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Oregon Berry Festival 2015 and BlackBerry Grilled Cheese

July 10, 2015 by Pechluck 8 Comments

Next weekend on Friday July 17 and Saturday July 18 is the 5th annual Lifewise Oregon Berry Festival 2015. This FREE festival at the Ecotrust building in the Pearl District showcases everything berry, from

Fresh berry vendors booths with their farm fresh berries and berry products
A Healthy Berry Pavilion education booth with information to introduce you to berries you may not be aware of or ways to incorporate berries into your diet and explain all the various health benefits of berries. And there’s also a culinary historian to give a brief history of Oregon berries.
Berry themed food booths
Cooking demonstrations featuring berries
An Oregon’s Best Blackberry pie contest and demo by Pacific Pie Company
Berry themed crafts at a children’s booth, appearances by blueberry mascot Ima Blueberry with coloring sheets and face painting, as well as family friendly live musical entertainment
There’s a chance to win a bike by filling out a Oregon Berry Festival passport by following clues and gathering stamps from vendors
On Saturday evening a separate Gala Berry Dinner at OMSI will be held to show how you can use berries for every course, from cocktail hour to savory to sweet dishes (tickets are $105 all inclusive, available at Brown Paper Tickets)

Lifewise Oregon Berry Festival

I’ll be attending the Berry Festival on Saturday at part of a Berry Festival media tour with the Oregon Raspberry & Blackberry Commission (ORBC), including visiting a working berry farm. I’ll be reporting back with what I learn and a NEW recipe. For now though…

What: Oregon Berry Festival 2015
When:

Friday, July 17, from 12:00pm to 6:00pm
Saturday, July 18, from 11:00am to 5:00pm

Where: Ecotrust Event Space at NW 10th and Johnson, Portland, Oregon
Who: Everybody… and it’s FREE!

Recipe for a Berry Grilled Cheese

Blackberry Grilled Cheese with blackberries, basil, fontina, a touch of pesto
Usually my berry consumption is raw: right out of the pint, in beverage form via smoothie or juice (or fruit beer!!), sometimes it’s folded into a salad or ice cream or sorbet. I rarely have it cooked, and when I have cooked berries it’s generally because it is part if a dish while I’m dining out. Also, I am a cook that prefers the forgiveness of savory foods, not a baker. What can I say, I guess I’m not a sweet girl who follows precise technical instructions.

In celebration of the upcoming festival though, I decided to seek out a recipe featuring berry and that cooks with it but isn’t a traditional dessert – and when I saw this Fontina + Blackberry Basil Smash Sandwich from the blog how sweet it is (with her upcoming cookbook Seriously Delish coming out soon), I was sold.
Blackberry Grilled Cheese with blackberries, basil, fontina, a touch of pesto

I’m not going to provide the whole recipe here: you should definitely click on over to check out her gorgeous photos and the recipe instructions yourself. But, at a high level you only need a handful of ingredients!
For your Blackbery Basil grilled cheese, you will use Oregon Blackberries, about 4 ounces (about 14 berries) per sandwich Blackberry and Basil, a great combination of flavors

Multigrain bread: I used Franz Mt Hood Multigrain and Flax
Fresh Oregon Blackberries
Chopped fresh basil leaves from my garden
Fontina cheese (mine are from one of my local cheese loves, Willamette Valley Cheese Co)
And a little olive oil or butter for grilling!

The slight changes I made is that I probably used a lot more basil than she did for my sandwich (I used about 4 ounces of blackberries, which was about 14 berries FYI and almost 7 basil leaves for each individual sandwich) because I love basil. Do not wear a white shirt when making this blackberry basil smash part/get your apron out.
Make sure you carefully smash your blackberries as it does squirt a bit. Don't wear a white shirt For the Blackberry Grilled Cheese, I used about 14 blackberries and chopped 7-8 leaves of basil for each sandwich

I suggest brushing on the olive oil or melted butter on both sides of the bread before adding your spoonfuls of blackberry basil smash as that makes more logistical sense than her order. I also had a little leftover pesto from the Cashew Cheese on Cucumber recipe I shared earlier this week, so smeared that on also. I was generous with my cheese, probably about 3 ounces per sandwich, which I grated to melt better and spread over every centimeter of my bread.
Franz Mt Hood Multigrain and Flax bread makes for great sandwiches, especially grilled cheese! I used a little pesto inside my Blackberry Basil Grilled cheese Grilling my Blackberry Basil Smash grilled cheese sandwich, adding the grated fontina to the bread and pesto

Since you grill this low and slow to get melty and brown, it shouldn’t heat up your kitchen too much. Maybe you are calling me a cheat because it isn’t so much cooking the berries as slightly warming them up, and the only prep is smashing them essentially into jam… but I don’t care.

Blackberry Grilled Cheese with blackberries, basil, fontina, a touch of pesto

This recipe is ALL win.

Warning: this sandwich needs 2 napkins or a paper towel. I would not fault you for serving this open faced because it really is pretty too!
Blackberry Grilled Cheese with blackberries, basil, fontina, a touch of pesto

For additional variant, you could swap out the fontina for a brie if you can’t find fontina, and feel free to add grilled chicken as a protein to your sandwich.

If you are looking for more berry good recipes, feel free to check out the website Oregon Berries, which not only provides information on various Oregon berries, but has a portion dedicated to berry recipes from food bloggers at Bloggers ♥ Oregon Berries as well as a Recipe Search based on the berry that may intrigue you!

I also have a few more past berry recipes I’ve shared: you can see that strawberries are my favorite berry, and that I could put together a whole dinner with just berries for every course if I wanted to! I wonder what the James Beard Award winning Chef Jim Dodge of the Gala Berry Dinner 2015 for the Oregon Berry Festival will do?!

Strawberry and Cheese Bruschetta Recipes
H50’s Strawberry Champagne Soup, served with Champagne Ice, Pistachios and Mint
Shrimp and Strawberry Risotto in a Parmesan Bowl
Strawberry Fool Recipe is blended strawberries with the cut strawberries and the fresh whipped vanilla cream

Have you heard of the Oregon Berry Festival? What is your favorite berry, and how do you like to enjoy it, do you have a favorite recipe with berries and what is it?

