Fun New Features

You may have noticed a couple new things on the right sidebar ----->


ClustrMaps Graphic User Map - This cool little applet keeps track of the IP address for most incoming visitors and updates the map every night to show where you came from. It's taken a couple days for the map to become peppered with dots, but before long it'll look like Dick Cheney's hunting partner. I was surprised by the number of international visitors we get, which led me to this...

The AltaVista Babelfish Translator - After seeing several incoming visitors from foreign countries I thought, "Hmmm, I wonder if I can find a translator?" Sure enough, AltaVista's Babelfish came to the rescue. Click on one of the little flags and watch the page magically translate to German, French, Italian, and several other languages. I don't have any control over which languages they offer, but I apologize if your preferred tongue isn't included.

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Tags: blog features, clustrmaps, babelfish, Belmont Station

T-minus 28 hours til the OBF

Just a quick note to remind everyone that the OBF opens on THURSDAY this year. Tickets to the opening night are limited to 5000 people, so if they haven't sold out already you'd best get a move on.

Also tomorrow night, the Concordia Ale House is having their first annual "Imperial Fest" featuring at least 12 imperial "monster beers". $10 gets you a puunch card good towards 6 samples and a pint of your choosing.

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Tags: Beer, Portland, Oregon, Oregon Brewers Festival, Concordia Ale House

Missing Posts...

For some reason the "Previous Posts" section (on the right sidebar) has disappeared. I don't recall making any template changes that could have affected it, but I'll just assume it's my screw-up at this point. The search box on the upper right will work for finding old posts, just be sure to click the "belmont station" button so that it searches our site and not the entire web. I'll try and get the old posts to show up again, but in the meantime feel free to contact me if you're looking for something in particular.

~Drunken Webmaster

EDIt 11:18AM - OK, apparently I DID screw something up last week. I'm not sure how, but the bottom third of my blog template got deleted, which caused a plethora of problems on the page. It's all fixed except for the "RSS feed" buttons and technorati stuff, and it should be fully repaired this afternoon. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Follow-up to Friday and Other New Things

Bison Organic Farmhouse Ale: This Belgian-style farmhouse ale (aka "Saison") is an incredibly faithful reproduction of the style. It uses a sour mash to impart some gentle sourness and acidity to the flavor which compliments the subtle spicyness and sparkling carbonation. The use of organic columbus hops from New Zealand (instead of one of the traditional "noble" hops) adds a slight citrusy twist to the beer. The yeast in this beer has worked hard, driving the abv. up to 8% and and creating a bone-dry, supremely refreshing finish. If you like Saison DuPont you really ought to try this beer. As an added bonus it comes in half-liter swing top bottles which can be refilled like miniature growlers at many local breweries. $5.70/500ml bottle

ReaperAle's Redemption Red: This is an excellent hoppy red. Not too bitter, not too tame, not too strong. Lively, fruity hop flavors intermingle with a complex maltiness highlighted by caramel, toffee and "crusty bread" flavors. In the finish it's fairly smooth, with just the right amount of bite to make you go back for more.


Avery Samael: I haven't had this monster of a beer yet, but it seems anything over 10% is bound to be a "love it" or "hate it" beer, and this demon approaches 15%. I checked out the beer geek sites to get some reviews and found some truly classic descriptions; this is my favorite:

"When I took my first sip of this, I let out a loud "F$@K"! This beer took me by surprise, I knew I was getting something strong, but not this. This is closet thing to brandy that a beer can get. The feel is thick, velvety and sticky. A strong aroma of caramel, toffee, and candy sugar prepares you for the taste of many flavors of candied sugar, molasses, raisins, pine and spice. Be careful, drink this slowly. It's worth every penny." ~Palidor19


Scaldis Prestige: Somehow we managed to get 12 more bottles of this impossibly good Belgian nectar. It's not cheap, but then again perfection comes at a price.

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Tags: Beer, Belmont Station, Bison Brewing, ReaperAles, Avery Brewing, Scaldis

New Brew for Friday July 21, 2006

We got a handful of new adult beverages for your sampling pleasure. NOTE: I'll be adding descriptions to these (if possible) in a little while, I just wanted to get this posted early in case anyone reads this before stopping in.


