Early OBF Thoughts

The masses on their way to 80+ taps of awesome.

The OBF is currently underway down at the waterfront and has another two days to go. I'm planning another run down at some point over the weekend, but wanted to give several "check this / avoid this" thoughts thus far. Ones to try?

Double Dry Hopped Glacier Pale Ale (Boundary Bay) - this was crisp, tasty, and perfect for the weather involved on Thursday. Nicely hoppy with a good bite on the end.

Daily Dose Summer Ale (Oakshire) - I ran into Matt Van Wyk in the middle of the parade and his description of the beer guaranteed that I would be sampling it. He wasn't sure if the lemon and grapefruit peel would pop in the beer the way he wanted, but I thought it was definitely in there. It's a great little Kölsch.

One to avoid?

Black & Red (Dogfish Head) - This had the longest line right from the start of the festival and nearly everyone I asked about it was disappointed. It's a wild collab of flavors, none of which really work together. I couldn't taste the raspberry, got a blast of mint, and then finished with a raisin/dates which . . . yeah, not what I was looking for or expecting by the description. Your money is better served elsewhere.

Looks like another two days of spectacular weather are in the cards, so if you have the means, get down there!

OBF '11

After defeating a nasty head-cold, the nexus of work duties, and various household tasks, I am set for this morning's trip to the Brewers' Brunch, followed by marching in the parade down to the waterfront for the 2011 Oregon Brewers Festival. The beer list is, as usual, a good mix of things I've seen before and things I have not.

A full blown report will be on the way. Weather is looking spectacular, so I advise a trip down if you have any aspect of free time.

Brewpublic has excellent taste. Go figure.

I was in the Run Like Hell 10K on Sunday and took the day off yesterday, so it was a long weekend for your humble author. This was a rainy set of days, perfect for indoor weather, hearty soups, thick bread, and excellent beer.

As noted on Saturday, I headed down to Bailey's for Brewpublic's second birthday party. I drove in and arrived about two hours into the festivities, hoping that enough time had passed to let things thin a bit. With the weather, any outside-options were going to be slim and I had guessed that the demand would be wholly for the Cascade Blueberry concoction. Figured an hour for that to blow, another hour for the top 10-15 percent to bail, should be fine, right?

Ha ha ha ha ha - no. Not even close: it (understandably!) looked like a rock concert. Angelo from Brewpublic was at the front door when I rolled up and I kind of stammered a weak "Happy Birthday" as I gazed upon the sea of humanity. Shoulder-to-shoulder, absolutely no room to move around, body surfing (okay, that last one might be stretching it). I couldn't even see the hint of a line toward the counter and I felt that the enjoyment-to-CAN'TMOVE ratio was not in my favor. Or, anyone else's if I was going to add myself to the crush. I headed back to my vehicle, rolled across the river to watch my wife sing in a concert in NE, and then returned at about 9:30pm to a smaller crowd. Things were still solidly attended, even 5+ hours in, but definitely lighter. I mean, walking up and ordering was actually possible - success!

Two bucks for a five ounce taster, 3 bucks for a 10 ounce glass, or 5 bucks for a pint. With so much to choose from the 20 taps (the Cascade, as expected, was gone-daddy-gone), I kept to glasses and tasters in the hour I was there. None of my selections were misfires and here are my three favorites:

• Kentucky Coffee Girl (Fort George) - I like my coffee stouts to be a little filthy and this had some earthy qualities that I really enjoyed. A little thinner than the crude-oil that one expects from an imperial stout, but it was still creamy and carried some sweetness on the back-end that cut through the coffee.

• Full House Imperial Brown (Pelican) - What can I say? I love their Doryman's Dark Ale, so a doubled-version was only going to pander to my tastes. Malty and chewy, this was masking the 8.3% behind a swirl of flavor that I found to be very well blended. Slight hop on the back end with some nuttiness to the finish - a winner!

• Force of Nature (Lucky Lab) - I'd never been able to sample barrel-aged beer from the Lab before, so this was a must try for me and, wow, I was not sorry at all. It's an imperial pale aged in pinot barrels and the sour/tart qualities from the aging matched up very, very well with the hops. I sent the glass around to several people standing with me at the bar and all of them agreed with my assessment: more please.

Some of the beers at this event are still on-tap at Bailey's as of this posting. You could do worse than having a pint there before things kick.

Beer from Alameda Brewing on the radar this week.

2010 Hood River Hops Fest

The crowd enjoying spectacular weather and good beer.

