Natian Meet The Brewer & Tasting at Belmont Station

Believe it or not, I was in Southeast again last night for a ‘Meet The Brewer & Tasting’ event at the place I wish I lived next door to, Belmont Station. Ian McGuinness, Owner and Brewmaster at Natian Brewery was on hand pouring cans of Old Grogham IIPA, Undun Blonde, and CuDA Cascadian Dark Ale to a constant flow of folks wanting a taste. For a solid 3 hours Ian answered questions about his beer; something you can tell he enjoys doing. Meanwhile, in Belmont’s Biercafé I enjoyed Natian’s draft selections, Lumberjane Imperial Stout and Elephante India Red Ale. I’ve tried most of Natian’s standard brew, but tonight I was treated to a new-ish release, the Elephante IRA. I will say, IRAs haven’t caught on with my taste buds, but they did enjoy the 8.45350568 ounces of Elephante. It was dry, hoppy, not real sweet, and had a pleasant bitterness brought on by the use of Zythos Hops. If you’re a fan of this style of beer I think you’d be pleased. After the IRA I went on to Natian’s Lumberjane; an imperial stout that ranks up there with the best. It has incredible sex appeal. You’ll want to gaze at it for a few minutes in the glass before you wet your tongue with its smooth, smoky, coffee roast flavor. I’ve had Lumberjane before, but I forgot how much I enjoyed it. Lumberjane made my Monday. Of course, it was also a pleasure to catch-up with the Natian crew, see my friends and fellow band mates, Ross and Teresa, and speak with Carl, who introduced me to former, long-term Full Sail Brewmaster, John Harris.

Photo Gallery 

(Taken with my Hasselblad H4D-200MS)

Temple 

Ian in action 

Natian's Elephante India Red Ale 

David and Ian of Natian, Nameless Gent, and
Belmont's CBO, Carl Singmaster 

Always a great draft selection at
Belmont Station

Note:  All spelling and grammatical errors are intentional.

Inn Beervana: Portland's Beer Guesthouse

Twitter may actually have a purpose in life. The other day I came across a tweet from Brian Yaeger, beer writer extraordinaire. Seriously, this guy has quite the writing track record according to his 'New School' bio. The man has a Master’s in Professional Writing with a thesis on beer, is the author of ‘Red, White, and Blue: An American Beer Odyssey’ and is actively working on a guidebook to Oregon breweries.

Okay, enough about Mr. Yaeger. Well, maybe not. Brian’s tweet, which was a re-tweet, turned me on to another facet of his life. He and his wife, Kimberley run a beer-themed B&B. A B&B (Bed & Beer) appropriately named ‘Inn Beervana’. Located in the Hawthorne District of Southeast Portland, the Inn is just minutes from downtown and within walking distance of the famed Horse Brass Pub and Belmont Station, as well as numerous tap houses, restaurants, food cart pods and parks. I haven’t been a guest at the Inn, nor do I know anyone that has, but judging from the details and excellent reviews I would not hesitate to recommend this place. On top of that, they have reasonable rates, allow dogs and donate a portion of each booking to Habitat for Humanity-Portland, All Hands Raised (Portland Schools Foundation), & the Glen Hay Falconer Foundation (creating scholarships for brewers from the PacNW). Oh, and when you check-in, a mixed six-pack of Oregon craft beer will be patiently waiting for you in the fridge. What’s not to love!

Fantastic hand painted hops on the wall
Photo. Credit: Lara Ferroni

Recap: Belmont Station's 15th Anniversary Celebration

On March 15^th, Portland had (2) reasons to celebrate. For one, it was my Birthday, but more importantly it was Belmont Station’s 15^th Year Anniversary. Belmont Station opened its doors in 1997. I don’t know the entire history behind the joint, but it was originally founded by the late, great Don Younger and Joy Campbell. I believe Joy is still involved with the Station, but I’m not entirely sure. I know Carl Signmaster, whose title is CBO (Chief Beer Officer) is entrenched with daily operations and I believe he's an owner. One day, I would love to sit down with Carl and hear how he became part of such a great place.

