Breweries of Salem: Salem Ale Works

During my previous visit to Salem, I lamented not being able to try Salem Ale Works due to time constraints, especially given how well their collaboration with Vagabond turned out. Well, recently I had business in Salem and decided to take the opportunity to pay Salem Ale Works (herein abbreviated as SAW) a visit while I was in town.

Compared to the other breweries in town, SAW is distinctive in a number of ways. It holds the potentially dubious honor of being the smallest brewery, by space, that I've seen, taking up a tiny warehouse block, most of which is devoted to the brewery proper. Seating for the tasting space is limited - ten or so barstools and a couple small tables, which could accommodate perhaps 15 people comfortably. Like Vagabond and Santiam, as well as many other small breweries, SAW is open limited hours - late afternoon to early evening, most days.

The decor is sparse but well-thought out. Everything points to the fact that the space is for brewing first, with the tasting space taking a backseat. Still, the acronym that their name shortens to is apt - there's nice wood everywhere, and saws mounted on the walls, to say nothing of the terrible(ly awesome) puns on their facebook page and blackboard.

SAW's beers are offered in pints or imperial pints, at very reasonable pricing. Samples are a dollar each, cheaper than average as well.

The question, as always: How is the beer?

SAW's tasting trays. Note the sawblade design!

Wait no longer. Here are my tasting notes:

Cast Iron CDA: Lingering dirty roast and some pronounced smokiness. Not very bitter, though 94 IBUs. Good.

Held for Ransom (Cast Iron aged in Ransom whiskey barrels): Picks up some caramel/floral notes from the whiskey, but the roast and hop bitterness clash.

Jefferson Pale: Hop-forward, but subtly presented. Finishes quite smooth. Very good.

Hootenany Honey Basil: This tasted a lot like sweet barbeque sauce. Once I realized that, I couldn't think of anything else while drinking it.

Stump Humper IPA: Buttery, sweet, and hoppy without being very bitter.

Spike Out Smoked Porter: Almost too smoky, but the sweet malt shines through in the end.

Misery Whip IPA: East-coast style. Malty and rich, with notable hop flavor. More like an imperial IRA.

Azimuth Amber: Smooth, very sweet, more on the red side. Good.

Slow Roller Raspberry Mint: Very tasty raspberry sweet/sourness, with just a hint of mint in the finish.

I'm pleased to report that on the whole, SAW's beer is respectable, working its way towards quite good in some cases. Standouts are the Jefferson pale and the Cast Iron CDA. I'll be following these guys with interest. Definitely worth a visit if you're headed to Salem in the afternoon.

Some Quick Thoughts on Sierra Nevada's Beer Camp

As part of my birthday festivities yesterday, I met with some friends at the Bier Stein, who were hosting the Sierra Nevada Beer Camp and had all 12 of the collaboration beers on tap.

I have to say, I really like the idea of breweries collaborating on beers, though I imagine the process can be a sometimes frustrating one. But the way Sierra Nevada is doing it - sort of as an ongoing program, working with breweries around the country, is fantastic. Sierra Nevada gets increased exposure at all the markets it shares with their collaborative partners, but the partners also benefit, in turn, by being featured in parts of the country they usually can't get beer to.

Case in point, I was able to try beer from Cigar City, Allagash, and New Glarus, among others. The full list of the beers, along with plenty of details about the program, can be found here. The centerpiece of the program, beers aside, is an ambitious 7-city beer festival taking place starting in Chico in mid-July and going all around the country. Sierra Nevada also invited every brewery specific to each region to its designated festival - trying to get hundreds of breweries to attend each event. I'm not sure how successful they've been, but I can't help but compare this to, say, the Great American Beer Festival's very limited capacity. I wonder if Sierra Nevada is making this point deliberately.

Regardless, if you're able to try these beers, do it. The full 12-pack is coming out in July. Here are a few of the highlights:

Yvan the Great - Made with Russian River. This is a Belgian blonde that's unsurprisingly delightful. Clean, complex, and tapering off to a great finish, this is a beer made for summer.

Maillard's Odyssey - Made with Bell's. Billed as an Imperial Dark Ale, this is roasty, smooth, and boozy, while still being very light in the mouth and very drinkable.

