Hot damn! The North American Organic Brewers Festival is almost here!

We are super excited to be at this year's 2011 North American Organic Brewers Festival.  The festival  is taking place at Overlook Park in N. Portland in less than week and we can not wait! This will be our first year participating as a vendor.  I have been to the event in the past and it is always well hosted with plenty going on.  This is taken directly from the NAOBF’s webpage:

“Two of Portland's beloved industries - organic beer and sustainability - come together in an annual celebration designed to raise awareness about organic beer and sustainable living. We serve up organic beers and ciders from around the world, accompanied by live music, organic food, sustainability-oriented vendors, non-profits and a children's area - all in a beautiful tree lined setting that overlooks downtown Portland. Come visit the North American Organic Brewers Festival and see why we're Portland's best kept secret of beer fests!”  

There is no parking provided for this event.  Festival attendees are encouraged to use the MAX, walk, or bike to Overlook Park to help minimize their carbon-impact. If you pedal to the park, The Washington County Bicycle Transportation Coalition has kindly volunteered their time to watch over your wheels while you sample the many fine beers that will be available. 

Below, is a list of the amazing beers for your mouth to ponder until June 24th reveals itself.

(The following is from the NAOBF's webpage)

Brewery	Beer Name, (Style)
Alameda Brewhouse Portland, Oregon	El Torero Organic IPA, (American IPA)
Alpenfire Cider Port Townsend, Washington	Pirates Plank, (Bone Dry)
Ambacht Brewing Hillsboro, Oregon	Ambacht Golden Spiced Ale, (Belgian Specialty)
	Golden Rye Farmhouse Ale, (Belgian Farmhouse Ale)
American Brewing Co Edmonds, Washington	Hop, Skip & Go Natural, (American Pale Ale)
Beetje Brewery Portland, Oregon	Summer Tonic, (Belgian Farmhouse Ale)
Bison Organic Beers Berkeley, California	Organic Honey Basil, (Fruit/Spice beer)
	Chocolate Stout, (Dry Foreign Style Stout)
Captured by Porches Brewing Co St Helens, Oregon	Invasive Species IPA, (IPA)
	Doppelganger, (Doppel Dunkelweizen)
Deschutes Brewery Bend, Oregon	Green Lakes Organic Ale, (Amber)
Eel River Brewing Co Fortuna, California	Organic Acai Berry Wheat, (Fruit infused American Crystal Wheat Ale)
	Organic IPA, (English Style IPA)
Elliott Bay Brewing Co Burien, Washington	Black Ops IPA, (Cascadian Dark Ale)
	Organic Demolition Ale, (Strong Pale Ale)
Fish Brewing Co Olympia, Washington	Fish Tale Organic IPA, (American IPA)
	Fish Tale Organic Blonde Ale, (American Style Blonde)
Fort George Brewery & Public House Astoria, Oregon	Spruce Ale, (Tree Beer)
	Quick Wit, (Belgian Style Wheat)
Hopworks Urban Brewery Portland, Oregon	Rise Up Red, (NW Style Red)
	Galactic Imperial Red, (Imperial Red Ale)
Laht Neppur Brewing Co Waitsburg, Washington	Strawberry Cream Ale, (Organic Fruit Beer)
	Peach Hefeweizen, (American Hefeweizen with Fruit)
Laurelwood Brewing Co Portland, Oregon	Organic Pale Ale, (Pale Ale)
	Organic Green Elephant IPA, (IPA)
Lompoc Brewing Co Portland, Oregon	Notorious, (IPA)
Lucky Labrador Brew Pub Portland, Oregon	No Pity Pale Ale, (Pale Ale)
	Rose City Red, (Red Ale)
Mateveza Ukiah, California	Organic Black Lager, (Black Lager)
	Organic Yerba Mate IPA, (IPA)
McMenamins Concordia Brewery Portland, Oregon	Oopsopsadilly IPA, (Organic IPA)
McMenamins Cornelius Pass Roadhouse Hillsboro, Oregon	Build a Bonfire Red, (Organic Red Ale)
McMenamins Crystal Brewery Portland, Oregon	Organic Hipster Ale, (Organic Altbier)
McMenamins Oak Hills Brewpub Portland, Oregon	Kerfuffle Kolsch, (Organic Kolschbier)
Natian Brewery Portland, Oregon	CoDA, (Cascadian Organic Dark Ale)
	Makeshift Golden Ale, (Golden Ale)
New Belgium Brewing Co Fort Collins, Colorado	Mothership Wit, (Belgian Style Wit)
Oakshire Brewing Eugene, Oregon	Organic Subtext PNW Red, (Red Ale)
	TBD
Pike Brewing Co Seattle, Washington	Pike Dry Wit, (Belgian White)
	Pike Monk's Uncle, (Tripel Belgian)
Rock Bottom Brewery Portland, Oregon	Vandeventer, (Cascadian Dark Ale)
Santa Cruz Mountain Brewery Santa Cruz, California	Horse Tale Ale, (California Common)
	People's Porter, (Coffee Porter)
Terminal Gravity Enterprise, Oregon	TG Organic Pale Ale, (Pale Ale)
Uncommon Brewers Santa Cruz, California	Siamese Twin Ale, (Dubbel)
	Golden State Ale, (Golden Ale)
Upright Brewing Co Portland, Oregon	Reggae Junkie Gruit, (Farmhouse Style Gruit)
Widmer Bros Brewing Co Portland, Oregon	Dude, (Granola Golden)

Hopworks Bike Bar Now Open!