Belmont’s 15^th Anniversary celebration began at 3pm, but that darn work thing always gets in the way, so we didn’t end up getting there until around 7. Fortunately, there were still lots of great beer to be had. Ted Sobel of Brewers Union Local 180 brought his 4% Wotcha a La Citra Bitter and a special brew for the Station’s big day named 15-15-15, aka The Ides of Belmont Station. I had the 15-15-15; a cask conditioned beer. I’m not a huge Cask fan, but I had to try a beer that incorporates 15 malts and several hops. It turned out to be a winner. It had a nice dark, rich color similar to a stout and was definitely very malty. It went down the pipes easily. The other beer that I really favored from the evening was Barley Brown’s Tank Slapper. This Double IPA kicks Pliny’s ass. ‘Nough said. Shawn Kelso of 10 Barrel (former brewmaster for Barley Brown's) arranged for the Tank Slapper and Speed Wobble to be present on this special day. My cohort and fiancée favored the India Red Ale, Speed Wobble, which I read has never made it west of Baker City.

Ben Edmunds, Breakside's Brewer, Carl Signmaster, CBO of
Belmont Station and Shawn Kelso, 10 Barrel's Brewer

Belmont Station: 15th Anniversary Vintage Beer Sale & Party

An event not to missed tomorrow at Belmont Station!  This update just arrived in my inbox minutes ago:

We begin our 15th Anniversary celebration at 3PM tomorrow (Thursday March 15) with the tapping of 2 Firkins of Brewers Union beers and a fresh keg of Barley Brown's Speed Wobble India Red Ale. Also at 3PM we will sell a limited number of the following vintage beers, culled from our cold storage unit:

Alaskan Barleywine 2008 22oz
Deschutes Abyss 2007 22oz
Deschutes Abyss 2009 22oz
Deschutes Abyss 2010 22oz
Dogfish Head Bitches Brew 2010 750ml
Full Sail Black Gold 2009 22oz
Full Sail Top Sail 2010 & Imperial Porter 2011 2Pack 22 oz
Lompoc Bourbon Barrel LSD 2009 22oz
Oregon Trail Bourbon Porter #6 2011 22oz
Roots Epic Ale 2008 (signed & numbered #2 - #8!)
Russian River Consecration 2009 750ml
Stone Oaked Bastard 2006 12oz
Stone Oaked Bastard 2007 12oz
Stone Old Guardian 2007 22oz
Stone Vertical Epic 2007 22oz
Stone Vertical Epic 2009 22oz
Stone Vertical Epic 2010 22oz

Twas The Night Before Christmas

Okay, so last night wasn’t the night before Christmas, but there was a very special occasion at Belmont Station. It was a total surprise to us. It was Carl Singmaster’s Birthday. Carl is the owner of the Station, is a regular guest on Beer O’Clock Radio, a huge Motorhead fan, and an all around great guy. Thanks to Holly, the amiable manager of the Biercafé for making this happen. It was the first time in the 26 years of Carl’s career in retail that he enjoyed some beers instead of working. On hand was a 2005, (3) Liter bottle of Stone Oaked Arrogant Bastard that Carl purchased at the Station before becoming the owner, as well as a variety of tasty cupcakes. It was a nice celebration right before the Holidays. Happy Birthday Carl!

Random dude, Beer Goddess, Lisa Morrison and
 the man himself, Carl Singmaster. 

Warning Portland: The Pissed LiBEERian is coming!

In a few weeks all hell is sure to break loose in Portland. From November 18^th thru the 20^th, Tacoma beer blogger, The Pissed LiBEERian has confirmed that she will be descending upon our city. Upon arrival, she will be on a quest to hit as many breweries and pubs in (3) days. This will be her second time visiting the Portland beer scene. Her first visit included stops at Laurelwood, New Old Lompoc, The Lucky Lab, Bridgeport Brewing, Rouge and Deschutes. On her upcoming trip, The Pissed LiBEERian’s tentative plans are to hit the following:

Alameda Brewing
Belmont Station
Burnside Brewing
Cascade Barrel House
Coalition Brewing
HUB
HUB Bike Bar
Hair of The Dog
Horse Brass
The Green Dragon
Plew's Brews

Her squeeze and renowned photographer/world beer connoisseur, MGD will be joining her. The two of them are sure to give the Portland Beer scene a run for its money. If you happen to cross paths with them say hello, or better yet, buy them a pint! In the meantime, please check out her well written and highly delectable blog: http://pissedlibeerian.blogspot.com/

The famed Pissed LiBEERian

MGD and The Pissed LiBEERian
Don't be fooled by their cuteness!

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!

Deschutes Stoic Release & Black Butte Porter Reserve Draft Night at Belmont Station

If you have not been to Belmont Station before then shame on you!  Established in 1997, it helped pioneer the Northwest craft beer movement.  Today, Belmont Station’s bottle shop contains over 1,300 different beers and their Biercafé always has an amazing draft selection consisting of approximately 17 taps.  Tack on events and tastings that occur weekly and you will realize why I consider this place Beertopia.  