Disclosure: I will be attending a media tour of the Oregon Berry Festival, but I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own. And, this recipe is really delicious, as are all the strawberry recipes I previously shared on the blog. Support Oregon Berries to support local producers and it’s healthy and yummy!

Filed Under: Cooking, Festival Event, Food and Drink, Portland Highlights, Sponsored Post Tagged With: #foodiefriday, #MeatlessMonday, #pdxevents, Berry Grilled Cheese, berry recipes, Blackberry Grilled Cheese, Bloggers ♥ Oregon Berries, cooking, Foodie Friday, Fruit Grilled Cheese, grilled cheese recipe, Lifewise Oregon Berry Festival 2015, meatless monday, ORBC, Oregon Berries, Oregon berry, Oregon Berry Festival, Oregon Berry Festival 2015, Oregon Raspberry & Blackberry Commission, PDX Events, recipe, vegetarian, vegetarian recipe

Recap of Portland Beer and Cheese Fest 2015

July 8, 2015 by Pechluck 8 Comments

July is Oregon Craft Beer Month, and as part of the celebration I am going to share a way to celebrate beer. Today, I’m going to talk about beer and cheese.

As per my previous years where I recapped the beer and cheese pairings of the Portland Beer and Cheese Fest 2014, and 2013, and 2012, here is the one for 2015. I hope besides for those researching in 2016 whether to attend, this post also gives you ideas on how you might want to think about pairing beer and cheese. At the end of this post, I include some of my own general tips for pairing beer and cheese in case you want to give it a try at home, and list some upcoming events that include beer and cheese.

As usual, the Portland and Beer Cheese festival took place on Father’s day last month. They had a punch-card that helps you look forward to the list of beers and the pairing that Steve from Steve’s Cheese Bar and Chizu and Cheese Annex (Cheese Annex is also located here at the premises of The Commons Brewery). It’s also smart as it lets them manage the number of samples with the attendance. If you are having your own beer and cheese tasting at home, you may want to follow this example by creating and then print out a pairing sheet yourself.
Portland Beer and Cheese Fest 2015, charcuterie by Olympica Provisions and chocolates by Woodblock Chocolate helped compliment the beer and cheese pairings (here Lompoc Doppelbock with Le Saut du Doubs Summer comte cow cheese from France)

Olympia Provisions was on hand providing charcuterie buffet of sliced meat, sausages, pickled things and bit of mustard to also allow you to try some additional flavors with the cheese and beer. To help balance the flavors of beer and cheese, having some side charcuterie and mustard, or fruit compotes and nuts and crackers, is something to add to your own beer and cheese pairing party.
Portland Beer and Cheese Fest 2015, charcuterie and crackers and pickles and a touch of mustard offered by Olympia Provisions helped compliment the beer and cheese pairings

And, new this year was Woodblock Chocolate also offering some samples of their various chocolates to pair with the cheese and beer (I liked them best with the last 2 beers, though their chocolate infused with hops worked well with the other beers as well). Woodblock even made two special chocolates, a Milk Chocolate infusion with Patagonia Crystal Malt and a Dark Chocolate Infusion with Meridian Hops. Just like cheese can be paired with beer, and food can be paired with beer, you could theoretically do a whole pairing of just chocolate and beer too!
Portland Beer and Cheese Fest 2015, chocolates by Woodblock Chocolate helped compliment the beer and cheese pairings and could be tested to pair with the beer too

The pairings this year at the Portland Beer and Cheese Fest 2015 included:

pFriem Family Brewers pFriem Pils with L’Amuse Brabander Goat Gouda Goat Cheese from Netherlands
Portland Beer and Cheese Fest 2015, pairing of pFriem Family Brewers pFriem Pils with L'Amuse Brabander Goat Gouda Goat Cheese from Netherlands

The Commons Brewery French Country Ale with Raclette du Haut Livadors cow cheese from France
Portland Beer and Cheese Fest 2015, pairing of The Commons Brewery French Country Ale with Raclette du Haut Livadors cow cheese from France

Fat Heads Rye bock with Willamette Valley Cheese Brindisi cow cheese from Oregon – one of my favorite beers, cheese, also pairings of the day
Portland Beer and Cheese Fest 2015, pairing of Fat Heads Rye bock with Willamette Valley Cheese Brindisi cow cheese from Oregon

Laurelwood Brewing Co Chateau du Sylvia with Uniekaas Vintage Grand Ewe sheep cheese from Netherlands
Portland Beer and Cheese Fest 2015, pairing of Laurelwood Brewing Co Chateau du Sylvia with Uniekaas Vintage Grand Ewe sheep cheese from Netherlands

Lompoc Doppelbock with Le Saut du Doubs Summer comte cow cheese from France
Portland Beer and Cheese Fest 2015, charcuterie by Olympica Provisions and chocolates by Woodblock Chocolate helped compliment the beer and cheese pairings (here Lompoc Doppelbock with Le Saut du Doubs Summer comte cow cheese from France)
(the photo of the meat, cheese, chocolate together, no lone photo of just cheese and beer)

Firestone Walker Lil Opal with Ferns Edge Mt June goat cheese from Oregon
Portland Beer and Cheese Fest 2015, pairing of Firestone Walker Lil Opal with Ferns Edge Mt June goat cheese from Oregon

Ecliptic Ultraviolet Blackberry Sour with Hooks Cheese Co 8 Year Cheddar cow cheese from Wisconsin – the only beer pairing I was not as enthused about because the cheddar was strong and overwhelmed the beer
Portland Beer and Cheese Fest 2015, pairing of Ecliptic Ultraviolet Blackberry Sour with Hooks Cheese Co 8 Year Cheddar cow cheese from Wisconsin

Breakside Brewing India Golden Ale with Mahon Curado Reserva cow cheese from Spain – a great pairing because the cheese could stand up to and last as long as the flavors of this hoppy beer
Portland Beer and Cheese Fest 2015, pairing of Breakside Brewing India Golden Ale with Mahon Curado Reserva cow cheese from Spain

Alameda XX Stout with Marquis del Castillo Zamerano sheep cheese from Spain
Portland Beer and Cheese Fest 2015, pairing of Alameda XX Stout with Marquis del Castillo Zamerano sheep cheese from Spain

Hopworks Urban Brewery Big Poppa with Neals Yard Colston Bassett Stilton cow cheese from UK – my other favorite beer, cheese, and beer cheese pairing of the day. Overall I think Big Poppa (aged Notorious FIG in Woodford barrel) was my favorite beer all day with its big bold flavors.
Portland Beer and Cheese Fest 2015, pairing of Hopworks Urban Brewery Big Poppa with Neals Yard Colston Bassett Stilton cow cheese from UK

In case for Oregon Beer Month you are interested in creating your own beer and cheese matching at home, you can see some hints at how to pair beer and cheeses with this line up.

