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Sake Fest PDX 2016

June 15, 2016 by Pechluck 4 Comments

One week from today is the annual Saké Fest PDX, returning for it’s sixth year. This year, the location has been updated to the Pavilion Ballroom at Hilton Portland & Executive Tower. It is taking place next week on Wednesday June 22 2016 from 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM. The event gives those who attend the ability to sample a large variety of Japanese and US sake brands while learning 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.
Scenes from Sake Fest PDX 2015 - Blue Hue Tsukinowa Kinen from Tsukinowa Brewery, an equivalent of a sessionable sake

I found this latter part one of my favorite educational experiences – besides trying lots of different sakes, exploring different combinations of sake samples and food samples had surprising results. I’ve never gone out of my way to have sake and cheese, but now I know (though I shouldn’t be surprised) that cheese goes with everything, including making great pairings that bring out new flavors by contrasting and complimenting flavors in cheeses and sake, such as Floating World Sake’s mushroomy Soma no Tengu with some cheese by Steve Jones of Chizu and Cheese Bar.
Scenes from Sake Fest PDX 2015 - bites from Steve and Cheese Bar

And by extension, sake paired with the Davis Street Tavern mac and cheese is a winner too. One surprise pairing winner was a recommendation from Whole Foods of strawberry, creamy chevre cheese, and Kaika Tonbindori Shizuku Blossoming Scents “Supreme Droplets” Tochigi sake. By itself one sake that impressed me was Mutemaka with its smoky flavors and unusual color since it’s made from ceremonial red rice. All of this at face value from initial description may sound a little odd – but be bold and go ahead and try things that sound weird and you may discover and learn something new, don’t just dismiss it!
Scenes from Sake Fest PDX 2015 - Sacred Mist (Honjozo Nigori, unfiltered premium) from Miyashita Brewery, the mac and cheese paired surprisingly well with unfiltered sake

A ticket to Saké Fest PDX experience is full access to all food and all saké sampling stations – even rare & premium saké varieties, and includes a sake tasting glass. In addition, Early Admission Ticket holders get an additional hour before the regular admission guests by entering at 5:30 PM and is limited to only 100 people.

There will be 22 sake breweries and distributors offering multiple sakes at each station, which is a huge diverse variety to explore. I can’t think of another way to try so many sakes in one place.
Scenes from Sake Fest PDX 2015 - sake from Takara Sake USA Inc
Takara Sake USA Inc; Dreyfus Ashby & Co. featuring Ichishima Shuzo; Kuramoto US

My advice to remember what you enjoy is to take photos of the sake. Don’t worry about being an amateur- the names and locations and types are still a jumble of syllables for me too.
Scenes from Sake Fest PDX 2015 - Barrel Aged (Taru Sake) in ceder barrels, from Kitsukura Brewery, Honjozo (premium)
Barrel Aged (Taru Sake) in ceder barrels, from Kitsukura Brewery, Honjozo (premium); Sacred Mist (Honjozo Nigori, unfiltered premium) from Miyashita Brewery; Hakutsuru Sho-Une Junmai-Dai Ginjo

There are 20 participating restaurants and food providers who will be offering food sampling stations where you can have a bite between sakes and try to create your own interesting pairings. The list includes

Ajinomoto Windsor
MIHO Izakaya
Bamboo Sushi
Zilla Saké House
Shurky Jurky
JFC International Inc.
Noraneko
Saucebox
Yama Sushi & Izakaya
biwa
Bamboo Grove Hawaiian Grille
Batch PDX
Yakuza Lounge
Sticky Island Treats
SmallWares, last year their bite offering was chilled miso soup, yuzu, pineapple serrano relish, basil, hijiki, sesame and scallion
Uwajimaya
The American Local
Whole Foods Market Pearl
Behind the Museum Café
Xocolatl de David

Tickets for the event are $55 per person regular admission or $75 per person early admission tickets. Attendees must be 21 or older to attend. You can purchase tickets in advance here and there will be a limited number of tickets available at the door.

Scenes from Sake Fest PDX 2015 – Misc Sake photos

The Meadow presenting Steak and Eggs made on a Salt Block and finished with tarragon butter
Scenes from Sake Fest PDX 2015 - The Meadow presenting Steak and Eggs made on a Salt Block and finished with tarragon butter

The gorgeous treats from Yume Asian Confections which possibly equaled the sake in my excitement over the discovery of these traditional treats that you can order custom made and are so super Japanese!
Scenes from Sake Fest PDX 2015 - treats from Yume Asian Confections

Do you drink sake? What do you usually have when enjoying sake? Are you like me it’s pretty much stay in the box of having it with sushi?

Filed Under: Festival Event, Food and Drink, Portland Highlights, Sponsored Post Tagged With: akara Sake USA Inc, Barrel Aged (Taru Sake), Batch PDX, Blue Hue Tsukinowa Kinen from Tsukinowa Brewery, Dreyfus Ashby & Co. featuring Ichishima Shuzo, experience at Sake Fest PDX, experience at Sake Fest Portland, Hakutsuru Sho-Une, Honjozo, Kitaro Jungin, Kitsukura Brewery, Kuramoto US, Miyashita Brewery, Nezumi Otoko Jungin, recap of Sake Fest, Sacred Mist, Sake Fest 2015, Sake Fest 2016, Sake Fest PDX 2016, Sake Fest PDX Recap, Sake Fest PDX Review, Sake Fest Portland recap, Sake Fest Portland review, Sake festival, Sake in Portland, Sanomaru Cup, Steak and Eggs made on a Salt Block, Sticky Island Treats, The Meadow, thoughts of Sake Fest PDX

Santa Fe Art Scene: Enjoying the Southwest Arts

June 14, 2016 by Pechluck 4 Comments

Besides the easy hikes outdoors like Bandolier, Plaza Blanca and Kasha-Katuwe, another fun activity we enjoyed while in Santa Fe was enjoying the Southwest Arts. There a couple main art focused destinations I would highly recommend for enjoying the Santa Fe Art Scene, plus I also threw in a peek at Taos where we took a side trip as well.

