Last weekend was Eugene's annual Sasquatch Brewfest - and I'm pleased to report it was a big step up from last year's in several ways.
The location's changed again - this year, it was held in Hop Valley's parking lot. Initially I was worried that it would be too small and crowded for the available space, but thankfully this turned out not to be the case. There were over 40 breweries and ciderhouses represented, with 60-70 available libations to sample.
Logistically, I thought everything was handled far better this year. Hop Valley's a much more centrally-located venue than Ninkasi, and having all the breweries set up alphabetically along one wall made navigation a breeze. Too, ticketing and check-in were much smoother and quicker, water was plentiful and spread out, and the live music stage was set up in the far corner, past all the beer and food - meaning those who wanted to dance or revel weren't in the way of everyone else, which I really appreciated.
It was one of those brutally hot Eugene summer days - the mercury peaked over 90, and there wasn't a cloud in sight. Thankfully, one of the best features of the fest made up for this - there was a mist test to help keep everyone cool. Other covered seating was hard to find, however, and the grass pollen was almost as bad as last year's. I confess I don't really understand the appeal of having an outdoor, shade-scarce event in the middle of summer - why not in the fall or late spring when the weather's a little cooler?
The food selection was adequate - Hot Mama's, Bates, and Red 5 were all in attendance, and of course Hop Valley's kitchen was right inside.
All of that's window dressing, though. To me, beer festivals live or die by the quality and variety of their beer offerings. And this year's Sasquatch did a pretty good job in that regard. Plenty of the beers on tap were seasonal, rare, or one-off - always a pleasure for a novelty-drinker like myself.
To my great surprise, the highlight of the fest was an offering by barely-open Mancave, the newest hometown brewery. They had what they called a farmhouse ale - a blend of ingredients used to make pilsner and witbier fermented at saison temperatures. It's one of those combinations that shouldn't work, but somehow did - it had the color and character of a hefeweizen, the minerally bite of a good pilsner, and the soft/rough dichotomy of saison yeast to smooth everything over.
I also rather liked Sunriver Brewing's Fighting Falcon - a double IPA almost oversaturated with citrus hop flavor (and alcohol, at 8.6%) - and Plough Monday's Summer IPA, which had a lovely citrus/pine hop character.
The most offbeat thing I tried was definitely from 2 Towns - their Hop and Stalk, an imperial hopped apple cider. I wasn't expecting to like it at all, but the citrus tinge from the Citra hops balanced out the generally too-sweet/boozy nature of imperial ciders.
Overall, I was pretty pleased with Sasquatch this year. I just wish they'd hold it in cooler weather or move it back indoors.
Monday, June 15, 2015
Friday, May 1, 2015
The End of Craft Cooperation?
As promised, I'd like to delve a bit deeper into Dave Infante's excellent article on Thrillist and discuss its implications, should his speculation end up coming to pass.
There's little doubt we're in the midst of some sort of beer golden age - the number of breweries in the US has more than doubled in the past ten years, sales of craft have been growing by double digits every year during that time, and breweries are still very cooperative and chummy.
This is a very unusual state of affairs. It's not often you'll see an industry where a a lot of the major players see themselves as comrades and not opponents.
Why is this, and what might cause it to change?
I think that a large part of the reason for this interesting sense of brotherhood is that small brewers actually don't view each other as competitors. Instead, they see themselves as opponents of Big Beer - of the light-lager heavyweights behind Budweiser, Miller, and Coors. And much of craft beer's growth over the past 15 years is attributable to craft siphoning off a bit of Big Beer's market share at a time.
Another reason is that many of these new breweries are small pubs that don't intend to distribute beer much outside their chosen city - but these are the exception. Small pubs generally don't make a ton of money, and most business owners would seek to grow - especially in such a fertile and skyrocketing market.
The center can't hold, here. As Infante opines, there's just too much beer being made these days - too many varieties competing for a finite number of tap handles and supermarket cooler racks. And Big Beer's share of the market is flattening - consumers are buying less beer on average, and more spirits.
So now craft brewers are competing for a bigger share of a smaller pie - and many of them are doing it through endless iteration and novelty. Unthinkable as it might have sounded 15 years ago, there are now plenty of breweries that don't have a standard lineup or even a flagship beer.
And people like me aren't helping, here. Though there're a few breweries I love and support when I can, beyond that I'm brewery agnostic. If I'm at a bar and want an IPA, I'll generally take whatever IPA's on. And unless I'm at a beer bar, it's likely I won't have much of a choice.
I'm also one of the people helping to drive the novelty trend - most of the time, I tend to seek out new beer when it's possible (and when I believe the available new stuff is going to be reasonably high quality). Sure, I'll buy a case of Total Domination for home drinking if it's cheap, but I'd much rather pick a mixed six-pack at the Bier Stein or 16 Tons.
I suspect that a great deal of craft drinkers are like me - we're the ones pushing brewers to constantly make new beers, because our libation-attention-span is very short. There's a big problem looming, though. It's simply not a good long-term business practice to keep rotating new beers - brewers will lose out on people who find a beer they like and stick with it.
So I think we'll start to see breweries become more selfish and sociopathic over the next several years - that is to say, more like the traditional corporations we love to hate. I think that increasing competition for the same slice of drinkers will drive breweries away from each other sooner rather than later. It's a sad thing, to be sure, but there's a possibility some vestige of the current fraternity will remain.
There's little doubt we're in the midst of some sort of beer golden age - the number of breweries in the US has more than doubled in the past ten years, sales of craft have been growing by double digits every year during that time, and breweries are still very cooperative and chummy.
This is a very unusual state of affairs. It's not often you'll see an industry where a a lot of the major players see themselves as comrades and not opponents.
Why is this, and what might cause it to change?
I think that a large part of the reason for this interesting sense of brotherhood is that small brewers actually don't view each other as competitors. Instead, they see themselves as opponents of Big Beer - of the light-lager heavyweights behind Budweiser, Miller, and Coors. And much of craft beer's growth over the past 15 years is attributable to craft siphoning off a bit of Big Beer's market share at a time.
Another reason is that many of these new breweries are small pubs that don't intend to distribute beer much outside their chosen city - but these are the exception. Small pubs generally don't make a ton of money, and most business owners would seek to grow - especially in such a fertile and skyrocketing market.
The center can't hold, here. As Infante opines, there's just too much beer being made these days - too many varieties competing for a finite number of tap handles and supermarket cooler racks. And Big Beer's share of the market is flattening - consumers are buying less beer on average, and more spirits.
So now craft brewers are competing for a bigger share of a smaller pie - and many of them are doing it through endless iteration and novelty. Unthinkable as it might have sounded 15 years ago, there are now plenty of breweries that don't have a standard lineup or even a flagship beer.
And people like me aren't helping, here. Though there're a few breweries I love and support when I can, beyond that I'm brewery agnostic. If I'm at a bar and want an IPA, I'll generally take whatever IPA's on. And unless I'm at a beer bar, it's likely I won't have much of a choice.
I'm also one of the people helping to drive the novelty trend - most of the time, I tend to seek out new beer when it's possible (and when I believe the available new stuff is going to be reasonably high quality). Sure, I'll buy a case of Total Domination for home drinking if it's cheap, but I'd much rather pick a mixed six-pack at the Bier Stein or 16 Tons.
I suspect that a great deal of craft drinkers are like me - we're the ones pushing brewers to constantly make new beers, because our libation-attention-span is very short. There's a big problem looming, though. It's simply not a good long-term business practice to keep rotating new beers - brewers will lose out on people who find a beer they like and stick with it.
So I think we'll start to see breweries become more selfish and sociopathic over the next several years - that is to say, more like the traditional corporations we love to hate. I think that increasing competition for the same slice of drinkers will drive breweries away from each other sooner rather than later. It's a sad thing, to be sure, but there's a possibility some vestige of the current fraternity will remain.
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Ninkasi's Ground Control and Gimmicky Beer
Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to try Ninkasi's new Ground Control stout. Yes, this is the beer made with the yeast Ninkasi shot into space, recovered, and propagated. The rather overdesigned website is here.
The finished beer's a boozy imperial stout in the vein of the excellent Imperiale, made with cacao, hazelnuts, and star anise. And perhaps in spite of all these exotic adjuncts, I rather liked it.
Ground Control's got a rich, thick mouthfeel and a strong helping of roasted malt with some alcohol heat. The overall flavor bounces from roast to chocolate to nutty to spicy, sometimes all in one sip. And make no mistake, at 10% ABV and 80 IBUs, this is definitely a beer to respect and take slowly.
I'm pleased the beer's great. What worries me is the gimmick. Space beer, right? Who can resist that?
I've been thinking on all this after reading this excellent piece on Thrillist about how craft brewing is likely about to become far more competitive. I'll have more far-reaching commentary on the article later on this week, but for now, consider the topic of beer differentiation.
In Eugene alone, there's now too many beers for one person to reasonably keep abreast of - probably over 100 locally brewed beers available on tap, with several new releases each week. Now, Eugene's a fairly robust market for its size - only Bend has more breweries per capita in Oregon. But with the increasing competition for local tap handles and beer drinkers' discretionary spending, we're starting to see breweries do weirder and weirder things in a bid to grab attention.
Ninkasi's on the forefront here, obviously. Space beer! But this is a dark kind of path - the kind of gimmick that can quickly steal the focus from the beer itself. This isn't necessarily a bad thing - the stories breweries craft to complement their beer are as important to enjoying them as any slate of ingredients.
It's instructive to think about, though. Without the spacefaring yeast, what would Ground Control be? Just another (admittedly well-made) imperial stout brewed with some mildly adventurous adjunct ingredients. Even in Eugene, there's already plenty of similar beers widely available.
The finished beer's a boozy imperial stout in the vein of the excellent Imperiale, made with cacao, hazelnuts, and star anise. And perhaps in spite of all these exotic adjuncts, I rather liked it.
Ground Control's got a rich, thick mouthfeel and a strong helping of roasted malt with some alcohol heat. The overall flavor bounces from roast to chocolate to nutty to spicy, sometimes all in one sip. And make no mistake, at 10% ABV and 80 IBUs, this is definitely a beer to respect and take slowly.
I'm pleased the beer's great. What worries me is the gimmick. Space beer, right? Who can resist that?
I've been thinking on all this after reading this excellent piece on Thrillist about how craft brewing is likely about to become far more competitive. I'll have more far-reaching commentary on the article later on this week, but for now, consider the topic of beer differentiation.
In Eugene alone, there's now too many beers for one person to reasonably keep abreast of - probably over 100 locally brewed beers available on tap, with several new releases each week. Now, Eugene's a fairly robust market for its size - only Bend has more breweries per capita in Oregon. But with the increasing competition for local tap handles and beer drinkers' discretionary spending, we're starting to see breweries do weirder and weirder things in a bid to grab attention.
Ninkasi's on the forefront here, obviously. Space beer! But this is a dark kind of path - the kind of gimmick that can quickly steal the focus from the beer itself. This isn't necessarily a bad thing - the stories breweries craft to complement their beer are as important to enjoying them as any slate of ingredients.
It's instructive to think about, though. Without the spacefaring yeast, what would Ground Control be? Just another (admittedly well-made) imperial stout brewed with some mildly adventurous adjunct ingredients. Even in Eugene, there's already plenty of similar beers widely available.
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Breweries of Portland: Ex Novo
Last week, I had some business to take care of in Portland, and I happily took the opportunity to visit a couple of breweries I hadn't had the chance to see yet.
I was heading downtown to Fat Head's (which I'll be writing about later this week) when I happened to pass Ex Novo and decided to stop in.
At first glance, it's a very attractively laid out facility - looks to be a former warehouse, with the bar and tables up front and the brewing setup down the middle aisle. There's a small kitchen serving what looked to be rather good upscale pub grub, though definitely on the lighter and pricier side.
Ex Novo's gimmick is that they're a non-profit brewery - they donate all of their net profits to a selection of local charities. A nice idea - drinking beer as a way to help people in need. And the beer prices are pretty reasonable, especially for Portland:
From the list, it's clear that Ex Novo's current focus is on lighter, more sessionable styles - both in terms of alcohol content and overall bitterness.
