52 Weeks: Cascade Brewing Barrel House

The view as you approach the Barrel House

Week 36 of 52:

Cascade Brewing Barrel House
939 SE Belmont Street
Portland, OR 97214

(503) 265-8603

Rank: 4.5/5

Type of Establishment: Barrel house, blending facility, taproom, house of sour…

Visit: A Sunday day trip to Beervana, U.S.A. Our very first of many beer related stops of the day.

Beers on Tap (at time of visit):

Funk III

Beck Berry

The Vine

Nightfall

Noyeaux

Sang Rouge

Sang Noir

Bourbonic Plague

Vlad the Imp Aler

Amber

Fresh Hop Porter

RyIPA

Mid Summer’s Pale

Summer Gose

Winter Gose

Razberry Wheat

Kriek

What can I say, it's beautiful.

Bottles (available to go): Apricot, Kriek, The Vine, Sang Rouge

Food Options: Small plates/appetizers/soup/salad/sandwiches.  The owners wanted the Barrel House to be open to families with children, so local law states that food must be served to allow for those under 21 to enter.  The menu is fairly small and simple, but if you need a nibble whilst sampling the stellar brews, the option is there for you.  Considering that almost all of the sours are in the 8% to 12% range, a little substance in the belly is highly recommended.  Our visit did not include food, so we are not able to comment on the quality.

BAR OPINION: About a year ago, when Beer Blotter first heard that one of our favorite sour brewers in America would be opening a brand new tasting room in Portland, we all just sort of looked at each other with wide eyes and growing smiles and knew that we would be there as soon as it opened.  The simple reason: Cascade Brewing is just downright exciting.

This brewery exists in a niche of State Side breweries that is occupied by a very elite few.  An elite few that have the know-how and brewing facilities to allow for mass production in purposely infected beers.  Sours.  This art is not for the faint of heart, especially for those that also brew “traditional” ales and lagers that could easily be tainted with all those hazardous bugs crawling around.

If you’ll allow me to speak for all North-westerners for one moment, it feels really good to have a brewery that is unafraid to tackle this challenging but incredibly rewarding style of production in our own backyard.  An Oregon brewer that can be spoken in the same breath as Russian River, Jolly Pumpkin, Avery, Allagash, New Belgium. It feels good…a pleasant sigh of relief.  Cascade Brewing’s brewmaster is Ron Gansberg.  That name should be remembered.

Not my ideal use of a barrel, but still pretty clever.

The Barrel House opened its doors to the public on September 27th, and less than a week later, all three of us were inside.  Let me tell you, we had the highest of hopes for this place, and we were not disappointed in any way.

From the outside, the building, which used to be a produce warehouse, looks a bit like one of those newfangled fire stations.  Very sharp-looking indeed.  There is a very sizable outdoor area that offers both picnic tables and high-top tables fabricated from steel and actual wood barrels (see picture).

The seating is fairly similar inside, consisting of picnic tables, traditional booths, small circular tabletops resting on top of large barrels, and brushed metal bar stools.  If you are able to peel your eyes away from the alluring bar back for just a moment, you will notice the three flat-screen T.V.s strategically placed around the room.

Naturally, we wanted to be as close to the beer as possible, so we pulled up a few stools at the bar and got acquainted with the menu.  We were quickly greeted by one Cody Bottorff, Pub Keeper/Blender.  This was my first time meeting Cody, but the rest of the crew had met him a little while back when he was still at The Horse Brass.  He was expecting us, so after a short bit of banter and the choosing of beer number 1, we had the distinct pleasure of getting a tour of the facility.

Our first stop was the beer cooler, directly behind the bar back.  This little gem has been meticulously constructed to make your beer experience as good as it possibly can be.  To put it simply, the temperature and CO2 pressure regulation is painfully exacting.  You can always be assured to get a perfect glass of beer. One small example of how much care went into the development of the cooler is that they went as far as to assure that the water used to clean the glassware prior to the pour is the same temperature as the beer.

The most fascinating element of this leg of the tour was the sight of the two barrels that have been inserted directly through the cooler wall.  Yes, that’s right, they cut two circular holes in the wall and stuck barrels in them.  This allows for two special beers to be served to the public directly from the barrel.  This is freakin’ sweet!  They used the tube of a bike tire to insulate the space between the wall and the barrel.  That’s some real deal MacGyver action right there.

