Holiday Ale Festival 2014 is coming!

This week from Wednesday to Sunday December 3 – 7 2014 is one of my favorite beer festivals, the Holiday Ale Festival. As in previous years, it takes place under heated tents at Pioneer Courthouse Square, with a view of the gigantic sparkling Christmas tree through the clear tent that will keep you dry no matter what the weather. With the Max line literally stopping only yards away and plenty of hotels nearby in the downtown area, you may choose to make it a whole “day away from home staycation”. I think the best time to visit, if you can, is during the daytime rather in the evening since that is the more popular and obvious time. The festival hours are 11 AM – 10 PM everyday but Sunday when the festival ends at 5 PM.

Photo of the setup of the Holiday Ale Festival in Pioneer Courthouse Square, photo by Timothy Horn Christmas Tree in Pioneer Courthouse Square, 2013
Photo Credit: First photo by Timothy Horn, second photo is mine

Under the tents are some tables and seating, gas heaters, port a potties, as well as a couple food vendors (this year featuring Bunk Sandwiches and Urban German Grill) so along with your 2014 admission mug and tokens, you have everything you need in one place, just bring money and friends! As long as you bring your wristband and mug back, you can get re-admitted any of the festival days, so also feel free to pace yourself and stretch out your visit to many.

Example goodness from Bunk Sandwiches, here are their samples of Cubano sandwiches Example goodness from Bunk Sandwiches, here are their samples of Cubano sandwiches
Example goodness from Bunk Sandwiches

Example goodness from Urban German Grill Example goodness from Urban German Grill
Example goodness from Urban German Grill

Make sure to check in your coat and any bags you may have (feel free to maybe get a little Christmas shopping in beforehand and then finish up at the Holiday Ale Fest!) because all proceeds from the bag and coat check at the Holiday Ale Fest, as well as the raffle located at the Coat Check (you don’t need to be present to win) and the root beer garden all benefit the Children’s Cancer Association. This worthy cause, CCA, works to impact the care and quality of life of children with cancer and other serious illnesses immediately by delivering resources, friendship, and helping quality of life today.

Besides the donation to the Children’s Cancer Association, what makes this particular beer festival unique to others is its focus on lots of dark beers and also aged beers. I love tasting the notes of chocolates, roast, coffee, toffee, molasses, caramels, nuts, etc. that you can often detect in dark beers. Some beers additionally are being brewed or aged with extra ingredients such as cranberries, cherry puree, maple syrup, habanero peppers, even pumpkin pie spice and there is a lot of flavor going on to add to the holiday spirit all around you. It seems the colder weather is season for these kind of flavors and thus “holiday ales”.
Holiday Ale Festival, photo courtesy Timothy Horn
Photo Credit: Timothy Horn

Add to that that most of these beers are also barrel aged, which means that as part of the process they sit in barrels and absorb the flavors of the barrels and some of the characteristic flavors of the previous liquid occupant of those barrels- and some of the options include wine barrels, whiskey barrels, rum barrels and more. You will get additional flavors of wood, vanilla, dark fruits, perhaps some sourness or heat or extra spice and possibly more from this treatment. If you are thinking that sounds a lot like getting the complexity of aromas and flavors like a wine or port you are exactly right.

Not only that, but the guidelines for this festival are that all the beers available at the event were made specifically for the event, blended specifically for the event, or a vintage beer – in other words the beer has not been released prior to the Holiday Ale Festival. So the beers of the festival are, in some cases, sometimes previews of beers that are coming but in most cases, one off special beers from the past or just made for the event!

Holiday Ale Festival 2014 logo
You only have until Wednesday to buy your tickets online and be able to use a card to pay. Admission at the door is CASH ONLY. Admission is $35 including the reusable plastic mug and 12 beer tickets. Remember you can exit and return using that mug as often as you’d like over the four days of the festival, and additional beer tickets are $1 each. If you buy your admission ahead of time, you also get 2 additional tickets and can use an expediated entry line.

One beer ticket is almost all cases will get you a 4 ounce sample pour. You can get a full mug pour for 4 tickets. There are some beers which may cost more tickets because they are more limited in quantity or are special taps (such as all the Limited Release Beers). You must be 21 and older to attend the event

I have taken a look at the beer list and wanted to point out a few highlighted beers I am excited to try when I attend Wednesday (I am working a half day and then enjoying the rest – see earlier comment about staycation, and this is a too conveniently located beercation to turn down!). My list here are only from the Standard Release Beers and not the Limited Release beers that you need to come at the right release time to enjoy. But, if you do come to the festival, make sure to see what Limited Release beers may be tapping during your visit!

