Weekend Round-Up

Let me start by apologizing for the spotty content updates lately, it's hard to spend time sitting sitting in front of the computer when the last glorious days of Oregon summer are upon us. That said, here's your daily dose of new beers, local events, and maybe some random thoughts...

New Beers:

Coney Island - Freaktoberfest: If I had to describe this beer in one word it would be weird. Or maybe red. <--- That's actually a pretty close match. On first sight most folks would assume this is some sort of fruit beer with a frothy pink head, but there's no mention of fruit on the label. Served blind it comes across as a slightly roasty oktoberfest brew; malty and delicious with just enough hops to keep the sugar in check. Did I mention it was bright freaking red? It's been taking some heat from the ratebeerians for the use of food coloring and the supposed ABV of "6.66%", but trust me, the shock value alone when you pour this for your friends is worth the five bucks.

Elysian - Night Owl: The best pumpkin beer in the northwest is back. Ordinarily I'd give this one a high grade based on past experience, but this appears to be the first Elysian brew to come rolling out of New Belgium's facility, and I'll have to see how well the recipe scaled up to NBB's considerably larger system. I have faith that the people who put out La Folie won't dissapoint, but I expect some differences at least. More to come...

Lagunitas - Cappuccino Stout: Mmm...coffee and beer. The cap stout is a real winner in Lagunitas' seasonal bomber rotation. It's smooth, and just a little bit sweet, but there's a good dose of roasted coffee bitterness snuggled in the malty blanket.


Events and stuff:


Hop Harvest Release Party 9.12.08: Tonight marks the official release for Bridgeport's Hop Harvest fresh hop ale. Oddly enough, I can't find ANY information on Bridgeport's website, but my trusty assistant Neil informs me that it runs from 5-8, and that they're supposedly featuring a firkin of last years' Hop Harvest. The thought of all the precious lupulin trapped in a keg for a whole year makes me shudder, but I'm still going to have a pint.


SNOB Gathering @ Hopworks 9.13.08:

From Brian Butenschoen of the Oregon Brewer's Guild:

Open to new, renewing and current SNOB's and their significant others. Brewery tour @ 2:30. Raffle to be held during event. Special price on pints - let's you keep a special Oregon Brewers Guild pint glass. Hopworks Urban Brewery 2944 SE Powell 1-4p 503-232-HOPS

Ayinger Glass Night in the Biercafe 9.17.08: Join us on Wednesday from 5 until close as we kick off the Oktoberfest season. We'll be tapping a fresh and delicious keg of Ayinger Oktoberfest, and every pint purchased includes a complimentary glass. There's a chance that someone from Merchant du Vin (the importer) will be on hand to answer questions, but the boss is out of town so I can't confirm that.


Collaborator Release Party 9.17.08: Also next Wednesday, Concordia Ale House is hosting the next Collaborator release from 6-8pm. Go and be one of the first to try Double River Doppelweizen, Jeffry Fisher and Laurie Yadon's ode to Schneider Aventinus, courtesy of Ike Manchester at the Widmer Brothers Rose Quarter Brewery.


Oktoberfest Tasting in the Biercafe 9.18.08: Join us on Thursday from 5-8pm as we sample a wide range of Oktoberfest brews from home and abroad. We'll have several O'fest beers on tap in the cafe as well as free samples of as many bottled versions as we can scrounge up. Confirmed draughts at this point include Ayinger, Warsteiner, and Heater Allen, and there's a slim chance that Double Mountain's entriy will be ready in time.

Dogtoberfest @ The Lucky Lab 9.20.08: Bring your dirty dogs to the Lucky Lab between 11 and 5 and we promise to send them home squeaky clean! If you look closely, you may see a local celebrity doing the dirty work! In the meantime, kick back and enjoy lunch, a live band and a refreshing beverage. All proceeds benefit Dove Lewis.


One last random note: We have roughly 3 cases of Deschutes Dissident in stock. The 2 bottle per person limit will remain in effect through the weekend, but if we have any left on Monday it'll be open season.

I think that's about it for today. I'm going to head down to Bridgeport and try some fresh hopped love, and then the Pilsner Room for some of John Harris' ridiculously good Lupulin Ale.

Cheers!

...And Then There Were 9

First off, I apologize for the lack of posts recently. Maybe it was writer's block, or the weather, but for whatever reason I couldn't motivate myself to sit in front of the computer any more than I already have to.

