Whole Foods Market Pearl Brewery Dinners

August 1, 2014 by 4 Comments

Do you check the Events page of your local Whole Foods once in a while? You may be surprised at all the events the store has.

For instance, the local Whole Foods to my home happens to be the one in the Pearl District at 1210 N Couch, though I will also visit the one in the Hollywood neighborhood as well since it is close to my gym. During this month of August 2014, the Whole Foods Market Pearl location alone will be hosting a kids Melonheads class to taste melons and learn to make melon soup, teach you how to use lentils in a variety of ways, have a free Sandwich Smackdown event  to inspire you to make new creative sandwiches and you get to vote for the winner, and offers a class to make 3 meals in a jar! Most of these events have only a small cost, ranging from free to donation to $15.

One of the monthly events they will be doing are Whole Foods Market Pearl Brewery Dinners. For August, this will be a four course dinner on Thursday August 21, 6:30-9:30 pm made by the Whole Foods chef paired with Hopworks Urban Brewery beers. The cost is $15, and all proceeds benefit The Whole Kids Foundation, an organization devoted to improving children’s nutrition and wellness with the goal of ending the childhood obesity epidemic.

To give you an idea of what this would be like I wanted to recap the dinner they did for July with Fort George Brewery. This event was a little pricier at $25, but when you see that third course, you will understand how that course alone justifies the price. I do want to disclose that I was invited to this dinner but I will be back and pay my way to experience more of these brewery dinners, and this recap is no different than any of my other recaps.
Whole Foods Pearl District Portland hosted a Brewery Dinner featuring Fort George Whole Foods Pearl District Portland hosted a Brewery Dinner featuring Fort George

We started off with an Artisan Cheese plate paired with Fort George Wit. While of course I loved all that cheese…mmm cheeeeese… Because the Wit is a light Belgian style  I also loved the pairing of the Fort George Wit beer (conveniently in a can in case you want to take it camping or on a river float or on a hike) with the pate on a Simple & Crisp dried Orange fruit crisp. Simple & Crisp, like Fort George, are both local purveyors – both north of us, with Fort George in Astoria and Simple & Crisp a little bit more so in Seattle.
Whole Foods Market Pearl Brewery Dinner, Artisan Cheese Plate with Simple & Crisp dried Orange fruit crisp under some pate, paired with some Fort George Quick Wit

In an interesting twist, although a Wit beer is traditionally brewed with coriander and orange zest, the Fort George Wit instead uses more local flavors, specifically coriander and lemongrass (to impart a citrus character but in a different way) as well as a bit of floral note thanks to elderflower. This is tasty, and for me then adding in the bite of orange fruit crisp (the orange that is usually there but not there in this wit) with the creaminess of cheese and pate made this dish disappear in minutes.
Fort George Wit beer (conveniently in a can in case you want to take it camping or on a river float or on a hike) Fort George Wit beer (conveniently in a can in case you want to take it camping or on a river float or on a hike)

Next, we first got to admire the really cool Fort George 3 Way IPA can. This beer is a collaboration of 3 breweries (thus 3 Way) of Fort George (guitarist on the very right) with the other rocking breweries here of Block 15 (middle) and Boneyard (left).
Fort George 3 Way IPA, a seasonal that is a collaboration of Fort George (guitarist on the very right) with the other rocking breweries here of Block 15 (middle) and Boneyard (left)
Fort George 3 Way IPA, a seasonal that is a collaboration of Fort George with the other rocking breweries here of Block 15 and Boneyard Fort George 3 Way IPA, a seasonal that is a collaboration of Fort George with the other rocking breweries here of Block 15 and Boneyard Fort George 3 Way IPA, a seasonal that is a collaboration of Fort George with the other rocking breweries here of Block 15 and Boneyard