There and Back - Made with New Glarus. An English-style Bitter, this features all the prominent malting one expects from a great bitter, along with classic grassy/earthy hop aroma and flavor.

Double Latte - Made with Ninkasi.  I once talked to Jaime Floyd and I remember he mentioned always wanting to make a great coffee stout, but didn't want to step on Oakshire's toes. Here's his chance, then. This is a smoother, sweeter beer than Overcast, with a more prominent coffee aroma and flavor.

The Definition of Craft Beer

Today's my birthday, and I have some celebrating to get to, but I wanted to discuss a post on FiveThirtyEight - here is the article in question.

Sarris's topic is a worthy one - just how does one define 'craft beer' in 2014, especially with breweries like Sam Adams making millions of barrels per year? All established definitions inevitably fall short, in my opinion.

The Brewers Association definition hinges on size, ownership, and ingredients. I don't think any of these actually define craft beer. Here's why.

Size is unhelpful - Sam Adams, Deschutes, New Belgium, and Sierra Nevada make some of the best beers in the world, both in terms of their year-round lineup and (especially) their special releases. And these breweries are all growing very quickly. Sarris points out that the BA had to increase the cap on maximum production to continue to include Sam Adams as a craft brewery. It's certainly true that there are tons of breweries making 1000 barrels or less per year doing some excellent work, but it's not because of their size. In the next few years, it's conceivable that some of these breweries may surpass the current 6 million barrel mark. What will happen then? The limit will be increased again. Size doesn't define craft.

Ownership doesn't define craft beer, either. The BA pegs craft breweries as those with less than 25% ownership by a non-craft organization. But this discounts excellent breweries like Widmer, Redhook, and Goose Island. The notion of independence - of brewer-owned breweries - is a valuable one, and there's certainly something to be said for a small brewery that's able to entirely control its beer and business. But the question of who owns the brewery doesn't itself determine the quality of its products. Ownership isn't what makes good beer.

The BA's last criterion is word salad. It states that craft brewers have a majority of their product as "beers whose flavor derives from traditional or innovative brewing ingredients and their fermentation". Well, other than traditional or innovative, what other category of ingredient is there? The easy answer is 'adjuncts', but an adjunct is simply a non-standard ingredient (e.g. not barley, hops, yeast, and water). Wheat's an adjunct, as are oatmeal and coffee, by this definition. And of course one can get into hours of debate on what exactly a 'traditional' beer ingredient is, depending on historical perspective, culture, and a host of other factors.

The more I think about it, the more an explicit definition of craft beer seems out of reach. Defining craft beer and trying to make all beers produced as 'craft' fit under one set of criteria is by necessity going to make those criteria vague and unhelpful, and the rules would have to keep changing as the beers and breweries do.

In the end, Tony Magee from Lagunitas comes closest to what's probably the best solution. Sarris quotes him as saying it's like pornography - you know craft beer when you see it. So that's a good point to leave off. I think we shouldn't be so worried about craft beer as a defined set of absolutes. The Brewers Association criteria are helpful for evaluating what kind of company you're dealing with - yes, pay attention to the size of the brewery, know who owns it and who makes the important decisions - but really, just find a comfortable chair and enjoy a pint or two.

Breweries of Salem: Vagabond

As part of my trip to Salem earlier this week, I visited Vagabond. I want to talk about them next, as they're a neat study in contrast when paired with Santiam.

Vagabond Brewing, like Santiam, is set in a warehouse strip-mall. But unlike Santiam's small, closed-in space, Vagabond is enormous and expansive, with multiple pool tables, a dedicated stage for musicians, a closed-off space just for darts, and plenty of open seating.

Santiam is run by older, more experienced brewers, whereas Vagabond's brewers are younger.

And most strikingly, while Santiam makes smooth, traditional, nuanced beer, Vagabond's brewing philosophy appears to be bold, sharp, and strong, with little regard for convention.

Vagabond usually has 12 beers on tap, and sells flights of 6. Upon my visit, there were just 10 beers - I was told there had been a couple of very popular one-offs that had sold out much more quickly than anticipated. All 10 beers cost around $12 or so.