We missed some great beer events this weekend as we were at the Oregon Coast soaking up the sunshine, but we did make it back on Sunday afternoon for the debut of the Hopworks Bike Bar.  We may have totally missed it if it was not for our friend Mark who sent us the great news as we were driving back to Portland.  It was not well publicized that Hopworks’s North Williams location was going to be open this weekend, which turned out in our favor as we were able to grab a seat and mugs of beer with ease.  I am sure a grand opening will ensue at a later date.  I leave you with this brief, semi-photo essay taken with a smart phone (bad blogger forgot his camera again).



Christian Ettinger, Owner/Brewer was on hand to

say hello and answer any questions. 

 He was caught here pedaling energy back into the grid.



First beer at the new Hopworks Bike Bar: Crosstown Pale Ale.

The bar area with (11) amazing beers to choose from. 

Do not forget to look up and check out the custom

built bike frames from local area craftsman.

Zero emission Hopworks employees.

99 Bottles...

Was Ziggy Stardust guided by this light?

Our good friend Kris popped in to fill his growler.

Eco-Toilet in the unisex restroom. 

Innovative and green, but getting to the sink

is awkward.  Worth checking out on your visit.

 

Worthy 'green' bathroom advice!

The Plug Out Cycle received a great work out and both patrons

and the environment benefitted.



Bike racks are waiting and hungry for you!



BRAIN vs. LIVER: The organ clash over the soon to be Hopworks Bike Bar.

As you most likely know, Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB) will be opening their second location on N. Williams Ave in mid-June. What does this mean? It means us North Portland peeps will have another great brew pub to frequent. It also means not having to trek across town to take in their award winning beers and delectable food.

You may be wondering why I am blogging about this when there is already a wealth of information on HUB’s soon to be second home. The reason is personal; ever since news broke that HUB was moving in to the neighborhood my brain and liver have been at battle. My liver feels great places already exist within walking distance to drink amazing beer. It enjoys Lompoc’s Fifth Quadrant, which is literally next-door to HUB’s future location. It is also an Amnesia groupie; a brewery about 8 blocks west. Oh, and that guy below the lower part of my right ribcage told me not to forget about the other fine beer purveyors slightly further out, such as Saraveza, Breakside, McMenamins, Widmer, The Hop and Vine and The Lucky Labrador.

Please do not get me wrong, my liver loves HUB’s beer, which is why my brain is so concerned. My brain is afraid that my liver will dedicate a good portion of its free time to drinking beer at HUB and slowly forget about the other places that it once patronized.

So, what will happen? Good question. After some thought, I believe I have determined that my brain and liver are two separate entities. My brain has made the decision to remain true to the other incredible beer establishments in the area; HUB will certainly become part of the rotation. My liver says “f%#k you brain, when HUB opens you are going to be my bitch.” However, I still believe my aging brain has capable power to trump the desires of my weakening liver.

           Stupid Liver 

 Homer and I have some things in common  

Welcome to the neighborhood HUB! Well almost.


With Love,
Brain and Liver

Puglandia @ MacTarnahan's Brewing Company

Puglandia in pictures!
(An Oregon Humane Society benefit that took place yesterday at MacTarnahan's Brewing Company)

My First Blog-icized Beer Review: Sierra Nevada’s Estate Homegrown Ale

I love beer, or eyeluvbeer, but I typically do not geek out on trying to describe it in detail.  Since I had a rare-ish bottle of Sierra Nevada’s Estate Homegrown Ale in my possession, I thought I would challenge myself and attempt to describe my tasting experience with words.  I swear I did not look at any reviews of Sierra Nevada’s Estate Homegrown Ale before writing this.  This was on purpose.  I wanted to compare my notes to those who write about beer tasting on a regular basis.  I will admit there were some hints on the bottle's label as to what I was supposed to expect.   Words like, grapefruit-like flavors, layered spicy aromas, toasted flavors, etc.

So with out further delay, here is my review.  More of a synopsis taken from my bastardized sticky notes. 

Sierra Nevada’s Estate Homegrown Ale

(Alc. 6.7% by Vol.)

Bottle:

Standard 22 ounce bottle with a well designed, attractive label that conveyed the beer's origin.  I think Sierra does a great job with their labels.

The label described the beer as an organic, wet hop ale.

Waxed sealed top.  Took a little effort to remove, but was worth it.

Disappointing, standard Sierra Nevada Pale Ale bottle cap.  I was expecting something nicer since this was deemed a rare beer on the label:  “One of the few estate made ales produced anywhere in the world”.

I feel pretty, oh so pretty...

Nicely done Sierra!

The 411

Pour and Visual Analysis:

Left the bottle like any other beer, but the rich, caramel coloration grabbed my eye.   

Good carbonation; tiny bubbles wandered up through the slightly unfiltered/cloudy liquid to produce a nice head.

Nice head! Standard SN Pale Ale cap =(.

Cloudy, unfiltered look.  Hi tiny bubbles!

Smell:

Pleasantly fragrant; strong caramel overtones and a somewhat grassy/earthy smell from the fresh hops.

Taste:

Bold, sweet, citrusy, spicy, not overly hoppy, border-line barley wine. 

My professional beer tasting notes.

Conclusion:

My mouth and nose were very impressed with Sierra Nevada’s Estate Homegrown Ale.  As mentioned, it did have a slight barley wine flavor, which I still have not developed an inkling for, but it was not so over powering as to take away the many other excellent qualities of this beer.  Part of me is beginning to regret opening this bottle as it was not a special occasion.  With beer, I seem to be like the kid at Christmas who can not wait to open presents.  I was especially disappointed with myself when I went back to the market where I purchased this gem and it was gone.  Is this beer as rare as the label conveys?  Nonetheless, each sip was thoroughly enjoyed.  It is now time to search the net to see what others are saying about Sierra Nevada’s Estate Homegrown Ale.