Last night proved once again why I love Belmont Station.  It was Deschutes Stoic Release & Black Butte Porter Reserve Draft Night.  Which meant Belmont Station was serving up Deschutes Black Butte XXI, XXII and XXIII, plus their latest reserve series, The Stoic.  The Stoic is described as an American Quadruple, remarkably smooth, yet complex, featuring pomegranate molasses, dark candy sugar, Pinot Noir and Rye Whiskey barrel-aging.  It would be my first time tasting all four of these on draft and they proved to be palate pleasers.  My favorite was the XXII.  Containing negro chilies, it gave the Porter a hint of spice.  I thought this beer would be great on a cool fall or winter day.  From what I read, the XXII is a draft-only release due to a problem with the chocolate that Deschutes used separating in the bottle. So if you can find it, consider yourself very fortunate.

The Deschutes Stoic and Black Butte XXI, XXII and XXIII and some frickin'  awesome nachos.

My new RV!

Mega Tap.

The line was out the door, and I was not sure if those were hops in the zip lock or  something else.

Cheers to great friends.

Philly was in da house.

Most expensive pint ever!

Angleo from Brewpublic and a local Portland rockstar!

It's your turn in the barrel.

Heaven's gate!

  

A Microhopic Saturday!

Saturday!  What a day!  The sun was out and it was surprisingly temperate.  Not only that, but the Trail Blazers won their second home game of the finals.  GO BLAZERS!!!  As nice as the day was, I was looking forward to the evening.   We were going out with great friends for dinner and for an event taking place at Migration Brewing called Microhopic.  Microhopic is Brewpublic’s baby.  This would be their third installment of the ongoing series and it was fantastic.  The affair showcases new and interesting breweries and beer styles from around Oregon.  Brewpublic did an excellent job at hosting the event and the breweries represented all brought something different to tantalize the taste buds.

The evening began early; around the 4^th quarter of the Blazers game.  My friend showed up with a case of 22’s of his latest homebrew; a super hopped IPA that is to die for.  I think he said it was around 108 IBUs.  Yowza!  He has been brewing beer for over a year now and has it dialed in.  It would be great to see him advance to nano brewery status.

A delicious homebrewed beverage

After a few pints of scrumdiddlyumptious home brewed IPA, the nail biting Blazer game wrapped up in our favor and lifted our already good spirits even higher.  It was now time to take the jaunt to Ken’s Artisan Pizza for dinner.  We waited for a table for about an hour, but it was well worth it as always.  Our friends had never been and thought it was delicious.  A must visit if you like pizza, just do not get in the way.

Our hour wait at Ken's was soothed with
a variety of fine beers

Where's my pizza!

With our bellies full of pie and pints, it was time to hit the main event:  Microhopic at Migration Brewing.  We arrived to find it not as busy as we had anticipated.  There were some staples from the beer community present, including Angelo and crew from Brewpublic, Carl from Belmont Station and several brewers.  Ashley’s Brewvana bus, Angel was parked street side with a dog in the driver’s seat.  I asked the dog if it knew Ashley’s whereabouts, but the furry little fellow was too busy trying to figure out how to get the bus started so he could hit the nearest Petco.

Hop on the bus Gus

Brewpublic's mastermind, Angelo and
some random guy

We seated ourselves at a table in Migration and my hop goddess ordered us a taster tray of the (5) beers being represented.  Breakside Brewery furnished a Rye Kolsch and used their famed randall filter to give us a special treat; a beer infused with juniper berries and cucumbers.  Our neighborhood favorite, Amnesia, provided a fine dry-hopped ale called Red Handed.  Burnside Brewing presented their Stock Ale, which I tasted at their headquarters a few weeks ago.  The Stock Ale is a nice ESB that is rich in copper color and goes down smooth.  My favorite of the evening was Migration’s baby dubbed PDX.  It was similar to a Kolsch, but had a hoppy bit and well balanced flavor.  I have only been to Migration a few times before this evening’s event and had never taken a strong hold to any of their beers, but this one had me at hello.  Beetje, a nano brewery that operates out of their garage and relatively new to my vocabulary was also in the house.  They brought forth a Belgian Inspired Ale that was favored by the patrons.

The crew at Migration

This was my first Microhopic event and it was a good one.  I am looking forward to the next one Brewpublic graces us with.  Thanks guys!