Abita Beer Arrives in Oregon

We got our first shipment from Abita yesterday. I took a mixed six pack home last night and here's what my housemates and I thought :


Purple Haze - Commercial Description: "Abita Purple Haze is a crisp, American style wheat beer with fresh raspberries added during secondary fermentation. Subtle coloration, fruity aroma and tartly sweet taste."

I found the pinkish, grapefruit juice color to be a little strange, and it's lacking any of the traditional "beer" flavors of malt, hops, or wheat, but it's pretty good if you're in the mood for something light and fruity. The raspberry flavor tastes fairly natural, and carries a little woody astringency along with the tartness which helps compensate for the lack of any hop bitterness. If you're looking for "a beer" this may not be right for you, but people who like wine coolers and ciders should enjoy it immensely.




TurboDog - Commercial Description: "Abita Turbodog is a dark brown ale brewed with Willamette hops and a combination of British pale, crystal and chocolate malts. This combination gives Turbodog its rich body and color and a sweet chocolate-toffee like flavor."

Justin and I each had a bottle of this last night, and we both thought it was pretty solid brown ale. Consumed from the bottle it has a good roasty, hoppy bite to it, but if you pour it into a glass it opens up a little bit and shows off some nutty maltiness and fruity esters from their "unique German alt" yeast. This brew should appeal to those who want something like Newcastle, but with a little more "oomph" to it.



Abita Amber - Commercial Description: "Abita Amber is a Munich style lager brewed with crystal malt and Perle hops. It has a smooth, malty, slightly caramel flavor and a rich amber color."

This is their original beer, and still one of their best sellers. It doesn't do much to distinguish itself from the plethora of amber lagers and other "california common" style beers, but it can hold it's own in a crowded segment. If you enjoy things like Anchor Steam, Sam Adams Boston Lager, and other light, malt-forward beers you should give this a try.

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Tags: Beer, Belmont Station, Abita Brewing, Purple Haze, Turbodog, Abita Amber

Hot Enough For Ya?

Man I hate it when people say that...

Nothing really new to report today, but it's hot outside so stop in and enjoy the A/C for a few minutes while you pick up some tasty refreshing beer to wash away the heat.

Here's a few suggestions:

Czechvar - The original Bud. But with flavor. If "skunkyness" has scared you away from clear-bottled imports it's time to give it another shot. It comes to us in a sealed box and rests happily in our dark cooler until you stop in and buy it. It's crisp, it's refreshing, it's everything you want on a day like this...

Anderson Valley Summer Solstice - This smooth light ale has "special spices" in it that impart a slightly sweet vanilla/cream soda flavor to it.

Bayern Pilsener - The brewmaster at Bayern was schooled in Germany and it shows in his beer. This is one of the more authentic "Bavarian style" pilseners brewed in the U.S. It's a little bit sweeter than the Czech-style, but it soothes the throat on a day like this...

Cantillon - Any of them. A lot of people are put off by the "aggressive" sour character in these beers, but with weather like this they start rolling down the throat like lemonade. If you've yet to experience the wonder of these beer I'd suggest starting with their Organic Gueuze. It's a blend of three different vintages and it's sourness is nicely offset by a bit of sweetness.

Berliner Kindl Weisse - The unofficial "lawn mower" beer of Berlin. This is another intensely sour beer which is traditionally sweetened by the addition of either Raspberry of Woodruff syrup. It's only 2.5% abv, so you can pretty much drink it as fast as humanly possible and barely catch a buzz.

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Tags: Beer, Belmont Station, Hot Weather, Czechvar, Anderson Valley Brewing Company, Bayern Brewing, Cantillon, Berliner Weisse

New Arrivals for Friday June 23, 2006

First off, the H.O.T.D. Blue Dot did NOT arrive today. Stay tuned and keep your fingers crossed for Tuesday. We did get a couple interesting things today, read on for more...

Full Sail Sunspot IPA - This arrived on Tuesday and somehow slipped my mind. Sunspot has a rich orange color from the use of special roasted crystal malt, lending the beer a nice sweet malt character. Sunspot is then whacked out of balance by an aggressive hopping schedule. Heavy dry-hopping adds further aromas and flavors.