Keshi in Santa Fe

In downtown Santa Fe, Keshi The Zuni Connection is a little co-op store that offers arts and crafts directly from the artists. The store has direct, personal relationships with all the individual carvers, jewelers, and potters and continues to buy directly from the Zuni people. The relationships mean that not only can Keshi dedicate particular parts of shelves to that artist, but they can speak knowledgeably about their past work, what they are working on now, and what are the little quirks or special touches that differentiates their pieces. The list of artists they work with is impressive so you will have a huge variety of styles. Those relationships are what inspire “The Zuni Connection” part of the store name.

Keshi the Zuni Connection store is named so because of its close ties with the people of the Zuni Pueblo. Established in 1981 as a co-op for Zuni arts and crafts, Keshi has always maintained personal relationships with individual carvers, jewelers, and potters and continues to buy directly from the Zuni people. Keshi hosts one of the largest selections of Zuni fetishes in the world Keshi the Zuni Connection store is named so because of its close ties with the people of the Zuni Pueblo. Established in 1981 as a co-op for Zuni arts and crafts, Keshi has always maintained personal relationships with individual carvers, jewelers, and potters and continues to buy directly from the Zuni people. Keshi hosts one of the largest selections of Zuni fetishes in the world

They also know the Zuni stories and symbolism that inspires or gives special meaning to any of the pieces. And, they offer lots of small pieces, in particular Keshi hosts one of the largest selections of Zuni fetishes in the world. Fetishes are small carvings using a variety of possible materials although all sorts of pretty stone is very popular. The carvings will usually depict an animal spirit, each which embody different personality traits and symbols.

I definitely love the direct artist connection, and the other thing I love about Keshi is that all their pieces are also affordable – ranging from pottery to fetishes to jewelry, small paintings, or other carvings like my particular interest were kachina dolls. To me, this makes Keshi even more approachable than any art gallery because it is accessible to regular people’s price points.

Entering the store may seem overwhelming at first because there are so many small pieces – but just take your time browsing as the staff are great at leaving you alone to see what calls to you, but also helping you like you’re a regular dear customer. Almost everything is on open shelves so you can really examine the craftsmanship.

Canyon Road in Santa Fe

In Santa Fe, there are several options for little streets of offering art. In downtown Santa Fe, besides the multiple museums there are also quite a few fine art galleries, though the price range is more suitable for collectors you can of course still visit and admire the pieces. Outside of the Palace of the Governers, you will also usually find Native Americans displaying their handmade jewelry, including lots of turquoise and silver. For more modern galleries with contemporary art, you might also visit the Santa Fe Railyard which is also where they host the Farmer’s Market on Saturdays year round, as well as local artist markets and a “Last Friday Art Walk” every month with 10 galleries..

My favorite art neighborhood though in Santa Fe was walking down Canyon Road. This one half mile offers more than a hundred Galleries, Artist Studios, Jewelers, Boutiques and Restaurants. The variety of price ranges and types of art varies widely which makes it an adventure every time you step into a new doorway. And there were plenty of galleries that had stunning sculptures outside as part of a sculpture garden so you could even enjoy just walking outside. We were also there during the fourth Friday of the month, when galleries open later until 7 PM and some offer refreshments and or entertainment. Here’s a look at some of the artistic works we admired on Canyon Road.
Art on display outside as you traverse Canyon Road, this one half mile offers more than a hundred Galleries, Artist Studios, Jewelers, Boutiques and Restaurants. Checking out art along Canyon Road in Santa Fe, the goats by Carole Laroche Gallery

This Canyon Road Contemporary Art was my favorite gallery because of the way they curated whimsical pieces and mixed media. And, I appreciate galleries that have a presence online so even though it’s been months since I visited, I can still visit and see what they have and still dream of purchasing pieces and continue to track artists that I really like. Here you see art from Pat Hobaugh with the retro toys, Amanda Banker with the paintings with a new fairy tale twist (and each painting comes with a paragraph to start the story), Molly Heizer with those cute animal ceramics and totem pole, and the Giraffe by Adam Thomas Rees which is composed of individual printed stamp blocks which he then assembles into a larger sculpture.
Canyon Road Contemporary was my favorite gallery, because of the way they curated whimsical pieces and mixed media. And, I appreciate galleries that have a presence online so even though it's been months since I visited, I can still visit and see what they have and still dream of purchasing pieces. Here you see art from Pat Hobaugh with the toys Canyon Road Contemporary Art was my favorite gallery, because of the way they curated whimsical pieces and mixed media. And, I appreciate galleries that have a presence online so even though it's been months since I visited, I can still visit and see what they have and still dream of purchasing pieces. Here you see art from Molly Heizer with the fun animal sculptures and totems Giraffe by Adam Thomas Rees at Canyon Road Contemporary which is composed of individual printed stamp blocks which he then assembles into a larger sculpture.

Taos

The drive up north from Santa Fe to Taos is very scenic, taking about 1.5 hours from Santa Fe, or 2.5 hours from Albuerquerque. But if you’re not in a rush to get there, I recommend you take the High Road one way (Route 68) through the valleys and canyons, and on the way back take the faster River Road / Low Road instead (518). Both roads offer scenic panoramic views.

On the way to Taos, we whet our whistle at Blue Heron Brewing and Winery, a tiny little stop on Los Alamos Highway
On the way to Taos, we pulled over to try Blue Heron Brewing. We shared a beer tasting tray

Then we went to a full lunch with beer once we arrived in Taos at Eske’s Brew Pub for green-chile beer and a green-chile smothered burrito . As we admired the little muffin tray that they were using as their beer sampler tray, F as a vegetarian had an opportunity to try Green Chile in vegetarian form. Eske’s offers a Green Chili Burrito with a whole wheat tortilla filled with beans, onions, and cheddar smothered in Wanda’s Green Chile Stew. The vegetarian chile, with its huge chunks of carrots, zucchini and other goodies, is an unusual form of green chile.
< We stopped for more beer and lunch at Eske's Brew Pub. Nice tasting tray here - a muffin tin with a few decorative elements...