Hood River is just about an hour away from the heart of Portland and is a great little place to visit. Besides the beer scene (Full Sail, Double Mountain, Big Horse), there are a number of nice restaurants and it's incredibly scenic. I drove out on Saturday for the Hop Fest, parking about 8 blocks away from the location and walking down. Mugs were $6 with dollar tasters. Per usual, the size of your taster was based on the mood of the volunteer who was pouring. Most of mine were the usual 3-4oz., but both myself and others also were hooked with half-mugs on occasion.

The appropriated parking lot across from Full Sail was just the right size for this event - at least during the afternoon hours I was there for. My understanding is that business picks up post-6pm as a lot of locals roll in, but things were perfect in my experience. Longest line I found was four people deep and that was only because the woman doing the pouring was chatting with everyone. Met Jaime Rodriguez of Hopworks for a few minutes, so that was kind of fun. Also hit the Full Sail pub for a bite before leaving town - the food was good and the pint glasses are marked and filled above the line. All in all - GREAT day, wholeheartedly recommended if you're in the area next year.

Looking up the line of the pouring stations.

I was able to sample eleven offerings while I was there. These three stood out for one reason or another:

• Total Crystalization (Ninkasi) - Hop. Overload. We're talking a mathematical improbability to get any more hops in here, and I mean that in the best possible light. After all, this is a location billing itself as a Hop Fest, dammit, THIS is exactly what should be on the menu. Crystal hops are just jammed into the mug and between the nose and the taste, it's like burying your face into a freshly picked pile of cones. Wonderful offering. This was truly remarkable stuff.

• Tyler the Elder (Upright) - Samplers either walked away nodding appreciatively or made a face and looked to dump it. I watched two friends argue both angles and I can see what they are talking about. It's an odd co-mingling of tastes with what 'felt' like a saison yeast with fresh Nugget hops. The bitter back-end of this beer was at odds with the sweet front-end and it's understandable that it would not appeal to everyone, especially those who were there for Standard Hops. Interesting experiment.

• Vernon the Rabbit Slayer (Big Horse) - Much in the way that Ninkasi's offering shotgunned samplers in the face, this was another one that unloaded both barrels right out of the gate. Just an unashamed attempt to kill you with hop oils, nothing much to get crazy about. But where the TC was floral, the Rabbit Slayer was like getting whacked in the face with a pine tree. Great front end, bitter finish, definitely a winner - and I have to say that a lot of the conversation around the tables were people encouraging others to try it or commenting on how good it was.

Went with Adam's Malty Bomb (Full Sail) to finish off my day at the brewpub since I was looking for something with the hops dialed down JUST a bit. Really good choice, full of porter-like bitter chocolate, some tobacco flavors, and a clean finish. I've liked several of the Brewers' Share beers and this is another good addition to the ranks.

This was a great festival and one worthy of Hopheads who are nuts for the style. I'll definitely be looking to head back here next year.

Our intrepid reporter (about five beers in) after sampling the Rabbit Slayer.

Flying Dog Week - Part . . . wait a minute . . .

WE INTERRUPT OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED BROADCAST FOR THE FOLLOWING NEWS:

2010 Hood River Hop Fest. Tomorrow. Sold.

I will admit that I blank on events outside of Portland, so I hang my head in shame that this was off my radar. High-fives to Brewpublic and the New School for cluing me in.

The lineup is obscene. I foresee this being an excellent day.

Barrel-Aged Birthdays are the Way To Go

Yes.

As I noted last week, Bailey's Taproom had a barrel-aged anniversary party on Saturday and, as expected, it did not disappoint. I scheduled a hearty breakfast in the morning - a buffer was surely going to be needed for the rest of my day. The posted list contained some absolute monsters and, even allotting 3 hours, I was prepared to take my time with my selections and not rush from beer to beer. I also wanted to get the 'word of mouth' from the crowd and only went in with my opening pick in mind.

I arrived several hours into the event, paid the $15, got my glass and tokens, and side-stepped my way inside. Only one option had been killed - the Cascade Quadratic Formula. Ended up not feeling too bad about that since it gathered mixed reviews from the people I spoke to. The area was crowded, but not oppressively so. You certainly weren't getting a table or a spot at the bar anytime soon, but there was always a place to stand and there was a roped-off spot just outside the front door where it was comfortable to be outside and drink great beer.

Welcome to Portland. Here is your complimentary glass of liquid gold.

I managed to swing through seven beers on the list before I tapped out. It helped to have had a few of them before (Rogue, Full Sail, Oakshire) and, thus, keep my head focused on new things. Some definitely were better than others. Three of them in particular were more than memorable winners:

1A: Parabola (Firestone Walker) - I have heard some highly positive tales of this beer and, let me assure you, they are all true. Molasses and raisin and bourbon (part of the molasses, yes, but that boozy caramel touch) and smooth, smooth, smooth. It's a liver-kicking 13%, but you'd never guess it was quite that high. This is a beer to be savored and chewed through and spoken of with emphatic nods and gestures. The keg kicked while I was there - evidence that I was not the only one with this opinion.