Chouffe BIG Chouffe - As far as I know this is the same La Chouffe that you can find here regularly, but this special release is vintage dated and comes in a 1.5ltr Magnum with wonderful silk-screened pictures of the happy little gnomes. These are great for cellaring, sharing with friends, or giving to the Belgian beer lover on your list. 8%abv - $21.95 each

Chouffe Gift Sets - These limited edition gift sets feature one (1) bottle each of La Chouffe and Mc Chouffe, as well as a Chouffe tulip glass, all packed in an attractive, gnome-covered box. $24.95/ea

Sale beers for this weekend include the following:

• Hale's American Pale Ale - $5.95/6pk
• Snipes Mountain Sunnyside Pale Ale - $6.20/6pk
• Blue Moon - $5.95/6pk
• Fish Tale Organic IPA - $6.95/6pk

Random notes:
~We still have roughly 6 cases of Stone's Vertical Epic. It's going fast, so don't delay.

~Saturday you have your choice of two different festivals: Blues, Brews, and BBQ's in Stevenson, or the Brewers Summer Games hosted by Pelican. I'm sure both of them will be highly entertaining, all you have to do is choose a direction to drive.

~Travel safe, and have a great weekend!

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Tags: Beer, Belmont Station, Hair of the Dog, Full Sail, Brasserie d'Achouffe, Hale's Ales, Snipes Mountain, Blue Moon, Fish Tale Brewing, Stone Vertical Epic, 06.06.06, Blue Brews and BBQ's, Brewers Summer Games, Pelican Brewery

A9 mapping website finds Belmont Station

This is some pretty cool technology. Using GPS units and 360 degree photography they've begun linking street level pictures to maps so you can not only get driving directions somewhere, you can check out the neighborhood at the same time.

Just to get you started I found our shop. The pictures are at least a year old, so they must have been working on this project for a while now. If you find pictures of anything interesting while cruising the virtual streets please post a link here.

Special thanks to VJ for pointing me towards this site!

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Tags: Beer, Belmont Station, A9 maps, GPS

Coors Sub Zero

Ok, this is really strange. Check out this article about Coors' newest beer. I'm going to see what else I can find out about this amazing new technology and I'll try and add more to this post later today.

EDIT 4:45PM

Alright, I'm still need to find some pictures of this incredible new gimmick, but I posed the question to the Brewcrew listserv asking for input from any of the scientists in town. Here's the response I've gotten so far:

"As usual, a company like Coors would never let science get in the way of a marketing gimmick.

The normal freezing point of beer is several degrees less than 0C (due to alcohol content), so creating a beer with a -2.5C freezing point is not exactly an accomplishment.

I suspect that what was REALLY developed here was a method for making the beer stay cold LONGER: Ultrasonic waves would create bazillions of microscopic bubbles in the beer. These bubbles would serve as nucleation points for freezing, if the beer were cooled to or below its normal freezing point. In this way, you could create a glass of beer with bazillions (there's that technical term again) of tiny ice crystals, which would (a) keep the beer cold, and (b) not be as noticeable as the huge ice crystals you'd get simply by putting the beer in the freezer for awhile. So, if you build a tap which simultaneously cools the beer to below freezing while bombarding it with ultrasound, you get an 'iced' beer that stays cold much longer. Many years ago when I enjoyed beers that tasted best when they were so cold you couldn't taste them, we accomplished the same thing by using a thick, chilled glass."

Said the lead scientist:
'It is a natural phenomenon ' nothing is added or taken away to the lager. The only problem is that we wasted 8million pints getting it right.'

Q: What do call it when 8 million pints of Coors get discarded?
A: A good start!

A big thank you to Kelly Jones for some scientific input. Stay tuned for more as we research this "ultrasonic freezing technology."

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Tags: Beer, Belmont Station, Coors, Sub Zero Lager, Oregon Brewcrew

Stone Vertical Epic has Arrived

Stone's fifth release in the Vertical Epic series, 06.06.06, has finally arrived. After taking care of the pre-orders we have 10 cases remaining, and judging by the number of phone calls and emails I've received, it won't last long. In fact, I'd be surprised if there was any left by the end of the week, so don't say I didn't warn you.

