Sad News For PDX: Rose and Raindrop to Close

The following breaking news was just posted to the Oregon Brew Crew listserv:

---

"We're doing the BJCP classes at Rose and Raindrop this year and I got terrible news from Tom Field last night:


Tom found out on Tuesday that he's lost his lease as of December 31st this year. The landlord informed him that someone made an offer that's roughly double what he's paying. The landlord can't tell him who's taking the space, but he was told it won't be a restaurant or bar anymore. Apparently it's to be renovated/gutted and turned into something else.


All of this means no more Rose and Raindrop after December 31st. As a beer community, we should do what we can to make Tom's and R&R's last several months as prosperous as possible. Tom will likely go into another venture, but that's to be determined.


All in all, a bad day for Portland (and not just for the beer community)."

- Bill Schneller, Oregon Brew Crew Member

---

Wow...I don't even know what to say at this point other than to agree with Bill; if this situation is truly unavoidable then we should all do what we can to make sure the place goes out with a bang.

If there are any further developments to the story we'll be sure to keep you updated.

---

Tags: Beer, Portland, Oregon, Rose and Raindrop, Oregon Brew Crew

Washington Brewers Guild Cask Festival

It's a little outside the scope of Portland events, but this is definitely worth the drive.

WASHINGTON CASK FESTIVAL

The Washington Cask Beer Festival returns to the Seattle Center Fisher Pavilion on Saturday, October 14th, 2006. The event is a major highlight of the Pacific Northwest beer festival scene, featuring many one-of-a-kind handcrafted cask-conditioned beers from more than 40 of the region's most innovative microbreweries.

Hours:

Session 1: 12-4pm
Session 2: 6-10pm

NOTE: Separate tickets required for each session.

Admission gate closes 45 minutes before closing & taps close 30 minutes before closing of each session.


Admission Info:

$40 at door/$35 advance - Designated driver admission $5 available at door only

Admission includes a commemorative tasting cup and all beer tastes. Separate tickets required for each session. Advance tickets available now at Ticket Web and at select outlets. Cash and checks only at door. 21+ ONLY. ID’s will be checked at door.

The beer list isn't finalized yet, but here's what they've got lined up so far:


Anacortes Brewing; Anancortes, WA: Espresso Porter, Fresh Hop IPA
Big Time Brewing; Seattle, WA: Scarlet Fire IPA, Spencer's ESB
Boundary Bay Brewing; Bellingham, WA: Harvest Ale
Diamond Knot Brewing; Mukilteo, WA: XXX IPA, 2006 Herbert's Legendary Ale
Elliott Bay Brewing; Seattle, WA: Hop Harvest, Vanilla Bourbon Stout
Elysian Brewing; Seattle, WA: Elysian Fields Pale , The Wise ESB
Fish Tale Ales; Olympia, WA: Winterfish
Flyers Restaurant & Brewery; Oak Harbor, WA: Afterburner IPA Mach 2, Pacemaker Porter
Georgetown Brewing; Seattle, WA: Chopper's Red
Hale's Ales Brewery; Seattle, WA: Double Herbert's, O'Brien's Harvest
Harmon Brewing; Tacoma, WA: Braveheart Scottish Ale
Heads Up Brewing; Silverdale, WA: Bi-Polar IPA
Issaquah Brewhouse, Issaquah, WA: Hoppy Frog IPA
Leavenworth Beers; Olympia, WA: Hodgson's IPA
Mac & Jack's Brewery; Redmond, WA: Anise Wheat, Black Pepper IPA
Maritime Pacific Brewing; Seattle, WA: Bosun's Black, X.P.A
McMenamin's Brewery; Seattle, WA: Sleepy Hollow Nut Brown
Pike Brewing; Seattle, WA: Naughty Nellie
Pizza Port Brewing; Carlsbad, CA: Wetlands IPA
Pizza Port Brewing; San Clemente, CA: Riptide IPA
Pizza Port Brewing; San Marcos, CA: High Tide
Pizza Port Brewing; Solana, CA: Low Tide Pale Ale
Pyramid Breweries; Seattle, WA: Snow Cap
Ram/Big Horn Brewing; Puyallup, WA: Dry Hopped IPA, South Hill Saison
Ram/Big Horn Brewing; Seattle, WA: Rambeaux, Slapshot Stout
Redhook Brewing; Woodinville, WA: ESB (The Original) , Double Black Stout
Rock Bottom Brewery; Bellevue, WA: Bourbon Barrel Stout
Rogue Ales; Newport, OR: Brewer Ale, Hop Heaven
Scuttlebutt Brewing; Everett, WA: Anthony's Nutbrown, Sequoia Red ESB
Silver City Brewing; Silverdale, WA: X Anniversary Ale, Whoop Pass IPA
Snoqualmie Falls Brewing; Snoqualmie, WA: Blackberry Porter
Water Street Brewing, Port Townsend, WA Big Phat Morning Wood