The next stop of the tour was the space that will soon act as the fruit infusion/secondary fermentation site.  Remember, this place is still really new and there is still work to be done behind the scenes, thus my use of “soon”.

We then ventured to the small side room that is currently housing the fruit infusion/secondary fermentation.  Though this room was fairly boring to actually look at while we were there (just a few barrels and a few recycled dairy fermenters), it was captivating to imagine what it must look like when they are filling the containers with outrageous amounts of fresh fruit.  Or even, what it must smell like when there are hundreds of pounds of Bing and sour pie cherries, apricots, raspberries, blackberries, dates, etc. being generously dumped into oak barrels.  I very much wished that I had x-ray vision and could see what wonderful fruity delights existed within those vessels.

The final stop in the tour was the barrel room.  This was a sight to see.  I can’t even tell you how much this room reminded me of Belgium, specifically the attic at Cantillon in Brussels.  Oh man, I’m getting emotional just thinking about it again.  All I can really say is, there is a little piece of one of the greatest beer cultures on the planet hidden in the back room of the Cascade Barrel House in Portland, OR.

Cantillon?

From here it was back to the bar for more beers, but first, further reflection on our first round choices.  For me, the Funk III was an absolute must.  This was the one ‘straight from the barrel stuck in the wall’ option.  Naturally, it was still un-carbonated, but it was chilled just as much of the rest of the beers.  For me, this had a very strong traditional Belgian gueuze like quality.  Maybe the lack of suds brought this thought on, but it was damn good and again, sent my memory reeling with thoughts of the Belgium trip.  Any beer that causes that to happen is a winner in my book.

Nightfall and Noyeaux were also sampled in round 1.  Nightfall is an oak aged sour blonde wheat beer with blackberries added.  If that doesn’t sound good to you, you probably should have tuned out a long time ago.  If you aren’t into fruit beers, it doesn’t matter, there is so much more to it than that.  But, if you really want to talk about complexity, Noyeaux can pretty much be used as a synonym.

Noyeaux
Noyeaux: 8.5% ABV / 13 IBU / $6 Glass
This one-of-a-kind NW sour is a blend of Belgian strong blondes aged in white port barrels with raspberries, then blended with select barrels of strong blondes that were aged on the toasted meat from the apricot nut, or Noyeaux.

Noyeaux has so many layers of brilliance that I don’t know where to begin.  I’m not going to allow this article to turn into a Notes of a Beer Nerd so you’ll just have to trust me when I say that it’s breathtaking and that you must go get one for yourself.

Our next round saw us order four beers to be sampled amongst the three of us – Beck Berry, the one and only Brett beer that they make/will ever make (apparently Ron gave it a whack and decided that once was enough, he uses Lacto), and the three bourbon barrel aged beers: Bourbonic Plague, Vlad the Imp Aler, and Sang Noir.

I have, ever since it won gold at GABF in the wood and barrel aged sour beer category in ’09, been hoping to try Bourbonic Plague.  It is a very hard one to get a hold of.  Well, it finally happened and it did not disappoint.  Truthfully, none of the beers disappointed, but Bourbonic Plague, of all the beers sampled, most played to my tastes.  It’s essentially a sour imperial porter with strong bourbon wood notes and some spicing.  Just plain insane.

Just before we made our way to our next destination we realized that it was completely dumb of us to leave without tasting the Fresh Hop Porter.  You know, because it’s a fresh hop porter…who makes that?!  Guess what?  It was delicious.  Go figure.

Seriously people, Cascade Brewing Barrel House is well designed, comfortable, and full of mind numbingly unique, complex and delicious beers.  If I lived in Portland, I have little doubt that I would go completely bankrupt because of this place.  No matter where you live in the world, consider it an absolute, 100% can’t miss beer location.  Go there, you will thank me.

I’d also be insane if I didn’t mention that the staff is crazy knowledgeable and super nice.  The world’s biggest high-five and a heart-felt THANK YOU goes out to Cody for EVERYTHING that he did for us.

Our gracious host. Thanks again Cody!

The Hop Brief: Russian River Brewing Co.’s Pliny the Elder

Mmmm, river of Pliny

Enjoyed on 9/15/2010

Brewery: Russian River Brewing Co.

