oregon beer month Archives - Pechluck's Food Adventures

Oregon Brewers Festival 2014

July 21, 2014 by Pechluck 13 Comments

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

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

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

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
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.”
Brouwerij 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?!
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
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?

Filed Under: Food and Drink Tagged With: beer festival, Bierbrouwerij Emelisse, Brouwerij 't IJ, Brouwerij Maximus, Brouwerij Rodenburg, Craft Beer, Microbrouwerij Rooie Dop, Northwest Beer festival, OBF, OBF 2014, OBF Specialty Tent, Oedipus Brewing, Oersoep, oregon beer month, Oregon Brewers Festival 2014, oregon craft beer month, PDX Beer, pdxbeer, Photo Credit Timothy Horn, portland beer festival

Fire & Brimstone Festival: a Celebration of Chili and Smoke Beverages

July 12, 2014 by Pechluck 1 Comment

Fire & Brimstone 2014, official poster image by Blaine Fontana

One of my favorite beer festivals in Portland is back for its fourth year in just 2 weeks!. The Fire & Brimstone Festival is hosted by both Hop & Vine and Saraveza, which are conveniently only a half mile walk from each other (about a leisurely 10 minute walk, with Sarevaza at 1004 N. Killingsworth St. and The Hop & Vine at 1914 N. Killingsworth St.). Both are reachable by the Max Yellow Line N Killingsworth stop.

Each venue will have chili and smoke beers, a smoked or chili cider and a mini-cocktail special. Both will also have special food to match with the smoky or chili beverages. For instance, Saraveza is offering their ENORMOUS Bamberg onions & smoked skewers and Hop & Vine is dishing out tacos. Of course, the regular menus will also be available and many of those items will compliment the beers in their own ways so you aren’t limited in food options. For instance, from previous visits I can’t resist getting the popcorn at The Hop& Vine, and they have a very tasty grilled cheese sandwich. You can’t go wrong with the classic cheese and charcuterie plate either.
Smoked and Chili beers at the Fire & Brimstone event at Hop & Vine Parmesan and pepper popcorn to snack on at The Hop and Vine, Portland. Charcuterie plate at Hop & Vine Grilled cheese and tomato soup at Hop & Vine

This year, the Fire & Brimstone Festival falls on July 26 and 27th, with the Festival Hours Saturday and Sunday 11 AM -10 PM. Both venues will also be open for regular business if you choose not to partake and/or you want more food or beverages off their regular menu.

Admission is free, but to taste the cost is $20 for 10 taster tokens, with additional tokens at $1.50, and the tokens can be purchased and used at both Hop & Vine and Saraveza, and can be used both Saturday and Sunday. A sample 5oz pour will cost 1 token.

Last year there were more than 15 smokey or spicy beverage samples to select from, so there is definitely a lot to try. This year it seems there could be a total of 20 items available between the two locations. Several of these offerings will be beverages created especially for this festival, so they are truly one of a kind opportunities to taste some of these flavors!

Image courtesy of Drew of The Hop & Vine

Featured Breweries & Cideries Include

At Saraveza

Agrarian Ales – Smoked Chili Porter
Alaskan Brewing Company – 2013 Smoked Porter
Ballast Point – Habanero ‘Sculpin’ IPA
Base Camp Brewing Co. – “Smoooke on the Weisse Beer” Beechwood Smoked Wheat
Breakside Brewing/Ned Ludd “36 Chambers” Sage Smoked Honey Golden Ale
Flat Tail Brewing “El Guapo” Blonde Ale w/Cucumber, Lime & Habanero
New Belgium/Cigar City – 2013 Ale Brewed w/Anaheim & Marash Chilies, Aged on Spanish Cedar
Oakshire Brewing – “Smokin’ Hell Extra” Smoked Helles Lager Infused w/Serrano, Chulaca & Habanero Peppers
Occidental Brewing Co. – Rauchbier
Two Towns Ciderhouse – “Cot in the Act” Apricot Cider w/Ancho, New Mexican & Chipotle Chilies
“Whiskey Inferno” cocktail with house-Infused Ginger, Jalapeno & Honey Whiskey w/Cock & Bull Ginger Ale and a Jalapeno “Hot Rock” w/Smoked Sea Salt Rim.

At Hop & Vine:

Breakside Brewing “Passionfruit Sour” w/ Habanero Chiles
Dogfish Head “Festina Peche” – peach berlinerweisse – via Thai Chiles in a randall infuser
Epic Brewing “Smoked & Oaked” Belgian Strong
Fort George “Hellcat” – belgian strong pale w/ Anaheim, Pasilla, Jalapeno, & Habanero Chiles
Gigantic “Firebird” – Smoked Hefeweizen – via Grilled peaches and habanero chiles in a randall infuser
New Belgium/Three Floyds “Gratzer” – Polish-style smoked dark wheat ale
Reverend Nat’s “Smokey Pineapple Bhut” – smokey Tepache w/ Ghost Chiles
Stone Smoked Porter
Widmer Brothers Brewing SxNW ’12 – dark strong w/ chiles, cinnamon, & pecans – aged in Tequila Barrels
Hi-Wheel Habanero Lime – spritzy fermented fruit wine w/ habanero extract
a spicy & sweet “Hell in a Handbasket” cocktail with muddled Serrano Chile, Tequila, Mezcal, House Watermelon Shrub, & Lime Juice w/ guajillo-salt rim
“Blood & Smoke” cocktail – Famous Grouse, House Smoked Peach Shrub, OJ, Cherry Heering, Bitters
“Ghost Rider” – craft jello shot – Novo Fogo Cachaca, Lime, Terragon Simple, Serrano Juice

Final Draft List and more details to follow as I keep my eye on the Fire & Brimstone Facebook event page!

