Beer Release: NW: Get (Them) Now … New Belgium Lips of Faith Pluot and Paardebloem Ales

It’s been a little while since we reported on new beers from New Belgium. So let’s get to it already Introducing Paardebloem and Pluot into the Lips of Faith Series family.

First off is Paardebloem, another collaboration in what is now New Belgium’s sixth with Salt Lake City brewery Red Rock Brewing. As with prior Lips of Faith beers Paardebloem uses unique ingredients, outside the usual malt & hops.

For the new addition to the L.o.F. Series the brewery included peach juice, dandelions, Grains of Paradise, and many other organic ingredients. Thrown into a barrel this beer is blended with brettanomyce, New Belgium’s house Belgian ale yeast, and a touch of wood-aged sour beer. Paardebloem pours a light, hazy gold but will make you sit down at 9%.

Second is Pluot, which is made from pluot juice.

To the uninformed this is a hybrid of a plum and an apricot and has been described by the brewers as a light golden ale, with fruity aromas and distinct esters. Like PAadebloem this is brewed with N.B. house Belgian ale yeast and brettanomyces. Do not be surprised if you pick up whispers of spice and sense a malty backbone from 10 percent’er.

Look for both of these beers to be on the shelf now. As always if you don’t find it at your grocer of bar, ask your server or grocer to buy some!

Cheers

About New Belgium Brewing Company

New Belgium Brewing, makers of Fat Tire Amber Ale and a host of Belgian-inspired beers, is recognized as one of Outside Magazine’s Best Places to Work and one of the Wall Street Journal’s Best Small Businesses. The 100% employee owned brewery is a Platinum-level Bicycle Friendly Business as designated by the League of American Bicyclists, and one of World Blu’s most democratic U.S. businesses. In addition to Fat Tire, New Belgium brews eight year round beers; Ranger IPA, Rampant Imperial IPA, Shift Pale Lager, Sunshine Wheat, 1554 Black Ale, Blue Paddle Pilsener, Abbey Belgian Ale and Trippel. Learn more at www.newbelgium.com.

Brewery Night *Pushpin: OR: 5/25 Fort George’s Ken Fisher releases Grateful Deaf Zythos Black India Pale Ale

Just a quick reminder that Fort George Brewery’s Ken Fisher will be stopping by Belmont Station (from 3pm – 6pm) for the release of the tribute beer Grateful Deaf Zythos Black India Pale Ale.

For those that don’t know who Ken is you might have seen his work at Elland Brewing, Birra del Borgo, Fox Brewing, or Jopen Brewing .

More on Grateful Deaf Black IPA, as reported by Belmont Station staff.

The Grateful Deaf Black IPA has been hopped to the high heavens with heaps of delicious Zythos hops that were graciously donated by Hopunion. The beer remains crisp and not overly roasty. Although it has a light body, there is plenty of flavor to be had in this beer with notes of caramel, dark malt and liquorish.

Tasting starts at 3pm this Saturday.

Saturday May 25th, 2013 3pm – 6pm
Fort George Grateful Deaf Zythos Black IPA release at Belmont Station
4500 SE Stark Street Portland, OR 97215

Cheers

Festival Preview: OR: 6/8 & 6/9 Portland Fruit Beer Festival returns for another year.

For most, Spring can be nothing more than a melted down version of Winter. But like a bi-polar, disobedient, child, it can surprise you with calm. By calm we mean cloudless, sunny skies. By calm we mean temperatures floating somewhere around 70 degrees. In other words, something closer to Summer.

This year has so far not disappointed those who are fans of temperature swings between 90 and 50 degrees. In fact one could say that Summer couldn't come soon enough. Which is why we are happy to remind those that the beer festival equivalent of Summer is fast approaching.

In two weeks the Portland Fruit Beer Festival parks its tent at the corner of 7th and East Burnside in Portland (Oregon). Featuring over 40 different beers from 25 different breweries, this is a unique festival for the lover of all things fruit & beer. From the sweet to the sour, this festival has demonstrated (in previous years) it‘s capable of impressing a large populace of discerning drinkers.

This year's festival starts on Saturday June 8th (from 11am - 9pm) with a general admission of $20. Course if you want to spend a bit more with a decent payoff, there is also the VIP package at $28. For those with plans already the festival will also be open on Sunday from 11am - 9pm.