Location: Santa Rosa, CA

Beer: Pliny the Elder

Web: www.russianriverbrewing.com

Presentation: 16.9 oz. – Brown Glass Bottle – Capped

Vintage: 2010

Style: American Style Imperial India Pale Ale

Barrel: N/A

ABV: 8.0%

IBU: 100

Hops: N/A

Malt: N/A

Commercial Description:

Pliny the Elder was a Roman naturalist, scholar, historian, traveler, officer, and writer. Although not considered his most important work, Pliny and his contemporaries created the botanical name for hops, “lupus Salictarius”, meaning wolf among scrubs.” Hops at that time grew wild among willows, much like a wolf in the forest. Later the current botanical name, Humulus Lupulus, was adopted. Pliny died in 79 AD while observing the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. He was immortalized by his nephew, Pliny the Younger, who continued his uncle’s legacy by documenting much of what he observed during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Pliny the Elder, the beer, is brewed with 40% more malt and over twice the amount of hops as compared to our already hoppy IPA.

Beer Advocate: A+ (4.55)

Rate Beer: 100 (4.24)

Timperial’s Notes:

beeradvocate.com recently posted their 2010 “Top Beers on Planet Earth”.  At the time of that list’s release Beer Blotter felt obliged to lend their opinion on the extremely interesting phenomena surrounding it, but alas, time did not allow.  Seeing that the beer to be reviewed here is the controversial number 1 on said list, we will take this opportunity to toss out a few thoughts.

First, the background.  I believe that this list comes out every year and is essentially beeradvocate.com‘s version on ratebeer.com‘s The Best Beers in the World (overall), or possibly The Top Widely Distributed Beers.  These lists are always created exclusively with the use of the reviews of the website’s users.  That being said, no matter what you may think of the results, they are the will of the people.

I personally prefer ratebeer’s Best in the World list over BA’s Top Beers list because I feel it gives credit to beers that, yes, may be very rare, but most likely taste the best, or are the most complex.  BA’s list seems to have been compiled only with beers that have been reviewed by roughly 1,000 users, or have roughly 1,000 total reviews.  This, however, makes the list much more accessible to the masses.  A decent majority of the beers on the list have a sizable distribution.

For us Seattleites, the only breweries represented in the list that don’t distribute to our state are Founder’s, Bell’s, Three Floyds, Troegs, Great Lakes, Brooklyn, and Smuttynose.   That’s really not that bad.  7 out of 44 breweries.  Of course, none of those 44 breweries are from WA, but we kinda already knew that would happen.  Tell me what WA beer deserves to be on the list, but before you answer, ask yourself what that beer’s distribution looks like.  When you weigh quality with the number of mouths that get to taste it, you will begin to realize why our state is never represented.

I had planned on doing some serious analysis of the list, but it seems that Jay Brooks over at Brookston Beer Bulletin did most of the heavy lifting for me.  Check out the stats here.

Now, to number 1 on the list.  Pliny.  This is insane!  Don’t get me wrong, Pliny is an amazing double IPA.  I’d drink it everyday for the rest of my life if I had to and I’d be quite happy.  Vinnie Cilurzo is truly a hero of mine, but…there should never, ever be an IPA in the number one spot on a list like this.  IPAs lack depth and complexity.  The number 1 spot should be reserved for a beer that has so many layers and nuances that you struggle to describe it.  Even my beloved imperial stout, though unarguably complex, doesn’t have the depth of some of the greatest Belgian ales.  This is why I will never argue with the ratebeer perennial champion Westy 12.  Now that is a worthy beer for number 1 on planet Earth.  But, Westy 12 is very rare and therefore has no place on this list.  Rochefort 10 on the other hand, found in the number 3 position on the list, should be on top in my opinion.  Anyone who has ever had this beer knows a little something about speechless.

But, I deeply digress.  This article is about hops and Pliny has plenty of it.  Wherever Pliny should end up on this list, or any other list for that matter, is up for debate; but what surely is not up for debate is if it should be on the list, or any other list for that matter.  There is absolutely no doubt that this is one of the world’s best hoppy beers and I’m ecstatic to be drinking it tonight.

The filling of my pint glass is no easy task.  A huge, rocky head arises of a just off-white, nearly yellow hue.  It takes a while to fizzle down into beer, so you can imagine the pains it took to hold patiently.  In fact, I failed.  Refusing to wait, I slurped up a big, prickly mouthful of foam that seemed a microcosm of the taste experience soon to come.  Immediately evaporating like a pinch of cotton candy between my lips, waves of citrus and pine span past me in fractions of a second before a stern slap of bitterness stung my senses.

