4th Annual Great American Distillers Festival

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I was eating my breakfast during a recent visit to Portland when I overheard some tourists at the next table ask the waitress if she could recommend a “must see” for Portland. The waitress couldn’t come up with anything but I was all too happy to help her out by answering the question.

“Don’t you know where you are?” I asked, “This is the craft beer capitol of America.” I went on to explain about the craft beer movement and gave them a bunch of information on the Oregon Brewer’s Festival and the Portland beer scene. The tourists, two gents from North Carolina, were very excited and thanked me, and the lord who brought me to them, before embarking on a tour of the city with a new purpose.

I told you that, so you’d understand this. Most people know Portland is a big craft beer town but a Mecca for craft spirits? I knew Rogue and a few others were micro-distilling craft spirits here, but I had no idea there was a community of eight micro-distillers plying their trade right here in River City! Obviously “I didn’t know where I was” and The 4th Annual Great American Distillers Festival really opened my eyes.

The Great American Distillers Festival is a gathering of small distilleries from across the country who come to Oregon, the “Mecca of craft distilling”, to share their products, their passion, and their expertise in hand-crafting spirits.

Gerding Theatre

The event was held at the Gerding Theater, a very distinctive building originally built in 1891 to house the Portland Armory. The old historic building resembles a medieval fortress in the Brewery Blocks of the Portland Pearl District. The facilities renovation into a modern theater arts complex was completed in October 2006 and last year the Great American Distillers Festival found a home there.

Four days of peripheral Portland events led up to the first day of the festival. Starting with Monday’s opening reception at Rogue Ales Public House & Distillery with a keynote address by a man well known in the brewing world, Bill Owens, author and President of the American Distilling Institute. (Look up Alimony Ale, a beer whose bitterness could only be rivaled by the aftertaste of a bad divorce.) Bill presented a snapshot of the state of the craft distilling movement and his vision of its future. The forecast in a nutshell? Whiskey and other “brown spirits” are the coming trend.

Other events were the “Shot and a Beer” at the Horse Brass Pub , a tasting of barley-based whiskeys and beer at McMenamin’s, and two nights of cocktail events at participating bars pairing distillers with local bartenders. Distillers and members of local and national press were treated to a tour of several of the Portland area’s eight craft distilleries. All this led up to the official festival opening on Saturday, August 23rd.

GADF

When I arrived at the event that day the air was filled with excited chatter and the heady aroma of powerful spirits. 30 craft distillers from as far away as Maine were set up on the second floor with 50 varieties Rum, Vodka, Gin, and Whiskey with a sprinkling of Brandies. I made my way up and walked the floor checking out display after display of carefully, lovingly, handcrafted spirits. Listening to the distillers describe their products and processes, I felt an immediate kinship with the passion of the craft beer culture.

GADF

After working my way around the room I put the camera aside and I stepped up to the Bluecoat gin display, the first of many samples of the micro-distiller’s tastiest vodkas, rums, gins, whiskeys, brandies I planned to try.

Sampling straight spirits can be kind of rough on the ol’ taste buds, but it’s necessary to truly appreciate the finished product. You can still taste a difference between spirits when they’re combined with mixers, but a sample of the undiluted ambrosia logs the flavor into your sensory memory and allows you to search out and identify those flavors when combined in a drink later. At least that’s my theory, and I’m sticking to it.

GADF

I’m not overstating when I say I logged a lot of sensory memory on the second floor that day. By the time I was done I had alcohol breath that would rate a health hazard warning label in California, and a handful of new favorites and a list of others I plan to try in cocktails.

A couple straight favorites were:

Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey, an excellent American Whiskey started in and with the Flying Dog Brewery in Denver, Colorado. I first tried this Whiskey as an immature product at the distilling room in Denver during a tour of the Flying Dog Brewery two years ago. The oak-aged final product is surprisingly smooth and reminds me more of a good bourbon than a whiskey.

Rogue Hazelnut Spiced Rum, which is made by distilling white rum with mulling spices and 20 pounds of hazelnuts, then blending it with Rogue aged rum. This rum has won several international gold medals and tops my favorites list. Rogue Spirits is a division of Rogue Ales and carries all the careful craftsmanship and outside of the box creativity Rogue is known for.