Here's what I thought of the beer:
How the Helles Are Ya'. Terribly punny name. The beechwood character of the malt really comes through - in fact, I thought this was too smoky for the style.
Saison Lillis. I didn't get the melony/bubblegum flavors mentioned in the notes - for me, this was a very estery, lemony saison with some funky meandering going on.
Eliot IPA. From the hop bill, I thought I'd love this. I was disappointed - it's vegetative and hollow, but there's a nice lingering bitterness the other beers lacked (mostly due to style).
Jacked-up Farmhouse. Easily my favorite of the beers I tried, this saison had a mild tartness with that interesting jackfruit flavor. Just enough alcohol heft, too.
I really like the concept of Ex Novo - the non-profit angle is interesting, and I hope it succeeds. However, the beer I had was pretty average and unmemorable. I know it's early days yet - the brewery just launched last year - and I think the beer'll improve with time.
I was heading downtown to Fat Head's (which I'll be writing about later this week) when I happened to pass Ex Novo and decided to stop in.
At first glance, it's a very attractively laid out facility - looks to be a former warehouse, with the bar and tables up front and the brewing setup down the middle aisle. There's a small kitchen serving what looked to be rather good upscale pub grub, though definitely on the lighter and pricier side.
Ex Novo's gimmick is that they're a non-profit brewery - they donate all of their net profits to a selection of local charities. A nice idea - drinking beer as a way to help people in need. And the beer prices are pretty reasonable, especially for Portland:
 |
| Ex Novo's taplist during my visit. |
From the list, it's clear that Ex Novo's current focus is on lighter, more sessionable styles - both in terms of alcohol content and overall bitterness.
Here's what I thought of the beer:
How the Helles Are Ya'. Terribly punny name. The beechwood character of the malt really comes through - in fact, I thought this was too smoky for the style.
Saison Lillis. I didn't get the melony/bubblegum flavors mentioned in the notes - for me, this was a very estery, lemony saison with some funky meandering going on.
Eliot IPA. From the hop bill, I thought I'd love this. I was disappointed - it's vegetative and hollow, but there's a nice lingering bitterness the other beers lacked (mostly due to style).
Jacked-up Farmhouse. Easily my favorite of the beers I tried, this saison had a mild tartness with that interesting jackfruit flavor. Just enough alcohol heft, too.
I really like the concept of Ex Novo - the non-profit angle is interesting, and I hope it succeeds. However, the beer I had was pretty average and unmemorable. I know it's early days yet - the brewery just launched last year - and I think the beer'll improve with time.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Hellshire Day 2015
March 14 was Oakshire's annual release of Hellshire, its signature barrel-aged beer that's a bit different every year. It also marked the 2nd Hellshire Day, a local gathering that's quickly turning into one of the best local beer festivals in town.
Hellshire Day most obviously compares to Fort George's excellent Festival of Dark Arts, which I wrote about in more detail here. Its focus is also primarily on strong dark beers - but Hellshire's conceit is that all the beers it's serving are barrel-aged in some capacity.
The weather wasn't great - most of the available beer was being served from a tent behind Oakshire's public house, and it was raining pretty much the entire afternoon - but spirits were unquestionably high, as there were many excellent beers to choose from.
Those seeking great food didn't have to go far, either. Oregon Wood Fired Pizza was there slinging pies alongside Kun Fusion's excellent blends of Asian, Latin, and Mediterranean cooking.
Thanks to attending with a bunch of friends who were happy to pass around their samples for the benefit of everyone, I was able to try a small amount of a large number of the festival's beers.
Some highlights:
Logsdon Oak Aged Seizoen Bretta. This saison is so refreshing, lively, and tasty. The beer poured hazy due to keg issues, but the flavor was thankfully unaffected. And the oak aging adds another welcome layer of wooden complexity. This was made all the more special by its lightness and the fact that it wasn't a stout.
New Holland Dragon's Milk Reserve. Speaking of, this was one of my favorite stouts at the fest. It's made with the sort of coffee I like - sweet and roasty, but still balanced enough to be enjoyed by a non-coffee-drinker like me.
Hair of the Dog Bourbon Matt. At first taste, this imperial stout is far too hot and alcohol-spicy. Then it mellows out into an incredibly decadent caramel whiskey finish that I had to sample several times to be sure I wasn't imagining things. Probably the best use of a bourbon barrel among all the fest's beers - and that's saying something.
Haymarket Clare's Thirsty Ale. Whiskey and raspberries in a stout? It sounds like madness. But amazingly enough, this beer works really well. The acidity of the raspberries balances delicately against the woody caramel of the whiskey. I'd have been happy to drink this beer exclusively.
Cigar City Hunahpu's Imperial Stout. This is the beer everyone was hoping to try. There was a constant line to get a sample from the moment it was tapped until the keg blew. And why not? Cigar City's known for their excellent barrel-aged beers. This one wasn't to my taste, though. It's undeniably complex - cinnamon, whiskey, roast, malt sweetness all vie for attention. But to me, the cinnamon and spice dominated the beer's profile, making it more interesting than good, in my opinion.
I was really pleased with Hellshire Day. The Oakshire crew and other organizers did a fantastic job putting together a wide variety of beers, diverse both in origin and in style. I hope that next year's features better weather!
Hellshire Day most obviously compares to Fort George's excellent Festival of Dark Arts, which I wrote about in more detail here. Its focus is also primarily on strong dark beers - but Hellshire's conceit is that all the beers it's serving are barrel-aged in some capacity.
The weather wasn't great - most of the available beer was being served from a tent behind Oakshire's public house, and it was raining pretty much the entire afternoon - but spirits were unquestionably high, as there were many excellent beers to choose from.
Those seeking great food didn't have to go far, either. Oregon Wood Fired Pizza was there slinging pies alongside Kun Fusion's excellent blends of Asian, Latin, and Mediterranean cooking.
Thanks to attending with a bunch of friends who were happy to pass around their samples for the benefit of everyone, I was able to try a small amount of a large number of the festival's beers.
Some highlights:
Logsdon Oak Aged Seizoen Bretta. This saison is so refreshing, lively, and tasty. The beer poured hazy due to keg issues, but the flavor was thankfully unaffected. And the oak aging adds another welcome layer of wooden complexity. This was made all the more special by its lightness and the fact that it wasn't a stout.
New Holland Dragon's Milk Reserve. Speaking of, this was one of my favorite stouts at the fest. It's made with the sort of coffee I like - sweet and roasty, but still balanced enough to be enjoyed by a non-coffee-drinker like me.
Hair of the Dog Bourbon Matt. At first taste, this imperial stout is far too hot and alcohol-spicy. Then it mellows out into an incredibly decadent caramel whiskey finish that I had to sample several times to be sure I wasn't imagining things. Probably the best use of a bourbon barrel among all the fest's beers - and that's saying something.
Haymarket Clare's Thirsty Ale. Whiskey and raspberries in a stout? It sounds like madness. But amazingly enough, this beer works really well. The acidity of the raspberries balances delicately against the woody caramel of the whiskey. I'd have been happy to drink this beer exclusively.
Cigar City Hunahpu's Imperial Stout. This is the beer everyone was hoping to try. There was a constant line to get a sample from the moment it was tapped until the keg blew. And why not? Cigar City's known for their excellent barrel-aged beers. This one wasn't to my taste, though. It's undeniably complex - cinnamon, whiskey, roast, malt sweetness all vie for attention. But to me, the cinnamon and spice dominated the beer's profile, making it more interesting than good, in my opinion.
I was really pleased with Hellshire Day. The Oakshire crew and other organizers did a fantastic job putting together a wide variety of beers, diverse both in origin and in style. I hope that next year's features better weather!
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Beer Bars of Portland: Bailey's Taproom
Bailey's is one of the first places I visited when I came to Portland for the first time several years ago. So I've got a bit of a soft spot for it. It was one of my formative experiences in terms of knowing good beer through the lens of a small bar with a well-curated taplist. Also, they're the first place I visited with an electronic, real-time taplist courtesy of DigitalPour.
But I've experienced a lot of beer bars and brewpubs in the last 5 years. How does Bailey's hold up?
Pretty well, as it turns out. I visited twice in the course of a week, as part of my statewide beer odyssey last month.
In many ways, Bailey's now reminds me of the Bier Stein's old location - it's too small for its location. Consequently, it's too crowded and loud, there's not enough seating, and having conversations is a challenge. This isn't really a problem Bailey's can do anything about, realistically - it just means I'd probably rather be elsewhere, most of the time.
Unlike the Bier Stein, Bailey's doesn't seem to have a cohesive approach to picking their beers. The taplist is eclectic - you might see a 2009 vintage double IPA next to a 4% mild next to a super-acidic lambic. It appears that when a keg runs out, the next keg in line is simply swapped out. Maybe I just like Bier Stein's structure a little more - having a few taps marked out for generally popular styles seems to do them well.
It didn't help that most of the beers I tried at Bailey's during my 2 visits were pretty lackluster. This isn't directly Bailey's' fault - beer quality can vary from keg to keg, even among the same beer from the same brewery. Maybe I'd get a better picture if I visited them more often.
Still, being across from Tugboat's excellent atmosphere and having access to Santeria's formidable burritos brings the whole experience to a different level, and I'll probably happily visit all 3 again next time I go to Portland.
But I've experienced a lot of beer bars and brewpubs in the last 5 years. How does Bailey's hold up?
Pretty well, as it turns out. I visited twice in the course of a week, as part of my statewide beer odyssey last month.
In many ways, Bailey's now reminds me of the Bier Stein's old location - it's too small for its location. Consequently, it's too crowded and loud, there's not enough seating, and having conversations is a challenge. This isn't really a problem Bailey's can do anything about, realistically - it just means I'd probably rather be elsewhere, most of the time.
Unlike the Bier Stein, Bailey's doesn't seem to have a cohesive approach to picking their beers. The taplist is eclectic - you might see a 2009 vintage double IPA next to a 4% mild next to a super-acidic lambic. It appears that when a keg runs out, the next keg in line is simply swapped out. Maybe I just like Bier Stein's structure a little more - having a few taps marked out for generally popular styles seems to do them well.
It didn't help that most of the beers I tried at Bailey's during my 2 visits were pretty lackluster. This isn't directly Bailey's' fault - beer quality can vary from keg to keg, even among the same beer from the same brewery. Maybe I'd get a better picture if I visited them more often.
Still, being across from Tugboat's excellent atmosphere and having access to Santeria's formidable burritos brings the whole experience to a different level, and I'll probably happily visit all 3 again next time I go to Portland.
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Breweries of Portland: Tugboat
Tugboat's one of my favorite places in Portland, but it has nothing to do with the beer.
Simply put, Tugboat has one of the best senses of atmosphere of any bar I've visited in Portland. And it happens to be located right across the street from Bailey's Taproom, an excellent beer bar. Too, there's Santeria next door, which makes killer burritos.
So the fact that Tugboat's beer is totally forgettable isn't actually a mark against it. Here's what I had when I visited a couple of weeks ago, just for future reference:
Chernobyl Porter. At 13%+ ABV, this is a ridiculously strong porter, and it pulls no punches - booze is front and center for the entire experience, with some sweet malt and astringency rounding out the flavor.
Flower Power IPA. I wouldn't know what kind of beer this was if I was tasting it blind. It's really astringent and not a pleasant experience.
Amber Lamps Pale. Quite a bit milder in every respect to the other beers, this is nevertheless not a great ale by any means. It's got a lesser case of the IPA's astringency and not much other flavor.
Tugboat is a fantastic place to just hang out - there are books spilling off of wall-mounted shelves, weird nature documentaries on the TV, and a front door that has to be closed manually - so you can easily tell the first-timers from the regulars. Everything about the place oozes character and grime. I feel like Bukowski would've been happy here - it's warm, lived-in, and inviting.
I can't, in good conscience, recommend visiting Tugboat with the express purpose of trying its beer. It is, however, a great place to slow down, do some excellent people-watching, and enjoy living moment-to-moment. I'm struggling to think of any other brewpub I've visited that creates this feeling - its closest kin is probably Brewers Union in Oakridge. If you like one, you'll probably like the other.
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Breweries of Albany: Deluxe
As part of my recent beer quest, my friends and I visited every brewery in Corvallis, Albany, and Salem on our way to Portland. Albany's two small breweries neatly served as a buffer between Corvallis's craft and refinement, and Salem's experimentation and energy. Today I'd like to talk about the first of these, Deluxe.
