

4. Two breweries and a gastropub slated to open within one mile of my house

5. Rainy skies and imperial stouts

6. Open fermenters

7. Festivals under Christmas trees

8. Fred Eckhardt

9. Bittering Hops

10. Brewing women and bearded brewers

11. Sour beers

12. Great views

13. Beer bloggers

14. Fresh hops

Have a great Thanksgiving, folks--

What if ...

...I went on teevee and no one saw it? As of this morning, much of yesterday's "Keep It Local" had been posted to the website. But not my winter beer tasting. I was there, though--honest! I even took some cell-phone pics as I waited for my segment.





If and when the clip gets posted, I'll let you know.

Local Wine at the White House--Cool, but...

An Oregon winery made a bit of a splash yesterday when its riesling was featured at the huge White House gala with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.* (Not only because it was a local wine, but because the official menu misspelled "Willamette." D'oh!) Cool beans for the Brooks Winery, yet another in a fairly long list of local wines to be served at the White House. But we voted for change! Wine is so passe--hasn't the President (noted beer drinker) gotten the message that ales are the new pinot?

The next time the White House throws a chichi fete--say when Angela Merkel visits--Obama ought to take bold leadership and serve beer. As a way of showing the way, let's have a look at last night's menu and see how we might have paired the courses with food.

Course: Potato and eggplant salad, White House arugala with onion vinaigrette.
Pairing: I'd choose something with a bit of sweet malt to contrast the tartness of the vinaigrette and the bitter/spiciness of the arugala. You want something light, though, so it will draw out the flavors and not overwhelm them. How about a nice pale ale. Since Obama likes to play the high/low card, let's go with Caldera Pale Ale, in the can.

Course: Red lentil soup with fresh cheese
Pairing: "Fresh cheese" doesn't give us much to go on, but let's guess that this is a slightly heartier course. When I hear "cheese," I think Belgian, so we could suggest something like Upright Four or--since we're highlighting the nation, not just Beervana--New Belgium Dandelion Ale.

Course: Roasted potato dumplings with tomato chutney, chick peas, and okra or green curry prawns, caramelized salsify with smoked collard greens, and coconut aged basmati.
Pairing: In honor of India, the White House has made a variation on traditional Indian food. The pairing here is obvious--it needs to be a light lager, typical of the Subcontinent. I've recently had US-brewed Kingfisher, a classic Indian brand, and it's a great beer. Unlike its Indian version, the US recipe is quite nicely hopped, sharp, clean, and dry. It would go perfectly with the meal and be a nice show of international cooperation.

Course: Pumpkin pie tart, pear tatin, whipped cream and caramel sauce
Pairing: This seasonally-appropriate dessert calls for a seasonally-appropriate beer. To draw out the darker, earthier notes from the pumpkin pie, and to help cut the sweet, I would choose a dark dry beer here. One of America's finest is Anchor porter--a fine note on which to end a meal.

Someone alert the President about this, will you?

_________________
*Errata to file under "small world." The Beeronomist--he doesn't want us to call him that, but some titles stick, and in Beervana it's an honorific, anyway--once met the Prime Minister, back when he was just a technocrat in the Rao government during the Clinton days. Singh is, you see, an economist by training, and so they have a professional connection. Beer and politics? Sidelights.

Ninkasi Sleigh'r

I suppose we should get this out of the way first: I am not comfortable with the allusion by Ninkasi's Sleigh'r to the thrash metal band Slayer. Afficianados of heavy metal will assure you that Slayer is full of more thrashy goodness than the competition (Metallica partisans notwithstanding). I am not an afficianado. (I'm more of a Ponytail, Eels, Tom Waits, Miles Davis kind of man.)

But I can forgive Ninkasi their musical tastes. Beer, they say, unites all. Sleigh'r is, unexpectedly, a double alt. Ninkasi, like--well, like a heavy metal band--tends to stick to a narrow range of beers. The Ninkasi standard is an ale, large, loud, and muscular. They have dabbled in variants before--Schwag, for example. Sleigh'r is in this mode, a fun one-off.

I have to confess, I judged this beer by its label. I didn't expect much, yet it was absolutely gorgeous pouring out. You think it's chestnut brown until you hold it up to the light and see the Christmas cranberry. It produces a lush, rich head and gives off a wonderful malty nose. In the end, it's a pretty straightforward interpretation of style (which also caught me off guard). The malt body is rich and clean, and there are nicely insistent hops. They're not showy or funky, just assertive, as you'd hope for in an alt.

Overall, very nicely done. I'd give this a B+.

Through the Eyes of Others

Portland beer drinkers spend so much time talking about ourselves (I'm allowed--I have a blog) that it's interesting to get the perspective of visitors. Today's report comes from John Dodge, writing for The Olympian.

On Friday night we crossed the Willamette River to the Hawthorne neighborhood in southeast Portland for some more pub crawling. This neighborhood has a weathered, counterculture feel to it, typified by the Lucky Labrador brew pub housed in an old roofing and sheet metal warehouse. The pub fare – spicy peanut curry over chicken, rice and vegetables – was savory, and the Dog Day IPA was hoppy enough for my taste.

He got some bad service at Roots, which led to a scathing dismissal--proof that even one bad evening can affect a pub.

Beer Tasting With Jeff

Tomorrow I will be filming a shot segment for the show "Keep It Local," which airs daily at 4pm on KOIN TV. We will be tasting winter beers, four or five, of which I have three identified. Don't know if it will air on Tuesday, but it conceivably could. For those of you with the fortune to be near a TV set at four, tune in--if only to see how many gaffes I commit. I'll do my best to track down the video for those who can't watch at that hour.

Our Rock n Roll Tastes Better Than Yours

Example 287 demonstrating that Portland is Beervana: when your coolest high-concept indie rock band homebrews. I give you the Decemberists:



And on that note--have a fine weekend!