Browsing Brews

A Juggernaut for fall

2009-08-27T16:41:00.001-07:00

Fall is coming - less than a month away. Nights are cooler, although days still seem to reach uncomfortable highs at ruch hour. I don't drink very often before dinner, though, so the coming of cooler evenings in fall means a change in my cravings on the beer front.

Trouble is, fall offerings from craft brewers are traditionally thin. A number of them send up Oktoberfest lagers around Labor Day, most of which disapper by the time traditional Munich festivities even get rolling. Fall beers get crowded out quickly by better-selling winter seasonals - no doubt a reflection of the wider latitude and creative license engendered by that category.

One exception this year is Pyramid. Their Juggernaut Red Ale shakes up the autumnal offerings in a number of ways.

First, it's an ale. Nothing wrong with lagers, but where is it written that we have to ferment cool in the hot season?

Second, and related, is the hop profile. Fall beers tend to be bipolar - either moderately bittered but subdued in hop flavor, like the Okto's, or hop-crazy in the fresh-hop beers usually released later in September.

Not so the Juggernaut. Crisp and bitter up front, its hop flavor leans forward and balances the assertive, nutty malt profile all throughout. Cascade dry-hopping gives the Jug another little hop kick at the end, lingering a tad on the tongue.

Third, the beer has depth, both in body and color. Deep garnet in hue, you'd swear at first glance it was hazy, but in reality it's the dark malts making it opaque. No light-copper pale ale, here. It has mouthfeel, too - significantly more than the traditional pale ales and even Oktoberfests. The moderate carbonation and creamy texture offer a nice contrast to the often astringent harvest ales of fall.

Juggernaut would make a nice companion to something off the grill at a fall barbecue, or for sipping on cool fall nights by a fire. I could even see sipping on one along with some nachos at a football game. I like it. It's a good Fallternative to the usually thin autumn line-up.

A beer list of a different sort

2009-07-21T17:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday’s post was all about hard-to-find beers that should not be missed at the Oregon Brewer’s Festival. Some folks head to the OBF with specific goals in mind – to taste all of the porters, for example, or all of the high-alcohol beers.

This blog post is intended to help some of those drinkers. But only those who think – and drink – like me. I like thirst-quenching beers, organics, and beers I can't find elsewhere.

So, without further ado, here are a couple of handy checklists. If you think of other sorts, suggest them and I'll see what I can do.

Here are the hoppiest ten beers on tap at the festival (for the jargon-challenged, IBU is “International Bitterness Units” and measures the bitterness of a beer; OG is “original gravity”, roughly the beer’s malt content before fermentation):

Brewery Beer Name Beer Style IBU OG
Laughing Dog Brewing Alphadog Dog Imperial IPA Imperial IPA 127 1.070
Old Market Pub The Kraken Imperial IPA Imperial IPA 103 1.080
Green Flash Brewing Co Green Flash Imperial IPA Imperial IPA 101 1.080
Beer Valley Brewing Co Leafer Madness Imperial Pale Double IPA 100 19P
Astoria Brewing Co Bitter Bitch Imperial IPA 99 1.080
Track Town Ales 200 Meter IPA 90 16P
Standing Stone Brewing Co Double India Pale Ale Double IPA 80 18.7P
Rock Bottom Brewery Eat a Bale o' Hops IPA IPA 80 15.5P
Stone Brewing Co Cali-Belgique IPA Belgian IPA 77 n/a
Terminal Gravity Festivale British Strong 73 17.5P

These are the most alcoholic (that provided this information) (ABV = Alcohol by Volume):

Brewery Beer Name Beer Style IBU OG
Redhook Ale Brewery Belgian Tripel Belgian Tripel 20.50 10.3
Pike Brewing Co Monk's Uncle Belgium Tripel 1.08 9.0
Widmer Bros. Brewing Co KGB Imperial Stout 21.00 9.0
Green Flash Brewing Co Green Flash Imperial IPA Imperial IPA 1.08 9.0
Beer Valley Brewing Co Leafer Madness Imperial Pale Double IPA 19.00 9.0
Old Market Pub The Kraken Imperial IPA Imperial IPA 1.08 8.9
Scuttlebutt Brewing Co Tripel 7 Belgian Style Ale Belgian Tripel 19.00 8.9
Astoria Brewing Co Bitter Bitch Imperial IPA 1.08 8.7
Terminal Gravity Festivale Strong Ale 17.50 8.3
Laughing Dog Brewing Alphadog Dog Imperial IPA Imperial IPA 1.07 8.0
Boulevard Brewing Co Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale Farmhouse Ale 17.50 8.0

And the lowest in alcohol, for those who prefer to sip and savor without getting loaded:

Brewery Beer Name Beer Style IBU ABV
Eel River Brewing Organic Acai Berry Wheat Fruit Beer 15 40
Cascade Lakes Blonde Bombshell Blonde Ale 26 4.0
Caldera Brewing Co Hibiscus Ginger Beer Ginger Beer na 4.3
North Coast Brewing Co Scrimshaw Pilsner 22 4.4
Southern Oregon Brewing SOB Gold Hybrid 20 4.5
Oregon Trail Brewery Oregon Trail Wit Wit 28 4.5
Dogfish Head Festina Peche Berliner Weisse 8 4.5
Cascade Brewing at the Raccoon Lodge Razberry Wheat Fruit Beer 15 4.5
Three Creeks Brewing Co Stonefly Rye Rye Ale 28 4.6
10 Barrel Brewing Co Summer Ale Golden 4.7
Moylan's Brewing Co Pomegranate Wheat Wheat Ale 8 4.8
Lost Coast Brewery Great White Belgian Witbier 11 4.8
Deschutes Brewery Miss Spelt Specialty 30 4.8
Trumer Brauerei Trumer Pils Pilsner 26 4.9
Laht Neppur Brewing Co Neddy's Brown Nut Nut Brown na 4.9

Here are the organic beers:

Brewery Beer Name Beer Style OG ABV
Alameda Brewing Co. El Torero American IPA 1.070 na
Bison Brewing Co Organic Chocolate Stout Foreign Style Stout 1.070 36
Double Mountain Brewery India Red Ale ("IRA") India Red Ale 1.060 65
Eel River Brewing Organic Acai Berry Wheat Fruit Beer 9.0P 15
Fish Brewing Co Organic Wild Salmon Pale Ale Pale Ale 1.050 32
Hopworks Urban Brewery Organic Rise Up Red NW Red Ale 13.5P 60
Standing Stone Brewing Double India Pale Ale Double IPA 18.7P 80

12 beers not to miss at the 2009 OBF

2009-07-20T16:48:00.000-07:00

The 2009 Oregon Brewer’s Festival begins Thursday at noon (10 AM for those attending the Brewer’s Breakfast, and Wednesday at 6 for Brewer’s Dinner-goers), and Oregon’s summer weather is cooperating by giving us a real beer-drinker’s forecast. I suspect I’ll be as thirsty as I need to be once those taps open.

The thing is, no matter how many hours I spend at the Festival, I never hit all of the taps. This year, with 81 beers flowing in addition to the 20 or so poured in the extra-charge “Buzz Tent”, the likelihood of hitting them all is even more remote. The best we can hope for is to try the ones we’re unlikely to find on Portland’s nearly infinite supply of taps in its rich supply of awesome neighborhood pubs.

Thus, it’s good to have a game plan in mind before you wet your whistle. Rather than numbing my taste buds with four ounces of each brew, I prefer to taste strategically. I look for:
- New beers from consistently good breweries. If the places that brew up my favorites are brewing up something new, I know I can expect a quality taster from them at the fest.
- Beers from new OBF participants. The OBF staff works hard to mix up the line-up of breweries and to balance local with long-distance contributors.
- Experimental beers – within limits. I want to know what spelt beer is like, but I also know what I don’t like (sour beers, fruit beers, and really really light lagers). Selective support of experimentation keeps your taste buds fresh, especially after taking a beating from all of those 100-IBU IPA’s.
- Thirst-quenchers. When all is said and done, the OBF is a hot, dusty place. Crisp, hoppy beers go down well.

Luckily, for the past three years I’ve had the good fortune of getting to know the OBF beers in advance by writing the descriptions for the program. Unfortunately, I don’t get to taste them all before writing about them, odd as that may seem. The ones that are special to the OBF or that are being shipped from the east coast, for example, simply aren’t available, so I go by what the brewer tells me.
Based on that information, here are the top dozen beers I want to make sure I don’t miss at this year’s OBF:

Deschutes Brewing “Miss Spelt” – a great brewery and a unique, special-to-the-fest formulation. It might well be my first stop on the tour.

Eel River Organic Acai Berry Wheat – I know, I said no fruit beers, but this one is truly original, and Acai berries are good for you, right? And it’s organic.

Elysian Loser Pale Ale – Elysian is introducing the Sorachi Ace hop, grown in Yakima from Japanese stock. I’m curious.

Firestone Walker Union Jack IPA – A new brewery from a long-established California company, I want to see what they’ve got.

Laht Neppur Neddy’s Brown Nut – Another newcomer just three years onto the scene, and brave enough to bring a dark ale to an IPA-crazy event.

Kona Kailua Kona Coconut Brown Ale - Sounds sweet and mellow, perfect for when the sun goes down and the air gets just a touch chilly.

Marin Brewing Bluebeery Ale – Once again violating my fruit beer rule (what are rules for, anyway?), I want to see if their attempt at using blueberries in an ale works any better than mine.

Moylan’s Pomegranate Wheat – Okay, shut up about the fruit thing, okay? Come on, it’s pomegranate. I have to know. Don’t you?

Rogue Latona Pale Ale – It’s a one-hop, one-malt brew. Crazy. It might be one-dimensional, and it might knock my socks off. Let me at it. Besides, Rogue always rocks.

Three Creeks Stonefly Rye – One of Oregon’s newest breweries, with Dave Fleming (formerly of the Lucky Lab) at the helm of the brewery, how can we go wrong?

Vertigo Razz Wheat – Another Oregon newbie, which once again makes me violate my no-fruit rule. Besides, Oregon raspberries are awesome, and I’m sure my girlfriend will finish this one for me if I don’t like it.

Widmer KGB Russian Imperial Stout – you can only get this one at the Gasthaus, and I don’t get there often enough. And it’s just. Incredible. Beer.

There you go – my first 12 stops. What are yours? (Check oregonbrewfest.com or www.guestontap.com for a complete list with descriptions.)

Happy to be in Beervana

2008-07-24T06:42:00.000-07:00

It’s Oregon Beer Week, and that makes it an amazing time to be in Portland.

It began with an event I missed - the Portland International Beer Festival – due to bad planning, bad luck, and excessive fiscal prudence. But there are gobs of other events, including Meet the Brewer events at the Green Dragon, hospitality parties, Fred Eckhardt’s Beer and Cheese tasting, and no end of other options. This is not Beervana for nothing.

But my focus is on the main event – the Oregon Brewer’s Festival, starting today at noon at Portland’s Waterfront Park, and several of its satellite warm-ups.

The first of those events was last night, at the sold-out Brewer’s Dinner, a fancy name for a gigantic picnic with some 25-odd kegs of beer flowing through the capable hands of several dozen happy, well-fed volunteers. The salmon was, once again, absolutely outstanding. Not only that, but for the first time in over ten years of participating in this event, I finished off all of the scrip that comes with admission.

Of course, that’s because they reduced the number of half-pints you can get down from eight to six, and I had to rush to get my last one in. I finished with the sublime Bourbon-barrel Stout from Old Market Pub, a wonderful surprise from a place that usually hasn’t impressed me with their beer. It fit right in with the wide array of strong, full-flavored, full-bodied ales and a handful of lagers from which we had to choose.

Today, events begin early, with the Brewer’s Breakfast at 9 AM at the Rogue Ale House, the Brewer’s Parade from there to the festival, the ceremonial firkin-tapping at noon to open the festival, and the media tour for VIPs at 12:30. (Somehow I qualified. I’m not arguing the point.) The festival (for those of you who just emerged from under a rock) runs 12-9 thru Saturday and 12-7 on Sunday, as the kegs (it is hoped) run dry early that day.

I’ve been asked whether I sensed a theme at this year’s OBF, and I do. It’s Wit, both for the clever names and outrageous concoctions being presented, and for the prevalence of Wits and other wheat beers at the fest. (I wrote the program, so I have advance information: there are five Belgian Wits and 6 other wheats out of 72 beers on tap today. You won’t need a sandwich to get your glutens this weekend.) Clever names include Lagunitas’s Hop Stoopid, New Holland’s Dragon’s Milk, and 21^st Amendment’s Hell or High Watermelon. I think that says it all.

The ones I’ll be anxious to try, besides the Hop Stoopid and Dragon’s Milk, are Full Sail’s LTD 02 (Bock), and Collaborator Resurrection Rye, and Minneapolis-based Surly Brewing’s Coffee Bender. That ought to start the morning right, if the brewer’s breakfast doesn’t. I’ll also sample the handful of other Imperials (IPA’s, stouts, and strong ales), particularly Widmer’s Full Nelson Imperial IPA.

There’s also this tidbit that helped kick off beer week on the right foot for me. Leaving Laurelwood Pub after an early dinner on Saturday, I passed a young man in a Laurelwood shirt – clearly an employee - wearing plastic gloves, cleaning out the sandpit ashtray in the parking lot. Despite the grunginess of that job, he wore a big smile as he said to me, “Hey, thanks for coming in!”

I smiled back and said, “Always a pleasure.”

“That’s really great to hear,” he said, still grinning.

That kid’s positive outlook, even while doing such a distasteful job, made me want to return to the pub more even than the great beer, tasty garlic fries, and friendly staff inside. And it made me even more happy that I live in the greatest beer city in the world.

Hallucinator is back!

2007-10-17T23:54:00.000-07:00

People have often asked me, "When can I get your beer on tap somewhere?"

Well, they will get their wish. Today I made a commercially-available beer in a commercial brewery for the fourth time. The beer is my own creation and may never be made again - or it may be made over and over. We'll see.

This is the story of how I got to brew that beer today.

Ten years ago, I designed an English Old Ale, called "Old Ironsides." Golden in color, it was lightly hopped, very malty, and smooth. An easy-drinking beer, it was subtly dangerous: at 7% alcohol by volume, it had nearly twice the alcohol of the pale fizzy lagers most Americans drink.

My second batch of this brew was called "Old Floorboards." It was made and tweaked with my friend Michael Rasmussen and aged fifteen months before being selected as one of the first "Collaborator" beers from Widmer Brothers Brewing. "Collaborator" is a joint project between Widmer and the Oregon Brew Crew in which homebrewers design beers of less-commonly-known styles. Selected winners get brewed by Widmer and served in area pubs. A healthy share of proceeds funds the Bob McCracken Scholarship Fund at Oregon State University's Fermentation Sciences program (named for the late OBC President who championed the idea). The brewers get accolades and very nice letterman's jackets. We can then brag to our former high school jock friends that we've "lettered in beer." They are nearly always supremely jealous.

Mike and I helped brew the first batch of this beer, now called "Hallucinator," at Widmer's Rose Quarter pilot brewery with brewmaster Ike Manchester on my 40th birthday - October 28, 1999. It debuted in November of 2000 at the New Old Lompoc pub in northwest Portland. It was a smash hit. The keg was tapped at 7 PM and it was empty by 8:30. Lompoc rushed out and bought a second keg and we drained half of it before the night was through.

The beer was sold in pubs all over town, including the Horse Brass, the M Bar, It's a Beautiful Pizza, the Triple Nickle and of course Widmer's own pub, The Gasthaus. I had a pint of Hallucinator at each pub that served my beer. A second batch was served at the 2001 Oregon Brewer's Festival and the 2001 Winter Ale Festival, where it won the "People's Choice Award." I was thrilled to serve my beer at that festival as a volunteer.

Since then, many other great Collaborator beers have come along, and Hallucinator became a distant, fond memory. Until...

My pal, Winter Ale Festival boss Preston Weesner, convinced Widmer to brew Hallucinator again, specifically for the 2007 festival (November 30-December 2, at Portland's Pioneer Courthouse Square). That's what we brewed today. This 10-barrel batch of beer required:

750 pounds of pale malt
93 pounds of specialty malts
about 8 pounds of hops
about one-half barrel of yeast slurry
gobs and gobs of water, heat, sweat, and patience

I spent most of the day chatting with Ike and waiting for the opportunity to do something like shovel grain, flip a valve, attach giant hoses with screw-on clamps, or weigh hops. At the end of the day I got to examine the finished wort under a microscope and count yeast cells. Just like in my home brewery, the whole process took about seven hours.

This batch of Hallucinator won't be aged a year like the previous (and my home-made) batches. In fact, I expect it to sell out completely by year's end. Preston said he'd buy every drop of it for the Winter fest if he could - but he can't. Several individuals, including Michael and I, will pony up for quarter-barrels for home consumption, as I'm sure will Preston.

Those will get aged.

Maybe... it's pretty good drinking beer young, too.

Ideally, there'll be some at next year's Pagan Party, but no promises. Unless there's another batch after this one...

Drink your green beer

2007-05-26T14:02:00.000-07:00

I’m writing the beer and brewery descriptions for this year’s Oregon Brewer’s Festival Program, a welcome return to a task I left to others’ capable hands some ten years ago. It’s the 20^th annual festival, and many of the 72 breweries are boiling up some special batches for the event. I’m not at liberty yet to say what, but rest assured, it’ll be an exciting long weekend for your taste buds.

It will also be good for you – and the planet.

This year's OBF could be crowned the Year of Green Beer. And not the food-coloring-in-your-CoorsMillOb variety, either. At least nine of the 60 known entries thus far are organic beers. In addition, four breweries claim to be greener and cleaner than all the other in their production methods and other civic goodness. Combinations of solar and wind power and donations to earth-friendly causes lead the rightful crowing.

The way to a beer-drinker’s heart, I guess, is through his conscience.

For it seems that he craft brewing industry has suddenly caught on to the need for sustainable practices – or, at least, the marketability of bragging about it. The upcoming second annual Organic Beer Festival here in Portland is testimony to the fact that Oregonians love their beer and their planet. That festival, a smash hit in 2006, had to change venues, I’m told, because it already outgrew the beautiful and appropriate setting it had last year at the World Forestry Center.

Even then, I think some breweries are under-selling their earth-friendliness, or are missing opportunities to capitalize on it. At least one brewery I know of makes several organic beers but didn’t enter one (or claim its organic status) in the 2007 OBF program. And at least one well-known all-organic brewery isn’t even on the list.

I see the same phenomenon happening in the craft wine industry, although they’re perhaps a little ahead of the game. One of my favorite wineries, Brick House (of Newberg, OR), is all organic, and always has been. But it wasn’t until very recently that they even stated that fact on their wine’s label. The winemaker there told me that it’s because organic wines had a negative stigma in the industry for low quality and poor shelf life. Those are not problems with Brick House wines, I promise you.

It’s also not a problem with the “green” beers and breweries you’ll experience at the Organic Beer Fest or the Oregon Brewer’s Festival. The breweries pouring at these events all have great reputations, and in many cases, have brewed these same beers for years without claiming their earth-friendly goodness.

Up until now. Now, earth-friendly is not only good for the world, it’s good for business. It not only is green – it helps bring in the green.

So drink your green beer this year. Your grandchildren will be glad you did.

Oregon Beer Grows Up

2007-03-12T18:18:00.000-07:00

We’re not the new kids on the block anymore.

By “we” I mean Portland brewers, and as such, the “we” is a bit of a stretch. I’m a mere homebrewer, not a pro. The ones with mortgages on the line are the ones I really mean here.