Deluxe, like Cascade, is run by folks with vision. Specifically, they've chosen to restrict themselves to brewing only lagers, while also working on making gin and whiskey with Sinister, their distilling subsidiary. It's no secret that I admire brewers who boldly choose a narrow creative path and mine it for everything they can. Deluxe is definitely walking that path.
Their brewing and tasting space is large and airy, with ping pong, cards, popcorn, and lots of tables. Most days, there's a barbecue food cart outside. It's a casual, low-key sort of place, nestled right by the river.
But of course, the beer is what matters most. Their liquor's not quite ready for prime time, so a review of that will have to wait for more licensing. Being that there were only 5 beers on offer, I thought I'd provide my impressions of all of them.
Resurrection Pre-Prohibition Pilsner. This is a light, refreshing pilsner, with plenty of chewy malt and some nice American hopping. I can see it being quite popular come warmer weather.
Wild Beaver Amber Lager. Definitely the standout, this is also quite a light lager, but with a heavier-hitting malt profile - more on the caramel/toasty spectrum. The hopping is remarkably similar to the pilsner's, but the heavier malt profile emphasizes different aspects of it. It's a delight to drink and I wish I'd had time for a whole pint.
Pure Sin Schwarzbier. A well-done black lager can be incredibly delicious. Unfortunately, this one's not quite there yet. The malt's been over-roasted to the point of astringency, and with a light-bodied lager like this one, that means the beer itself becomes a one-note affair. I'm hoping they had a bad batch of barley and this'll improve with further iterations.
Hoppy Lager. As the recent trend towards India Pale Lagers has shown, there's definitely a calling for light lagers with big hop aroma and flavor. As I understood, this is an lager using an experimental hop. I'm sad to report the experiment hasn't gone terribly well - the major flavor I took away from this one is green apple.
Marzen. With my trip last fall to Germany, I hoped I'd acquire a better understanding of the Marzen style - but as it turns out, the Oktoberfest beer served there is much lighter than the malty amber-colored lagers Americans tend to associate with the style. This beer definitely follows the American sensibility. It's got some interesting toasted biscuit/caramel malt going on, but is not all that interesting or memorable.
I think Deluxe is on the right track - 2 of their 3 year-round lagers are quite good, and the seasonal stuff is competent and/or interesting. We see kegs of their lagers here in Eugene on occasion, and I'll be looking forward to seeing what else they come up with. I'm also wishing them luck with their gin and whiskey, whenever that appears.
Deluxe, like Cascade, is run by folks with vision. Specifically, they've chosen to restrict themselves to brewing only lagers, while also working on making gin and whiskey with Sinister, their distilling subsidiary. It's no secret that I admire brewers who boldly choose a narrow creative path and mine it for everything they can. Deluxe is definitely walking that path.
Their brewing and tasting space is large and airy, with ping pong, cards, popcorn, and lots of tables. Most days, there's a barbecue food cart outside. It's a casual, low-key sort of place, nestled right by the river.
But of course, the beer is what matters most. Their liquor's not quite ready for prime time, so a review of that will have to wait for more licensing. Being that there were only 5 beers on offer, I thought I'd provide my impressions of all of them.
Resurrection Pre-Prohibition Pilsner. This is a light, refreshing pilsner, with plenty of chewy malt and some nice American hopping. I can see it being quite popular come warmer weather.
Wild Beaver Amber Lager. Definitely the standout, this is also quite a light lager, but with a heavier-hitting malt profile - more on the caramel/toasty spectrum. The hopping is remarkably similar to the pilsner's, but the heavier malt profile emphasizes different aspects of it. It's a delight to drink and I wish I'd had time for a whole pint.
Pure Sin Schwarzbier. A well-done black lager can be incredibly delicious. Unfortunately, this one's not quite there yet. The malt's been over-roasted to the point of astringency, and with a light-bodied lager like this one, that means the beer itself becomes a one-note affair. I'm hoping they had a bad batch of barley and this'll improve with further iterations.
Hoppy Lager. As the recent trend towards India Pale Lagers has shown, there's definitely a calling for light lagers with big hop aroma and flavor. As I understood, this is an lager using an experimental hop. I'm sad to report the experiment hasn't gone terribly well - the major flavor I took away from this one is green apple.
Marzen. With my trip last fall to Germany, I hoped I'd acquire a better understanding of the Marzen style - but as it turns out, the Oktoberfest beer served there is much lighter than the malty amber-colored lagers Americans tend to associate with the style. This beer definitely follows the American sensibility. It's got some interesting toasted biscuit/caramel malt going on, but is not all that interesting or memorable.
I think Deluxe is on the right track - 2 of their 3 year-round lagers are quite good, and the seasonal stuff is competent and/or interesting. We see kegs of their lagers here in Eugene on occasion, and I'll be looking forward to seeing what else they come up with. I'm also wishing them luck with their gin and whiskey, whenever that appears.
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Breweries of Portland: Cascade Barrel House
Cascade Barrel House is one of Portland's most distinctive breweries - well-known for its single-minded focus on creating interesting sour and barrel-aged beers.
They also hold the honor of being the brewery I've visited with the most beers on tap at once - there were a total of 23 at the time of my most recent visit.
What really impresses me about Cascade isn't necessarily the beer itself (although there are plenty of excellent and worthy beers on offer). Rather, I'm much more interested in the crazy passion that drives a brewer to make such strange, niche-market beers almost exclusively. Lots of breweries will make the occasional sour, gose, or lambic, but I've never seen a brewery like Cascade that seems to approach things the other way around - mostly sours with the occasional IPA.
Here are some highlights from my visit:
Raspberry Wheat. Hands down Cascade's best non-sour beer, this is a lovely light ale with great raspberry flavor and just a hint of acidity.
2014 Gose. Probably the best American gose I've had - this is the closest a beer's come to rivaling Cantillon's world-class gueuze. It's crisp, salty, and well-balanced against the finishing sourness.
2013 Strawberry. Strawberry sours are sadly rare, but this is an excellent example. It's sweet and jammy, and finishes quite tart, inviting another sip to refresh the sweetness - a delicious cycle that could easily carry me through a pint or two.
2014 Blackcap Raspberry. The standout among a field of mostly excellent sours, this sour's darkness is in stark contrast to its light body, wonderful dark raspberry sweet/bitterness, and a potent sour hit on the finish.
Honestly, I could write glowing remarks about another half dozen of these sours and still not be down to the ones I thought were merely good. Cascade Barrel House would be an excellent place to take a sour novice - there's likely something for everyone here. Too, it'd be a great way to introduce non-beer folks to a type of beer that's very different in conception and execution.
About the only negative thing I can say about this place is that trying all 23 beers probably ruined my palate for the beers that followed - but that's in no way their fault. When in Portland, this should be among the first stops for those wishing to try truly excellent beer.
They also hold the honor of being the brewery I've visited with the most beers on tap at once - there were a total of 23 at the time of my most recent visit.
What really impresses me about Cascade isn't necessarily the beer itself (although there are plenty of excellent and worthy beers on offer). Rather, I'm much more interested in the crazy passion that drives a brewer to make such strange, niche-market beers almost exclusively. Lots of breweries will make the occasional sour, gose, or lambic, but I've never seen a brewery like Cascade that seems to approach things the other way around - mostly sours with the occasional IPA.
Here are some highlights from my visit:
Raspberry Wheat. Hands down Cascade's best non-sour beer, this is a lovely light ale with great raspberry flavor and just a hint of acidity.
2014 Gose. Probably the best American gose I've had - this is the closest a beer's come to rivaling Cantillon's world-class gueuze. It's crisp, salty, and well-balanced against the finishing sourness.
2013 Strawberry. Strawberry sours are sadly rare, but this is an excellent example. It's sweet and jammy, and finishes quite tart, inviting another sip to refresh the sweetness - a delicious cycle that could easily carry me through a pint or two.
2014 Blackcap Raspberry. The standout among a field of mostly excellent sours, this sour's darkness is in stark contrast to its light body, wonderful dark raspberry sweet/bitterness, and a potent sour hit on the finish.
Honestly, I could write glowing remarks about another half dozen of these sours and still not be down to the ones I thought were merely good. Cascade Barrel House would be an excellent place to take a sour novice - there's likely something for everyone here. Too, it'd be a great way to introduce non-beer folks to a type of beer that's very different in conception and execution.
About the only negative thing I can say about this place is that trying all 23 beers probably ruined my palate for the beers that followed - but that's in no way their fault. When in Portland, this should be among the first stops for those wishing to try truly excellent beer.
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Breweries of Portland: Base Camp
As part of my ridiculous beer journey, my traveling companions and I stopped into Base Camp Brewing for the first time. I'd had a few of their beers in the past, but didn't remember much about what I tasted.
The bar and tasting area are cozy, with an emphasis on wood and outdoorsy activities. There was a good mix of patrons, young and old. A couple of interesting food carts were parked outside - I don't remember the exact offerings, but definitely some sort of Asian/Latin fusion that sounded quite good.
As always, the beer is paramount, and I'm sad to say that I didn't find Base Camp's offerings to be all that wonderful. There was great variety and some interesting experimentation, but these tended to misfire more often than not. Some highlights:
Camp George DunkelHef. A collaboration with Fort George, this was easily the most interesting and remarkable beer on offer. As the name implies, this is a dunkelweizen - but the catch is, it's hopped in the PNW style. So there's this strange and compelling blend of juicy, piney hops and smoky, wheaty malt.
Hop in the Pool Helles. A cleanly malted helles lager with a really piney hop kick. It's overhopped in true Oregon style, but I enjoyed its lack of subtlety just the same.
S'more Stout. A definite winner for presentation - this beer was served with a toasted marshmallow as garnish, which actually works pretty well with the beer. It's chocolate-heavy, sweet, and malty, with not much going on in the way of hops. In a way, it's unbalanced in the opposite direction as the helles lager.
Base Camp's one of those breweries I respect more than I like. The branding is pretty well done, and I really like their innovative aluminum bottles. I just wish their beer were a little bit better.
The bar and tasting area are cozy, with an emphasis on wood and outdoorsy activities. There was a good mix of patrons, young and old. A couple of interesting food carts were parked outside - I don't remember the exact offerings, but definitely some sort of Asian/Latin fusion that sounded quite good.
As always, the beer is paramount, and I'm sad to say that I didn't find Base Camp's offerings to be all that wonderful. There was great variety and some interesting experimentation, but these tended to misfire more often than not. Some highlights:
Camp George DunkelHef. A collaboration with Fort George, this was easily the most interesting and remarkable beer on offer. As the name implies, this is a dunkelweizen - but the catch is, it's hopped in the PNW style. So there's this strange and compelling blend of juicy, piney hops and smoky, wheaty malt.
Hop in the Pool Helles. A cleanly malted helles lager with a really piney hop kick. It's overhopped in true Oregon style, but I enjoyed its lack of subtlety just the same.
S'more Stout. A definite winner for presentation - this beer was served with a toasted marshmallow as garnish, which actually works pretty well with the beer. It's chocolate-heavy, sweet, and malty, with not much going on in the way of hops. In a way, it's unbalanced in the opposite direction as the helles lager.
Base Camp's one of those breweries I respect more than I like. The branding is pretty well done, and I really like their innovative aluminum bottles. I just wish their beer were a little bit better.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
2014's Oregon Beer Sales Numbers and Eugene's Role
Tuesday, I saw a Beervana post that I found pretty interesting - in it, Jeff analyzes the recently-released 2014 in-state sales figures for Oregon breweries. It's a great bit of info - definitely check it out. You should take a look at the figures - they're available in PDF form here.
What most interests me about this sort of analysis is assessing how a brewery's change in sales might give some insight into their long-term goals.
As I live and drink in Eugene, seeing its three largest (and best) breweries listed in the top 20 is heartening. The really interesting number here is Hop Valley's - its in-state beer sales have nearly tripled since this time last year, while Oakshire and Ninkasi have experienced small declines. Without having more information, I'd venture this simply means that Hop Valley's been pushing in-state sales expansions really hard, while Oakshire and Ninkasi are currently more focused on selling more beer out of state.