Admission breakdown

• VIP Early Entrance $28. Allows for 1 hour early entry at 10 am on Saturday, June 8th, as well as entry anytime during the duration of the festival. Also includes 5 extra tickets for a total of one festival glass and 17 tickets. Plus special beer tappings at 10am on Saturday. Tickets now on sale!
• General Admission $20. Purchase your regular entry tickets in advance and bypass the cash lines going straight to the front. Includes one gold flaked festival glass (required for tasting) and 12 drink tickets, each good for one 4oz taste (some beers require 2 tickets) Tickets now on sale!

Additional tickets are $1 and good for 4oz of beer (with some exceptions) and a full pint cor 4 tickets unless it's a 2 ticket beer.

But before things get started that Saturday there is something we need to mention, the Pig Roast. Wednesday June 5th from 6:30pm, the organizers are hosting a dinner at The East Burn (1800 E Burnside) . Cost is $40 and it is advised to call (503-236-2876) for reservations.

More on the Pig Roast & Pre-Fruit Beer Fest Homebrewers Dinner

This unique beer and food event pairs some of the best fruit homebrews entered into the annual PFBF homebrew competition with the pro brewers. This year special industry guests are Steve Wagner the President of Stone Brewing Co. and original brewer who went back into the brewhouse to create Ruination IPA - Tropical Heat Edition just for the Fruit Beer Festival. Also meet The Commons Brewery team who will present a sneak peak at their Bier Royale a sour spelt beer with black currants. Burnside Brewing Co. will present a special version of their new Baltic Porter that has been aged in Rum barrels with blueberries, golden figs, mission figs and dates. These pros will be joined by top homebrew contestants from this years fest and their beers on tap so that you may combine all side-by-side. For dinner the Chef at East Burn has prepared an amazing meal centered around a pig roast. All this for only $40. Reserve your seats now.

Hors D’Oeuvre

• Mike’s Philly Soft Pretzels with Stone Ground Mustard

To Start

• Summer Salad with Chevre, Berries, toasted Hazelnuts and White Balsamic Dressing.

Main Course

• Whole Roasted Carlton Farms Pig with Joe’s Baked Beans, Fuji Apple and Napa Cabbage Slaw, Czech Style Potato Salad

Dessert

• Glazed Tres Leches Cake

Um, the beers?!

Here's the list, complete with some salivating descriptions of what is in store for you. First the ‘commons’.

