Thursday, November 3, 2016

Firestone Walker Fires U] “Propagater” Brewhouse In Venice

 
Courtesy of Firestone Walker Brewing Co

Venice, CA: Beer is finally flowing through Firestone Walker Brewing Company’s Propagator brewhouse in Venice, California, and a familiar face is at the helm as brewer Ben Maushardt takes the reins of Firestone Walker’s R&D program.

The Propagator will operate as a pilot brewhouse for experimental beers, setting the pace for what is next from Firestone Walker. It will also serve as a working neighborhood brewery to produce unique one-off beers available solely at the Venice location.

The switch was flipped on the Propagator last week, and the first true batch is being brewed this week.

The launch of the brewhouse signifies a happy conclusion to an arduous permitting journey that resulted in ongoing delays. Firestone Walker invested more than $1 million in acquiring a state-of-the-art small scale Kaspar Schulz brewhouse from Germany. The original plan was to begin brewing in Venice in tandem with the opening of the adjacent brewery restaurant last April.

“We stayed the course, stuck to our vision and, most important, received a lot of support from our neighbors,” said Adam Firestone. “It will prove to be worth the wait.”Added David Walker, “The Propagator is the next step in our brewery evolution. It will be our idea laboratory, and hopefully an integral contributor to the local brewing community.”

The Propagator falls into capable hands with Maushardt, who has been with Firestone Walker for more than two years, and who is now making the move from Paso Robles to Venice.
“We chose Ben because it’s important that we have one of our best-trained and talented team members take on this role,” said Brewmaster Matt Brynildson.

He added, “When Ben is not testing new recipes or running hop, malt and yeast trials for the Paso Robles brewery, he will be producing small batches of wort for our Barrelworks team and making killer Venice-only beers for local patrons.”

2nd annual Cherry Festivus - celebration of Cherry Beers & Cider adds Chocolate

Courtsey of the Cherry Festius
Portland's 2nd annual Cherry Festivus, a celebration of cherry beer and cider returns to Bazi Bierbrasserie from November 18 - 20th with chocolate pairings this year. From the organizers of the Portland Fruit Beer Festival comes this more intimate unique tasting event that focuses on one of the world's most popular fruits, with rare and one-off beers and ciders plus cherry food specials and cherry cocktails. The major addition this year, artisinal chocolate pairings and even a cherry beer flight with an optional chocolate pairing flight. 

Highlights of this years three day tasting event include a special Randall version of Ecliptic Brewing's Third Orbit Anniversary Ale, this Imperial Cherry Porter will be poured through a device called a Randall that will be filled with even more cherries plus chocolate for a one time only treat. Rare beers include one of the world's most sought after, Cantillon's Kriek and a Petit Kriek from Oregon's acclaimed De Garde Brewing. Also from Oregon, cherry beers from Upright Brewing, Fort George, Logsdon Farmhouse Ales, Double Mountain and Culmination. Washington gets into the mix with a one-off Cherry infused Bourbon Barrel-aged Dark Star Imperial Stout from Seattle's Fremont Brewing, Sour Cherry Millie from Bellingham's Wander Brewing and Prunus, a grenache barrel-aged wild saison with cherries from Propolis Brewing. Also in the lineup: a super rare keg of Love Cherry Felix from New Belgium Brewing and from California a Vanilla Cherry Sour from Almanac Beer Co. and Supplication from Russian River Brewing Co.. On the cider front, Swift Cider releases their first keg ever of a multi vintage cherry cider blend called O'Dell All Sour Cherry Cider and Reverend Nat's Hard Cidery has crafted a one off collaboration with Walking Man Brewing using their Black Cherry Stout in a cider hybrid blend. All in all expect atleast 25 different beers and ciders to be poured. 

The regular festival session kicks off Saturday, November 19th but there is a special VIP session on Friday November 18th with very limited advance tickets on sale now for $30 that include a collectible glass and 7 drink tickets. General Admission festival tickets are $20 which include a special collectible glass and 6 drink tickets and good for entrance November 19th and 20th

Additional tickets are available for $2 each. There are only 200 glasses total available for the festival, there may be passes available at the door on Saturday but to assure entry we recommend purchasing in advance.

Friday Nov. 18 - VIP Session 5-11 PM
Saturday Nov. 19 - General Admission 3-11 PM
Sunday Nov. 20 - General Admission 1-7 PM


Cherry Festivus

Bazi Bierbrasserie
1522 SE 32nd Ave, 
Portland, OR 97214 
(503) 234-8888

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

BridgePort Brewing Releases New Imperial Russian Stout - Siren's Sound

Courtesy of Bridgeport Brewing Co
PORTLAND, Ore. – November 1, 2016BridgePort Brewing Company, Oregon’s original craft brewery today announced the release of Siren’s Sound, an Imperial Russian Stout, available in bottles and on-draft in November. With leaves changing and rain falling, this big stout is the perfect dark beer to ring in this season in the Pacific Northwest.

Siren’s Sound was brewed to be a little devious, just like the Sirens of lore. BridgePort’s brewers used a monstrous amount of De-bittered Black Malt, Midnight Wheat, and roasted barley to create a beer with a huge flavor profile and a sneaky 9.0% ABV and 75 IBU. Bringing balance to the brew, brewers used Sterling Hops in the kettle and finished off the beer with a dry hop dose of Mt. Hood’s for a special twist on this Imperial Russian Stout.