Of the other breweries in town, only Hop Valley's Springfield brewpub and Falling Sky sold more than 1000 barrels of beer in Oregon last year - everyone else has done significantly less than that.
It's also a neat exercise (with the obvious disclaimer that excluding out-of-state sales necessarily skews the numbers) to comprehend the relative size of local breweries. Roughly, Ninkasi is twice the size of Hop Valley, which is itself twice the size of Oakshire. We can also probably say that Falling Sky, Steelhead, and Hop Valley's brewpub are all about the same size. The same is true of Claim 52 and Sam Bond's. Rogue's since-closed Eugene pub and Viking also made about the same amount of beer last year.
The true value of having all this information publicly available is that it allows folks like me to create narratives to flesh the data out into an interesting story. So here's what I'd like to say.
It's clear that Eugene's craft beer movement is still gaining steam - pretty much every brewery in town grew in some capacity last year. Hop Valley is definitely leading the pack in terms of aggressive growth - they installed lots of new fermentation tanks over the course of the year, and are really starting to fill the large warehouse space that seemed so empty when they opened. But Ninkasi's drive to essentially own their little corner of the Whit is continuing unabated, with their new production facility, office building, and the fact that they hosted last year's Sasquatch festival.
Claim 52 and Viking have both really come into their own in the last year - their beers have become much higher quality and much more consistent, and I'm starting to see them around town quite often. And of course, there's the new guys - Elk Horn and Sam Bond's - which still have quite a long way to go but are making strides in the right direction.
There's also Mancave Brewing, which looks to be on track to open sometime in the summer, and I'm sure there's plenty of other breweries in various stages of completion.
It's certainly an exciting time to be a beer lover in Eugene - the sales numbers are a concrete reminder of this reality.
What most interests me about this sort of analysis is assessing how a brewery's change in sales might give some insight into their long-term goals.
As I live and drink in Eugene, seeing its three largest (and best) breweries listed in the top 20 is heartening. The really interesting number here is Hop Valley's - its in-state beer sales have nearly tripled since this time last year, while Oakshire and Ninkasi have experienced small declines. Without having more information, I'd venture this simply means that Hop Valley's been pushing in-state sales expansions really hard, while Oakshire and Ninkasi are currently more focused on selling more beer out of state.
Of the other breweries in town, only Hop Valley's Springfield brewpub and Falling Sky sold more than 1000 barrels of beer in Oregon last year - everyone else has done significantly less than that.
It's also a neat exercise (with the obvious disclaimer that excluding out-of-state sales necessarily skews the numbers) to comprehend the relative size of local breweries. Roughly, Ninkasi is twice the size of Hop Valley, which is itself twice the size of Oakshire. We can also probably say that Falling Sky, Steelhead, and Hop Valley's brewpub are all about the same size. The same is true of Claim 52 and Sam Bond's. Rogue's since-closed Eugene pub and Viking also made about the same amount of beer last year.
The true value of having all this information publicly available is that it allows folks like me to create narratives to flesh the data out into an interesting story. So here's what I'd like to say.
It's clear that Eugene's craft beer movement is still gaining steam - pretty much every brewery in town grew in some capacity last year. Hop Valley is definitely leading the pack in terms of aggressive growth - they installed lots of new fermentation tanks over the course of the year, and are really starting to fill the large warehouse space that seemed so empty when they opened. But Ninkasi's drive to essentially own their little corner of the Whit is continuing unabated, with their new production facility, office building, and the fact that they hosted last year's Sasquatch festival.
Claim 52 and Viking have both really come into their own in the last year - their beers have become much higher quality and much more consistent, and I'm starting to see them around town quite often. And of course, there's the new guys - Elk Horn and Sam Bond's - which still have quite a long way to go but are making strides in the right direction.
There's also Mancave Brewing, which looks to be on track to open sometime in the summer, and I'm sure there's plenty of other breweries in various stages of completion.
It's certainly an exciting time to be a beer lover in Eugene - the sales numbers are a concrete reminder of this reality.
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Breweries of Portland: Hopworks
I'm kind of surprised I've not yet written about Hopworks - it's one of my favorite breweries to visit if I find myself in Portland. There's a lot of good reasons for that.
The number one draw for any pub should be the beer, and Hopworks has always made interesting, varied, and high-quality brews. The brewers seem equally adept at making crisp light lagers as they do heavy barrel-aged sours and stouts. Hopworks is one of those rare breweries where I haven't had a single misfire. There's definitely been some beers I didn't care for, but it's always been because they're not to my taste, not that they're conceptually flawed or poorly made.
Here are some highlights from my most recent visit:
IPA - Has fantastic dry hop aroma and is exceptionally well-balanced. A really fine blend of malt and hops that finishes slightly bitter.
Abominable - This is what winter ales should taste like. Definitely more malt-forward than the IPA, but it still has prominent hopping, and it nearly balances out on the finish, with a slight lasting sweetness.
Totally Radler - I was really surprised by this. I've had plenty of shandies and radlers in the past, but nothing quite so good. This uses Hopworks' lager as the base, which is an excellent beer in its own right, and adds lemonade. It's a very sessionable 3% ABV, and the beer adds a bit of bitterness and character to the lemonade. Even on the cold blustery day of my visit, it was still incredibly refreshing.
Seven Grain Survival Stout - Somehow I'd never noticed that this stout is made with coffee (as well as the eponymous seven types of grain). It's definitely on the roastier, acidic side of the coffee beer spectrum, but remains quite enjoyable even so.
Of course, with all this great beer, one needs equally great food to pair it with. Hopworks here does nothing especially flashy, just consistently above-average and reasonably-priced pub fare like burgers and pizza. My criterion for knowing if the food is worthwhile is whether I could bring a non-drinker here and have them come away happy with the experience. By that metric, Hopworks succeeds handily.
Finally, there's the sense of atmosphere. Hopworks is a very industrial, spare setting, with plenty of seating on multiple levels, and a definite bike theme running through the whole restaurant and brewery. I also really like the design choice of having the brewery proper set below the restaurant - it's clear a lot of thought went into the design of the building.
On the whole, Hopworks remains one of the best overall food-and-beer experiences in Portland - no easy feat, as there's lots of great options around the city. It's definitely worth a visit.
The number one draw for any pub should be the beer, and Hopworks has always made interesting, varied, and high-quality brews. The brewers seem equally adept at making crisp light lagers as they do heavy barrel-aged sours and stouts. Hopworks is one of those rare breweries where I haven't had a single misfire. There's definitely been some beers I didn't care for, but it's always been because they're not to my taste, not that they're conceptually flawed or poorly made.
Here are some highlights from my most recent visit:
IPA - Has fantastic dry hop aroma and is exceptionally well-balanced. A really fine blend of malt and hops that finishes slightly bitter.
Abominable - This is what winter ales should taste like. Definitely more malt-forward than the IPA, but it still has prominent hopping, and it nearly balances out on the finish, with a slight lasting sweetness.
Totally Radler - I was really surprised by this. I've had plenty of shandies and radlers in the past, but nothing quite so good. This uses Hopworks' lager as the base, which is an excellent beer in its own right, and adds lemonade. It's a very sessionable 3% ABV, and the beer adds a bit of bitterness and character to the lemonade. Even on the cold blustery day of my visit, it was still incredibly refreshing.
Seven Grain Survival Stout - Somehow I'd never noticed that this stout is made with coffee (as well as the eponymous seven types of grain). It's definitely on the roastier, acidic side of the coffee beer spectrum, but remains quite enjoyable even so.
Of course, with all this great beer, one needs equally great food to pair it with. Hopworks here does nothing especially flashy, just consistently above-average and reasonably-priced pub fare like burgers and pizza. My criterion for knowing if the food is worthwhile is whether I could bring a non-drinker here and have them come away happy with the experience. By that metric, Hopworks succeeds handily.
Finally, there's the sense of atmosphere. Hopworks is a very industrial, spare setting, with plenty of seating on multiple levels, and a definite bike theme running through the whole restaurant and brewery. I also really like the design choice of having the brewery proper set below the restaurant - it's clear a lot of thought went into the design of the building.
On the whole, Hopworks remains one of the best overall food-and-beer experiences in Portland - no easy feat, as there's lots of great options around the city. It's definitely worth a visit.
Thursday, March 12, 2015
'Slow Ride' and Brewery Litigiousness
Earlier this week, I was informed of a legal dispute between New Belgium Brewing and Oasis Texas Brewing, a small operation out of Austin.
A good article on the issue can be found here.
The specifics of the dispute aren't particularly interesting - essentially, New Belgium's introducing a beer called Slow Ride, and filed a trademark to that effect. Oasis was first to market with an identically-named pale ale, and they've been hashing out a compromise for the past couple of months.
This argument brings up a couple of interesting points, but first I'd like to provide a bit more context.
Craft beer, since its resurgence almost 30 years ago, has been a strangely cooperative industry, with brewers often working together - sharing ingredients, recipes, and equipment - and often informally agreeing not to compete locally with similar styles. The reasons for this are myriad and vary from brewery to brewery, but I think the biggest is simply that craft brewers haven't really been competing against each other. Rather, their aim has been to siphon off drinkers of large macro-based breweries such as SAB MillerCoors or AB Inbev. And someone who gets hooked on one small brewery's IPA is probably more likely to try another's.
So the general aim of craft breweries hasn't been to create rabid, exclusive fans of specific breweries. Instead, they want to create generalist craft drinkers who might feel like a pint of Stone one night and an Oakshire the next. In this sense, by growing the total base of craft drinkers, the craft industry as a whole has benefited. And by all accounts, this strategy's been wildly successful - craft beer is posting national double digit gains for something like the 10th year in a row, and this seems to show no signs of slowing down.
This rapid growth is beginning to have consequences, though, as this lawsuit illustrates. With something like 3000 breweries and pubs operating in the US, each producing many distinct beers, it's probably inevitable that lawsuits and disagreements like this would happen. What's remarkable to me isn't that these are happening - it's that they're not happening more often.
I wonder what things will look like when breweries start seeing each other as true rivals and begin to behave accordingly. I think over the next several years, we'll start to see a definite shift as craft beer stops stealing chunks of the macro-based market and has to grow by competing on its own terms.
A good article on the issue can be found here.
The specifics of the dispute aren't particularly interesting - essentially, New Belgium's introducing a beer called Slow Ride, and filed a trademark to that effect. Oasis was first to market with an identically-named pale ale, and they've been hashing out a compromise for the past couple of months.
This argument brings up a couple of interesting points, but first I'd like to provide a bit more context.
Craft beer, since its resurgence almost 30 years ago, has been a strangely cooperative industry, with brewers often working together - sharing ingredients, recipes, and equipment - and often informally agreeing not to compete locally with similar styles. The reasons for this are myriad and vary from brewery to brewery, but I think the biggest is simply that craft brewers haven't really been competing against each other. Rather, their aim has been to siphon off drinkers of large macro-based breweries such as SAB MillerCoors or AB Inbev. And someone who gets hooked on one small brewery's IPA is probably more likely to try another's.
So the general aim of craft breweries hasn't been to create rabid, exclusive fans of specific breweries. Instead, they want to create generalist craft drinkers who might feel like a pint of Stone one night and an Oakshire the next. In this sense, by growing the total base of craft drinkers, the craft industry as a whole has benefited. And by all accounts, this strategy's been wildly successful - craft beer is posting national double digit gains for something like the 10th year in a row, and this seems to show no signs of slowing down.
This rapid growth is beginning to have consequences, though, as this lawsuit illustrates. With something like 3000 breweries and pubs operating in the US, each producing many distinct beers, it's probably inevitable that lawsuits and disagreements like this would happen. What's remarkable to me isn't that these are happening - it's that they're not happening more often.
I wonder what things will look like when breweries start seeing each other as true rivals and begin to behave accordingly. I think over the next several years, we'll start to see a definite shift as craft beer stops stealing chunks of the macro-based market and has to grow by competing on its own terms.
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Breweries of Eugene: Plank Town
My recent trip through most of Eugene's breweries brought an interesting series of omissions to light: I haven't holistically reviewed several of them. Well, time to change that.
Today I'd like to talk a bit about Plank Town, over in Springfield. I've visited them several times since their opening in February 2013.