Gouda always tends to be a good choice as it is mild and depending on the age of the gouda, can be slightly nutty to having caramel notes, both which go well with flavors in pale beers varying from ales to lagers and farmhouse styles and most German styles that have a malty component. To me having gouda is like having pretzels – of course it’ll go with beer.
The citrus tang that you can often found in goat cheeses like chevre go great with wheat and Belgian beers. Some soft cheeses like brie can also go well with this style in echoing a bit of the earthyiness and grassyness
Another alternate way is to let the pale beer help cool some spiciness – and thus pairing a pale ale or pilsner with a pepper jack or jalapeno cheese
I pretty much trust any Willamette Valley Cheese to good with anything – in particular their Brindisi is an aged fontina that is a good balance of nutty and salty (though WVC also makes many gouda and havarti styles). During my recap you saw that Steve paired it with a rye bock, but it works just as well with many other darker German styles that are smoky like a Rauchbier or other Oktoberfest and dark lager beer styles. That means you a lot of the alpine cheeses (Swiss, Gruyere) or Italian (Fontina, Parmesan) could work with the beer style as well.
With a hoppy beer, you want a cheese that is strong enough to balance the slight bitterness and bring out citrus and grass if they are present in the beer. A Spanish cheese, or aged sharp cheddar, or muenster, could work well here depending on the IPA’s IBU and flavor profiles. Or go intense in a funky way with a soft rind cheese
Blue cheeses and stiltons, which are rich and salty and big and flavors themselves, are fabulous with imperial stouts, barleywines and big boozy barrel aged beers because they can stand up to the strength of the beer
For a fruit beer, I like the idea of a fresh light cheese like ricotta, ladysmith, and marcarpone the same way fruit and cream go well together.

Goudas and Cheddars or Specialty Cheeses with special treatment (aka rubbed with espresso or with dill or cumin or such) are the cheeses I most often buy to pair with beers. Favorite cheesemakers that often show up on my receipts include cheeses from Willamettte Valley Cheese, Beecher’s Handmade Cheeses, Sartori Cheeses and Beehive Cheeses have never failed to make an interesting combo with beer.

To get more ideas, visit Cheese Bar, Chizu, or Cheese Annex at The Commons to see more examples of the great cheeses Steve pairs with beer, and at all those locations Steve has even selected beer to already go with his cheese offerings!

Any cheesemonger at your local store is sure to be happy if you bring ideas of beer you might be serving to help you pick out a cheese, or you can have them help pick cheese and suggest beers – don’t be shy about asking. I’ve had great luck asking the Murray’s Cheese cheesemongers at Fred Meyers or the cheesemongers at every Whole Foods for unusual pairings when I’m looking for something new to try (plus often they let you try a sample to make sure it’s right).

With July being Oregon Craft Beer month, I suggest keeping an eye out for future possible beer and cheese pairing events: you can see the Oregon Craft Beer calendar here, and also check Brewpublic and New School of Beer for listings. I’ll also try to share events on Twitter. A few upcoming ones include

For another Beer and Cheese Fest this month, the next upcoming beer and cheese specific event is July 11th – Saturday at Fred Meyer Wilsonville with their own Beer and Cheese Fest. The Beer and Cheese Fest kicks off at 5 PM featuring Ecliptic Brewing Beers. There will be a Beer and Cheese pairing class on July 15th at Fred Meyer Stadium on W Burnside/100 NW 20th from 6 – 7 PM featuring Burnside Brewing. This “Suds & Curds: The Perfect Pair” class is FREE (you can even sign up online). Contact those specific locations of Fred Meyer for more information.
Although this isn’t a beer and cheese pairing event, this coming Saturday is a Brewer’s Dinner with New Belgium Beer and Elephant’s Deli that sounds delicious – see the specifics of the 5 course meal for $50 (one of the courses includes a cheese- Pecorino Two Ways paired with a beer) at the Brewpublic article here.
Food Pairing Dinner every Friday in July at Rogue in Astoria — If you are escaping to the Coast and by Astoria during any weekend this month, you might consider grabbing dinner at Rogue on Friday nights. Rogue Public House is featuring a Rogue Ales and Food Pairing every Friday on top of their normal 30 taps featuring Rogue beers along with other Oregon beers on tap, including Buckman Brewery. While in Astoria, also consider stopping by Fort George, and Buoy Brewing!

Do you have any plans to celebrate Oregon Craft Beer month of July, whether it be out at an event or at home? Do you have a true and tried favorite beer and cheese combo?

Filed Under: Beer Review, Cheese, Festival Event, Food and Drink Tagged With: Alameda XX Stout, beer and cheese, Beer and Cheese Fest, Beer and Cheese Festival, beer and cheese pairings, beer pairings, Breakside Brewing India Golden Ale, Chateau du Sylvia with Uniekaas Vintage Grand Ewe, cheese, cow cheese, Craft Beer, Ecliptic Ultraviolet Blackberry Sour, Fat Heads Rye bock, Ferns Edge Mt June, Firestone Walker Lil Opal, goat cheese, Hooks Cheese Co 8 Year Cheddar, Hopworks Urban Brewery Big Poppa, HUB Big Poppa, L'Amuse Brabander Goat Gouda Goat Cheese, Laurelwood Brewing Co, Mahon Curado Reserva, Marquis del Castillo Zamerano, Neals Yard Colston Bassett Stilton, Olympia Provisions, oregon beer, PDX Beer Week, pdxbeerweek, pFriem Family Brewers pFriem Pils, portland beer, Portland Beer and Cheese Fest 2015, Portland Beer and Cheese Festival, Raclette du Haut Livadors, sheep cheese, the commons brewery, Willamette Valley Cheese Brindisi, Woodblock Chocolate

My picks for Portland Fruit Beer Festival 2015

June 10, 2015 by Pechluck Leave a Comment

I had an opportunity to sample a few of the beers at a Media Preview, though a few of my picks are also based on the description of the beer and reputation of the brewery. If you are attending the Portland Fruit Beer Festival 2015 this year, which runs Friday June 12 to Sunday June 14, here is a quick summary of the logistics and my picks of the most interesting beers for Portland Fruit Beer Festival 2015.