“For our big brews, we really enjoy making balanced beers with big, complex flavor profiles,” states Jeff Edgerton, Brewmaster of BridgePort Brewing Company. “Our brewers outdid themselves with this one – it’s definitely one of my favorites. I highly recommend grabbing a couple bottles of Siren’s Sound for a family gathering where you can sit around and really enjoy the beer and the company.”

In addition to the new Siren’s Sound, BridgePort’s distinctive holiday brew, Ebenezer Ale, is back for the 17th year. Derived from four different roasted malts and a blend of local and imported hops, Ebenezer is a strong ale complemented by a smooth complex palate. Pour Ebenezer in your glass and you’ll experience a full-bodied, deep mahogany colored brew with a malty first taste that finishes with delicious caramel notes.

Siren’s Sound and Ebenezer Ale is available in limited quantities on-draft and in 22oz. bombers at BridgePort BrewPub (1313 NW Marshall St., Portland, Ore.) and where BridgePort is sold in the Pacific Northwest.
Courtesy of Bridgeport Brewing Co

About BridgePort Brewing Company

Oregon's oldest craft brewery continues to evolve from a microbrewery to a regional leader committed to producing high quality craft ales. Led by Brewmaster Jeff Edgerton, the team of BridgePort brewers prides itself on using hops from an hour away and clear glacial water from Mount Hood. The BridgePort family of ales includes the Stumptown Series, Bridgeport IPA, Hop Czar Imperial IPA, Kingpin and seasonal offerings. BridgePort Brewery is located at 1313 N.W. Marshall. For more information, call 503-241-7179 or visit www.bridgeportbrew.com.                                                               

Laurelwood Brewing Releasing Experimental IPA Six Pack - Rando IPA #20

Courtesy of Laurelwood Brewing Co
Portland, OR –  Laurelwood Brewing Co. has announced the expansion of their seasonal 6 pack offering with Rando IPA #20. This IPA is an installment from the Rando IPA series, which is an experimental IPA series Laurelwood has been brewing for the past two years.

“The Rando IPA series is a fun way for our brewers to experiment with different hops and malts,” says James Buxman, Director of Marketing & Sales for Laurelwood Brewing Co. “IPAs from the series have always been a fan favorite and we’re excited to be able to offer this in retail locations.”

Rando IPA #20 uses a blend of hops to give nice floral, citrus, and tropical qualities with some spice. The malt profile lends to a mild, spicy wheat-like flavor with a hint of toasty caramel sweetness. This IPA is heavily focused on hop flavor and aroma with big dry hop additions that really shine with the light malt body.
Find six-packs of Laurelwood’s Rando IPA #20 where better beer is sold throughout Oregon and Washington, now through February 2017.


About Laurelwood Brewing Co.:
Laurelwood is a family-owned brewery and public house in Portland, Oregon, founded in 2001 by Mike De Kalb and Cathy Woo-De Kalb. Laurelwood Brewing Co.’s award-winning line-up includes the popular Workhorse IPA and Free Range Red Ale. Laurelwood’s handcrafted brews can be found on draft, in bottles, and cans throughout Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Alaska, California, British Columbia, and Japan. To learn more, visit www.LaurelwoodBrewpub.com.

Hopworks Releasing Two Limited Beers - 2016 Kentucky Christmas and Noggin Floggin Barleywine

Courtesy of Hopworks Brewing Co

Hopworks Urban Brewery is set to release two limited edition beers on Wednesday, November 09. 2016 Kentucky Christmas and Noggin Floggin Barleywine were brewed for drinkers who slowly savor every last sip of bigger, complex beers. Both beers will be available on tap and in bottles at both Hopworks’ pubs and will receive limited distribution throughout the Northwest.

2016 Kentucky Christmas begins as Organic Abominable Winter Ale, Hopworks’ most popular seasonal offering, and is aged for 10-13 months in a variety of bourbon barrels. Before entering bottles it is blended to highlight nuances from different barrels. Expect flavors of vanilla and spice layered with luscious caramel malt character. Just 1100 bottles of Kentucky Christmas were made for distribution in Oregon. Very limited draft will be available throughout Oregon and Washington.

Organic Noggin Floggin Barleywine is a big winter warmer that sits at 9.5% ABV and 100 IBU. Deep mahogany in color, Noggin boasts of rich toffee and toasted malt character, flavors of fig and plum, and resinous hops. 1500 bottles and limited draft were produced for distribution in Oregon and Washington.

Kentucky Christmas and Noggin Floggin Release
Hopworks Urban Brewery / 2944 SE Powell Blvd. Portland, OR 97202
November 09, 5pm

Courtesy of Hopworks Brewing Co
About Hopworks Urban Brewery
Hopworks Urban Brewery strives to revolutionize and inspire the brewing industry with practices that drive quality, protect the environment and improve the community we live in. Utilizing organic malts and a combination of locally-sourced, organic and Salmon Safe hops, the company’s 20-barrel brewery produces 13,500 barrels of beer and cider a year for HUB’s brewpubs and for distribution throughout the Northwest. Hopworks is a family-owned and operated business, the first Certified B Corporation brewery in the Pacific Northwest, a gold-level bike friendly business, and is recognized as one of the Best Green Companies To Work For In Oregon. In 2016 Hopworks will open a new brewpub in Vancouver, Washington.