What brings this about is a press release and accompanying graphics for an old friend. An old friend, that is, with a new name, and a new face. MacTarnahan’s Brewing Company, née Portland Brewing, who will celebrate their coming of legal age - 21 years – with a party (“Mac’s Madness”) this Wednesday at 5 PM in the taproom.

At the party, they’ll “reintroduce” MacTarnahan’s Amber Ale (also born with a different name – it was a “Scottish Ale” in its youth). If you find this old sawhorse in the stores, you’ll notice it has a new label. Gone are the green tartans of yesteryear. Here today is a crisp, clean, modern look – market-researched to connote maturity, combined with a sense of modernity. We’re big boys now, the label says, not those upstarts brewing out of the back of a basement. You can rely on us now.

Indeed, you can. Mac’s is a reliably decent beer, one that will provide a full-bodied, nutty caramel flavor and a gentle dose of hops. Not a tongue-ripping Northwest IPA, nor a body-building bock; just a nice, clean, reliable amber. Good for a cookout, or a cool-down on a spring afternoon once the gardening’s done.

The new image is consistent with the trend of its companions around the state. Take, for example, Full Sail and Deschutes. I pulled a couple of bottles from my stash recently. Here’s what they used to look like:

And now, the current packaging:

Apologies for the Mercator-to-Amber switch on Full Sail... I don’t have a direct comparable label, but the old ones were as similar to each other as the new ones are, so I think you get the picture.

And that picture is: We’re serious about brewing in Oregon now. We’re not the brash kids, decorating our labels with cute graphics that make you curious. We’re presentable. We want to be served at the symphony as well as the barbecue.

So, to whom goeth the job of the brash, young brewer, yearning to stand amongst the crowded shelves?

Is that not Oregon’s place in the beer firmament any longer?

An alternative to a smoking ban

2007-01-30T13:17:00.000-08:00

The Oregon Legislature continues its assault on vices, with a proposed ban on smoking in bars and pubs piling on top of the Governor’s proposed 84-cents-a-pack cigarette tax and the proposed 12-fold increase in beer taxes.

The beer tax I’ve addressed in a previous blog entry. The cigarette tax I favor outright. Cigarettes kill. They killed my father, and the second-hand smoke probably contributed to the cancers that three of my sisters have so far survived. As far as I’m concerned, tax the hell out of it. Recoup the full costs of tobacco; be punitive if we must. Price it out of reach, for all I care.

Ah, but banning it? Even partially? I’m not so sure. Maybe there’s another option. Let’s explore this question a moment.

I’m a rather libertarian sort, who nonetheless believes it appropriate to fully recover the external costs of a product, process, or behavior – in this case, smoking tobacco – so that the producer and consumer ultimately bear those costs. Hence, my support of high cigarette and higher (but not punitive) alcohol taxes. Right now, both are too low.

But I also believe that, once the price mechanism is set at the right level and precautions are taken to prevent further harm to others, we should allow people freedom of choice. Even if that choice is harmful to oneself.

The ban on smoking in pubs is problematic in that it takes an admittedly evil – but LEGAL – product and behavior (smoking tobacco) and removes our right to choose to do it. And, to do it in a time and place long associated (even expected) with smoking: drinking. If we’re too chicken to ban it altogether, why ban it in the very place people want to do it most?

Isn’t the choice to allow this behavior up to the pub owner and the customer? Shouldn’t we allow individuals the right to choose whether to kill themselves or not? Customers who don’t like it can go elsewhere, right?

If only it were so simple.

The problem is that pesky second-hand smoke issue. Sure, non-smoking customers can go elsewhere, but not everyone can: employees, vendors, inspectors, et al.

Maybe the occasional visit of the vendor or inspector can be overlooked. One whiff won’t kill them.

But not so the employees. Oh, sure, technically they can quit. But why should it be a choice between making a living – and dying?

Further, there’s an unequal power relationship between employers and employees. In short, employers have it, employees don’t. That’s especially true in the food service industry, which has never been (and probably never will be) unionized. Jobs are tenuous and competitive, pay is typically poor (except in swanky places), and stress is very high. I can attest to all of this with first-hand experience.

So, employees aren’t that free to walk – especially if most of the places they’d walk to are just as smoky. They often have to live with it, or, in this case, die a little faster.

Pub owners have moan that a ban could put them out of business. Sorry, I don’t buy it. Lose revenue, maybe, but close, no. They’d all be playing by the same rules. The tiny minority of pub customers who won’t go to a bar because they’re not allowed to smoke would be more than made up for by the increase in customers who might return because the environment is now smoke-free. There are many more non-smokers than smokers – and with luck, that ratio will continue to increase.

Don Younger of the Horse Brass and other fine pubs once told me that he believes that taverns are private, not public places, and as such, should not be regulated. A smoking ban, he said, would be “the end of pubs as we know them... the corner bar, the mom-and-pop’s, goes away.” Well, smoking has been banned in Washington and California, and I haven’t seen evidence of what he’s predicting. I won’t say it hasn’t happened, but I just haven’t seen it.

Having said all of that, I’m still not convinced that a ban is the way to go.

I still like the price mechanism. Why not a pub smoking tax? Establishments that allow smoking would pay a per-seat premium to the state for that privilege (funds to be used to pay for education and health programs related to smoking). Further I think smoking establishments should be required to provide full health insurance benefits to all employees, even part-timers, and maybe a wage premium, too.

In other words, internalize those external impacts and costs. Give choices – and information – but make the polluter pay.

On the other side of the coin, those of use who prefer a smoke-free environment should support those who give it to us. Here’s a list of places around Portland that I’ve put together from my interviews for Guest on Tap articles and from the Oregon Brew Crew listserve. Please, if you know of more, chime in!

==============================================================
Smoke-free pub list (for locations, Check out this map)

BJ’s (Several locations)
Bridgeport (downtown, downstairs)
Clinton Street Brewing
Elliott Glacier in Parkdale
Fifth Quadrant
Full Sail (none indoors – ok on deck)
Hazel Dell Brewpub (Vancouver)
Karlsson’s Brewing, Sandy, OR
Laurelwood (2 locations)
Lucky Lab (3 locations)
McMenamin’s on the Columbia & East Vancouver (Mill Plain)
Old Market Pub
Portland Tap Room
Roots (inside seating only)
Walking Man (Stevenson)
Widmer Gasthaus

OLCC's latest stupidity

2007-01-26T17:52:00.000-08:00

This just in from the Oregon Brewer’s Festival by way of Jeff Alworth:

“After 19 years of promoting the Oregon Brewers Festival as a community event, we regret that we will not be allowed to have minors under the age of 21 on the festival premises in 2007. The Oregon Liquor Control Commission has stipulated no minors be on-site, citing OLCC Rule 845-006-0340 (7) (a) in which "eating predominates" and the premise must not have a "drinking environment". In order to view this rule, please go to here and click on "Laws and Rules". Click on OLCC Law Book. This will open up a PDF file for viewing.
If you disagree with the OLCC's decision, then please contact executive director Stephen Pharo and let him know: 503-872-5000, 800-452-6522,or steve.pharo@state.or.us”
According to Preston Weesner, who manages the Winter Ale Festival and the volunteers for the OBF, this ruling applies to all beer festivals, not just the summer event.

This is absurd. It’s paternalism at its worst in the guise of protecting... whom?

Who does the OLCC think they are protecting? The kids? The parents? The vendors? Insurance companies?

Are they afraid that kids will be “exposed” to alcohol? Hey, OLCC, this bulletin just in: Kids know about alcohol. What kids need to learn about alcohol is how to drink responsibly. Kids don’t learn about responsible drinking from each other, folks; they learn it from their parents, who tend to drink more in moderation when their little ones are around than not. The presence of kids also slows down other grown-ups a bit, in my observation.

Other states – and countries – allow kids at beer and wine festivals. Do they think that Oregon parents are less responsible than parents in other states? I hate to even think of the ramifications of that line of thinking.

The vendors? Hmmm. Seems to me it doesn’t help vendors to cut out a huge segment of their customer base.

Insurance companies? Harrumph.

And here’s what gets me. With the change in rulings, we are to believe, what? That the OLCC has just now discovered that the OBF et al are “drinking environments”? Where have they been for the past 20 years?

Is the OBF primarily a drinking environment the entire time that it is in operation? Isn’t it more like a pub, where it’s a mix of food, beer, and other entertainment through the dinner hours, and then more of a “drinking environment” thereafter?

So, wouldn’t a more reasonable ruling be: No children allowed after, say, 7 PM?

What do you think, OLCC?

The Empire: No need to strike back

2007-01-23T06:24:00.000-08:00

I may lose my beer snob status for this, but I’ll go ahead and admit it anyway.

I like McMenamin’s.

More specifically, I like a lot of things about the various McMenamin’s pubs - and definitely, some things - and some pubs - more than others. Specifically, I like:

- Terminator Stout. Kvetch all you want about its Bock-like name, but you can always count on this glass of beer to be smooth, sweet, and yummy.

- Hammerhead. It fits no style category but it fits my palate. It’s predictably good.

- True 16-oz pints. No “cheater” pints. Ever.

- Seasonals. There is always a seasonal on tap and, due to their multiple brewery/distribution system, it’s different from pub to pub. Sometimes they suck, but usually they’re worth trying.

- Guest taps. Some brewpubs skimp on the guest tap offerings. The Brothers have no such fear. From Terminal Gravity IPA to PBR, they let you have it.

- Comfort food. It’s mediocre and at times bland, but you can’t knock a menu that gives you PBJ’s and grilled cheese with tater tots.

- Atmosphere. Every McM’s is different and every one is funky. Their “art” budget alone must be killer.

- Preservation. The way that The Empire has invested in restoring old landmarks into new destination pubs and maintained their architectural and spiritual integrity never ceases to amaze me. I point to the Kennedy School, Baghdad Theater and Hotel Oregon as exhibits A, B, and C.

- Theater pubs. They didn’t invent the genre and they have many excellent imitators now, but credit the gorgeous Baghdad, the airy Mission Theater, and the cozy Kennedy School for defining the Portland-area market for this awesome idea.

Then there are the specifics of each pub that make them unique. Some of them work for me; others don’t. My favorites are:

- Edgefield Manor. I just love the idea of a “beer campus,” particularly one transformed from a poor farm and old folks’ home into the sprawling beer/wine/spirits getaway that the Manor has become. If you’ve never stayed overnight or caught a movie in the tiny theater there, you haven’t truly lived the Oregon beer experience.

- The Kennedy School. Walking the halls, beer in hand, I so want this to be my back-to-school experience. Being able to drink in Detention (and smoke, for those who swing that way) or to lie on a love seat and much pizza while watching a movie is good for lots of extra credit.

- The Fern Bar on NE Broadway. Not its real name, but it is what it is. Comfy and green and so ironic that the anti-Starbucks resides directly above one.

- The Rams Head. The anti-bar on NW 23rd. I love the living-room atmosphere and it was here that I first learned to love “High Pasta.”

And then there are a few I don’t fancy:

- The Tavern and Pool Hall on NW 23rd. I’ve been treated rudely too many times there. It’s the only place I’ve gotten bad attitude from McM’s and I just don’t need that.

- Sunnyside. Uh, scratch that last comment. There are two such places. I won’t go back here, either.

- Fulton Pub. It’s just plain drafty there.

- Blue Moon. What a meat market. Meh.

What about you? What are your likes and dislikes about the McMenamin’s Empire?

Not so neighborly

2007-01-19T10:44:00.000-08:00

When the Laurelwood Public House opened its doors in Hollywood several years ago, I was one of the many who stormed its doors and enjoyed Christian Ettinger’s fine craft ales. Having loyally supported its predecessor, the Old World Pub, through its lean times, I was thrilled to have a high-quality brewpub within stumbling distance again. I’ve brought many a thirsty palate to this spacious, attractive spot and consider many of the pub’s employees to be friends.

When Laurelwood opened its new restaurant in NW Portland, I convinced many of my fellow “actletes” at ComedySportz to move our après-comedy gatherings from the mediocre and sometimes surly service at McMenamin’s Tavern. In short, over the years I’ve been an enthusiastic supporter.

Not so much anymore.

A number of folks I know tire of the kid-friendly policy there. Not me. While I find the uncontrolled playground atmosphere during the early dinner hours distracting, I also feel that it’s great that we have places where kids can see adults drinking responsibly. And I’m a sucker for a little one’s laugh. So, that’s not a problem for me.

Some complain about their “cheater” 14-oz pints. I haven’t measured them but they do look small. But so what? Do you weigh the burger to make sure it’s a quarter pound? If you don’t think the serving size is worth the money, don’t go. The problem is not one of value for the money.

The problem, really, is attitude.

Over the years I’ve been made to feel less and less welcome in my neighborhood pub. As a freelancer, I often work evenings and like to enjoy a late-night pint with a friend. But the Laurelwood has made it tough to do it there. Unpredictable early closings have found us in hurry-up mode to finish our pints. On one occasion, the night manager, Wade, actually took my 2/3-full glass off the table just minutes after it was delivered and a full 15 minutes before their official closing time. Why? We were the last ones there. He had some place to be, apparently.

Other friends have similar stories, of how they were treated brusquely by Laurelwood staff, and as often as not, the same names keep coming up. About a half-dozen friends of mine refuse to step foot in there ever again because of it. How many others they’re telling - and keeping away - one can only guess.

I still love the beer at Laurelwood. I think Chad Kennedy is doing a great job, admirably filling the big shoes that Christian left behind. The food is decent, although not cheap. And over on NW Kearney - well, they close early too, but at least they’re friendly and up-front about it.

Laurelwood is building a new site even closer to my house, in the old Sylvia’s. Mike DeKalb showed me plans last year and it looks like it’ll be great.

But I’m not sure I’ll make a beeline for the door this time when they open. Nor will those friends I mentioned.

I guess I’ll just have to see who’s on duty that day.

Black Beauty Porter, 06/07

2007-01-14T18:40:00.000-08:00

I haven’t brewed as much in the past few years as I used to; life keeps getting in the way, it seems. Besides which, as of this morning’s clean-out-the-basement (or at least, brewery area of the basement) initiative showed, I have at least 10 cases of homebrew already waiting to be consumed, a by-product of drinking mostly from the kegerator and being a solo drinker of 10-gallon batches. And most of that stash is strong (7%+) beer, not the session ales you can knock back 3 or more at a time.

So, here I was, Christmas Eve, behind in my brewing and getting low on quaffing drink... and I realized:  I hadn’t made my seasonal holiday ale in two years. That’s just wrong, especially when you consider its name:  Black Beauty Porter, named for my now-deceased canine friend of nine years who graces its label. So I figured, what better day to make a holiday ale than on a holiday itself?

It’s an extract-based beer, but it’s anything but simple. Modeled after Charlie Papazian’s “Tumultuous Porter” aka “Goat Scrotum Stout,” here’s the basic recipe:

             14 lbs Dark Malt Syrup Extract
             1 lbs Molasses
             0.5 lbs Brown Sugar
             2 lbs Crystal 40L
             0.5 lbs Roast Barley
             0.25 lbs Black Patent
             1 lbs Franco-Belgian Kiln-Coffee
             0.5 lbs Belgian Aromatic
             1 oz Cluster hops - Garden 5% BOIL 60 minutes
             4 oz Cascade hops – Garden 5% BOIL 60 minutes
             2 oz Cascade hops - Garden 5% BOIL 30 minutes
             1 oz Cascade hops - Garden 5% BOIL 5 minutes
             1 tsp Ginger powder
             2 ea Brewing Licorice, in.
             1.5 oz Juniper Berries
             500 ml Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale

First I crushed the malts in my new mill setup described in my previous blog. It worked pretty well except that the bolt had to be driven into the Valley Mill’s turning wheel a little further in order to get things going. Hey, that’s what hammers are for.

I steeped the malts in 155F water for about 20 minutes, then rinsed and drained them into the kettle, topping up the water to about 9 gallons. When it reached boil, I added the extracts and the initial hops. Note that all of the hops I used were from my garden, so the AA%’s are all gross estimates. (In other words, I really have no idea as to their bittering contributions.)

The spices went in for the last 10 minutes or so. The Juniper berries I cracked with a rolling pin to help release their flavorings. I normally prefer to use fresh ginger but I didn’t realize I was fresh out until I was well underway.

I bottled and kegged it today. I ended up a little high on my volume, in part due to the shorter boiling time than usual (60 for extract vs. 90 minutes on all-grain) that I didn’t adjust for. I kegged a little over 8 gallons, bottled about 2 and probably spilled about a half gallon due to a last-minute makeshift change to my bottling operation. That’s a subject for a whole ‘nother blog, I think.

It came out well. It’s sort of a brown porter, more dark-brown with ruby tinges than the black you see in commercial porters or even the other ones I make. The molasses and extracts give it a bit of a caramelly taste and there’s a touch of citrus from the American hops. The Juniper berries add an interesting earthy bitterness and there’s an overall spiciness to the beer that should come out strongly in the nose.

The OG was about 1.050 and the FG was 1.018, a little on the sweet side due to the presence of all those unfermentables. I’m looking forward to having lots of this on draft in a couple of weeks when I have the boys over for poker.

A head of steam over beer taxes

2006-12-17T17:24:00.000-08:00

Scuttlebutt has it that the new legislature is preparing a proposal to drastically increase beer taxes in Oregon. Among the legislators pushing the new tax is my own state representative and neighbor, Jackie Dingfelder. Exactly what will be proposed is still uncertain, and there are apparently several alternatives and provisions being considered. What is certain, however, is that Oregon beer producers and consumers are extremely unhappy about it.

What’s driving the desire to tap beer as a new revenue source is twofold. First, legislators feel pushed around a bit by the beer and wine distributors lobby. After the mini-scandal involving all-expense-paid junkets last session, more than a few legislators want to “get back” at the lobbyists who walked away unscathed while elected officials took a beating in the press, and for some, in the polls.

Second, throw in a new activist majority, hungry after 16 years out of power and needing money to finance it, and you have yourself what legislators might call a “taxable opportunity.”

The proposals, it seems, have a few things in common. One, it would raise the beer excise tax from $2.60/BBL to around $34/BBL, a 13-fold increase. Two, it would exempt smaller brewers; specifics vary, but the number 200,000 BBL/year is being bandied about. Three, the proposals target only beer – not wine or spirits. The money, it is claimed, would be used to pay for drug rehabilitation and treatment programs.

The size of the increase is remarkable, to put it mildly. Oregon, now fourth-lowest in beer taxes in the US, would zoom to the very highest, beating Alaska by 4 cents per gallon. A state that has gained a strong reputation for great beer by nurturing the industry with relatively low tax rates would, in one fell swoop, turn into one that punishes one of its famed boutique industries.

Compare beer to the other alcohols and the change is even more amazing. Borrowing calculations posted by Mark Wilson on the Oregon Brew Crew listserve, on a per-glass basis, wine is taxed at 3 times the rate of beer (2.6 cents vs. 0.8). Under the new rate, beer would be taxed 10.4 cents per glass, over four times the rate of wine. Spirits, at 8.75 cents per glass, would ironically become a relatively “cheap” drink, tax-wise.

Which brings up where the money would go. While it can conceptually be targeted to pay for a given program, the legislature is not legally bound by that promise. The revenues actually accrue to the state’s general fund, of which about $10 million – out of a total of over $12 billion per biennium - goes to drug treatment and rehab right now. Schools absorb 54%, health and human services programs 23% (including drug programs) and state police another 16%. So where the dollars actually will go is not all that terribly clear.

