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....
144. Everybody’s Brewing – Daily Bread Common Beer Draft
As I mentioned in my last post, it was a good day – a tour of the Widmer Brothers Brewery, the Full Sail Riverplace smoker, and a nice dinner and a few more Full Sail beers at McCormick & Schmick’s. My friend/coworker and I headed up the Riverplace walkway to a place she was familiar with for a few more drinks. There was an incredible view of the river and bridge while I enjoyed a Daily Bread Common from...
Full Sail Brewing – Spotless IPA Cask
After taking the Widmer tour in the morning and having lunch at their Gasthaus pub, it was time to head south to Full Sail Riverplace for their smoker. It was a nice event for brewers and a few others to get away from the craziness of the festival and enjoy some beers and cigars with the folks from Full Sail. It was also a good excuse to have a small party for brewmaster John Harris’s birthday. I wish I would have taken some...
143. Widmer Brothers – Timbrrr Imperial IPA
Kurt & Rob Widmer, Me, Jamie Emmerson & Irene Firmat I was looking for something to do on Saturday morning before the Oregon Brewers Festival and the smoker at Full Sail Riverplace. When I attended the Brewmasters’ dinner, I got a chance to meet Kurt and Rob Widmer (the Widmer Brothers), and they recommended I stop by to take their brewery tour. Reservations were required, so I called and was able to get myself and my...
142. Widmer Brothers – Drifter Pale Ale Draft
As I mentioned in my last post, I took the Widmer Brothers brewery tour with a friend/coworker (seen here), and had a few samples before the tour began. The next on the list was the Drifter Pale Ale, which our guide told us was a bit of a West Coast pale ale – which used a lot of Summit hops and had a bit of citrus zest in it to give it a bit of a citrusy twist. It was clear and had a bit of a coppery/amber color to it. There...
141. Widmer Brothers – Hefeweizen
I’ve had a couple of great days at the Oregon Brewers Festival, and I thought I’d get out a bit and explore some more of the Portland beer culture. When I met the Widmer brothers at the brewmasters’ dinner, they suggested I take a tour of their brewery. The tours are only on the weekend, and require reservations. So immediately following their recommendation on Wednesday, I made a reservation for the first...
140. Upright Brewing – #6 Rye Beer Draft
One thing I didn’t mention about this day at the Oregon Brewers Festival was that a friend/co-worker lives here in Portland and worked the OBF for the evening. Afterward, she and I went to the Rogue hospitality suite for a bit and then headed out to find something to eat. We found a nice place next to the bridge that she was familiar with, and had a late dinner and a final beer for the day. As I mentioned in my review of...
139. Rogue Ales – Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout
After the Oregon Brewers Festival drew to a close, I decided to stop back by the Rogue hospitality suite one more time to see what was going on. It was my hope to see if any other brewers might be stopping by. It was mostly the guys from Rogue, but it gave me an opportunity to try another Rogue beer I hadn’t had before. There was plenty of the Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout, and I’m a fan of stouts, so I thought I’d...
138. Rogue Ales – 21 Olde Ale Draft
The Friday session of the Oregon Brewers Festival was drawing to a close, and it was time for one more beer before they stopped serving for the night. When I stopped by the Rogue hospitality suite earlier in the evening, they guys there told me that their “21” was brewed special for the Oregon Brewers Festival, and named because it was 21st different beer they had brewed for the festival. The olde ale included...
137. Cascade Lakes Brewing – 20″ Brown Draft
Things were still pretty busy, but I found my way back to the Oregon beers at the Oregon Brewers Festival. And now that it had been a long enjoyable day drinking beer, I was feeling a like having more malty beers rather than the big hop bombs I was having earlier in the day. When I saw the name on this one from Cascade Lakes Brewing in Redmond, OR, I knew it would probably fit the bill. As you might suspect, it had a deep brown...
136. Boulevard Brewing – Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale Draft
I’m most disappointed in myself that I came all the way to Portland, Oregon to try good local beer (not that this wasn’t good), and I end up having a beer from Boulevard Brewing in Kansas City. I also told myself that I wouldn’t give in to this big farmhouse ale/sour beer craze. However, as I mentioned, the lines were getting long, and it was easiest to get the beers which were closest. It was a very light yellow...