Here are my tasting notes:

Blondeish: Heavier, chewier, and darker in color than a standard blonde, with a nice malt flavor, almost amber-like in quality.

Eurorail: A Belgian-style pale ale, heavy on the citrus hops. The yeast really punches through, and the finish is overpoweringly coriander.

Hoppy Wayfaring Wheat: Part of a series of modified wheat beers - others have been made with fruit, honey, etc. This one has earthy, marijuana-like hopping, clumsily hitched to a rough lemon-wheat finish.

Tropische Belgian IPA: Grapefruit and passionfruit hop aroma and flavor clashing with Belgian yeast.

Wild Ride IPA: A fairly standard NW IPA, with some added butteriness, and a one-two punch of malt/hop flavor.

Cencerro Brown: Great nose, but disappointingly sweet malt, strongly reminiscent of too-sweet coffee.

Hyperion Red IPA: A collaboration with Salem Ale Works. This ale is definitely more 'red' than 'IPA' - the malting shines through - but is subtly and appropriately hopped to balance it all out. Probably their best beer.

NW Passage Stout: A very good blend of roastiness, malt sweetness, and hop/roast bitterness.

Controlled Burn Smoked CDA: High hopes for this one, but like the brown, it's way too sweet, and the smokiness is prominent but unhelpful. Though over 90 IBUs, the hop flavor and bitterness don't arrive until much later.

The French Connection: This is Eurorail aged in Pinot Noir barrels. The aging process definitely smooths out the rough edges (especially the coriander) and adds a welcome floral note that blends rather nicely with the Belgian yeast profile.

Vagabond is a pretty new brewery - I just heard about them at Sasquatch, where I was quite impressed with their Falcon Punch Barleywine - and after tasting their lineup, it seems they're still trying to figure out what kind of beer works best for them. Some of these beers seemed good in theory but lacked in execution. Of the 10, there are 3 I would gladly drink again - the stout, the Wild Ride, and Hyperion. Seeing as the last of these is a collaboration, I wonder if the good beers are accidental? Regardless, none of Vagabond's beers are boring - all feature a potent mix of flavors.

As always, I hope these guys continue to experiment and improve, and I'll look forward to seeing what they come up with in the future.

Breweries of Salem: Santiam

Every so often, I like to take day trips to other Oregon cities so as to keep up with what's going on in their craft beer communities. Salem's a place I haven't spent much time in - I last visited a couple of years ago, when The Ram chain and McMenamins were the only real establishments, with Gilgamesh just having opened their new outpost downtown.

Quite a lot has changed since then - Salem now boasts four major microbreweries in addition to the abovementioned chains, three of them opened in the last two years. Monday, a good friend and I visited three of these: Gilgamesh, at their new campus; Vagabond, and Santiam. It's the last of these I'd like to discuss today, though I'll be getting to the other two in good time.

Located in an unassuming warehouse space in central Salem, Santiam is an establishment with a clear purpose and vision behind it - a seeming rarity in the crop of breweries opened in the past several years. Like Brewer's Union in Oakridge, Santiam is cultivating a very traditionally British approach to beer and service. Nearly all the beer on offer is British-inspired or influenced, and there are 4 cask engines serving pints at proper temperature.

In a departure from most other breweries, Santiam takes the beer flight very seriously. A full flight includes 10(!) beers, out of a baker's dozen or so. On Mondays this flight is only $7 - which would be a great deal even if the beer wasn't any good. The full pours run either 10 or 20oz, using the imperial pint measure.

Now, to the beer itself. Since there are ten beers (plus an eleventh sample we asked for), I tried to pick just the highlights. But, as you'll see, EVERY beer is a highlight, so this proved impossible.

Here are my notes:

Infiltrator Pilsner: Clean, crisp, and tasty, without excess carbonation.

Edelweiss Bier: Very traditional banana/clove dichotomy, but well-executed.

Bramble On: A honey-infused raspberry beer. Perfect amount of sweetness from the honey to balance the tartness of the raspberries. The nose is a bit off, though.

Cherry City Saison: Some bite, but not too tart, with a dry, clean finish. An excellent beer.

