The Bräuler!

Another great Growler is on its way and it’s straight out of Portland! The Growler, called the Bräuler (love the name) is Zythos Project’s brilliant invention. As you can see from the photos below this thing has extreme sex appeal. The design was well planned. Here are some of the Bräuler’s unique features that take the Growler to the next level:

• Wide (2.5”) mouth makes it easy to fill and clean
• 100% light proof; deep-thread cap holds carbonation and freshness longer
• Unique threaded collar receives multiple accessories, including basic cap, plus a handle, bail top, and a CO2-chargeable draft cap system.

I believe the CO2-chargeable draft cap system is still in development, but when complete, this will be a huge break though. You will be able to keep your beer as fresh as when it left the tap; that’s if you don’t drink it all at once!

Currently, they are only excepting commercial orders. If you are a brewer or beer seller of any kind contact them for more information: info@zythosproject.com

Thank you Zythos for making your idea reality. I think the Bräuler has a bright future.

Sexy!

Premature Winter Beerulation

What the heck! Is it just me, or are winter beers being released way too early? I’m not ready for winter and I’m sure not ready for winter beer. I haven’t even inked my summer tour of three breweries in the Columbia Gorge. I think I may wait to write it until December or January when it’s cold, dark and rainy; the perfect time to crack open a winter release. I can visualize myself in pajamas all day, sorting through sun ladened Gorge pictures, writing and sipping on a nice winter seasonal. This is the time that warrants the warmth provided by a cheery beer. It comforts the soul, as a bowl of warm chili or a hot cup of cocoa would. So, why are winter beers appearing on our shelves and taps so early? I heart’em, but now is not the time. It’s like seeing Christmas movies, commercials and store decorations appearing before Thanksgiving. For crying out loud, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation was on TV the other night. A great holiday movie, but why so soon? What’s the rush?

Store display seen today!

Bridgeport Ebenezer Ale on tap...ran across this last night.

Shiters full!

Portland Fresh Hop Tastival

In Portland, at The Fresh Hop Tastival at Oaks Park, people gathered to celebrate the fact that Oregon is the second largest hop producing state in the United States, most of which are grown right here in The Willamette Valley. To be honest, I am not super fired up on fresh hop beer, but the fore mentioned fact makes me proud knowing that Oregon hop growers play a key role in helping produce one of the things I enjoy entertaining my mouth with, beer.

The Fresh Hop Tastival is an Oregon Brewers Guild event. The Guild’s Director, Brian Butenschoen oversaw the festivities and did an excellent job at coordinating volunteers and making sure everything stayed on track. The breweries in attendance brought a variety of fresh hopped beer styles; some even featured two or more selections. The #1 hit for me was Double Mountain’s, Killer Green, a beer that ran out shortly after the festival began. I am sure some of this was due to the fresh hop preview event that took place the evening before. My favorite non-alcoholic drink of choice was Portland U-Brew’s, Homemade Root Beer. This stuff was amazing, and both the kids and grown-ups kept coming back to get their fix. Unfortunately, it was the 2^nd keg to kick that day. I hope U-Brew realizes that they are sitting on a potential root beer gold mine.

To conclude this post, I leave you with photos. They say a picture is worth a thousand words.

Oregon Brewers Guild, Brian Butenschoen
headed up the festival.

Glasses and tickets patiently waiting
to be loved.

Thank you sun for hanging out with us all day.

Lots-o-fresh hop beer to choose from. 

The beer lines were not bad at all, which
was nice.

It was a pleasure to have actual restrooms rather
than the standard beer festival porta-potty.

Philadelphia's brought the killer cheese steaks.

Curbside Grill was there to satisfy.

These things kept me alive while working.  I was
pop chipped out at the end of the day.

Festival shirt.  Sweet!

Brewvana Tour

Have you experienced Brewvana yet? If not, you are missing out. I have to admit I was a little skeptical at first. I mean, I have been to most of the breweries, craft beer bars and bottleshops in Portland, so why did I need to take a special tour? To challenge my own question and stubbornness, I booked a tour with fellow friends and did it! Looking back, it was one of the most memorable Portland beer experiences I have ever had. The bus, Angel, our guide, Ashley and the tour combined to create a trifecta of fun.

Angel, the bus, was the coolest thing I had ever ridden in. It was equipped with drink holders, a fridge, interior rope lighting, a great ceiling mural and lots of other groovy, beer related knick-knacks. When you go, make sure you read the 'The Rules' of the bus above the rear emergency exit; serious, but entertaining. I think Shaggy Rogers, the owner of the Mystery Machine would proud of Ashley's decked out Beer Machine.

The Goonies with Angel.

Only the cool people got to ride in the back.

Ashley, our brew-venture guide was awesome. She knew mucho about beer and the brew scene in Portland. She has worked at Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB) since it sprouted up on Powell and has been involved in the industry since age 17. You can not shake a stick at that. Ashley did an excellent job at sharing information with us along the tour, but she was never overbearing. If you asked her a question, she had the answer. She kept the tour relaxed. It actually felt like she was part of the group; something we all appreciated.

Our kick ass guide and owner, Ashley.

The overall tour schedule was well planned. We started at HUB on Powell in their downstairs, secret brewing empire. From here, we were handed over to Brew Master guru, Walker who filled our complimentary Brewvana glasses with samples and lead us on an amazing tour of their environmentally friendly facility. I thought this was a great way to kick off our outing. It was the educational section about how beer was made and the different tastes that result from combining various ingredients; it was the prelude to the rest of the afternoon. Our hats go off to Walker who did an outstanding presentation job.

Walker was da man!

Drinking from the source...it doesn't get
much better than that!

The next stop was Belmont Station. Not a regularly schedule stop on the tour, but Ashley can arrange whatever you like. At Belmont Station, we enjoyed a full beer of choice and were given ample time to chit-chat. Everyone was amazed at the incredible draft and bottle selection and loved the beer paraphernalia that scattered the walls. Before leaving we snagged (2) bombers of Hale's Supergoose to enjoy on our ride to Breakside Brewery. I think I forgot to mention that you can drink on the bus! Yet another reason why Angel is so cool.

The crew at Belmont Station

Breakside Brewery was our lunch and beer pairing stop. Ashley phoned in our lunch order in advance to make sure Breakside would have our food ready to go when we arrived. Sure enough, the food was promptly delivered after we were seated and it looked incredible. As we began to dig in, Scott, the owner, and Ben, the Brewer came by and provided each person with their own (6) glass taster tray. Each beer was explained to us by Scott; a nice touch.

Awesome Mac-n-Cheese + Great Beer = Happy Belly

Breakside's main man, Scott delivering the goods.

With our bellies happily full of Breakside's delicious food and brew, we set off to our final stop, Old Lompoc's, Sidebar. The Sidebar was a perfect way to wrap up the tour. The intimate setting gave us a chance to talk about what an excellent day we had while enjoying a few more generous pours of fine beer.

Serious beer talk.

Thanks Brewvana for a great time!