While in Taos browse this cute small town’s various art galleries, all which are in walking distance and which are offer a large variety of art, and the prices are pretty reasonable.
A look around Taos and the various small art galleries and shops in what feels like a cute small town

Asking about the art can also just be great education in learning the stories. For instance, I learned a lot about Corn Maidens. At Bryans Gallery I learned that there are eight Corn Maidens: the Maiden of the West has a tray of blue corn, the Maiden of the East has white corn, the Maiden of the North has yellow corn, the Maiden of the South has red corn, one Maiden carries black corn, and another carries multi colored corn. Zuni Corn Maidens are carved by hand from a number of materials that range from antler, turquoise, sugarlite, quartz, shell, fossilized ivory, coral, lapis lazuli, amber, and other stones. And, they even had detailed sheets explaining the meaning of various fetishes.

A look around Taos and the various small art galleries and shops in what feels like a small town - Bryans Gallery had a great sheet explaining fetishes and their meanings

On the way back or whichever way you are goign on the River Road / Low Road, you might consider a stop at Chimayo Weavers to look at their handwoven blankets you can purchase or that are in display at the tapestry gallery.

I don’t always think to visit art galleries when I travel – I did so in Las Vegas and here in Santa Fe intentionally because I knew about the great art scene. What about you, do you try to visit art galleries when you travel? What did you think of any the pieces I shared with you today that I saw on my art stops and walks?

Here’s the summary of my series of posts on Santa Fe, New Mexico Travels

Filed Under: Beer Review, Food and Drink, Travel Tagged With: Blue Heron Brewing and Winery, Canyon Contemporary, Contemporary Art Canyon Road, Eske's Brew Pub, Eske's Green Chile Beer, Keshi Santa Fe, Keshi Store, Keshi The Zuni Connection, New Mexico, Santa Fe, Santa Fe art areas, Santa Fe art neighborhoods, Santa Fe art streets, Santa Fe arts, Santa Fe shopping, Santa Fe travel, Santa Fe travel recommendations, Santa Fe travels, Taos art, Taos art galleries, Taos Green Chile Stew, Taos vegetarian burrito, Taos vegetarian food, Vegetarian Green Chile, vegetarian Green Chile Stew, visiting New Mexico, visiting Santa Fe

Nodoguro SupaHardcore

June 10, 2016 by Pechluck 2 Comments

I’ve written about Nodoguro pretty often, but this was my first time experience their dinner called Nodoguro SupaHardcore. This is also my first, but definitely just the beginning, of experiencing a dinner at their new location at the old Genoa restaurant space at 2832 SE Belmont. The new location is a blend of minimalist Japanese aesthetic with Western modern touches. The back lounge area will eventually be also open for more service which is still to be determined as they get into the groove of their new space and service during these first few weeks.
Nodoguro has moved to a new location at 2832 SE Belmont. The new location is a blend of minimalist Japanese aesthetic with Western modern touches

The main attraction is still the chef counter seating which now has a little bit more room for each guest to comfortably claim versus the tighter seating arrangement at the bar at the old space. Meanwhile, the plating now occurs at a large rolling counter stand in the middle so that everyone can see the magic, but now they have a bit more depth in working space.
Ryan Roadhouse welcomes everyone to Nodoguro SupaHardCore Dinner May 29, 2016

So what is this new SupaHardCore dinner format? Well, Nodoguro first started out with they calling the Sousaku Tasting menu, which offers a new theme every 6 – 8 weeks or so that inspires an 11 course Japanese meal – sort of a “kaiseki without the rules”. Some of my favorite examples of these types of meals vary from the smart Haruki Murakami themed or the Totoro themed to now the famous Twin Peaks theme or more recently for me, the Harajuku Theme. Currently, Salvador Dali is the theme, and as of today some July Sousaku dinners are still available!
Ryan Roadhouse plating a course at Nodoguro SupaHardCore Dinner May 29, 2016 Chef Ryan Roadhouse plating a course of SupHardCore on May 29 2016 at Nodoguro while to the left is Mark Wooten and right Elena Roadhouse, his right and left hand peoples making Nodoguro happen so smoothly

Then, Nodoguro started offering essentially a sushi experience, featuring 19 courses of sushi and sashimi with seafood from Japan’s Tsukiji and the Fukuoka fish market in a dinner experience they called Hardcore Sushi (I last recapped one when I attended one this past January). Now, SupaHardcore takes the Hardcore Sushi up another level by presenting a 20 course tasting menu that includes the sushi experience of Hardcore, but also including composed courses like from the sousaku dinners, plus also featuring A5 Wagyu and Ossetra caviar.

Elena Roadhouse brought out the certified Wagyu for us to admire/take photos of raw, and then Mark Wooten brought it out after it had been grilled over charcoal.
Elena shows the A5 Wagyu from Japan at SupaHardCore Mark Wooten models the certified A5 Wagyu from Japan after it's been grilled

I was out of the country for their first offering, and when they decided to open their new space I immediately bee-lined to get a ticket (you make reservations online at their website – follow them on social media to know when the tickets go on sale, many will sell out quickly, some in minutes!) for SupaHardcore. Here’s a look at my dinner and what it could be like for you (menus are finalized the night before based on the freshest seasonal ingredients so changes). You can choose wine by the glass, or pairings, or sake instead to go with your dinner as well.

One

Sparkling Wine welcome. Sorry, no photo as I was chatting away and taking photos of the space!

Two

Tofu with jam, uni (sea urchin), wasabi, dashi. This was so silky smooth and rich, and I always love seeing tofu being used like this where it almost feels decadent… but it’s tofu!
Tofu with jam, uni, wasabi, dashi at Nodoguro SupaHardCore May 29, 2016

Three

Flounder sashimi. I like the presentation, though honestly I’m not personally a huge fan of putting it on ice if it gets too cold.

