2014 Washington Beer Open House.

Oregon had Zwickelmania last weekend.  Now it's Washington's turn for the Washington Beer Open House. This Saturday from 12pm to 5pm, participating breweries in Washington will have their doors open for tasting's, tours, and various other activities.  Over 70 breweries and brewpubs state wide have signed up. This would be a great chance to visit Mt Tabor Brewing and Loowit Brewing who are on the list of local breweries participating.

Washington Beer Open House Web Page
Washington Commision Website
Washington Beer Commision Twitter

2014 PARTICIPATING BREWERIES

Airways Brewing

American Brewing

Bainbridge Island Brewing

Bale Breaker Brewing

Black Raven Brewing

Boundary Bay Brewery

Brickyard Brewing

Chuckanut Brewery & Kitchen

Der Blokken Brewery

Diamond Knot Brewery & Alehouse

Diamond Knot Brewpub

Diamond Knot Camano Lodge

Diamond Knot Pizza House

Diamond Knot Production

Dick’s Brewing

Dirty Bucket Brewing

Elliott Bay Public House & Brewery

Elysian Brewery

Epic Ales

Foggy Noggin Brewing

Fremont Brewing

Geaux Brewing

Hale’s Ales Pub

Harmon Tap Room

Herbert B. Friendly Brewing

Hi-Fi Brewing

Hilliard’s Beer

Hopped Up Brewing

Icicle Brewing

Iron Goat Brewing

Iron Horse Brewery

Issaquah Brewhouse

Justice Brewing

Kulshan Brewing Co

Lazy Boy Brewing

Loowit Brewing

Machine House Brewery

Maritime Pacific Brewing

McMemanins Six Arms

McMenamins Mill Creek

McMenamins on the Columbia

Middleton Brewing

Mt. Tabor Brewing

No-Li Brewhouse

Northwest Peaks Brewery

Northwest Sausage & Deli

Odin Brewing

Orlison Brewing

Pike Brewing

Ramblin’ Road Brewery

Redhook Brewery

Reuben’s Brews

River City Brewing

Rockfish Grill & Anacortes Brewery

Rooftop Brewing

Rooftop Brewing

Schooner EXACT Brewing Scuttlebutt Brewing

Seapine Brewing

Silver City Brewery

Slaughter County Brewing

Slippery Pig Brewery

Spinnaker Bay Brewing

Stoup Brewing

Tacoma Brewing Tin Dog Brewing

Triplehorn Brewing

Twelve Bar Brews

Two Beers Brewing Valholl Brewing

White Bluffs Brewing

Wingman Brewers

Yakima Craft Brewing

BRIDGEPORT CELEBRATES 30 YEARS OF CRAFT BREWING IN OREGON

Bridgeport Brewing is celebrating 30 years of craft brewing in Oregon this year.

I have many fond memories of Bridgeport Brewing going back to the mid 1990's. More than 15 years ago Emily and I were newly married, recent college graduates in southern Oregon, with an already-serious craft beer hobby.  Whereas other students might go get crazy at Lake Shasta on Spring Break, we could be found touring Humboldt County breweries, for example. We got a lucky break to go work for a broadcasting company in Portland, so packed our meager collection of belongings and moved to the Lloyd District. Since we didn't yet have kids or much in the way of demands on our time outside of work, we were really able to get out and enjoy Portland. One primary area of enjoyment was the fledgling brewing industry.

Back then you had a smattering of breweries around Portland - not remotely like today where it seems like there's one on every corner. Bridgeport back then was on our weekly rotation of breweries where we could grab a pint and some good, cheap food - in this case amazing pizza by the slice. For years, you could find us at Bridgeport at least once a week enjoying what I believe is one of the best IPA's ever.  Times have changed; Emily and I have moved out of  Portland, had kids, and gotten away from broadcasting. Bridgeport has changed with the times and remodeled the old rope factory into a much cleaner and upscale environment, they have changed beer styles, they have re-branded. The experience today is much different, but the beer remains just as good as it ever was.

30 years in any business is an amazing achievement and 30 years in the fast-changing brewery business is a remarkable feat, to be sure. Bridgeport is an icon of the Pacific Northwest Brewing scene and an icon of my own earlier days enjoying local craft beer.  I say Happy Birthday to Bridgeport, and here's to 30 more!