The impact on the price of beer is also unclear, except, in general, it will go up. The hyperbole from fear-mongers has it pushing craft six-packs over $10. I paid $8 for a winter seasonal recently, so we’re probably not far from that anyway. But my calculations show a $1.03 per gallon increase only netting about 65 cents on a 72-oz. six-pack. Of course, it’s an excise tax, which means it’s on production rather than sales, but unless someone’s doing some serious gouging (more on that later), the increase ought to stay at a still-unwelcome buck-a-six.

The impact on the industry, however, is more clear. Only two breweries in the state – Widmer and Portland/Pyramid – exceed the 200K threshold. Deschutes is close and Full Sail is on its way – unless this tax takes effect. If these brewers have to pay $31 more for each barrel, the 200,001st one is going to cost them an extra $6.2 million. Guess who’ll stop growing real soon?

Pyramid already owns production facilities in Washington and could easily move. Widmer would have a bigger problem but would have to consider it, for that kind of money.

So the current proposal, such as it is, is seriously flawed. The question is – accepting for the moment that some sort of tax is on the table – what is reasonable?

At first blush, one might propose a simple solution: bring the beer tax up to the same level as wine. The problem is, that doesn’t raise a heck of a lot of money. According to the Oregon Brewers Guild, Oregon produces about 683,000 barrels per year. Even if you tax every barrel, five bucks more a barrel yields only about $3.5 million, vs. the $21 million that a $31 increase would bring. Legislators only have so many bullets in their tax guns; they need to raise serious bucks with each one. No matter how small an increase, every tax bite ticks somebody off. Raising rates to collect pennies isn’t worth the paperwork.

Eliminating the 200,000 BBL threshold would boost revenue, but hurt the smallest, most entrepreneurial breweries the most. Already on the margin and much more fleet of foot, we wouldn’t see them hang around much longer, either. And forget about starting up new ones here. Vancouver is just too close by to pass up.

A third option might be to bring beer and wine into line with the taxes on spirits, now about 10 times that of beer. But for the brewers, that increase is still too large.

The irony of all this is that a big beer tax increase would benefit most the group that the legislators purportedly want to punish most. Distributors’ profits would increase, as they mark up their product based on the price they receive from the brewery. Interestingly, they’re staying quite mum on this debate.

The real answer is much harder. Oregon needs to revisit its tax structure, top to bottom. Its high and peculiar income tax, the lack of sales tax and its convolutedly high but constitutionally limited property tax rates distort the economy in odd ways and leave legislators few and awkward tools to use then seeking new revenues for needed services.

A quick fix isn’t going to happen. And even if it were, the beer tax ain’t it.

Brewing: A photo essay

2006-12-05T14:02:00.000-08:00

Friends often ask me if they can "come over and watch me brew" some time. I try to explain, that's like asking if you can come over and watch me mop the floors or something; it's really not very interesting to watch, although it can be a lot of fun to do it with someone.

Recently as I brewed I thought I'd document the process for those who are curious how this alchemic little process works - the conversion of water, barley malt, hops and yeast into, aaahhh, beer.

Recipe of the day: "Hallucinator" Old Ale. A Collaborator winner in 1999, served in Portland pubs in 2000 and the Brewer's Festival in 2001, and People's Choice at the 2001 Winter Beer Festival. 7.2 percent alcohol but tastes so smooth you can't tell you're getting snockered.

First, you have to crack the grains in a mill:

Mine is motorized; most homebrewers' mills, if they own one (and most don't) are hand-operated, but I'm both industrious in my love of automation and lazy when it comes to physical labor. (Note: this brew occurred before my recent upgrade to mount the mill on a permanent table, which makes it MUCH easier yet.)

After the grain is cracked it goes into the mash tun. Mine is a picnic cooler fitted with a slotted copper pipe manifold. Another aspect of the hobby that took me hours to make!

Meanwhile, heat up the water. This is my "hot liquor tank," which is heated by a blowtorch-style propane burner. Notice the thermometer hanging out front. That came from a discarded dishwasher:

When the water's hot enough (about 165-170F) it goes into the mash tun with the grain, and now we have a mash:

After that, we wait a while... about an hour to 90 minutes. Then I pump the sweet liquid from the mash (called wort) through a heat exchanger sitting in boiling water. Most homebrewers who brew "from scratch" like me don't bother with this; they just add boiling water to raise the temperature. Pshaw! Why do that when you can use gadgets? So... here's mine. At the heart of my system - the pump:

Then we rinse the grain with more hot water... which involves even more copper pipes, this time drilled with little holes to let the water gently sprinkle over it:

Meanwhile the wort is drained out the bottom into the kettle.

I like to "first wort hop," meaning I put hops in the kettle before the first wort goes in. That gives a hoppier flavor without adding bitterness, which is important for this type of beer.

Once all the wort is in the kettle, it's boiled for 90 minutes, with more hops added along the way. This style doesn't get too heavily hopped. Once the boil is done, the wort needs to be chilled. Naturally, time for more gadgets... the wort chiller - again homemade:

There's a 1/2" OD copper tube inside that hose that the beer runs through, and water flows outside of it in the opposite direction. Cold water and hot beer in; cool beer and warm water out, into the carboy for fermentation:

Then, to feed the yeast, I add oxygen.

Then and only then do we add the real workhorse of the entire process: billions and billions of tiny yeast cells. The amount I pitched is hundreds of times what many homebrewers use, because I harvested yeast from a batch I bottled yesterday, which I'd harvested from a previous batch, and yeasties reproduce like single-celled rabbits in wort. Everything below the black line (yesterday's porter) is yeast.

Then the beer goes into the cellar for a week or two to ferment, after which I will keg and bottle it. If there's interest, I'll post a follow-up about that.

Brew Gear: Mounting the Mill

2006-11-28T22:02:00.000-08:00

Today I tackled a project I’ve been meaning to get to for a very long time: mounting my Valley Mill in its own permanent home in my brewery.

The Valley Mill is a two-roller mill with a 6-pound grain hopper that’s been on the market a good ten or so years. I got mine in 1997 and added a motor to it about a year later. The problem is, setting up the mill was a minor chore every brew day, and I didn’t have a great place for it. I’ve long wanted to mount it to a table with a chute straight into my mash tun, saving setup, put-away, and transfer steps.

My chance came, oddly enough, when my old yard-sale-purchased tablesaw gave out. Actually this happened a few years ago. It took me this long to get around to taking advantage of the situation. But once I got started, it didn’t really take that long.

Here’s the table, with the saw removed. Notice the table already had a rectangular hole in it, where the saw had been mounted; the band had run through the gap to the high-speed motor mounted on the lower shelf.

The two-by-four pieces are there to elevate the mill to the proper height to take advantage of my motor. Rather than a belt-drive method, I opted for direct drive. More on that later.

I built a little box of two-bys and a bit of plywood and mounted the mill directly on top, using the thumbscrews that came with the mill.

This fitting came with the mill, too. It’s intended for use with a hand-held drill, but with the help of a good friend of mine, we fitted a motor to it.

Here’s how the mill attaches to the motor. You can see how creative we got with the parts. Where all these bits and pieces originally came from, I couldn’t tell you.

Next I mounted the 100 RPM motor to the table with 1” bolts. It’s situated so that it’s permanently attached to the fitting on the mill now. That’s a bonus, too, as in my old setup, the motor often jiggled loose, causing further delay.

Then I attached the motor’s power cord to a switch mounted on the side of the table (re-used from the tablesaw and moved to a more convenient location). Another improvement from the in-line switch formerly used, which always gave me fears of electrocution.

The final task was figuring out where to put the darned thing. It couldn’t stay in my woodshop. I found a space in my brewing cellar, near where I keep my grains and my finished, cellaring beer, and voila! I am ready for brew day!

Carlton Wine Tour

2006-11-26T13:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday’s wine-tasting adventures returned me once again to the Willamette Valley, and in particular, Yamhill County, home of some of Oregon’s premier pinot noirs.

We started at Ken Wright Cellars, an exclusive, high-end winemaker in Carlton, OR. Ken Wright’s pinots are in such high demand that they sell them as futures only ($220/six), and only at the winery. You can find them in restaurants, but not in wine stores. They offered barrel tastings of 2006 pinots from three vineyards: their own Savoya, another from McCrone Vineyards, and another from Paul Carter. They also offered a crisp, delicate 2005 Pinot Blanc – very enjoyable - and a less satisfying California-style Celilo Chardonnay, too buttery and oaky for my palate.

Of the three pinot noirs, Savoya was the most robust and fruity. It was very low in tannins and acidity and while it will be a good drinking wine in 2007-2008, I don’t think it would last much longer than that in the bottle. The McCrone had a little more tannin but still remained on the sweeter side. The Carter, at 24.7 Brix and 3.35 pH, achieved the best balance of the three. Complicating the tasting was that the McCrone and Carter had just begun malolactic fermentation, which masked some of the fruit flavor and aroma and gave it a spritziness on the tongue. I would not expect either of those issues to persist in the final product. All in all the Carter may be among the best pinots from the area in 2006.

Across the street, Ken Wright’s other winery, Tyrus Evans, poured a 2005 Claret and two 2005 Syrahs. The Claret, a blend of 55% Cabernet and 45% Merlot, fruity and had a hint of spiciness, but at $33 per bottle was unconvincing. The Umpqua Valley Syrah had a seriously funky off-aroma that reminded me of rotting fruit, to be charitable. However the Walla Walla Syrah at $30 was quite nice, well-structured with flavors of dark fruits and rather tannic, albeit a little over-extracted.

Just a long block away is Scott Paul, whose wines were anything but over-extracted. If anything they were a bit thin, particularly their 2005 Cuvee Martha Pirrie Pinot Noir. A delicate blackberry nose promises more than is delivered on the palate as this wine evaporates on the finish. The 2005 La Paulee Pinot Noir, being sold as futures, was fuller and rounder but still lacked structure and at $30 ($40 on its April 2007 release) is not price-competitive to comparable wines. The delicate, well-balanced 2005 Audrey Pinot Noir was the best of the three but at $40 ($55 in April) it was hard to justify. My guess is this resulted from the winery’s attempt to deal with the low sugar, high-acid yield of the 2005 crop, and they overcompensated. Scott Paul also tasted a 2004 Pommard from Domaine Leroyer-Girardin, earthier and more aromatic, but again the wine’s flavored disappeared from the taste buds without warning.

Our final stop of the day was at Solena Cellars. Solena featured ten wines, including four pinot noirs. Their 2004 Grand Cuvee, a blend of pinots from four vineyards, was surprisingly fruity and lush for such a value-priced wine ($25). The $35 2004 Shea was thin and acidic by comparison. The $45 Domaine Danielle Laurent was elegant and soft with complex fruit and solid oakiness but should have been priced at least $8-10 lower to compete with equivalent wines in the region. The 2004 Kudos Pinot Noir was unremarkable. My personal perennial Solena favorites, their Del Rio Syrah and Woolridge Creek Zinfandel, seemed thinner and less complex than usual, lacking some of the rich fruit and spiciness I recall from years past. It could also have been palate fatigue, as these were the last two wines I tried on the day. If not for the long drive and $10 tasting fee I might have to make a return trip to find out.

Touring The John Smith Brewery in Tadcaster, Yorkshire, England

2006-11-22T23:27:00.000-08:00

by The Trubadours, Gary Corbin and Laura Guimond

Another article in a series about the breweries, pubs and beers that we encountered in our May, 1996 trip to Britain and Ireland.

Our tour guide at Beamish and Crawford brewery in Cork, Ireland had given us the name of a friend at John Smith’s Brewery to look up in case we should happen to stop by. Needing no further excuse, we called Mr. Mark O’Shea from southern Scotland and he gamely offered to show us around a bit. Mark proved to be as friendly and hospitable as our Irish and Scottish brewery hosts were; a family man with young children at home, nevertheless Mark came in on his day off to provide a tour of one of England’s largest breweries.

From the tiny to the Titan

The Brewery

John Smith’s was founded in 1758 at what is now the site of neighboring Sam Smith’s brewery. The new site was built in 1884 when two feuding cousins split the company in two. After a complex series of mergers and buyouts, the first being when Courage bought it in 1972, John Smith’s became part of what is now the Courage/Scottish and Newcastle chain, Britain’s largest brewing giant. The 1884 brewhouse remained in use until 1984, when it was restored from original line drawings as a museum/touring brewery.

John Smith’s, a 7 day x 24 hour operation, brews 1.4 million imperial barrels per year. Its principal product is John Smith’s Bitter, but it produces all products in the Courage line. It packages its beer in kegs, casks, and cans; no bottling is performed at John Smith’s in Tadcaster. They do, however, keg beer for other Courage breweries, including Beamish & Crawford.

Smith’s recently sold its in-house malting operation, which still supplies most of its malt. The malt is made primarily from barley from surrounding Yorkshire, an area well known for its quality barley crop. Several different carefully segregated yeasts are used, and are recultured in-house every ten generations.

The Equipment

Mashing and lautering were done in the same vessel until 1948, when the brewery modernized. Currently there are four tanks, one each for the mash, sparge, boil, and whirlpool. Until tax laws changed four years ago, there was a fifth, “ganging” vessel, used to measure the wort and its gravity for taxation purposes. These tanks are used now for pre-fermentation storage as required.

The brewery is a mix of the old and traditional on the one hand and the new and modern on the other. Racking between the 42 conical fermentation and storage tanks is done by a pump, but the brewer must manually connect flexible hoses between tanks. Temperature of the vessels is controlled from a central computer, which monitors thermostats inside glycol cooling jackets on each vessel.

The Process

The two-step mash (68ºC, then 71ºC) takes only an hour, after which it is pumped to the lauter tun for a three hour, 15 minute sparge at 77ºC. This produces a concentrated wort of about 1.058 SG, which is then pumped to the kettle. After boiling, the brew is pumped to one of two 8’-long counterflow chillers, which can cool 200 barrels per hour to 18ºC.

Fermentation

Usually, two 750-1000 hectoliter batches of each brew are combined before fermentation. From 1913 to 1975, they used open Yorkshire slate fermenters; currently the beer is closed-fermented in one of 42 conical tanks. Fermentation is quick – about 86 hours – after which it is chilled to 5ºC for about 24 hours, then to -1ºC to clarify it. Isinglass finings are added at this time unless the ale will be cask-conditioned. The yeast is filtered out after fermentation and used to produce new slants for propagation or is sold to make marmite (used as a toast spread).

In sum, the beer spends 6-8 hours in the brewhouse, a week in fermentation tanks, and 3 or 7 days in maturation tanks (for draft and canned beer, respectively), then goes on to the packaging line. Smith’s stopped cask ale production in the 1970’s but rebuilt is cask packaging line in the 1980’s with the resurgence of popularity of real ale.

Packaging

The brew from any given batch may be blended with other batches, depending upon the results of post-fermentation analysis, either at racking or packaging time. The heavy beer is diluted at packaging time from 5½% alcohol to 3½% (draft) or 4% (cans). Non-cask ale is flash pasteurized immediately before the keg or can is filled. Some, such as Beamish and John Smith Bitter, have NO₂ injected. Unlike in the south of England, all ales in the north and in Scotland have a thick, creamy head – even the cask ales, due to a difference in the dispensing mechanism.

The kegging operation is impressive. There are fourteen kegging lanes, and typically they are all in operation. Each lane has four heads: the first empties any sediment from the keg; the second and third clean and disinfect it, and fill it with steam; and the fourth fills it with beer. Random samples of kegs are weighed and recorded, and the records are inspected by the government. That ensures the pub owner – and therefore the customer – will have a full keg when the time comes to consume it.

Consumption

Courage/S&N beers are common throughout Britain and Ireland, and for that matter in Portland. You won’t see anything called John Smith’s Bitter here – it seems to be an England-only phenomenon – but there are several examples around. An easy one to find is the export namesake John Courage at Produce Row. Newcastle Brown Ale is an exemplar of the style and is available in bottles in many stores. CS&N labels you’ll often find on the shelves at Burlingame Market include: Younger (Best Bitter, IPA), McEwan’s (Scottish Ale), and Theakston (Old Peculier).

The ones I tried on our trip – and took notes on! – were:

Theakston Best Bitter – The Traveller’s Rest, Witton-Gilbert, England – Cask ale with long-lasting medium head. Gold color, hoppy aroma, not very estery or citrusy. Thin bodied, medium bitterness, low sweetness, low to medium maltiness, low but noticeable hop flavor, slightly hoppy finish.

Younger’s IPA (nitro) – Cutter’s Wharf, Belfast, Northern Ireland – Creamy nitro head, deep gold to pale red in color, good clarity after settling the required three minutes. Citrusy/hoppy aroma, thin to medium body, moderate maltiness and bitterness, traces of caramel in the flavor. Sweet finish with a citrusy hop presence.

Younger’s Tartan Special – Tigh-an-Truish, Seil Island, Scotland – Cask ale with deep copper color, low but long-lasting head. Very little detectable aroma. Bitter and hoppy up front, moderately low body, malty/bready flavor but low in sweetness, some caramel. Dry, hoppy finish.

McEwan’s Export Ale – Himalaya’s, Edinburgh, Scotland – Large foamy head, fell out almost completely by mid-glass. Malty sweet aroma, some hop/citrus in aroma. Medium bodied, malty, sweet, moderately low bitterness, sweet finish.

Conclusion

Our personal guided tour of the John Smith brewery was a memorable experience, not only for Mark O’Shea’s generosity with his time, attention, and information, but also because it was a glimpse inside one of the “big boys” in the U.K.

The differences in scale clearly lead brewers to different decisions about process, capital investment, and packaging. Smith’s ability to invest in alternative packaging methods rests in their greater capital reserves and market penetration than, say, Caledonian. Caledonian’s size leads to a boutique image and premium product pricing regardless. Thus, consistency measures such as blending and cost-cutting measures such as heavy wort boils don’t play a role, while they can make a significant difference in a large brewery like John Smith’s. Moreover, the engineering and research that produce the brewery, the product, and the packaging plant at Smith’s are truly impressive and are envied by smaller breweries.

One can only hope that the market dominance of Courage/S&N in Britain does not obliterate the long, fine tradition of local brewing styles and the diversity of products in the breweries they overtake. While both are enjoyable, the malty richness and thick creamy heads of beers in Scotland and Northern England are a world apart from the thinner, less carbonated, more bitter styles found near London. If justice prevails in brewing, the next Brew Crew member to visit the John Smith’s Brewery will find them brewing John Smith’s Bitter the way they do today.

Treating Portland Water With Style

2006-11-21T11:52:00.000-08:00

Most homebrewers understand and pay proper attention to the contributions that malt, hops, and yeast each make to the flavor and character of their beer. Many, however, overlook the role of their brew's most plentiful ingredient: water. But the pH, mineral content, and hardness of brewing water can significantly affect the all-grain brewer's ability to extract fermentable sugars from the grain, and hence, the brewer's ability to obtain the desired flavor profile for a particular style of beer.

This article takes a practical look at the mineral treatment of Portland (Bull Run Reservoir) water for brewing purposes, and in particular, for brewing different styles of beer.

Many beer styles are associated with particular cities -- for instance, Pale Ales with Burton-upon-Trent, England; Stouts with Dublin, Ireland; and so on. Part of the reason that these beers were successful in their respective cities, and became so closely associated with these cities, is that the character of the cities' water is particularly well-suited to the characteristics of the beer style. For example, the hard water of Burton-upon-Trent is high in sulfates, which accentuates hop bitterness and flavor. It stands to reason, then, that if we can treat Portland's water to match Burton-upon-Trent's water, then we should be able to produce a more authentic IPA.