Due to extremely limited quantities and high demand, we're going to set the limit at 6 bottles per person. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

Brewers Summer Games at the Pelican Pub

I just received this from Ben Love, brewery manager for Pelican, and he asked that I pass it on. I probably should have posted something about the games sooner, but the boss has been out of town and it's been busy here at the store, so I apologize for the delay.

2006 Brewers Summer Games June 24, 2006

The most fun you’ve ever had on the beach

Pacific City, Oregon • 20 February 2006 —The Third Annual Brewers Summer Games is set for Saturday, June 24, from noon to 10pm at the Pelican Pub & Brewery. It will feature wild and crazy games, food, libations and music.

The event will raise money for two local charities: the Nestucca Valley Boosters and the Caring Cabin. The Nestucca Valley Boosters supports athletics and other extracurricular activities in local schools. The Caring Cabin is a retreat for children undergoing cancer treatment.

There will be both beer and rootbeer gardens featuring brews from around the state. Beginning at 5 pm the musical program will feature Big Island Shindig and the Rolling Boil Blues Band (staffed by brewing industry professionals). The main event will be the Brewers Summer Games themselves.

Starting at noon, you can watch as brewer teams from around the state meet on the beach to battle it out for the ultimate prize in Brewing Athletics, the Grand Champion Altitude Cup. Each participating brewery brings a team to compete in a series of nine events involving skill, cunning, and brute force. Teams are judged on time and most important: STYLE. New this year, the teams will be judged by a panel of three celebrity judges.

Admission to the event is free. Funds for the charities are raised through beer, rootbeer, food and t-shirt sales.

Team Eugene will be defending its win in 2005. The competition will feature the following:

Kids Root Beer Games – The whole family can participate in a three-legged race, water balloon toss and mini-rootbeer keg toss.

Jockey Box Build - Everyone on your team works together to build your jockey box as fast as you can and pour your beer. Lowest time wins.

Keg Toss -Each team member has one chance to chuck a keg as far as they can. Distances are added and highest cumulative score wins.

Service with a Smile -One person from each team runs through a slalom coarse with a tray to the beer garden, picks up two beers, then runs back through the slalom coarse. Teams are scored on time and most importantly… style!

Mash Relay -Two people from each team rush to transfer grist from one bin to another. They then drag the bin through the sand around a cone and back to the start where they transfer the grist back to the original bin. Lowest time wins.

Cheap Beer Toss -Each team member tosses cans of cheap swill at a bed made of nails with a keg cut in half in the middle. Points are awarded at: 1 point on the nails, 2 points in the keg, and 5 points if you hit the rim of the keg and the can splits in half! Points are also given for style. Highest cumulative score wins.

Hand Truck Race -One person from each team goes through an up/down slalom coarse using a hand truck with a full ¼ bbl on it. Lowest time wins and points are given for… style.

Keg Sled Race -Everyone on your team works together to load two full ¼ bbls onto the back of specially made sleds then push, pull and drag the sled out around a cone and back. Lowest time wins.

Yeast Toss - Two members of each team toss a balloon of fermenting yeast at each other, taking one step back with each throw. Last one to get covered in yeast wins!

Dune to Surf Race -The mother of all Brewing Athletic events!!! Four brave souls from each team participate. The race begins with two members running from the pub down to the beach with a full ¼ bbl. Once they reach the beach they dunk the ¼ bbl in the water, which is when the other two members of your team pickup the keg and race back to the pub. Lowest time wins and oxygen is available afterwards.

Visit www.PelicanBrewery.com for more information.

Teams include Bridgeport, Deschutes, Laurelwood, Lucky Lab, Maletis, New Old Lompoc, Oregon Trail, Pelican Pub & Brewery, Point Blank, The Ram, and Team Eugene. The event is sponsored by Newlands, Boelter, Briess Malting, Cisco, FSA, Great Western Malting, HopUnion, Pelican Pub & Brewery, Saxco Pacific, Steinbarts, Taphandles, Textile Graphics, White Labs, and Wyeast.