Portland Fruit Beer Festival Main Facts

Days and Hours of Operation:
- Friday June 12th 4pm – 9pm
- Saturday June 13th 11am – 9pm
- Sunday June 14th 11am – 6pm (special kegs will be tapped Sunday)
Location: 7th and NE Burnside, which is at Burnside Brewing and also the extra lot (Sat and Sun only) to give more room this year to spread out!
Cost: $20 for for one 21+ entry 12 tickets and a collectible 16oz glass. Purchase and print your ticket in advance for faster entry at Stranger Tickets (so they say anyway – it does add processing fees but at the door is cash only). Re-entry on all festival days is allowed as long as you get your wristband and the glass.
Admittance: The festival is all ages, though you must be 21+ to drink alcohol. There will also be non-alcoholic drinks and food available for purchase
Food Situation: from Burnside Brewery’s brewpub all three days, and/or from food carts on Sat/Sun such as Bunk Sandwiches and Taco Pedaler and the Fifty Licks Ice Cream truck. As extra credit, you can also take a little walk to Bar Vivant/Pix Patisserie and present your receipt, wristband or festival glass from the Portland Fruit Beer Festival and get a token for a FREE beer in their beer garden.

Pech’s Portland Fruit Beer Festival Beer Picks

The reality is that I plan to go more than 1 day, and I will probably taste everything (and re-taste even the ones I previewed as it’s been an additional week so it could have changed). But, I thought by giving a few highlights you can get a little hint at what’s in store this year, and make you want to check out the full beer/cider list here yourself!

This year, the Portland Fruit Beer Festival is releasing a special collaboration beer bottle that will only be available in limited quantity at the fest in draft and bottle form. I had a chance to taste this beer, named Fruit of the Garden of Good and Evil, at the Media Preview and it is spectacular. The beer is a collaboration between Burnside Brewing Co. Sweet Heat and Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider Ghost Chili Tepache. The way I would describe it is that it has the nose and tastes vaguely similar to when you go to a Brazilian steakhouse and they have those grilled pineapples that are juicy and sweet with a bit of sugar and spice with cinnamon… well this beer is like that but better because of the spicy heat from the Ghost peppers, Scotch Bonnet peppers, and Aji peppers that are contributed by the chilis usually present in Sweet Heat and Ghost Chili Tepache.

Available in 22 ounce bottles only at Burnside Brewing during the Fruit Beer Fest for $7 (only 60 cases made), with limited draft poured at the festival, Reverend Nat’s taproom, and special events in the future TBD… I would get the bottles right away when entering myself, but be wary because of the heat that this might blow your palate away so maybe save to drink later after you’ve had all the lighter fruit beers.
I can’t help but go “squeeee” whenever I see female brewers, and the Peaches of Immortality Farmhouse Ale Burnside Brewing is pouring at the fest this year is nicely tart and sour where finally I can taste the peachy flavor (peaches are so delicate and often get lost in beer) along with the French saison yeast. Yay Natalie! She has already put some in a Ransom Gin Barrel with peaches and other goodness that she is setting aside so I look forward to stalking to see what becomes of that batch in a few months.
Ecliptic Brewing‘s is premiering Ultra Violet Blackberry Sour Ale which don’t worry, is not very sour. It has just enough sour to be crisp and balance the Oregon blackberries to make for a very refreshing beer that is dangerous because it tastes much lighter than the 7.5% ABV it punches at. Also, though this is probably no big deal to brewer John Harris ha ha, I thought it was the prettiest beer at the Media Preview.
For an entirely different take on berries (though John used Oregon Fruit Products puree, while Brendan used Columbia Fruit frozen berries), try the ballsy Alameda Brewing‘s Berried By Night Marionberry CDA. Brendan took a big risk by combining Marion blackberries with 7 varieties of hops into this Cascadian Dark Ale – dark and roasty like a porter, some of the hoppiness of the IPA but balanced by those blackberries which you can definitely taste at the tail end after the initial hops and caramel malt. What a surprisingly winning combo.
I love dark beers, so seeing a stout on the list will get my attention. Upright Brewing is presenting their B.B. Stout, which is a stout with over 200 pounds of blueberry.
I haven’t had a chance to taste it yet, but I generally enjoy the beers of Breakside Brewery so their Tropical Fruit Salad Quasi IPA Six Fruit Blend is making my list for it’s attempt to reverse engineer to match the flavors and aromas of fruits that hops sometimes have with six actual fruits.
The Widmer Brothers Brewing Fresh Strawberries Farmhouse Saison with Strawberries is a tasty collaboration with Coda Brewing from Colorado, the winner of the startup brewery challenge to travel up to Portland and become Widmer’s “Brother for a Day”. This takes the Sleepyhead Passionfruit Imperial Kolsch that Coda does (and which took home a silver medal at the 2014 Great American Beer Fest) and combines it now with strawberries and French Saison yeast
Not a beer, but I’m a big fan of 2 Towns Ciderhouse of Corvallis as they are always creating interesting combinations with their ciders. For the fest they will debut the Peach Saison Cider that blends a mix of a blend of several northwest apples (many which don’t admittedly taste good on their own in apple form, but great as a cider) blended with Oregon white peaches and French saison yeast. It’s simply a mix of “good fruit, good cider” Kevin explained.
One of the reserve kegs tapping on Sunday only is the Bogman’s Cranberry Brett Cider by Cider Riot! with traditional Yamhill county English cider apples, Oregon cranberry and inoculated with Cherry cider. At 3pm Sunday they’ll tap their firkin.
Other rare beer tapping on Sunday to lure you in included Hopworks One Tun Tomato Michelada made with Totally radler, chili powder, Worchestershire sauce, house made blood mary mix, and tabasco and (questionable qualification as fruit beer,though the beer itself is interesting to me) New Belgium Brewing Bourbon barrel-aged Salted Chocolate Stout Nitro keg poured through a Randall filled with black cherries
I haven’t had this yet, but the idea of the Hi-Wheel Wine & Mead Co. Kiwi Lime sounds super refreshing. I love lime-ade, so their beverage for the fest of a tart fizzy wine made from fresh lime juice and kiwi that is carbonated seems like a promise to cool off with deliciousness.