Fortunately, the water we get in Portland is soft and low in most minerals. Thus, all we need to do is add the appropriate salts in the right proportion to emulate the target city's water.

The mineral content of Portland's water is summarized in Table I (Source: Bureau of Water Works). Similar analyses are readily available from the water utility in most cities. Table II summarizes the impact of adding 1 gram of a given salt to 1 gallon of water.

Table I: Portland Water
Calcium	Magnesium	Sodium	Chloride	Sulfates	Carbonates	Hardness
1.8	0.75	1.6	10	0.5	7.5	8.6

Table II: Effect (+ppm) of adding 1 gram of salt per gallon of water
Salt	Calcium	Magnesium	Sodium	Chloride	Sulfates		Hardness
Baking soda			75			190	190
Calcium chloride	72			127			0
Chalk	106					159	159
Epsom salts		26			103		26
Gypsum	62				148		0
Table salt			104	160			0

Given the water characteristics of a given city, we can now apply these salts to Portland's water to approximate the water characteristics of that city. Table III summarizes the water characteristics of several cities important in the brewing world, and notes the style of beer associated with each city. For each city in the table, the first line summarizes the characteristics of the water actually in that city; the second line is Portland water, adjusted with brewing salts. The amount of salts added per gallon is given in Table IV.

Table III: Beer Styles and Water Characteristics of Various Brewing Cities
City	Calcium	Magnesium	Sodium	Chloride	Sulfates	Carbonates	Hardness
Burton-on-Trent	295	45	55	25	725	300	850
Pale Ales	294	45	54	10	620	300	345
Dortmund	250	25	70	100	280	550	750
Malty, bitter ambers	250	24	77	99	212	420	445
Dublin	115	4	12	19	55	200	300
Dry stouts	116	1	17	10	45	189	190
Edinburgh	120	25	55	20	140	225	350
Malty ales, low bitterness	120	24	50	50	123	224	248
London	50	20	100	60	80	160	400
Porter	50	14	62	74	82	160	174
Munich	75	20	10	2	10	200	250
Dark malty lagers	76	1	2	10	1	119	120
Pilzen	7	2	2	5	5	15	30
Light lagers	2	1	2	10	1	8	9
Vienna	200	60	8	12	125	120	750
Oktoberfest	192	1	2	10	126	214	215

Water treatment is another tool for the all-grain brewer to use to control the yield of the mash and flavor of the finished beer. The different flavor profiles associated with each style depend in part on the pH, mineral content, and hardness of the brewing water. However, your mash will tolerate significant deviations in mineral content from those found in the city of a particular style's origin, and in fact avoiding the extremes of some cities' water is probably a good idea. The minimalist approach is best; start on the low side, experiment, take good notes, record your results, and adjust accordingly the next time.

A Tour of the Caledonian Brewery, Edinburgh, Scotland

2006-11-20T18:56:00.000-08:00

by Gary Corbin and Laura Guimond

This is the third in a series about brewery tours that we took in our May 1996 trip to Britain and Ireland.

We were two weeks (and dozens of beers and pubs) into our month-long tour of Britain and Ireland when we landed at the doorstep of the Caledonian Brewery in Edinburgh, Scotland. Amidst the vast selection of quality beer, however, this tour and this brewery stand out as a special memory of the trip and of Scotland in particular.

We were met at the appointed time by George Thomson, a “retired” master brewer and maltster at Caledonian, for our personal tour. Mr. Thomson, who started brewing at University in 1939 and at Caledonian in 1948, came in on his day off and spent two hours with us. He was very knowledgeable and forthcoming, and gave us a no-holds barred tour – we saw it all up close.

The Beers

Caledonian ales (they produce no lagers) are known to Oregon beer drinkers through its Golden Promise line of organic beers and its MacAndrews Scottish Ale. Caledonian also sells Caledonian Amber Ale in the U.S., primarily on the east coast, and a range of products locally (including Deucher’s IPA, which will be reviewed in a later article).

A local custom is to name beers (particularly bitters) rather simply, based on historical taxation standards. The ales were taxed according to their expected alcoholic strength (original gravity). For example, the Caledonian 80/-, or “80 shilling” ale, is the beer brewed at the strength traditionally taxed at 80 shillings per barrel. Typical drafts range from 60/- to 80/-, giving the pub drinker a fair metric by which to compare beers from a particular brewery or across breweries.

The Brewery

Caledonian has been malting and brewing in Edinburgh since 1869. At one time it was one of 16-20 breweries in Edinburgh; today, only three (including Caledonian) remain independent of the Scottish and Newcastle brewing conglomerate. Two brothers own and run the brewery: Russel Sharp is the head brewer, and is also a distiller; brother Dougal is the head “working” brewer.

Caledonian is proud to follow traditional brewing methods, producing primarily cask-conditioned ales. Some products are bottled under contract by Sam Smith’s at Tadcaster. Caledonian does not add sugar or coloring agents; they claim to be the only brewery in Britain to use 100% malt to produce their wort. They also boast the oldest copper kettle in use in Britain – in use since they opened in 1869. This kettle, its component parts riveted together rather than welded, was originally fired with coal, but has been retrofitted and is now gas-fired.

Malting at Caledonian

Caledonian’s malting house, which supplied the brewery with its malt since 1869, tragically burned down in 1995. The malting house per se will not be rebuilt; the building is under reconstruction now to create a museum, offices, and storage cellar.

For most of its history, Caledonian used traditional malting techniques: barley was steeped three days until germination, after which it was shoveled onto floors in an 8” bed and hand-turned with shovels to aerate it. (Recently, the turning of the grain was automated, and the grain was sprayed rather than immersed to initiate germination. ) The malt was then kilned to the extent needed to produce the three types of malt used at Caledonian: pale, amber, and black.

Ingredients

With destruction of malting house, they now buy low-nitrogen malt from maltsters in Lothian, Scotland.
Originally, Caledonian used water from their own well until an oil slick penetrated their water supply, causing them to switch to city water. Yeast is cultivated and reused from batch to batch for up to one year, or until inspection under microscope shows that the level of dead cells is too high.

Caledonian uses only English hops in its brews, typically Fuggles and Goldings, except in its organic beers; in that beer they use Styrian Goldings imported from Slovenia. Hops are kept in a 15’ x 30’ cold storage room. On one side of the room they keep what Mr. Thomson described as “the old hops, used for boiling,” and on the other side were the fresh aroma hops. We were able to stroll around the room, grab and sniff handfuls of hops, and generally just enjoy the lovely aroma.

Process

Sometimes homebrewers get up in the morning and decide to brew up a batch later that afternoon; not so Scottish microbrewers. All batches must be logged 48 hours in advance for possible excise tax inspection, which can happen anytime. Inspectors have keys to the breweries in Scotland. Batches planned or in process while we toured were the Caledonian 80/- and the IPA.

Caledonian uses an extended, 6½ hour mash/sparge process, with constant mixing and spraying throughout. Five taps below the mash tun drain the wort to the kettle, and can be used to draw samples to test the wort during the mash. The typical brew length is 50-60 barrels, two per fermentation tank. Thus two of their three kettles are used to fill a single fermenter. After the mash, a mechanical rake removes spent grains, which are then sold as cattle feed.

The wort is boiled at a super-hot 149C for about two hours. The first hops are added two hours before the end of the boil, and true to Scottish tastes, the flavor/aroma hops are added no later than 20-30 minutes before the end of the boil. In earlier days, Caledonian used to rub casks with fresh hops as its final “dry hop” addition. That practice is no longer followed, and in fact Caledonian no longer dry hops at all.

Hot wort is first pumped to a hop strainer for 30 minutes, then pumped to a heat exchanger, essentially a set of pipes in a jacket of cold water. The cooling system is very efficient – it takes about 50 minutes to cool a 50-barrel batch. The output hot water is reused for cleaning and heating.

After the yeast is pitched, it is roused for a while to oxygenate the wort. Caledonian uses single-stage, open fermentation – so open, in fact, that we were able to scoop some krausen off the top and sides of the fermenter and taste the green, bubbly beer-to-be.

The fermentation takes place on a rigid one week schedule. If the fermentation is too slow, the brewer may add hot water to raise the fermentation temperature, or cold water if it is too fast. Krausen is skimmed three times during this period. Once fermentation is complete, a World War II-era yeast press (they were expecting delivery of a new one just a week after our tour) is used to remove additional unwanted yeast from the beer. The yeast sticks to the sheets in the press; the sheets are removed and the yeast is scraped off and tested for viability and accordingly either re-used or tossed out.

While Caledonian does use a yeast press, they do not filter the beer. Draft beer is racked from the fermenter to a small staging tun, from which it is packaged into stainless steel casks, which are hand-bunged. Powdered isinglass is combined with water, sulfurous acid, and bicarbonate, then added directly to the cask, from which the beer is served in pubs a few days later.

Caledonian does sell bottled beer, but does not bottle itw own; beer to be bottled is racked from the fermenter to a large tank which is then shipped to Sam Smith’s in Tadcaster. Smith’s pasteurizes and filters the beer to be bottled and force-carbonates it before shipping it to market.

A satisfying conclusion

While the tasting room was not open due to the recent fire, we were able to taste Caledonian’s beers in local pubs and found them highly enjoyable – probably hoppier than most Scottish ales, more like Grant’s Scottish Ale than, say, Younger’s or McEwan’s.

The tour was brought to a satisfying close with a friendly question-and-answer session in their cozy business office. An Oregon Brewer’s Festival T-shirt is now in the proud possession of the office manager, and a we were treated to a few souvenirs of the brewery. I will be reminded of this excellent tour each time I draw a homebrew into my Caledonian pint glass. Mr. Thomson – cheers, and thank you.

Willamette Valley Wines: High Quality, Rising Prices

2006-11-18T23:06:00.000-08:00

In a change of pace from the normal beer and pub reviews, today we'll focus a bit on wine.

This weekend, several wineries around the Willamette Valley opened their private doors for advance tastings of their fall releases. While over 100 wineries in the region expect hordes of visitors over the Thanksgiving weekend, these wineries devoted these early tastings to regular customers, and in some cases admitted guests by invitation only.

My group of nine wine aficionados started at a place affectionately called "The Nut House," an old filbert-shelling plant taken over by Sineann, Owen Roe,, and O'Reilly's. The three wineries offered twenty-four wines, including Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Cabernet and blended wines at prices ranging from $12 to $60. With so many wines, it was impossible to try them all, but we made a valiant effort. From Sineann, my favorite was the 2005 Old Vine Zinfandel, overpriced just a tad for my budget at $36/bottle ($30 by the case). Their three pinots were also good but somewhat extracted, very acidic, and priced well above their competitors at the same quality levels ($30-$48/$25-$42). Their Resonance was a fine, balanced Pinot but wines of equal quality can be found for much less elsewhere.

Owen Roe's wines were more varied both in terms of grape variety and quaffability. Their Dundee Hills Pinot was not up to its $42 price tag. Their Sharecropper's Cabernet Sauvingnon was a good value at $18 ($15 by the case) and much better than O'Reilly's Cab at $13. Of their two Syrahs, the Lady Rosa was much superior to the Ex Umbris, but at nearly twice the price ($45 vs $24) it priced itself out of consideration.

Our next stop was to a brand-new winery just opening its doors for the first time: Barking Frog. As with Sineann and Owen Roe, we found their Pinot quite acceptable but at $32, too expensive for what you get. However, their two hot-climate varietals, a Sangiovese ($25) and a Syrah ($30), were quite nice and great values for that quality of wine. The Sangiovese was fruit-forward and lightly tannic but surprisingly dry in the finish. The Syrah was bold and round but still soft on the palate with a moderately fruity finish.

Stop number three was Adelsheim Vineyard. I skipped the Chardonnay as I've had it often, but the Auxerrois was a nice, crisp white in limited production; it probably will run out this weekend. Their 2005 Willamette Valley Pinot was excellent and at$30 ($24 case price) was well worthwhile. The 2005 Elizabeth's Reserve at $44 ($36 case price) was an outstanding wine but not worth $12/bottle more IMHO. The 2005 Bryant Creek at $42 ($34) is more acidic and assertive and will age well, but it flavor was still a bit sharp and is not ready to be served on my dinner table.

Brick House had only three wines to taste, and if I were not on their mailing list, I might not have stayed for the $20 tasting fee (which included a souvenir glass). However, I'm glad I did get to taste. I'm not a fan of Chardonnay, typically, but theirs was light and crisp - more of the French Style than the sweet California-style wines we more typically get here in Oregon. Their Gamay Noir is an aggressive, fruit-forward wine that would complement any meal and at $22 will protect your more expensive wines and still give great satisfaction. Brickhouse did not produce their usual Cuvee in 2005 due to low yields, but instead produced a blended Pinot Noir that was smooth and balanced, with a definite fruit nose and palate and enough acidity and tannins in the backbone to give it good aging quality. At $30 this wine out-tasted all of the $40+ pinots we'd had all day; however, that price goes up $5 as of November 24.

Brickhouse also offered tastings from the barrel of a 2006 Pommard clone. The partially fermented juice was big and bold, particularly for a Pinot. Vineyard staff tasted and tested their crop twice daily to find the optimum point for harvest in terms of yield, sugar content and acidity. Whereas they, like probably all Pinot vineyards, suffered a low-acid but high-Brix crop in 2006, proper acidulation as practiced by Brickhouse winemaker Doug Tonnelier will make 2006 a banner year for Oregon wines, especially Pinot Noir.

Our final stop was Brickhouse's neighbor, Grochau Cellars, housed with Aramenta. Due to growing palate fatigue we limited our tasting there. Grochau and Aramenta wines vary in quality with the character of the yield more so than many other wines I have encountered, but they are good value wines in strong vintage years. Unfortunately 2005 was not one of those in my opinion: they were unable to soften the harsh acidity that many winemakers encountered. Their Reserve Pinot Noir ($34) was significantly better - softer, more balanced, with well-defined fruit - than their "regular" 2005 Pinot Noir.

Overall, we found that many Oregon winemakers are pursuing top-dollar price points with their pinot noirs and no doubt are finding willing buyers. High demand for this increasingly popular wine will continue to push its price up, particularly for low-yield years like 2005. 2006's high-yield, high-Brix, low-acidity crop will enable skilled winemakers to fulfill this growing demand next year and increase profits without, hopefully, raising prices. Meanwhile, the Oregon market, and particularly the Willamette Valley, maintains its diversity with hot-climate wines such as Syrah and Sangiovese from the Columbia Valley and southern Oregon region, giving price-sensitive consumers alternatives in a Pinot-dominated region.

Micros no Trouble in Dublin

2006-11-17T15:41:00.000-08:00

I spent two weeks in Ireland again in July, 2000, and more of my time (believe it or not) on beer than on the first trip. In this article, I recount the brews and pubs that brought me joy in the great city of Dublin.

Two weeks is not enough time to sample all of Dublin's (much less Ireland's) best beer, and one blog isn't enough space to tell you everything about it. But, lads and lasses, just keep that music playin' -- I'm gonna try.

Guinness - St James Gate, Dublin

Let's start with the big boys. I won't regale you with stories of the countless pints of the delicious black stuff I had all over the country. When I say it's better there because it's fresher, you have two choices: take my word for it, or better yet, go see (taste) for yourself. It's a sublime experience you'll want to repeat over and over.

Guinness just absolutely dominates the Irish beer market, just as Bud does here, and after 50 or 60 pints of the stuff, even an excellent stout can make you long for diversity. Not wanting to cede even one pint to the opposition, even the mighty Guinness has developed some new non-stout products for the Irish market.

Brio - Frankly I can't give this bland wheat beer a fair review. One sip was enough. You've had others like it. Let me save you 3 bucks… bypass this beer when you're there.

Guinness Cold - This is how Guinness was not meant to be sold. No need to go there for it - you've probably had it here! As you'd expect, it deadens all flavor perception. It's everything you've ever had in a Guinness… and less.

The Porter House Brewing Company - Temple Bar, Dublin

The Porter House moved from suburban Dun Laeghere to the posh Temple Bar district in Dublin just one scant month after my last visit to the streets of Molly Mallone. To make up for it, I visited this excellent pub no less than four times in the four days I spent there. The Porter House is a very relaxed albeit slightly upscale pub by day - and a rockin' hip locals joint by night.

I can't say much about the food (I had the only vegetarian entrée, a decent Ploughman's sandwich on crusty fresh bread) but the beers are on par with anything you'll find here in Portland. Not only are their own draft brews dynamic and fresh, but they had 4-5 European guest taps and at least 30 bottled imports - including over a dozen Belgians. Alas, none were from Beervana - but it seems that's more a problem of availability, not choice, as the friendly staff and management knew quite well of Portland's brewing reputation. (The Brew Crew Card - don't leave home without it!)

When (not if) you go to the Porter House, bring your favorite souvenir beers with you. You'll get a free pint for any filled bottle you bring that they don't have in their collection.

Chiller N.A. Lager - Very pale and clear; a hoppy nose with some DMS, aroma a bit sweet but subtle overall. Taste also very subtle, predominantly malty with low bitterness and some corn sweetness, and low but fruity hop flavor. Thin bodies with a crisp finish. 4.2%

Temple Brau - A very nice European pilsener-style beer. A bit deeper gold than Chiller. Malty nose, some wheat graininess. Malt-balanced but dry, with low hop bitterness (although more than the Chiller), slightly bitter on the finish. A rather nice pils. abv 4.3%

Hersbrucker - An excellent Bohemian pilsener. Deep gold, thick long-lasting white creamy head with a strong floral noble-hop nose, a hint of DMS. Medium bodied, big malty flavor, but balanced by strong, smooth bitterness. High Saaz hop flavor through to its malty finish with lingering bitterness. abv 5%

Porterhouse Red - Good but fairly typical example of an "Irish Red Ale" the way they really make them. Hoppy fruity nose with lots of malt and caramel sweetness. Smooth with substantial body. Malty sweet with some carmel flavor, medium-low bitterness but high hop flavor. Sweet, caramelly finish; some toasty notes throughout. abv 4.4%

Plain Porter - on nitro. Black as night, with a creamy thick tan head. Flavor and aroma are chocolatey, roasty, malty, low on the hop flavor/aroma scale. A roasty finish like a stout - but not as deep as their stouts… abv 4.3%

Oyster Stout - A nice smooth stout, and yes, it really has oysters in it! Black with a creamy head; malty sweet nose, fairly roasty. Sweet, malty, roasty but smooth flavor, all lingers long on the tongue. Moderate-high bitterness balanced by all that malt. abv 4.8%

Wrassler's XXXX Stout - This is why I kept going back. The roastiest stout on the planet that you can actually drink - and enjoy - a lot! Pitch black with a dark brown creamy head. Roasty, smoky aroma. Full-bodied, rich, thich, and roasty, malty but not at all sweet. High bitterness from both hops and roast malt - this beer has a bit of an edge. Bitter roast-malt finish. abv 5%

An Brainblasta - A strong ale, not quite barleywine. Malty, somewhat sweet aroma, fruity and estery but not citrusy. Deep gold/copper colored, clear, with a long-lasting thin fine head. Malty flavor, moderately sweet, and warming, this beer would benefit from aging. Medium bitterness, just enough for balance. Fruity - especially on the finish. abv 7%

Messrs Maguire - Burgh Quay (On the Liffey), Dublin

By contrast to the Porter House, Messrs Maguire has no illusions of beer grandeur. Its beers range from bland to rather decent, which is perfect for its target market - the fashionable under-25 Europop crowd, there to see and be seen. That doesn't describe me exactly, so we stayed only long enough to taste one round of beers. Unfortunately that didn't include their "Extra Stout", the one they are most proud of.