Four

Sake steamed abalone and abalone liver puree with kelp – it was poached in sake, then pureed with kelp and steamed
Sake steamed abalone and an abalone liver puree with kelp - it was poached in sake, then pureed with kelp and steamed - at Nodoguro SupaHardCore May 29, 2016

Five

This course was the most beautiful to me in it’s little set tray that included (counterclockwise) Oyster with citrus; Prawn Roll with shiso and avocado; Bone crackers with horse mackerel that are dried, deep fried and finished with curry salt; Fava bean salad with tofu; Then our first style of the A5 Wagyu, here sashimi style with uni and Ossetra caviar. Five little plates for the fifth course! Everyone was oohing and ahhing as these platters were put in front of them.
Course 5 included 5 little bites that were (counterclockwise) Oyster with citrus; Prawn Roll with shiso and avocado; Bone crackers with horse mackerel that are dried, deep fried and finished with curry salt; Fava bean salad with tofu; The A5 Wagyu with sea urchin and caviar - at Nodoguro SupaHardCore May 29, 2016 Oyster with citrus at Nodoguro SupaHardCore May 29, 2016 Tartare or raw sashimi style A5 Wagyu with sea urchin and Ossetra caviar at Nodoguro SupaHardCore May 29, 2016

Six

Grilled Japanese Eggplant with dashi and Cold Smoked Black Cod. This was one of my favorite tastes of the night as I love the flavors of that charcoal grilled eggplant whenever it appears at Nodoguro.

Seven

Sashimi course that includes Amberjack, Giant Clam, and Sea Scallop with aged soy and fresh wasabi. I love the texture of Giant Clam.

Eight

Ryan Roadhouse begins plating the grilled A5 Wagyu steak at SupaHardcore Ryan Roadhouse slices the certified A5 Wagyu from Japan after it's been grilled with assist from Mark Wooten
Second style of preparation of A5 Wagyu, grilled over charcoal with crushed daikon, fermented yuzu skin, peppers, and ginger blossom

Nine

Shirako (meaning white children… it can be any kind of fish but here it’s sea bream sperm sac) and Onsen Egg in Dashi. So clever, having both types of “eggs” here ha ha… clearly SupaHardCore is taking it up a level on eating adventures for everyone. But, having this way is perfect – you may not think to ever order or try it, but when it’s presented to you as part of these courses, why not go ahead and try it – and be surprised that it’s not at all what you thought.
Shirako (meaning white children... it can be any kind of fish but here it's sea bream sperm sac) and Onsen Egg in Dashi at Nodoguro SupaHardCore May 29, 2016

Ten

The third way we enjoyed the A5 Wagyu, here Sukiyaki style with sake, sugar and soy and then served with a yolk sauce and chrysanthemum flower. I could have eaten like 4 more plates of these.

Eleven

New Zealand Snapper with ponzu sushi

Twelve

Hokkaido Scallop with yuzu juice sushi. Hokkaido is famous for their cold waters that are also full of a lot of nutritious plankton (not for us – for the sea life here…) and so the scallops from here are sweeter and as you can see quite plump!

Thirteen

Aji sushi (Japanese horse mackerel) with shiso and aged soy

Fourteen

Uni sushi (sea urchin) from Hokkaido
Uni sushi (sea urchin) at Nodoguro SupaHardCore May 29, 2016

Fifteen

Ikura (salmon caviar) with soy and yuzu over rice

Sixteen

Salmon sushi with shiso, fresh ginger, sesame
Salmon with shiso, freh ginger, sesame at Nodoguro SupaHardCore May 29, 2016

Seventeen

Kojada sushi
Kojada sushi at Nodoguro SupaHardCore May 29, 2016

Eighteen

Anago sea eel sushi
Anago sea eel sushi at Nodoguro SupaHardCore May 29, 2016

Nineteen

Crab Hand Roll with dry curry seasoning and kewpie. You may be surprised that this simple roll was also one of my favorite tastes of the evening. The homemade curry mix that Ryan made was light but with every bite it tasted boldly of curry just like a big plate of curry rice would. I couldn’t believe how much full Japanese curry punch each little bite gave me.
"Crab

Twenty

Miso Soup, served in a mug. I totally forgot to take a photo of this. I love taking photos to help remember and look back on the meal, but sometimes I just love the socializing with others and put my camera down and don’t remember to get the picture

Twenty One

Buckwheat Tea – since I was already heated up from the miso soup it took me a while and a lot of chatting before I drank my tea and I don’t have a photo either.

Thank you for a wonderful dinner Nodoguro! I, and the whole room I think, got blissfully silent as we enjoyed each of our wagyu courses which were a highlight of the entire dinner. But, the wagyu alone wasn’t the only star – several other courses were just as delicious in a different way, a perfect demonstration with how Nodoguro elevates flavors from everything and anything.

This is why Nodoguro is among the best meals and experiences you can have in Portland – and why I keep obviously coming back like an addict. I would definitely do SupaHardCore again.

To make a reservation, follow Nodoguro on social media Ryan Roadhouse on Twitter and get on their newsletter to hear when tickets are going to be released, and be prepared to look at dates/buy your tickets right at when they are released as some dinners may sell out in less then 15 minutes (particularly the SupaHardcore and Hardcore, “which are offered less frequently). You can also contact them directly to book the entire room for instance for your party.

Would you have tried all these courses? Have you had Wagyu before (even if it’s from the US instead of Japan)?