As the only brewery located in downtown Springfield proper, Plank Town could probably get away with being mediocre in every respect while still being quite successful. Thankfully, they've consistently aspired higher - focusing on above-average pub food, a cozy, wood-centric atmosphere (as befits the name), and most importantly, British-inflected ales and lagers that never fail to surprise and delight.
On my most recent visit with a whole bunch of friends, we decided to sample every beer available at the time. Here're a few highlights:
ESB - It's sad to say, but I can't think of a brewery in Eugene or Springfield that regularly makes a good extra special bitter. Plank Town is up to the task, and this is a sweet, malty take on the style, with just enough earthy hops to balance everything out.
Dry Irish Stout - Although their Foggy Scotsman Porter and Streetcar Stout are both worthy dark ales, this was the true standout for me. It's light and dry, with an excellent roasted character, and finishes extraordinarily clean, inviting further investigation.
Riptooth IPA - Proving that it's not just traditionally British styles Plank Town does well, this is a very fine Northwestern IPA with characteristically tropical and piney hop flavors and aroma. It finishes with a big hit of bitterness before mellowing out on the aftertaste.
Luckily for me, Plank Town's just a short (and scenic) bike ride away, so I expect I'll be visiting them quite often as the weather warms up. I recommend y'all do the same.
Today I'd like to talk a bit about Plank Town, over in Springfield. I've visited them several times since their opening in February 2013.
As the only brewery located in downtown Springfield proper, Plank Town could probably get away with being mediocre in every respect while still being quite successful. Thankfully, they've consistently aspired higher - focusing on above-average pub food, a cozy, wood-centric atmosphere (as befits the name), and most importantly, British-inflected ales and lagers that never fail to surprise and delight.
On my most recent visit with a whole bunch of friends, we decided to sample every beer available at the time. Here're a few highlights:
ESB - It's sad to say, but I can't think of a brewery in Eugene or Springfield that regularly makes a good extra special bitter. Plank Town is up to the task, and this is a sweet, malty take on the style, with just enough earthy hops to balance everything out.
Dry Irish Stout - Although their Foggy Scotsman Porter and Streetcar Stout are both worthy dark ales, this was the true standout for me. It's light and dry, with an excellent roasted character, and finishes extraordinarily clean, inviting further investigation.
Riptooth IPA - Proving that it's not just traditionally British styles Plank Town does well, this is a very fine Northwestern IPA with characteristically tropical and piney hop flavors and aroma. It finishes with a big hit of bitterness before mellowing out on the aftertaste.
Luckily for me, Plank Town's just a short (and scenic) bike ride away, so I expect I'll be visiting them quite often as the weather warms up. I recommend y'all do the same.
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Crowlers: A Viable Replacement for Growlers?
A friend recently linked me to this article about Oskar Blues selling their crowler machines to other bars and breweries.
I've made my feelings known about the utility of growlers in the past. To summarize briefly: growlers are awkward, cumbersome, difficult to clean and fill properly, and only keep beer fresh for a very short time. Their great success is, I think, owed more to a lack of viable alternatives than any inherent virtues.
So, enter the crowler. A crowler is essentially an on-demand 32oz can of beer that can be created using a modified tabletop metal seamer. It's half the size of a standard growler, but the benefits are numerous: it stays as fresh as a brewery-canned beer until opened, doesn't require cleaning (as the can is recycled like any other aluminum product when it's empty), and can be taken places glass growlers can't (like on camping trips or river floats).
The downsides? Well, unlike glass growlers, once you open a crowler, you've got to drink the whole thing - there's no way to reseal it and save some for later. It also requires the bar or brewery to invest in the tabletop seamer machine and have the canning materials on hand, which I imagine would raise the cost to the consumer a little bit.
But overall, I think it's pretty clear that having an on-demand, keg-fresh 32oz can of beer is vastly superior to the growler experience. I've had many a second-day serving from a growler and thereby suffered through a flat, oxidized mockery of the beer that was great just a day before, and I'd be willing to give that up, no questions asked.
So here's hoping that crowlers or similar on-demand canning technology takes off and quickly supplants growlers as the preferred way to take keg-fresh beer home.
I've made my feelings known about the utility of growlers in the past. To summarize briefly: growlers are awkward, cumbersome, difficult to clean and fill properly, and only keep beer fresh for a very short time. Their great success is, I think, owed more to a lack of viable alternatives than any inherent virtues.
So, enter the crowler. A crowler is essentially an on-demand 32oz can of beer that can be created using a modified tabletop metal seamer. It's half the size of a standard growler, but the benefits are numerous: it stays as fresh as a brewery-canned beer until opened, doesn't require cleaning (as the can is recycled like any other aluminum product when it's empty), and can be taken places glass growlers can't (like on camping trips or river floats).
The downsides? Well, unlike glass growlers, once you open a crowler, you've got to drink the whole thing - there's no way to reseal it and save some for later. It also requires the bar or brewery to invest in the tabletop seamer machine and have the canning materials on hand, which I imagine would raise the cost to the consumer a little bit.
But overall, I think it's pretty clear that having an on-demand, keg-fresh 32oz can of beer is vastly superior to the growler experience. I've had many a second-day serving from a growler and thereby suffered through a flat, oxidized mockery of the beer that was great just a day before, and I'd be willing to give that up, no questions asked.
So here's hoping that crowlers or similar on-demand canning technology takes off and quickly supplants growlers as the preferred way to take keg-fresh beer home.
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Breweries of Eugene: Falling Sky
I've got a love/hate relationship with Falling Sky.
They break my heart every time I visit them. They've got great ideas, two well-designed pubs, friendly, attentive staff, and they got their start by running the most comprehensively-equipped brewing supply store in town. I want to like them so badly..
But the sad truth is, their beer is terrible. Whether due to ill-conceived recipes, poor cleaning practices, or simply the belief that what they're making is 'good enough' - the vast majority of what they serve just doesn't work.
I visited their Deli last week with a couple of friends from out of town, and experienced nothing to change my mind. We tried 14 beers, most of which were new to me. One thing you can't fault Falling Sky's brewers for is a lack of willingness to experiment - they've brewed hundreds of different beers since opening 3 years ago. Whether this is a deliberate choice for variety's sake or because they've not come up with a recipe worth brewing twice is unclear.
Of the beers on tap during my visit, most were nigh-undrinkable. A couple were decent, average - but I'd pass them up in a heartbeat for anything coming out of pretty much any other brewery in town. Heck, I know several local homebrewers who make beer that's way more flavorful, interesting, and thoughtful than anything I've had from Falling Sky. And though we didn't have any food on our visit, in my experience it suffers from the same problems as the beer - good ideas ruined by careless or sloppy execution.
And yet, despite all this, Falling Sky's been very successful somehow - they opened their brewpub to great fanfare at the beginning of 2012, with the Deli following just a year and a half later. And I've met people who enjoy both the beer and food very much. Perhaps it's just an issue of personal taste.
What I can say is that my party of 5 people couldn't finish a single 4oz taster of beer between us. We left almost all the beer behind in favor of walking over to Hop Valley.
They break my heart every time I visit them. They've got great ideas, two well-designed pubs, friendly, attentive staff, and they got their start by running the most comprehensively-equipped brewing supply store in town. I want to like them so badly..
But the sad truth is, their beer is terrible. Whether due to ill-conceived recipes, poor cleaning practices, or simply the belief that what they're making is 'good enough' - the vast majority of what they serve just doesn't work.
I visited their Deli last week with a couple of friends from out of town, and experienced nothing to change my mind. We tried 14 beers, most of which were new to me. One thing you can't fault Falling Sky's brewers for is a lack of willingness to experiment - they've brewed hundreds of different beers since opening 3 years ago. Whether this is a deliberate choice for variety's sake or because they've not come up with a recipe worth brewing twice is unclear.
Of the beers on tap during my visit, most were nigh-undrinkable. A couple were decent, average - but I'd pass them up in a heartbeat for anything coming out of pretty much any other brewery in town. Heck, I know several local homebrewers who make beer that's way more flavorful, interesting, and thoughtful than anything I've had from Falling Sky. And though we didn't have any food on our visit, in my experience it suffers from the same problems as the beer - good ideas ruined by careless or sloppy execution.
And yet, despite all this, Falling Sky's been very successful somehow - they opened their brewpub to great fanfare at the beginning of 2012, with the Deli following just a year and a half later. And I've met people who enjoy both the beer and food very much. Perhaps it's just an issue of personal taste.
What I can say is that my party of 5 people couldn't finish a single 4oz taster of beer between us. We left almost all the beer behind in favor of walking over to Hop Valley.
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Beer Bars of Portland: Belmont Station
Somehow, in my many beer-related trips to Portland over the past several years, I've never made it to Belmont Station.
That changed last week thanks to a visiting friend new to much of Portland's beer scene - we stopped in late on a Tuesday to check it out.
As it turns out, Belmont Station's Biercafe is a nice - if small - low-key beer bar in the vein of Eugene's 16 Tons, with the same well-curated taplist, knowledgeable staff, and muted atmosphere designed to foster good conversation. The tap selection included beers from Ex Novo, Sixpoint, Heathen, and Epic, with some interesting-looking ciders also available.
We definitely had an enjoyable time for the short duration of our visit, and I like its residential location with ample street parking - and its proximity to Horse Brass (easy walking distance) doesn't hurt, either.
Unfortunately, the bottle shop had closed by the time we arrived, so I wasn't able to check that out. I've also heard the on-site food cart Italian Market is quite good, but it was similarly already done for the night. It's clear I'll need to make a daytime return trip to Belmont Station sometime soon to get a fuller picture of what they do.
That changed last week thanks to a visiting friend new to much of Portland's beer scene - we stopped in late on a Tuesday to check it out.
As it turns out, Belmont Station's Biercafe is a nice - if small - low-key beer bar in the vein of Eugene's 16 Tons, with the same well-curated taplist, knowledgeable staff, and muted atmosphere designed to foster good conversation. The tap selection included beers from Ex Novo, Sixpoint, Heathen, and Epic, with some interesting-looking ciders also available.
We definitely had an enjoyable time for the short duration of our visit, and I like its residential location with ample street parking - and its proximity to Horse Brass (easy walking distance) doesn't hurt, either.
Unfortunately, the bottle shop had closed by the time we arrived, so I wasn't able to check that out. I've also heard the on-site food cart Italian Market is quite good, but it was similarly already done for the night. It's clear I'll need to make a daytime return trip to Belmont Station sometime soon to get a fuller picture of what they do.
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Pliny the Younger and Triple IPAs
Over the past few years, I've been fortunate enough to acquire tickets to try Russian River's much-hyped triple IPA, Pliny the Younger. Locally, The Bier Stein has hosted parties celebrating its release every year, often also having the Elder and a couple of the wild/sour beers on offer.
And since first trying it in 2012, my thoughts have essentially remained the same: Younger's a good beer. Not a great one, and certainly not the 4th-best in the world (as measured on both RateBeer and BeerAdvocate).
First, a bit of context. I think that triple IPAs are fundamentally flawed as a style. Here's why I say that: double IPAs are generally made to 80-100 IBUs, which is right around the bitterness saturation threshold for most folks (meaning that adding more hops at this point won't increase perceived bitterness. A beer with more than 100 IBUs listed is a marketing gimmick, not an accurate reflection of the beer's character).
A triple IPA, by necessity, is going to have to contain more malt (to get it to the alcohol strength necessary for the style, usually 10%+). It's also going to contain more hops, but since double IPAs are already at the abovementioned bitterness threshold, adding additional hops won't actually make the beer taste more bitter. So since brewers are adding more malt and more hops, but only the sweet malt is having a notable effect, the overall result is the creation of a sweet, boozy, malt-forward beer. A barleywine, in essence. I've had several triple IPAs at this point, and they're all along these lines.
All that being said, here are my thoughts on Younger and Elder themselves.
Pliny the Elder is, in fact, a great beer deserving of being highly-ranked. It's a delicious, well-balanced double IPA that's neither too bitter nor too sweet, and it's rare enough on tap that it's worth seeking out a pint when it's in town. It's the apex of West Coast double IPA.