By this time, my friend and I were in disbelief - very few small breweries make such good, consistent beer. Having 4 winners in a row is something even long-established breweries struggle with. We continued.

Druid's Bragawd: A braggot - mead blended with beer. Sharp heavy booziness, spicy, with an unbelievably smooth finish, undoubtedly due to the honey.

Spitfire ESB: Chewy and buttery, with an excellent malt bill taking center stage.

Coal Porter: A roasty, dry robust porter, excellent start to finish.

Brown Bess Porter (Cask): This beer made me cry. The cask conditioning leaves no rough edges, the roast is expertly balanced against sweet malt, and it all slowly fades into the finish, which lingers invitingly on the tongue for minutes afterward. Wow.

Pirate Stout (Rum Barrel Aged): The warmth and coconut of the rum is strongly felt, buoyed on a base of smooth roast from the stout.

Stonehenge IPA (Cask): A NW IPA, probably a concession to the popularity of the style locally. But even this has a decidedly British approach, aided by the cask conditioning. The balance between hop and malt is knife-keen and so finely tuned that both can be tasted simultaneously - a welcome change from the hop explosions most NW IPAs have become.

Ecotopia IPA: Another NW IPA, this one a bit rougher around the edges, but only by comparison to Santiam's other beers, all of which are incredibly smooth. This little shake to the palette was welcome.

So, 11 beers, and 11 winners. Santiam is doing something special. What else is there to say? If you're a connoisseur of fine British-inspired beer, or just fantastic beer in general, you owe it to yourself to drive to Salem and check these guys out. They're running a little cask ale festival in July, and I can't wait for the opportunity to visit them again!

Sasquatch 2014

Yesterday I attended this year's Sasquatch Brewfest, the capstone of Eugene Beer Week. Held at the downtown Hilton for the past several years, this year saw a return to the outdoors, in the parking lot of Ninkasi's new distribution center, deep in the Whiteaker neighborhood. I had the time and opportunity to volunteer for a shift pouring beer, so I come to y'all now to offer my thoughts from both sides of the booth.

My main impression: the organization wasn't adequate. I arrived at the festival around 3:45 for a 4:00 shift pouring beer. Upon entrance, I was asked for ID, but upon checking in at the volunteer tables, I received no training, no wristband, and my OLCC credentials weren't checked. I was hurried over to Rusty Truck's booth and introduced to Brian, the affable owner. He and his partner quickly took off once I settled in, and I got down to the busy work of pouring beer.

Here, another organizational problem reared its head - there was no water for rinsing out the beer glasses. I was told that the official policy was to 'rinse the glasses with the new beer'. Further, the kegs were on ice that melted fairly rapidly in the warm afternoon sun, but replacement ice was hard to come by. This, in turn, caused the kegs to pour a lot of foam.

The festival was crowded when I arrived, and only got more congested as my shift wore on. The people were lovely, by and large - courteous, warm, and curious about the beers and the brewery. But the space was simply not big enough for the massive number of folks attending.

When my shift ended at 8:00, I was free to explore the grounds and try some of the beers I'd heard so much about. Unfortunately, I'm suffering from the massive amount of grass pollen we're blessed with in Eugene, so by this time I could barely breathe. This, combined with the crush of other attendees and the loud (but well-prepared) live music, inspired me to drink through my handful of free tickets quickly and leave.

Of the beers I tried, the most memorable was from Salem's new brewery, Vagabond. Their Falcon Punch barleywine was hoppy without being too bitter, and malt-forward and boozy without being too hot.

So, on the whole, it was a lot of fun to be a volunteer, but I sincerely hope that Sasquatch takes a hard look at some of the logistical challenges they faced yesterday and improves for next year. If I knew things were going to be the same, I wouldn't attend again.

On Cask Beer

My first true introduction to cask ale came thanks to Ted Sobel's excellent Brewer's Union Local 180 out in Oakridge. On working through a flight of Ted's beers, it was necessary to acclimate to the differences in serving. Cask beer, when compared to more-common force-carbonated offerings, is both warmer and stiller. As it turns out, these changes contribute a great deal of flavor, texture, and body to the beers. I've been back several times to Oakridge, primarily to have a pint or two of this decidedly different ale experience, best paired with a pile of fish and chips.