The BIG suprise (at least for me) is seeing the Redhook Double Black Stout. I can't remember the last time I had that glorious beer. I just hope it's as good as I recall because I'd hate to sully the memory.

Oregon Breweries at the GABF

From the Oregon Brewers Guild:

2006 marks the 25th Anniversary of the Great American Beer Festival:
15 Oregon Brewers Guild members will be in attendance

Portland, OR – September 22 – The 25th Anniversary of the Great American Beer Festival will be September 28th through September 30th 2006 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colorado. The 25th Great American Beer Festival will be the Guinness World Record Holder for most beers tapped in one location. With 1,650 beers on tap, it will be biggest selection of American beers ever gathered at one place together on the globe.

Sixteen Oregon Brewers Guild member breweries have been selected to be on the festival floor. Representing the Guild are Alameda Brewhouse, Barley Brown's Brew Pub, BJ’s Restaurant and Brewery, BridgePort Brewing Company, Cascade Lakes Brewing Company, Deschutes Brewery, Full Sail Brewing Company, Full Sail Brewing at River Place, Laurelwood Public House and Brewery, Ninkasi Brewing Company, Pelican Pub & Brewery, Pyramid Breweries, Ram Restaurant and Big Horn Brewery – Salem, Rogue Ales, Steelhead Brewery – Eugene and Widmer Brothers Brewing Company.

Oregon Brewers Guild members have had great success at the Great American Beer Festival with Pelican Pub and Brewery winning the 2005 Small Brewpub of the year and their brewmaster Darron R. Welch winning the Small Brewpub Brewer of the year. In 2004, Widmer Brothers Brewing was named Mid-size Brewery of the Year and Kurt Widmer named Mid-size Brewmaster of the Year. In 2002, Widmer Brothers Brewing was named Mid-size Brewery of the Year and Kurt Widmer named Mid-size Brewmaster of the Year. Also in 2002, B.J.’s Restaurant and Brewery - Portland was named Large Brewpub of the Year, with Dan Pedersen winning Large Brewpub Brewmaster of the Year.

---

Tags: Beer, Oregon, Oregon Brewers Guild

Oregon Brewers Up 24% in First Half of 2006

From the Oregon Brewers Guild:

OREGON BREWERS UP 24% THE FIRST HALF OF 2006:
Guild members double the national growth average

Portland, OR – September 22 - Oregon Brewers Guild members beer production grew at a rate of nearly 24 percent in the first half of 2006 compared to the same period in 2005.

“Oregon’s craft brewers are growing faster than the exceptional growth rate of the craft beer industry as a whole,” said Brian Butenschoen, Executive Director of the Oregon Brewers Guild. “In 2006 Oregon brewers are projected to double the national craft beer growth rate.” The Brewers Association has reported that the volume of craft beer sold in the first half of 2006 rose 11 percent compared to the same period in 2005.

This will be the third consecutive year that Oregon’s brewers have shown production growth in the double digits. Oregon’s craft brewers production grew 16 percent in 2005 and 11 percent in 2004. In 2005, craft beer production in the United States (U.S.) grew 9 percent and in 2004 it rose by 7 percent.

“The strong performance by established craft breweries and brewpubs and the increased diversity of packaged beer brands has driven the double digit increase in growth.” said Brian Butenschoen. “Oregon is the second largest producer of craft beer in the U.S., four of the top 10 craft brewing companies make beer here and five of the 50 largest brewing companies in the U.S. are based in Oregon.”