This isn’t even my full list- just a snapshot of to help you see the kind of beers and to give you an idea of what the Holiday Ale Festival offers. I haven’t had these beers yet but the descriptions sound interesting to me…

  • 13 Virtues Brewingis presenting their Barrel-Aged MAX Stout which is a barrel aged Imperial Stout that has been aged in both Eastside Distillery and Bull Run Distillery Whiskey barrels for three to four months, giving off oak and vanilla notes and textured layers of deep, dark secrets. Succumb to temptation…
  • I wrote about this previously when reviewing Kell’s Brew Pub, but the Kells Brew Pub MIC Stout AKA Boom Roaster, a collaboration between homebrewer Natalie Baldwin and Kells head brewer Dave Fleming. It is an Imperial Coffee Milk Stout uses Sidamo coffee from Ristretto Roasters and was the People’s Choice and Judge’s Choice winner of the Willamette Week Beer Pro/Am, see if it’s a winner for you!
  • Republic Brewing Co. is bringing the cutely named Do You Want To Build A Snowman?, a Barrel-Aged Golden Blend using four different barrels from the cellar, including Cuvee de Bubba, Pinot Noir re-fermented Kolsch, Tequila Barrel Aged El Oso Lager and Demolition Derby barrels. Yeah, that’s all. Huge fruity notes of pineapple, strawberries and grapes snuggle up to spicy oak, tropical hop notes and a slight pleasing tartness
    Holiday Ale Festival photo, by Timothy Horn
    Photo Credit: Timothy Horn
  • Cascade Brewing is offering a beer they are calling Gingersnaps which is a NW Style Sour Strong Ale that is a blend of Red, Spiced Red and Spiced Quads aged in Bourbon and rum barrels for up to two years on spices including ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg, and figs. Chocolate and rum hold down the low end while Bourbon and spice hit the high notes on the palate. The finish is a crescendo of raisins, dates, chocolate and ginger with a lingering boozy warmth. Sounds like sour yum to me.
  • Coalition Brewing is bringing supposedly their Loving Cup Male Porter’s big brother to the festival, an Imperial Maple Porter beer named Big Maple. This big brother beer is a blend of malts including Patagonia caramel 15 malt that adds a malty sweetness, while two different chocolate malts provide layers of roast and chocolate notes. Vermont grade A maple is added to the boil, bringing a subtle sweetness and maple aromatics. A whisper of smoke balances this winter treat. Enjoy this one-off beer while you can!
  • Ex Novo Brewing Co. did a collaboration with Moonstruck Chocolates to create a beer called Moonstriker, a Baltic Porter with Mexican Chocolate.
  • Fort George Brewery has created Santa’s Dinner Jacket, a Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Red Ale that has been aging in Bull Run Distillery barrels. Sipped slowly and allowed to warm, this beer tells a story of time spent in the barrel infusing this heftily hopped ale with notes of port, sherry, caramel and toffee.
    Holiday Ale Festival picture, photo by Timothy Horn
    Photo Credit: Timothy Horn
  • It’s not always just about dark beers. How about a saison? Specifically, Gigantic Brewing has created Red Ryder BB Gun, a Saison with Cranberries that promises to be a balance of sweet and sour and spicy and tart.
  • Consider comparing the cranberries in that to Burnside Brewing Co. presenting Jingleberry, an Imperial Stout with Cranberries. Yes, that’s right. An imperial stout aged on fresh cranberries that features hints of cocoa and toffee.
  • It’s not always about the whiskey and bourbon barrels of course, like with the Lompoc Brewing Pinot Noir Barrel-Aged Cheval de Trait Belge, named in honor of Belgian work horses – one of the strongest breeds, this dark Belgian Style Strong Ale has been aging in Maryhill Winery Pinot Noir barrels for six months. It has a malty body and strong oak character, finishing dry with hints of chocolate and tobacco.
  • Or, how about the McMenamins Edgefield rum barrel aged Imperial Mexican Mocha Stout called Lord of Misrule brewed with cacao nibs, kilned coffee malt and habanero peppers, then aged in rum barrels post-fermentation for another taste of what barrel aging can produce?
    Holiday Ale Festival, photo by Timothy Horn
    Photo Credit: Timothy Horn
  • There are several chocolate flavors going on in various beer entrants to the festival, but what about White Chocolate Milk Stout? Yep, Oakshire Brewing is bringing one called Prestidigitation that is a beer Blonde in color, yet full-bodied and mildly sweet. This milk stout uses coffee, cocoa nibs and star anise to produce the flavors and aromas of a milk stout with the color of a pale ale.
  • I plan to do a face-off between two chocolate banana beers that are on deck for the Holiday Ale Festival- one from Old Town Brewing Co called Bluth’s Original Chocolate Banana Hefeweizen and described as a Chocolate Bavarian-Style Hefeweizen that is , straight from the description, basically a frozen banana with double the chocolate, nuts and two sticks. Brewed to Pop-Pop’s original (stolen) recipe to be a “cold banana in delicious brown treat.” Two-row, wheat and chocolate malts co-mingle with Mt. Hood hops and cocoa nibs. “There’s always money in the banana stand! No touching!”.
  • The previous beer then will be compared against Stickman Brewery‘s Big Black Banana, a Dunkelweizen for which the Stickmen brewers took their bananas foster beer (Bananas On Fire!) and dunked it in chocolate for the holidays. The Weihenstephan Weizen yeast provides banana and spice, the caramel comes from a good dose of Crystal 120 and Special B malts, and the chocolate from cocoa nibs and chocolate malt.
  • Chocolate and banana? Check. And how about Chocolate and Cherries? Check, thanks to Portland Brewing Co. bringing a Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Cherry Stout brewed just for the 2014 Holiday Ale Festival. This brew boasts a huge malty backbone from seven different malts, a Northwest hop profile, and notes of roasted coffee balanced by delicious cherry flavors from an Oregon-grown sweet cherry puree.