To celebrate the 30-years-in-beer milestone, Bridgeport is releasing a special trilogy of beers. The first of the trilogy was released on January 23.  Called  Trilogy #1, this is a dry hopped pale ale featuring Crystal hops that clocks in at 5.2 abv and has 40 ibu's. Bridgeport was gracious enough to send me some samples of the beer.

Original pint glass that I picked up at Bridgeport at least 15 years ago

First off, the aroma from the Crystal hops hits as soon as you open the beer -it just smells amazing. On the first sip you get the crisp crystal hop, followed by some malt/biscuit flavor. It's a very balanced and smooth-drinking pale, not too bitter or overly hopped.  This beer could be enjoyed at any time, in any season. In fact, I think it would be a great, refreshing summer beer so  I plan to pick up a sixer or two and stash them away.  Since it's a limited release I'll need to stock up pretty soon.  Bridgeport Brewing will be releasing two more Trilogy Beers, one in May and one in September. It will be interesting to see what the next two Trilogy beers will be, but I bet they'll standouts too.

Cheers!
Bridgeport Website
Bridgeport Facebook
Bridgeport Twitter
Bridgeport Instagram
Bridgeport Trilogy Web Page

ZWICKELMANIA

This Saturday is the annual Zwickelmania around Oregon from 11am to 4pm.  Dozens of Oregon breweries and brewpubs will be open for tours and tastings and a chance to meet the brewers.  This is a great chance to see a brewery up close and personal its really informative and fun, and free beer is always a good thing.

To have fun and be safe, jump on one of the shuttles that will be ferrying people around between different breweries. Across PDX/BREWVANNA, NW PDX/Kells, Inner SE PDX/Rogue, Inner NW PDX/Rogue, SE TO NW PDX/Rogue, Eugene/Rogue, Salem/Aleways Bus.

Oregoncraftbeer.org

Black Out Beer Fest and 8th Annual Chowder Challenge at Lompoc Brewing

A couple of great events taking place in February at Lompoc Brewing

Lompoc Brewing Hosts Black Out Beer Fest on Feb.21

Come to the dark side and enjoy 15 dark beers from 10 area craft breweries

Lompoc Brewing will host its annual Black Out Beer Fest on Friday, Feb. 21 from 4 to 11pm at Sidebar, 3901 N Williams Ave. The Black Out Beer Fest will feature 15 dark beers from Lompoc and special guests Alameda, Breakside, Cascade, The Commons, Ecliptic, Laurelwood, Lucky Lab, pFriem and Widmer.

Tasting packages are required to drink the beers and cost $15, which includes a souvenir 15.5 oz glass tasting mug and 10 beer tickets. Additional tickets are available for $1 apiece. It costs four tickets for a full mug or $1 for a taste. Mug and ticket sales take place in Sidebar; the beers will be located in Sidebar, the brewery bar and the tented and heated parking lot. Live music will be provided by Leslie Lou and the Lowburners. The event is for ages 21+.

The beer lineup features Alameda 2012 Siberian Bear Russian Imperial Stout; Breakside Salted Caramel Stout; Cascade Milk Stout; The Commons Boysen Imperial Belgian Porter; Ecliptic Mintaka Export Stout; Laurelwood Baltic Porter; Lucky Lab CDA; pFriem Belgian Stout; Widmer Creaminess Rye Stout; and Lompoc 2013 Sour Stout, Batch 69 Baltic Porter, 2010 Bourbon Barrel Aged Monster Mash, 2009 Merlot Barrel Fermented Batch 69 Baltic Porter, Galia Belgica Belgian Strong Dark, and the release of Cherry Wood Porter.

Lompoc Brewing Presents Eighth Annual Chowder Challenge

Local pubs and restaurants compete to see who serves the city’s best

clam chowder while raising money for the Community Transitional School

PORTLAND, Ore. – Who serves the best clam chowder in the city? A dozen local brewpubs and restaurants will vie for the coveted Chowder Cup at the 8th annual Chowder Challenge on Saturday, February 22 from Noon to 4 pm. The blind tasting competition will take place at Lompoc’s Fifth Quadrant, located at 3901 N Williams Ave.