Sub Rosa Tarragon & Saffron infused Vodkas, two culinary inspired vodka’s that surprised and delighted me with their innovative use of herbs.

GADF

Festival events included a mixology competition, so after sampling the raw product, I made my way downstairs to attend the Mixology contest. The second annual Mixmaster Mixology Contest sponsored by Rogue Spirits and Imbibe Magazine gave attendees a taste of many of the featured spirits in cocktails designed by the distillers themselves and in cocktails created by some of Oregon’s most talented bartenders.

Twenty bartenders started the two-day competition, each mixing their own creations using any of the spirits featured in the festival. The top four mixologists made the finals, where they had to create a cocktail using a surprise ingredient – in this case one of four Loft Liqueurs. Jamie McBride of Portland’s Park Kitchen took the top prize of $1,000. Blair Roberts of Acadia claimed second place and a $500 check from Loft Liqueurs. Third-place bartender Chris Churilla of Cloud 9 in Corvallis did not walk away empty-handed, booze bloggers the Munat Brothers, pooled the cash they had leftover from the weekend and handed him a cash prize of $77.77.

GADF

Between the contest and the bar setups in the lobby I was able to try some incredible new tastes in cocktails, try a Hot Monkey Vodka Bloody Mary, fantastic! As I mentioned at the beginning, the Great American Distillers Festival really opened my eye’s to the wider scope of what the Portland Craft Beverage scene has going on, and a new list of places to visit on my next trip to Beervana. Maybe we need to update the name to Bev-vana. To see more pictures taken at GADF go to Flickr.

To visit micro distillers, a good starting point is House Spirits Distillery, several other small-craft distillers are nearby. Always make appointments for tours and tasting. Most small craft distilleries don’t have the staff to handle drop-ins.

Portland Micro Distillers:

Clear Creek Distillery, 2389 N.W. Wilson St., 503-248-9470 or clearcreekdistillery.com. Tours every Saturday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. or by appointment. Features eau de vie, grappa, single malt whiskey and a line of fruit liqueurs.

House Spirits Distillery, 2025 S.E. 7th Ave., 503-235-3174 or housespirits.com. Tours by appointment. Features Aviation Gin, Krogstad Aquavit, Medoyeff Vodka. Also a tasting venue for Ransom Spirits, ransomspirits.com. Features muscat grappa, gewürztraminer grappa and malt-based gin. Sub Rosa Spirits, subrosaspirits.com. Features saffron- and tarragon-flavored vodkas.

Rogue Spirits Portland, 1339 N.W. Flanders St. 503-222-5910 or roguespirits.com. Features hazelnut spice rum, dark rum, white rum. Tours by appointment. Rogue also has a distillery in Newport, Ore., where it makes vodka, gin and whiskey.

Integrity Spirits, 909 S.E. Yamhill St., shares facility with a restaurant, pub and, soon, a brewery. 503-517-2030 or www.integrityspirits.com. Tasting by appointment. Features vodkas (including Oregon hazelnut), gin and absinthe.

Highball Distillery, 610 S.E. 10th Ave. 503-803-3989 or highballdistillery.com. Tasting by appointment. Features organic vodka.

New Deal Distillery, 1311 S.E. 9th Ave. See newdealdistillery.com. Tours by appointment. Features its signature New Deal Vodka, Portland 88 vodka and infused vodkas: hot pepper, basil and chocolate.

Artisan Spirits, 1227 SE Stark St. 503-781-2357 artisan-spirits.com.

Indio Spirits, Inc. (Tasting facility), 7110 SW Fir Loop STE 240, actual distilling occurs in Cottage Grove, Oregon. indiospirits.com 503.620.0313

Solo Distillery & Tapas Restaurant, 1300 NW Lovejoy St. (503) 220-0080

Nearby Distilleries:

Edgefield Distillery, 2126 S.W. Halsey St., Troutdale, Ore. (east of Portland). 503-669-8610 or mcmenamins.com. Features whiskey, brandies, gin and coffee liqueur.

Dolmen Distillery, McMinnville, Oregon

Ransom Wines & Spirits, McMinnville, Oregon

More information on the festival and American craft distilleries can be found at www.distillersfestival.com.