Holiday Ale Festival, photo by Timothy Horn
Photo Credit: Timothy Horn

I hope this list has not been too overwhelming. Does anything stand out to you? Are you planning to attend or recommend the Holiday Ale Festival?

Signature

Portland Beer and Cheese Festival 2014

Last Sunday, we once again (just like my recap in 2013 and my recap in 2012) spent Father’s Day (after calling my dad earlier in the morning of course) with a visit to the Portland Beer and Cheese Festival 2014. This is one of my favorite beer festival events all year because it pairs tastes of beers with cheese. The event draws beer lovers rather than those who just want to drink beer, and we are more serious about trying to discern the detailed flavors in beer and cheese. Also, I love cheese. LOVE.

Portland Beer and Cheese Fest 2014 poster

This year, the location of the event changed from The Commons Brewery to Burnside Brewing as The Commons is in the works of setting up a new bigger and better tasting room (very excited for them! Can’t wait!). Despite the location change that had us in the less photogenic brewing garage of Burnside (but also meant we had access to some of the tent covered outdoor tables and could get food and more beer at Burnside if we wish), and the crazy heavy rain that day, it was still a great event. Particularly, I really appreciated that there were more places to be able to put down my plate of cheese and beverage rather than having to hold them the entire event.
Beer and Cheese Pairing station at Portland Beer and Cheese Festival 2014 Beer and Cheese Pairing station at Portland Beer and Cheese Festival 2014

This year Chop took a break to actually spend Father’s Day as a father (good for him! And I had stopped at the PSU Farmers Market earlier and procured my pate for later!). Don’t worry Olympic Provisions was on hand with a meatastic display of charcuterie for participants to graze on to balance out the beer and cheese tastings. Special shoutout on the “meat flowers” that were in the display (you can see one though slightly picked from in the last photo bottom right) as they offered their pork pistachio pate, sweetheart ham, mortadella, and various salami.
Olympic Provisions was on hand with a meatastic display of charcuterie for participants to graze on to balance out the beer and cheese tastings Olympic Provisions was on hand with a meatastic display of charcuterie for participants to graze on to balance out the beer and cheese tastings Olympic Provisions was on hand with a meatastic display of charcuterie for participants to graze on to balance out the beer and cheese tastings Olympic Provisions was on hand with a meatastic display of charcuterie for participants to graze on to balance out the beer and cheese tastings

And now, for the greatness of cheesemonger Steve of The Cheese Bar using his genius for good in pairing cheeses with beer. I write this post not only for those of you in the future who may be searching on the internet and wondering what this event was about and whether you should buy tickets to the 2015 event (the answer is a resounding YES), but to also encourage you that in the meantime, this is a tremendous theme for any get together. Have everyone bring a beer from a brewery, bring a cheese, and then everyone enjoy! Here are some examples of pairings you might consider… And obviously, if you would like any advice, Steve is your man.

This year the pairings included:

The Beer and Cheese Pairings:

  1. Breakside Brewing Pilsner with Vintage Cheese Company Mountina (cow – Montana)
    Portland Beer and Cheese Festival 2014, a pairing of beer and cheese, here Breakside Brewing – Pilsner with Vintage Cheese Company – Mountina – cow – Montana
    This was one of my favorite pairings of the day. I loved the light well flavors of the Pilsner that was true to the style but yet also seemed to transcend it with more forward flavors then the typical lagers that leaned more towards malts with a slight sweetness. I probably would have never thought to order this beer if I saw it because of the style. But then paired with the earthy and nutty Mountina it was very tasty and would please anyone and I actually would recommend these two. As an aside, just the day before I sampled their seasonal Passionfruit Sour and it’s a fantastic summer beer, light, low alcohol, but very tasty and you can definitely taste the passionfruit and so well balanced. I encourage you to grab some! Meanwhile, that Mountina is a cheese that goes well with a wide variety of beers- I’ve had the cheese several times, and I know from other events Steve has paired it with beers in the past two Portland Beer and Cheese Festivals and at the Rookery with other German style beers such as Hefeweizen and Kolsch styles, not just lager styles.
  2. Pfriem Family Brewers Saison with Satori Pastorale (cow and sheep – Wisconsin)
    Portland Beer and Cheese Festival 2014, a pairing of beer and cheese, here Pfriem Family Brewers Saison with Satori – Pastorale – cow and sheep – Wisconsin
    The Pfriem Saison’s grassiness was complimented well with the similar country field earthiness of the Sartori cheese that was sharp yet creamy and also had little crunchiness of aged cheese crystals. I adore cheese crystals.
  3. Upright Brewery Black Lime Saison with Central Coast Goat Gouda (goat – California)
    Portland Beer and Cheese Festival 2014, a pairing of beer and cheese, here Upright Brewery Black Lime Saison with Central Coast – Goat Gouda – goat – California
    I wasn’t able to detect any lime or citrus going on here, but I can always get behind a gouda, and gouda and beer is a very safe win in terms of pairing. When we bring a cheese plate to any of the Bailey’s Taproom beer festivals, we always have a gouda as the rich nut and earth flavors of goudas go well with many styles of beer.
  4. Burnside Brewing Company Spring Rye with Gruyere d’savoie (cow – France)
    Portland Beer and Cheese Festival 2014, a pairing of beer and cheese, here Burnside Brewing Company Spring Rye with Gruyere d’savoie – cow - France. Also, Olympic Provisions charcuterie
    It was around this point I also needed some charcuterie to accompany the tastes. This whole plate was heavenly, with the tones of rye and coriander from the beer and which are present in the Olympic Provisions meats just a perfect match (in my photo you can see the chorizo salami, but that’s because in my mouth as I was taking this photo I had already stuffed the Italian style cacciatore salami that you had seen on the right side of the table in my other photos earlier), and the buttery, salty and savory Gruyere being the icing and sprinkles to this plate that was just destined to be together.
  5. Firestone Walker Brewing Company DBA (Double Barrel Ale) with Ferns Edge Mt. Zion (goat – Oregon)
    Portland Beer and Cheese Festival 2014, a pairing of beer and cheese, here Firestone Walker Brewing Company DBA with Ferns Edge – Mt. Zion – goat – Oregon
    This was the only beer that wasn’t local, as Firestone Walker is from California. However, the brewer David Walker was on hand during Portland Beer Week so I understood how this toasty English Special Bitter type ale that balances hops and malts equally in the taste profile got on the list. The Ferns Edge Mt. Zion is delicious, but I am a huge fan of Ferns’ Edge Goat Dairy and I think their best cheeses are their various chevres and want to see more of that dammit. In this case, although I do I like the cheese, I thought the flavors overwhelmed the DBA rather than complimenting or contrasting them. I like other Firestone Walker beers (particularly their proprietor’s vintage series like Parabola, Sucuba, Stickee Monkee) and would probably pass on the DBA in the future as it is ok but not outstanding in my opinion.
  6. The Commons Brewery Dunkelweiss with Quadrello di bufala (water buffalo – Italy)
    Portland Beer and Cheese Festival 2014, a pairing of beer and cheese, here The Commons Brewery Dunkelweiss with Quadrello di bufala – water buffalo – Italy
    The Quadrello di Buffala is a pretty funky soft cheese, but this bit of barnyard paired with this Dunkelweiss combined for a very earthy experience that was a whole new experience. This is one of those great pairings where you have each one individually, and then when you combine them on your tongue it becomes a whole new flavor,  in this case of caramel and buttery cream. I love when a pairing births something entirely new like this and is a surprise!
  7. Hopworks Urban Brewery and Worthy Brewing Portland Beer Week Collaboration Session IPA with Hook’s 5-Year Cheddar (cow – Wisconsin)
    Portland Beer and Cheese Festival 2014, a pairing of beer and cheese, here Hopworks Urban Brewery and Worthy Brewing – Portland Beer Week Collaboration Session IPA with Hook’s 5-Year Cheddar – cow – Wisconsin Portland Beer and Cheese Festival 2014, a pairing of beer and cheese, here Hopworks Urban Brewery and Worthy Brewing – Portland Beer Week Collaboration Session IPA with Hook’s 5-Year Cheddar – cow – Wisconsin
    This Hook 5 Year Cheddar is a great match to any hoppy beer. Unfortunately I am not a big hop fan (West Coast IPAs can be very happy bitter) so I admit I passed this beer on to F (he had given me his Quadrello anyway as it was too soft and pungent for him) so don’t have as much to say here except that if you are looking to match an IPA, an aged cheddar is your best bet.
  8. Double Mountain Brewery Carrie Ladd beer with Isle of Mull Cheddar (cow – Scotland)
    Portland Beer and Cheese Festival 2014, a pairing of beer and cheese, here Double Mountain Brewery Carrie Ladd beer with Isle of Mull – Cheddar – cow – Scotland Portland Beer and Cheese Festival 2014, a pairing of beer and cheese, here Double Mountain Brewery Carrie Ladd beer with Isle of Mull – Cheddar – cow – Scotland
    The Carrie Ladd is a yeasty porter, which is nice that it focuses on celebrating roast rather than strong chocolate and smoke flavors like many porters do (or perhaps I’ve just had a lot of porters that are strong in those flavors, and I’m a sucker for any vanilla porter on a menu so probably is also self selection). The Isle of Mull cheddar seemed to further emphasize the yeast while also providing a little contrast with a bit of sharpness. Do those photos seem like an eye test (first focusing on the beer, and then the cheese) – for some reason even though only I had been drinking my cameraphone decided it couldn’t focus on both at the same time.
  9. Widmer Brothers Brewing Smoked Schwarz with Idazabel (sheep – Spain)
    Portland Beer and Cheese Festival 2014, a pairing of beer and cheese, here Double Mountain Brewery Carrie Ladd beer with Isle of Mull – Cheddar – cow – Scotland
    Of all the cheeses, the Idazabel here was my favorite, and was a cheese I had never had before and has a subtle smokiness to it, which is why it complimented the smoke of the smoked schwarz beer here.
  10. Gigantic Brewing Company Too Much Coffee Man Black Saison paired with Kirkham’s Lancashire (cow – England)
    Portland Beer and Cheese Festival 2014, a pairing of beer and cheese, here Gigantic Brewing Company Too Much Coffee Man Black Saison paired with Kirkham’s – Lancashire
    This was my favorite individual beer of the festival, with it’s strong coffee and chocolate roasty flavors in the beer. Add the buttery Kirkham Lancashire and I think I can have this for breakfast instead of coffee and buttered toast or english muffins. Oh man, that would be a serious awesome breakfast.
  11. Lompoc Brewing Bourbon Barrel Aged Dark Side Porter with Cascadia Creamery Glacier Blue (cow – Washington)
    Portland Beer and Cheese Festival 2014, a pairing of beer and cheese, here Lompoc Brewing Bourbon Barrel Aged Dark Side Porter with Cascadia Creamery – Glacier Blue – cow – Washington
    I am a big fan of barrel aged beers, and although the flavors of this Lompoc beer were nice, I’m spoiled in that I had tried many a bourbon barrel aged beer, and in comparison this one had a thinner taste then what I’ve experienced before. It did have a great nose. For a stronger flavor beer like this, a strong creamy and salty blue cheese like this Glacier Blue is the perfect contrast and counter for the beer. I was only too glad to take F’s Glacier Blue as he is not a fan of blue cheese. If you see me and also don’t want your blue cheese, please feel free to pass it on to me.