Sounds like a lot of fun, with the possible exception of the yeast toss. That's probably only entertaining for the spectators...

Brews Blues and BBQ's

The 13th annual Brews, Blues, and BBQ's festival takes place in Stevenson, WA this Saturday from 12 to 8pm. Celebrator Magazine declares this "...one of the coolest little beer festivals in the country." This is the way festivals should be; in a tiny little town on the banks of a mighty river, in the shadow of one of the area's premier breweries, and the air filled with great live music.

The official site doesn't list the participating breweries for THIS year, but it has a list of last year's participants so you can get an idea of who's pouring.

It's set up like most festivals now days; $5 gets you a mug, and tickets are $1 each. Tasters will cost one ticket, full glasses cost 3, and the food will cost 2 - 8 tickets per item. The best part is that they willingly offer to buy back your unused tickets, so you don't have to worry about buying too many and getting stuck with them.

The official website has more info regarding lodging packages, local attractions, and other salient bits of information, so if you're still curious about something go check it out.

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Tags: Beer, Beer Festival, Belmont Station, Brews Blues and BBQ's, Celebrator Magazine, Walking Man Brewing

Beer Distribution 101 - or - Why we don't have "X"

I got a comment from Bridger on a previous post inquiring about distribution practices. Rather than just bury my response on a comment page I thought it would make a good topic for a post of it's own.

Bridger's comment/question:

Chris, perhaps you've noticed that beer distributors get a big chunk of the profit from bottled beer (I'm sure you've noticed). In Portland lots of the best beer is made in the neiborhood, maybe this resrictive relationship could be bypassed. I'm sure you deal with this everyday, and I don't know much about the busines contracts that many brewers probably have with their distributors, but it would be cool if you guys sold bombers from Laurelwood, Lucky Lab, Walking Man, Tugboat etc. that might not have distribution contracts setup. Maybe economies of scale inhibit small, local distribution, but it would be cool to be able to choose among local microbrew bombers at one shop, and the distributor's usual cut could pay for gas on a weekly drive around Portland.

Here's my response:

As much as I'd love to carry beer from Lucky Lab, Roots, etc, it's pretty much impossible until they meet three requirements.

1. They need a bottling line. Unless the bottle is "counter-pressure" filled on a bottling line (meaning preflushed with CO2) it will go stale in less than 5 days. When places like the Lucky Lab fill bottles from the tap they get a bunch of oxygen in the mixture and the beer loses its flavor and starts to taste crappy within 3-5 days.

2. Labels. If we want to legally sell beer from places like the Lab and Roots they have to get "real" labels approved by the BATF and have the beer approved for sale by the OLCC. If you include the cost of paying the artist, printing the labels, and all the legal fees associated with the approval process it can end up costing $500 or more per label. They'd have to sell a couple hundred cases of each brand/style to justify the added cost.

3. They have to produce less than 1650bbls/year. OLCC regulations state that any brewery with an annual production of 1650bbls (3300 kegs) or less can "self distribute". Anyone who produces more than that HAS to use a distributor. I don't have numbers handy, but I'd wager most of the breweries in town are over that number (Mash Tun and Tugboat being 2 known exceptions), so even if they did bottle I'd have to buy it from a distributor. One other related, minor issue is transportation. If they don't use a distributor they have to hire a driver, buy a truck/van, insure the driver and vehicle, and pay $3/gallon in gas to deliver it to us.

I work hard to support local breweries when they become available, and I'm proud that we were one of the first places to carry Alameda's beer and Hot Lips' soda (brewed by Roots), but the brewery has to do some legwork on their own before I have any choice in the matter.

Hopefully this clears up some of your questions regarding why we carry certain products and not others. If anyone has any more insight on this topic, especially brewers, I'd love to hear it. My knowledge is limited to what I've read from the OLCC regs and conversations I've had with a couple brewers in town, so I wouldn't be surprised if I got one or two facts wrong.