Sponsors for the 4th Annual Great American Distillers Festival included: Rogue Spirits, Portland Center Stage, PDX Magazine, Imbibe Magazine, Portland Tribune and the Portland Development Commission. Festival partners included the Oregon Bartenders Guild and the Oregon Distillers Guild.

2,000 Pints For the Queen of England

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On Wednesday, a truck showed up at the delivery gate for Windsor Castle, the Queen of England’s private residence, laden down with twelve beer barrels, enough to fill 2,000 pint glasses. Unfortunately, the staff had no record of so large an order. It turns out the beer was meant for the Windsor Castle Pub, in the nearby Berkshire County town of Maidenhead. Apparently they were ordered in anticipation of World Cup qualifying match between England and Croatia. The beer finally made it to the pub about three hours after the start of the football game.

Happy Queen

Queen Elizabeth II. I think that’s the same face I’d make, too, if 2,000 pints showed up on my doorstep.

Canned Yellow Snow

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Strap on your snow shoes and keep your eye out this winter for Rogue’s Yellow Snow IPA in a 5 Liter Can. The can uses a convenient “Pull and Turn” tapping system that makes this the perfect gift to share with friends at the mountain, the lodge, or the local motel. Yellow Snow is Rogue’s tribute to winter sports everywhere—downhill skiing, snowboarding, cross country, ice hockey, ice fishing, snowmobiling, and even curling. Yellow Snow IPA is Dedicated to Common Sense.

Yellow Snow

Yellow Snow will be available November 1 in select mountain communities across the country. In addition to the 5 Liter Can, Rogue’s Yellow Snow IPA is available in 64oz jugs, 22oz bottles, and on draft. Yellow Snow IPA is created from 6 Ingredients: Two-Row Pale, Cara Foam & Melanoiden Malts; Amarillo Hops; Free Range Coastal Waters & Top Fermenting Pacman Yeast. Pale golden in color with a hoppy fruity aroma. Big hop flavor up front complimented by medium body and hoppyness mid-pallet. It finishes with a characteristic, lingering

PBR For Sale?

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Paul Kalmanovitz was a Polish immigrant who made millions in real estate before turning his attentions to beer in 1950. In that year he bought the Los Angeles-based Maier Brewing Co. Over the next couple of decades he bought out other struggling breweries, too, eventually ending up with a sizable portfolio of brands that included Ballantine, Blatz, Carling Black Label, Lone Star, Lucky Lager, Falstaff, National Bohemian, Old Milwaukee, Olympia, Primo, Rainier, Schlitz, Schaefer, Schmidt, Stag, Stroh’s and Pabst. When Kalmanovitz passed away in 1997, he left a sizable estate, something on the order of between a quarter and a half-a-billion dollars. Despite litigious distant relatives, most of the money eventually wound up in a charitable trust, the Kalmanovitz Charitable Foundation. Unfortunately, for reasons not entirely clear, the I.R.S. “frowns” on a charity owning a beer company. The I.R.S. gave the foundation until 2005 to sell the beer portion of the estate, but they were unable to find a buyer so they were given an extension until 2010.

But Pabst’s recent success with its retro brand positioning may command a higher price, if a potential buyer can be found. The problem is who? Neither A-B or MillerCoors seem interested and not even the largest microbrewery could afford it. That leaves the global beer companies. Obviously, InBev is a little tied up with the buyout of A-B. There’s also Carlsberg, Heineken and a few others, but so far none have shown any interest, either. That leaves non-beer investors, but historically such ventures have been risky at best. The more money they can get, the better funded the charity can be, and the more worthy causes they can help. That means it’s in their best interests to wait for the best price. For that reason, some critics have accused the foundation of dragging their heels. Of course, the I.R.S. isn’t known for their patience so at some point a sale will have to take place, and possibly in the next two years.

Pabst Blue Ribbon

Cash to spare? Wanna buy a beer company? Strike now or be bowled over.