Logistically, I am a big fan of these events that have these punchcards that do double duty in providing some information as well as making me feel quite accomplished when I have completed my beer and cheese report card. I highly recommend the Portland Beer and Cheese Festival next year!
Portland Beer and Cheese Festival 2014, an event pairing beer and cheese, here Lompoc Brewing Bourbon Barrel Aged Dark Side Porter with Cascadia Creamery – Glacier Blue – cow – Washington Portland Beer and Cheese Festival 2014, an event pairing beer and cheese, and you can graze on Olympic Provisions charcuterie

This Sunday is another punchcard day as I attend the Portland Monthly Country Brunch (unfortunately already sold out) that includes little tastes of brunch as well as a Bloody Mary Smackdown. You can look forward to that report next week (my report on it last year will explain why I’m so excited about it, though the mention of Bloody Marys is really enough isn’t it?)!

Which of these beer and cheese pairings do you think you would have enjoyed?

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Portland Fruit Beer Festival Beer Preview

This is it! It is the countdown to the Portland Fruit Beer Festival– which kicks off this Saturday, June 6 11am-9pm until the end of Sunday, June 7 11am-6pm. Tickets are already on sale at $20 general admission Saturday or Sunday (the admission includes one 16oz glass you keep and 12 drink tickets). This is an all ages festival.

As I’ve summarized before in my June roundup of Portland events, this unique beer festival features almost 50 fruit beers and ciders, with many beers/ciders have been brewed specifically for the Fruit Beer Festival so this may be your only chance to try them.

Portland Fruit Beer Festival 2014 poster

Well, technically it starts with a special VIP session they are holding on Friday evening, which for $30 (only $10 more than the regular admission on Sat/Sun) from 4-9pm and limited to 300 VIP guests you get access to the fruit beers without everyone else (or less of them, a lot less of them in the way!), and there will also be a few special tappings (4 of the 26 beers are tapped especially for Friday).