New Beers for Friday June 16, 2006

Just a one new beer today:

Fish Detonator Doppelbock : I haven't had this in a while, so I'll let the BeerAdvocates and RateBeerians describe it for you.


Have a good weekend!

Reason # 765 to love Portland

From Alt.Portland.com





Thanks for brightening my morning VJ!

Hawk's Sweet Amber Ale

This is the first and only batch of Barleywine ever released by Hawk's Brewing. It was brewed and bottled last August, but due to labeling issues it's been sitting in their warehouse conditioning since then. Written on the side of the box is "Big Ass X", which leads me to believe this was the original name of the beer, and probably explains why they couldn't get it approved. Now labeled as "Sweet Amber Ale" (and sporting an orange "retro" paper label that Hawk's is known for) it's being released just in time to toast the crew at Hawk's and wish Charlie and his family the best of luck.

It pours a deep coppery amber color with minimal head. The initial aromas of spicy hops and alcohol heat relent after a moment or two and reveal hints of caramel and sourdough bread. The aging becomes evident when you take a sip and the well attenuated, balanced flavors wash over your tongue. More spicy hops and smooth alcohol tingle meld with toffee/caramel flavors and lead to a burst of fruityness and heat at the swallow. The finish is long, spicy and surprisingly dry for a barleywine. Several minutes later I can still taste the hops.

All around I think this ranks up there with the better barleywines of the world, and I'd wager that a little more time in the cellar would unlock even more flavor and add to the mellow nature.

Thank you Charlie!

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Tags: beer, Belmont Station, Hawk's Brewing, Hawk's Sweet Amber Ale, barleywine

Blue Dot Pre-order Opportunity

Next Friday we will be receiving several cases of Blue Dot Double IPA from Hair of the Dog. This is the first batch available to anyone who wasn't at the H.O.T.D. Earth Day event and I can guarantee it will sell fast.

We are now accepting pre-orders for this beer. This is being treated as a special release and is not eligible for the case discount program, but if the Blue Dot becomes a regularly available beer we'll change this policy.

These bottles of beautifully hoppy nectar are going for $5.25 each or $63.00 per case.

| HOTD Homepage | BeerAdvocate.com | Ratebeer.com |

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Tags: beer, Belmont Station, Hair of the Dog, Blue Dot DIPA, Earth Day, ratebeer.com, beeradvocate.com

Case Discount Program

This is something we probably should have implemented years ago, but better late than never. Effective immediately, any pre-paid case orders will receive a 5% discount.

How does it work? It's simple. Call, email or stop in and place an order for one or more cases of beer. Pay for your order using cash, check, or Visa/Mastercard. Come back in three or four days - maybe less - and we'll have your case ready to pick up. If you're going to be traveling with the beer we'll hold it in our backstock area at 65 degrees, or we can keep it in the cooler so it's ready to drink when you pick it up.


Please note that we are the last link in the chain of beer distribution. If the distributor, importer, or brewery is out of beer there's very little we can do about it. We'll do our best to get you the beer you love in a timely manner, but occasionally there are delays in the process, especially with imported beer. Lastly, we reserve the right to exempt certain "limited release" beers from this program so that more people have a chance to try them.

Stupid Products for Stupid People

The Beer-O-Matic!

"With a touch of a button you have an ice cold beer delivered to your hand. These Retro style quality coolers bring a piece of 1950's classic flair into your Home, Dorm or Office. Great at parties! These are the coolest coolers you will find anywhere!
AC adapter and 12 volt car adapter included!

~Size: 15.25"x17"x22.4

~Price: $149.99

Why on earth would anyone spend $150 (plus shipping) for one of these things? For less than half the price you could purchase a dorm fridge that holds twice the beer yet takes up the same amount of space. A quick search on BestBuy.com yields this little Avanti unit for $69.99. It has roughly the same dimensions (17" x 17" x 20"), it uses thermoelectric cooling which eliminates the need for a noisy compressor, and it'll hold cans AND bottles; something the "Beer-o-matic" would have difficulty with.

I also like the tagline "Great at parties!" What? Sure, as long as you don't mind refilling it every couple of minutes.