The volume of beer sold in Oregon was up 3% the first half of 2006. In 2005, the volume of beer sold increased less than one percent. In 2004, the volume of beer sold increased 3%.

The Portland metro area is the largest craft brewing market in the U.S. It is the only area to sell more than 1,000,000 cases of craft brewed beer in 2005 according to Information Resources Inc. Portland, Oregon has 30 microbreweries within its city limits which is more than any other city in the world. Oregon is home to 79 breweries.

1,000,000 cases of craft beer!?! You make me proud to live in Oregon!

---

Tags: Beer, Oregon, Oregon Brewers Guild

More Haiku For You

Sometimes technology is wonderful. Yesterday's haiku post apparently generated some traffic over at beerhaikudaily.com, which presumably caused Captain Hops to check out our blog. He was evidently inspired by the picture of Haystack Rock I posted earlier this week and composed a haiku to accompany it. His post sent traffic back this way and thanks to our stat tracking software I was able to follow the threads and see his latest work.

It's a Matter of Perspective:

drinking a tall stout

can put things in perspective

when you’ve reached land’s end

---

Tags: Beer, Oregon, Beer Haiku, Captain Hops, technology

Concordia Ale House Special Event

A reliable source just informed me that the Concordia Ale House will be tapping a keg of Bend Brewing Hop Head on Thursday September 28 at 5:00 p.m.

As far as I know, this is the first batch of Hop Head to be brewed by Tanya Cornett, the new Brewster down at Bend Brewing, and preliminary reports seem to indicate that it's very, very good.


In other news, they'll be hosting more "Meet the Brewer" nights in the coming months. Dates and times haven't been finalized yet, but at this point the line-up is as follows:

October - Jamie Floyd of Ninkasi Brewing
November - Stone Brewing - I don't know who's coming up for this one...
December - Tanya Cornett of Bend Brewing

Stay tuned for more details as they become available.

---

Tags: Beer, Portland, Oregon, Concordia Ale House, Bend Brewing, Ninkasi Brewing, Stone Brewing

Back to Nature Brewing

The folks over at BS Brewing posted this on their "Champagne of Blogs". It's an entertaining and informative article about brewing a batch of home brew while camping on the Metolius. Seems like a great idea as long as you have a rock solid filter to clean the water first. Regular old camping will never be the same again. Read the full story right here.

Who needs a wort chiller when you have the frigid Metolius river?

---

On a related note, today's Beer Haiku :

Cold breezy whisper
but I got fire and beer
and stars in the sky

According to the author, this poem was inspired by the quote, "Without beer, camping is just sleeping in the woods.” The BS Brewing crew took that sentiment to another level.

---

Tags: Beer, Oregon, BS Brewing, home brew

Beautiful Beer, Beautiful Weather

My parents are in town for a couple days, and we decided to take them on a whirlwind tour of Crater Lake and the coast over the weekend. It was a great trip, and the time off was much-needed, but I'm glad to be home.

What does this have to do with beer? Not much (my parents don't really drink), but I did convince them to stop at the Pelican Brewery yesterday so they could snap a couple pictures of Haystack Rock and I could have a beer. The weather was about as perfect as you can get on the coast, and the beer was just what I needed to sustain me for the final leg of the journey.

---

---

Tags: Beer, Oregon, Pelican Brewery, Haystack Rock

Hop Dive at Weather's Farm

Mmmmmm, hops....

This was recorded yesterday at Weather's Hop Farm near Kaiser, OR. John Harris, brewmaster for Full Sail, treated roughly 40 industry folks to a day of drinking interspersed with tours of a couple Oregon hop farms. Near the end of the tour we were shown the baling area (where mountains of dry hops await their journey up one last conveyer belt before getting squeezed into huge bales for shipment) and our tour guide was explaining that the piles were actually quite dangerous because people could get sucked into the pile and suffocate, similar to corn silos. This prompted a couple people to ask if they could "dive in", to which the guide said, "umm...ok?!?"

Next thing you know 3 hopheads decided to take the plunge. They quickly discovered that being sucked into the hops was a very real possibility; you'll notice that two of them needed help to crawl out from the pile.

If you've ever dreamed of swimming in a sea of hops here's a glimpse...