Younger, by contrast, is a much sweeter beer - the added malting to get it up to triple IPA strength overwhelms the hopping and makes it taste like a too-hoppy barleywine (to my palate, at least). It still tastes very good, mind you - the hops that are detectable are piney, citrusy, and well-blended, the beer's boozy without being hot, and it's a quite easy-drinking beer for its strength.
So, to sum up - Is Younger one of the best beers in the world? Absolutely not. It's not even one of the best beers by Russian River (though their standards are incredibly high). Is it worth the lines, the waiting, the ticketing, and all the associated hoopla? Nope, but it's a fun thing to do with friends. Is it a good beer, worth trying? Definitely.
Thursday, February 26, 2015
The Useful Limits of Beer Evaluation
Last week, I had a couple of friends visiting from out of town. One of them had never really spent much time in Oregon, and was especially interested in trying as much local beer as possible.
I agreed for a couple of reasons. First, it's always a pleasure to drink excellent craft beer - especially with someone experiencing it for the first time. And of course, I realized it'd provide plenty of useful fodder to blog about later on.
Our trip involved 2 days in Portland, one in Eugene, and one through the I-5 corridor between them (for us, this meant stops in Corvallis, Albany, and Salem).
I'll be writing more about the individual stops in the coming weeks, but there's a very useful piece of information I gleaned from the entire experience:
My days of being able to drink large quantities of beer with essentially no ill effect are probably over.
But the hangovers and slow-starting mornings aside, my real point involves palate fatigue. During our beer adventure, my friends and I sampled an average of about 100 new beers a day - almost always by splitting taster trays or flights at the breweries we encountered.
Generally, I'd start off being able to describe what I was trying reasonably well - noting mouthfeel, balance, adherence to style, and so forth. But by the third or fourth brewery, my ability to do so deteriorated significantly - and not because of the alcohol, I don't think. Rather, I found I suddenly lacked the ability to distinguish good beer from bad - it all started to taste pretty similar, and only extremely bold or strange flavors really made an impression.
So, the real lesson here is that I shouldn't be visiting more than a few breweries in a day if I want to be able to give honest and well-considered evaluations of the beers they're offering. With friends visiting from out of town, it's tempting to want to make as much use of the time as possible, but Oregon's extreme wealth of beer guarantees that no matter how quickly or how much one drinks, there's always more breweries to visit than can be reasonably accomplished in a short timeframe.
By way of illustration, during our trip from Corvallis through Salem, we stopped at 10 breweries in one day - an incredible feat of endurance, bravado, and foolishness, to be sure. But we'd have to match that pace for almost a week just to try most of the breweries in Portland alone.
During future beer-centric trips, I'll try to put these lessons to practical use - favoring deliberation and celebration of single excellent beers over attempting to try as many things as possible.
I agreed for a couple of reasons. First, it's always a pleasure to drink excellent craft beer - especially with someone experiencing it for the first time. And of course, I realized it'd provide plenty of useful fodder to blog about later on.
Our trip involved 2 days in Portland, one in Eugene, and one through the I-5 corridor between them (for us, this meant stops in Corvallis, Albany, and Salem).
I'll be writing more about the individual stops in the coming weeks, but there's a very useful piece of information I gleaned from the entire experience:
My days of being able to drink large quantities of beer with essentially no ill effect are probably over.
But the hangovers and slow-starting mornings aside, my real point involves palate fatigue. During our beer adventure, my friends and I sampled an average of about 100 new beers a day - almost always by splitting taster trays or flights at the breweries we encountered.
Generally, I'd start off being able to describe what I was trying reasonably well - noting mouthfeel, balance, adherence to style, and so forth. But by the third or fourth brewery, my ability to do so deteriorated significantly - and not because of the alcohol, I don't think. Rather, I found I suddenly lacked the ability to distinguish good beer from bad - it all started to taste pretty similar, and only extremely bold or strange flavors really made an impression.
So, the real lesson here is that I shouldn't be visiting more than a few breweries in a day if I want to be able to give honest and well-considered evaluations of the beers they're offering. With friends visiting from out of town, it's tempting to want to make as much use of the time as possible, but Oregon's extreme wealth of beer guarantees that no matter how quickly or how much one drinks, there's always more breweries to visit than can be reasonably accomplished in a short timeframe.
By way of illustration, during our trip from Corvallis through Salem, we stopped at 10 breweries in one day - an incredible feat of endurance, bravado, and foolishness, to be sure. But we'd have to match that pace for almost a week just to try most of the breweries in Portland alone.
During future beer-centric trips, I'll try to put these lessons to practical use - favoring deliberation and celebration of single excellent beers over attempting to try as many things as possible.
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Festival of Dark Arts
This past Saturday, Fort George in Astoria hosted its yearly Festival of Dark Arts. I'd never been to Astoria before, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. But the promise of dozens of dark beers from many different breweries was strongly alluring.
What I didn't realize, upon arriving at Fort George, is that they've got a brewing complex that pretty much covers an entire city block. The festival was divided up into 7 distinct bars, each featuring different stouts and porters, interspersed with various forms of entertainment - ice carving, belly dancing, fire dancing, and a wide variety of music.
Of course, FDA is primarily a beer festival, so the crucial question is, as usual, 'How is the beer?'. I'm pleased to report that the beer selection lived up to my expectations. Here are just a few highlights:
Buoy Raspberry Chocolate Stout. This was, to me, the beer of the fest. It was neither too sweet or too chocolatey, and tasted like a stout first and foremost. I can't emphasize enough what an achievement this is - so many other raspberry-infused stouts taste artificial, but this felt naturally crafted. The best part? I'd never had a beer from Buoy before - and they're located less than a mile from Fort George. My friend and I availed ourselves of this opportunity later on that evening.
Lagunitas High West-ified Coffee Imperial Stout. A bold, powerful sipper, clocking in at 13% ABV, this is a master class in how to make an excellent boundary-pushing imperial stout. I'm a big fan of Lagunitas's standard imperial stout, so I'm not terribly surprised at how smooth and rich this tasted. It's nice to know that its success isn't a fluke.
Fort George Shot in the Dark. Another delicious coffee-based stout, this one conforms pretty much exactly to my favored beer coffee flavor, as I detailed in my report on the Coffee Stout Fest - mild, light, sweet, and working with the already-present roasted malt, rather than against it.
Fort George Tuesday's Lunch. Definitely the strangest beer on offer at the festival, this one aimed to recreate the flavors of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Made with roasted peanuts and blackberries, it succeeds at this task, but at the cost of tasting almost nothing like beer. Tuesday's Lunch hereby joins the vaunted ranks of Wynkoop's Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout and Rogue's Voodoo Bacon Maple (though I'm quick to note that of these, only the Wynkoop is actually a drinkable beer).
I was pretty impressed with the organization and logistics of the festival. It never felt too crowded, and having the beers spread among different bars (with most of the bars featuring at least a few rare/interesting beers) made sure the lines moved quickly. I also enjoyed the fact that the tasting tokens were made of wood, rather than the easy-to-lose paper tickets favored by other festivals.
That said, it wasn't perfect. There simply weren't enough bathrooms to handle all of the attendees, and the food on offer at the pub was expensive and mediocre.
Still, on the whole, Festival of Dark Arts was a worthy experience, and I'd be happy to attend it again.
What I didn't realize, upon arriving at Fort George, is that they've got a brewing complex that pretty much covers an entire city block. The festival was divided up into 7 distinct bars, each featuring different stouts and porters, interspersed with various forms of entertainment - ice carving, belly dancing, fire dancing, and a wide variety of music.
Of course, FDA is primarily a beer festival, so the crucial question is, as usual, 'How is the beer?'. I'm pleased to report that the beer selection lived up to my expectations. Here are just a few highlights:
Buoy Raspberry Chocolate Stout. This was, to me, the beer of the fest. It was neither too sweet or too chocolatey, and tasted like a stout first and foremost. I can't emphasize enough what an achievement this is - so many other raspberry-infused stouts taste artificial, but this felt naturally crafted. The best part? I'd never had a beer from Buoy before - and they're located less than a mile from Fort George. My friend and I availed ourselves of this opportunity later on that evening.
Lagunitas High West-ified Coffee Imperial Stout. A bold, powerful sipper, clocking in at 13% ABV, this is a master class in how to make an excellent boundary-pushing imperial stout. I'm a big fan of Lagunitas's standard imperial stout, so I'm not terribly surprised at how smooth and rich this tasted. It's nice to know that its success isn't a fluke.
Fort George Shot in the Dark. Another delicious coffee-based stout, this one conforms pretty much exactly to my favored beer coffee flavor, as I detailed in my report on the Coffee Stout Fest - mild, light, sweet, and working with the already-present roasted malt, rather than against it.
Fort George Tuesday's Lunch. Definitely the strangest beer on offer at the festival, this one aimed to recreate the flavors of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Made with roasted peanuts and blackberries, it succeeds at this task, but at the cost of tasting almost nothing like beer. Tuesday's Lunch hereby joins the vaunted ranks of Wynkoop's Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout and Rogue's Voodoo Bacon Maple (though I'm quick to note that of these, only the Wynkoop is actually a drinkable beer).
I was pretty impressed with the organization and logistics of the festival. It never felt too crowded, and having the beers spread among different bars (with most of the bars featuring at least a few rare/interesting beers) made sure the lines moved quickly. I also enjoyed the fact that the tasting tokens were made of wood, rather than the easy-to-lose paper tickets favored by other festivals.
That said, it wasn't perfect. There simply weren't enough bathrooms to handle all of the attendees, and the food on offer at the pub was expensive and mediocre.
Still, on the whole, Festival of Dark Arts was a worthy experience, and I'd be happy to attend it again.
Sunday, February 15, 2015
2015 KLCC Brewfest
I just returned from Fort George's Festival of Dark Arts - and I'll be writing about that soon - but I realized I hadn't said anything about the KLCC fest yet. Let's remedy that.
The festival was bigger than ever, with 75 breweries pouring over 200 beers, meaning there were lots of excellent choices.
All in all, I was able to sample 13 beers. Here were my favorites:
Oakshire's 8th Anniversary Ale - I was fortunate enough to stop by Oakshire's booth while they were pouring bottles of this. Released in October last year, the 8th is a sour Belgian ale made with cherries and aged in pinot noir barrels, I believe. And it's stunning, though quite a departure from their earlier years. It's acidic but not vinegary, and just sweet enough. I wonder if I could still find a bottle of this somewhere.
10 Barrel Easy Black IPA - This one really wowed me. It's a simple, light ale that deftly balances all of the elements of a great black IPA (roastiness, hoppiness, malt sweetness). So many other black IPAs tend to be predominantly bitter/hoppy or overly roasty. The folks at 10 Barrel behind this beer understand that it's the balance of these flavors that make a black IPA compelling and interesting.
First National Bank Vault Brown - Brewed for First National Taphouse by Vertigo Brewing out of Hillsboro, I wasn't expecting much here. But this brown is really nice - it's both nutty and roasty, with a pronounced sweet malty finish. I'd never had anything from Vertigo before, but I'll definitely be on the lookout for more of their beers.
The biggest disappointment for me? Stone's Bourbon Aged Bastard. Now, I've got a soft spot for Arrogant Bastard - it was the first craft beer I had that really blew me away. I had no idea a beer could be so strong and so bitter. I've since enjoyed the original and many of its siblings - the Oaked, Double, etc. With that context in mind, it's understandable that I was pretty pumped for this beer. But the sample I had wasn't great. The barrel and time have leached much of the characteristic hoppiness. The dominant flavor is wood, with a bit of whiskey caramel. Overall, the base beer is just too thin-feeling to support barrel-aging.
After checking the People's Choice results, I was surprised to see that Sam Bond's Filbert Brown took third place. I wasn't impressed with the beer I had at Sam Bond's over the summer. Perhaps it's time to re-evaluate them?
Once again, I volunteered as a beer pourer, and ended up helping out McKenzie/Steelhead at their richly-appointed booth - complete with a pop-up tent, menus for the restaurant, and several of the brewers on hand to talk with fest-goers. They were unfailingly friendly and polite, and while I'm not always the biggest fan of the beer they make, I was impressed by the people I met.
The festival itself was much busier and better attended than last year's - there was no freak snowstorm to ice the roads and dampen spirits, as was the case last February.