Participating restaurants include Cascade Brewing Barrel House, Columbia River Brewing, Ecliptic Brewing, Farm House Cafe, Ice Axe Grill, Laurelwood Public House, Lompoc 5th Quadrant, Lompoc Tavern, RingSide Fish House, Salty’s on the Columbia, Tabor Tavern & Widmer Gasthaus.

Two-ounce samples of traditional New England-style clam chowders from each of the participants are served in non-labeled tasting cups. After tasting all entries, attendees vote for their favorite. The chowder receiving the most votes is named the People's Choice Winner and takes home the coveted Chowder Cup; awards are also given for second and third place.

There is no charge to attend the event. To taste the chowders, attendees ages 12 and over purchase sample trays for $10. All of the money raised will be donated to Portland’s Community Transitional School, which provides important educational services to children who are homeless or otherwise at risk of school failure.

The festivities also feature live music by Leslie Lou and the Lowburners, a beer garden, a kids area, a raffle with prizes from the participants, and pub food for purchase. Minors are welcome at the family friendly event. 

The New Old Lompoc won the inaugural Chowder Cup; the Morrison Hotel stole it away the next year, but it was wrested back by the New Old Lompoc at the next four events. Last year, with the New Old Lompoc out of the competition while being rebuilt, the Ice Axe Grill swooped in and took the cup. Now that the New Old Lompoc has been revived as the Lompoc Tavern, it’s anyone’s game!

For more information, visit www.lompocbrewing.com.

Growlers Hawthorne To Open The First Dedicated PDX Fill Station On SE Hawthorne Boulevard

City’s first dedicated growler fill station to open on SE Hawthorne Boulevard 

Growlers Hawthorne offers 40 taps of fresh craft beer to go,

plus ciders, mead, braggot and kombucha in bustling neighborhood

PORTLAND, Ore. – Jan. 21, 2014 – Ever since Governor Kitzhaber signed “The Growler Bill” into legislation last April, growler fill stations have sprung up all over the Portland metropolitan area, from mini marts and grocery stores to pizza joints and specialty tap houses. The newest kid on the block is Growlers Hawthorne at 3343 SE Hawthorne Blvd.

Growlers Hawthorne will officially open its doors at Noon on Feb. 4, and will feature a weeklong grand opening celebration with nightly “Meet the Brewer” events from 5:30 to 7:30pm featuring exclusive beers on tap from each brewery. The schedule includes Fort George Brewery on Feb. 4, 10 Barrel Brewing on Feb. 5, Oakshire Brewing on Feb. 6, and Firestone Walker Brewing on Feb. 7. The grand opening week will conclude on Feb. 8 with an all-ages party from 3:30 to 6:30pm featuring beer and root beer from Pelican Pub & Brewery and cheese pairings and ice cream floats from Tillamook. Pelican head brewer Darron Welch and his family will join in the celebration.

Growlers Hawthorne is the first dedicated, single purpose growler fill station in Portland. Apart from sample tastings, the store offers no on-premise consumption, instead focusing solely on the growler experience. “We are unique in our single-minded mission,” explained co-owner Lucy Park.  “We are providing a dedicated place where fresh craft beer is sold in a distinctive package at a competitive price in an environmentally friendly way.”

Growlers Hawthorne will offer 40 rotating taps from the cooler, plus eight taps of kombucha and other non-alcoholic beverages from a separate kegerator. At least 10 percent of the 40 taps will be devoted to other craft specialties including braggot. Cider and mead offerings ensure there will always be gluten-free options available. All 64-oz. growler fills will be competitively priced, starting at $9.99, with complimentary tastings; 32 oz. growlettes will also be filled. Glass growlers start at $4.99 for a 64-oz. branded container.

“Our goal is selection and service,” said Park. “We want our customers to be comfortable trying new products while offering the greatest variety of fresh craft beer to go.”

The tap menu system, provided by local company DigitalPour, is made up of three 55” screens that will list the brewery, beer name, beer style, location, IBU, ABV and price. In addition, the display will indicate the product’s color and the level of beer remaining in each keg. The tap list will be updated in real time and will feed directly to the company’s social media and website. Additionally, the system displays avatars of customers who are checked in to Foursquare and Untappd; Growlers Hawthorne tweets are also posted for viewing.