The fruits featured are a wide range of fruits: you can see the list here at New School which has descriptions with the beer. There is also another special list of 25 Rare Rotating Tap list of one-off or vintage kegs of just 5 gallons each, and some are listed with the tentative times they will be tapped so you can make your drinking plans now.

Because you do that right? You look over the list of beers for a festival and start noting which ones you want to try, which ones you really really want to try, and then when you attend the festival get in line for the beers in that order to make sure it doesn’t run out and you aren’t disappointed?

And maybe if you have fellow drinking partners, you plan out a drinking strategy so no one is getting 2 of the same beer and you can each wait in different lines and come back and share tastes for most efficient tastings? Right?

I nearly fell out of my chair when I was reading my email and saw I was invited to a media preview of some of the beers that will be tapping at the Portland Fruit Beer Festival by Ezra/Samurai Artist (Ezra Johnson-Greenough), the king of the Portland Fruit Beer Festival. Well, I don’t know if king is the official title, but he does organize the whole thing. He seems to be doing double duty by modeling a PDX Beer Week T shirt also here.
Samurai Artist aka Ezra Johnson-Greenough kicking off the event and already wearing a PDX Beer Week shirt at the Portland Fruit Beer Fest Media Preview with sneak peeks of 10 of the beers

I do drink a lot of beer (well of everything- I like to say I don’t discriminate/yearn to be learn and enjoy all deliciousness). Ok, mom, don’t worry, I take that back. I don’t drink a lot, but I have tried a large variety, maybe once twice a week, and maybe Bailey’s Taproom/Upper Lip is like my Cheers.  But I don’t blog much about it, as there are much better beer writers out there, including official media source The Beer Here at the Oregonian and  already mentioned The New School (which are my main sources for beer news) and then for more personal stories of beer rather then just event announcement I often read Beer Musings from Portland by Kris (who also sometimes writes for Oregon Beer Growler).

I was shocked that I would try to fit into such beer expert company.

Thankfully, I was able to pull in another contributor to this blogpost… a beer know it all who also works at Deschutes and Bailey’s/UL Ryan Spencer, who also sometimes contributes to Serious Eats and apparently Cicerone. So official beer expert. Thanks so much Ryan for helping me out with this, especially as I already had tickets to see a show that night and had to leave a little early.

As part of the media event, Ezra and some brewers let us taste 10 of the beers that would be at the Portland Fruit Beer Festival. It felt to me like a secret meeting as we stood around in the back of Burnside Brewing drinking out of plastic cups as the beers were poured from growlers. Each brewer talked a little about the beer and maybe the inspiration for it while inevitably shuffling their feet or other nervous tics which made for terrible pics so I eventually gave up. But I got a few pics of the first few brewers, heh! There was no place to set the cup down (except for the floor) in this secret beer meeting so I don’t have any pics of the beer, except in the brewer’s hand.
Bryan Keilty from Lompoc Brewing explains Lompoc Brewing's Pear'n Kramer sourced their pears for this brew from the backyard of someone's mom! Burnside Brewing Nero's Fiddle uses a proprietary blend of apples, one of them being a Roman Beauty that inspired the name Nero, at the Portland Fruit Beer Fest Media Preview with sneak peeks of 10 of the beers

Some Tasting Notes

So here are our notes of the Portland Fruit Beer Festival Beer Preview tasters we tried, ranking in order of fruit beer love.