As always, I'm happy to support this festival. KLCC is a great public radio station, and knowing that my time and money are helping it stay on the air is a wonderful feeling.
The festival was bigger than ever, with 75 breweries pouring over 200 beers, meaning there were lots of excellent choices.
All in all, I was able to sample 13 beers. Here were my favorites:
Oakshire's 8th Anniversary Ale - I was fortunate enough to stop by Oakshire's booth while they were pouring bottles of this. Released in October last year, the 8th is a sour Belgian ale made with cherries and aged in pinot noir barrels, I believe. And it's stunning, though quite a departure from their earlier years. It's acidic but not vinegary, and just sweet enough. I wonder if I could still find a bottle of this somewhere.
10 Barrel Easy Black IPA - This one really wowed me. It's a simple, light ale that deftly balances all of the elements of a great black IPA (roastiness, hoppiness, malt sweetness). So many other black IPAs tend to be predominantly bitter/hoppy or overly roasty. The folks at 10 Barrel behind this beer understand that it's the balance of these flavors that make a black IPA compelling and interesting.
First National Bank Vault Brown - Brewed for First National Taphouse by Vertigo Brewing out of Hillsboro, I wasn't expecting much here. But this brown is really nice - it's both nutty and roasty, with a pronounced sweet malty finish. I'd never had anything from Vertigo before, but I'll definitely be on the lookout for more of their beers.
The biggest disappointment for me? Stone's Bourbon Aged Bastard. Now, I've got a soft spot for Arrogant Bastard - it was the first craft beer I had that really blew me away. I had no idea a beer could be so strong and so bitter. I've since enjoyed the original and many of its siblings - the Oaked, Double, etc. With that context in mind, it's understandable that I was pretty pumped for this beer. But the sample I had wasn't great. The barrel and time have leached much of the characteristic hoppiness. The dominant flavor is wood, with a bit of whiskey caramel. Overall, the base beer is just too thin-feeling to support barrel-aging.
After checking the People's Choice results, I was surprised to see that Sam Bond's Filbert Brown took third place. I wasn't impressed with the beer I had at Sam Bond's over the summer. Perhaps it's time to re-evaluate them?
Once again, I volunteered as a beer pourer, and ended up helping out McKenzie/Steelhead at their richly-appointed booth - complete with a pop-up tent, menus for the restaurant, and several of the brewers on hand to talk with fest-goers. They were unfailingly friendly and polite, and while I'm not always the biggest fan of the beer they make, I was impressed by the people I met.
The festival itself was much busier and better attended than last year's - there was no freak snowstorm to ice the roads and dampen spirits, as was the case last February.
As always, I'm happy to support this festival. KLCC is a great public radio station, and knowing that my time and money are helping it stay on the air is a wonderful feeling.
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Beer of the Moment: Barrel Aged Rasputin
Being that it's winter, barrel-aged beer is commonplace here in Oregon. Just about every respectable brewery with cellar space has something aging in barrels these days (this is a major reason why something like the Tap & Growler's tasting is possible with local-only breweries).
So it stands to reason that I've had quite a few barrel-aged imperial stouts over the past few months. Everything from Bourbon County to Parabola. But there's one release I'd never managed to catch on draft, until now.
Barrel Aged Rasputin.
Now, North Coast's Old Rasputin is a world-class imperial stout all by itself. It's becoming easier to find on draft, even in its rarer (and somehow better still) nitrogenated form, but it's uncommon enough that it's an instant decision if I happen to see it somewhere and want an excellent stout.
The Barn Light was somehow able to secure a keg of the barrel-aged version, and I dutifully and eagerly showed up to partake.
Old Rasputin's such an excellent base beer that I was worried that the whiskey barrel version would somehow be lessened by addition, as it were. Thankfully, a couple sips dispelled that notion.
Barrel Aged Rasputin is that rare whiskey-barrel beer that preserves all of the things I love about its base beer - the minerally, roasty flavor that's somehow light on the tongue, the lingering finish - and adds intrigue of its own. Most whiskey-aged beers add layers of caramel, oak, and sweetness that utterly dominate and override the base beer. Not so with Barrel Aged Rasputin. Here, the aging process adds a subtle whiskey/oak flavor to the roast, in a complimentary, cooperative fashion. I can't say enough good things about the deft, light touch and how much a breath of fresh air it is.
It's a beer well worth trying on draft. I imagine it's equally excellent out of the bottle.
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Elysian's Buyout
So, some big news: Anheuser-Busch Inbev announced earlier this week that they've acquired Seattle-based Elysian Brewing. There aren't a whole lot of details available at the moment, but my reaction is much the same as when 10 Barrel sold to them last fall.
I'm aware that AB has in the past used its clout and size to lobby for legislation that would benefit it to the detriment of smaller breweries. But this largely hasn't worked - and the craft market's grown faster, if anything. The execs at AB aren't fools - their light lagers are stagnant or losing sales every year. Small wonder, then, that they've been buying out breweries at an increasing rate, in order to make up for the slowdown elsewhere.
It's becoming clear that AB is targeting a very specific type of brewery: mid-sized, regional, critically acclaimed, and quickly expanding. With the craft segment of the beer marketplace still growing at an astonishing rate, Goose Island, 10 Barrel, and Elysian are very safe investments for a massive conglomerate like AB looking to get a piece of that growth.
I have no doubt that AB has the people, resources, and money to launch their own full-craft brands. It would take time, effort, and might backfire if the ownership ended up mattering to enough people. Far easier, then, to buy outright some great breweries that already have established brands with hugely devoted fans.
From Elysian's end, this sale makes perfect sense. The owners were likely offered a great deal, allowing them to expand not only production volume, but also to distribute outside the Pacific NW (and rightly so - Elysian makes some really good beer, and it deserves to have as wide an audience as possible). It's looking like all the same brewers and other employees will be allowed to stay on, as was also the case with 10 Barrel's buyout.
As I said when 10 Barrel was bought last year, what really matters to me is the quality of the product. Who owns it isn't ultimately nearly as important.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Tap & Growler's Blind Barrel-Aged Tasting
Last week, the Tap & Growler had a bevy of barrel-aged release parties, but the highlight was definitely their hosted tasting, featuring barrel-aged beers from 10 local breweries. I was really looking forward to this.
Unfortunately, the beer didn't live up to my expectations.
Why? 'Barrel-aged' isn't really a good category for a blind tasting. A brewery can barrel-age just about anything - and the lineup for the tasting reflected that. There were IPAs, winter ales, a pumpkin beer, a Belgian-style dubbel, and others. Because of this diversity, there was no real standard for comparison between the beers.
I agreed with 2 of the top 3 selected by the rest of the public. The top beer was Oakshire's - their bourbon-aged Very Ill Tempered Gnome had the best blend of whiskey flavors and a good base beer to soak them up. Second was Viking's sour red (the name of which I wasn't able to find) - I was pleasantly surprised to see they're working in sours. The barrel-aging wasn't really detectable (so I suppose it fails in that respect), but it was a respectable and very tart and bready sour. In third was Hop Valley's Oakeroo - a very sweet, malty winter warmer. I wasn't as fond of it - my third place was Agrarian's Cucurbita Maxima - a pumpkin beer without the usual hit of nutmeg, cinnamon, and brown sugar.
The (perhaps unintended) result? The breweries that did well in public voting are ones we already know can make excellent barrel-aged beer - namely, Oakshire and Hop Valley. The others mostly came off as amateurish and flawed.
I hope that Tap & Growler continues to do these blind tastings - they're a lot of fun and very informative. I just wish they'd stick with style-based flights so there's some way to directly compare the beers.
Unfortunately, the beer didn't live up to my expectations.
Why? 'Barrel-aged' isn't really a good category for a blind tasting. A brewery can barrel-age just about anything - and the lineup for the tasting reflected that. There were IPAs, winter ales, a pumpkin beer, a Belgian-style dubbel, and others. Because of this diversity, there was no real standard for comparison between the beers.
I agreed with 2 of the top 3 selected by the rest of the public. The top beer was Oakshire's - their bourbon-aged Very Ill Tempered Gnome had the best blend of whiskey flavors and a good base beer to soak them up. Second was Viking's sour red (the name of which I wasn't able to find) - I was pleasantly surprised to see they're working in sours. The barrel-aging wasn't really detectable (so I suppose it fails in that respect), but it was a respectable and very tart and bready sour. In third was Hop Valley's Oakeroo - a very sweet, malty winter warmer. I wasn't as fond of it - my third place was Agrarian's Cucurbita Maxima - a pumpkin beer without the usual hit of nutmeg, cinnamon, and brown sugar.
The (perhaps unintended) result? The breweries that did well in public voting are ones we already know can make excellent barrel-aged beer - namely, Oakshire and Hop Valley. The others mostly came off as amateurish and flawed.
I hope that Tap & Growler continues to do these blind tastings - they're a lot of fun and very informative. I just wish they'd stick with style-based flights so there's some way to directly compare the beers.
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Pliny, Sticky Hands, and Enjoy By
The 16 Tons Taphouse is hosting a double IPA-based event that's providing a great opportunity to try 3 of Cascadia's best IPAs - Russian River's Pliny the Elder, Block 15's Sticky Hands, and Stone's Enjoy By 2.14.15 - side by side.
A couple of friends keyed me into the event, and I went this afternoon to check it out.
Stone's Enjoy By series has been that rare thing - a marketing-based gimmick that actually created a superior product. The 2.14.15 edition is extremely juicy, citrus-focused, and sweet, with the high alcohol content announcing itself mostly in the heavy mouthfeel.
Sticky Hands has had a number of iterations, usually focusing on different hop flavors and profiles. The one on offer at 16 Tons is of the more skunky, resin-forward ilk. For pure hop flavor, it's peerless, though the malt is necessarily on the lighter side.
Pliny almost needs no introduction. It's the definition of a well-balanced IPA - malt, hops, and alcohol working in nigh-perfect harmony. But interestingly, because of this balance and its characteristically clean finish, it ended up being the most forgettable among the three.
Being able to taste and compare 3 world-class double IPAs in a flight reveals interesting nuances in their flavor profiles. At base, they're all designed to be hop delivery vehicles, but the three breweries take a very distinct approach to achieving that end.
If you're in the area, I'd recommend checking this event out. It's running through tomorrow, officially, and I can't imagine Pliny will last much longer than that.
A couple of friends keyed me into the event, and I went this afternoon to check it out.
Stone's Enjoy By series has been that rare thing - a marketing-based gimmick that actually created a superior product. The 2.14.15 edition is extremely juicy, citrus-focused, and sweet, with the high alcohol content announcing itself mostly in the heavy mouthfeel.
Sticky Hands has had a number of iterations, usually focusing on different hop flavors and profiles. The one on offer at 16 Tons is of the more skunky, resin-forward ilk. For pure hop flavor, it's peerless, though the malt is necessarily on the lighter side.
Pliny almost needs no introduction. It's the definition of a well-balanced IPA - malt, hops, and alcohol working in nigh-perfect harmony. But interestingly, because of this balance and its characteristically clean finish, it ended up being the most forgettable among the three.
Being able to taste and compare 3 world-class double IPAs in a flight reveals interesting nuances in their flavor profiles. At base, they're all designed to be hop delivery vehicles, but the three breweries take a very distinct approach to achieving that end.
If you're in the area, I'd recommend checking this event out. It's running through tomorrow, officially, and I can't imagine Pliny will last much longer than that.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Lagunitas, Sierra Nevada, and Market Maturation
This week's big beer news involved a (hastily withdrawn) lawsuit filed by Lagunitas Brewing against Sierra Nevada, in response to a new beer/packaging announcement from SN.
Inside Scoop SF has a good summary of the situation, including pictures, and Tony Magee's twitter musings both before and after the lawsuit was withdrawn.
I'm curious about the broader implications this whole event might have for the brewing industry. By and large, craft brewers are very chummy - sharing recipes, resources, ingredients - and it's been this way essentially since the rebirth of the industry in the early to mid '80s. It's possible we're seeing the end of those times, in some respects, and the beginning of a new era where brewers see each other as business rivals first and friends/peers second.
There's been a lot of hand-wringing over craft's explosive growth, and whether the industry will turn ugly once we stop seeing double-digit yearly expansion, and some pessimistic craft followers are forever looking for signs that this cutthroat time has dawned. I don't think we're there yet.