Noting a desire to be a neighborhood fill station, Park and co-owner Jim Hillman chose to open on Hawthorne Blvd., which has been a hub of commercial activity since the streetcar era of the early 1900s. The area is a magnet for shoppers, commuters, pedestrians and cyclists.  Complementing its mix of specialty shops, theaters, taverns, brewpubs and restaurants, a dedicated growler fill station is an ideal addition to the boulevard.

“We really like the connection to the roots of the post-war Hawthorne district,” explained Hillman. “One of the major catalysts driving the neighborhood's economic recovery after the Great Depression was the growth of local bars and taverns. In many ways, we’ve come full circle.”

Growlers Hawthorne is open daily from Noon to 8pm. It’s dog friendly, with water bowls and bolts for securing leashes; bike friendly with bike racks and a bike lane running through the store; and kid friendly, with minors welcome when accompanied by an adult parent or guardian. For more information, visit www.growlers.net.

NW Coffee Beer Invitational

Coffee & beer: the Northwest’s two favorite brews are in the spotlight for the inaugural NW Coffee Beer Invitational, taking place Saturday, Jan. 25 from 1 to 7pm at the Goose Hollow Inn, 1927 SW Jefferson St. in Portland. Admission costs $12 which includes a festival glass and six taster tickets.

Twelve talented brewers were selected to create freshly-brewed beer made with locally-roasted coffee. With the emphasis on flavors, and an ABV of 7% or less, this event promises to surprise with both provocative and inspired combinations. Participating breweries include 10 Barrel, Base Camp, Breakside, Burnside, Coalition, Fire on the Mountain, Grain Station, Lucky Labrador, Old Town, Pints, Three Creeks and Widmer.

The cozy Goose Hollow Inn will offer its unique, convivial atmosphere along with special savories on the menu to complement the brews. And what goes best with coffee beer? Donuts, of course! The delicious Donut-O-Rama cart will be parked outside to serve up warm crème brûlée beignets.

Live music will be provided by The Austin Stewart Quartet and Whistle Trap Johnson and the Logger’s Daughter, playing throughout the day.

The event is the brainchild of Dave Fleming, the well respected and popular brewer who's worked at Lucky Labrador, Lompoc, McMenamins and Three Creeks, and is currently working with Kell's Brewpub, Coalition and Willamette Valley Hops. 

Learn more about the event on Facebook.com/NWCoffeeBeer and Twitter.com/NWCoffeeBeer. For more information, contact Jean Heffernan at nwcoffeebeerinvitational@gmail.com.

Kells Irish Stout Release Party

Kells Brew Pub to kick off Stout Month with Irish Stout release party

PORTLAND, Ore. – February is recognized as Stout Month, and Kells Brewpub is kicking it off with a release party for its Kells Irish Stout, the first stout produced by the nearly two-year-old brewery. The party, which will include chats with the brewers and owners, brewery tours, a bagpiper, and complimentary appetizers, will take place on Saturday, February 1 from 2 to 5pm at Kells Brew Pub, 210 NW 21st Ave. Minors are welcome with adults.

Kells Irish Stout is a traditional dry stout made with oats and flaked barley. A chocolate nose mingles with mid-mouth hints of fig and light coffee. The beer finishes dry with a slightly roasty note and just a hint of tartness. It is served on nitro.

The afternoon will feature a buffet of sausage rolls, meatballs marinated in Kells Irish Stout, and a hummus platter with vegetables and Irish soda bread.

For more information, call 503-710-7175 or visit www.kellsbrewpub.com.

Half Moon Bay Brewing - Contributor Post by Mrs. Freshpints

Half Moon Bay Brewing, seen from Capistrano Blvd.

Hi everyone!  As "Mrs. Freshpints" I'm normally a behind-the-scenes contributor for this blog, but since I had the chance to try some beers outside the usual freshpints stomping grounds, figured I'd post directly this time.  I hope you all enjoy!

Recently I visited San Francisco, just for a few days and for work, so it was a fast trip and not really conducive to a lot of free-time shenanigans.  But I found myself with several free hours at my disposal one very fine Sunday afternoon.  So, I decided to take a drive out to Half Moon Bay and give Half Moon Bay Brewing a whirl.  No better way to spend the afternoon than tracking down delicious, local craft brews.