  1. Citrus Royale from The Commons Brewing – Portland, OR
    Style: American Sour ABV: 5.8% ABV IBU: 11
    A sour spelt based beer with Navel Orange, Murcott Mandarin, Meyer Lemon peel and orange and lime juice. One of the most exciting beers at the preview and one to look out for is The Common’s Citrus Royale. This beer is a variant of The Common’s Biere Royale released last year, but with a variety of citrus fruits rather than currants. While retaining the same base beer and “house” lacto culture acquired from Nancy’s Yogurt as last year, the sourness and fruit character are restrained in comparison; allowing for the base beer to shine through with pleasant citrus undertones. The citrus character is derived from a blend of naval orange, meyer lemon, mercott mandarin juice added throughout fermentation creating a flavor profile reminiscent of a mimosa.
  2. Mayme B from Alameda Brewing – Portland, OR
    Style: Belgian Dark Golden 6.6% ABV 45 IBU’s
    The Mayme B is a Belgian Dark Golden bier brewed with Mamey fruit (Pouteria sapota). This tropical fruit native to the Caribbean and Central America has a flavor which could be described as a mix of sweet potato and pumpkin topped off with maraschino cherry and almond twist… or at least that’s what the brewer said. I didn’t detect the cherry, but the sweet potato, pumpkin, and hint of almond I was able to detect, and it gave it a bit of “chewiness” that I really liked. Meanwhile the rest of us were just like “what… what is this fruit?” And he’s like “It’s like a football but like a papaya” and probably formed his hands to make a football shape three times. Apparently he discovered this fruit while on his honeymoon in Mexico, but he was able to source the fruit from Florida, but I don’t think he’ll be doing a lot more of these so get it while it lasts! The 100 pounds of mamey was added post boil in the kettle and also post fermentation, along with Belgian Pilsner malt, Special B, and the Belgian yeast (he apparently really like this yeast, as it’s the 3rd beer he’s brewed with it). For a fruit beer, this was completely unexpected and unique which is why I gave it bonus points for originality and creativity as well as the taste.
    "The
    The size of a Mamey fruit as described by the Alameda brewer at the Portland Fruit Beer Fest Media Preview
  3. Peach Slap, from Deschutes Brewery – Portland, OR
    Style: Sour Ale with Peaches ABV: 3.2% IBU: 22
    Peach Slap is a crisp light Belgian ale that starts light, gets a little complexity with his love of gin gimlets and so he added a floral quality with the addition of juniper berries and peppercorn. And then, along with peach puree, there’s the surprise heat thanks to peach habanero syrup. The base beer is light but bubbly and sweet like drinking a sparkling berlinerweisse so is super tasty. This is also a top pick for me and is sure to be a crowd pleaser, though some might complain it leans more towards soda than beer (in fact, before the peach habanero the brewer worried it was like liquid fruit roll up but with the syrup at least it was more like soda), but that wouldn’t be me, and then I’ll just drink your glass for you, thanks.
    Telling us about his love/inspiration of gin gimlets and the use of peach habanero syrup in the Deschutes Brewery Peach Slap Sour Ale with Peaches, at the Portland Fruit Beer Fest Media Preview with sneak peeks of 10 of the beers
    Telling us about his love/inspiration of gin gimlets and the use of peach habanero syrup in the Deschutes Brewery Peach Slap Sour Ale with Peaches
  4. Aren’t You Glad I Didn’t Say Banana? from Laurelwood Brewing – Portland, OR
    Style: Citrus Wheat Ale ABV: 4.4 IBU:14
    Another beer to look out for at the festival will be Laurelwood’s Orange You Glad I Didn’t Say Banana. Drawing inspiration from both Laurelwood’s year round hefeweizen and Brewmasters Vasili Glestsos’s son’s love of knock-knock jokes, this beer is another citrus bomb that emphasizes pithy/rind flavors rather than juice. Laurelwood added 12 gallons of juice and over 6lbs of citrus zest from a myriad of fruits including oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruits. The fruit flavor is supported by a prominent wheat character derived from the same base beer used to make laurelwood’s hefeweizen, the only difference being the fruit addition and the use of wit yeast versus hefe yeast.
  5. Boysen The Hood from Gigantic Brewing – Portland, OR
    Style: Golden Tart Boysen Belgian ABV: 6.4 IBU: 19
    This year Gigantic Brewing was one of a few breweries smart enough to brew a beer which met the requirements for both Cheers to Belgian Beers and The Fruit Beer Fest. Boysen The Hood is a basic Belgian golden ale brewed with pilsner and wheat malts. However, this beer deviates from the norm in that it was kettle soured for 24 hours and then aged on fresh Oregon boysenberries. The result is an easy drinking light Belgian ale with notes of blackberries and strawberries reminiscent of a Berliner weisse.
  6. Lacerta Frambuesa from Ecliptic Brewing – Portland, OR
    Style: Belgian Framboise ABV: 6.5 IBU: 20
    Lacerta is the lizard constellation, as brewer John Harris has a constellation theme going. He was also quick to note this is not a framboise, it’s a frambuesa. So pay attention and get it right! The base beer is a light ale made in the Aztec style then infused with Cocoa Nibs in the mash and at fermentation 100 pounds of raspberries were added.The Cocoa nibs definitely add an unusual additional flavor. Although this beer will debut at the Portland Fruit Beer Festival, John made enough that we may see it at his brewery sometime after.