This IPA was then paired with this delicious course from Whole Foods Pearl chef Matt of Scallops with pea puree and beet greens. This may sound like an odd pairing, but actually this IPA has lots of citrus and especially lemon tones to it that of course go well with buttery seared scallops. Then add the natural hop flavors of the beer with the earthy pea puree and greens and it was a winning combination in which the IPA tastes better with the food, one of the transformations I always love discovering when attending beer and food pairing events.
Fort George 3 Way IPA, paired with this delicious course from Whole Foods Pearl of Scallops with pea puree and greens

And then it was the time for the main course, which as mentioned before totally justifies the $25 ticket price. You can expect to get a great value for your cost here. I mean look at the size of this dinner plate! This is the Alaskan halibut dish with roasted cherry tomatoes, mache, crimini and shitake mushrooms, potatoes, roasted pepper pesto and greens with Sherry Bacon Vinaigrette and oh, a little bit more bacon. The Fort George beer pairing here was a special beer they made for the Cheers to Belgian Beers festival, Tripel Au Poivre, so this was our lucky chance to be able drink this one off special beer they created. This halibut dish was such an embodiment of the richness of summer, so full of flavors and textures. I kept eating it even though I was full-  I left no survivor behind on that plate.
Fort George Tripel Au Poivre paired with Halibut, Tomatoes, Sherry Bacon Vinaigrette for the Whole Foods Pearl District Portland Brewery Dinner featuring Fort George Fort George Tripel Au Poivre paired with Halibut, Tomatoes, Sherry Bacon Vinaigrette for the Whole Foods Pearl District Portland Brewery Dinner featuring Fort George

As if that was not already amazing enough, before I could stagger out of here, stuffed, out came dessert: Polish’s Walnut Stout Float with Mexican Chocolate. The Fort George Polish’s Walnut Stout was another unique beer that they especially created earlier this year for February Stout Month and their special dark beer festival, the Festival of the Dark Arts, that they hold every year. The Polish in the name comes from the brewer, nicknamed Polish. The beer uses walnuts in the fermenter for nutty taste and then more walnuts, this time toasted, for aroma.

You then pour this nutty toasty roasty beer into a mason jar with honey coconut whip and Mexican chocolate cherry cream (again made with coconut base) – so that this whole dessert is vegan and maybe even healthy… YUM. And they literally added a cherry on top.
Polish's Walnut Stout Float with Mexican Chocolate - before pouring in the Polish Walnut Stout, Fort George and Whole Foods Pearl Brewers Dinner dessert course Polish's Walnut Stout Float with Mexican Chocolate - before pouring in the Polish Walnut Stout, Fort George and Whole Foods Pearl Brewers Dinner dessert course Polish's Walnut Stout Float with Mexican Chocolate - before pouring in the Polish Walnut Stout, Fort George and Whole Foods Pearl Brewers Dinner dessert course Fort George and Whole Foods Pearl Brewers Dinner dessert course of Polish's Walnut Stout Float with Mexican Chocolate

I’m not even sure what to say what was the highlight of this four course meal… all the pairings were wonderful, as I detailed when describing each course. If I had to pick my least favorite, it would have to be the Tripel Au Poivre with the halibut only because the halibut, with all that gorgeous color and medley of flavors, just paled in taste. But, that’s only because the halibut was just so outstanding. I did like the beer by itself, but the flavors are very light so were in my opinion overwhelmed by the boldness of the food dish.

My favorite pairing was the IPA (as you may know, I’m not a huge fan of unbalanced bitterness, and so many IPAs are such hop monsters on the West Coast) with the scallops because it made me really love that IPA when I normally probably wouldn’t. My second favorite was the cheese plate with the Wit, just because I loved the addition of that orange chip with cheese or pate in my mouthful before the sip of beer and the play of the orange flavor being separate from the Wit. Overall, I thought it was totally a great deal, and I want to encourage more beer dinner pairing events.

This Fort George dinner is actually the second of the series- if you want a recap of their first brewery dinner with The Commons, check out this recap by Kris from Beer Musings at her post Beer Dinner at a Grocery Store for more reassurance that you are getting a good bang for your buck.