Bison Organic Saison:

ReaperAles Redemption Red:

ReaperAles Ritual Dark Ale:

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Tags: Beer, Belmont Station, New Brew, Bison Brewing, Reaper Ales

Inflatable Pubs? Heck Yeah!

From the "What will they think of next" dept:

"Designed and built by Airquee Ltd, The pub is the latest development from Andi Francis, who also created the worlds first Inflatable Church. The pub is 40ft long, 19ft wide and 22ft high. It can be customised for use as a fully working pub, with room for a bar and 30 customers."

Oh man, I've got to get one of these. I don't know what I'd do with it, but I need one.

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Tags: Beer, Inflatable Pub, Airquee Ltd

Maharaja Returns!

Anyone who's read the blog for a while knows I love this beer, and I'm happy to have it here this weekend so I can drown out the heat with ridiculous amounts of hops. Here's my review of it from last time it was in stock, and here's a picture I took capturing my neighborhood through this golden elixir.

We managed to snag enough from this release that we won't have to restrict purchase quantities, but as popular as this beer is you probably shouldn't wait too long to get down here.

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Tags: Beer, Belmont Station, Avery, Maharaja

Beat the Heat with Some Wheat!

It's going to be freaking hot this weekend, so we've loaded up the cooler with tasty, refreshing wheat beers. In addition to our already wide selection we brought in several cases of Franziskaner Hefe on sale and we're passing the savings on to you. This weekend Franziskaner six packs are on sale for only $7.95.


In addition to the Franziskaner, consider trying some of the other fine German beers in stock:

Paulaner: Their Hefe is nice and crisp, with less yeasty/banana/clove flavor than most.

Schneider: The Weisse and Organic Edel-Weisse are both amazing examples of the style. I had a regular Schneider Weisse last night and I'm always astonished by how thirst quenching this beer is.

Erdinger: This classic Hefe is smooth and light on the tongue, with only slight fruity esters coming into play.

Hirshbrau: The Hirschbrau Bavarian Wiesse has a nice citrusy component and light grassy hop notes for a slightly different take on the style.

Ayinger: Another classic German brewery with two solid Hefes in their line-up. The Brau-wiesse has lovely sparkling carbonation and a hint of vanilla and citrus to compliment the creamy wheat flavor. The Ur-Wiesse is an older style of Hefe containing a small portion of roasted barley for a slightly darker color and deeper flavor.

Stay cool, stay hydrated, and for the love of all things holy DON'T drown in the Sandy River this weekend!

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Tags: Beer, Franziskaner, Paulaner, Schneider, Erdinger, Der Hirshbrau, Ayinger

12th Annual Bones & Brew Festival, August 5-6

The 12th Annual Bones & Brew Festival is a great event. On the grill: My Brothers BBQ, Cousin Kenny's BBQ, Uncle Wally's BBQ, Big Daddy's BBQ and Smokin' Swine. Craft beers from Pelican, Raccoon Lodge, Track Town Ales, Laurelwood, Hair of the Dog, Roots, Amnesia, Issaquah Brewhouse and many more. Your $2.00 donation benefits the Oregon Food Bank. Enter at 15th and Glisan or 14th and Flanders.

Second Annual Great American Distillers Festival Saturday, July 22.

Over breakfast today, I noticed a little announcement tucked in the newspaper. As I appreciate cocktail hour (and practice it faithfully), it was great news to me. This Saturday you can enjoy live music while sipping drinks from awesome micro-distilleries. They'll have BBQ brisket, gourmet cheeses and chocolates, too. Saturday, July 22, from 11 AM to 9 PM. On the corner of 14th and Flanders.

By the way, ever tried Rogue Rum? I had to ignore my past not-so-great associations with rum and get some, and Rogue Rum is impressive. Not only is it highly complex and definitely yum, it follows the adage, "think locally, act globally", or as Mike Hale once coined, "DRINK locally..." Always a good thing.

Brewfest Mugs & Tokens on Sale Now

Mugs and tokens for the Oregon Brewers Festival are now on sale at Belmont Station. They will also be available at Liquid Solutions, 12162 SW Scholls Ferry Rd, Tigard; Raccoon Lodge & Brewpub, 7424 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy; Widmer Bros Brewing Co, 929 N Russell; MacTarnahan’s Taproom, 2730 NW 31st Ave; and Rogue Ales Public House, 1339 NW Flanders. Why buy in advance? It will save you from one line at the festival.