That's why, when perusing this year's Eugene Beer Week event list, I was excited to see that Plank Town was tapping 5(!) casks of their beer on Thursday. I made sure I had the opportunity to stop by for lunch. Plank Town has made something of a name for themselves with a weekly cask tapping, and I was curious to see what they'd come up with in having 5 casks on offer. Quite a lot, as it turns out.

I wish I'd had time to sample all of the available beers, but they ranged from an English mild to a behemoth of a double IPA. Although I settled on a pint of the former, the latter is what piqued my curiosity. My experience with cask-served beer has primarily been in the guise of British styles, usually bitters, stouts, and the occasional IPA, all clocking in under 6%. How would a double IPA fare under these conditions?

I started with a pint of Optical Illusion, the English mild. It ran about 4% and 15 IBUs. Like most other good cask beers I've had the good fortune to sample, Optical Illusion packs a lot of flavor into an unassuming style - I was particularly impressed with the wonderful hop aroma and flavor, which was definitely American-inspired. Coupled with the bready malting and a clean finish, this is a beer I could've easily had another of.

I then opted for a small sample of Unobtainium, the double IPA. It was around 10% and 100+ IBUs. I've had the force-carbonated version of Unobtainium in the past, and I recall it being a boozy, heavily hopped imperial IPA in line with Stone's excellent Ruination. The best way I can think to describe this beer on cask: overwhelming. Due to the increased temperature and lower carbonation, the high alcohol and hopping really shine through. But it was such an intense experience that I can't imagine finishing an entire pint of it (or even a half) without becoming severely palette-fatigued. As it was, I happily finished my little pour and went on my way.

It would appear that cask beer is low-alcohol for good reason. Several days later I can still firmly recall the power of Unobtainium's hopping.

I'd like to get into a more philosophical discussion of cask beer's place in the current craft movement, but that'll have to wait for another day. 

Breweries of Eugene: Sam Bond's

Another beautiful Sunday in the Willamette Valley. After helping a friend with some yardwork, it was time to relax over a beer or two.

I'd heard that Sam Bond's had soft-opened their new brewery's tasting space earlier in the week, so it seemed like the perfect time to check it out. Sam Bond's has been making their own beer since last year, and I've seen kegs on sporadically at various bars. I've seen that the Whiteaker bar also has a number of their beers on draft. But I wanted to be in a position to see the full range of their offerings, straight from the source, so visiting the brewery seemed like the best course of action.

Located at the corner of 8th and Ferry, adjacent to the courthouse, the brewery is set in what used to be a foundry specializing in gears, fire hydrants, and other such complex metallurgic creations. The space itself is an exercise in contrast - the tasting space and the bar are fashioned from attractive dark wood and clean, simple tile. Evidence of the facility's origins are everywhere - the bar's got clear insets which feature rusty tools and other mechanical components, and large rusted gears adorn the windows and walls. The ceilings are high, with unfinished beams supporting the roof. The roped-off brewery proper is set in a much rougher space. Worn walls, scuffed tile, and old bay doors house the shiny 10-barrel system, with a series of small fermenters lining one of the walls. Overall, it still feels very much like a warehouse - it's open, spacey, and a bit scuffed around the edges.

So, how does Sam Bond's beer fare?

From left to right: Alt, New IPA, Huakina IPA, Kolsch

The brewery had 11 beers on tap - a good number for an opening! A flight of four 4oz pours runs $5.

Here are my notes:

Pre-Klassic Kolsch: Light, effervescent, but heavily marred by an unfortunate flavor on the finish that reminds me of the aftereffects of Novocaine.

Dana's Alt: Roasty malt with a hint of chocolate. Finishes with a sharp astringent punch.

New (name will change) IPA: Good hop/malt balance, but the finish is rough where it should be smooth. Mediocre compared to other local IPAs.

Huakina NZ IPA: Extremely malty, with a good British biscuit-y flavor, but minimal hop presence.