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Tags: beer, Belmont Station, beer-o-matic, Best Buy, Avanti

Stone Vertical Epic Update

The Stone Vertical Epic - 06.06.06 - will not be here until somewhere around the 22nd or 23rd of June. I can't claim to be a logistics expert, but I'm confused as to how it can take 3 weeks for something to get from San Diego, CA to Portland, OR. According to Google, we're a whopping 1,083 miles from there, which means the beer is traveling at a staggering 90 miles a day. If anyone has a sports car they'll let me borrow I'll drive down there and pick some up...

Anyway, we're taking pre-orders for anyone who was looking to get 6 or more bottles. We're only going to get one shot at ordering before it sells out, and we'd like to make sure that everyone gets a chance to buy some, so anything we can do to gauge the demand will help insure we don't run out too quick.

Thanks for visiting, have a great weekend!

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Tags: beer, Belmont Station, Stone Brewing, Vertical Epic, 06.06.06, Google

New Beers For Friday June 9, 2006

Bison Golden Bock : Bison's spring seasonal has a rich, full body with a mild toasted malt flavor and spicy noble hop aroma. A long, cold aging process makes this lager extremely drinkable. At over 7% abv. This is no ordinary “spring” beer.

Lagunitas #10 : A refreshingly light, yet very complex flavor gives this one a very european 'Savoir Faire'. From Lagunitas Brewing: "The style of this one is tough to pinpoint--we rarely brew beers to fit any particular style. Saison is pretty close-- we used Westmalle yeast on a nice light ale, and the result is what we like to call an Uzbeki Raga Ale." Tony at Lagunitas calls this a "pumped-up version of our highly-touted Lagunator."

Butte Creek Cranberry Christmas BLOWOUT! : Don't let the word Christmas scare you, this beer is better suited to spring anyway. A tiny hint of tartness from the cranberries accents this light, refreshing pale ale. On sale for the unbelievable price of only $1.70 per 22oz bottle!


Dont forget, the North American Organic Brewers Festival runs from 12:00pm to 9:00pm tomorrow. See our previous post here.

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Tags: beer, Belmont Station, Bison Brewing, Lagunitas Brewing, Butte Creek Brewing, North American Organic Brewers Festival

Belmont Station gets noticed

OK, it's not the Old Grey Lady or anything, but we got a nice little mention in "The Green Guide" in their article on eco-friendly Father's Day gifts. Along with Patagonia shirts, boots made from recycled material, and portable solar panels, there's a suggestion to buy organic beer from us!

On the same topic, this month's issue of GQ magazine has a nice write up on Portland. We weren't specifically mentioned, but in the collage of photos you'll notice a display wall of beer that should look familiar to anyone who's been in our shop. I tried to find it on their site, but I think you'll have to subscribe or find a copy of the magazine to read the article.

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Tags: beer, Belmont Station, Portland, The Green Guide, Patagonia, GQ Magazine

New Beer For Friday June 2, 2006

After a quiet week here at the Station I've got a nice load of new things to let everyone know about. Without further ado, here's the list:

Rogue - Dad's lil Helper Malt Liquor Instead of giving Dad a tie or a tie-tack on Fathers Day (June 18th), give Dad a gift he can really enjoy, a 22-ounce bottle of a new beer from Rogue. This is a malt-liquor unlike any malt liquor Dad has ever had, and its dedicated to Dads everywhere!
"This ain't your Dad's malt liquor" - Brewmaster John Maier

Eel River - Triple Exultation Old Ale This strong, dark ale should appeal to those who like Arrogant Bastard and other high octane beers. Notes of dark fruit and alcohol battle for supremacy of your tongue, while a generous hop addition adds lingering bitterness to the finish.