• Alameda Brewing: Alamosa. The Alamosa is a pilsner with orange juice added. Just think about the early morning Mimosa. At 4.8% this will be the perfect beer to drink on a hot summer day, with the added bonus of some Vitamin C
• Beer Valley Brewing Oregonberry Wheat. A light, refreshing, tart fruit beer brewed with 2-row barley, organic wheat malt, cherries, blueberries, and plums.  4% ABV.  4 IBU.
• Block 15 Brewing Psidium. Rustic farmhouse ale matured with guava fruit.  Blended with 33% barrel matured  wheat & farmhouse ales from our wild cellar. Brewed with Belgian Pilsner, French Pale & Wheat malts; Saaz & Citra hops; French farmhouse yeast. 6.2%alc/vol, 17BU
• Breakside Brewery Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. A berliner-weisse style beer brewed with whole baked strawberry rhubarb pies. Watch the video!
• Burnside Brewing A Baltic Porter aged in Pacific Rum barrels with blueberries, golden figs, mission figs and dates.
• Bushwhacker Cidery/Upright Brewing Collaboration Blend. A blend starting off with Upright Brewing's Six a dark farmhouse rye beer that was then aged in wine barrels with Brett (wild yeast) and currants. It was then mixed 50/50 with Bushwhacker Cidery's Hazelnut Rum barrel Rose Hip cider. The blend was then added to a Big Bottom whiskey barrel, where it will only sit for about a week before kegging.
• The Commons Brewery Bier Royale. Sour spelt beer with black currents. ~6% abv. The name is derived from Kir Royale (cocktail)
• Deschutes Brewery Currant Event Sour Baltic Porter. First we kettle soured a small batch of our Imperial Porter with our house lactic culture. Then we added Black Currants and blended it with a Baltic Porter conditioned with pureed raspberries  The result is a dark, fruited, tart glass of something eventful! ABV:  7.7%  IBU’s: 21
• Falling Sky  Strobilus Berry Wheat Bitter. Looking for a summer pink drink? Overlapping berry character from a blend of raspberries and boysenberries provides a refreshing tartness and brilliant color balanced by a touch of malt and wheat sweetness. Malts: Crisp Pale & EuroPils, Best Malz Wheat, GW Org Wheat, and Castle CaraGold. Hops: Calypso; finished with Meridian and Calypso. Extras: Oregon Grown Raspberries and Boysenberries. Vitals: OG 1.047      18 IBU            4.5% Alc
• Fort George Brewing Forbidden Wonder Fruit Ale. For this year’s Fruit Ale Festival, Fort George decided to make a kiwi caramel beer.  Kiwis are known around the world by many names, but our favorite is the Chinese translation - ""Wonder Fruit.""  We made this caramel ale with Wyeast’s ""Forbidden Fruit"" yeast, infusing a sublte raspberry flavor. The Forbidden Wonder Fruit Ale has a lighter body that won’t distract the pallet from the layers of flavor that glide over the tongue.  Even with all of these great ingredients and flavors mixing together, the Forbidden Wonder Fruit Ale is not overly sweet, making it a beer that everyone can enjoy on a hot summer day.  6.7% ABV
• Gigantic Brewing Hey there Fruitcake!. Style: Fruitcake Beer. Fruit: Cherry, Apricot, Orange Peel (maybe cranberry too). Description:  Cherry, Apricot, Orange Peel and Ginger combine with this malty, caramelly beer to make Fruitcake in liquid form (not your aunts rock of a cake..).
• Hopworks Urban Brewery TBA. Hopworks collaborated with Automatic Brewing Company of San Diego to create this stylistic hybrid of a Belgian IPA, Wit and fruit beer. It’s a tropical cocktail of Passionfruit, Mango, and Pineapple and hopped with Nelson Sauvin, Galaxy and Citra hops.
• Laurelwood Brewing Fruition Wheat. A Berliner-Weisse brewed with Pear and Blackberries.
• Lompoc Brewing Cherry Wheat. A wheat ale brewed in August 2011 with 200 pounds of sour cherries and then aged in Maryhill Winery Port barrels for 2 months.  It has a slight oak aroma with a crisp cherry flavor, finishing slightly tart. 5.0% ABV
• Lucky Lab Brewing Blue Raspberry Lager. Inspired by the popular candy flavor. Brewed with Raspberries and Blackberries. 4.2%"
• Oakshire Brewing Elderberry Gose. A traditional gose style beer with coriander and salt, with the addition of elderberry. 4% abv.
• Stone Ruination IPA - Tropical Heat Edition. A special version of Stone's Double IPA brewed with Mangos and Habaneros brewed just for the Fruit Beer Fest and Portland Beer Week.
• 10 Barrel Brewing Brewing Cucumber Crush. Once again 10 Barrel gets fresh! Tonya took her award winning Berliner Weisse and added loads of cucumbers. The aroma is undeniably cucumber. The flavor is like biting into a crisp baby cucumber fresh from the garden. Just when you have had enough the tartness acts as a pallet cleanser leaving you ready for the next sip. Eat Beer! 4% ABV 17 IBU
• 2 Towns Ciderhouse Made Marion. The sunrise of summer, the Made Marion is a blend of Oregon grown Marionberries and hard apple cider. Ripe berry flavors and a crisp apple bite combine with a rich ruby color to make this delicious cider. 6.9% abv.
• Upright Brewing Barrel-Aged Citrus Wit. Pure Wit aged with blood orange, seville orange, and grapefruit peels, 4.5%

But if you are prone to hearing the words "... too bad you missed out", then you should pay attention to the following limited edition beers.

Rare & Rotating Taplist 
(only 2-4 of these beers on tap at once. Tastes 2-4 tickets each)

• Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project Wild Wild Brett Violet. 100% Brettanomyces fermented with Passionfruit and Experimental Hops.
• Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project St. Bretta. 100% Brettanomyces (Whitebier) Brewed with Citrus
• Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project Surette Provision. Barrel-aged Provision Saison with Raspberries
• De Garde Brewing Gin barrel Berliner with oregon coast cranberries
• De Garde Brewing Barrel fermented wild Saison with Abacella estate vineyard Tempranillo grapes
• De Garde Brewing Gin barrel double India wild ale with Horse Heaven Hills Chenin Blanc grapes
• Double Mountain Bloody Beer
• Flat Tail Brewing Cucumber Cuvée. A year old cucumber Berliner with Brett f/c
• Flat Tail Brewing Persicus. A year+ old hibiscus blonde soured in Pinot barrels and refermented with peach purée and saison yeast.
• Flat Tail Brewing Seanberry Saison. A Blueberry-strawberry saison with biscuit malt ( strawberry shortcake kinda thing goin on)
• Hopworks Urban Brewery Valentine Stout. Brouwers 6th Anniversary Imperial Stout aged on Heaven Hills bourbon barrels with Organic Raspberries.
• Logsdon Farmhouse Ales Cerasus. Oak Aged Flanders Red with tart Cherry.
• Lompoc Brewing Scarlet Red. Our Proletariat Red has turned a rich shade of scarlet after fermenting in Heaven Hill Bourbon barrels with 45 pounds of sour cherries.  This beer puts a new twist on our classic, balanced NW Red ale.  Now a slightly tart, oaky red, it is complimented nicely by the aroma of a quality Kentucky Bourbon.  6.2% ABV  
• Lompoc Brewing Peach Wheat. Brewed in September 2012 and fermented in Heaven Hill Bourbon barrels with 200 pounds of peaches for a strong peach aroma and hints of oak that finishes slightly tart. 5.8% ABV
• New Belgium Brewing Love with Cherry and Nectarines.
• New Belgium Brewing Pluot. Hook up a plum with an apricot and they’ll make you a pluot. This sweet hybrid fruit is as refreshing as it is strange, and it’s the perfect starting point for our new Lips of Faith beer. Pluot Ale pours a bright, light golden. The aroma is full of fruit tones and distinct esters from blending the funky brettanomyces and our house Belgian ale yeast. The flavor carries the same weight, adding a spicy, vinous subtlety to stand up against the malt backbone. To build a beer around this worldly fruit is purely Belgian in imagination. Pour some Pluot and enjoy!
• New Belgium Brewing Heavenly Feijoa Tripel. Heavenly Feijoa Tripel combines Dieu du Ciel!’s love of hibiscus flowers with New Belgium’s passion for strange and worldly fruit. Feijoa, also known as pineapple guava, has a sweet, aromatic flavor, which makes the aroma of Heavenly Feijoa Tripel luscious and tropical. The beer has Belgian yeast and Nelson Sauvin hops, combining to make a sweet fruit taste, mild spicy tones and a sharp bite. Hibiscus adds a cranberry tartness and an ambrosial quality to the color.
• Oakshire Brewing: TBD. Blonde ale with Muller Thurgau grapes aged on Brett in Pinot Noir barrels
• Old Market Pub and Brewery Sour Wheat Plum Lambic. Three year old sour mashed Gueuze refermented with hand picked plums. Pours purplish-opaque with the aroma of plum and a nice dry tart finish.
• Solera Brewery Apricot
• Solera Brewery Peche
• Solera Brewery Lapin Lover Kriek
• Schooner Exact Brewing Apricot Sour
• Schooner Exact Brewing Cherry Sour
• 10 Barrel Brewing Raspberry Crush. Award winning Berliner-Weisse with Raspberries.
• 10 Barrel Brewing Apricot Crush. Award winning Berliner-Weisse with Apricots
• 2 Towns Ciderhouse: Rhubarbarian. Like a barbarian horde, the crew at 2 Towns Ciderhouse raided a local rhubarb patch to create this fearsome hard cider. Tangy, wild, and not for the faint of heart, the Rhubarbarian will bring out the barbarian in you. Give your taste buds +5 sour ability!

For more information including any last minute changes you should visit the organizer's website at http://www.portlandfruitbeerfest.com/

Cheers

About the Annual Homebrew Competition before Fruit Beer Festival

For the 3rd year the Portland Fruit Beer Festival presents an all Fruit Beer Homebrew competition. This is an non-BJCP style open competition; any homebrewer, club or not, from any state, may enter. Fruit beers are among the more challenging beers to brew and there are many different methods and theories behind how to best utilize fruit, from fresh to puree, dried and juiced the options are numerous. To keep the categories of entry simple we have narrowed down the style guidelines to 5 distinct categories of fruit beer (Light, Dark, Sour, Spice/Herb) and are adding Hard Cider to the competition this year.

For ingredients, the rules are that you must use real fruit, whole or pureed. Natural juice (concentrated or diluted) is acceptable, however no extracts or artificial flavorings will be allowed. It is also suggested that you clean your fruit of any wax or pesticides before use, if applicable. As usual, no illegal ingredients.