Ohio Brewery Recalls … T-Shirts

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Trying to squelch a beery urban legend that has been misquoted by historians and beer enthusiasts since the early days of Repeal, Dick Stevens, owner of the Elevator Brewery & Draught Haus has decided to belly-up to the bar, so to speak, and replace t-shirts sold at the award-winning brewery and eatery that incorrectly attributes Benjamin Franklin to a much quoted phrase that the Founding Father never uttered. Beer-themed web sites, brewing organizations and even “beer writers” are fond of quoting Franklin and his supposed love of beer – “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.”

But after recently hearing a lecture by Chicago-based brewing historian, Bob Skilnik, that convincingly asserts that Franklin was writing about rain, its nourishment of grapes, and ultimately, its conversion into wine, Stevens decided to do his part in correcting this historical inaccuracy.

Franklin Quote

“We do everything we can to serve up the best tasting beers at the Elevator,” says Stevens, “always striving to brew them true to style. To then sell or give away t-shirts that quote a historical untruth is simply not our style. I hope that we can set the record straight about this little white lie that has been repeated for years. I have no doubt that ole Ben enjoyed a tankard or two of beer with friends and associates, but this beer quote, while well-meaning, is inaccurate.”

He adds, “To all our customers who have purchased the erroneously quoted Ben Franklin t-shirts, we do apologize and ask that they return the t-shirts to the Elevator where we will immediately exchange it for a new t-shirt, free of charge. Let me emphasize that this recall will entail absolutely no cost to our loyal customers, and help them save face.”

Odell’s Homegrown Support For Brewing Education

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Last week Odell Brewing presented a one-half barrel brewing system to the Brewing Science and Technology class at Colorado State University. Odell Brewing has collaborated with the class since its first year.

Doug Odell

Doug Odell presents brewing equipment to CSU students on September 4, 2008.

The class, offered to students aged 21 and over, covers the science and technology involved with brewing, fermenting, finishing and evaluating beers. The donated brewing system will now allow students to brew regularly in a classroom environment. Last year, students also brewed Easy – An IPA on Odell’s five barrel pilot brewing system. The class will once again select a recipe to brew at Odell Brewing.

“This system will allow recipe repeatability in brewing from semester to semester, and is a huge step beyond the home brewing equipment we used previously,” said class instructor Professor Jack Avens Ph.D. “The Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition and I have enjoyed a long relationship with Odell Brewing Company, and I want to continue this supportive relationship for the educational benefit of my students.”

“Odell Brewing has built its business around innovation and is excited to share its passion by investing in the education of the next generation of brewers.”, said Wynne Odell, brewery owner.

Ali Hamm, a graduate student researching organic hops grown in Colorado, is the teaching assistant for this year’s class. Ali completed the Brewing Science and Technology course in 2007, and some of her organic hops were used in the class beer that year. This year, Odell Brewing will again use Ali’s hops in its Hand Picked Pale Ale.

Ali Hamm

Ali Hamm and Chris Armstrong mix locally grown organic hops for the Hand Picked Pale Ale.

Both the Hand Picked Pale Ale and the CSU class brew will be available at the Odell Brewing tap room later this fall.

Hop-Picking To Be Featured on Dirty Jobs

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The hit cable television show Dirty Jobs, where host Mike Rowe and his crew are “shown performing difficult, strange, and/or messy occupational duties alongside the typical employees” was in the Yakima Valley last week shooting an episode during the hop harvest. According to the Yakima Herald-Republic, “Rowe spent two days picking and inspecting hops, working the kilns that dry the hops and making bales, [HopUnion owner Ralph] Olson said. In addition to visiting HopUnion, which provides hop leaves, pellets, extracts and oils to the craft brewery industry, Rowe worked in the fields at Loftus Ranches in Moxee.” The episode is expected to ait sometime this winter, though no date has been set.

Dirty Jobs

HopUnion’s Ralph Olson with Dirty Jobs’ host Mike Rowe.
(photo by Debbie Byrne, Yakima Herald-Republic.)