The drive was absolutely beautiful once I got outside the larger freeways.  Down through Pacifica and past, there were really amazing ocean views that all on their own made the drive worth the while. The beaches looked sandy and flat, great for strolling, and there were quite a number of people taking advantage of the mild November conditions.

Seriously can you believe this view?! Those are moored sailboats you're looking at.

Half Moon Bay Brewing itself is actually a little north of town, down Capistrano Blvd.  The building is coastal-quaint from afar, but when you get up close you see how crowded it really is.  Inside, it’s pretty dark and bar-ish.  So, I opted to sit outside facing the water.  Great choice – the view was outrageous.

What I'm seeing while enjoying my beers, aaahhhhhh!

Since I hadn’t tried the beer before, I ordered samples of a few that I figured I’d like based on nothing other than type: Princeton-by-the-Sea IPA, Back in the Saddle Rye Pale Ale, and Pit Stop Chocolate Porter.

I started with the Rye.  Hands down, this was my favorite beer of the day.  It was light and crisp, refreshing like a good Pale should be.  And after a long day in transit between PDX and SFO, I really needed some refreshment!  I wish I would have ordered a pint. This was a really tasty beer.

Next up was the IPA.  Being from the Northwest, I recognize I’m a total IPA snob.  I can’t help it; this is a thing in Beervana (Portland, OR for the uninitiated.) I’ve been drinking insanely great IPA since before most of North America knew their Bud Light from their Miller High Life.  This one was, sadly, really unremarkable.  Yeah, I’m tough to please.  But if you’re an IPA, you’ve got to leave me with a strong impression… this one really didn’t.  Verdict?  Meh.

The Chocolate Porter was next.  I love chocolate, Porter is great, chocolate porter seems to be a great marriage of two wonderful things.  But alas, that was not the case.  This beer was cloyingly sweet for my taste, with a too-strong M&M's-like chocolate flavor coming through. 

I had a pretty killer smoked French Dip sandwich with my beers though.  So, that was a plus.  And like I said, the view was awesome.  Between that outstanding Rye Pale and the French Dip (not to mention the insane views) I was pretty glad I made the trip out.  Since it's so close to San Francisco, it's pretty easy to reach. 

However, this being my first actual post, I neglected to take photos of the actual beer or food. DOH!  Rookie mistake; rest assured I'll do better next time.

Cheers everyone!

--Emily D.
Half Moon Bay Brewing Company web page
Half Moon Bay Brewing Co Twitter page
Half Moon Bay Brewing Co Facebook page

Half Moon Bay Brewing Location:
390 Capistrano Rd.
Half Moon Bay, CA 94019

Two of my three empty tasters... oops!

To make up for forgetting to take pics of my beer, I took pictures of other people drinking on the patio... ironically, these guys were having wine.

Lompoc Brewing: Crossing the River for a Washington Release of Holiday Ales.

Lompoc Brewing will be crossing the river on December 12th for the Washington release of the 2013 Lompoc Holiday Ales at the Old Ivy Taproom in Downtown Vancouver,Wa. Six different holiday beers will be tapped at 5:30 when the event starts.

Beers to be tapped:
Brewdolf
Blitzen
2013 Vintage of Old Tavern Rat
Cherry Christmas
Holiday Cheer
C-Sons Greetings Imperial IPA

Info below:

Thursday, December 12, 2013
5:30pm-10:30pm: Lompoc Ales are tapped
6p-8p: Meet Head Brewer Ryan Keilty

Old Ivy Taproom 108 W. Evergreen Blvd Vancouver, WA 98660
(360) 696-0012

 Old Ivy Taproom & By The Bottle link

Vancouver Winter Brewfest - December 13th-15th

The 2nd annual Vancouver Winter Brewfest is this weekend. 

The brewfest will be at Esther Short Park in Downtown Vancouver. They will have beer and cider from 25 breweries, vendors, and tents to stay warm and dry. Should be fun. See details below 

Fest Hours:

• December 13th = 3pm to10pm
• December 14th = 12pm to 10pm
• December 15th = 12pm to 6pm  

Fest ticket, Brewery/Beer, and Vendor Info:

• Link for ticket prices  
• Link for the Brewery and Beer list
• Link to Vendors