This year entries will be divided into five simple categories: Light Colored (12 SRM and lower), Dark Colored (greater than 12 SRM), Sour, Spice/Herb and Hard Cider. The Best of Show will then be determined from the winners of those categories. Your beer will be judged with simple sensory analysis sheets designed to give feedback without regard to total overall score. Prizes for each first place in the three categories are a $20 gift certificate to Burnside Brewing. The Best of Show grand prize will win an additional $50 gift certificate! The winners will be announced on Saturday, June 8th at 12pm during the festival.

Entries will be accepted at Burnside Brewing and F.H. Steinbart's from Sunday, May 19th to Friday, May 31st by the end of business with judging to commence the following Saturday, June 1st. Each entry costs $7, but you get three beer tickets and a 16oz gold flaked glass in return! Please make check or money orders out to "Oregon Brew Crew" with a memo of "PFBF Entry Fee". There are no limits to the number of entries any one brewer may enter, but any one beer must be entered into only one category (no spamming multiple categories with one beer). Each entry must consist of two unmarked 10 - 22 oz. bottles accompanied by a AHA bottle ID form: http://www.bjcp.org/docs/SCP_BottleID.pdf filled out and rubber banded to each bottle. When filling out your entry forms, please specify all fruit(s) used and (if applicable) all spice/herb(s) used. You don't have to give a recipe, but we must know the extras beyond the grains that comprise the brew. As well, please specify the category you are entering the beer or cider in or it may be miscategorized. Please be advised that bottles missing the above form or using tape or sticker of any kind will automatically be disqualified without refund. *No exceptions*.

Like last year Burnside Brewing will be holding a Pre-Fest Homebrewers Dinner on Wednesday June 5th 6pm at East Burn. We will pour some of the best homebrewers fruit beers at the private dinner. If you can provide up to 5 gallons of your fruit beer homebrew competition and would like to be considered for the dinner please write it in on the form. Accepted applicants will get a free ticket to the dinner with fellow homebrewers and probrewers including Jason Mcadam from Burnside Brewing and Stone Brewing co-founder Steve Wagner who will present early samples of their first ever fruit beer a Mango IPA. More dinner details TBA.

Burnside Brewing is graciously donating a sum of money to the OBC for it's help in the competition. You can show your support and thanks, if you are a licensed OLCC server, by volunteering to pour beer for a paid shift during the festival. Contact Holly Emery-Wallen about pouring at the festival athollyemerywalen@gmail.com. The general festival info page is here.

You can get an OLCC server permit ONLINE. Go here: http://www.oregonrla.org/training/alcoholserver.php

If you have any questions about the competition, or would like to judge please email Jeremie Landers at pfbfcomp@gmail.com

About the Fruit Beer Festival Sponsors

Burnside Brewing Co. located in the heart of the central eastside we believe in creativity and the highest quality malt, hops, yeast, and Bull Run water to create the finest local brews. Take a seat at our pub and peruse the menu offering cured meats, charcuterie, pickling, and culinary artistry all done in-house, and designed to pair with our hand crafted beers. You’ve never been to a pub like this before.

Oregon Fruit Products Founded in 1935, Oregon Fruit Products Company is a third generation family owned and operated company still located in Salem, Oregon. We take pride in the high quality and consistent products we provide to the marketplace, along with service and integrity not commonly found in today’s business world.

Bolt Bus We're a new transportation service dedicated to making bus travel a more exhilarating experience.

Northwest Naturals

Northwest Naturals is a leading supplier of premium specialty blended and custom formulated juice concentrates. Our single and blended fruit juice concentrates come from the highest quality fruits and are processed to yield the best flavor and color possible.

Maletis Beverage Providing beverage distribution services throughout Portland, Oregon and Southwest Washington. “Leading the industry with quality products, teamwork and customer satisfaction.”

New Belgium: NW: Get It Now … New Belgium’s Rolle Bolle Ale

Summer’s almost here and that means, lower alcohol beers. Whether it’s the classic Full Sail Session Lager, Pabst Blue Ribbon, or Seattle Beer Week Ale (assuming there is some still laying around), there is nothing like a refreshing low abv’er.

Which is why we are reminding you to pull the cargo shorts out of storage, put on those short sleeves, and fire up the barbecue whiles drinking a Rolle Bolle Belgian Ale.

More on Rolle Bolle Ale

Rolle Bolle Ale is brewed with monk fruit and soursop, pouring as a brilliant blonde. It offers both earthy and tropical tones, following up tartness with the citrus of Cascade and Centennial hops. Oats bring creaminess to the mouthfeel, and it finishes dry and clean.