And for even more food pornesque photos of the dinner, Marlynn of Urban Bliss Life took her as always mouthwatering want to eat your screen photos as she was sitting right across from me (and you can see my out of focus flowery shirt in the background of her shots 😛 ) at her post Beer Pairings Menus at Whole Foods Market

I also encourage you if you are in Astoria to stop at Fort George Brewery. They always have a huge selection of beers to taste, and so visit (maybe they’ll be brewing and you can smell the delicious beer in progress in the air), relax while having lunch or dinner or just snacks. I always enjoy restaurants that use their chalkboards to not just write the menu but also use it for art, and Fort George does an admirable job of that as well at their main restaurant portion, but they have also a taproom section by where the tank are, an outdoor area, and an upstairs bar. If you get normal pours instead of the taster tray one of the options is mason jar sized!
The outside of Fort George in Astoria The amazing chalkboard of beers available at the downstairs restaurant location of Fort George in Astoria The amazing chalkboard of beers available at the downstairs restaurant location of Fort George in Astoria Beer at Fort George in Astoria Beer at Fort George in Astoria Beer at Fort George in Astoria Beer at Fort George in Astoria

Disclosure: This meal was complimentary, 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.

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Cocktails of Jackknife Bar at the Sentinel Hotel

July 30, 2014 by 7 Comments

Jackknife Bar is located just by the entrance/lobby of downtown’s Sentinel Hotel (formerly the Governor’s Hotel) on SW 11th and Alder, only a few blocks from the City Target, and brought to you by the minds behind Dig A Pony, Bye & Bye, and Sweet Hereafter. The space inside Jackknife is very dark and art deco- I wouldn’t be surprised to see fellow patrons decked out in the garb of the roaring 20s in here.
Jackknife PDX Jackknife PDX

The atmosphere is very relaxed, with a very large bar if you want to chat with new people and watch the bartenders at work crafting drinks or pouring from their more than a dozen taps. Or you can sink yourself into groups of couches or big simple wooden tables and chairs that almost feels like you can light up a cigar and channel some of the previous guests of this historic hotel built in 1909.

If you’d like, Jackknife also has some seats by the bright giant windows facing the street and a few white plastic tables outside if you want to keep yourself grounded in the current era. In the back, huge booths seating almost a dozen people around a lounge table in shadows seems like a secret VIP area ready made to accommodate a celebrity’s entourage.

I was able to try 4 of the Jacknife Bar house drinks. The first, Pavlov’s Bell cocktail with vodka, espresso, coconut, cinnamon, vanilla salt was deeply satisfying with its rich flavors.
Jackknife PDX, their house cocktail option of Pavlov's Bell cocktail with vodka, espresso, coconut, cinnamon, vanilla salt was deeply satisfying with its rich flavors Jackknife PDX, their house cocktail option of Pavlov's Bell cocktail with vodka, espresso, coconut, cinnamon, vanilla salt was deeply satisfying with its rich flavors

On the lighter, more refreshing side there’s

  • Bonnie Parker cocktail (their take on a Moscow Mule) with Old Taylor whiskey, toasted pecan, lime, honey, and Jackknife ginger beer
    Jackknife PDX, their house cocktail option of Bonnie Parker cocktail with Old Taylor whiskey, toasted pecan, lime, honey, Jackknife ginger beer Jackknife PDX, their house cocktail option of BONNIE PARKER cocktail with Old Taylor whiskey, toasted pecan, lime, honey, Jackknife ginger beer
  • Bye Bye Sweet Pony with whiskey, quince, lemon, maple syrup, Jackknife ginger beer, and salt both taste light but have a hint of depth
    Jacknife PDX cocktail of BYE BYE SWEET PONY with whiskey, quince, lemon, maple syrup, Jackknife ginger beer, salt Jacknife PDX cocktail of BYE BYE SWEET PONY with whiskey, quince, lemon, maple syrup, Jackknife ginger beer, salt
  • Days of Thunder house cocktail with vodka, lemon, cucumber, mint, jalapeno, Mello Yello
    Jacknife PDX cocktail of DAYS OF THUNDER with vodka, lemon, cucumber, mint, jalapeno, Mello Yello Jacknife PDX cocktail of DAYS OF THUNDER with vodka, lemon, cucumber, mint, jalapeno, Mello Yello