Definitely a theme I saw this year is a lot of kettle souring (read more about kettle souring at this great article at the New School website “How Kettle Souring Is Making Sour Beer Cheap and Affordable”), a lot of Nancy’s yogurt (yay choose and support local!), and French saison yeast.

Are you a fruit beer fan? What fruit beers from the Portland Fruit Beer Festival (or cider) sound intriguing to you?

Disclosure: I attended a Media Preview so I was able to taste the beers for free, but I purchased my own ticket to the Portland Fruit Beer Festival with no discount and this post was written because I enjoyed the beer – I was not asked or required to write it. I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.

Filed Under: Beer Review, Festival Event, Food and Drink Tagged With: Alameda Brewing's Brendan Ford-Sala, B.B. Stout, beer festival, Beercation, Berried By Night Marionberry CDA, burnside brewing, Ecliptic Brewing, Fresh Strawberries Farmhouse Saison, Fruit Beer, Fruit Beer Fest, Hopworks One Tun Tomato Michelada, John Harris, Natalie Baldwin, New Belgium Brewing Bourbon barrel-aged Salted Chocolate Stout, PDX Beer, PDX Beer Week, pdxbeerweek, Peach Saison Cider, Peaches of Immortality, portland beer, Portland Beer Week, Portland Fruit Beer Festival 2015, Tropical Fruit Salad Quasi IPA Six Fruit Blend, Ultra Violet Blackberry Sour Ale

PDX Beer Week 2015 and other Drink Festivals of June

June 8, 2015 by Pechluck 6 Comments

This year, PDX Beer Week 2015 falls upon this coming Thursday June 11 – Sunday June 21. Yes, it’s more than an actual week/7 days, but I have forgiven that long ago. You can see the full event list here, but I wanted to point my personal top picks. And, not all of them even involve drinking beer – there is for instance, also beer food.

Beer and Food

My favorite event of PDX Beer Week is always the Portland Beer and Cheese Festival. I always go to this event, and you can see my previous recaps from the Portland Beer and Cheese Fest 2014, then 2013, then 2012. As usual, it falls on Father’s Day (Sunday June 21st) from 12 – 5 PM. This year it takes place at the new The Commons Brewery location on 7th and East Belmont. For $35, you get to try 10 paired craft beers and cheeses: the 4 ounce samples of beers come from 10 different breweries and your cheesemaster for the pairings is the famous Steve Jones of Cheese Bar and Chizu.

As in the previous year, you can enjoy complimentary free charcuterie from Olympia Provisions. And new this year you can also nosh on complimentary chocolate from local makers Woodblock Chocolate.

This is a 21 + only event. Tickets are on sale now and they usually sell out so buy ahead of time.
For an alternate Father’s Day celebration where you can bring the whole family, consider the Father’s Day Brewgrass and BBQ. On Sunday June 21st Portland Brewing is celebrating dads with live Bluegrass music from 1 – 4 PM, BBQ Specials all day, and kids eat for free from their kids menu with each paying adult.
There are two Food Cart + Beer events on the calendar for PDX Beer Week. These events will be hosted by Steven Shomler, author of the book Portland Food Cart Stories and the new book Portland Beer Stories, as well as the host of Tasty Tuesday Radio Show on Portland Radio Project. Steve is a great guy who really goes into the stories behind food and beer, aka the people, the idea, the passion and hard work. He has invited other Portland culinary authors to these events, and the Food Carts at these respective Food Cart Pods are working on special dishes to go with the beer.
- June 17th 6-10 PM the Food Carts and Beer event is at the Carts on Foster Food Cart (52nd and Foster) featuring beer from Sasquatch Brewing Company with additional watering hole beverages by Pod Bar, fantastic breakfast and brunch food from Egg Carton, the crazy good burgers from Angry Unicorn, and desserts and sweets by the food cart Sugar Shop.
  
  The Angry Unicorn food truck’s Unicorn Burger, made with “Unicorn meat” a magical meat with ground bacon, strips of bacon, cheddar on a Krispy Kreme glazed doughnut
- Then, June 18th 6-10 PM the Food Carts and Beer event takes place at Pod 28 (28th and Ankeny, just off of Burnside) featuring the beer of Coalition Brewing and Pod 28 participants like the outdoor beer garden with Captured Beer Bus, the tortas of Guero Food Cart, grilled pizza from Pulehu Pizza, and vegetarian and Middle Eastern food from Wolf and Bear.
  
  Pizza and breadstick from Pulehu Pizza
Throughout June 11 – June 21, Bunk Sandwiches is offering 2 sandwiches, with Bunk Bar Wonder serving both and Bunk Bar SE Water only serving the official Portland Beer Week Sandwich. Check out pics of the sandwich (as well as the ice cream and donut I mention below) at the beer blog Portland Craft Beer article Portland Beer Week Special Creations Preview
- Official Portland Beer Week Sandwich: Beer Braised Brisket & Gravy Po Boy with Bitter Green Slaw and Herb Salad (made with Good Life Pass Stout) – $11 (Available at Bunk Bar Water and Wonder)
- Extra Credit Beer Sandwich: Deluxe Queso Dip with Beer Braised Brisket (mMade with Good Life Pass Stout) – $8.50 (Available only at Bunk Bar Wonder)
The Portland Beer Week Ice Cream comes Salt & Straw and is a Citra Hop Ice Cream made from Breakside Tall Guy single hop Citra IPA and specked with actual Citra hop flakes. Available at special Portland Beer Week parties only, such as the Portland Beer Week & Fruit Beer Fest Kickoff Party & Pig Roast at Eastburn on Thursday June 11 6-9 PM or the Fremont Brewing & Breakside Brewery: Beer, Ice Cream, Donut Party on Saturday June 13 5-8 PM at Belmont Station.
The Portland Beer Week donut is the Blue Star Donuts Hopworks IPA cake donut with crumbled salty pretzels and is available starting June 11.

