Maharaja Returns and Caldera Unveils New Cans

One of the first posts I ever dropped on this blog was a short, glowing review of Avery's Maharaja Imperial IPA. It was accompanied by (at least in my opinion) one of the best photos I've ever taken. The original picture was lost at some point last year due to web hosting issues (I think), but thankfully I still have a copy on my work machine. I was simply going to repost it, but after seeing this wonderful shot on beeraroundtown I was inspired to tweak it a little bit. So, many thanks to Derek for the inspiration, and a hearty thank you to all the craft breweries out there who keep my taste buds, eyes, and nose inspired by producing beautiful beers like this:



In other exciting news, Caldera has released a third flavor in their canned line of killer craft beer. The Ashland Amber is now available in an eye-catching silver and purple can. Personally I was a little surprised they didn't got with the porter or pilsner as the next entry, but the Amber is great so I'm not complaining. I don't have my camera (or phone) handy, so no pics of the cans today, but I'll try and snap one later and edit the post.

Last but not least, some of you may be have noticed that we've started sending out twitter updates when new bottles arrive or when something new and exciting gets tapped in the cafe. Well, when I went to post today's tweet about the Maharaja I noticed that they now have little embeddable flash widgets that show your most recent updates. A few minutes (and a little code tweaking) later and suddenly we have our twitter feed on the right sidebar. Between our regular email newsletter, this blog, and now twitter, you've got no excuse for missing out on the latest brews or tastings.

The End Is Important In All Things

Last night I went to the Laurelhurst theater to see Ghost Dog: The Way of The Samurai with a friend. I've probably seen it a dozen times, but the final scene seems to lodge in my brain and affect my actions for a few days after every viewing. I won't go into the details and spoil it for those who haven't seen the movie (it's amazing), but it centers on a modern day samurai, brilliantly portrayed by Forest Whittaker. At several points during the movie he's shown reading from the Japanese tome Hagakure: The Way of the Samurai. The following quote is the final excerpt from the book to be shown in the movie:

"In the Kamigata area, they have a sort of tiered lunchbox they use for a single day when flower viewing. Upon returning, they throw them away, trampling them underfoot. The end is important in all things."

To bring this back around to beer, I got home after the movie and saw an empty 4 year old bottle of Fantome Printemps that we'd consumed a couple nights earlier. I wasn't sure why the bottle was still sitting on the counter, and not with the rest of it's brethren in the recycle bin, and it struck me that perhaps there was some subconscious attachment to the bottle based on my fond memories of the beer that was preventing me from letting go of something I'd never get to experience again. That final quote was still rolling around in the back of my mind, and I made a conscious decision to "let go" and dispose of it. Was it a monumental, life-changing realization? Certainly not, but it brought to mind other things, both physical and mental, that I should have let go of a long time ago.

Anyways, its something to ponder next time you're looking in your cellar and trying to decide whether or not you should drink that last bottle of something special. Sooner or later you'll have to drink it, and when you do it should be consumed with the joyful realization that all things must end. That, and you've just created an empty spot in the cellar which can now be filled with a new bottle that will have a story and journey all it's own.

As one final beer tie-in, the Laurehurst features several tasty things on tap; last nights' list included Caldera Porter, Lucky Lab's No Pity Pale and ESB, and some "Oregon Classics" like Full Sail Amber and Widmer Hefe. Where else can you get a pint of tasty brew, a bag of popcorn, and admission to one of the greatest movies ever made, all for under $10?

Lucky Lab Barleywine and Big Beer Fest

The Lucky Lab's annual big beer and barleywine festival seems to be coming together nicely. Dave Fleming just confirmed (via the Oregon Brewcrew listserv) that this years' event will be held Friday and Saturday, March 7th and 8th, at the Beer Hall on NW Quimby, and the beer starts flowing at noon each day.

The entire list hasn't been publicized yet, but here's the list of things that have been confirmed thus far:

Hair of the Dog - Adam 2007

Bend Brewing - Outback X 2006

Terminal Gravity - Barleywine 2005

Great Divide - Old Ruffian Barleywine

Caldera Brewing - Imperial Stout 2004 and 2005

Stone Brewing - Old Guardian 2005

More to come...