Mugs $4.00 (One-time purchase, good throughout the event) .
Tokens $1.00
1 token = Taster
4 tokens = Fills your mug
Tokens are non-refundable.
It's okay to use last year’s tokens; OBF tokens can be used at future OBFs.

Oaks Bottom + H.O.T.D. = Yum!

On Monday, July 31, the Oaks Bottom Public House will be hosting the next in their series of monthly beer/food pairing dinners. The featured brewery for this event will be Portland's own Hair of the Dog.

Here's the announced menu:

First Course:
~Bruschetta with Grilled Scallops and Fire-Roasted Tomato Tapenade accompanied by Greg, an organic pumpkin ale brewed especially for Higgins Restaurant.

Second Course:
~Wilted Frisse Salad with Pancetta, Caramelized Sweet Onions and L.S.D. Honey Mustard Vinaigrette paired with Fred, a strong golden ale.

Third Course:
~House-smoked Rack of Lamb with a Piedmont Salsa Verde and Garlic Potato Gratin matched with Blue Dot Double IPA.
-OR-
~Grilled Wild Chinook Salmon topped with a Roasted Red Pepper Pesto and
Herbed Orzo Salad served with Rose, a Belgian-Style Tripel brewed with Beats and Red Peppercorns.

Fourth Course:
Goat and Sheep Cheeses from Black Sheep and Blue Rose creameries accompanied by Fred from
the Wood

Dessert:
Unleashed Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Sauce from Mes Amis Bakery paired with HOTD's flagship beer Adam.

There's also the possibility of some bonus beers!

Tickets are $50.00 each and seating is limited to 40 so don't delay!

Oaks Bottom Public House
1621 SE Bybee
Portland, OR 97202 <--click for map
503-232-1728

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Tags: Beer, Oaks Bottom Public House, Hair of the Dog Brewing

Special Events @ Concordia Ale House

The Concordia Ale House is having a special tasting event as a "pre-PIB" kick-off. The tasting is presented and hosted by the folks at Artisanal Imports and will be featuring numerous beers from their portfolio, including a few slated to be at the festival.

Here's the details:

Who: Concordia Ale House and Artisanal Imports (and all of you)
What: Tasting event featuring beers from Urthel, St. Bernardus, Konigshoeven (La Trappe), and more....
When: Wednesday July 12, 2006 from 6pm til ???
Where: Concordia Ale House - 3276 NE Killingsworth St <--click for map
Why: You need a reason to drink free beer?!?
How Much: FREE!

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Tags: Beer, Belmont Station, Concordia Ale House, Artisanal Imports, PIB

150th Birthday party at the Horse Brass

EDIT: FRIDAY 7/7/06: Notice the change in date. I mis-posted the original date. The party is in fact on Sunday July 9th. Sorry for the mix up...


On Sunday, July 9, there will be a special celebration at the Horse Brass. Don Younger (owner of the Brass and local beer god), Lisa Morrison (esteemed local beer scribe), and Scott Willis (co-owner of Point Blank Dist.) will be celebrating their combined 150th birthday. I don't want to offend any of them so you'll just have to ask them yourself how old each of them is....

Here's some more details courtesy of Lisa:

"The fun actually begins at the Horse Brass at about 11 a.m. when they roll out the big-screen and put on the World Cup finals. Should be a good one. The birthday party starts at about 5:30-6 p.m. Not sure when the band will start playing.

All proceeds from beer and food sales that day go to the Glen Hay Falconer
Scholarship Foundation, even the sales from watching the World Cup that
morning.

We have about 100 very special, limited-edition silicone wristbands. Buy one
for $5 and get $1 off your pints all day long. They are sure to be
collector's items! Be the first kid on the block to have one. I believe the
Horse Brass will be holding pre-sales of those before the party. Please check
with them if you are interested."

This should be an excellent party, and a great chance to mingle with some of the shining stars of the PDX beer galaxy. Show up early for the match or show up later for the music, just make sure you show up!

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Tags: Beer, Belmont Station, Horse Brass Pub, Glen Hay Falconer Foundation