1B: '09 Dragon's Milk (New Holland) - Pleasantly thinner than the nose and eye would lead you to believe with a cream feel to it. I caught a distinct, peat-like aspect to it that I really enjoyed. This was great a few years ago and my return sample is just as good as remembered. I liked the smell of this more than the Parabola, but the taste tipped slightly the other direction. Basically a two-way tie.

3: Lambicus Six (Upright) - I just had the Six last weekend and seeing it with a Lambicus strain and then put into Pinot . . . what a combo. I enjoy a decent sour beer and this had a tartness and bite that I loved. Wine notes everywhere, mainly with some dark cherry. If you're not into sours, this would be borderline, but as a switch-up to some of the dark stuff on the menu? It was an excellent selection.

I really only had one that missed quite badly:

1: #181 (Block 15) - I can kind of see the intended plan, but the acidity level was murder. I had difficulty getting past that and into any kind of flavors. White grape maybe, but who can tell?

Others:

For Those About To Bock (Hopworks) - Very odd, grain/damp-wheat nose to it. First time I'd had an aged-bock beer, and it was okay, but nothing really jumped out.

Kilt Lifter Scotch Ale (Moylan's) - There was so much going on in this that it was hard to find any focal points. Tasty, yes, and the Port barreling gave it some unique flavors - but very hard to peg. Points for being different, deductions for confusion.

Cherry Adam (Hair of the Dog) - Picked up on recommendation. Cherry, yes, but almost cloyingly so. Extremely thick, not crazy carbonated, it was borderlining on negative reaction, but warming it up a bit helped out. Thinned up a little, it was more manageable. Still, it was difficult to see where the love was coming from.

This was a great event and I can't recommend it enough. Friendly crowd, short lines, efficient staff, great day. Mortal lock for a return trip next year.

This is a roomful of very happy people.

Bailey's Anniversary

There's a general, post-OBF malaise going on with me right now. I haven't had any huge urges to hit John's Marketplace or get a growler filled in more than a few days and my beer fridge in the garage stands empty.

Ah, but then I caught this: Bailey's Taproom 3rd Anniversary Party is this Saturday. Wall-to-wall barrel-aged brew at one of the better locations for draft beer in town. Check out this lineup:

Block 15 #181 - Two barrel blend of one year old lambic with wild yeast/bacteria from Belgium aged in Oak barrels. 5%

Rogue John John Juniper - Juniper Pale Ale aged in Juniper Gin barrels. 5.2%

Full Sail ’09 Black Gold - Imperial Stout aged a year in Bourbon barrels. 10.5%

Oakshire Very Ill Tempered Gnome - Strong Ale aged in a Pinot barrel for 5 months. 10.5%

Fort George ’09 Illuminator - Doppelbock aged in Heaven Hills Bourbon barrel. 9%

Upright Lambicus Six - Dark Rye with brettanomyces lambicus aged in Pinot barrels. 7%

Deschutes Pinot Twilight - Pale Ale aged in Pinot barrels. 5%

Caldera Mogli - Imperial Porter aged in Bourbon barrels.

Hopworks For Those About to Bock - Bock aged in Buffalo Trace barrels since Jan. 7.1%

Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza - Belgian Golden with wild yeast aged in Oak barrel. 8%

Firestone Parabola - Imperial Stout aged in Bourbon barrels. 13%

Moylan's Kilt Lifter Scotch Ale - Kilt Lifter aged in both Apple Brandy and Port barrels.

Hair of the Dog Cherry Adam - Old Ale aged with cherries in Bourbon and Sherry barrels.

New Holland ’09 Dragon's Milk - Strong Ale aged in Oak barrels. 10%

Allagash ’08 Curieux - Allagash Tripel aged in Jim Beam barrels. 11%

Russian River Consecration - Belgian Ale with lots of funk aged in Cab. barrels. 10%

Lompoc ’08 Bourbon LSD - Strong Ale aged in Bourbon barrels 8.5%

Three Skulls Wreckage - Barleywine aged in Bourbon barrels.

Cascade - A special Bailey’s blend.

Ye cats, that is drool-worthy. Fifteen bucks snags you a glass (real! no plastic!) and five tastes. Additional tastes are a buck each. I'm tentatively planning to attend early - hopefully getting there at noon when the doors are opening up.