Filed Under: Food and Drink, Restaurant Review Tagged With: #nodoguropdx, #nodoguropopup, A5 Wagyu, A5 Wagyu sashimi style, Aji sushi, Amberjack sashimi, Best Sashimi in Portland, Best Sushi in Portland, Bone crackers with horse mackerel, Crab Hand Roll with dry curry seasoning and kewpie, Fava bean salad with tofu, Flounder sashimi, Giant Clam sashimi, Grilled Japanese Eggplant with dashi and Cold Smoked Black Cod, Grilled Wagyu, Hokkaido Scallop with yuzu juice sushi, Horse Mackerel Sushi, Kojada sushi, New Zealand Snapper with ponzu sushi, Nodoguro, Nodoguro 2016, Nodoguro Dinner, Nodoguro PDX, Nodoguro Portland, Nodoguro SupaHardCore, Nodoguro Super Hardcore, Oyster with citrus, Prawn Roll with shiso and avocado, recap of SupaHardCore, Review of SupaHardcore, Sake steamed abalone and abalone liver puree with kelp, sashimi, Sea Bream Sperm Sac, Sea Scallop sashimi, Sea Urchin Sushi, Shirako, Sukiyaki Wagyu, sushi, Tofu with jam and uni, Uni Sushi, Wagyu Beef, Wagyu Sashimi, Wagyu with uni and caviar, What is SupaHardcore like

My Picks for Portland Fruit Beer Festival 2016

June 9, 2016 by Pechluck 5 Comments

I’ll be at the festival on Friday [this post and the top picks list updated Friday 9PM after attending], ~~but going in,~~ here are my recommendations for the Portland Fruit Beer Festival 2016. If you haven’t heard of the Portland Fruit Beer Festival, it is part of Portland Beer Week (as I wrote about earlier this week) and is taking place this year from Friday June 10 – Sunday 12th at the North Park Blocks (entrance on NW Davis between 8th Avenue and Park Avenue). This is a move from the past at Burnside Brewing’s parking lot to a 40% larger space, plus now there is shade! As before, the Portland Fruit Beer Festival is also all ages, though you have to be of legal age to drink beer or cider.

The hours of the festival are
- Friday June 10th 11:30 AM – 9 PM
- Saturday June 11th 11 AM – 9 PM
- Sunday June 12th 11 AM – 6 PM
Cost of the festival are
- Free admission to non-drinkers.
- Advanced General Admission $25 for a 12 oz official Portland Fruit Beer Festival cup and 15 drink tickets (those who arrive Friday before 2:30 PM get an additional 3 drink tickets). The cups are plastic glasses.
- At the Door General Admission $25 for a 12 oz official Portland Fruit Beer Festival cup and 12 drink tickets, but it is cash only at the door
- The sample pours of the fruit beers and the ciders will be 1-3 tickets for a 4 ounce pour. When I was there on Friday, there were 12 beers that were 1 ticket a pour, and most were 2 tickets with a few smaller kegs being 3 tickets.
- You can purchase additional drink tickets for $1. Cash only.
- Once you have your wristband and cup, you do not need to pay to re-enter any of the days – you only need to have bring back the cup and drink tickets to drink.
- In addition, you can purchase 12 ounces of beer via $3 can of Burnside Couch Lager and $4 cans of Burnside IPA from Burnside Brewing’s Burnside Can Garden inside Festival. Cash only.

Cider Riot taster at the Portland Fruit Beer Festival

My personal picks for the Portland Fruit Beer Festival 2016: note that although some of my samplers are modeled in last year’s festival glass, this year since they are in an outdoor park the 2016 glasses will be plastic similar to the Holiday Ale Fest.

I make my selection based on how appealing the combination of beer and fruit sounds, particularly rewarding uniqueness. When I taste the beer I look for balance but importantly also being able to clearly taste the fruit, and any fruity characteristics that come from hop or yeast doesn’t count it must be the fruit added in the brewing process. So many of the beers in the entire Festival lineup are decent beers I’m sure, but I’m looking for distinguishing fruit as a flavor thread as part of the beer. Here’s my top 10 list of what I look forward to…

The Commons: Butterflies Hovering a Saison with pineapple and kaffir lime leaves 5.9% ABV I’m a fan of The Commons farmhouse style beers. With the pineapple it may sound sweet, but was more lime.
Culmination Brewing: Sun Rey, a tea Radler brewed with Jasmine Pearl tea soda, lime and raspberries and kettle soured with lacto for a tart and refreshing summer sipper that offers tartness from the raspberries, citrus from the pineapple and lime, and additional depth of tea flavor. I tasted it at the media preview and wanted more! 4% ABV and 5 IBUs.
Ex Novo Brewing: Cactus Wins the Lottery. Ex Novo felt that cactus deserved its day in the sun – or more honestly, apparently they heard the phrase on some Youtube video and wanted to brew a beer so they could use the meme saying. So this is reverse engineered beer to fit the name of a tart refreshing Berliner Weisse with the fruity punch of prickly pear cactus. They made 30 barrels of this so a few bottles may be found only after the festival at some bottle shops and New Seasons and Whole Foods. ABV 4.2%
54-40 Brewing: Cucumber-Honeydew Bright Ale Crafted with nearly 400 lbs of honeydew melon and well over 100 cucumbers! I already love cucumbers as it is as I find them perfectly refreshing, and was really impressed as both the cucumber and honeydew truly comes through on this beer. 5% ABV 12 IBU
Fort George: Chasing the Dragon is a light bodied blonde Kettle sour with Dragonfruit, and black currant added post-fermentation. Slight sweetness with a tart finish where you start with a weird fruitness (maybe the dragonfruit) and finish with the black currant flavors. 5.4% ABV
Ruse Brewing: Patchwork (Strawberry Basil Tart) pours a pretty pastel pink and this tart ale is kettle soured then conditioned with a touch of basil and a copious amount of local strawberries which really come through in the nose and when you drink it, impressive since strawberry is so much work to get into beer with it’s delicate fruit! 4.8% ABV
10 Barrel Brewing: Plum Spectacular, from Tonya comes a small batch kettle sour made especially for the Portland Fruit Beer Festival. It has a crisp, clean, assertive sourness with plums. 6.4% ABV and 10 IBU
2 Towns Ciderhouse: 2 Thorns is a collaboration cider when 2 Towns Ciderhouse and Portland Thorns FC teamed up to create “Two Thorns”using fresh-pressed Northwest apples, Oregon grown blackberries, raspberries, & rose petals with a special Vinho Verde Portuguese yeast to create a striking floral and berry cider that I found refreshingly tangy. 6.2% ABV
Finnriver Farm & Cidery: Black Stave, special edition of Finnriver’s popular flagship Black Currant Cider, farmcrafted with organic Washington Granny Smith and Pink Lady apples, fermented dry, stave aged for depth and then married with an oaked, funky currant ferment for an extra special depth level of flavor. A limited release of the award winning, contemporary dark fruit cider made with wood. 6.5% Abv.
Portland Cider Co.: Boysenberry Hop blends Oregon boysenberry with an off-dry cider infused with citrus spice New Zealand hops. This is the first in Portland Cider Co.’s summer hop series limited release ciders and even though it looks very fruit forward like “screw the apples just me boysenberry is the star”, the actual flavors when we tried it were well balanced and not as sweet as it may appear as the hopped cider counter the fruit well.
Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider: Spicy Mango Tepache (Pineapple Cider) is not actually a cider using apple at all, but all fermented pineapple, this year returning with a mango twist with the addition of Ghost Peppers and fresh mango juice to definitely make a spicy tepache with a great burn. Traditionally you mix this partially with beer so its’ 2/3 Tepache and 1/3 beer – not sure which would be the perfect beer mixer for this, though several of us at a media tasting also whispered how this would be so perfect at brunch with sparkling wine mixed in. 3.2% ABV