“Rolle Bolle is a session beer that will surely makes its way into backyards and festivals all season long,” said New Belgium Assistant Brewmaster Grady Hull. “The entire recipe celebrates the lighter desires of summertime living.”

Looking for this 5.2%, light-drinker, right now? How about your local grocer, bar, or restaurant? If you can’t find it there, then ask your server or grocer to buy a case!

Cheers

About New Belgium Brewing Company

New Belgium Brewing, makers of Fat Tire Amber Ale and a host of Belgian-inspired beers, is recognized as one of Outside Magazine’s Best Places to Work and one of the Wall Street Journal’s Best Small Businesses. The 100% employee owned brewery is a Platinum-level Bicycle Friendly Business as designated by the League of American Bicyclists, and one of World Blu’s most democratic U.S. businesses. In addition to Fat Tire, New Belgium brews eight year round beers; Ranger IPA, Rampant Imperial IPA, Shift Pale Lager, Sunshine Wheat, 1554 Black Ale, Blue Paddle Pilsener, Abbey Belgian Ale and Trippel. Learn more at www.newbelgium.com.

Beer Week Preview: Seattle: Just Go!

Can we be honest with you for a moment? For years we've told you what you should or shouldn't do at an event. Is our opinion valued, maybe?

Which is why we are taking a departure from our usual "Must Have" or "Avoid" suggestions to say this, GO! Go out and enjoy Seattle Beer Week. After all there are over 200 different events.

Technically we aren't advocating you go to EVERYTHING. But we are telling you to go do something! We don't care if its shots off a hairy chested bartender or if it's a quiet night at Collins Pub. Just Go!

Starting this Thursday Seattle Beer Week kicks off. Then again every week, day, or weekend, can be Seattle Beer Week.

But I won't reduce the next 10 days to nothing more than a drawn out pub crawl. In fact this writer equates Seattle Beer Week to a craft beer advocates bachelor (or bachelorette) party. Don't believe me? Let's look at the total number of events that one can attempt to enjoy, 200. Nor will I remind you that that almost 100 businesses are hosting a dinner, kegger, or tasting. Top that off with the fact that during any given day or night you have a shot to meet the man (or woman) who brewed the beer that is chilling in your hand!

Get to the damn point!

Ok!

So here is what I am not going to do. I'm not going to tell you where you are supposed to go. And I am not going to post a lengthy, long-winded, calendar on the website.

Instead I am going to mention where I'll be and it's up to you find me to say "hey", or (god forbid) buy me a drink. See you around.

Thursday May 9th, 2013 "Pre-Funk & Pub Crawling, SBW-style"
http://www.seattlebeerweek.com/events/5/9

• Sixgill featuring Cascade Brewing. 3417 Evanston Ave N #014 Seattle WA 98103
  Everyone needs a little pre-funking before celebrating at Fremont. Stop in grab a pint or schooner (just ONE) before walking over to Fremont Brewing.
• Fremont Brewing featuring the inaugural KEG of Organic Session Pale Ale, aka Seattle Beer Week in a can. 
• Beveridge Place for Cask O Rama. 
• Naked City. 
• Pine Box.

Friday May 10th, 2013 "Blackening the Liver"
http://www.seattlebeerweek.com/events/5/10

• Brave Horse Tavern. 310 Terry Avenue North Seattle WA 98109
  Seems fitting to stop and say hello to Oakshire & Ninkasi.
• Brouwer's Cafe. 400 N 35th Street Seattle WA 98103.
  No determined time other than after regular 9-5 working hours. If you see me I might buy YOU a pint.

Saturday May 11th, 2013 "Malt, Fir, and a Pub Crawl"
http://www.seattlebeerweek.com/events/5/11

• Collins Pub - Mutiny Hall - Hudson - Last Drop.  http://www.seattlebeerweek.com/events/865-Pub-Crawl-hosted-by-Collins-Pub
  If you love Firestone Walker then you will love this pub crawl with style. Rumor has it the event isn't sold out yet. Call up Tommy (yeah, former employee of Brouwer's Cafe Tommy) and check if I'm lying, (206) 427-9737.
• Maui Brewing at Noble Fir. 5316 Ballard Ave. NW Seattle WA 98107
  There is bound to be a rare bird or two during this event. Maybe Mr. Maui himself will make an appearance.