Full Sail Releases Lupulin Fresh Hop Ale

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Full Sail Brewing announces the release of Lupulin Fresh Hop Ale as part of their Brewmaster Reserve series. Brewing a fresh hop ale to celebrate the hop harvest is an annual tradition at Full Sail. Every year, the Full Sail brewers travel to area hop fields and gather all the fresh hops they can carry to brew this special beer. This year’s Lupulin Fresh Hop Ale is brewed with three varieties of fresh hops straight from the harvest: Mt Rainier, Cascade and Nugget. According to Full Sail Brewmaster, John Harris, “Lupulin Fresh Hop Ale is a veritable hop lover’s delight. The beer isall about hops. It’s wet hopped, kettle hopped, hop back hopped, wet hopped in the fermenter, and dry hopped in the fermenter with 135 pounds of hops per 24 barrel batch. That’s 5.62 pounds of hops per barrel! Expect a bold hop aroma of citrus and spice and a nice caramel flavor with a pronounced citrus character.” Due to the limited availability of fresh hops, Lupulin is brewed in small batches, so Harris suggests that you enjoy this once a year tradition while you can. Harris goes on to explain that, “This beer is rightfully named Lupulin, as the lupulin glands are the sticky resins inside the hops that carry the bitterness and essential oils of the hops. They are what gives beer its wonderful flavor and aroma.” (5.8 abv, 70 IBUs).

Lupulin Fresh Hop Ale

Lupulin was awarded the coveted 2007 “Satori Award” by beer aficionado/blogger Jeff Alworth at his Beervana blog. Alworth writes, “In Zen Buddhism, satori is the moment of sudden enlightenment when the mind realizes its own true nature. The Satori award, honors the beer that in a single instant allows the drinker to realize the true nature of beer.” Full Sail invites you to experience the nature of this year’s Lupulin when the brewery will tap the new batch at their Tasting Room and Pub in Hood River, and at their Riverplace Brewery in Portland, on Wednesday, September 10th at 5:00PM. For more information contact the Full Sail Tasting Room and Pub at 541-386-2247 or Full Sail at Riverplace at 503-222-5343.

Full Sail’s Lupulin Fresh Hop Ale will be available in limited quantities mid September to November on draught in pubs throughout the Pacific Northwest and at Full Sail’s Tasting Room and Pub in Hood River and at their Riverplace brewery in Portland, Oregon. It will also be available at various fresh hop beer festivals throughout the northwest and at a special Oregon Brewer’s Guild fresh hop beer tasting at the Great American Beer Festival, in Denver, Colorado this October.

Bones and Brew Festival

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The first thing I noticed as I made my way to the 14th Annual Bones and Brews Festival was everybody and their dog seemed to be headed for the same place I was. In a place the size of Portland that tells you something. The 14th Annual Bones and Brew Festival, a benefit for the Oregon Zoo was held August 2nd and 3rd in Portland’s historic Pearl District next to Rogue Ales Public House and Distillery.

BBQ Master

I’d seen the fest listed for years but , even though I’m a HUGE fan of good BBQ, I’d never felt like making the trip back to Portland a mere week after the end of OBF. That is no longer the case. The sounds of happy people and the heavenly aroma of pork BBQ filled the air as I entered the three city streets closed off for the fest. The barriers transformed this little piece of the Pearl District into Portland’s largest neighborhood backyard BBQ. Grill-masters competed with each other, offering succulent foods including traditional, Hawaiian, Asian, seafood and vegetarian barbequed edibles.

Thirsty festival goers eagerly chose their libations from 25+ Microbrews on the street of Microbreweries, many from the Northwest like Roots, Double Mountain, Ninkasi, New Old Lompoc, Mt. Hood Brewing, Hopworks, Lucky Labrador, Captured by Porches brewpub, Laurelwood, Willamette, Alameda, Rogue, Eugene City Brewery, and Issaquah Brewhouse and more.

Cheers

Bones and Brew is a family-friendly event and there were plenty of activities for the kids, buckets of chalk for hopscotch and sidewalk drawings, face-painters, musical acts, and a designated kid zone. Our four-legged family members weren’t forgotten. Dogs were more than welcome at Bones and Brew in fact it seemed to be a requirement. My dog, Maggie, made lots of new friends as she enjoyed gourmet BBQ dog treats and lapped up all the non-alcoholic dog brew she could lay her paws on.

I didn’t get around to visiting the dog psychic, I’m not sure I want to know what Maggie has on her mind, or give her the chance to blab all kinds of embarrassing family secrets to a total stranger. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on your perspective, my dog was already recently washed so I had no need for the dog wash station but apparently there were many dirty dogs in attendance because they seemed to be doing a brisk business each time we walked by.