Images from previous Fire & Brimstone: At The Hop & Vine, they will probably continue having a few beers available at the bar, and more available on the back patio for the event. My favorite pairing of fire and brimstone and food that they have done was when they had specials of a Jalapeno Pecorino biscuit with smoked pork gravy and fried egg and Flourless chocolate cake with smoked chili ice cream, at Hop & Vine Fire & Brimstone version 2012. That was the first year I had the pairing from Saraveza, which was the Smokin’ Bamberg Onion Plate, a traditional Rauch beer meal, that consisted of a Bamburg Onion, Mashed Potatoes w/ Schlenkerla gravy, salad, side of vegetables and a Sugar Pimp Peach-chili dessert.
Hop & Vine, which offered 4 beers inside from their taps and 6 outside from kegs Jalapeno Pecorino biscuit with smoked pork gravy and fried egg, a special at Hop & Vine, Fire & Brimstone version 2012 Flourless chocolate cake with smoked chili ice cream, at Hop & Vine, Fire & Brimstone version 2012 Saraveza's Flight of Five Chili and Smoked Beers for Fire & Brimstone 2012 Saraveza Fire & Brimstone 2012 food pairing of the Smokin' Bamberg Onion Plate, a traditional Rauch beer meal, that consisted of a Bamburg Onion, Mashed Potatoes w/ Schlenkerla gravy, salad, side of vegetables and a Sugar Pimp Peach-chili dessert

Have you had smoke or chili beers before?

Filed Under: Festival Event, Food and Drink Tagged With: #pdxdrinks, chili beers, Craft Beer, drinkportland, Fire & Brimstone, northwest beer, oregon beer month, Oregon Craft Beer, oregon craft beer month, PDX Beer, pdxbeer, portland beer festival, Saraveza, Smoke Beers, smokey beer, smoky beer, spicy beer, The Hop & Vine, unique beer festival

Drink Portland Brewing ZigZag River Lager in July

July 10, 2014 by Pechluck 3 Comments

This entire month of July, Portland Brewing is donating a portion from every case or growler of Portland Brewing ZigZag River Lager (growlers must be purchased at the Portland Brewing Co Taproom, cases must be purchased in the state of Oregon) sold right back to our Northwest waters via Sandy River Basin Watershed Council.

The Sandy River Basin Watershed Council is an independent non-profit organization that works cooperatively with volunteers, agencies, businesses and community groups to improve the health of the watershed for fish, wildlife and people. The Council coordinates efforts among many public and private partners to produce the greatest benefits for the watershed.
This entire month of July 2014, Portland Brewing is donating a portion from every case or growler of ZigZag River Lager (growlers must be purchased at the Portland Brewing Co Taproom, cases must be purchased in the state of Oregon) sold back to our Northwest waters via Sandy River Basin Watershed Council.

This means you can enjoy a refreshing lager to cool you down while also supporting a good cause! If you are looking to bring some beer to a party, or for your own get together, consider stopping by for some of the Portland Brewing ZigZag River Lager.

I was invited to visit Portland Brewing back in April as they were first launching Zig Zag River Lager. I was able to taste then how fresh and balanced the flavors of this beer are with the blend of pale, wheat and very malty Munich malts and the spicy Tettnang hops with hint of caramel notes. Let me assure you that it is perfect for the hot days ahead this month to refresh you.

This entire month of July 2014, Portland Brewing is donating a portion from every case or growler of ZigZag River Lager (growlers must be purchased at the Portland Brewing Co Taproom, cases must be purchased in the state of Oregon) sold back to our Northwest waters via Sandy River Basin Watershed Council. This entire month of July 2014, Portland Brewing is donating a portion from every case or growler of ZigZag River Lager (growlers must be purchased at the Portland Brewing Co Taproom, cases must be purchased in the state of Oregon) sold back to our Northwest waters via Sandy River Basin Watershed Council.

While there, I also tasted the Oregon Honey Beer brewed with Oregon-sourced white clover honey and Willamette hops, also a wonderful summer beer choice and Portland Brewing even shared a recipe for Oregon Honey Beer Marinade for grilling. You can drink and eat from your growler! Not to be outdone, maybe pair that with their recipe for ZigZag River Lager Beer Cheese.

So let’s raise a glass or bottle of Portland Brewing ZigZag River Lager to the Sandy and give back to the Sandy together! Visit The Portland Brewing Beer Finder to use the search and map tool there to find where you can get some Portland Brewing near you, or visit the Portland Brewing Taproom.