Honorable Mention: Sixpoint: Raspy Sauce (Raspberry Berliner-Weisse w/ Raspberry-Jalapeño syrup) made a special variation of the Sixpoint Lil’ Raspy for this year’s Fruit Beer Fest using Sixpoint Raspberry-Jalapeño syrup. I enjoyed this beer. F and I debated whether it should make the cut because he thought it was a cheat to use the syrup. However, berline-weiss beers are served with syrups, so I think it’s ok that it gets it’s extra raspberry and spicy kick. 4.3% ABV
Portland Fruit Beer Festival 2016 Sixpoint Raspy Sauce beer, a special variation of the Sixpoint Lil’ Raspy for this year’s Fruit Beer Fest using Sixpoint Raspberry-Jalapeño syrup
On the Rare/Rotating Beers and Ciders list (with small kegs rotating throughout – see the full beer list with the rare beers list here in pdf), I hope I might be lucky enough to be around to taste the Breakside: Bourbon Barrel Aged Sour Rye Beer with Coconut

Food options at the festival will include

Hot Lips Pizza will be offering their pizza as well as sodas. Their specialty pizza includes their limited edition PDX Beer Week specials pizza, Beer Bratlips, a pizza with Smoked Carlton Farms bratwurst simmered in Subcontinental IPA with Tillamook extra-sharp cheddar, fresh onions, mozzarella, and a garlic Parmesan base finished with whole grain maple mustard glaze that also has beer in the mustard.
BUNK Sandwiches bringing their famous Pork Belly Cubano as an option and they usually have a seasonal vegetarian option and a grilled cheese too
Urban German Grill offering bratwurst and pretzels
Fifty Licks Ice Cream brings you dessert with ice cream and sorbets

Do you like fruit beers? Do any of the beers I listed intrigue you, and what would be your ideal combo for a fruit beer – what kind of fruit?
4 ounce taster pour at Portland Fruit Beer Festival

Disclosure: I attended a media event to sample some of the Portland Fruit Beer Festival 2016 beers and ciders, but I purchased my own admission/tickets to the festival, and have been attending and highlighting this festival for years! 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: Food and Drink Tagged With: Craft Beer, Fruit Beer, Fruit Beer Fest, PDX Beer, portland beer, portland beer event, portland beer festival, portland events, Portland festival, Portland Fruit Beer Festival, Portland Fruit Beer Festival 2016, Portland Fruit Beer Festival picks, Portland Fruit Beer Festival recommendations

PDX Beer Week 2016 Highlights

June 6, 2016 by Pechluck 4 Comments

This Thursday kicks off PDX Beer Week 2016, which lasts from June 9 to June 19. Yes, this is actually more than a week, but it’s been like that for years and I can’t complain about having more days to have more events to celebrate Portland beer. For these eleven days of fun, the events range from those showcasing new beers or particular beer styles to special collaboration food inspired or to be paired with beers. There are beer events for the beer geek like seminars, but there are also beer events that are accessible even to the casual or novice beer drinker like beer sampling.

In fact, there are quite a few limited edition collaborations available to celebrate Portland Beer Week 2016 that are beyond just drinking beer or beer events. Check out these special one off concoctions available at multiple locations throughout the duration of the 11 days of June 9-19.

Portland Brewing & Double Mountain‘s official beer of the 2016 Portland Beer Week – Subcontinental IPA. This is a ~7% ABV northwest IPA brewed with Indian spices like pepper, cardamom, clove, cumin and saffron. These spices highlight the beer’s biscuity malt base and tropical fruit hop notes, and I was surprised as the beer warmed a bit how the spices became more prominent and really tasty, particularly the cardamom and cumin for me. You can find 22 oz bottles at local beer bottle shops as well as Whole Foods who is doing a special free tasting at all their Portland Whole Foods locations on Friday June 10 and Wednesday June 16, as well as of course at the Portland Brewing and Double Mountain taprooms.
Bunk Sandwiches Beer Week Fried Chicken Sandwich, a SubContinental IPA brined buttermilk fried chicken with bacon scallion aioli, hot sauce, maple & Pickopolis pickles. Available at Bunk Wonder during beer week. There is another beer sandwich, a sloppy joe made with Good Life Cash stout, is also available at Bunk Bar Water.
HOT LIPS Pizza’s Beer Bratlips, a pizza with Smoked Carlton Farms bratwurst simmered in Subcontinental IPA with Tillamook extra-sharp cheddar, fresh onions, mozzarella, and a garlic Parmesan base finished with whole grain maple mustard glaze. This will be available at all six HOTLIPS pizza locations.
I tried Beer Bratwurst especially made for the Portland Brewing Taproom by SP Provisions using about 30 gallons of beer for every 100 pounds when making the bratwurst, and then the sausage is further cooked by simmering it in the beer and then you can enjoy it with the beer mustard!. Definitely for me this bratwurst is the best food pairing with the beer itself – or any beer, any time of year,
Blue Star Donuts S’more Beer donut, an IPA chocolate mousse filled donut with toasted marshmallow topping. I mean, just look at this beauty.
Salt & Straw Ice Cream’s Garam Masala & Hops, a special ice cream that uses a combination of Indian spices and hop that match the same ones used by the Subcontinental IPA, plus chunks of dark molasses cake. This was my favorite of all the 4 beer “foods” inspired by the beer I tried! This flavor is available exclusively at Wiz Bang Bar at Pine Street Market.

