155. Bridgeport Brewing – ESB
I thoroughly enjoyed my pizza and pale ale at the Bridgeport Brew Pub, so I thought I’d have another half pint before heading back to my hotel to pack. I had a great week at Full Sail Brewing for my Brewmaster Internship and had an awesome time at the Oregon Brewers Festival, but it was time to get ready to head home. However, I thought I’d give Bridgeport’s ESB a shot. The menu said, “BridgePort ESB is a...
154. Bridgeport Brewing – Blue Heron Pale Ale
I was having a great time at the Oregon Brewers Festival, but most of the beers were starting to run dry, and of those available, I had tried most. So I decided to save my last token as a souvenir and grab some dinner as well as another couple beers at one of Portland’s many breweries. When I went to the Brewers dinner, I got a chance to meet Bridgeport’s brewmaster, Karl Ockert, and, Jamie Emmerson, executive brewmaster...
153. Dicks Brewing – Dicks Danger Ale
While enjoying the afternoon under the tent at the Oregon Brewers Festival, I struck up a conversation with a fellow beer lover and discussed beers we had tried and enjoyed there at the festival. I mentioned that I was looking for something malty, as I think my bitter taste buds have been killed by all these Northwest style IPAs. He recommended the Dicks Danger Ale (5.2% ABV), so I thought I’d give it a try. It had a deep...
152. Oakshire Brewing – Overcast Espresso Stout
I was thoroughly enjoying my last day at the Oregon Brewers Festival, but I noticed I was down to my last few tokens. So, I decided to head toward another Oregon brewery, especially one that had a short line – not because it wasn’t a good beer, but because a thick coffee stout wasn’t appealing to many on a hot Sunday afternoon. However, my appreciation for Russian Imperial Stouts drew me to this one. It was very...
151. Laughing Dog Brewing – Dogzilla Black IPA
One of the trends I’m noticing in the craft beer industry is an attempt to shift perceptions of black/dark beers. Beer geeks roll their eyes when they hear someone say, “Oh, I don’t like dark beers.” So, I’ve noticed several “black” versions of regular beer styles – in particular, black lagers and black IPAs – in an attempt (I believe) to give beer geeks something different to...
150. Natian Brewery – Destinatian
I was having some issues with hoppiness, so I decided to go for something a little more balanced, and evening leaning a bit in the mellow-malty direction. The Destinatian seemed to be what I was looking for, since it was brewed with honey, and it was from a local Portland brewery. It was brown in color and it had a nice, creamy head. The aroma was fairly nutty and roasty with a malty, caramel-like sweetness to it. The body was...
149. Three Skulls Ales – Hop the Plank IPA Draft
I continued my mission to hit as many of the Northwestern breweries as I could at the Oregon Brewers Festival. Just inside the tent was Three Skulls Ales from Seattle. This festival was also helping me to dial in my palate to the type of hop bitterness I prefer. After a few ridiculously hopped beers, I started to realize that I preferred my hoppiness around 70 IBU’s and this one fit the bill. It was an amber/reddish color and...
148. Fearless Brewing – Fearless Scottish Ale Draft
I was enjoying the Oregon Brewers Festival and wanted to make sure I could try as many local brews as I could. I had never heard of Fearless Brewing, but it said it was from Estacada, OR. The color was an almost dark amber-red color with a thick, creamy, tan head on it. There was a nice obvious malty aroma to it that reminded me of caramel. The body was a bit lighter than I was expecting, but it did have a creamy mouthfeel to it. ...
147. Pelican Pub & Brewery – Kiwanda Cream Ale Draft
There were some extremely long lines for the 21st Amendment Hell or High Watermelon Wheat and this Kiwanda Cream Ale. I’m not sure that they were long lines because the beers were very good, or because the male to female ratio was very low and most of the females went for the watermelon wheat and cream ale. However, I was optimistic because Jamie Emmerson, my brewmaster mentor during my Cuisinternship, had nice things to say...
146. 21st Amendment – Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Draft
After visiting Mt. Hood in the morning and stopping at the Horse Brass Pub for a Mt. Hood Hogs Back Stout pulled from the cask, I headed back over to the Oregon Brewers Festival. As an occasional listener of The Brewing Network, I had heard of 21st Amendment and their Hell or High Watermelon Wheat beer. Since hearing about it, I wanted to try it just to see what it was like. It was a very, very pale yellow color, and it had a soapy...
145. Mt. Hood Brewing – Hogs Back Stout Cask
I had a free morning to explore Oregon and had a choice – do I head west and see the coast, or east and see Mt. Hood. Being from the flatlands of the midwest, I went to Ridgeline Lodge on Mt. Hood. It had some incredible views and it nice and relaxing. I was a bit surprised the ski lift was open and people were able to ski there during the end of July. I’ve attached a picture on the right so you can see how cool it was....
