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!

Lame Ass Misses The 1st Annual Fruit Beer Festival

This is a long overdue post that has been patiently waiting for me in my ‘My Documents’ folder.  Sorry my loyal (7) followers.  My simple life is just slightly more important than this blog. So without further delay, I leave you with this:

Well, I did not make it to the 1^st annual Fruit Beer Festival at Burnside Brewing.  I actually rode by it on my bike on Sunday after stopping at the Portland Rose Festival Dragon Boat Race to see my friend’s wife kick some booty on the Willamette.  It was my first time ever going to see a Dragon Boat race and I was impressed. I think there were about 90+ teams racing for glory.  All the teams deserve a round of praise, as it takes a lot of dedication and practice to do what they do.  I could actually feel my arms becoming weaker and weaker as I watched them paddle an intense sprint from the Marquam to the Hawthorne bridge.

Lame ass that did not go to the Fruit Beer Festival
(Shown here at the Dragon Boat Races)

Okay, so why am I writing about crap that is not beer related?  Well it is beer related.  I think most of the recreational things I do correlate with beer in some respect.  I did at least ride by the Fruit Beer Festival, right.  I was going to head in, but I was beer-ed out from the past (2) nights.  Occasionally it does happen to the best of us. 

Here is a brief recap of  those (2) nights.  AKA, my lame excuse for not going to the Fruit Beer Festival:

Friday was spent a few blocks from my house with friends at the new Hopworks Bike Bar and Old Lompoc’s Side Bar.  A nice combo by the way.  The Side Bar was a welcomed change after the hustle and bustle of HUB.  The Side Bar is a quiet and warm space to enjoy fine beers and conversation.  It reminds me of a wine bar, but with beer. Saturday, I was out in the Montavilla neighborhood at Thatchers watching the Timbers play.  Thatchers is not a brew pub, but it does have some good taps, plus it has that great neighborhood tavern feel.  According to my friend, they make a great burger as well. So on Sunday I was not game for more beer.  I was a little worried about myself, as this seldom occurs.  I guess my ass is getting old.  Anyway…from what I read, the Fruit Beer Festival was a huge success. I am looking forward to being in attendance next year.