    Brewer John Harris of Ecliptic explaining this is not a framboise, it is a frambuesa beer, that he brewed 
  7. Up From San Antone from Widmer Brothers/5 Stones Artisan Brewery – Portland, OR + Cibolo, Texas
    Style: Grapefruit White IPA ABV: 6.6% IBU: 55
    The Widmer/5 Stones collaboration beer is the second beer in a series of collaboration beers Widmer plans to release throughout the year. This collaboration is with 5 Stones, a small brewery in Texas that specializes in brewing with fresh produce and non-traditional ingredients. Named after a line in the song “Amarillo by Morning,” the name is a nod to the location of 5 Stones and the usage of Amarillo hops. Up From San Antone is a combination of a classic NW White IPA and Belgian Wit, similar in style to Deschutes Chain breaker White IPA. Widmer juiced and zested over 100 lbs of fresh grapefruit with coriander to impart a strong grapefruit character that comes across more bitter and pithy as opposed to juicy, both emphasizing the bitterness of the fruit and hops.
    Widmer Brewers chatting about Up From San Antone, their Grapefruit White IPA at the Portland Fruit Beer Fest Media Preview with sneak peeks of 10 of the beers
    Widmer Brewers chatting about Up From San Antone, their Grapefruit White IPA at the Portland Fruit Beer Fest Media Preview with sneak peeks of 10 of the beers. Also, of the brewers that actually wore the brewery shirts to as to be easily identified, they have the nicest ones. This kind of insightful coverage clearly differentiates me from other beer blog coverage.
  8. Pi Beer from Fort George Brewery – Astoria, OR
    Style: Fruit Wheat Beer ABV: 5% IBU: 3.141592653358979323846264338372950288419716939937510
    For Fort George’s PFBF entry this year the brewery took a traditional approach to fruit beers with a low alcohol wheat beer and the addition of strawberries and rhubarb. Named after the beers low IBU value of 3.14, Pi Beer has a big strawberry aroma with a hint of tannic acidity from the rhubarb. The fruit aroma however falls short in the flavor of the beer letting the wheat character shine through. Where Fort George succeeds is in Pi Beer’s drinkability making it a refreshing beer on a hot day.
  9. Nero’s Fiddle from Burnside Brewing – Portland, OR
    Style: Graff ABV: 7.0%
    Burnside Brewing and EZ Orchards Cidre collaborated to blend a whole bunch of apples- including Roman Beauty, Pink Lady, and Granny Smith apples, the Roman Beauty being what inspired the name Nero. The apples were slightly fermented per French Style cider and whirlpooled directly into the kettle.
  10. Pear’n Kramer from Lompoc Brewing – Portland, OR
    Style: Golden Ale ABV: 5%
    Description: The origin of these pears is a story of friendship- they came from the backyard in Salem, and were hand picked by the brewers and bartenders of Lompoc themselves last summer. In fact, the Kramer name comes from the name of the mother whose backyard they relieved of those 40 pounds of pears. I guess you can say the type of pear used in this beer is “Backyard Pear”. This beer fermented in stainless stell with those pears which were just quartered so skin and all for 5 months before being transferred to another stainless steel tank for conditioning where it was inoculated with a touch of gueuze. There is something a little local farmstead beer about this beer which is charming.

This wasn’t available to taste, but Abe (Abram Goldman-Armstrong) gave us a little drinking break as he talked about Cider Riot and their contribution to the Portland Fruit Beer Fest. It is one of the rare taps to be opened on Saturday afternoon and made especially for the festival. Inspired by Michael Jackson the beer writer who would sometimes use this descriptor, this cider called Hedgerow Fruits uses dessert apples then blended with black currants and black prunes.
Abe (Abram Goldman-Armstrong) describes how Cider Riot's contribution of the Hedgerow Fruits fruit cider (apples AND black currants and prunes) was inspired by beer writer Michael Jackson. At the Portland Fruit Beer Fest Media Preview with sneak peeks of 10 of the beers

The Fruit Beer Festival, as before, will be held Burnside Brewing. Burnside Brewing will be open and you can also get food via Pulehu Pizza with their grilled pizzas, as well as Bunk Sandwiches.

Attending Beer Festival Tips

  1. The earlier you arrive at the festival the better so as to not have as many lines and in case certain beers run out for the day. I almost always arrive at the beginning and so can be gone in a few hours unless I’m waiting for rare beers to rotate in.
  2. Keep in mind you don’t have to pay admission both days- you just need to bring back your glass from the Saturday and buy extra drink tickets as needed.
  3. My recommendation is to scope out what beers you want- particularly for the rare beers, if it says which day it is being tapped you may want to plan for that day. As I noted earlier, rank which ones you really want to try and try to get those first.
  4. Keep in mind to have a little bit of water with you in order to cleanse your palate and not get dehydrated.
  5. If you go with friends who aren’t squeamish about sharing, you can taste even more by each person calling what they are going to go get and you mark it off the list! If there are ones you particularly want you can always get a second one on your own!

 

WHAT: Portland Fruit Beer Festival

WHEN: Saturday, June 6 11 am-9 pm until the end of Sunday, June 7 11 am-6 pm

WHERE: Burnside Brewing at 701 E Burnside St, Portland, OR 97214

TICKETS: On sale at $20 general admission. You can also buy admission at the door. The admission includes one 16 oz glass you keep and 12 drink tickets.

 

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