Sunday May 12, 2013 "Mother's Day"
http://www.seattlebeerweek.com/events/5/12

We would like you to visit the Seattle Beer Week site and see if your mom or "mother-type" woman would be interested in having a beer with the kiddo. http://www.seattlebeerweek.com/events/5/12

More to come!

Cheers

Editorial: Away from the Desk: Gone to Rome!

Like all things organic, the Northwest Beer Guide is a user contributed website.

Then again we don’t need to tell you this. In between the grammar, punctuation, and lack of professional prose, it’s clear this is not the New York Times. After all, would you want something that spoke to you in a way that massaged your intellect?

Getting to the point, I wanted to take this opportunity to let you know I’ll be stepping away from the desk for a little bit.

Why am I doing this? Personal vacation. A man’s gotta do something that, occasionally, doesn’t include beer. Am I right?

Starting this week I am no longer posting any material, till the following week (May 5th). Till then I encourage you to following me on Twitter where I will be posting my thoughts on Rome and it’s burgeoning craft beer scene.

Follow me on Twitter

Ciao & Cheers

Tasting Preview: WA: 5/1 Oskar Blues at Beer Authority

7 Seas, Wingman, Maui, Kona, Redhook; are you sensing a pattern?

What do these breweries all have in common? If you answered canned beer, you would be correct. However they weren't the first craft brewery to produced canned beers, in fact one of the first to arrive in the Northwest was Oskar Blues.

With names like Ten Fiddy, Mama's Lil Yellow Pils, or Old Chub; Oskar Blues has inspired breweries and craft beer advocates to take beer in their backpacks on hikes, camping trips, or tailgating.

Starting at around 6pm you are encouraged to say hey to O.B. Brewing's newest employee, Erik Carels. If the face seems familiar it's mostly because you probably saw him pouring beers at festivals and tasting throughout the area, for Snoqualmie Falls Brewing. Seizing the opportunity to change his business cards and stationary to somewhere in Colorado, Erik is stopping by Beer Authority to remind people what canned craft beer tastes like.

Stop by and ask him about the limited edition Old Chub aged in Stranahan's Whiskey barrels as well as what it's like to work for a brewery that once employed Beer Authority owner Burc McFarlen.

Wednesday April 24th, 2013 6pm
Oskar Blues Tasting at The Beer Authority
12716 Lake City Way Northeast Seattle, WA 98125

Cheers

Beer Release: NW: Coming Soon … 21st Amendment Imperial Jack

Throughout the country there are tales of someone who decided to turn on their stove traveled down the path to home brewer. Some were inspired by a Christmas gift from a spouse. While others were inspired after drinking a buddy’s ‘homebrew’. Then there are the odd cases, the ones that started brewing because they had nothing else better to do.

Whoever you are, we thank you. We thank you for keeping the professional brewers honest. For without you there, would be no Pro-Am or an excuse for brewers to point to a non-descript box and utter “Oh that?! That’s just some homebrew some guys gave me to try”

More to the point without Richard Brewer-Hay there would be no homebrew recipe, brewed at 21st Amendment. Without a homebrewer there would be no Gold Medal at the World Beer Cup.

Reintroducing Imperial Jack, to the rest of the world.

Imperial Jack proves that some of the best stories are created over a cup o' ale and a good meal. That's just what happened over the course of numerous 21st Amendment Brewery lunch break visits by English homebrewer Richard Brewer-Hay who struck up a friendship with 21A co-founder and Brewmaster, Shaun O'Sullivan. At his homebrew headquarters, Elizabeth Street Brewery, Richard had been brewing an ESB (Extra Special Bitter Ale) named "Grandpa Jack" in honor of his late grandfather, Jack Newbould. Eventually Richard and Shaun decided to collaborate on a stronger version of "Grandpa Jack" at 21st Amendment - and this time named it "Imperial Jack". In 2010, they entered it in the international World Beer Cup competition- and it won a gold medal in the Other Strong Ale category.

Richard Brewer-Hay notes, "Beer has been the foundation of my friendship with Shaun, though the ties now run deeper than that. Shaun's the kind of guy who answered every one of my homebrew questions, tossed around all kinds of crazy ideas and ended up suggesting we take my recipe to his brewhouse. I can't imagine a better way to get to know a person."

Richard's life-long goal is to open a brewpub outside his home, in his San Francisco Noe Valley neighborhood. In the meantime, he will write a new chapter in the Imperial Jack story, traveling to his home country of England in mid-April with Shaun. There the two will brew Imperial Jack in a London brewpub. It will be Richard's first time brewing back on English soil. We think Charles Dickens would definitely approve.