Portland beer week lineup #breaksidebrewery #bunkbar #salt&straw #bluestardonuts all doing fun new things, support everyone starting june 11

A photo posted by Blue Star Donuts (@bluestardonuts) on Jun 3, 2015 at 6:41pm PDT
If you are looking for more sweetness than the donuts, consider pFriem Beer & Dessert Pairing Flight . All PDX Beer Week from June 11 – June 21 you can visit Bar Vivant/Pix Patisserie to try a flight of Pfriem Family Brewers beers paired with three bite-sized Pix desserts. Available all week for $20.
The 3rd Annual Mussels from Brussels at Bazi Bierbrasserie on Wednesday June 15 5 – 9 PM features 4 Oregon breweries each creating their own secret sauces to be used with 1 pound of mussels served with fries, and paired with their Belgian-inspired beer. Who will win the title of “Mussels from Brussels”? The previous two times this event was held, Upright Brewing won – will it be a three-peat? Tickets will be sold for one of the multiple seatings, which are in shifts.
If you are looking for a beer pairing dinner, The Lion’s Supper features Firestone Walker beer and David Walker, co-founder/owner of Firestone Walker Brewing and is hosted by Old Salt Marketplace with food by Chef Greg Smith from Grain and Gristle. Reserve your seat for Thursday June 11 6:30 pm ($75 per person for 5 courses and beer pairings) by emailing alex at oldsaltpdx.com
Sounds like a very nice Father’s Day gift: a reservation for the Lompoc Beer Whiskey Cigar Dinner at Radio Room on Tuesday June 16, 2015 7:30 PM The price of $69 you get a four course meal with Lompoc beer and High West Premium Whiskey pairings and at the end of the night a handcrafted cigar. Tickets available at 503-287-2346 or info at radioroompdx.com.

Beer Festivals

Rye Beer Fest at Eastburn from Friday June 12, 2015 4 PM – Saturday June 13, 2015 2 AM. The Festival is a benefit for Dawn to Dusk paddle fund for the Children’s Cancer Association. This festival, as expected from the name, feature more than 20 rye beers as well as rye cocktails, rye themed food and live music. The $10 admission fee includes a commemorative rye beer fest pint glass and eight beer tickets.
Portland Fruit Beer Festival in the lot of Burnside Brewing Co. featuring fruit beers, so it’s really one of a kind already, and add to that nearly every beer or cider featured at the festival have been brewed specifically for the Fruit Beer Festival, so a lot of one-off unique beers you may only see here this one time and that’s it. This festival is all ages and includes on-site food vendors though you could also choose to dine at Burnside Brewing’s restaurant. The festival runs in the evening on Friday June 12 4 PM – 9 PM and then opens at 11 AM – 9 PM on Saturday June 13th 11 AM – 9 PM, then on Sunday June 14th 11 AM – 6 PM. Cost is $20 for 12 tickets and a glass, tickets are on sale now. This years festival is 40% larger in space as they have expanded to an additional lot. I will have a post on Wed with some highlights from the Fruit Beer Fest list.
This free event (pay for the beer you drink) is The New School presenting their annual New Breweries Showcase at Bailey’s Taproom and The Upper Lip. Featuring 10 breweries that have opened within the last year from all over the state of Oregon with two beers featured from each one of the new breweries. The event runs all day but you can meet-the-brewers and The New School team from 5-8pm at Bailey’s.
I am pretty excited about the free event (pay for the beer you drink) of The Weird Beer Bonanza at Imperial Bottle Shop & Taproom on Wednesday June 17 5 – 10 PM. The event promises to offer beers that have interesting combinations, such as
- Upright Orange Dream – farmhouse ale with an addition of Townshend’s No.72 herbal tea
- Breakside Cedarbaumbier – amber wheat ale made with foraged Western red cedar tips and fresh ginger
- Fort George Spruce Budd – a hopless brew made with nothing more than organic two-row malt and Spruce tips for ingredients
- Ninkasi Ground Control Imperial Stout – brewed with yeast that’s been to space and back, hazelnuts, coca nibs and star anise
- Payette/Ninkasi Magic Gardens Asian Pear and Lemongrass IPA
- SixPoint Ever Upward Fuji Apple Wheat
- Coalition Dill Dose Sour Pickle Ale
- Oakshire Raspberry Ginger Berliner Weisse
- 13 Virtues Morocco Mole Dunkel
- Burnside Silence of the Lambs Irish Stout brewed w/ Grilled Lamb Hearts
Then a few days later, on Saturday June 20 12:00 noon to Sunday June 21 10 PM Imperial Bottle Shop & Taproom is at it again with the Sour Solstice Berliner Weisse & Gose Festival. Taste 10 tart and refreshing, German-style sour wheat beers brewed by breweries across the States. They promise to have a selection of syrups for use in Berliner Weisses, including woodruff, Oregon berry, peach and others. Tickets will be $20 and include entry, commemorative glass, and 5 drink tickets.

Not PDX Beer Week… but also other Beer Events coming up…

There are two other events that are coming up, as long as I’m talking about beer.

The Oregon Garden Brewfest falls upon June 19 – June 21 this year, though given the location of the Oregon Garden in Silverton it’s not really part of PDX Beer Week. The festival is held indoors, but you can also explore the 80-acre botanical garden with your beer, so it’s lovely. The Oregon Garden Brewfest boasts 68 breweries, and live music, and on Sunday only since it’s Father’s Day, minors will be allowed (not allowed Fri or Sat).
The Portland International Beerfest at Holladay Park by the Lloyd Center on June 26 – 28, 2015. As previously the 3-day beer festival specializes in 200 world-class beers, several which are rare, hard-to-find, exotic beers. The beer festival is free to enter, has free parking, AND is across from the Max. You have to pay for any beer you drink, and the festival proceeds benefit Pet Cross and includes live music and some games (real darts, ping pong, croquet, cornhole, various other pub games etc.). A chance to try some rare beers and bid on baskets/snuggle puppies for charity? I’m there.