Before even one liquid sip made it to my mouth, I felt as though I had climbed just slightly too far up a pine tree, became fearfully stuck, then became the target of a potato gun loaded with citrus.  I’m taking it square in the jaw with propelled fruit and hanging on to the sharp, sappy branches of my captor with all that I have.  It sounds like a nightmare, and to the bitter bewildered, it just may be, but to The Hop Brief, it’s an extreme sport.  We do it for the love of the thrill.

The head eventually settles to a white wisp and ring.  Surprisingly, the lacing is a bit subdued.  After such a thick head on the pour and the sweetness expected from such a big brew, I presumed there would be much more stickage.  The color is also a bit unexpected, a pale, cloudy amber.  Pale enough that I would have projected a lighter brew before me.  The most striking attribute of all, gathered with the eye, is the level of cloudiness.  Actually, I hesitate to even use the word cloudy, though it seems an appropriate adjective for beers with suspended yeast.  Here we have some serious floaters!  My mind tells me that it’s hop shrapnel, and I like the thought of that.  Maybe I can chew some hop as I drink some hop.

The nose is very pleasant to this IPA lover.  There is a slight sting in the nostrils from the multi-tiered potency.  Many facets of potent lupulin resins (pine and citrus, as mentioned earlier), backed with a potent booze factor.  The biscuity malts that break through add a complexity and balance that is an invaluable sidekick.  I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a dash of wheat in the grain bill.  That may also be a factor in the color and cloudiness.  Fruitcake… and no, I’m not talking about you… in the nose.  There is a slight but noticeable sweetness in the scent that brings me relief.

The mouthfeel is spot on for the style.  Fairly low but present carbonation, smooth and slick with sweetness… I’m not rushing to swallow.

The flavor is pretty fantastic.  No shit, right?  The taste experience begins with an onslaught of bitterness, which I generally am opposed to, but after the bitter sensing portions of the tongue relax (or are desensitized, I’m not sure which), it’s all so right.  An exhale through the nose stirs up all of the crucial hop flavors that were prefaced in the nose.  BIG earthy pine (trapped in a tree), grapefruit, pumello, bitter orange (potato gun shooting citrus); it’s all there and wiping about the mouth like a swirl-and-spin of hop-flavored paint, coating every corner of the mouth with aromatic arts.

The malts are like the cool, smooth looking guy that just strolls through the bonkers house party with no worry in the world.  He puts it all into perspective, making all the hopped-up party animals look like riotous ne’er-do-wells who will never grow up to do anything with their lives.  In this particular case, we all know that those hopped-up animals turn out to forever change American brewing, but don’t tell that to the malty fellow, he is still cool as ice.  You may have picked up on my IPA desires by now, but if not, I NEED BALANCE!  Get a little heavy on the malt bill, leave behind some unfermentable sugars, arrest fermentation, do whatever you have to do to massage my sweet tooth.  This brew gives it a little stroke, and I’m near bliss.

For me, the aftertaste is the peak of excellence as far as PTE is concerned.  All the flavors coalesce into a sweet song in the key of sturm und drang.  Extremes in emotion mingle.  Stabbing, pungent bitterness leads into soothing, relaxing sacchariferousness.  There is very little dryness at all and, though I so badly want another sip, I really don’t need it.  The flavors just keep going and going.  All is right in the world.

With PTE, the sweetness is desperately close to perfect for me, but falls just short.  I can actually feel the tension within me.  I want so badly for it to be perfect, but no.  Lest we not forget though, it’s a rare occasion when I even discuss the possibility of perfection in a beer, of any style, and that is why Pliny the Elder is a legend in both history and beer.

Color/Head/Retention [maximum of 1.00 point possible]: 0.79

Odor [maximum of 2.00 points possible]: 1.86

Carbonation/Mouthfeel [maximum of 1.00 point possible]: 0.99

Hop Flavor [maximum of 3.00 points possible]: 2.94

Malt Flavor/Balance [maximum of 2.00 points possible]: 1.88

Finish/Aftertaste [maximum of 1.00 point possible]: 0.99

Total [maximum of 10.00 points possible]: 9.45

Events for Week of March 1, 2010

Bert's Better Beers in Hookett, NH- No, we don't know where that is, but its worth going to!