However, today is a new day, and with it comes big news. After months of planning, designing, and lots of waiting, our new draught system is almost complete. We now have 9 tasty selections to whet your whistle, and with any luck we'll be up to 12 by the end of the week. We'll still continue to rotate through all your favorite locals and imports, and the added capacity will allow us to feature a broader range of styles at any given time.

We're also going to bring in some "forgotten favorites" on occasion; classic craft brews like Pike Pale Ale, Mad River Jamaica Red, and Rogue Imperial IPA that you may not have had in a while.

It's all a work in progress as far as styles and selections, but if there's anything in particular you'd like to see on tap please leave a comment or mention it to the bartender next time you're in the cafe. With that, here's the list...

On tap as of now:

• Alameda El Torrero IPA
• Elysian Avatar Jasmine IPA
• Lagunitas Gnarlywine
• Pike Pale Ale
• Warsteiner Premium
• Weihenstephan Hefe Weissbier
  
• Cascade Lakes Monkey Face Porter
• Anderson Valley Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout
• Six Rivers Framboise (aka Losen Frambozen)
  

Speaking of the Warsteiner, some of you may have received our email last week mentioning the 2 liter boots that are now available. We have plans for those boots as well (I'll save the details for another post) and if you've seen the movie Beerfest you should have an idea of what we've got in mind.

UPDATE: Thursday June 5, 2008 @ 5pm

We got 3 more lines up and running, which brings us to 12 taps. In addition to the list above, we've also tapped:

• New Belgium's Le Fleur Misseur (their spelling), a 6.5% Belgian-style blonde fermented entirely with brettanomyces. It's fairly light, a little funky, and pretty tough to come by, so stop in and have a pint. It's about as close to Orval as you're going to get on tap...
  
• Allagash Black, a delicious Belgian-style imperial stout from the other Portland. Smooth, silky, and full bodied, it's a truly rare treat to sip.
  
• Schneider Aventinus Eisbock. (Coming tomorrow) I don't recall ever seeing this on tap before, so I'm as excited as anyone to try a glass of this.

That's all I got for now. Don't forget about the Dick's beer tasting on Tuesday (June 10th) from 6-8pm. Dick's Brewing makes perhaps the widest range of bottles of any brewery in the region, and I don't know what all we'll be offering, but I can guarantee there'll be at least 7-8 different bottles to sample. We'll also have a keg (or two) of something tasty pouring in the cafe. Check the events page for more details on this and other upcoming tastings.

Viva la Choice!

One last note for the anonymous poster requesting AK Smoked Porter: I'm not sure if the distributor has any left, but I'll do what I can to scrounge one up!

Wine Tasting Wednesday June 6, 2007

Stop on by tomorrow and sample a range of fine wines from India. Yes, India. It's not a country traditionally associated with wine, but the huge land mass has an incredibly varied topography and micro-climates that mimic the best growing regions in the world. The wines we'll be sampling come from Grover Vineyards, a rather new vineyard with the knowledge and skill of master wine consultant Michel Rolland guiding them. Check the link to learn more about Mr. Rolland

I'm not entirely sure what the sales rep will bring, but I know they're bringing two different versions of a Cab-Shiraz blend from 2003. The harvest was split into two batches, one aged in oak barrels and the other in stainless steel tanks. If you've ever wondered what character is imparted by oak-aging vs. stainless-aging this is an excellent opportunity to sample the exact same "base wine" treated in two different ways.

The tasting will be held in our BierCafe tomorrow night from 6 to 8pm and will be hosted by Rupendhar Kanuri from Premium Vintage Wine Company. It's free and open to everyone of legal drinking age.

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Technorati Tags: Belmont Station, BierCafe, wine tasting, Grover Vineyards, India

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On Tap for the Weekend

We've got some tasty treats on tap this weekend, so come on down and sit beneath the shade of our patio umbrellas and have yourselves a world-class beer or two.

Astoria Brewing (Wet Dog Cafe) - Bitter Bitch Double IPA (people's choice winner at SBWF'07)
Deschutes Brewing - Abyss Imperial Stout
Anchor Brewing - Anchor "Our Special Ale" 2006
Brasserie De Ranke - XX Bitter

The Abyss was one of the fastest selling beers in the history of the store (close to 60 cases in under 2 weeks), so if you missed out on the bottled version this may be one of your last opportunities to sample this amazingly complex oak-aged imperial stout.