American Lager - An excellent representation of style, which is to say, it was basically water. Very subtle nose, light body, low malt flavor, very low bitterness and hop flavor, but smooth and dry.

Euro Lager - The best of the lot. Clear, golden, dense white head. Hoppy (Tettnanger?) nose, some malt there too. Malty flavor, medium bitterness, some DMS, slightly sweet, medium noble hop flavor with a malty finish.

Rusty Red Ale - Very pretty bright red color, thick nitro head. Aroma of light hops, moderately malty, some caramel and fruity esters. Moderately malty flavor, low bitterness but medium hop flavor and a touch of fruit flavor. Balance is toward malt, esp. on the finish.

Plain Stout - Black with a creamy nitro head. Very low aroma of roast malt. Roasty flavor, moderately malty, fairly high bitterness, smooth with a roast malt finish.

Dublin Brewing Company/Cobblestones - Smythfield, Dublin

Dublin Brewing does not have a pub, but they have a good neighbor, a pub named Cobblestones about a block away that is very willing to feature their beers both on draft and in bottles. Cobblestones is situated about two blocks from the Ceol, the Irish musical history museum - an excellent place to tour while you're waiting for the pubs to open (or, in my case, after my 10 AM tour of the Old Jameson Distillery). But I digress. Cobblestones is a true locals pub in the very residential Smythfield section of Dublin, a great place for (low-volume) traditional Irish music and "craic" (conversation, storytelling, fun) in the evening. And a great place for Dublin Brewing Co.'s beer.

Maeve's Crystal Wheat - Named for a 17th century brewess and the namesake of an ancient warrior Queen of Irish legend, this beer is clearly marketed to women for forsake Ireland's darker national drink. Pale gold, clear, malty/grainy, low wheat flavor, with low bitterness and a nice noble hop flavor esp. on the finish. It could pass for a light lager.

Beckett's Pale Ale (bottled and very cold) - Deep gold with a low head, subtle hop nose but a bit fruity. Malty, but highly bitter and medium-high hop flavor, even a bit metallic. Aimed at a Sam Adams Boston Lager, and not too far off.

Revolution Red Ale - Hops! Finally! If only I had found this beer my first night in Dublin, rather than my last… but then, I might have appreciated it less. Strong aroma of English hops and some nutty caremel maltiness. Malty, hoppy flavor - hop-balanced - with medium bitterness. A touch fruity with a hoppy finish. And as you guessed, red in color. A knockout beer, especially after 2 weeks of malty stout and mild red ales.

D'Arcy's Stout - Sweet, malty, mildly roasty aroma. Slightly sweet flavor but very malty, medium-high bitterness, fairly noticeable hop flavor esp. in the finish. A touch fruity, and has a strong roasty finish. A nice sweet stout, and a welcome change of pace from the dry stouts everywhere else.

Conclusion

Beautiful scenery, friendly people, lively music, and fresh beer… what a great country! I recommend a visit, and plan on staying long… this place just charms you. Don't worry about the Troubles - neither side would bother an American anyway. Your greatest worry should be - will there be any beer left after my next trip?

Manor House Breweries in England and Scotland

2006-11-15T00:39:00.000-08:00

by Gary Corbin and Laura Guimond

A Tale of Two Breweries:
The Traquair House at Innerleithen, Peeblesshire, Scotland
Stanway House Brewery, Stanton, Cheltenham, England

Another article in a series about the breweries, pubs and beers that we encountered in our recent trip to Britain and Ireland.

Traquair House

Near the end of May, 1996, on the way south from Scotland to England, we visited the Traquair House, an old manor house converted to a B&B. Traquair’s importance in the U.K. brewing world stems from its historical roots as a manor house brewery, its pre-CAMRA (1965) reintroduction of “real ale” to the commercial market, and last but certainly not least, as host of the annual Scottish Ale Festival. The Brewmaster had taken the day off, having worked into the wee hours the previous weekend on the Festival, so we conducted our own self-guided tour.

In the 1960’s, Traquair’s operators discovered the remains of the tiny 18th century brewhouse, located in the basement underneath the chapel. They restored it and eventually expanded it from its original single room (about 12’x20’) to two. The original copper and mash tun were still in use (or, at least, on display), and it was obviously a working brewery, although smaller and more rustic than most microbreweries in Oregon.

Bottles of the ales were on sale in the tea house at the entrance to the property, though we opted for a draft pint in the nearby Traquair Arms pub. The Traquair Bear Ale is deep copper in color, with an unusually rocky head for a cask-brewed beer. It has a sweet, citrusy, slightly winy aroma, and the flavor sweet and malty, with a bit of tartness from hops. Both sweetness and tartness lingered through the complex finish, with some woodiness and cidery or winy elements evident. You can try Traquair’s House Ale at Higgins restaurant in downtown Portland. We recommend it!

Stanway Brewery

Stanway, nestled in the tiny Cotswolds village of Stanton, is another restored-manor-house brewery, dating from the 17th century. Master Brewer Alexander Pennycook restored the tiny brewhouse, which boasts the only log fired coppers in England. One of these coppers is currently in use, but requires that one climb a 20’ ladder to peer over the top – which of course we did. (Even more than most UK breweries, this one would never pass OSHA standards.) The remainder of the brewery consists of modern equipment.

While driving through Broad Campden, Gloucestershire, we had chanced to meet Alexander in the Baker’s Arms pub one morning (we were definitely in relaxation mode by now), and tried his Stanney Bitter there. Before taking the first sip, we were warned by Alex himself that he was “a real hophead.” That was an understatement! This brew, at 80 IBU and 4.5% alcohol, challenges the hop tolerance of a Pacific Northwest IPA lover. Its thick, white, creamy head and clear, gold color make it a beautiful beer. Its medium body and maltiness are overcome by the extreme hop bitterness. Interestingly, hop aroma was slight, but the hop flavor was strong in the finish.

As we sipped his ale in the pub, Alexander invited us to his brewery’s open house later that afternoon. Who could turn down an invitation like that? There we tried his Lords-a-Leaping Ale (4.5%), brown and sweeter but still 60-70 IBU. To most mere mortals, it’s is an aggressively hopped IPA, but Alexander described it as “bland”!

Alexander claimed not to be much for the business side of things, and proved it by “forgetting” (with a big grin) to charge people for the pints he poured them. At one point, with the addition of a local buddy of his, we were his only visitors, so he excused himself to use the restroom. As he exited, a group of Belgian tourists entered. Torn for a moment, he recalled our OBC credentials, and asked us to take care of the visitors! So, what the heck, we poured them a pint and gave them a tour. Judging from the “bitter beer faces” we saw, these folks got more IBU’s in a single glass of Stanney Bitter than they get in a week from their own country’s excellent brews.

Stanway’s ales are new even to the English market, so it is doubtful you’ll find them in the U.S. But when you go to England, you’ll want to tour the Cotswolds; and while you’re there, give Alexander Pennycook’s beers a try.

Suds in Kiwi-land

2006-11-13T15:26:00.000-08:00

I landed in Auckland, New Zealand, on February 25, 2004, for a three-week adventure that I will always remember. I had hoped to discover some good beers and wines there, although it wasn't the main reason for going. I did find some, too. But while I had many memorable adventures every day of my visit, I didn't really experience the country's good beer and wine offerings until over a week later, after taking a ferry to the south island.

Marlborough Country

In fact, my first stop on the south island was Blenheim, heart of En Zed wine country, for a taste of Marlborough's best. That's right, it's Marlborough country. The winery I selected, partly by reputation and partly by convenience, was Montana winery, primarily a Sauvignon Blanc house but recently a major player in the Down Under pinot world as well. The tasting at the end (yes, let's cut right to the good part, shall we?) included the very nice sauv blanc, an insipid and too-sweet chardonnay, a cab-merlot, and a dessert wine. One of the other tourists also asked for a pinot reserve sample, which we were blessed with shortly thereafter. I bought a bottle of the cab-sauv reserve (the label for this particular wine was called Corban, so I had to!) and their top-label pinot; I enjoyed the cab-sauv over the next 3 nights, but didn't waited several days on the pinot, for the right moment. That turned out to be in Kaikoura, after a day of whale-watching and swimming with dolphins. If you haven't done either of these things yet in your life, you really must.

As if making up for lost time on the north island, my very next stop was a Cork and Keg brewpub in Renwick, some 30 kilometers away. After sampling tasters of the pilsener, an “ale” (essentially an English Ordinary Bitter), and a “dark” (brown ale), I surprised myself by opting for a 12-oz of the pils. It was, unlike the others, malty and flavorful, with a bit of a hop kick, particularly in the nose and finish – nicely done. The other two were fairly bland replicas of each other, the darker one just a titch sharper due to the apparent small amount of extra roasted malts in the grist. I also learned here that “chilis” does not mean jalapeno or other hot peppers, but chili with meat. I'm vegetarian, so as a result, half of my nachos, purchased to soak up alcohol, were left behind.

Not to worry. Nelson, my destination, was not far, and on the way I gained some more company – Daniel from Saskatoon and Fedena from Cork, Ireland, hitchhikers who had been on the road nearly 4 months together and had another couple of months to go. Like many young folks who come here, they were working their way across this beautiful country, typically on farms or the like, earning enough money to move on to the next beautiful spot they'd heard good things about. They were on a mission to take all of the Great Walks in New Zealand, and like me had just come to the South Island. There are 4 or 5 Great Walks, including a longer version of my Tongariro trek, and the one they were heading to now – the Abel Tasman tramp, a four-day walk along a very gorgeous albeit bug-infested coastline. We traded stories of New Zealand and elsewhere, and the time passed very quickly before I dropped them off in Nelson central and checked into my hostel.

The South Island's Pacific Northwest

A few days later I was in Monteith's brewery on the northern part of the west coast for a fun tour and a taster. Monteith's is a fairly significant microbrewery, perhaps the largest micro in NZ, and they produce some very fine beers, including their “Black,” or stout, that I most frequently choose. The brewery's uniqueness is that all of their hot water is heated in a single coal-fired burner. The resulting hot water and steam is used for all boiling, cleaning, etc. in the entire operation. The beer samples themselves included a fairly nice pale ale ("Original"), although not hoppy by Portland standards; a decent "pilsener" (made with the same ale yeast and "aged" 3 weeks, just like their ales), a bland golden billed as a North German lager (?), a very interesting "Frank Zappa Summer Ale" made with a lot of ginger, closely resembling a ginger beer; a malty, nutty Celtic ale; and the Black. I could only take small sips as I needed to drive on. But Erin, a young Canadian sitting at the tasting table with me, reminded me that Punikaiki, or "Pancake Rocks", was just 40K away. A must-see.

So back north I went, this time up the spectacular rocky coast, with steep cliffs (45-60 degrees at times) and offshore rock formations diverting my attention from an already challenging task - driving, nearly sober, on the left side of the road. I made it in one piece, some 45 minutes and several frames of photos later, for the short stroll around the viewing walkway. The rocks themselves are thin jags of eroded limestone hundreds of feet high and perhaps a dozen or two feet wide at the base, sharp like razors at the top, and etched by wind and water with various crevices and patterns all the way up and down. Reds, yellows, tans, and black again graced nature's palette, framed in the greenery of seaside rainforest plants, the blue-green and white spray foam of the sea, and the pale blues, greys, and whites of a cloudy summer sky.

I was grateful to my pub-mate for this tip, to be sure.

Green Beer? Um, no.

One of my final nights in New Zealand was on St. Patrick's Day. I'd seen some incredible sights by now and experienced some amazing thrills. As evidence that I've been spoiled, I drove from Kaikoura to Christchurch through countryside that three weeks ago would have planted my awe-gaping chin on my chest, but on this day left me bored and focused on driving.

I was ready for a change of pace - more beer, to be precise - and I found it quickly enough. Barely an hour after arriving, I was touring the Canterbury Brewery and Heritage Centre with a Scottish couple on their last holiday before retiring to Spain, and twelve business school students with their proctor on a field trip: seven Chinese, four locals, and a Fijian. The tour was a St James Gate-style wax museum tour, and appropriately, this Guinness subsidiary was brewing the legendary stout on St Pat's day. The tour ended with the obligatory tasting of a light lager, a lighter lager, and a coppery pale ale, poured by the aspiring future executives of the hospitality industry.

Wandering Christchurch, I landed at Cathedral Square, munching hot chips while watching chess challenges on the giant game board built into the pavement, with 3-foot chess pieces lugged around by the competitors for easy viewing by spectators. Then it was time to begin the serious St Pat's beer drinking, at Bailie's, right next to the cathedral. Never mind that it's an Anglican church; everybody's Irish Catholic on the 17th. It was the most international St Pat's I've ever seen. I met people from NZ, US, Germany, Luxembourg, and Finland, among others.

There I met Miriam from Finland, who decided to join me on a pub crawl, so we went next door to the hostel where my old British pal of two weeks, Becky, had instructed me to meet her. But Becky decided to bag the crawl and just set out drinking on her own. In the spirit of spontaneity, Miriam and I talked each other into a spur of the moment 25-minute walk to Jade Stadium, the rugby field. Not for rugby, mind you; for the last-ever live performance of Meatloaf, in concert that night in all his 70's glory, accompanied no less by the Auckland Philharmonic.

How long had it been since Meatloaf performed? Miriam was born that year - 1978. But nobody can put on a rock anthem like Meatloaf, and he performed all the classics: "All Rev'd up and No Place to Go;" "You Took the Words Right Out of my Mouth;" "Couldn't Have Said it Better;" "Two out of Three Ain't Bad;" a great cover of Warren Zevon's "Lawyers, Guns, and Money;" and the finale, "Paradise by the Dashboard Light," acted out on stage by Meatloaf and his duet partner, dressed in the obligatory 70's short skirt and bleach-blonde wig. For the encore, they played "Anything for Love" (if that's the right name) and their anthem, a 15-minute version of "Bat Out of Hell." They played their hearts out and it was exhilarating.

On exit, we met up with some folks we'd had beers with at Bailie's, so back we went for more stout. The group grew and shrank and grew again as the night went on, and eventually I was drinking with Nelly from Germany and Carl from Luxembourg, who had no connection whatsoever to the original group. Many pints of Guinness later, we walked Nelly to her hostel, and Carl and I headed back to the YHA where we both were staying.

Don't go just for beer

New Zealand is not a hop-head's haven. In fact it's not really known for its beer at all, and that is not an oversight. There is much to do and much good beer to be had, but the suds you find are merely an accompaniment to the many fabulous adventures this country has to offer. Go, by all means go - but for the scenery and adrenaline sports, not for the beer.

This fall's competition was a classic

2006-11-12T09:08:00.000-08:00

All that beer... and so little time.

Yesterday the Oregon Brew Crew held its sixth annual "Fall Classic" homebrew competition at the Main Street Ale House in Gresham, OR. Roughly forty judges, over half trained and certified by the Beer Judge Certification Program, evaluated 214 entries in 24 categories, selecting winners in each category plus Best of Show.

Yours truly submitted entries in four categories and came away with ribbons in two: first place for a sparkling dry apple cider called "Incider Riot," and second for a plum mead (melomel) called "Plumber's Crack." Best of Show winners are:

(Best of Show) Nathan Zorich 17D Golden B-Day Haze
(Best To Brew) Tom Litwin 1A Leander Lager
(3rd Place) Mitch Scheele 4C Black Pieree
(4th Place) Paul Johnson 26C Holiday Mead

A full list of winners will be posted on the Oregon Brew Crew website by Wednesday, according to Chris.

The judging began a little after 9 AM. Organizer Chris Hummert dispatched judges in twos and threes to tables in the Ale House's spacious dining room. Stewards followed quickly with beers and flight sheets. What is always the most difficult and chaotic moment of a home brew competition - figuring out who's there and getting them assigned to categories to judge - actually progressed relatively quickly as many experienced hands pitched in to ease Chris's pain.

Some categories, like one I judged - Light American Lagers - had only one entry, and judges merely had to score it and determine which level of award it deserved. Others, like American Ales, drew too many entries (27) for a single panel to handle. Those were divided into sub-flights for separate panels to evaluate, followed by a taste-off.

The judging process is of course subjective at its root, but through training and the development of the BJCP guidelines it is conducted in as objective a manner as possible. Judges taste small samples of each entry in a given category, evaluating it according to its aroma, appearance, flavor, mouthfeel, and overall enjoyment. Points are awarded for each component and totaled to provide an overall score, ranging from 0 to 50 in theory but typically 13 to 45 in practice. 13 is undrinkable swill, infected and not at all to style; 45 is a "world-class example of style." Over the course of my three flights we had one beer rank 18 and another 44, but most ranged from 25-35. This speaks to the overall high quality of entries in this competition. We have some really good brewers out here.

Unlike wine, beer judges have to swallow to properly taste all flavor components. A beer's aftertaste is important and its bitterness can only be fully appreciated if the beer passes over the bitterness taste receptors concentrated in the back of the mouth. (Really. Trust me.)

With all that beer, and starting at 9 AM, you'd think we'd have a bunch of drunks on our hands by 3 o'clock. This is avoided (for the most part) by taking small samples 0 usually 2-3 ounces - of each beer (and we don't always consume even all of that), and keeping tasting flights small - usually about 6-8, but always under a dozen.

With a good turnout of judges from all over the Northwest, and even one from Georgia, we were able to do that and drive home safely. Good work, Chris, and congratulations to all who went home with prizes.

Thanks also to the Ale House for hosting and providing a great lunch to absorb some of that alcohol.

Pubs and Beers in Scotland and Northern England

2006-11-12T01:36:00.000-08:00

by Gary Corbin and Laura Guimond

This is another installment in a series about the breweries, pubs and beers that we encountered in our recent trip to Britain and Ireland. In this article we focus on pubs and beers in Scotland and northern England.

Many import and craft beer lovers gain familiarity with British ales such as Bass Ale and Newcastle Nut Brown Ale early in their “good beer” education. Typically, the newcomer to these highly flavored brews immediately notes the dramatic difference between these beers and the domestic lagers (Budweiser, Miller, Coors) or even the continental-style pilseners (Heineken, Beck’s) available on the American market. As a result, at first taste, these British beers can seem pretty similar to one another. Certainly, the beers in Scotland and northern England share similarities with their southern England cousins, and even with the Irish reds we’ve discussed in prior columns. But they also diverge from them in important ways – a distinction that is a pleasure to discover through experience “in country,” as we were fortunate enough to do.

Edinburgh

Fibber McGee’s, a Caledonian tied house, was just up the street from the house we stayed in, in “New Town” just north of the fashionable Princes Street. Fibber’s Dribble – the house ale, equivalent to Caledonian 80/-, was a cask ale with a medium head, deep gold/light copper in color, with a malty/fruity and lightly hoppy aroma. Toward the full-bodied side, it was malty with moderate bitterness and was a bit tart; fruity and hoppy in the middle and finish with a light caramel note. Deuchar’s IPA, also a cask ale, was one of the best we tasted on the trip: floral hoppy aroma, gold color, and clear, it was medium to full-bodied, malty, and sweet, balanced by strong hop bitterness. True to style – but not to the Scottish Ale tradition -- it had strong and complete hop profile (aroma, bitterness, and finish) with a touch of residual sweetness at the end.