My reasoning is this - even in Portland, the most beer-saturated city in the country, new breweries are popping up at a frankly astonishing rate (I've seen plans for at least half a dozen places under construction - all slated to open this year) . And at this point, I have no idea how many small brewers the city can comfortably accommodate. 80? 100? Regardless, I think if there's still room in Portland, the rest of the country's got a long way to go.
I don't believe that a mature market's going to look much different than it does now - you'll have your regional/national breweries like Stone, Sierra Nevada, and Deschutes, supplemented by lots of 7-10 barrel brewpubs and micros who only operate in one city or one state. I'm really looking forward to the time where I can travel to any medium-sized city in the country and be likely to find at least one local brewery. And I wouldn't be surprised if that becomes a reality within the next 10 years.
Inside Scoop SF has a good summary of the situation, including pictures, and Tony Magee's twitter musings both before and after the lawsuit was withdrawn.
I'm curious about the broader implications this whole event might have for the brewing industry. By and large, craft brewers are very chummy - sharing recipes, resources, ingredients - and it's been this way essentially since the rebirth of the industry in the early to mid '80s. It's possible we're seeing the end of those times, in some respects, and the beginning of a new era where brewers see each other as business rivals first and friends/peers second.
There's been a lot of hand-wringing over craft's explosive growth, and whether the industry will turn ugly once we stop seeing double-digit yearly expansion, and some pessimistic craft followers are forever looking for signs that this cutthroat time has dawned. I don't think we're there yet.
My reasoning is this - even in Portland, the most beer-saturated city in the country, new breweries are popping up at a frankly astonishing rate (I've seen plans for at least half a dozen places under construction - all slated to open this year) . And at this point, I have no idea how many small brewers the city can comfortably accommodate. 80? 100? Regardless, I think if there's still room in Portland, the rest of the country's got a long way to go.
I don't believe that a mature market's going to look much different than it does now - you'll have your regional/national breweries like Stone, Sierra Nevada, and Deschutes, supplemented by lots of 7-10 barrel brewpubs and micros who only operate in one city or one state. I'm really looking forward to the time where I can travel to any medium-sized city in the country and be likely to find at least one local brewery. And I wouldn't be surprised if that becomes a reality within the next 10 years.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Growler Nation
A few days ago, I was in the Coburg Road neighborhood, and decided to check out Growler Nation, a place I'd often passed by but never visited.
Growler Nation's claim to fame is that they were the first growler-fill station to open in Eugene, way back in spring of 2013. Now, with half a dozen competitors, they're offering lots of cider, kombucha, and wine to round out the beer.
The space itself is pretty small, with a few large, well-appointed tables, a wall-length chalkboard, and a couple TVs. I went during a slow part of the afternoon, and so had plenty of time to take in the atmosphere.
Like most of these spots, Growler Nation offers flights, and that's what I opted for. Here's what I tried:
Boring Oatmeal Stout: A sweet and acidic take on the style, with a winning roasted finish. But it's a little thin, and the flavors before the finish don't really gel.
Pfriem Winter Ale: Surprisingly disappointing - very thin and watery, with some strange malt notes.
North Coast ACME California IPA: Super sweet and juicy, with perfume-like hops. I didn't think much of this one initially, but it grew on me.
Caldera Dry Hop Orange: This was actually less citrus-heavy than the North Coast, and it was noticeably buttery.
Ecliptic Arcturus IPA: A very balanced and dangerously drinkable NW IPA.
Georgetown Oharov Imperial Stout: Definitely on the sweeter side, with a medium body and smooth roast on the finish. A worthy representative of the style.
The beer didn't taste as fresh as I would have expected. There aren't many options for craft beer on Coburg Road - Sidebar is the only other place I can think of, and it's a much more traditional bar atmosphere. I wonder if the disappointment I felt towards some of the beers was due to their being served from old kegs. With 40 taps (12 of which are set aside for cider and kombucha), it's possible that they don't have enough business to turn over kegs fast enough to keep everything fresh.
Pricing is fairly standard for Eugene - growlers run $11-14, pints are generally $4.50, and flights are $6 for 4 or $8 for 6. There's some food on offer, too - light snacks and pizza imported from the excellent Mezza Luna. Happy hour runs 3-6 M-F, with a dollar off pints, and Tuesday and Thursday nights offer $1.50 off flights.
All in all, Growler Nation's a well-run place that probably deserves more attention than it gets. It's worth dropping by if you're in the Coburg Road area.
Growler Nation's claim to fame is that they were the first growler-fill station to open in Eugene, way back in spring of 2013. Now, with half a dozen competitors, they're offering lots of cider, kombucha, and wine to round out the beer.
The space itself is pretty small, with a few large, well-appointed tables, a wall-length chalkboard, and a couple TVs. I went during a slow part of the afternoon, and so had plenty of time to take in the atmosphere.
Like most of these spots, Growler Nation offers flights, and that's what I opted for. Here's what I tried:
Boring Oatmeal Stout: A sweet and acidic take on the style, with a winning roasted finish. But it's a little thin, and the flavors before the finish don't really gel.
Pfriem Winter Ale: Surprisingly disappointing - very thin and watery, with some strange malt notes.
North Coast ACME California IPA: Super sweet and juicy, with perfume-like hops. I didn't think much of this one initially, but it grew on me.
Caldera Dry Hop Orange: This was actually less citrus-heavy than the North Coast, and it was noticeably buttery.
Ecliptic Arcturus IPA: A very balanced and dangerously drinkable NW IPA.
Georgetown Oharov Imperial Stout: Definitely on the sweeter side, with a medium body and smooth roast on the finish. A worthy representative of the style.
The beer didn't taste as fresh as I would have expected. There aren't many options for craft beer on Coburg Road - Sidebar is the only other place I can think of, and it's a much more traditional bar atmosphere. I wonder if the disappointment I felt towards some of the beers was due to their being served from old kegs. With 40 taps (12 of which are set aside for cider and kombucha), it's possible that they don't have enough business to turn over kegs fast enough to keep everything fresh.
Pricing is fairly standard for Eugene - growlers run $11-14, pints are generally $4.50, and flights are $6 for 4 or $8 for 6. There's some food on offer, too - light snacks and pizza imported from the excellent Mezza Luna. Happy hour runs 3-6 M-F, with a dollar off pints, and Tuesday and Thursday nights offer $1.50 off flights.
All in all, Growler Nation's a well-run place that probably deserves more attention than it gets. It's worth dropping by if you're in the Coburg Road area.
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Mission Brewing's Packaging
Thanks to some fortuitous timing, at last week's Bigfoot dock sales I was able to secure a 12 pack of Mission Brewery's IPA.
My attention was attracted primarily to the packaging - the beer comes in 32oz(!) cans. I've since had the occasion to try it, and it's a decent IPA.
These cans are undoubtedly striking. But they worry me. They suggest a few potentially negative things about Mission and their goals.
First, let's be clear: 32oz is a ridiculous serving size for any beverage, especially one with alcohol. No one should be drinking a quart of craft beer at a time. I understand, say, the 16oz cans Hopworks uses - a pint serving is no different than what you'd get in a bar. But 2 pints at a time? No. Of course, you could share this with a friend or two, but then why not just pack it into 16oz cans or bombers?
The massive serving size implies something else. Namely, that Mission's beer is meant to be drunk in large quantities. It makes the beer seem similar to those awful 40oz bottles of malt liquor, which I'm sure isn't purposeful. And feeling related, even coincidentally, to malt liquor makes me think that Mission doesn't have a lot of respect for its beer or its customers.
And that seems ridiculous, because Mission's won quite a few awards for their beer, including some GABF medals. And from all accounts, their customers are quite happy with the beer and company both.
Really, the 32oz can feels gimmicky. It seems like the kind of thing that a brewery does because it can, not because it's a good idea. And the abovementioned implications do nothing positive for the beer or the brewery. Maybe Mission ought to reconsider.
My attention was attracted primarily to the packaging - the beer comes in 32oz(!) cans. I've since had the occasion to try it, and it's a decent IPA.
These cans are undoubtedly striking. But they worry me. They suggest a few potentially negative things about Mission and their goals.
First, let's be clear: 32oz is a ridiculous serving size for any beverage, especially one with alcohol. No one should be drinking a quart of craft beer at a time. I understand, say, the 16oz cans Hopworks uses - a pint serving is no different than what you'd get in a bar. But 2 pints at a time? No. Of course, you could share this with a friend or two, but then why not just pack it into 16oz cans or bombers?
The massive serving size implies something else. Namely, that Mission's beer is meant to be drunk in large quantities. It makes the beer seem similar to those awful 40oz bottles of malt liquor, which I'm sure isn't purposeful. And feeling related, even coincidentally, to malt liquor makes me think that Mission doesn't have a lot of respect for its beer or its customers.
And that seems ridiculous, because Mission's won quite a few awards for their beer, including some GABF medals. And from all accounts, their customers are quite happy with the beer and company both.
Really, the 32oz can feels gimmicky. It seems like the kind of thing that a brewery does because it can, not because it's a good idea. And the abovementioned implications do nothing positive for the beer or the brewery. Maybe Mission ought to reconsider.
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Sam Adams, Mediocrity, and Craft Beer's Future
With the new year's arrival, I've been doing a lot of thinking about what 2015 might mean for the craft beer industry. I was pleased to see that Andy Crouch wrote a thought-provoking piece about Jim Koch and Sam Adams and their place in today's beer market. The article's long, but well worth the read.
The most revealing quote in the article, to me, was Deep Ellum's owner saying he wouldn't stock Boston Beer products because they're "mediocre" and "middle of the road".
I marvel at how far we've come.
Twenty years ago, Sam Adams was one of the few craft beers being widely distributed. It became wildly and widely successful - and rightfully so. It's sessionable, with a good light malt profile and a clean finish, and pairs well with just about everything. I'd hesitate to call it a mediocre beer by any standard.
But, as Crouch reveals, the craft industry has matured rapidly, especially in the past ten years. There are now more breweries in America than at any time since the Great Depression and Prohibition, making countless beers of nigh-limitless variety. Heck, in Eugene alone there's probably at least 100 distinct beers being brewed at any given time.
I think that Koch and Sam Adams have slowly become victims of their own success. The omnipresence of Boston Lager - it can reasonably be expected on tap at most non-craft-oriented bars and lounges around the country - means that it's easy to take for granted. For today's serious craft drinkers, there are now more interesting and flavorful options in easy reach; it's likely they're even being made locally.
And that's why places like Deep Ellum in Boston (or the Bier Stein in Eugene) probably won't have Boston Lager on tap. It's caught in an unenviable position - too bland and uninteresting for today's craft drinkers, and too malty and heavy for those who generally drink macro lagers. And it's a huge national brand in a time where the trend has been to focus on locality and supporting smaller businesses.
The most revealing quote in the article, to me, was Deep Ellum's owner saying he wouldn't stock Boston Beer products because they're "mediocre" and "middle of the road".
I marvel at how far we've come.
Twenty years ago, Sam Adams was one of the few craft beers being widely distributed. It became wildly and widely successful - and rightfully so. It's sessionable, with a good light malt profile and a clean finish, and pairs well with just about everything. I'd hesitate to call it a mediocre beer by any standard.
But, as Crouch reveals, the craft industry has matured rapidly, especially in the past ten years. There are now more breweries in America than at any time since the Great Depression and Prohibition, making countless beers of nigh-limitless variety. Heck, in Eugene alone there's probably at least 100 distinct beers being brewed at any given time.
I think that Koch and Sam Adams have slowly become victims of their own success. The omnipresence of Boston Lager - it can reasonably be expected on tap at most non-craft-oriented bars and lounges around the country - means that it's easy to take for granted. For today's serious craft drinkers, there are now more interesting and flavorful options in easy reach; it's likely they're even being made locally.
And that's why places like Deep Ellum in Boston (or the Bier Stein in Eugene) probably won't have Boston Lager on tap. It's caught in an unenviable position - too bland and uninteresting for today's craft drinkers, and too malty and heavy for those who generally drink macro lagers. And it's a huge national brand in a time where the trend has been to focus on locality and supporting smaller businesses.
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