A week in the life of a beer drinker:

Monday, March 1, 2010

7th Annual Barleywine Bacchanal: Seattle, Washington

3:00PM- 2:00AM @ Beveridge Place Pub

The madness continues all week with events almost every day. Many of these barleywines were aged by Beveridge Place.  Check out Beer Blotter’s guide to the Bacchanal by clicking HERE!

Monk’s Mad Monday: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

11:30AM-11:30PM @ Monk’s Cafe

A special Russian River event featuring six of their beers on tap. There will be three IPAs and three ‘Tions on tap. Check it– Pliny The Younger, Pliny The Elder, Blind Pig, Damnation, Consecration and (sweet, sweet) Supplication.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Unibroue Tasting: Hooksett, New Hampshire

5:00PM-7:30PM @ Bert’s Better Beers

Join Richard Delmonico as he pours Canadian brewery, Unibroue beers-Quelque Chose (enjoy warm and/or on ice), Maudite, Terrible, Don de Dieu, La Fin du Monde, Blanche de Chambly, Chambly Noire, Trois Pistoles and Ephemere. Cheese and chocolate will be paired.

Sour Beer Night: New York, New York

7:30PM-9:30PM @ Jimmy’s No. 43

For $10.00 a person, you can come sample amazing sour beers from Jolly Pumpkin, Cantillon and others from the Shelton Brothers portfolio.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Meet the Brewers: Escondido, California

6:00PM-8:00PM @ Stone Brewing Co.

Brewers from the East head West- Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head and Victory Brewing Co.’s Bill Covaleski. Join them at the Bistro’s outside bar with Stone’s own Greg Koch to celebrate their collective achievement. Have a pint with Sam, Bill, and Greg and congratulate them on a job well done! Special taps of Dogfish Head and Victory rarities, including World Wide Stout, will be poured outside.

Ninkasi Beer Dinner: San Francisco, California

5:45 PM- 9:45 PM @The Monk’s Kettle

Ninkasi brews such as Total Domination IPA, Tricerahops Double IPA, Believer Double Red Ale and OATIS Oatmeal Stout will be paired with a delicious 5 course meal. Menu items include a Portobello mushroom soup, a coconut curry shrimp dish, pork tenderloin, a special pallet cleanser and a dessert that will make you feel right at home.

New Belgium Tasting: Portland, Oregon

4:00PM-6:00PM @ The Beermongers

New Belgium Brewery will in the store providing samples of several of their more unique beers including two from their Lips of Faith series Biere de Mars and Transatlantique Kriek, Ranger IPA, certified organic Mothership Wit and Trip IV on draft a collaboration between Elysian Brewing Co. (Seattle) and New Belgium.  This event is free.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Great Lakes Happy Hour: Akron, Ohio

7:00PM-9:00PM @ Johnny Malloys

Come and sample 6 differtent Great Lakes Brewing Co. beers on tap/bottles available to everyone. For those interested, there will also be a limited beer and cheese tasting featuring a couple brewery exclusives that are only available for the tasting. The tasting fee is $10 and includes 5 samples of beer and 5 cheese samples. A few people from the brewery will be there giving out glassware and other Great Lakes memorabilia.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Beer without Hops: The Illegal Brews: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

7:30PM- 9:30PM @ The Beer School of Philadelphia

This is an appropriate venue for this event. Not only do you get to sample fine beers, you get to learn a bit about beer history. These beers do not contain hops, therefore at one point in beer past, they were not considered beer. Due to this concept, they have become rather rare. Well, these “illegal” beers (gruits) are making a comeback, so stop by, taste and learn all about these amazing brews.

Jolly Pumpkin Beer Tasting: Ann Arbor, Michigan

5:00PM-7:00PM @ Whole Foods Market

Join Vice President of Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales Michael Turriff at the Fine Wine and Craft Beer Bar. Michael is there to enjoy the JP brews, discuss beer and answer all of your questions.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Let’s try some Belgiums!: Naperville, Illinois

3:00PM-5:00PM @ Malloy’s Fine Wines and Spirits

This tasting is FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. So you have no excuse to head out on the town in Naperville and try some amazing Belgium brews. What will you be sampling? Triple Karmeliet, Maredsous 10 Triple, Gouden Carolus, and Pauwel Kwak- among others. Get out, get cultured.