Kobe Blue Ball Contest

There were fun contests happening periodically throughout the 2 day event. I watched the Kobe Bleu Ball eating contest with horrified amazement as contestants jammed Rogue’s signature Kobe beef and blue cheese meatballs into their mouths to see who could consume the most in 3 minutes. They didn’t even have to swallow, just kept pushing more and more into their mouths until they looked like crazed chipmunks on a feeding rampage.

Kobe Blue Ball Champion

Live music by Chervona, Oh Captain, My Captain, School of Rock, PK Flyers, Power of County, The Ty Curtis Band, and Bucyrus Erie, rocked the main stage. Chervona, a local Russian band, is so energetic and so much fun to watch, if I had to describe the music I’d have to call it a sort of gypsy punk polka and I enjoy it immensely. Chervona was followed by School of Rock. It’s exactly what you think it is. Except these kids aren’t in a program based on the movie, the movie was based on their program and these kids are very talented. They blew everyone away with fantastic covers of iconic hits of the 60’s and 70’s.

BBQ street included Tennessee Red’s, Cousin Kenny’s, and My Brothers BBQ. Tennessee Red’s won this year’s People’s Choice for Best Ribs, Cousin Kenny’s won Best Sauce and Best Brisket, and My Brothers BBQ won Best Pulled Pork.

What better than an evening of tasty BBQ, great craft beer, and excellent live entertainment? I can’t think of anything, can you? This event just became an annual for me. See you there next year.

Check Presentation

Over 4,000 people attended the Bones and Brew event this year and $11,000 was raised for the Oregon Zoo’s new Predators of the Serengeti exhibit. 100% of admission donations go to the Oregon Zoo. Sponsors included Portland Magazine, Portland Street Car, Portland Tribune, and Snake River Farms.

To see more photos from the festival, take a look at the Bone & Brew Photo album.

Oregon Fresh Hop Beers To Be Poured at the GABF

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For the first time at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF), October 9th-11th, 2008, in Denver, Colorado, the Brewers Association will have a State Guild’s pavilion on the floor of the festival. Oregon was one of the states that was able to secure booth space at this prestigious event.

Since Fresh Hop beers are a major push for Oregon Brewers Guild members during October and we are in a unique position in Oregon to make more than 30 different fresh hop beers, the Oregon Brewers Guild will pour only Fresh Hop beers at the Guild booth at the GABF.

The Guild will have will have beers from the following breweries:

  1. Rock Bottom Brewery in Portland will have Hop Harvest a Fresh Hop Ale.
  2. Full Sail Brewing Co. of Hood River will have Lupulin Fresh Hop Beer from their Portland Brewery.
  3. Hopworks Urban Brewery of Portland will have their Fresh Hop Vienna.
  4. Laurelwood Brewing Co. of Portland will have Fresh Hop Kolsch from their NE 51st Ave Brewery.
  5. Ninkasi Brewing Co. of Eugene will have their Fresh Hop Beer.
  6. Rogue Ales of Newport will have Independence Ale with hops from their Alluvial hop farm.
  7. Deschutes Brewery of Bend will have a Sterling Fresh Hop Beer from their Portland Brewery.
  8. Pelican Pub and Brewery of Pacific City will have Elemantal Ale their fresh hop beer.
  9. BridgePort Brewing of Portland will have their Hop Harvest Ale in bottles.

Three New Beer Glasses

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The Spigelau Crystal Glass Company, first mentioned in 1521 and now a subsidiary of Riedel, has introduced tree new crystal glasses designed specifically for beer. The brochure describes them like this.

Throughout the world, there is a fast growing range of different beers just waiting to be discovered. In order to get most out of the characteristics of beer (appearance, aroma, taste, finish) it is essential to choose the right glass.

To cover all these aspects, we at Spiegelau used our expertise and 500 years experience in making crystal to develop three elegant, especially thin blown beer glasses matching the world‘s most common beer styles.