The toasted pecan, lime and honey of the Bonnie Taylor is subtle, while the Bye Bye Sweet Pony’s quince and maple syrup and salt combination make it dangerously easy to drink down the delicious. As my personal taste I really like spicy drinks, so the nostalgia of Mello Yello’s citrusy flavors (which I haven’t had since much younger days) added with the little bit of jalapeno burn was very enjoyable. Particularly, with the big heat wave in weather during which I had some of these beverages, the Bye Bye Sweet Pony and Days of Thunder were really a big relief as the thermometer inched towards 100.

Foodwise, I tried the Pimento Cheese, which comes with tomato relish and butter crackers. The butter crackers were so buttery that they crumbled in any attempt to spread the cheese or relish, which is fine because then you can just eat it by the forkful and it would work well with any drink you order at the bar. Or just by itself. Just saying.
Jackknife PDX, Pimento Cheese, which comes with tomato relish and butter crackers. The butter crackers were so buttery that they crumbled in any attempt to spread the cheese or relish, which is fine because then you can just eat it by the forkful.

The Cheese Plate is generous in terms of how much cheese is on the plate. That ricotta topped with Bee Local Honey, similar to the pimento cheese, is addictive.
Jacknife PDX cheese board

Meanwhile, the order of Beets which comes with fried ricotta, pickled fennel, smoked walnuts and dijon vin was a beautiful light option that is a good choice for anyone who is vegetarian or gluten free.

On the vegetarian front, along with their bar burger there is also a vegan bbq tempeh burger so you don’t have to feel like a second class citizen with just this lovely, but admittedly not filling, salad. The only really filling food they offer on the menu are the two mentioned burgers and a ham and cheese sandwich, so the intention is to be a bar/lounge and not a place for a meal. On certain days, you may even find music with a DJ and dancing on weekends and for special events.
Jackknife PDX, Beets which comes with fried ricotta, pickled fennel, smoked walnuts and dijon vin Jackknife PDX, Beets which comes with fried ricotta, pickled fennel, smoked walnuts and dijon vin

Jackknife Bar is open 3PM until 2AM, with happy hour from 4:30 to 6:30 PM everyday. There is no table service, you must order at the bar, but if you order food you will be given a number and they’ll bring your food to you.

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Avocado Breakfast or Brunch Recipes

July 28, 2014 by 1 Comment

These Avocado Breakfast Recipes or Brunch Recipes are very simple ways to eat avocado, but so satisfying. I don’t know if I can really call them all of them recipes as much as ideas that are self explanatory. And they are my favorite ways to incorporate avocado into a breakfast or brunch.
The delicious ways to incorporate California Avocados into your breakfast or brunch. When removing avocado, I like to cut them and then peel off the skin rather then trying to scoop the avocado from the skin!

The most obvious way is of course with a breakfast burrito. I decided to make one with bacon and jalapeno with avocado spread This is the recipe for 1 portion, for 1 person.

Bacon Avocado Jalapeno and Cheese Breakfast Burrito

Bacon Avocado Jalapeno and Cheese Breakfast Burrito

Ingredients:

  • 1 avocado, pitted
  • 1/3 of a  jalapeno, finely diced (your call on the seeds)
  • 1/2 of a lime for the juice (about 1 tablespoon)
  • 1 slice of bacon
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1/4 cup of cream
  • pinch of salt
  • freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 1 flour tortilla
  • 1/4 cup of shredded Mexican cheese

Directions:

  1. In a small mixing ball, add the avocado (I like the cut the avocado in half and then peel off the skin rather than trying to scoop the avocado out of the skin) and the lime juice and mash together.  When you chop the jalapeno, it is your choice whether to leave the seeds in for heat, and how much seed to leave in (I only left in 1/4 the seeds of the whole jalapeno) – add this in as well and mash together. When I made mine, I made 3 avocados worth and with the rest I added some crumbled queso fresco and served it with the breakfast burrito.
    Bacon Avocado Jalapeno and Cheese Breakfast Burrito - the Guacamole topping
  2. On a cold frying pan, add the slice of bacon and turn up the heat. Cook the bacon, turning it halfway, until crispy. Set aside on a paper towel to absorb excess oil and to cool so that you can later crumble it into the breakfast burrito.
  3. In the pan, I poured out the bacon fat until only about 1/2 tablespoon was left (I reserved the rest for other cooking. If you are making multiple portions at once, you can leave more in the pan). I then poured in the egg and cream and scrambled, adding a pinch of salt and bit of freshly ground pepper to my taste.
  4. On 1 flour tortilla, spread out the scrambled egg in the middle, and then crumble the bacon and add on top of the egg. Sprinkle the shredded Mexican cheese (a mix of cheddar, monterey jack, and asadero and queso quesadilla cheese), and then add 1 1/2 tablespoons of the avocado jalapeno mixture.
    Bacon Avocado Jalapeno and Cheese Breakfast Burrito Bacon Avocado Jalapeno and Cheese Breakfast Burrito
English Muffins and Avocado

Another way is after toasting some English Muffins, I scrambled some eggs and instead of a rich Hollandaise sauce, I just sliced up 1 avocado and added a sprinkle of some shredded triple cheddar cheese and it was luxurious without all the fat.
After toasting some English Muffins, I scrambled some eggs and instead of a rich Hollandaise sauce sauce, I just sliced up some avocados and added a sprinkle of some shredded triple cheddar cheese and it was luxurious without all the fat.After toasting some English Muffins, I scrambled some eggs and instead of a rich Hollandaise sauce sauce, I just sliced up some avocados and added a sprinkle of some shredded triple cheddar cheese and it was luxurious without all the fat.

Or on a weekday, I simply mash 1 avocado in a bowl and spread it on toasted English Muffins, top it with sprinkles of queso fresco or cojita cheese, and off to the rest of the workday we go!
Avocado on toasted english muffin topped with queso fresco cheese

What are your favorite ways to have avocado?

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Mama Chow’s Kitchen

July 23, 2014 by 8 Comments

One of the reasons I always am very excited for the Eat Mobile food cart festival in April every year is that it is an opportunity for me to discover new food carts. Since I work in Beaverton, I miss out on a lot of the food carts that are open for lunch downtown on the weekdays. I also don’t tend to be out eating at the “late night pods” that start from 11pm on on the weekend nights. Usually one of the main reasons I get to enjoy a food cart is if I happen to have an appointment so I am working a half day. Of course, that’s still no excuse completely since even though not all of them are open, there are some open at other hours and on the weekend, and at other cart pods besides downtown.

A couple weeks ago after a dentist appointment, I took the opportunity to go grab lunch at one of the food carts that really impressed me at Eat Mobile 2014 this year (as I recapped previously). This was the Mama Chow’s Kitchen food cart, which had provided a sample of fried chicken wing with honey soy glaze, garlic noodles… YUM. Also, their cart is adorable!
Eat Mobile 2014 My vote for best food cart sample was Mama Chow's Kitchen with their sample of fried chicken wings with honey soy glaze, garlic noodles... YUM. Also, their cart is adorable! Eat Mobile 2014 My vote for best food cart sample was Mama Chow's Kitchen with their sample of fried chicken wings with honey soy glaze, garlic noodles... YUM.