I have attended events of PDX Beer Week every year -and here’s a summary of events I wanted to highlight during this beer celebration week. For the full list of PDX Beer Week events, see their PDX Beer Week 2016 Events Calendar.

For any of you IPA lovers, El Segundo Brewing from California is having a launch party Thursday, June 9 6 – 10 PM starring their very hop forward, taking place naturally at beer bar N.W.I.P.A. Then a week later, also at N.W. I.P.A., on Friday June 17 5 PM on attend the 3-Way IPA party that offers the 3 Way IPA on tap as well as IPAs from all three of the 3 Way IPA collaborators of Fort George, Barley Brown’s, and Melvin Brewing
Pair beer and food at a great value on Thursday June 9 6 – 9 PM. For $40 per person at The Beer Belly Dinner with Ecliptic at Eastburn you get 5 courses paired with five Ecliptic beers – see the menu at the link. Proceeds from the dinner will benefit The Jeremy Wilson Foundation, a nonprofit health and service organization supporting musicians and their families during medical emergencies.
One of my favorite beer festivals every year is the Portland Fruit Beer Festival. This year it has finally moved from the Burnside Brewing parking lot, which it has outgrown, to the shady North Park Blocks (NW 8th and Davis) with 40% more room and did I mention shade? Running from Friday, June 10 – Sunday June 12 this festival offers fruit beers, ciders for the gluten free, food trucks for eats and live music, and is all ages.

I’ve highlighted Portland Fruit Beer Festival beers in the past in 2015 and 2014 and I’m going this year as well. I often go multiple times because of special tap beers they tap over the days. This year 29 breweries and 7 cideries are offering 36 regularly pouring taps of beers, plus 24 additional rare and rotating tap lines. Look for my personal picks list on Thursday and which I’ll update after attending on Friday!

It is the perfect Sunday Brunch beer @FruitBeerFest just tapped the special One Tun Tomato Michelada by @HopworksBeer Totally Radler plus chili powder, Worchestershire sauce, house made blood mary mix, and tabasco combine superpowers #pdxbeer #portlandbeer #pdxbeerweek #beer #craftbeer #oregonbeer #fruitbeer #fruitbeerfest #PFBF #hopworks #hopworksurbanbrewery #brunch #sunday

A photo posted by Pechluck Laskey (@pechluck) on Jun 14, 2015 at 11:24am PDT
For an alternate festival, celebrate at the 1 night Rye Beer Festival with 20 Rye Beers from 20 participating breweries and Rye Beer Cocktails at Eastburn from Friday June 10 from 4 PM – 2 AM. Part of the proceeds of the Rye Beer Festival will benefit the Children’s Cancer Association. This year, highlights of the Rye Beer Festival include a whiskey back card offered for $10 that includes (3) 1/2 ounce shots of Russell’s Reserve Rye, Knob Creek Rye and Wild Turkey Rye and Jacob Grier will be creating a special rye beer cocktail combining specially brewed Rye Beer Festival official beer Back Pedal Brewing’s Oatmeal Ryesin Cookie beer with rye whiskey and other ingredients and other cocktails. At 10pm the fest will offer live music from The Cure cover band The Xploding Boys (no cover of you’re in by 8:30, and remember the proceeds go towards a great cause anyway).
For a different take on beers in a new way, the Randallized Beer Fest being held on Saturday June 11 (free, just pay for what you drink) at Imperial Taproom offers local beers poured through Randalls containing a variety of interesting ingredients to add new twists of flavors.
If you love Sour Beers, Saraveza Bottle Shop and Pasty Tavern on Saturday June 11 and Sunday June 12 all day will be pouring Cascade Brewing as part of a Cascade Invasion that includes a special Saraveza blend as well as Elderberry Blond, Nectarine Dream, Rose City Sour and Mixed Plum while also “putting out a massive selection of vintage Cascade bottles that we’ve been hoarding” for you to purchase.

For a more serious sour beer education, attend the Sour & Wild Ale Seminar presented by Oregon State University and panelists like Trevor Rogers (De Garde Breiwng), Christian de Benedetti (Wolves & People), Alex Ganum (Upright Brewing), Matt van Wyk (Alesong Brewing & Blending and formerly Oakshire) and Ben Edmunds (Breakside Brewery) at Tuesday, June 14 at 5:30 PM at Upright Brewing.
There’s even a sour beer festival, courtesy of Imperial hosting the Sour Solstice Sour Beer Festival on Saturday June 18 and a dozen sour beers to choose from on tap.