Spiegelau Beer Classics

According their literature, the tulip glass is designed for pilsners and Belgian style ales, saying the “open mouth allows for an intense release of flavours.” The half-liter glass is meant for pale lagers, ales, English strong ales and German Helles, further claiming that “being slightly wider at the mouth than at the foot, this glass properly presents the typical flavours and aromatics” in those styles. Finally, the “tall glass accentuates the aromas and flavours naturally found in wheat beers. It requires a slow gentle pour at the beginning and when the beer is almost full, a more direct pour to create a thick, creamy foam.” They suggest it should be used for German wheat beers, Belgian Whites (Witbier) and other wheat ales.

Hop Harvest Worth Seeing

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The air was heavy with the smells of harvest as I drove north through the Willamette Valley towards Independence Oregon. The hop crop estimate for 2008 was released on August 12th and the USDA estimates a whopping 27% increase for 2008. I wanted to take a gander for myself and the Alluvial Farm, headquarters of Rogue Farms, was close by and I’m on friendly terms with the people there. I’d been to the farm before and toured the facility. Today I hoped to see it in action as hops were harvested and processed into bails of green gold, destined to satisfy the taste buds of beer enthusiasts worldwide.

Hop Field

According to the report, the Northwest is in high Hops growing gear. “Hop production in Oregon is estimated at 10.4 million pounds for 2008, up 9 percent from last year. Washington is estimating a 27 percent production increase and Idaho is estimating a 57 percent increase.” The report also mentioned “Yields are expected to be up in Idaho, but down slightly in Oregon and Washington. Growers in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho expect to harvest 8,352 more acres in 2008.”

Hop Truck

I wanted to see for myself what the harvest looked like and boy did I get an eye full. I’m no farmer so don’t take my word for it, but the yield looked very good on the acreage I saw and the trucks coming in were stuffed to the top with heavily coned hop vines.

Hop Kiln

I documented the harvest process in my Flickr gallery and it looks like 2008 will be a very good year for beer.

Wildfire Brewery Name Doused

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Bend, Oregon’s newest brewery is Wildfire Brewing, or at least it was, because Chicago-based restaurant chain Wildfire Steaks, Chops & Seafood recently sent a cease and desist letter to the fledgling brewery giving them six-months to change the name. And while the restaurant chain operates in only Illinois, Minnesota, Virginia and Georgia — and doesn’t brew beer — Wildfire Brewery owner Garret Wales decided it wasn’t worth the fight.

The Oregon brewery simply couldn’t match the cash of the well-established chain for lawyer’s fees. It’s not clear that the restaurant chain would have prevailed. The two operate in separate geographic regions with a wide gap in between the two and only the brewery makes beer, so it’s hard to see where the confusion on the part of customers might be. But the brewery might one day want to serve food, too, and decided to change its name instead.

Wildfire Brewing

According to Wales, the challenge now is finding a new name.

“Shoot, we’re going on the Internet and just typing in beer, or going to the thesaurus. Googling Oregon geography and seeing if there’s some landmarks that haven’t already been trademarked. Butte, or mountain – the river’s kinda tied up obviously. Seems like everything locally Deschutes has used already.”

So far, they’ve narrowed it down to five possibilities. But they’re also opening it up to customers, distributing fliers in their market asking the public to suggest a name. If they use on of the names submitted, Wildfire Brewery will give the winning submission a free kegerator.

Autumnal Ale from Redhook Debuts

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Looking ahead to cooler weather and falling leaves, Redhook Ale Brewery will soon release its Late Harvest Autumn Ale, set to be on store shelves across the country August through October. With new packaging this year that continues to feature classic fall iconography including an owl and a full moon, Late Harvest will be available for the first time throughout the West Coast.

“Redhook seasonal craft beers are carefully blended to tie a robust, full flavor with a particular time of year. Late Harvest pairs perfectly with the crispness of autumn thanks to its rich complexity of specialty malts,” said Doug MacNair, brewmaster for Redhook Ale Brewery. “With our expanded distribution on the West Coast, craft beer fans across the country can look forward to this seasonal beer every year.”

Redhook Autumn Ale

With a roasted malt aroma, this chestnut colored brew will warm up any chilly evening. Distinct flavors cater to the craft beer lover, with two varieties of hops and four carefully selected grains, great for toasting the season alongside a grilled burger or other tailgate cuisine. Late Harvest is available in 12 oz. bottles and on draft nationwide.