My stop around lunchtime at 12 was very fortunate, because I got the second to last chicken order at the cart! The cart is located at SW 2nd and Stark, just a half block away from Mother’s Bistro. There, Jeff Chow, transplant from Oakland and trained chef is bearing his Mama’s recipes, offering choices such as or his mom’s Wontons in wonton soup, lollipop wings, kalua pork, or garlic noodles.
Jeff Chow, proprietar of Mama Chow's Kitchen, taking orders at Mama Chow's Kitchen for his mom's Wontons in wonton soup (pork, shrimp or chicken wontons in house broth with baby bok choy), lollipop wings (honey soy garlic glaze with jasmine rice and baby bok chow), kalua pork with garlic noodles and cayote squash, or garlic noodles that are fresh made local noodles with chayote squash and onion relish

There are a generous number of wontons in that Wonton Soup, with his mom’s wontons full of flavorful pork, shrimp or chicken in the house broth with baby bok choy. It’s the best wonton soup I’ve ever had. I took the photos below before adding anything extra, but there are lots of various condiments, including spicy hot sauce to amp up this soup even more.
Mama Chow's Kitchen, taking orders at Mama Chow's Kitchen for his mom's Wontons in wonton soup (pork, shrimp or chicken wontons in house broth with baby bok choy) Mama Chow's Kitchen, taking orders at Mama Chow's Kitchen for his mom's Wontons in wonton soup (pork, shrimp or chicken wontons in house broth with baby bok choy)

The garlic noodles are amazing, fresh made with chayote squash and onion relish. It sounds simple, but it is so good you will gobble it all up faster than you think. Yes, you can get them with the other dishes probably on his menu, but you want a whole order of these noodles.
Mama Chow's Kitchen: Garlic noodles and cayote squash, or garlic noodles that are fresh made local noodles with chayote squash and onion relish Mama Chow's Kitchen: Garlic noodles and cayote squash, or garlic noodles that are fresh made local noodles with chayote squash and onion relish

From my second try of these chickens, let me confirm that these are justifiably raved about lollipop chickens that come in a honey soy garlic glaze with jasmine rice and baby bok choy. You can see the lollipop name comes from the fact that the meat is pushed up slightly to expose a bone handle. The chicken is juicy inside, but the skin is crisped up from the glaze. The only improvement or recommendation I have for you when you order is to switch out the rice with those excellent garlic noodles.
Mama Chow's Kitchen justifiably raved about lollipop wings with honey soy garlic glaze with jasmine rice and baby bok choy

He makes everything fresh so there may be a 5-7 minute wait, but it’s worth it.

You can find/follow more of the deliciousness of Mama Chow’s Kitchen at their Facebook page, or on their Instagram @MamaChowsKitchen or on their Twitter @MamaCsKitchen

As a side note, because of the timing of this post… I just want to point out that if you are going to OBF, Mama Chow’s is open from 11-3 so you could bring it as your lunch, and they are also open 12-5 on Saturdays if you attend OBF that day. The cart is only a few blocks away (1/2 block North of the Mother’s Bistro on SW 2nd)

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Oregon Brewers Festival 2014

July 21, 2014 by 13 Comments

Oregon Brewers Festival Logo
This Wednesday kicks off the biggest beer festival of them all for Oregon Craft Beer Month, the Oregon Brewers Festival, also nicknamed OBF. Held the last full weekend of every July, this year the festival is kicking off on Wednesday July 23 and goes to Sunday July 27. As always, OBF makes its home on the Tom McCall Waterfront Park in downtown Portland, making is just a 1 block away from the Max lines at the SW First and Oak Street Max Station.

Admission to the Oregon Brewers Festival is FREE and is also all ages as long as you are the parent of the minor. To taste the beer you will need to purchase a 2014 souvenir Oregon Brewers Festival 2014 tasting glass for $7, and then from there tasting tokens are $1. It costs four tokens for a full glass of beer, or one token for a taste.
Oregon Brewers Festival, Photo Credit Timothy Horn
Oregon Brewers Festival, Photo Credit Timothy Horn

Purchasing the glass or tokens is Cash Only, though they do have ATMS on site. The six food/beverage vendors providing food and alternate drink also are cash only, but some of the vendors selling other items it may be up to their discretion. The message is, bring cash. You can also bring your own food and non-alcoholic beverage if you’d like, though it is subject to bag searching like all bags when you are entering. I always make sure I bring alcohol absorbents like a bread and cheese and charcuterie plate, and a bottle of water.