Rose Street Brewery is a small, smoky brewpub owned by the giant Scottish and Newcastle brewing chain, also in New Town. The Auld Reekle 90/- Ale, a cask ale, was dark brown with a long-lasting creamy head that accentuated the beer’s esteriness. There were also malty and “cooked corn” aromas. Mild, medium-bodied and sweet, we detected some chocolatey roasted malt flavors. It had low bitterness and a sweet finish.

At The Filling Station, an overly touristy pub on the Royal Mile, we tried Campbell’s Bitter, a keg beer with a moderately thick, long-lasting head, gold/light copper in color, and fruity, hoppy aroma. It was a bit thin-bodied, fruity in flavor and just a tad dry, but well balanced with a hoppy aftertaste. Note: if you ever eat in this place, stay away from the microwaved pasta – believe it or not they served up Portland’s own GardenBurger, which was much better.

Greyfriar’s Bobby’s is one of Edinburgh’s most famous pubs (at least among tourists). It was named for the dog whose master died when he (the dog) was two years old – and the dog spent the next 14 years guarding his master’s grave. It’s a friendly place but attracts a pretty young crowd that goes there for the loud music rather than the fine beer they serve. Bobby’s Best Ale, a 4.4% ABV cask ale, had a medium-to-low head, a reddish/copper color, and was a bit cloudy. It had a very fruity hop aroma and flavor – it dominated the thin-bodied but somewhat sweet beer. Yet it was low in bitterness, an unusual Scottish ale. Still, we preferred it to Calder’s 70/-, a brown keg ale served too cold with a thin but well-lasting head and some hop and fruit aromas. It was thin-bodied with roasted malt, caramel, and fruity hop flavors, together with hop and roasted malt bitterness but low on sweetness and malt flavor, and it had a bitter finish.

The Shore Inn was a great place for dinner, and for a fine pint as well. We had Maclay’s Kane Commemorative Brew, a cask ale with thick long-lasting head, a hoppy aroma and some banana esters. Thin-to-medium bodied, golden to light copper, it was nonetheless balanced between its aggressive hop bitterness and a malty but not sweet flavor with a touch of citrus and a bitter/hoppy finish. Maclay’s 80/-, also a cask ale, had a rich copper-red color, little aroma of any sort, and a thick, long-lasting head. Also thin-to-medium bodied, it's moderately malty and sweet with some caramel and low-to-medium bitterness. By contrast it had a dry, moderately bitter finish.

Glasgow

The Brewery Tap is really two pubs in one. During the day, it’s a quiet neighborhood bar in the University district with plenty of great ales on tap. At night it’s packed with students rocking tattoo-to-tattoo to the latest alternative music. We tried it – and liked it – both times of day. Apparently, so do the rich and famous: Mel Gibson made this pub his favorite haunt while filming Braveheart. He favored the Fraoch Heather Ale, a tasty golden cask ale made with heather flowers in addition to hops. It’s very smooth, medium-bodied, and not very bitter, rather akin to a wheaten ale.

The Harviestown Montrose Ale, brewed in Dollar, Scotland, is cask-conditioned, with a medium-sized very creamy head. The ale is bright red, crystal clear, medium-bodied, very malty, a bit caramelly, and a bit sweet, but balanced by moderately strong bitterness and a medium-hop finish. This is one lovely ale.

The Caledonian Blonde is pale gold, with a heavy, rocky head. It had a strong DMS aroma. Light-bodied, bitter, malty but not sweet, it resembled a golden ale or very mild kolsch. We liked the Blonde well; less so the Mayfest Ale, a deep gold to light copper colored cask ale. It had a wonderful long-lasting creamy head and strong esters of banana and pineapple. Medium-bodied and moderately sweet, it had a high level of bitterness and a bitter finish with some funky “wet socks” off flavors. Finally, the complex Ind Cooper’s Burton Ale, a deep gold colored cask ale, had a thin but long-lasting creamy head. Rather thin-bodied, with medium maltiness and low sweetness, the bitterness starts slowly and finishes strongly, with a rush of hop flavor in the middle. It had a malty and slightly citrusy aroma.

Here’s an important traveling lesson for all Brew Crew members: flaunt your expertise! We bought a ½-pint of ale, intending to surf the various taps on a tasting spree. Once our friendly bartender, Stan, discovered this, he kindly provided several tasting samples gratis, just to hear what we thought of them. Not only that, he gave us a bar towel, pulled a poster off the wall as our second souvenir, and shared his own expertise on pubs to visit in Edinburgh.

The Three Judges, a Maclay’s tied house, is a beer-lover’s pub just outside the University of Glasgow frequented primarily by professionals and real beer lovers. Here, for example, we met a card-carrying member of CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale). He gave us a tour of their eight-entry cask ale menu, which had sported over a thousand different ales in its time. The Bruce (4.8% ABV) was golden colored, with a quickly dissipating head, but a very hoppy, floral, and citrusy aroma. Full-bodied and strongly bittered, it was also very malty in flavor without being overly sweet, and had a very hoppy finish. Curiously, this was billed as a porter, although I’d call it a great IPA. Almost as good was Judges Grand, their 1000th ale, a cask pale-to-copper ale with a low, rocky long-lasting head, thin-to-medium body, moderate fruity/hoppy aroma, fruity sweet flavor, low bitterness, moderate maltiness, and a hoppy, dry finish.

Oban

The Scots are fond of reminding visitors that, unlike Wales or Ireland, Scotland was never conquered by the English. On the other hand, English troops have been in Scotland frequently enough, enforcing the will of the English crown, to be the source of innumerable traditions and legends. One of our favorites is the story associated with the Tigh-an-Truish, a tiny pub on Seil island off the west coast near Oban. At one time, in an attempt to crush Scottish culture, the English forbade the wearing of kilts on the “main” island. Scots leaving Seil would stop at this pub to change from their kilts (in Gaelic, tigh) into trousers (truish) – and, naturally, have a pint or two. Naturally, this meant that they needed to stop in on the way home as well. (You gotta love a story with a happy ending.)

In addition to a surprisingly good vegetarian dinner (rare in the UK), we sampled two cask ales. Summer Lightning by Hop Back Brewery (England) was gold colored, with a low, rocky but long-lasting head. It had strong, hoppy aroma, with little or no esters. Medium bodied, moderately malty and not too sweet, it is 5% alcohol by volume, very strongly bittered and very hoppy in flavor. It had a strong hop finish and no off-flavors. Its hoppiness, we were to find, is unusual in this region – more similar to American ESB’s in the Pacific Northwest than to its in-country counterparts.

By contrast, Younger’s Tartan Special had a deep copper color, again a low head with excellent retention. Bitter, very low hop aroma, it was hoppy up front and had a dry hoppy finish. It was low-medium bodied, malty and bready in flavor but again low in sweetness with slight caramel notes.

The Lorn Hotel had a smoky bar worth only a quick stop, where we tried Hoskin’s Churchill Bitter. This dark brown cask ale was a bit cloudy, almost opaque. Its low head dropped quickly. It had a fruity, winy aroma and flavor, with low bitterness but some sweetness and roastiness on the tongue. Its moderate hop flavor was more accented on the finish, with some astringency. At The Oban Inn, we tried Gillespie’s Stout, a keg stout with a thick, rocky, brown head. Dark brown/reddish in color, with some esters and malt roastiness in the nose, it was medium-bodied, sweet, low in roast malt flavor, moderately bitter with a sweet finish and a touch of sourness throughout.

Heading south

We drove from Edinburgh through the Borders region, land of William Wallace (Braveheart), ancient manor houses, and zillions of sheep, and into northern England for a tour of Hadrian’s Wall, the Cathedral at Durham, and of course some excellent pubs. The Traveller’s Rest Inn in Witton Gilbert, County Durham served up a hearty ploughman’s lunch and stories of the town back in the days when Laura’s grandmother toddled about. While listening we sipped a Theakston Best Bitter, a cask ale with long-lasting medium head, gold color, hoppy aroma, not very estery or citrusy. It was thin bodied, medium bitterness, low sweetness, low to medium maltiness, low but noticeable hop flavor, and a slightly hoppy finish. Burglar Bill’s, a complimentary taste from the friendly bartender, was a reddish ale with a thick, rocky head, somewhat malty and slightly hoppy aroma. It was medium bodied, malty, moderately sweet, and while only moderately bittered the bitterness lasted to the finish.

Conclusion

The Scots and the northern English love a good pint as well as their London and Dublin cousins, but they’d define the ideal pint a bit differently: sweeter, and with more bitterness, higher alcohol, and more hops throughout the beer’s profile (although still less than the average Portlander might prefer). The beers tend to be darker, a bit roastier, more citrusy, and more likely to be cask-conditioned and less likely to be pumped with nitrogen-CO2-mix gas than in London. The pubs play an equally central role in the daily life of a Scot and northern Englishman as a Dubliner or Londoner and are similar in character, though each has its own unique charm, and with a few horrid exceptions the food tended to be much better in Scottish pubs.

If you’re planning a trip to Britain, be sure to allocate enough time to spend several nights in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and the Highlands. The people are warm and friendly, the scenery is majestic, the history is fascinating – and of course, the beer is excellent.

Pubs and Beers in Ireland

2006-11-10T15:21:00.000-08:00

by Gary Corbin and Laura Guimond

This is another article in a series about the breweries, pubs and beers that we encountered in our May, 1996 trip to Britain and Ireland.

Ireland: It’s not just (Guinness) stout and pale continental lagers anymore. Ireland has red ales (sweet bitters w/roasted malt for color & flavor) and all the British beer you could desire.

More importantly, Ireland’s pubs are magical, the Irish people are the friendliest on earth, and in between pints (that is, mornings, afternoons, and evenings) there is a beautiful, lush, dramatic countryside to be seen. We fell in love with Ireland at first sip.

The Beers

Stout

Guinness Stout – Maybe it’s trite to say it, but it’s true: There is just no comparison to the Guinness served fresh in Dublin’s pubs; the stuff we get here is, by comparison, a stale, bland bucket of gasoline. The Guinness we had in Davy Byrne’s pub (see below) was flavorful all over the mouth, fresh as a spring flower and a joy to behold. It’s dark brown (NOT black), clear, with a thick creamy head that is so long-lasting, it will last your whole beer long, no matter how slowly you drink it. Medium-bodied (surprise!), with a roasty aroma evident over even the worst bar smoke, the flavor is a delicate balance of sweet maltiness and roast bitterness with lots of hop bitterness and a roasty dry finish. Home stout makers take note: there is no hop flavor or finish to speak of in this beer!

Beamish Stout – One of Guinness’s two main competitors, it’s a great stout – and it’s made by some of the friendliest brewers on the Emerald Isle. Beamish’s thick, creamy, long-lasting tan head sits pleasantly atop a dense black/opaque liquid. It is medium-bodied, has little or no hop aroma but has definite roastiness in the nose. The roast bitterness mixes with a noticeable malt sweetness and lots of hop bitterness, with a roast bitter dry finish.

Murphy’s Stout – “The other” stout, quietly the second largest seller in Ireland, Murphy’s has its loyal advocates, and our Grandma Murphy is no doubt one of them. But (sigh) it’s just not Guinness. (And – the ultimate sin – they didn’t give us a brewery tour, whilst the other two did – although we had to pay for the privilege at Guinness.) Black/opaque with a creamy tan head, Murphy’s has a roasty and slightly malty aroma. It’s the maltiest in flavor of the three, with moderate hop and roast bitterness, medium-bodied, with a roasty/sweet finish; very rounded and balanced, and not particularly dry.

Irish Red

“Red” beers are trendy Irish bitters served on nitrogen to give it the “Guinness” head (and to compete with the “real ales” and micros). Red in color from the addition of a small amount of roasted or black malt in the mash, they tend to be just a bit sweeter, fuller-bodied, and less bitter – but every bit as hoppy – as an English pale ale. CAMRA (the CAMpaign for Real Ale) objects to these “nitro” ales since they compete so successfully with cask ales, but they may be fighting the wrong battle. Reds are “crossover” beers – they attract erstwhile Bud and continental lager drinkers into the world of good, full-flavored beers.

Smithwick’s Bitter – made by Guinness and pronounced “smith-ecks” – is an extremely common tap handle to spot (especially in Dublin) and very popular. It’s easy to see why: deep copper to brown, thin creamy long-lasting head, with apparent floral, citrusy hop aroma. Full-bodied, sweet, malty, some caramel character balanced by hop bitterness, strong hop flavor and dry hoppy finish. In the bottle, Smithwick’s is more carbonated, with a thicker head, stronger hop aroma and more esters (citrus, pear/blueberry).

Beamish Red – as we wrote in our July article, Beamish Red is new on the market. We believe we were the first Americans to try it, right there in the Beamish tasting room. It is bright red in color, with an aroma strong in both hops and malty sweetness, with some banana esters. The beer is full-bodied, with a strong maltiness in flavor. Caramel flavors are evident. Bitterness is strong but does dominate the malt, and the beer has a full hop profile. The finish is malty sweet with a strong dose of hops. Ask for this beer – it was our favorite among the Irish Reds.

Kilkenny Irish Red Ale – Reddish/gold in color, medium long-lasting nitro head, with an estery, buttery aroma low in hops. Full-bodied, sweet, with a malty/caramel flavor, moderate bitterness and hop flavor, with both sweetness and hop flavor in the finish. (We liked this one almost as much as the Beamish.)

Caffrey’s Irish Ale – Deep gold, creamy nitro head that takes 1-2 minutes to settle, but not a lot of carbonation in the beer itself. Hoppy nose, lots of banana and citrus esters. Medium- to full-bodied, sweet but more than compensated by hop bitterness and full hop flavor. Full, flowery hop finish and residual sweetness.

The Pubs

We visited many a pub in Ireland – too many to describe in this article. Here are the highlights:

Dublin

Our first Irish pints came in Dublin’s famous Davy Byrne’s, dubbed a “moral pub” by James Joyce. (If you have this year’s Irish Pub calendar, Davy Byrne’s is featured in August.) One of the many hangouts of Dublin’s many literary giants at the turn of the century, the pub is now crowded with Irish yuppies (did I mention that we got there on Friday at 7:00 PM?) just looking for a friendly pint. We enjoyed our first pints of Guinness, Smithwick’s, and Beamish Stout with an American expatriate friend while watching the fellow at the next table perform some incredible card tricks (and win the attention of the young Irish lass sitting with him).

Davy’s had features common to many Irish pubs. Aside from being (by American standards) incredibly smoky, they have a “snug” – a small side room where women were shunted off to drink so as not to be seen among their cigar-smoking, hard-drinking men in the main bar.

Another feature: they know that most of their customers want pints of Guinness; they know that it takes three minutes for a pint of Guinness to settle after being poured; and they know that darn few people really want to wait for their beer. The solution? “Just in time” service -- just keep pouring enough pints that they settle out just in time to be sold and consumed. (Clever bartenders also keep an eye on their clients’ glasses and anticipate the need for the next round. These people really know their beer.)

Johnny Fox’s is “the highest pub in Ireland,” claim the owners. The pub is located on the top of a mountain in the Wicklow range in Glencullen, about 20 minutes south of Dublin by car. The food is good (but limited in selection for vegetarians); we had onion soup and a cheese and salad plate (which in England would have been called a “ploughman’s lunch”). Johnny Fox’s is now the proud owner of an Oregon Brewer’s Festival T-shirt (1995) which should be on display next time a Brew Crew member visits.

We liked this Johnny Fox’s so much, we went twice, the second time to see the two-part show in the large back room: the house band performed Irish folk songs (of course, the crowd helped them out on occasion). The night we saw the show, a U.S. marine celebrated his last night out as a bachelor with his unit – he was due to marry an Irish woman the next day! Naturally, the band played “Wild Rover” as his platoon lifted him on to the table and bade him sing along.

Between sets, a local troupe trained and choreographed by a member of Riverdance performed Irish kaelie dancing, a folk tap-dance featuring a lot of high kicking at high velocity while the upper body remains stiff and straight. We could see that both the music and the dancing were clearly influential in the development of country & western music and square dancing in the U.S.

Duke’s is another of Dublin’s “literary” pubs, and in fact was the first stop on our fun and informative “literary pub crawl.” (What else should we have done on a Sunday night?) This is where we learned that, according to one of Duke’s famous literary patrons of the past, Brendan Behan, “An Irishman would crawl across 20 naked women to get to a Guinness.” (Certainly we learned some other very literary things, but that’s the only one we wrote down.) Other fine pubs on the crawl included Neary’s, a huge and highly decorated pub in which the tables completely encircle a 20-foot-square bar staffed by at least six people, and The Old Stand, this one consisting of several rooms richly decorated with mementos of Ireland’s past.

The Guinness Brewery Hop Store is a wax museum, and while it’s well done, you don’t get to see anything close to a “real” brewery, and it probably can be skipped – if you could live with yourself later for doing that on purpose. On the other hand, for the £3 entry fee, you did get two half-pints of stout at the end of the tour … you and 3,000 of your closest tourist friends. Then you exit through the souvenir shop – how convenient!

Southern and Western Ireland

The Spaniard, in the beautiful south coast town of Kinsale, County Cork, lies outside of downtown but is worth the trip if you have a car. (If you don’t have a car in Ireland, go get one, or learn how to hitchhike – yes, it’s still safe there.) This is where the locals go to escape the tourists. An Irish friend living in Portland had recommended the place, and as a result, they now sport a Festival shirt on their wall. The bartender, John, was a very friendly sort who filled us in on Irish pop music, but his accent was so thick we could hardly understand him (and vice versa). Though the pub is tiny, they manage to squeeze in a dartboard and some side tables that allow privacy.

Dick Mack’s, in the touristy western coastal town of Dingle, is famous for having impromptu music jams by artists scheduled to perform elsewhere in town later in the evening. Its several small rooms are chock full of memorabilia and posters chronicling the development of this burg. Like many Irish pubs, it furthers the curious tradition of displaying collected insignia badges donated by visiting policemen; in this pub, I was pleased and surprised to find one from Springfield, MA, where I grew up.

No one was playing music there that night, but they were able to direct us to The Small Bridge, where John Brown and Eion Duignan sang Irish ballads and played guitar and Irish bagpipe (elbow-powered, rather than mouth-powered). It was a small but friendly venue, and in spite of the crowding there was none of the pushing and shoving we’re accustomed to in analogous American settings. It was cozy – and friendly – enough that, once the musicians stopped playing, we could easily chat with them and learn more about their music and their unusual instruments.

Durty Nellie’s, the “most famous” pub in Ireland, sits just below the Bunratty Castle (worth a tour) in Bunratty, near Limerick. Although crowded with tourists, it had an authentic, old-Ireland feel to it, and the “tossted cheese” and Guinness were just fine. They, too, now sport an OBFest T-shirt behind the bar, and an OBC member will sport one of theirs, thanks to the friendliness of their young bartender.

Northern Ireland

Gracie Neill’s, in Donaghadee, County Belfast, “the oldest pub in Ireland”, has been in continuous operation since 1611, a decade before the Pilgrims ran out of ale near Plymouth Rock. This pub has two rooms – the old part, about the size of a walk-in closet, and a new, large yuppie bar in back (actually it has its own “upscale” entrance on the other side of the building). The only reason we found to go through the short doorway to the back bar is to use the rest rooms; the locals (even the bartender) insisted that the doorway between them should be filled in with bricks and mortar.