Brewery Description of Imperial Jack

Of the ale itself, O'Sullivan rhapsodizes, "Imperial Jack is a deep amber ale with an equal abundance of malt and hops, an ABV of 8.5% and 45 IBUs. The beer was brewed with a very special English heirloom malt called Simpson's Golden Promise. We also use English crystal and biscuit malts, Belgian honey malt and chocolate malts. The hops are Warrior, Northern Brewer and Styrian Goldings and we use a classic English ale yeast to round out the profile".

Look for 21st Amendment’s Imperial Jack to be featured on draught throughout the Northwest. As always if you don’t see it where you are, ask your server to buy a keg!

Cheers

About the World Beer Cup

The Brewers Association developed the World Beer Cup® International Competition in 1996 to celebrate the art and science of brewing by recognizing outstanding achievement. Every two years, a highly qualified professional panel of beer judges honors the top three beers in nearly 91 categories with gold, silver, and bronze awards. The World Beer Cup, often referred to as "The Olympics of Beer Competitions," is the most prestigious beer competition in the world.

About Elizabeth Street Brewery

Since 2003, the residence of Alyson and Richard Brewer-Hay has been known to family and friends as The Elizabeth Street Brewery. For the first three years of operation, the ESB brewing facility consisted of one 5-gallon pot on the kitchen stove of their home. In December of 2006, the operation moved out of the kitchen and the new space has allowed for them to double their brewing operation to 10-gallon batches at a time. Located in the family-oriented San Francisco neighborhood of Noe Valley, The ESB is a pub for the people, by the people.

About 21st Amendment Brewery

Hey, we're Nico & Shaun. We live for great beer. When we opened the 21st Amendment Brewpub in San Francisco in 2000, we vowed to do things differently. To us, the 21st Amendment means much more than just an end to Prohibition. It means the right to brew beer, the freedom to be innovative, and the obligation to have fun.

Beer Release: ID: Coming Soon … Grand Teton Oud Bruin Belgian-Style Ale

There’s a funk in the air and no it’s not your armpit, or your sweaty socks. In fact this is a good kind of funk, assuming you are into Flanders-style ales.

This coming May Grand Teton is set to release their Cellar Reserve Oud Bruin. But this Belgian-style Ale gets much of inspiration and recipe from the East Flanders region.

Grand Teton Oud Bruin uses a malt recipe of “… American 2-Row barley and German melanoidin malt (for red color) as well as maize (to lighten the body)”. Hop additions came courtesy Idaho’s Galenas which contributed balance to the beer.

But you can’t have funk without something Flemish, which is the brewery employed wild yeast strains including “Lactobacillus, Pediococcus, and Brettanomyces”.

In the end the beer took six months to age in cellar-like temperatures before reaching that expected sourness.

But how does beer pair with food?

… this is a wonderful beer for cooking and pairing with food. Unlike any wine, Oud Bruin complements vinegary dishes such as salads or even pickles. Its flavors will enhance those of shellfish, liver, rabbit, and game birds like quail. The acidity of the beer tenderizes beef and is ideal for braising—try it in the classic Belgian Carbonade Flamande.

Look for bottles in the familiar 750ml format starting mid-May this year. As always if you can’t find Grand Teton Oud Bruin or any of their other beers, ask your server to grocer to buy some!

Cheers

Tasting Preview: WA: 4/25 Odin at Beer Junction

Fan of Mythology? Some of you say no, other say yes. Whether it's inspired by video games God of War, movies Thor, or television show Game of Thrones,  we all enjoy a good storyline?

What about a tale associated with a one-eyed immortal, who rides a six-legged horse, and is celebrated by Vikings and superstitious Nordic? Ok so maybe you haven't seen Marvel Comics’ Thor or are watching the History Channel's Vikings television show. But it might make the bond to South Park's Odin Brewing a little more special.

Started in 2009 the brewery set out with a focus on recipes that would stand the test of time without wearing out the palate. From their Odin Pearl to their Thor's Equinox, the brewery has stayed true to their mission. Which makes every tasting, dinner pairing, and festival more like reconnecting with and old friend than a long-past acquaintance.

Stop by Beer Junction and say hello to the guys from 'down south'. Who knows, they might even bring a beer not yet ready for the public.

Thursday April 25th, 2013 5pm – 8pm
Odin tasting at Beer Junction
4511 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA

Cheers