Taps close at 9 pm on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and at 7 pm on Sunday. I always try to go as early in the day as possible, as there will be less crowds in terms of finding seating, less lines in getting a beer, and less likelihood that a beer will have run out for the day (they will not tap the next keg until the next day). The best days will be the weekdays or early on the weekends, the worst lines are the weekend evenings.

Oregon Brewers Festival, Photo Credit Timothy Horn
Oregon Brewers Festival, Photo Credit Timothy Horn

Keep in mind that OBF spans multiple days, so I will sometimes walk in the North or South tent, get some beers in that area, and then leave and come back another day to do the other side, rather than walking back and forth between the two tents. When you get there, sit down and plan your strategy based on where the beers you have picked out and ranked are located. Read through the Beer List online and then when you get the list with trailer numbers upon entering the festival, start marking where everything is.

Here are a few of my picks of beers you might want to consider for your list,  which you can even do on your mobile phone using coaster.me :

  • 10 Barrel Brewing Co Cider Weisse, a Berliner Style Weiss blended with green apple cider
  • Ballast Point Brewing Co Sculpin IPA, a solid IPA and Ballast is from San Diego, if you haven’t had Ballast before (they do bottle this beer year round, but still you may not have seen it before). They describe that their use of hops creates hints of apricot, peach, mango and lemon flavors, but still packs a bit of a sting, just like a Sculpin fish.
  • Boneyard Beer Bone-A-Fide, an  American Pale Ale that has high rankings on Beer Advocate and Untappd
  • Caldera Toasted Coconut Chocolate Porter, because it sounds delicious just with the name alone, and I love chocolate candy bar like porters.
  • Cigar City Brewing Mangosteen Florida Weisse, the Berliner Weisse style is always refreshing during the summer, andt his one particular Berliner Weisse has Mangosteen
  • Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Burton Olde English, an Olde English Style Ale that is oak aged blend of an English Style ale and an IPA
  • Dudes Brewing Grandma’s Pecan Brown is Toasted Nutty brown ale deliciousness. I enjoyed it last year and plan to get it again
  • Ecliptic Brewery Perihelion Crimson Saison, a Saison brewed with Rhubarb which may be a one off for OBF as I haven’t seen this Saison offering before
  • Ex Novo Brewing Co Black & Wheat, Ex Novo just opened this month and I haven’t had a chance to try any of their beers, so I’ll be glad to have this sample introduction with a Black Raspberry Wheat beer
  • Firestone Walker Brewing Co Easy Jack, a Session IPA that uses hop varieties from Europe, New Zealand and North America for globetrotting hops all in one beer
  • Gigantic Brewing Co Who Ate All the Pies?, this Strawberry Rhubarb Gose had me at the name including the word pie and the use of Strawberry and Rhubarb in a Gose style which promises a bit of sourness
  • Logsdon Farmhouse Ales Sraffe Drieling, an organic Farmhouse Triple brewed with spices. If you haven’t had this Logsdon beer before, here’s your chance to try it out!
  • Mazama Brewing Rasplendent, a Raspberry and Hibiscus Wit
  • Paradise Creek Huckleberry Pucker is a Berliner Weiss with Huckleberries that one commenter on Untappd mentioned is “Tart n tangy like Pixie Stix”, while others mentioned Nerds. Basically it’s sweet and sour sorta like a candy. Sold.
  • Sixpoint Craft Ales Barrel Aged 3 Beans, a Baltic Porter made with Mast Brothers Chocolate cacao husks and infused with fresh Stumptown Coffee Roasters cold brew, and then aged on oak. Yum right?

