Migrating Towards A Cure

I’m always one for backing a good cause, but this weekend finds me out of town. What does this mean? It means you can still attend and show your support. Migration Brewing will be hosting their second annual ‘Migrating Towards A Cure’ event this Saturday, June 29^th. The beneficiary for his year’s affair, CHAP (Children’s Healing Art Project).

Below, please find the particulars from Migration's press release:

Saturday June 29^th 2013 12PM to close will mark Migration’s 2nd annual Migrating Towards A Cure. This annual event is an effort to assist local families and organizations that are working towards curing and working with those who have been diagnosed with severe illnesses and disabilities.

12 Days Changed Me, I Hope

It has been 12 days since I've had a beer¹. If you know me, you’re probably saying “yeah, right.” It’s true. I ended up participating in my first ever cleanse, which of course did not allow alcohol. It was a real challenge for the first 2-3 days, but after that my mind and body adjusted. For ages, I would typically consume 3-5 beers/night during the week; more on the weekends. It was habit. I wasn't getting inebriated, but it would probably be fair to say I had, or potentially still have a problem. Fortunately, the 12 day cleanse I did through Nourish Northwest with Olivia Martino provided me with a new perspective. Over the past 2 weeks I have noticed a definite increase in my energy level and I have had far less ups-and-downs throughout the day. I’m not blaming my love, beer, for bringing me down before, but it was certainly a contributor. Prior to the cleanse I ate pretty well, but I’m sure eating cleaner and cutting out caffeine played a role in giving me some of that get-up-and-go.

Stone Brewing Visit

I finally made it to one of the brewery mother ships, Stone Brewing. Over the years I've heard tons of wonderful things about their facility and grounds. While I didn't participate in a brewery tour, I did experience, the experience. Stone is big and beautiful. Okay, so the outside of the building is unassuming; very corporate-office-like. This appears to be the norm in California. It must have something to do with their zoning regulations. We also didn't see a sign indicating that we had in fact arrived at Stone. It was Saturday, so the giant ‘Xerox’ looking building with all the cars in the parking lot, plus the beacon on our Google Maps phone app indicated that we had landed.

Once inside, it was a different world. You began experiencing the transition right after leaving the parking area. A beautiful corridor made up of stone walls and vegetation guided you to the main entrance. We passed over the threshold and into a large foyer area. From there you could see a great deal; the gift shop, the brew area, the bar/restaurant and a portion of the outside grounds. A gift shop is basically a gift shop, but the rest of the place was beautiful. The materials used in the interior construction gave the brewery a very earthy feel. It brought to mind the works of Frank Lloyd Wright.

Green Flash Brewing Quickie!

We're down in San Diego on a 4 day stay mini-vacation. It’s my first extended visit to the area. Of course, we're going to squeeze in a few beer places. Yesterday we did just that. We stopped at Green Flash Brewing to see what they had to offer. Since I'm on vacation, I’m going to cheat and use pictures instead of a bunch text to convey the experience. My words would probably just bore you anyway, right. Besides, everyone loves pictures! Enjoy!

Green Flash HQ in business park setting.

The Oregon Zoo's Annual 'Zoo Brew' is Cancelled

We received some unfortunate news a few months back that The Oregon Zoo’s annual ‘Zoo Brew’ event is no longer. June 1, 2013 would've marked the seventh year for the event that I associated with the gateway to Portland’s summer. Here’s an excerpt from Beth Smith, Event Manager at the Zoo:

“Unfortunately, while support was strong for this beloved community event, upcoming construction impacts across the campus and reduced financial return for the Foundation resulted in this tough business decision.
We determined that as much as we love to host this event, we could more effectively work towards our goal of providing financial support to the zoo’s animal welfare, education and conservation programs by channeling it into other fundraising efforts.”

Regardless, please continue to show your support for this 125 year old, remarkable organization. Here are the many ways that you can get involved: http://www.oregonzoo.org/get-involved

Backwoods Brewing 'Meet the Brewer'

Last Thursday evening we headed out to the Backwoods. The Backwoods Brewing Company ‘Meet the Brewer’ event at Concordia Ale House. Backwoods Brewing laid down its roots in July 2012 in the once timber town of Carson, Washington. Their branding reflects just that. With beer names such as 'Log Yard IPA' and pizzas like 'Lumber Jack', Backwoods pays homage to the town’s beginnings in the late 1800s when sawmills were built using the waters of Carson Creek. At Concordia we caught up with Matt Weber and Tom Waters, Assistant Brewers at Backwoods Brewing. They asked us how we liked their beers. Of the (3) on tap, a Pale, IPA and Amber, we answered with “we thought they were all great!” Backwoods' beer has that wonderful, unfiltered look and flavor, and according to their website the local water plays an important role. We agree!

Clear Cut Pale Ale, Red Bluff Amber Ale and Log Yard IPA

Assistant Brewers, Tom Waters and Matt Weber

From what we could tell it appeared the entire Waters Family and company

Hoppity Hops: 4k and 9k Fun Run + Walk

This is a shout out to all my fellow beer runners. On Saturday, March 30^th Good Sport Promotion brings us the Hoppity Hops 4k and 9k fun run + walk. This well supported event is capped at 5,000 participants therefore register early. Once you hop aboard, you’ll be treated to all of this (and more):

• Fresh coffee and doughnuts from Franz Bakery in the morning
• Yummy treats on the course
• Fun bunny ears for everyone
• Entry into the Spring Beer & Wine Fest*
• Commemorative Spring Beer & Wine Fest mug*
• 4 tokens to fill the mug (or 4 sample pours)*
• Clearly marked, safe course
• A huge team of friendly, support volunteers to help out on course and at the start/finish
• *Spring Beer & Wine package may be exchanged for a free event t-shirt

Costumes are encouraged, so let your creativity shine!