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Tags: BierCafe, Astoria Brewing, Deschutes Brewing, Anchor Brewing, De Ranke

Shelton Bros. Beer Tasting Sunday May 6

Come and sample a variety of beers from around the world at the Belmont Station Biercafe!

This Sunday (May 6) Ron Extract, National Sales Director for Shelton Brothers Importers will
host a sampling of these fine beers:

T'ij Zatte (Netherlands)
Ridgeway IPA (England)
Nogne' O Porter (Norway)
Geants Goliath Tripel (Belgium)
Jolly Pumpkin Maracaibo (Michigan)
Cantillon Kriek (Belgium)
Kapuziner Weissbier (Germany)
Monchshof Schwarzbier (Germany)

This event is FREE and open to all those over 21. We will offer
special pricing on these beers to go during the event only!

Stone Imperial Stout Vint. '06 Now On Tap!

Heads up! We just tapped a keg of Stone Russian Imperial Stout from last year's release. This beer has been aging beautifully, and it's taken every ounce of my self-control waiting this long to tap it.

Current tap line-up:

~Double Mountain IRA (back by popular demand and going fast)
~Stone Russian Imperial Stout (vintage 2006)
~Golden Valley Tannenbomb (a bit more mellow after 6 months of rest, but it's tasting great!)
~De Ranke Guldenberg (a hoppy belgian strong ale with nice fruity notes and lingering spicy hops)

If none of those strike your fancy we also have 750+ beers, 40+ ciders, 30+ meads, and a well-chosen assortment of wine available to consume "on premise" as well.

This is the only keg we have of this wonderful beer, and it'll be another year before they release more bottles, so stop in and try it while you can.

Lunch at the BierCafe

Just a quick heads up for those who didn't receive our newwsletter via email earlier this week.

Beginning Saturday April 28 the Belmont Station BierCafe will be open for lunch, dinner, and all the hours in between. We'll be open for dining and drinking on Monday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. and Sundays from noon until 9.

Stop on in!

Random Notes For Friday

~Effective Saturday, April 28, the Cafe will begin opening for lunch. The hours will be Monday through Saturday from 11:30-10 and Sunday from 12-9.

~The Oregon Trail Bourbon Porter Batch 3 has returned. We received 8 cases on this load, and there's no telling when or if we'll be able to get any more, so stock up while you can.

~We got more Hair of the Dog Blue Dot IIPA. I know a lot of people have been frustrated by the unavailability of this brew, but we finally managed to get some more so don't miss this opportunity.

~We acquired a slew of new beers this week:

• Sterken's White Ale
• Sterken's Dubbel
• Sterken's Poorter
• Bojkirks Kruikenbier
• Chapeau Banana
• Chapeau Peche
• Chapeau Framboise
• St. Sebastian Golden Ale
• St. Sebastian Dark Ale
• St. Sebastian Grande Reserve
• J.K. Scrumpy's Organic Hard Cider

I think that's about it. As always, call if there's anything we can do for you, or if you have questions regarding anything mentioned on the blog.

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Now On Tap at the BierCafe

Just a quick heads up to let you know what's on tap...

The Gouden Carolus has blown and was just replaced by a keg of La Chouffe from 2005. This keg has improved dramatically over the flavor of a fresh bottle. Spicy, citrusy, and a little funky; this beer has it all. It's only a 20ltr keg, so don't expect it to be on tap for long.

Midnight Sun IIPA also died last night and has been replaced by Deschutes Hop Henge. Get it while it's fresh and hoppy.

The Pelican Doryman's Dark is also on it's last legs. As soon as someone comes down here and orders the last couple pints it will be replaced by Golden Valley Tannenbomb, one of my personal favorite winter beers. It's dark enough for the porter/stout fans, and hoppy enough that those who are craving some bite won't be dissapointed.

We've still got a little bit of the BJ's Whiskey Barrel Stout as well. If you feel the need for a shot of the hard stuff you'll have to go elsewhere, but the BJ's has a solid whiskey flavor and should go a long way towards slaking your thirst for the brown nectar.

Stay tuned for more event notices and other fun stuff as the cafe gears up...