But don’t get the wrong impression – they weren’t at all unfriendly. Quite the opposite! The moment we walked in, a man jumped up, shook our hands, bought us a round of beer, brought us the guest book to sign, and made sure we had seats on the low, crowded bench he was sharing with his family. We thought, “this pub owner sure makes his customers feel welcome.” Weren’t we surprised when he turned out to be just one of the regulars, and chagrined when he left before we could buy his group a round in return! We were able to return the hospitality, however, when the bartender came for a visit to Portland in September. (Perhaps some of you met Michael at the OBC meeting at Steinbart’s that year, or afterwards at Bridgeport.)

The Crown is a lovely pub in downtown Belfast, across from the Europa hotel (“the most bombed hotel in Europe”). It features snugs with swinging doors that you can shut for privacy as you sit at a table for six. The bar is long and narrow, with a huge mirror behind it, reflecting the ornate decorations throughout: painted glass, carvings, and decorative tiles. Next door, Robinson’s is famous for its four separate pubs, only two of which were open when we visited: the main and fairly traditional Irish pub up front, and a replica of New York’s Fibber Magee’s in the rear, which featured live music. Since it was Sunday night, the pub – which had only opened for the day at 5:00 PM – closed at the mandatory 10:00 PM; a short night for tourists on our last night in this wonderful land.

Conclusion

The pubs and beers of Ireland would take a lifetime to visit and chronicle. We’ve only scratched the surface. But if there were a way to do this for a living, we’re ready! As wonderful as the brews and pubs are, however, the Irish people are far more interesting and compelling, and in fact, they make the entire experience worthwhile.

A pint of Guinness takes about three minutes to be ready from the time it’s poured. This would drive most Americans nuts, but it’s no surprise that it’s so immensely popular in Ireland. The Irish are perfectly content to wait until this drink is ready; in fact, they relish those few minutes of conversation and may choose to extend them several minutes longer – after which they still have a perfect stout to drink.

Guinness fits the Irish well – robust, full of character, down to earth, with a good, steady head on a strong body. Moreover, if patience and friendliness could be bottled, the Irish would have the Guinness of virtues. And well-deservedly rich would they be.

Pubs and Beers in England and Wales

2006-11-08T16:19:00.000-08:00

by Gary Corbin and Laura Guimond

This is the second in a series about the breweries, pubs and beers that we encountered in our recent trip to Britain and Ireland. In this article we focus on pubs and beers in southern England and Wales.

Is the beer better?

The average bitter in the UK comes across as bland to American microbrew aficionados, who expect full-bodied, highly hopped beers in a variety of styles wherever they lift a pint. The typical British pub – particularly in southern England and Wales – serves four to six beers from a single brewer. Each beer would be classified as some sort of “mild” or “bitter” ale. On one end of the continuum would be light-bodied, low-alcohol, medium-bittered ales with little or no hop finish. The other end would sport medium-bodied, somewhat more bittered ales with a light hop aroma or finish and slightly more alcohol.

However, holding Britain's everyday ales up to Portland's standard microbrew is unfair. The average American beer is a flavorless, colorless “premium lager.” The average British beer is one of these perfectly enjoyable, typically cask-conditioned bitters. In America, bitters and stouts are for the elite beer drinker; over there, everybodydrinks them.

Two types of pubs

British pubs are usually of two types: the tied house, which is owned by a brewer and serves primarily or even exclusively that brewer's beer; and the free house, which is independently owned and serves a variety of brewers' beers.

There is also the occasional brew pub, but these are far less common than in Portland. (Not to worry – we found one. See below.) And of course there are bars, typically whiskey bars, which we did not tour.

England

It's only right to start with our first pub –The Sun Inn, an Arkell tied house just outside Swindon, near London. Since it was not yet lunchtime, the pub was reasonably smoke-free – a rare treat in the UK. There was a fully stocked bar, and three bitters (3%, 4%, and 5%) to choose from. We sampled the one the bartender said the locals drink: Arkell's 3B, a thin-bodied, copper-colored cask bitter, 4% alcohol, with a low but persistent head. 3B is a mild ale, not highly bitter nor sweet, with some caramel and a bitter finish.

In Bath, we visited The Huntsman, an Eldrige Pope tied house. In addition to a typical pub dinner of jacket potatoes with beans and a drab lasagna, we sampled the Thomas Hardy Bitter, Thomas Hardy Oak Strong Ale, and Thomas Hardy Gold Label Barleywine. The bitter (4%) was low in aroma, medium bodied, evenly balanced with a noticeable malt flavor. The strong ale (5%) had very low carbonation but was very malty, almost evenly balanced by high hop bitterness, with a sweet finish. The Barleywine came in a bottle, but had very low carbonation, high maltiness and sweetness, substantial hop flavor, and a sweet finish mixed with some bitterness. Thomas Hardy ales are for lovers of alcohol and grain flavors rather than hopheads.

Also in Bath, the Pig & Fiddle is a fun pub and a free house. We had a great chat with the manager, a 20-something chap who knew of Oregon's brewing prowess and happily traded his pub's T-shirt for one of ours. We had Hop and Glory, a bitter from Ashvine Brewing. Medium bodied and gold in color with a delicate floral aroma just detectable above the smoke, it had a malty sweet taste, moderate bitterness, and some hoppiness in the finish.

The Old Station Inn advertised itself as “probably the best pub in Hallatrow” (population ca. 300). At this free house, we got a lot of free advice from the locals on what to see in Wales (everything; as it turns out, they were Welsh) as we tried what they had on tap. The delightful Olde Merryford, from Wickwood Brewing Co., is a 4.8% crystal-clear coppery cask ale with a floral hop aroma (probably Goldings), flavorful and balanced, some caramel, with a bitter (even astringent) aftertaste. The Ringwood Brewery Forty-niner is 4.9% alcohol, with moderate hoppiness, some sweetness in aroma, deep gold in color, lightly carbonated, with a decidedly bitter and alcoholic flavor and a clean aftertaste. Where the Merryford is a slow-sipping beer, the Forty-niner is a get-drunk beer. We preferred the former.

Wales

We visited Laugharne and its famed (very smoky) locals' pub, Brown's Hotel, solely to catch some sights celebrating the town's famous late poet, Dylan Thomas. But, what the heck, while we were there we tried Buckley's Best Bitter (3.8%). No aroma is detectable above that much smoke. This very nice beer was medium-bodied, on the malty side, balanced by higher than average hop bitterness, and had a bitter finish.

We stayed the night in the coastal town of Tenby, and had Worthington's Bitter at the Bay Tree Restaurant. Worthington's is part of the Bass empire, and proof that big doesn't necessarily mean bad. This deep gold ale had a thick, creamy head (probably CO2 or nitro), accentuating its hoppy aroma and esters. It has a malty, sweet flavor but significant bitterness up front, a dry and medium hoppy finish. Later, at the dark, smoky Tenby House, an Ansell tied house, we had the deep gold Ansell's Bitter, a medium-bodied cask ale, medium-bodied and highly bitter, with some hop flavor. Clean, not complex – a session beer.

We went to the town of Solva in the County of Dyfed trying to find Solva Brewing.
Unfortunately, they were closed. However, the Ship Inn, a Whitbread house, was open, and we had a not-too-special CO2-driven Welsh Bitter. Clean, golden-colored, balanced and boring, it could pass for an American lager.

We had better luck in Pisgah, at the Halfway Inn, so called because it's halfway between Aberyswyth and who knows where. Musical accompaniment to a decent dinner (by British standards) included Bread, Fleetwood Mac, Alanis Morrisette, and Roxy Music. This free house had four ciders and a number of ales on draught, including two casks from which customers can draw their own pint. Unfortunately, they'd had a busy holiday weekend, and those casks were dry. We tried the Felinfoel Double Dragon, a “strong” cask bitter with a hoppy aroma and noticeable esters, and a considerable creamy and long-lasting head. Served at about 50F, it was medium-bodied, fruity, somewhat bitter, with low malt character and sweetness and a complex fruity, hoppy, bitter finish. The Flowers Bitterwas red in color, also had an ample and long-lasting but rocky head. The aroma was hoppy and estery but not strong. It had a pleasant bitterness, some dryness verging on astringency, almost balanced by a residual sweetness from malt, and a dry finish.

In Aberyswyth, we had a late pint of Hancock's Bitter (from Bass's local Cardiff brewery) at The White Horse (AKA Rea's Lounge), a free house. Hancock's is deep gold, with a thick, creamy, long-lasting head. Its up-front bitterness gave way to a subtle, evenly balanced ale, thin in body and low in alcohol, a touch dry (even astringent) with a slightly hoppy finish. Laura's exasperated comment was: “More beer that tastes like water and smells like smoke.” We also tried the Carling Black Label, a continental-style lager made in Britain. Carling's is very aromatic, even a bit sulfury. It was bright gold in color, malty, semi-sweet up front, light in body, with a very clean finish. We traded a Brew Festival T-shirt for two brand-new bar towels to Rea's hard-working daughter, whose cheerful friendliness helped us forget how bland the beer was.

Hiatus

On the Stena Explorer ferry to Ireland, we tried a Boddington's Bitter from Strangeways Brewery, Manchester. This was our first smoke-free beer tasting experience in Britain. Unfortunately, this ale was CO2-driven and served very cold. It was gold in color, with a thick, long-lasting head. It has a light hop nose with some banana and citrus esters. Thin-bodied, bitterness predominated the flavor; the finish was dry, slightly hoppy, and a bit astringent.

After 2 ½ weeks in Ireland and Scotland, we returned to England from the north and worked our way back south. The beers in Northern England more closely resemble Scottish ales than those you'd find in the south and therefore will be discussed with the Scottish ones in another article.

Back to England

The Cotswolds

The Cotswolds area of England is famous for its tiny charming towns of golden stone. It also has some attractions for the beer lover. Just around the corner from the B&B we stayed in, we had dinner and coifed a few pints at the Black Bear Inn, a Donnington tied house in Morton-in-Marsh. The Donnington Best Bitter, brewed locally in Stow-on-the-Wold, was cask-conditioned, cloudy (unusual for a British commercial beer), copper in color, with a low, creamy, long-lasting head. Low in alcohol, this ale is medium-bodied, semi-sweet, highly bittered with low/medium hop flavor, with a semi-bitter finish. Much more interesting was the SBA: also cask-conditioned, it was brilliantly clear and deep red in color with a barely detectable hop aroma over heavy bar smoke. Medium-bodied but very malty and medium-to-high in sweetness, low in bitterness, its finish was sweet with low-medium hoppiness. Finally, the XXX, Donnington's stout, is black/opaque but ruby-red around the edges. It has a thick, very creamy and lingering head, with some malty and roasty aromas. Medium-full body, medium-high maltiness and sweetness, low bitterness, its roast/black malt flavor is stronger on the finish. XXX is a “session” stout, low in alcohol and easy to drink.

Driving around the Cotswolds, we stopped for a pre-lunch pint at the Baker's Arms in Broad Campden. In search of calories we tried the Hook Norton Double Stout first. Cask-conditioned, this stout's thick, creamy tan head equaled its nitrogen-driven counterparts. Black-opaque in color and full bodied, its malty and slightly roasty aroma also contained sniffs of banana and citrus esters. Its malty, sweet flavor contained a strong dose of roasted and black malt and was balanced by bitterness from both hops and roasted malt. The roasted, sweet flavor continues to the finish, and is complemented by a sourness common to many Irish stouts.

While enjoying our stout, we chatted a bit with the bar manager and one of its patrons who turned out to be Alexander Pennycook, the brewer at the tiny Stanway Brewery at the nearby Stanway House. Stanway is part of a revival of the old manor house breweries – tiny house breweries for wealthy owners of these grand estates, except now the breweries produce for the commercial market. Alexander quit his job as master brewer at Donnington's to explore the freedom and challenges of brewing in a 17th-century facility not much larger than a home brewery. We tried the Stanney Bitter, an 80-IBU (yes, 80) gold-colored cask ale with a thick, creamy white head and just as much bitterness as you could imagine. It was medium-bodied with some hop aroma, medium maltiness but low in sweetness, and a very bitter finish.

Later that day we visited the brewery (to be described in a later installment) at Alexander's invitation and tried his Lords-a-Leaping Bitter. "Lords" is very similar to Stanney except that the bitterness level was a “mere” 60 IBU, which, Alexander said with a straight face, was made blander for the mainstream market.

London

Getting to a pub in London turned out to be quite an ordeal. It seemed we were always 5 minutes late; they close very early by our standards (11 PM except Sundays at 10 PM). It wasn't until the 28th day of our trip that we set foot in a pub in London and were served a beer. Our strategy for overcoming this long delay was a London pub crawl. Thanks to Martin Wilde, who had supplied us with a 20-pub itinerary, we were able to sample some of London's best in a short time.

We started with the best -- the White Horse on Parsons Green. (There are a lot of pubs called “The White Horse” in England, but this is the one to look for.) We met the manager, Mark Dorber, a fan of the OBC (even before I got there; or should I say, even after?). Mark was a gracious and generous host, who joined us for several beers and supplied some wonderful Belgian ales from his private stash in the basement. Before he got to us, though, we sampled some British beers. Highgate Dark Mild is a low-alcohol, dark brown ale with a rocky head, very slight aroma, low bitterness, medium body and maltiness, low sweetness, and a clean finish. Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter is light-copper in color with a low head and hoppy, floral aroma. High in bitterness, it is also very malty, full-bodied, and low in sweetness with a medium-bitter finish. Hopback Wheat is pale straw colored with a low head and a strong clove/banana aroma. Medium-bodied, its malty-grainy moderately sweet flavor is almost balanced by low-medium bitterness, and it has a moderately bitter finish.

We stayed so long at the White Horse that we almost didn't make it in time to the second stop on our pub crawl (never mind stops three and four). The Orange Brewery, a very fun brew pub near Victoria Station, now has an employee who sports an Oregon Brew Festival T-shirt. The first beer we tried was Pimlico Porter, a beer Terry Foster describes in his Porter style book as “the only remaining example of a London-brewed porter.” Deep brown (ruby at the edges of the glass), opaque, with a low head, the aroma was not detectable above the pub's smokiness. Malty, sweet, and chocolatey in flavor, with medium bitterness, it is full-bodied with moderate hop flavor and a sweet finish. Orange SW1, a cask-conditioned bitter, is deep gold to copper in color, has a floral hoppy aroma with fruity esters, and medium/low head. Medium to full in body, its flavor is malty and sweet, balanced by equally high hop bitterness, and has a hoppy and bitter finish. Orange SW2 is
similar but has more of everything: deeper color, fuller body, very fruity/citrusy aroma, sweeter and more bitter, and a stronger hop finish – one of the most flavorful beers we had on the whole trip. Victoria Lager, like all of Orange's beers, had a low head, but unlike the others this one fell away quickly. Deep gold in color, medium noble hop aroma, no off aromas, very malty, sweet, with medium bitterness and a sweet finish. Not very clean, but very tasty.

The next night, after a play by the Royal Shakespeare Company, we naturally picked The Shakespeare, a touristy bar near Victoria Station. Theakston's XB, a cask-conditioned bitter, had a medium-thick head atop the clear, deep gold liquid. Theakston's is slightly citrusy, with low-medium hop aroma and some pear esters. Medium-bodied, with medium sweetness and maltiness, somewhat more bitterness, it had a bitter finish with some residual sweetness. Old Peculier, also cask-conditioned, is dark brown/opaque, ruby at the edges, with a thick tan creamy head and almost no aroma. Full-bodied, high in sweetness, medium maltiness, with some chocolatey flavors, it is medium-bittered, slightly sour, with a roasty bitter and sweet finish.

Our final pub stop was the Clarence Pub near Whitehall, where we tried Brackspear Bitter, from Tenly-on-Thames. This cask ale is deep gold to copper in color with a very low head, moderately hoppy nose and slightly fruity/estery and malty hints in the aroma. It is low-medium in body with high bitterness, medium-high maltiness and sweetness, and very low carbonation with a bitter, dry finish.

Conclusion

Despite – or because of – CAMRA's warnings about the impending disappearance of real ale, you can pretty much find it in any good British pub. Better yet, get CAMRA's “Good Beer Guide” and be sure of it.

We had a great time in England and Wales. While we loved the pubs and beers, it also made us appreciate Portland even more. This trip was evidence that Portland holds its own as a world-class brewing city. While our Brew Crew-induced expectations were not (and probably could not have been) met, we still must concur with most of the world's opinion that the beer and pubs in England and Wales are among the world's finest. You won't find ales like Deschutes' Mirror Pond in every English pub, but you'll find gems like Orange SW2, Donnington SBA, and Stanney Bitter that you can't find anywhere else. And you'll enjoy them in the old-world comforts of pubs with character, charm, and grace, as well as good beer.

Touring the Beamish & Crawford Brewery, Cork, Ireland

2006-11-06T12:35:00.000-08:00

The Trubadours

or, Your Oregon Brew Crew Card – Don’t Leave Home Without It

by Gary Corbin and Laura Guimond

This is the first in a series about the pubs, beers, and breweries that we encountered in May 1996 trip to Britain and Ireland. Future articles will feature the Caledonian Brewery in Edinburgh and John Smith’s Brewery in Tadcaster, Yorkshire, and our various pub crawls and beer tastings.

After three days in Dublin, it’s fair to wonder whether there’s another city in the world with people as friendly, pubs as lively, and beer as good. If you should happen to find yourself in this situation, we encourage you to visit the fine Irish city of Cork, and embark upon a tour of the Beamish & Crawford Brewery.

We arrived at Beamish about 3:00 on a Monday afternoon, wondering, “Do you think we should have called ahead?” We approached the guard at the front gate, who was pleasant enough but wouldn’t let us in (“so sorry, we only give tours by appointment”) until we flashed our Oregon Brew Crew business card. The receptionist inside was also impressed, and tracked down master brewer Ed Hinchey to meet with us. Ed was disappointed that he couldn’t take us on a tour right away, but he very much hoped we could come back the next morning so he could show us around. It meant a change in our itinerary, but it was well worth it.

Beamish is best known for its stout, and rightly so – it’s a dark, full-bodied stout with a healthy roasted aroma and a worthy alternative to “that other stout.” As is so common these days, this mid-sized brewery (11 million gallons per year) has been sold to large brewing chains – first to Carling O’Keefe (1967-1982), then to Foster’s, then more recently to Scottish and Newcastle. However, Beamish Stout is brewed only in the Cork brewery. Because of their business alliance with S&N, this site also produces Foster’s, Carling, Bass Ale (on contract), and their own new product – Beamish Red.

The Brewery

The Beamish brewery is fairly old, and not terribly modernized. Most of the current equipment, a Steinecker stainless steel system, was installed in the 1960’s. The brewery was mechanized only in 1972, and still has very little computerization. They have 180 employees, downsized (“rationalized”) from 300 two years ago, under S&N’s management.

They brew 24 hours a day, five days a week (six in summer), producing six batches a day, with an 8,000 gallon brew length. Their 30 fermenting tanks have a combined capacity of 576,000 gallons.

The brewery is modern in at least two important respects. First, Beamish maintains its own full-time microbiology lab for yeast propagation, quality control, and to test for infection, alcohol, color, pH, bitterness, SO2, and nitrogen content. Every batch of beer is inspected at every stage of the process to ensure quality and absence of infection. Second, at packaging time, the beer is blended in a highly computerized process, taking advantage of the lab’s in-depth analysis of each batch’s strengths and weaknesses to produce a product with a consistent flavor profile.

Ingredients and process

Lager malt, roasted barley, and a small amount of malted wheat are used in the mash to make stout. For the Red, the grist is comprised of lager malt, black malt, and crystal malt. Maize was used in the mash when the brewery made Carlsberg lagers, in the days they were owned by the Carling’s chain. The malt is wet-milled to keep the husks more intact.