Lucky Lab’s Barleywine & Big Beer Fest: Portland, Oregon

12:00PM- 10:00PM @ Lucky Labrador Brewing Co. (NW Quimby Beer Hall)

More than 35 barleywines and big beers (stouts, warmers, old ales and more) on tap! Some are recent releases but many are aged vintages.  Just to name a few, as the list is very very long (check it here): ’07 Great Divide’s Old Ruffian; ’08 Speakeasy’s Old Godfather; ’09 Fish Tail’s Leviathan and ’09 Lucky Lab’s BBL-Aged Son of Old Yeller.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

11th Split the Brooklyn Skull Festival: Brooklyn, New York

11:00 AM-11:00PM @ Mugs Ale House

Interesting name, but what does it entail? Tis the time for barleywines and strong ales, so you guessed it! Come to Mugs and enjoy beers, most of which are over 8%.  For the full list click here, but for a sample, you came to the right place: Speakeasy Old Godfather Reserve 10%; Left hand Widdershins 10%; Nogne O #100 Barleywine 10.0%; Goose Island Brown Goose 9% and Weyerbacher Old Heathen Imperial Stout 2008 8.0%.

Nikki’s Second Annual Beer Dinner: Providence, Rhode Island

6:00 PM-10:00 PM @ Julians

We will leave the food a mystery, but check out the featured beers, mainly all Trappist. We like their style! La Trappe Isid’or; Achel Blond; Westmalle Trappist Dubbel; Orval Trappist Ale; Chimay Grande Reserve (blue); Westmalle Trappist Tripel and with the dessert course, you get all three Rochefort beer (6, 8, 10)!!

Oh man…that is it. But of course, there is so much more. So if you have an event you want us to add, have a comment about an event you went to, or just want to tell us how much you love beer, leave a comment or email us at beerblotter@gmail.com. Thanks for reading! Cheers to another week!

Events for Week of February 8, 2010

Jolly Pumpkin Cafe and Brewery

A quick shout out to something unrelated to beer.  Congrats to the New Orleans Saints for their incredible season and Super Bowl win. New Orleans is a city close to Beer Blotter’s heart and we couldn’t be happier. So a toast in honor of a team and city well deserving of a celebration.  WHO DAT??  And now, without further ado, your weekly beer events.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Jolly Pumpkin Madrugada Obscura Release Party: Ann Arbor, Michigan

6:00PM @ Jolly Pumpkin Cafe and Brewery

Be one of the first beer drinkers to taste this stout by Jolly Pumpkin tonight at 6:00PM. Madrugada stands for “Dark Dawn”, and this Belgian inspired stout is as dark as a moonless midnight, and brimming with roasted malts and bitter hops.  This beer is seasonal, so get it while it lasts!

New Belgium Beer Tasting: Greenville, South Carolina

7:00PM-9:00PM @ Brixx Wood Fired Pizza

This tasting will feature New Belgium‘s spring seasonal Mighty Arrow, newly released Ranger IPA, 1554 Black beer, and of course Fat tire. Enjoy all of these with a few snacks while New Belgium’s local rep talks about the brewery and answer some questions.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Russian River ‘tion Night: San Fransisco, California

6:00PM-12:00PM @ Toronado

Stop by San Fran’s legendary beer bar and indulge in all the goodness Russian River Brewing Co. has to offer. Beers such as (this is not official, just an assumption, so call 415.863.2276 if your looking for a specific brew) Publication, Consecration, Deviation, Damnation, Sanctification, Supplication….Temptation. Seriously if only 3 of those beers are on tap, its worth the trip.

Smuttynose Tasting: Hooksett, New Hampshire

4:30PM-7:30PM @ Berts Better Beers

On the docket for tonight, Smuttynose Brewing Co.’s Big A, Baltic Porter, Wheat Wine, Barleywine and (hopefully) the Imperial Stout.  We recently had the Wheat Wine and it is AMAZING. GO THERE, DRINK BEER, REPORT BACK!

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Stone Brewing Co. Cask Tasting and Meet and Greet: Washington, DC

6:00PM-10:00PM @ Birch and Barley

What to expect on cask tonight from Stone Brewing Co.? LEVITATION ALE; SMOKED PORTER; ARROGANT BASTARD. Done, Done and Done.