---

If the video doesn't work copy and paste this into your address bar...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixNaYTDxNLc

---

Tags: Beer, Oregon, hops, hop dive, hop farm, Full Sail Brewing, YouTube

Organic Beer Sale

The Belmont Street Fair is tomorrow and since it's "theme" is local sustainability and community we thought it would be good to highlight some of our wonderful organic beers. By using organically grown ingredients and eschewing harmful chemicals in the brewhouse, organic brewers are leading a revolution in taste and helping the Earth at the same time.

I've heard complaints from people that "all organic beer tastes the same", which may have been semi-accurate years ago when the choice of OG malts was limited, but now that there's a much wider variety of organic ingredients available brewers are able to do justice to any style they choose. Add to that the ever increasing supply of organic hops (mainly from New Zealand) and suddenly you have beers like Butte Creek's Revolution X, an organic hop monster that holds it's own against the best of the west coast. If you had a bad experience in the past with one of the "original" organic beers I highly encourage you to give them another shot; your body, and the Earth, will thank you.

That's enough rambling for now, on to the sales...

Bison Organic IPA - Reg. Price $8.50/6pk Sale Price $6.95/6pk


Bison Organic Chocolate Stout - Reg. Price $8.50/6pk Sale Price $6.95/6pk


Eel River Organic Porter - Reg. Price $8.50/6pk Sale Price $6.95/6pk


Fish Tale Organic IPA - Reg. Price $8.50/6pk Sale Price $6.95/6pk


Fish Tale Organic Amber Ale - Reg. Price $8.50/6pk Sale Price $6.95/6pk


Pinkus Organic Hefe Weizen - Reg. Price $3.75/btl Sale Price $2.75/btl


Pinkus Organic Alt Bier - Reg. Price $3.75/btl Sale Price $2.75/btl


Pinkus Organic Pils - Reg. Price $3.75/btl Sale Price $2.75/btl


In other (non-organic) news:

Elysian beer sale: The Immortal IPA, Wise ESB, Perseus Porter, and Dragonstooth Stout are all on sale. Reg. Price $3.95/btl Sale Price $2.95/btl

Stone 10th Anniversary IPA: We're down to roughly 9 cases out of 35 or so that we started with, and we only have one 3Ltr bottle left. If you've been debating whether or not to pick up some of this we're rapidly approaching the point where it'll be gone and the decision will have been made for you.

---

Tags: Beer, Belmont Station, Belmont Street Fair, Bison Brewing, Eel River Brewing, Fish Brewing, Pinkus Brewery, Elysian Brewing, Stone Brewing

New Arrivals For Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2006

Notes on these should be coming as soon as my liver recovers from the weekend...


St. Bernardus - Abt 12 (Special 60th Anniversary Edition):

Radermacher - Rader Ambree:

Radermacher - Rader Blonde:

Van Den Bossche - Buffalo (belgian stout):

---

Tags: Beer, Belmont Station, Brouwerij Van Den Bossche, St. Bernardus, Radermacher

New Arrivals For Friday, Sept 1, 2006

Today we received our first Argentinian beers from Cervecia Jerome. It's an artisanal Belgian-style brewery located in the heart of the Andes that draws it's water from a pure mountain spring. These guys are either brand new, or really tough to get, because neither of the big beer sites has more than couple reviews. I'll try and get some homework done tongiht and fill you all in ASAP.

Jerome - Diablo: (english style strong ale) Commercial Description "A beer of great personality, strong flavour of malt, clear, dark brown due to high levels of toasted malt. Mildly hopped to retain the malty character. Flavours of chocolate and almonds with a full mouth feel to finish."

Jerome - Roja: (amber ale) Commercial description: "Of great character, very bitter and has a strong toasted candy flavor. Of a long-lasting, spicy and fruity mouth finish. Dark amber with a light head."

Jerome - Rubia: (golden ale) Commercial description: "Soft palate, delicate bitterness, and balanced malt flavor. Intense golden color, bright and clear. Creamy head and vanilla mouth finish."

Jerome - Negra: (porter) Commercial description: "Complex character of dried fruits and raisins and a sweet bouquet of coffee, truffles, and chocolate. Great body and soft mouth finish. Black pearl color and creamy foam."


I think that's it, have a safe and wonderful holiday weekend!

---

Tags: Beer, Belmont Station, Cervecia Jerome