There are usually copies of the beer list at various bars (you will probably come across it at establishments you visit during PDX Beer Week in fact) – it is printed almost like a newspaper – so you can peruse the list and see what interests you.

Not Beer… but also other Delicious Liquid Celebrations of Portland coming up…

There are two other events for June that are not beer, but still full of delicious liquid celebrations.

Cider Summit on Friday June 19 and Saturday June 20 at the Field Neighborhood Park in the Pearl district. This year’s event will feature over 150 ciders from producers around the country and around the world to sample in 4 ounce pours.

There will also be entertainment via live music, a special Fruit Cider Challenge that you can vote on ciders brewed specifically for Cider Summit, and the DoveLewis/Unleashed by Petco Dog Lounge. The event is 21+ only, but dogs of all ages will be allowed on event grounds. Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 (cash only) at the door and are available online via Stranger tickets – admission includes a 5th anniversary souvenir tasting glass, 8 tasting tickets, and a $1 donation to the event beneficiary pool. Cider Summit Portland benefits the Northwest Cider Association, The Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research, DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital, and the Cascade Blues Association.
On Thursday June 25, is the return of Saké Fest Portland. This classy celebration of sake takes place inside the Sentinel Hotel in Downtown Portland in The Governor Ballroom. Admission includes all food and all saké sampling stations (24 producers, and over 130 samples of saké, plum wine and beer varieties) as you learn how to pair the traditional Japanese drink with a wide variety of food, including cheese, desserts, chocolate and a wide range of fusion, Asian and continental cuisines.

Photos by Hung Q Phan
There are two tiers of tickets (both on sale now), Regular and the limited Early Admission. Some of the amazing participating restaurants include biwa and Noraneko, Chizu, Smallwares, Yakuza Lounge, American Local, Hokusei Sushi and more, as well as craft artisans representatives from Batch PDX, Yume Confections, The Meadow, Uwajimaya, and others to offer 19 different tables of food pairings. Saké is not a beverage you often get to sample so many varieties at once, so this Saké Fest is really a unique opportunity to learn what is out there and start to decode the mysterious types and labels to better pair with your sushi and more!

Filed Under: Festival Event, Food and Drink Tagged With: Bazi Bierbrasserie, beer and food, best of PDX Beer Week, best of Portland Beer Week, bunk sandwiches, Eastburn, Father's Day Beer Events, Father’s Day Brewgrass and BBQ, Highlights of PDX Beer Week, Imperial Bottle Shop & Taproom, Imperial Bottle Shop and Taproom, Mussels from Brussels, New Breweries Showcase, Oregon Garden Brewfest, PDX Beer Week 2015, PDX Beer week donut, PDX Beer Week doughnut, PDX Beer Week ice cream, PDX Beer Week sandwich, Portland Beer Week, Portland Beer Week donut, Portland Beer Week ice cream, Portland Beer Week Sandwich, Portland Brewing, Portland Fruit Beer Festival, Portland International Beerfest, Rye Beer Fest, Sake Fest, Sake Fest Portland, Sour Solstice Berliner Weisse & Gose Festival, The New School, The Weird Beer Bonanza

Restaurants for Raphael House dine out fundraiser on Wednesday, May 20th

May 13, 2015 by Pechluck 8 Comments

Wednesday, May 20th is the 6th annual Restaurants for Raphael House dine-out fundraiser. This event is one day only where many delicious restaurants, and you as diners, can show your support for families escaping domestic violence simply by dining out at one (or more!) of a list of 25+ establishments throughout Portland and Lake Oswego. All of the eateries are donating a percentage of the proceeds (10-25% of their day’s proceeds) to Raphael House of Portland.

Restaurants for Raphael House dine out fundraiser

Founded in 1977, Raphael House of Portland is a domestic violence agency dedicated to fighting the causes and effects of domestic violence. They offer emergency shelter in a confidential location, a 24-hour in-house crisis line, transitional housing and advocacy programs, non-residential advocacy in partnership with the Portland Police Bureau, and also work to bring an end to violence through community outreach and education. Raphael House is the largest domestic violence shelter in Multnomah County. Annually, Raphael House provides 10,000 safe nights for women and children in their emergency shelter and support as many as 5,000 callers on their 24/7 crisis line.

It’s so easy for you to help this valuable cause and support this local agency. Just find a participating restaurant that is convenient to you and dine out! With so many on the list with different cuisines, you will probably find a place that can fit your food preferences. Keep in mind that every $100 that the fundraiser is able to raise during the event will provide one night in our shelter for someone.

So take your family, or go on a friend date. Order generously anything you want from the menu, all food and drink, and any time the participating restaurants are open (so all DAY in many cases), it all counts!

A full list of businesses participating Restaurants for Raphael House can be found online here at the Raphael House website, organized by quadrant of Portland. The list that I saw includes