Beamish brews concentrated wort; a beer with a 1.057 original gravity in the kettle will go out the door at 1.040. Brewing water is de-aerated for downstream blending. To reduce the load on the lauter tun, corn sugar is added, contributing about 15% of the wort’s original gravity. They use a 50/50 mix of British and European hops; almost always pellets, except that hop oils are used in the production of Foster’s.

Beamish uses a step infusion mash, starting with a 65-67C protein rest. Beta glucanate is added to aid runoff. Calcium chloride and calcium sulfate are added to the brewing water both in the mash and the kettle both to influence flavor and to enhance yeast growth.

After the boil, the wort is whirlpooled, then chilled. Beamish uses several different yeasts, reflecting the variety of the beers it produces, but in each case they pitch 1.2 pounds yeast/barrel. Two batches combine in the closed fermentation tank. The primary fermentation for Beamish lasts about 3 days; for Carling lager, it lasts 4-5 days at 1degree C. Some CO2 pressure applied to the fermenters; CO2 generated by fermentation is collected for reuse.

After fermentation, for all beers except the stout, the beer is chilled to -1 degree C, then run through a yeast filter to collect the yeast for reuse, repropagation, or sale. The beer is then cold-stored in one of 32 10,000 gallon conditioning tanks. Isinglass finings are added for clarification.

Packaging

Beamish stout is available in keg, bottle, or can, but Beamish doesn’t do canning in Ireland. Instead, they ship it in tankers to John Smith’s in England for canning with the nitrogen widget. (More on John Smith’s in a future Traveler’s Trub.)

Two people run the kegging line, a rather old, slow line by industry standards: they fill 320 fifty-liter kegs per hour in 8 mechanized filling stations. At the first stop on the line, the keg is sprayed with detergent, then is filled with steam at its next stop. Finally it is counter-pressure filled, then weighed and inspected. Kegs are automatically rejected if there is any problem (leakage, temperature, weight/volume).

The bottling line is also mechanized but fairly old technology. The beer enters the line at 1C, is pasteurized at 140C for 10 min, then chilled to 30C, bottled, labeled, and boxed. Unfortunately, there were no “factory seconds” for us to take back to Brew Crew members.

“Savoring” the best for last

Beamish holds a blind tasting daily at 12:45 – just before lunch, both to whet their appetites and to preserve their taste buds. They may taste either their own product or a competitor’s. Interestingly, the beer is tasted flat; “the head masks the taste,” Ed explained. The judges evaluate the beer for flavor, color, clarity, and aroma, and try to detect any flaws.

We were a bit late for the official daily tasting, but Ed and his fellow master brewer, Dick Ryan, led us to their reception room for a taste of Beamish Red. Beamish Red is nitrogen-dispensed, like stout, and shares its rich, creamy, long-lasting head. Like stout, the foam takes about 3 minutes to settle on top of the glass (giving rise to the beer’s ad campaign, “Available in about three minutes”). The settled beer is crystal-clear, bright red in color, with an aroma strong in both hops and malty sweetness, with some banana esters. The beer is full-bodied, with a strong maltiness in flavor. Caramel flavors are evident. Bitterness is strong but does dominate the malt, and the beer has a full hop profile. The finish is malty sweet with a strong dose of hops.

Since this product had just been announced the prior week, and was available only in a few pubs in Cork, Ed agreed that we are probably the first Americans to have tried Beamish Red. We hope to see it in Portland pubs, giving truth to the way Beamish describes glasses of its beer: “Born in Cork, raised abroad.”

Brews and Browse

2006-11-05T08:51:00.000-08:00

Note: A shorter version of this article appeared in the Portland Tribune in December, 2005.

Portland is at the forefront of both craft brewing and the use of “Wi-Fi” (or “wireless fidelity”), a.k.a. wireless Internet connectivity. It makes sense, then, that Portland should marry the two and take the lead in yet another cool way: Wi-fi access in Portland pubs.

Wi-fi has already caught on big time in Portland. One website lists 72 different local “hotspots” (not including the plethora of Starbucks that offer wi-fi – for a fee). But the list focuses mostly on coffee houses and the like. What about those of us who like to sip a different brew while we browse? That is, what about wi-fi in pubs?

I recently surveyed Portland-area pubs and found twenty-two that currently offer some form of wi-fi access. (See sidebar.) Many pubs advertise it like Main Street Ale House in Gresham, Walking Man in Stevenson, WA and the ever-expanding McMenamin’s chain, which sports wi-fi in eleven of its Portland area pubs – and “more to come,” boasts the groovy brothers’ website.

The list of wi-fi friendly places to imbibe continues to grow as more pubs jump on the bandwidth wagon. The Lucky Lab promises wi-fi “within a few weeks,” according to owner Gary Geist. Ken Johnson of Fearless Brewing says he’ll do it once he “finds a secure way to do it.” (Did someone say fearless?) Bridgeport will have it in their Northwest pub when it re-opens (but not in the Hawthorne Ale House, sorry.)

Not everyone has caught the wave, and some just may not. “Computers kill, man,” joked one publican, who indicated no plans to implement the technology. “You never know,” said another. “It’s becoming pretty popular.” (Yeah, these computers. Let’s make sure it’s not just a fad.)

Others are riding the wave for free. You can “hijack” others’ signals at Alameda Brewhouse, the Hedge House, Oak Hills Brewpub, and the Hazel Dell in Vancouver. Amnesia benefits from free wi-fi on the entire Mississippi Street strip. Then there’s that plan of the City’s to implement wi-fi free City-wide; if that goes through, ALL of Portland’s pubs will be wi-fi friendly. Now there’s a vision!

Get out of town

In case you want to get away from it all – but not quite all – you can find Internet access here and there in resort areas. For the most part, coastal pubs haven’t found the need for this competitive edge; only McMenamin’s Lighthouse Tavern in Lincoln City shines the Internet beacon for seaward travelers. For skiers, the going is a little easier. Mt. Hood Brewing in Government Camp takes care of our local lift-riders. For those traveling a bit further for the magical pow, McMenamin’s Old St Francis School in Bend will get you connected.

Sidebar: Portland's Wi-Fi Friendly Pubs

Eastside

* Alameda Brewhouse – 4765 NE Fremont

Bar of the Gods – 4801 SE Hawthorne

* Hedge House – 3412 SE Division

Kennedy School – 5736 N.E. 33rd

Laurelwood Public House – 1728 N.E. 40th

Lucky Labrador – 915 SE Hawthorne (“any day now”)

Main Street Ale House – 333 Main St., Gresham

McMenamin’s Edgefield – 2126 SW Halsey, Troutdale

Roots Organic Brewing – 1520 SE 7th Avenue

North Portland/The Couv

* Amnesia Brewing – 832 N. Beech

* Hazel Dell – 8513 NE Hwy 99, Vancouver, WA

McMenamin’s on the Columbia – 1801 SE Columbia River Dr, Vancouver, WA

White Eagle Saloon – 836 N. Russell

West side

Blue Moon Tavern & Grill – 432 NW 21st

BridgePort Brewing Company – 1318 NW Marshall (Feb 06)

Cornelius Pass Roadhouse – 405 NW Cornelius Pass Rd, Hillsboro

Daily Double Café & Pub – 2037 SW Morrison

John Barleycorns – 14610 SW Sequoia Pkwy, Tigard

McMenamin’s Greenway Pub – 12272 SW Scholls Ferry Rd, Tigard

* Oak Hills Brewpub – 14740 N.W. Cornell Rd

Rock Creek Tavern – 10000 NW Old Cornelius Pass Rd, Hillsboro

Rogue Ales Distillery and Public House – 1339 NW Flanders

Out of Town

Golden Valley – 980 4th St, McMinnville

McMenamin’s Grand Lodge – 3505 Pacific Ave, Forest Grove

McMenamin’s Lighthouse – 4157 Hwy 101, Lincoln City

Mt Angel – 201 Monroe St, Mt Angel

Mt Hood Brewing Co. – 87304 E. Government Camp Loop, Government Camp

Walking Man – 240 NW First, Stevenson, WA

* = Signal “borrowed” from nearby provider

Portland’s Small Brewers Add Diversity

2006-11-04T12:31:00.000-08:00

Portland is rich with a diversity of beers and brew pubs, perhaps uniquely so on the planet. The Oregon Brewer’s Guild lists 15 brewpubs and 33 breweries within the city limits and several more in the surrounding area.

We can all name the big guys – Widmer Brothers, MacTarnahan’s, McMenamin’s, Bridgeport – but what if you want to explore something different? Maybe a pub with a little more of a neighborhood feel, or a beer style you haven’t tried before? In that case, try the “little guys” – small-batch brews from innovative new brewers, and some of the tiny brew pubs with a simple menu and a neighborhood feel.

The pubs

There are seven brew pubs in Portland with brewing output of under 700 barrels, and they cross all five of Portland’s “quadrants.”

Clinton Street Brewing is the tiniest of the bunch, with a brew system and annual output barely larger than many homebrewers’. Attached to the Clinton Street Theater, this brewery is so small and new that they haven’t repeated a single beer on tap. Every visit, then, will be a unique tasting experience.

The Mash Tun, Portland’s newest, has only been brewing since January. Sporting 12 taps including an array of guest taps, cider, and mead, they serve all-natural Cascade beef burgers and free-range chicken wings. “It’s just a comfortable place to hang out,” says brewer Christian Bravard.

Unique among the little guys is Yamhill Brewing’s Ninth Street Ale house, which allows smoking. Yamhill sports live music in the evenings, with Blues Night on Wednesdays and open mike on Mondays. Pints are only two bucks on Mondays and Tuesdays and parking is plentiful.

Tugboat, downtown’s tiny “drinking-allowed” library, also has live music in the evenings – jazz, in particular. Founded in 1993, it has stayed small by choice, emphasizing its unpretentious environment, a simple, hearty (and mostly vegetarian) menu, and a variety of beers. Usually there are about a half-dozen Tugboat brews and ten guest taps pouring at any given time.

Amnesia on booming N. Mississippi also has live music and a simple menu: burgers, dogs, and Old Country Sausage bratwurst. I can attest to their veggie dogs; they’re quite good. Their outdoor seating is just like the inside – picnic tables – but heated well enough to sit outside even in winter. Bring your laptop – all of Mississippi Avenue has free wireless.

Roots Organic Brewing on SE 7th just off Hawthorne claims to be Oregon’s first organic brewery. The menu sports deli sandwiches and Hot Lips pizza, plus PBJ’s and hot dogs for the kids. For the grown-ups, their aggressively flavored brews include “Woody” IPA (73 IBU’s), their Island Red “Red Stout,” and 8.6% ABV Imperial Stout and a Heather Ale.

Most of these pubs focus on the beer. Philadelphia’s is food-first and family-friendly, specializing in cheesesteaks and similar grub. They’re also open for breakfast. Beer with your bacon? Hey, it’s always noon somewhere.

Just out of town

Karlsson’s Brewing just opened in Sandy, Oregon. This family-owned brewpub features a warm, cozy atmosphere with Brazilian Cherry booths seating 35 for English-style grub such as chicken pot pies, beef pasties and Scotch Eggs.

Fearless Brewing Company in Estacada features a burger-and-fries sort of menu and its signature strong ales such as their strong Scotch Ale and Maibock. Each night they feature a new “buck-fifty special,” worth checking out if you’re in the area. Owner and brewer Ken Johnson describes their half-pound burger as a “heart attack in a basket.”

The Breweries

Perhaps the most famous of Portland’s small breweries is Hair of the Dog, whose first beer, Adam, was cited as one of beer writer Michael Jackson’s favorite beers. Their Fred, a 10% ABV deep golden ale, was created to honor beer writer and historian Fred Eckhardt Find their beers in places like Higgins, Rose and Raindrop, and the Horse Brass.

Tuck’s on SW Capitol Highway is known for its creative brews such as its Raspberry Vanilla Imperial Stout and King’s Kolsch. However, brewer Max Tieger is soon (at this writing) to be departing to open his own brewery in Tigard, Max’s Fanno Creek Brewpub. Expect them to open sometime during the 2006-07 ski season.

Click here for a summary table with details on each of the breweries mentioned here.

How Beer Has Changed in Oregon

2006-11-03T23:56:00.000-08:00

Oregon, and Portland in particular, enjoys an amazing diversity of tasty, quality brews, from hoppy American Pale Ales to cloudy Witbiers. International beer writer Michael Jackson calls Portland “Munich on the Willamette,” and in fact Portland surpassed Munich in the number of breweries within its city limits several years ago. Wikipedia calls Oregon “the home of the microbrew revolution.” Microbreweries have popped up in every corner of the state, even the tiny town of Enterprise (Terminal Gravity). Preston Weesner of the Oregon Brewer’s Festival said recently, “The bottom line is, we here are the extreme haves in an industry of have-nots.”

But it hasn’t always been like this. Thirty years ago, the only brewery in Portland was Henry’s. As recently as the late 1980’s, Fred Eckhardt was the only beer writer in town, and he praised Henry’s in an Oregonian article for daring to put some flavor into their pale fizzy lager. Drinking local still meant choosing between Henry’s, Olympia, and Rainier, beers we’d consider photochemically identical today. In 1980, there were only 80 breweries operating in the entire US. “And the prediction was that there would only be ten by 1990,” Eckhardt said. “That was their plan.”

But the wheels of change had already started turning. Homebrewing had been legalized nationally in 1978. Eckhardt and Charlie Papazian had each published books about home brewing, and Michael Jackson’s World Guide to Beer opened people’s eyes to other options. A few entrepreneurs bucked the trend and opened small craft breweries: Fritz Maytag revived Anchor Steam in 1976, and Bert Grant opened Yakima Brewing in Washington in 1982. Charlie Coury was Oregon’s first commercial craft brewer, opening Cartwright’s in 1980. Unfortunately, this pioneering effort didn’t last, as the County shut him down on New Year’s Day, 1983.

Soon the microbrew revolution centered on Oregon. Why Oregon? “I give a lot of credit to The Oregonian,” Eckhardt said. “If they hadn’t published my column and paid attention to good beer, people wouldn’t have had the information and wouldn’t have become curious about it.” It also helps Oregon has abundant, high-quality local resources including top-quality soft Bull Run water and locally grown barley and hops, perfect for big, hoppy beers like IPA’s and pale ales and smooth, balanced porters. Furthermore, Oregon’s mild but wet, grey winter climate was perfect for the revival of the local pub tradition. All it needed was good beer.

In 1983, Oregon legalized brew-on-premises establishments, and soon after, the floodgates opened. In 1984, homebrewers Rob and Kurt Widmer cranked up their first batch of Altbier on 14th and Lovejoy Streets in Portland, and winemakers Nancy and Dick Ponzi ventured some of their spare change to open Bridgeport just around the corner on NW Marshall. In 1985, Mike and Brian McMenamin opened their first brewpub in Hillsdale. Fred Bowman and Art Larrance opened Portland Brewing (now MacTarnahan’s) on NW Flanders St. in 1986. That year, the trend went statewide, as Hood River Brewing opened and McMenamin’s opened new pubs in Lincoln City and Hillsboro.

Today, there are fifty-six breweries in Oregon – forty of them brewpubs, according to the Oregon Brewer’s Guild. While the largest concentration is in the Portland area (33), craft breweries have sprung up in twenty-eight cities large and small, from Ashland to Enterprise. You can find good local beer in nearly ever corner of the state: in the Willamette Valley, on the coast, in the Cascades, and on into eastern and central Oregon.

And the growth spurt is hardly over. New breweries opened in 2005 (Roots, Amnesia, Cascade Lakes, Karlsson’s, and Clinton Street), and in 2006 (the Mash Tun in Portland, Willamette Brewing in Eugene, and soon, Max's Fanno Creek Brew Pub in Tigard and Ninkasi in Eugene). Chains continue to expand; the nationals – BJ’s, Old Chicago, and Rock Bottom – have moved in, and old favorites are forming chains out of former fledgling single entities. Of course, McMenamin’s is the king of Oregon brewpub chains; with over fifty pubs now in operation in the Pacific Northwest (48 in Oregon), they are the third-largest chain in the country, after Rock Bottom and Gordon Biersch. But they have company. The Lucky Labrador just opened its third pub; Big Horn, Full Sail, Bridgeport, and Wild River each have two. Steelhead has three, but two are in California. The Laurelwood has two pubs and is soon to open a third, this one to more than double its brewing capacity.

The interesting thing about this expansion is that it’s mostly pub-oriented – and that means, local to your neighborhood. While some brewers have gotten bigger, they’ve also left a lot of room for small operations to fill the niche your neighborhood or small town needs. Elliot Glacier serves perhaps the smallest community – Parkdale, population 266 – but not far behind are Wild River in Cave Junction (1,440) and Bill’s in Cannon Beach (1,650), who like Elliot Glacier are depending on tourists to shore up sales for the local drinkers. Whoever coined the phrase “Think globally, drink locally,” must have been thinking about (and drinking) Oregon.

With the expansion of breweries has come an amazing diversity of styles and creativity. Thirty years ago, pale, fizzy lagers ruled the taps. Widmer’s Alt, McMenamin’s Terminator Stout, Portland’s Pale Ale, Full Sail’s Amber and Bridgeport’s Blue Heron, among others, introduced Oregonians to new tastes and, yes, colors in their beer. Walk into a bar in 1977 and your choices were Lager, Premium Lager, and Lite. Even in the early 80’s, according to Rob Widmer of Widmer Brewing, “there were two kinds of beer: light and dark. Our Alt fell into the dark category. People would just look at it and say no.” Today, pubs with two or three dozen taps, each pouring a different style of beer, are common. The Dublin Pub’s hundred-plus taps used to be a phenomenon. Now that’s not even enough to handle the state’s count of seasonal beers.

Not only that, but the publicans know what they’re serving. Go to your favorite “beer bar” like the Bier Stein in Eugene or Concordia Ale House in NE Portland and ask at random about a beer on tap from Ashland or Estacada, and your wait staff will give you a succinct rundown of the beer’s salient characteristics – color body, alcohol, sweetness, bitterness and hop flavor. If you’d tried that in 1977 you’d have been greeted with a polite invitation to keep your wiseguy questions to yourself.

Of course, with all this growth and change, we’ve lost a few along the way. Many will remember Saxer, producer of some wonderful lagers, including no less than four Bock beers. Star Brewing sold its beer only in 22 oz bottles, some of which were a bit explosive. Wild Duck closed down just a few years ago after several years of producing some award-winning barleywines, stouts and old ales.

Beer can be a tough business, requiring a lot of start-up capital and even more capital later on to expand or even survive. Widmer, MacTarnahan’s, Bridgeport and Full Sail have each gone different ways to find the investment funds they needed to keep going and succeed. Anheuser-Busch invested in Widmer, Maletis bought Bridgeport entirely, Full Sail turned to its employees, and MacTarnahan’s relied on customers and private investors. Each, however, bridged the gap between tiny start-up to successful regional brewer; between them, they now pump out over 683,000 barrels of beer per year between them.) By contrast, at its peak, Henry’s used to produce a little over a million barrels per year.) But even the outside investors left the Oregon element alone. “A-B is smart,” Widmer said. “They keep at arm’s length, but their brewing knowledge and buying power (for ingredients, materials, etc.) are incredible.”

So, the next time you walk into your favorite restaurant, pub, or even theater pub and it takes you several minutes just to choose from their amazing beer selection, remember: it hasn’t always been this way.

Preston’s right. We’re spoiled now. And I don’t know about you, but I like it better this way.