Eel River - Raven's Eye Imperial Stout I sampled one of these last night and enjoyed it quite a bit, but it was late in the evening and my descriptive powers had left me. Instead, here's a quote from DarkElf (Ratebeer.com) which sums it up quite well, "Oh wow, this is an amazing beer! Roasty, sweet, smoky, massive chocolate, seemingly some oatmeal, moderate alcohol, and through it all, just mildly bitter, so this is like dessert for me. In fact, it tastes like a huge foreign stout because the bitterness is in the background. The nose is sweet, roasty, chocolaty, and alcoholic. Medium to full bodied, not thick or syrupy, but quite substantial and coating on the palate. Very dark brown, almost black in color with subsurface carbonation bubbles clinging to the glass. Topped by a thin but creamy tan head that fully coats the glass with a curtain of lace."

Fox Barrel - Hard Apple Cider Fox Barrel's cider is drier than most "large-production" ciders, with a full, well-rounded apple flavor and gentle puckering sourness in the finish. It's far superior to most macro ciders, for roughly the same price.

Fox Barrel - Hard Pear Cider The "perry" from Fox Barrel has a juicy pear aroma that bursts from the glass and leads into a well balanced pear/apple flavor. The pear flavor is much more natural than most perrys and the dry slightly sour finish compliments the juicyness quite well.

Elysian - Avatar Jasmine IPA The always inventive Elysian Brewery pushes the envelope with this IPA flavored with jasmine flowers. Avatar starts with a fresh, floral jasmine aroma that proceeds to creamy malt undertones and a lingering pungent finish from the jasmine.

Westmalle - Tripel This isn't really a new beer, but it's now available in beautifully silk-screened, corked 750ml bottles which are perfect for cellaring. I don't know if these are going to be regularly available, but we have a couple cases to tide us over for a while. Get them while you can.

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Tags: beer, Belmont Station, Rogue Ales, Eel River Brewing, Fox Barrel Cider, Elysian Brewing, Westmalle Trappist Brewery

North American Organic Brewers Festival

The first annual N.A.O.B.F. is being presented by Roots Organic Brewing Co. Join Craig and Jason as they help spread the gospel of organically produced beer.

Participating Breweries:

• Alameda
• Bill's Tavern and Brewhouse
• Bison
• Butte Creek
• Cascade Lakes
• Fish
• Healthy Brew
• Lakefront
• Laurelwood
• Lucky Lab
• McMenamins Cornelius Pass and Concordia
• New Belgium
• Pelican
• Pinkus
• Redstone Mead
  
• Samuel Smith's
• Santa Cruz Mountain
• Ukiah

In addition to the beer there will be sustainable exhibitors, great food, a soda garden and kid's area, and live music from:

• _Orkestra
• Stumptown Jug Thumpers
• Baktune
• Vivid Curve
• Lefthand Monkey Wrench
• Adair Village
• Wow & Flutter

That's the "who" and the "what"; if you're still reading I suppose you want the rest of the details.

Where: World Forestry Center
When: Saturday, June 10, 2006 from 12-9 pm
Why: To drink great beer and raise money for the World Forestry Center, Oregon Tilth, Oregon Food Bank, and My Father's House Shelter
How Much: $4.00 admission and $1.00 per taster - While $4.00 is pretty reasonable, you can save even more money and receive $1 off if you do any of the following:

Bring 3 cans of food for the Oregon Food Bank
Bring a current MAX ticket and show your support for mass transit
Bring a World Forestry Center Ticket (presumably from the same day, but the flyer doesn't specify)

I don't know if you can receive multiple discounts for riding the MAX and bringing canned food, but it wouldn't hurt to try.

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Tags: beer, Belmont Station, North American Organic Brewers Festival, Roots Brewing, Alameda Brewing, Bison Brewing, Butte Creek Brewing, Cascade Lakes Brewing, Fish Brewing, Healthy Brew, Lakefront Brewing, Laurelwood Brewing, Lucky Lab, McMenamins Brewing, New Belgium Brewing, Pelican Pub and Brewery, Pinkus Organic Brewing, Redstone Meadery, Samuel Smith's Brewery, Santa Cruz Mountain Organic Brewing, Ukiah Brewing, _Orkestra, Stumptown Jug Thumpers, Baktune, Vivid Curve, Lefthand Monkey Wrench, Adair Village, Wow & Flutter, World Forestry Center, Oregon Tilth, Oregon Food Bank, My Father's House Shelter