I found the beer disappointing on the whole. I was planning on sampling 8 beers, but the first flight was so disheartening that I simply couldn't continue. From my homebrewing experience, I recognize some of the off-flavors and flaws as things that professional brewing systems should be able to control for. Maybe it's the recipes that need some tuning? Some breweries improve with time and experience, and I truly hope Sam Bond's is one of them. Still, even with beer like this, I have no doubt they'll do well with the students. The location is great for biking - right off the river path - and there's ample bike parking.

I can't in good conscience recommend Sam Bond's, at least not for now. I hear they're planning on adding a kitchen in the space and turning the brewery into a pub in the coming months. I'll watch their further developments with interest, and I'll check back in a couple months to see if things have improved.

Beer Bars of Eugene

Eugene has long had a rich and vibrant brewing culture, but the past several years have brought explosive growth - the number of active breweries has doubled, at least, and many more are in various stages of planning.

One happy circumstance of this growth has been the flourishing of local beer bars. What is a beer bar? I define it as a bar where the focus is on the beer being served. It might serve food or other beverages, but the reason it exists is to present and promote craft beer. Specifically, it's a bar that:

• Serves only craft beer, with no adjunct lagers on tap.
• Properly maintains their keg space and tap lines.
• Serves beer in style-appropriate glassware.

By these measurement, there are three major beer bars in the Eugene area: Sixteen Tons, the Bier Stein, and the Tap and Growler. (One might also count among these ranks the variety of new growler-fill stations springing up across town, but I choose to exclude these because they're not really bars. Sure, at some of them you can get a pint and drink it on-site, but these places have a primarily retail-based atmosphere).

The Bier Stein is the oldest of these bars, dating to 2005. From their initial 12-tap location on E 11th, they've expanded into the comparatively massive edifice on Willamette. The Stein is the standard for beer bars in Eugene. It has 2 bars with a combined 28 taps, seating for more than 100, and a staggering bottle selection of 1000+ beers. There's also a menu of pretty-good sandwiches and a monthly pairing menu tuned to a particular beer style.

But as good as they are, the Bier Stein's not perfect. The line to order beer or food often stretches from the counter to the door, and the prices have noticeably been bumped up with the move (At the old location, they usually offered a daily beer special for $3.50 a pint. Now you're lucky to find anything pouring for under $5). The text-based ordering system they've implemented seems to work as often as not. And it's always quite busy and loud, especially during peak times! 

Then there's Sixteen Tons. Opened in 2010, this beer bar sports a completely different atmosphere. It's much smaller - any more than 20 or so people and things start to feel quite crowded. I started frequenting them back before they had any taps installed. They had bottle tastings several nights a week, which was a great way to be quickly introduced to many breweries and styles of beer. Now they've built in 18 taps, and tend to feature beers that are a bit more off the beaten path. A quick glance at their current taplist features a stout with curry spices, a Belgian-style IRA, and a gueuze, for instance. They also have several hundred bottles to choose from, should the taps prove inadequate. The staff here is generally quite knowledgeable and experienced. The atmosphere tends to lend itself to smaller, quieter social gatherings. It's a great place to meet with a friend or two and play cards. Sixteen Tons has a couple downsides, too. They tend to keep beers on tap too long at times, sometimes rotating them between locations for over a month. Also, there's no bar sink at the High Street location, so all the glasses are shipped over from Willamette, and they're dried stacked on top of each other - leading to a sometimes funky and off-putting aroma in the glass.

The newest member of this club is the Tap & Growler, which opened last year. Located on 5th Street next to Cornucopia, T&G is doing things a bit differently. They have more taps than anywhere else in town - usually around 40 beers. But they go a step further by also having a couple dozen assorted wines and ciders available on tap - tap wine in particular being a fairly new phenomenon in Eugene. There's a daily happy hour in the afternoons for a buck off their already quite reasonable pint prices. The decor is attractive dark wood, there's a long bar, and garage doors that open to the street when the weather is nice. T&G also has a fairly substantial food menu featuring mostly upscale sandwiches and small plates.
Some caveats to keep in mind if venturing to T&G: the service can be slow, especially when there's a lot of folks at the bar. The food is inconsistent, too. And the beer selection, though large, isn't particularly varied.

So there you have it - three excellent choices for craft beer in Eugene. Between them, there's something for every beer lover. Get out there and enjoy a pint!