St. Bernardus Beer Dinner: Tampa, Florida

7:00PM-9:00PM @ Mr. Dunderbak’s

Not only will you be able to taste amazing food and sample St. Bernardus beers, you will be able to meet the brewer, Marco in from Belgium. Lamb, mussels, salad and brie tarts will grace the menu tonight.  The Witbier, Triple, Prior 8 and Apt 12 will be paired with the delicious menu.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Meet the Brewers of New Old Lompoc Brewing Co.: Portland, Oregon

6:00PM-8:00PM @ Green Dragon

Join all the New Old Lompoc brewers: Dave “Chowdah” Fleming, Bryan Kielty, Zach Beckwith, Sam Orlansky and Jerry Fechter for a meet the brewers session.

Some Like it Hop: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

6:00PM-8:00PM @ Allegheny HYP Club

The tasting includes beer samples, gourmet appetizers prepared by Chef Shawn, and a presentation on the selected beers.  The cost to attend is $15 per person. Please RSVP for the event at the Malt Daddy website.  Featured beers include: Troeg’s Nugget Nectar; Weyerbacher Double Simcoe IPA; Dogfish Head Olde School Barleywine and Victory Old Horizontal Barleywine.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Launch of Midnight Sun Brewing Co.: San Fransisco, California

6:00PM-9:00PM @ City Beer Store

California Beer Week continues into the weekend with a launch party for Midnight Sun Brewing Co. Although the beers are not listed, even on City Beer Store’s website, draft and bottle products will be available!  This brewery has so many great beers, you really cannot go wrong!

Sour Ale Tasting: Aliso Viejo, California

6:00PM-8:00PM @ Pacific Park Market

CHECK THIS OUT—-> Jolly Pumpkin La Roja; Russian River Supplication (batch 4); Russian River Consecration (batch 3); Bruery Oude Tart; Russian River Beatification and Weyerbacher Riserva. Its only $5 per person to enjoy all of these amazing sour beers. Don’t miss out!

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Big Woody 2010: Brooklyn, New York

11:00AM- 12:00PM @ Spuyten Duyvil

Bottles, Drafts and Casks…this event is not only at a extremely cool beer bar in BK, it features some AMAZING beers. For the full list, go to Beer Advocates’ website or click here.  Here is a glimpse into the epic beer drinking that those of you in attendance will endure (oh yea, these beers are all 10% and above- enjoy): from the tap-Mikkeller Black (17.5%, Denmark); In Gravity Poured Wooden Barrels-Schneider Aventinus Weizen-Eisbock (12%, Germany) and on the bottle list-Brooklyn Black Ops 2008 (10.7%-Brooklyn, NY, USA).  Make sure to store the cab company’s number in your phone before going to this event!

Strong Ale Fest: Boyertown, Pennsylvania

12:15PM- 12:15AM @ Union Jack’s Inn On The Manatawny

Similarly themed to the above event, this Strong Ale Fest will feature beers all 10% and higher….so keep that in mind when your throwing ‘em back tonight. A few of the beers available for these 12 hours include, Dogfish Head World Wide Stout 18%; Founders Black Biscuit Barrel Aged Porter 11% and Lost Abbey Angels Share 12%.

February 14, 2010

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine’s Day Beer Dinner: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

6:00PM- 8:00PM @ Hawthornes

We cant think of a better way to show your love for another than with and among amazing beers.  Tonight at  Hawthornes, celebrate your love with three courses and the following beers, Southern Tier 07 Choklat; Kasteel Rouge; Rosee d’ Hibiscus (Dieu Du Ciel) and Bells Oaked Aged Two-Hearted Ale. All for $60.00/person. Call (215) 627-3012 for reservations!

Have a Heart for Haiti: Bellingham, Washington

11:00AM-9:00PM @ Boundary Bay Brewing Co.

Ribeye Steak with Wort Compound Butter, Sea Bass in Pappilote, and Mussels in Spicy Red Sauce with Chorizo are just a few of the Special menu choices for Valentines Day. The menu will be available at 5pm along with our regular menu choices. Tables set for two and Music sets by The Mt Baker Toppers starting at 6pm and 7pm. Reservations are recommended. Servers will be donating a portion of their tips & all the proceeds from our Have a Heart dessert will go the Red Cross.

So have a great week, give some love to Haiti, give that someone special a big kiss and drink great beer!  If you go to an event, would like us to report on an event or just want to spread the BB love, leave a comment or email us at beerblotter@gmail.com