Hop Harvest Release @ BridgePort featuring Musical Brewmaster

Here it is straight from BridgePort:


"BRIDGEPORT BREWING COMPANY RELEASEs its 2008 HOP harvest ale on September 12
The Brew that Launched BridgePort’s 22-Ounce Big Brew Series is Back, Taste the New Brew and Celebrate Hop Harvest with BridgePort on Sept. 12


PORTLAND, Ore. – August 28, 2008 – BridgePort Brewing Company, Oregon's oldest craft brewery, is releasing its 2008 Hop Harvest Ale. This year’s brew is a triple hopped imperial style ale made from fresh cone Centennial hops. Hop Harvest Ale was the first brew in BridgePort’s 22-ounce Big Brew series that launched a year ago. To date the BridgePort Big Brew series includes the 12th edition of the barley wine style ale, Old Knucklehead, it’s first berry fruit infused ale, Stumptown Tart, and an Imperial IPA, Hop Czar.


BridgePort’s Hop Harvest Celebration September 12 features live music by BridgePort’s brewmaster, Karl Ockert, and band.

Join BridgePort on Friday, September 12 from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. at the BridgePort brewpub + bakery in the Pearl at 1313 NW Marshall St. Taste this year’s Hop Harvest Ale and listen to live music from the BridgePort Reunion Band, a bluegrass and acoustic folk band featuring BridgePort’s very own brewmaster, Karl Ockert, on the ukulele. BridgePort will also tap a 2007 vintage Hop Harvest Ale keg for guests to sample. BridgePort’s Hop Harvest Celebration is free and open to the public.


About Hop Harvest and BridgePort’s Hop Harvest Ale

The harvest for each variety of hops is limited and lasts only two to three days, making BridgePort’s Hop Harvest Ale even more unique due to its special brewing process and limited availability.




This year’s Hop Harvest Ale is an imperial style, amped up version of BridgePort’s Blue Heron. BridgePort mashed in their brew at 6 a.m. then drove to B & C Hop Farms in Woodburn, Ore. to pick up 250 pounds of fresh cone Centennial Hops. Within two hours the fresh hops were added to the hot brew on its way to the fermenter. The fresh cones steep in the beer giving it a complete charge of fresh hop flavor.



With 2,500 cases produced, this year’s limited edition Hop Harvest Ale can be found on tap at BridgePort brewpub + bakery, BridgePort Ale House and will be sold at retail grocery stores throughout Oregon and Washington while supplies last.



BridgePort’s Hop Harvest Ale Stats:

IBU’s: 70

ABV: 7.0%

Color: Reddish

Ingredients: Pale, Chocolate and Carmel Malts. Oregon Cluster Hops for bitterness and freshly harvested Centennial Hops for flavor and aroma.

Description: This triple hopped ale is a bottle conditioned Imperial Style Ale. The fresh green Centennial Hops add floral overtones reminiscent of citrus fruits. Pleasingly strong fresh hop aroma, with good malt tones.



About BridgePort Brewing Company

As Oregon's oldest craft brewery, BridgePort is celebrating its 24th anniversary this year. The brewery has reached this milestone by evolving from a microbrewery to a regional leader in the craft brewing market, while remaining faithful to its commitment to producing high-quality, innovative craft ales. The BridgePort family of ales includes IPA, ESB, Black Strap Stout, Ropewalk Amber Ale, Blue Heron Pale Ale, Old Knucklehead and seasonal beers, Beertown Brown, Haymaker Extra Pale Ale and Ebenezer Ale. BridgePort Brewery is located at 1313 N.W. Marshall St. For more information, call 503-241-7179 or visit www.bridgeportbrew.com."


The big dogs at BridgePort Brewing, Jeff Edgerton (with hop masher tool) and Karl Ockert jack in the fresh Centennial whole cone hops.


BridgePort's new fresh hop beer will be different than in years past but promises to be just as tasty.

All pictures (except beer label image) by Angelo M. De Ieso II

The Russians Invade Portland

No, not THOSE Russians, I'm talking about Russian River Pliny The Elder and Blind Pig IPA from Santa Rosa, CA. We're only getting 3 cases of each. Yes, 3. That's a mere 72 bottles, and given the ridiculous number requests we've gotten (don't forget, we brew some tasty IPAs in Oregon too!) the boss decided to limit this allotment to one bottle of each variety per person. I realize it's less than ideal, but a little Pliny is better than no Pliny, and if we didn't restrict it some hop-crazed fiend (like me) would come and snatch it all up.

The beer will go on sale this afternoon at 5:30, so come on down after work and help fend off the invasion. If you're here between 6-8 you can also try samples of Meantime IPA and London Porter, listen to Alistair Hook (owner of Meantime) speak about his brewery, and grab a couple bottles on sale if you dig 'em.

See you tonight!

Don't Forget! Supplication Tapping @ 5pm

Just a quick reminder about our "Puckerfest Flashback" this evening. We'll be tapping kegs of Russian River Supplication and Walking Man Blootvoeste Bruin, both of which arrived too late to be included in the regular Puckerfest line up. With any luck we'll also have a couple other treats like Cantillon St. Lamvinus and New Belgium Lip's of Faith Sour Peach still on tap.

See you at 5!

Dogfish Head Expands/Announces New Brews

Dogfish Head Brewery of Milton, Delaware has recently expanded. Now with more fermentation tanks (this means more beer), a state of the art HVAC/humidity control system, and completely re-vamped their tour program with a remodeled tasting room for regular sampling hours and more free tours throughout the week!

With these changes, the brewery is pleased to announce two exciting new brews soon to hit the U.S. market.

Theobroma

To be released in September '08 (750ml bottles in limited quantities), Theobroma is, according to the brewer "based on chemical analysis of pottery fragments found in Honduras which revealed the earliest known alcoholic chocolate drink used by early civilizations to toast special occasions. The discovery of this beverage pushed back the earliest use of cocoa for human consumption more than 500 years to 1200 BC." Theobroma (translated as 'food of the gods') is a 10% abv brew made with Aztecan cocoa powder and cocoa nibs (from Askinosie Chocolate), honey, chilies, and annatto (fragrant tree seeds).

For more information on Dogfish Head's Theobroma click HERE
.

Old Odense Ale

Dogfish Head owner/brewer Sam Calagione teamed up with Danish brewer Anders Kissmeyer of Nørrebro Bryghus in Copenhagen.
Sam and Anders' beer is a traditional Dane-style brew that they discovered on an obscure web page with a translation of a 15th Century gruit ale recipe from the town of Odense. The beer's ingredients include pale and dark barley malt, oats, fine syrup, smoked dark syrup, fir branches and fir bark, wood sage, hyssop, blackthorn berries, woodruff and star spice. The beer is said to be amazingly sour due to the potent 'herbal juice' hand squeezed into the kettles during the boil. The label will describe the beer as an "ale brewed with maple syrup and herbs.” It is said that the Odense style is somewhat like a Belgian Lambic beer, but defies all categories of commonly known beer. Shelton Bros. is importing limited cases of the beer to the U.S. (Chris save me one, bro!)

For more information on Old Odense click HERE

Silver Moon Comes to Portland

Bottles from Silver Moon Brewing in Bend, OR are now available at Belmont Station! What started as a home brew supply shop has slowly blossomed over the last couple of years into a full-on craft brewery. They've started by bringing us their Hefeweizen, Porter, and Amber in 22oz bottles. I haven't had a chance to sample any of their offerings yet, but I'll try them this weekend and report back soon.

I would have posted a crappy camera-phone pic, but as luck would have it my phone just died. I'll post a picture after it recharges.