Southeast

Accanto | Serving Italian fare like handmade pasta, and making the most of lots of local seasonal ingredients for lunch and dinner. Everything here is good!
Bread and Ink Cafe | Roomy, long-lived American restaurant with a breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu.
Chiang Mai | Dishing up traditional specialties from Northern Thailand for lunch and dinner, look for dishes you haven’t seen at a typical Thai food menu
Oaks Bottom Public House | Pub located in the heart of Sellwood offering food for lunch and dinner along with craft brew Lompoc beers and a full bar in relaxed atmosphere including a covered private patio out back.
PaaDee | Amazing Thai food that is among the top 3 best Thai in Portland right now with craft cocktails along with some Thai menu options you don’t normally see. Don’t miss the Peek gai tod, fried wings glazed in Sriracha fish sauce, which was among several highlights in my previous Paadee visit post when you come visit for lunch or dinner.
Pacific Pie Co. | Handmade sweet and savory pies (hello Chocolate Bourbon Hazelnut pie, but also Chicken Pot Pie and Shepherd’s Pie and more), plus other snacks and entrees like polenta with mushroom sauce, sausage rolls, chicken schnitzel, bangers and mash and more for lunch and dinner. I wrote a bit about the Northwest location in this Pacific Pie post here.
¿Por Que No? | Hole-in-the wall taqueria that uses sustainable meats and line caught fish in their tacos they serve for lunch and dinner.
REDWOOD | American restaurant & lounge offering brunch everyday along with lunch and dinner that is a mix of classic (chicken pot pie, mac and cheese, fried brussels sprouts, cheddar and corn fritters) and new (grilled eggplant sandwich, braised tongue sandwich, mussels in house curry).
Stickers Asian Cafe | Pan-Asian street fare that offers small dishes, snacks and street foods of Asia: Chinese, Thai, East Indian, Korean, Malaysian and Vietnamese for lunch and dinner.
The Country Cat | Southern food serving brunch (including classic cast iron fried chicken, or chicken fried steak or smoked bbq brisket sandwich) and dinner (from that fried chicken again to a fish fry, duck leg, lamb meatloaf or a dish of whole hog) every day.
Ya Hala | Family owned restaurant specializing in the homey traditional Lebanese cuisine for lunch and dinner. They are getting a big buzz right now for their brunch (which is only on weekends) but their lunch and dinner menus are several times larger than their brunch one!

Northeast

Bella Faccia Pizzeria | Funky neighborhood pizza with New York style pizza, including vegan pizza options for lunch and dinner.
Beulahland | Coffee and Alehouse offering breakfast, and then beer alongside American eats such as sandwiches & games including pinball or on the TVs (particularly futball/soccer from Europe, as well as local Timbers) during lunch and dinner.
Cocotte Bistro | French food in an intimate bistro atmosphere by amazing chef Kat LeSueur. Dinner only.
Dove Vivi Pizza | Pizza with a cornmeal-crust pizzas, there are also vegan pizza options from 4 PM on.
NePo42 | A dog-friendly hangout that offers draft microbrews & American pub food, plus weekly trivia night on Wednesday at 7, pool table, and patio from lunch through dinner.
Smallwares | Asian fusion restaurant from chef Johanna Ware who herself calls it “inauthentic asian” for for dinner.
The Alameda Cafe | Brunch and dinner everyday that is a neighborhood lil restaurant.

North

Las Primas | Peruvian eatery serving sandwiches, empanadas & other traditional street food & cocktails for lunch and dinner. I love their happy hour with their pisco sours (the national Peruvian cocktail) and I can’t resist getting the appetizer of Tequeños (Venezuelan Cheese Sticks), a queso blanco filled fried wonton snack served with avocado-lime dip. It’s a popular street food and I see why because they go down very fast. Though it comes with a dip already, I also endorse getting all the little sauces and using this as your vehicle for all of them. Also try the empanada, and a main dish.
¿Por Que No? | Hole-in-the wall taqueria that uses sustainable meats and line caught fish in their tacos they serve for lunch and dinner.
TILT Handcrafted Food Built For The American Workforce | Unfussy breakfast fare, cocktails & HUGE juicy burgers for lunch and dinner, all in blue-collar industrial-themed digs on Swan Island. Get a Biscuit or Burger to fill your tummy and share a side of fries. Make sure you save room for pie for dessert.

Southwest

Bento Box | A downtown food cart offering chicken with with vegetables, rice, and sauce (teriyaki, grilled onions, sriracha, and/or sweet chili sauce) for a simple and effectively filling lunch from 11-4.
Cheryl’s on 12th | Cute cafe, bakery & market offering American cuisine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They have simple but good salads and wraps and burgers and pasta, but also a stuffed meatloaf stuffed with ham and cheese, and an affordable homey prime rib. They are generously donating 25% of the day’s proceeds, so a great choice for dining and doing good at the same time!
Masu Sushi | Japanese sushi served on the 2nd-floor spot of the Indigo building with validated parking in the Indigo Garage, for lunch and dinner.
Mother’s Bistro & Bar | Cafe and bar with homey decor made a bit more fancy with beautiful chandeliers specializes in hearty comfort-food by moms (traditional, homey, comforting, made from scratch), if your mom really knew how to cook, serving breakfast lunch and dinner. They also serve great Cocktails at the bar, and fabulous French pressed coffee.

Northwest

Justa Pasta | Hidden secret with handmade pastas and other Italian classics (mmm their mushroom lasagana) for lunch and dinner.
Pacific Pie Co. | Handmade sweet and savory pies (hello Chocolate Bourbon Hazelnut pie, but also Chicken Pot Pie and Shepherd’s Pie and more), plus other snacks and entrees like polenta with mushroom sauce, sausage rolls, chicken schnitzel, bangers and mash and more for lunch and dinner. I wrote a bit about the Northwest location in this Pacific Pie post here.
TILT Handcrafted Food Built For The American Workforce | Unfussy breakfast fare, cocktails & HUGE juicy burgers for lunch and dinner, all in blue-collar industrial-themed digs in the Pearl. The Burgers and Fries are monstrous and sooo good Make sure you save room for pie for dessert.

Lake Oswego and Happy Valley

Chuckie Pies | Neighborhood pizzeria offers classic Neapolitan-style pies in Lake Oswego.
Chuck’s Place | Neighborhood cafe with coffee, tea, and baked goods (particularly the scones) in Lake Oswego.
Petite Patisserie | Bakery & coffee shop offering European-inspired baked goods, plus crêpes & sandwiches in Happy Valley.

I hope if you do plan to dine out on Wednesday May 20th, you will choose from that list. Eat well while also supporting an important and worthy cause.

You can post on social media about your support and encourage others to also dine out for the Restaurants for Raphael House dine out fundraiser using the hashtag #R4RH. I will definitely be out, though I still haven’t quite decided where to go yet. Will you be dining out on Wednesday, and where do you think you’ll go?

Filed Under: Festival Event, Food and Drink, Portland Highlights Tagged With: #pdxevents, #pdxfood, #R4RH, Eat for a Cause, Raphael House of Portland, Restaurants for Raphael House dine out fundraiser

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Restaurants for Raphael House dine out fundraiser on Wednesday, May 20th

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