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

BridgePort Brewing Company to Release Its Inaugural Fruit Ale

By Angelo De Ieso II

On April 24, 2008, Oregon’s oldest craft brewery, BridgePort will release the Stumptown Tart—a Belgian ale aged in pinot noir barrels and blended with a healthy amount of fresh Oregon marion berries. BridgePort brewmaster Karl Ockert says of the Tart “I’ve never done a beer like this. Period.” The base beer for the Tart was a Belgian golden ale that finished at about 8% ABV. “We split off about a third of that and we went to Carlton Wine Studio and picked up 23 French oak casks.




On April 3rd, with the other two-thirds Ockert and company employed 2,000 pounds of Oregon marion berries and refermented with the fruit. They then blended the two with yeast and sugar for bottle fermentation. The beer was bottled on April 7th. The Stumptown Tart is a bold, extreme beer for which Ockert is realistic. “It’s an expensive beer to produce. We may never do this again.” He also recommends tasting the beer sooner than later. “It should age fairly well, but the fresh fruit character will be lost over time. It’s probably best to enjoy over the summertime and move on.” “We’re bottling up 1,800 cases (of 22-ouncers) and hoping to sell it throughout the summer” says Ockert. “I’m not sure if we’ll need any more or not.”






So what was the inspiration behind this innovative new brew? “I’ve always been impressed with a good friend of mine in New Glarus, Wisconsin named Dan Carey who makes something called the New Glarus Red” explains Ockert. “It’s a really great Belgian cherry red ale with a really delicious little tart, sour finish to it. So I wanted to do something like that. So, I emailed him to ask him how to do that. And he promptly emailed back and said, ‘I’ll tell you about anything else in the brewery, but I won’t tell you how I make New Glarus Belgian reds.’ So I kind of came up with this one on my own.”









BridgePort’s Stumptown Tart ale will be made available following it release party at the BridgePort brewpub and bakery at 1313 NW Marshall St. in Portland, Oregon on April 24, 2008 from 5pm-8pm. Bernie Dexter, the model who appears on the bottle’s label with also be present at the kickoff to sign labels. This is a free event.