If you’re really into bourbon barrel aged Cascade, although not technically part of Portland Beer Week, Cascade is having Bourbon Barrel Week.5 from June 7-19 at Cascade Brewing and Raccoon Lodge.
I always want to promote beer pairings with food, so if you’re out in the Happy Valley area come out on Sunday June 12 3 PM – 6 PM to the Happy Valley Station Food Cart Pod with Alameda, Base Camp, Coalition, and Culmination breweries bringing beer out to the 24 food carts in a structure location, and the food carts will be offering Open House Special where Food Samples are $1, $2, & $3 so you can try all the food carts.
There are always new breweries opening up in Oregon so it may be heard to track them all. Thankfully there is the 101 on the newbies all at once that you can attend via the New Oregon Breweries Showcase, this year happening at Bailey’s Taproom on Monday June 13 noon – midnight. The showcase will introduce you to 11 new breweries from Oregon, all opened within the last year and you will get a chance to meet the brewers and owners 5 – 8 PM as well as enjoy beers from newcomers Wolves & People Farmhouse Brewery, Alesong Brewing & Blending, Ruse Brewing, Freebridge Brewing, Ancestry Brewing, Public Coast Brewing, Great Notion Brewing and more TBA. I will be at this event if you want to say hi!
Another exciting beer pairing dinner is Maya Lovelace of Mae PDX and her fried chicken with six beers from Breakside, Ballast Point, and Fremont on Monday June 13 7 PM at Old Salt Marketplace. See the menu here that includes family style dinner with Carolina gold risotto with morels, ramps, and shelling peas; Buttermilk brined chicken skillet fried in 3 fats (bacon fat, chicken fat, and lard), Pimento mac and cheese, and Brown sugar pound cake studded with bourbon barrel smoked cocoa nibs, macerated strawberries, buttermilk vanilla whipped cream. See the link for the full dinner and beer pairing list and if there any of the tickets left!
How about Barrel Aged Beer and Bacon? Also on Monday June 13 6 PM – 11 PM Saraveza Bottle Shop and Pasty Tavern welcomes Fremont Brewing with BBF (Bacon Best Friend) Zeph from Proletariat Butchery passing out FREE samples of his delicious meat as Fremont brings taproom only and barrel aged beers with them for Fremont Bacon Night.
Also on Monday June 13 is an opportunity to see how beer pairs with sushi when Roscoe’s and Miyamoto Sushi pair up to offer four courses of sushi paired with pFriem Family Brewers Oude Kriek, Crux Fermentation Project Apricot Wild Farmhouse Ale, The Commons Brewery, and Breakside Brewery. The cost for the 4 courses of Sushi and Beers is $25, just show up any time at Roscoe’s between 4:30 and 8:30 PM or until they run out.
If you are a Belgian Beer aficionado, look to the 5th Annual Battle of the Belgian beers with 4 Belgian beers versus 4 US Belgian-inspired styles on Tuesday, June 14 between 5-9 PM at Bazi Bierbrasserie with $15 for all eight 5 ounce tasters.
The next day, on Wednesday June 15 Bazi presents the annual Mussels from Brussels with five breweries (Breakside , Fat Head’s, Lompoc, pFriem, and Upright), five secret sauces created by each brewery for dipping in one pound of mussels served with fries, and paired with their Belgian-inspired beer, and you judge who is the winner. Seating for you/audience judges will take place every 30 minutes between 5:30-8:30 PM.
One of my favorite festivals all year is this one pairing Beer and Cheese at the Portland Beer and Cheese Festival (already sold out!), this year at the on Saturday, June 18 1 – 5 PM at Wayfinder Beer. Expertly pairing samples of beer with a sample of cheese times ten. 10 different beers from 10 different breweries with 10 amazing cheeses paired by Cheesemonger Steve Jones of Cheese Bar. Your ticket price include sample of each plus complimentary samples of Xocolatl de David artisian chocolates and charcuterie and meats from Wayfinder chef Rodney Muirhead. To get an idea of the experience, check out my recap of last year’s event.
A new closing event for Portland Beer week this year is SNACKDOWN! on Sunday June 19th 12 – 4 PM at The Evergreen event space above Loyal Legion. SNACKDOWN! is a food and beer pairing event where 10 of Portland Chefs and 10 Oregon Brewers are paired into 10 Brewer/Chef teams to make their greatest snack and beer pairing. Guests will choose their favorite pairing and the winning team will be awarded the SNACKDOWN Belt! This event is designed to be more loose than a traditional beer pairing dinner. DJ Rev Shines will be keeping the party live, while the atmosphere is styled like a WWF style Smackdown with brewers and chefs hyping their pairing on the mic – possibly while sporting wrestling themed costume. WHAT? Yeah I will totally be there.

The 10 Brewer/Chef teams include:
- Nomad / Gigantic Brewing
- Bollywood Theater / The Commons Brewery
- Lardo / Heater Allen Brewing
- The Bent Brick / Block 15 Brewing
- Old Salt Marketplace / Ex Novo Brewing
- Toro Bravo / Hopworks Urban Brewery
- Kim Jong Grillin / Breakside Brewery
- P.R.E.A.M. / Ecliptic Brewing
- Biwa / Buoy Beer
- Loyal Legion / Portland Brewing/Double Mountain

Are you going to any of the Portland Beer week events? Do any of those beer inspired items sound like something you want to try?

Disclosure: I attended a preview of the Limited Edition Portland Beer Week treats and a Portland Fruit Beer Festival media preview, but I was already planning on writing the Portland Beer Week post before the media previews, and I was not asked or compensated for this post and I purchased/pay my own way at any PDX Beer Week events I attend. 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: Blue Star Donuts S'more Beer donut, Blue Star Donuts S'more Beer doughnut, Bunk Sandwiches Beer Week Fried Chicken Sandwich, El Segundo Brewing launch party at N.W.I.P.A., HOT LIPS Pizza Beer Bratlips pizza, PDX Beer, PDX Beer events, PDX Beer Week, PDX Beer Week 2016, PDX Beer Week 2016 Highlights, PDX Beer Week 2016 Picks, pdxbeerweek, portland beer, Portland beer events, Portland Beer Week, Portland Beer Week 2016, Portland Beer Week 2016 Picks, Portland Beer Week events, Portland Beer Week Highlights, Portland Beer Week June, Portland Fruit Beer Festival, Salt & Straw Ice Cream Garam Masala & Hop ice cream, SP Provisions beer bratwurst, SubContinental IPA