Oregon Brewers Festival, Photo Credit Timothy Horn
Oregon Brewers Festival, Photo Credit Timothy Horn

This year OBF will be hosting 88 different craft breweries from around the country plus another 100 in the Specialty Tent, which makes its return (previously called the Buzz Tent) after a hiatus last year. In the Specialty Tent there will be special European beer friends: 12 breweries (11 from the Netherlands and 1 from Germany!) so this is a special opportunity to try those beers and their unique flavor profiles compared to the 88 American breweries.

Plus, look how fun these brewer friends are that you can meet in the tent as you are tasting their beer! Each brewery will serve up to five of their beers in the Specialty Tent starting at Noon (Wed-Sat) and the brewers will be available for meet the brewer sessions those days as well as you drink their beer. 

Do note that although there is no separate ticket to get into the Specialty Tent, only tasters are served (no full pours), and all beers are double tokens. I’ve highlighted the brewers and few example beers where I was able to see descriptions so you have an idea what you might be able to try!

Dutch brewers are coming to OBF 2014

  • Bierbrouwerij Emelisse, I’ve had beer from this brewery before that I’ve enjoyed, and they are bringing their Smoked Coffee Porter  as well as Black & Tan blend of Imperial Russian Stout and Double IPA and is barrel aged on an Isley barrel.
  • Brouwerij Rodenburg has brought their internationally acclaimed Bronckhorster Nightporter stout with flavors of coffee, smoked malts and chocolate as well as their Midnightporter American Imperial Porter which is similar to the Nightporter but with more smoke peat and hops. Their Terra Incognita is their 100th Anniversary Brew and they will be barrel aging it to be available in 2015
  • Brouwerij ‘t IJ
    Dutch brewers are coming to OBF 2014, such as Brouwerij't IJ
  • Microbrouwerij Rooie Dop has me interested in their The Daily Grind coffee porter of which the description says “Using delicate ingredients like Guatemala Antigua coffee, brown malts and Saaz hops, we created this dark coffee-infused beer. It will be the smile you need to break the daily grind.”
    Dutch brewers are coming to OBF 2014, such as Mark Strooker of Microbrouwerij Rooie Dop
  • Brouwerij Maximus
    Dutch brewers are coming to OBF 2014, such as Marcel Snater of Maximus
  • Brouwerij Duits & Lauret
  • Brouwerij de Molen has a variety of beers they have brought, including representatives of the styles of English Barleywine, Russian Imperial Stout, Baltic Porter, Saison, and more!
  • Oedipus Brewing – they have brought some unusually flavored beer, including Lekkerbek Saison with mustard seeds and dill. and Mannenliefde Saison with Lemongrass & Szechuan peppercorns and a Thai Thai Triple with Galanga Root, Orange peel, Coriander Seeds, Lemongrass, Chili pepper. A thai spice dish in a beer?!
    Dutch brewers are coming to OBF 2014, such as Oedipus @OedipusBrewing took the OBF glass to Noordwijk, the small coastal town where they all met 15 years ago!
  • Het Uiltje has an interestingly named Uiltje Pepperspray Porter
  • Oersoep has an unusual lineup of Saison and Sour Ales, a couple which they described as having hints of bubblegum (their Sergeant Brett Pepper Saison that has spice and bubblegum?) or sour candy (Brettanosaurus Rex Brett Ale), and a Pomme Bruxelles that is a dryhopped blend of an apple-cider and a one year old  barrel-aged sour that is described as sparkling, tart and very fruity
    Dutch brewers are coming to OBF 2014, such as Oersoep
  • Ramses Bier, if you dare, has the Naar de Haaien Smoked IPA that is brewed with seaweed and seawater
  • Brauerei Nothhaf

I’ll be there at the Oregon Brewers Festival 2014 on Wednesday evening, and also I’ll be following when beers tap at the Specialty Beer tent via their twitter @OBFLTDTent. If you are trying those beers from our European friends, also use or check for the hashtag #NLtoPDX.

Are you going to OBF? What beers sounded interesting to you?

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