Portland Brewing Company Taproom

If you do stop by the Portland Brewing Taproom at 2730 NW 31st, make sure you also check out the really cool Copper Brewing Vessels. You probably already saw a peek of them from the outside, but they are right there to your left when you walk into the tasting room.

Portland Brewing Company Taproom

The copper vessels were acquired all the way from Germany and Portland Brewing actively uses them in their brewing during their boiling part of the process.
Portland Brewing Co Taproom Copper Brewing Vessels, acquired all the way from Germany and actively used by Portland Brewing in the boiling part of the brewing process!

I also got a little tour of the brewing facility narrated by none other than Portland Brewing head brewer Ryan Pappe himself, so I got a better look at the Copper Brewing Vessels being used and the super cool controls for the vessels. How sci fi steampunk awesome are these!!

If you’d like a look yourself, Portland Brewing does free brewery tours every Saturday from 12pm – 3pm with three complimentary samples of beer and a PBC bottle opener, but you have to be wering closed toed shoes and they will also have you wear those stylish goggles you see Ryan modeling.
Portland Brewing Co Taproom Copper Brewing Vessels, acquired all the way from Germany and actively used by Portland Brewing in the boiling part of the brewing process! Portland Brewing head brewer Ryan Pappe tells us the details

While at the Portland Brewing Taproom, besides the handful of Portland Brewing beers (including possible experimental recipes only available at the Taproom), you will also be able to try some beers from Pyramid Breweries who purchased it and dubbed it “MacTarnahan’s Brewing Company” for a while until Pyramid was purchased and last year MacTarnahan’s Brewing Company returned to the original Portland Brewing name of today.

Whatever the history, the end result is that combined with the Pyramid beer and Portland Brewing beer there are more than a dozen beers for you to try here! The Portland Tasting Room is also a restaurant so feel free to linger here for a bite to eat. The menu suggests beer pairings with several dishes, and if you come for happy hour (3PM – 6PM and 9 PM – close, daily!) there are a dozen bites $5 or less for you to enjoy, and also a handful of desserts also $5 or less.

Other specials they have on their Event Calendar include getting a burger & fries and pint of beer for $10 every Wednesday, getting a free Portland Brewing pint glass when you buy a pint of beer on Tuesdays, and on Sundays kids 12 and under get a free kids meal with purchase of an adult dinner AND they have live music every Sunday in July, and more! Next weekend on July 19 Portland Brewing is also doing a mini festival of Oregon Honey Beer.

This taproom is such a hidden gem.

For extra credit, consider visiting tomorrow, Friday July 11, which is when Portland Brewing Taproom will be doing an Outdoor Movie Night! The movie starts at 9pm and they will be showing “Beerfest” will be on the big screen. There will also be Raffles, Prizes, and Beer and German Food Specials. Of course you can get some Portland Brewing ZigZag River Lager in your glass too.

The $5-10 suggested donation will benefit CASA for Children Multnomah and Washington Counties, aka Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children who advocate for the children who have been abused or neglected and are going through the trauma of the court system and foster care system.

So you’ll be enjoying beer, having a good time, and contributing to TWO WORTHWHILE CAUSES at once.

I hope to see you raising a glass or bottle of Portland Brewing ZigZag River Lager this month!

Disclosure: This tasting of the beer at the Portland Brewing Brewery Day Celebration was complimentary, but I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given and I have visited them before this event and will certainly be visiting them again in the future. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.

Filed Under: Beer Review, Food and Drink Tagged With: #pdxdrinks, Beer for Charity, beer recipes, Craft Beer, craftbeer, Drinking for Charity, drinkportland, MacTarnahan's Brewing Company, oregon beer month, Oregon Honey Beer Marinade, PDX Beer, pdxbeer, Portland Brewing, Portland Brewing Taproom, Ryan Pappe, Sandy River Basin Watershed Council, Zig Zag River Lager, ZigZag River Lager, ZigZag River Lager Beer Cheese

July is Oregon Craft Beer Month 2013

July 17, 2013 by Pechluck 6 Comments

As I have mentioned a few posts ago, July is Oregon Craft Beer month. Throughout this month, there are breweries and beer festivals celebrating the craft of beer all over Oregon. Here in Portland, there are some particular events that caught my eye.

Belmont Station’s Puckerfest, which celebrates sour, wild and funky beers from July 12 to the end of this week. If you have not been to Belmont Station for a while, check out their new larger space that includes a patio and also a food cart, Italian Market for a taste of Philly.
This Thursday (July 18), I will be attending a Smallwares and Breakside Brewing five course beer dinner pairing: I’ll be sure to report out, don’t worry!
This weekend July 19-21 is the International Beer festival located in the North Park blocks with 150 beers from around the world
And then, the biggest of them all- the Oregon Brewer’s Festival, this time starting a day earlier than previously from Wednesday July 24 to Sunday July 28 offering the ability to taste 80 beers along the beautiful waterfront. This year, instead of the plastic glasses, they are going to actual glass glasses for your tasters.
Fred Eckhart’s is hosting his 23rd Beer and Cheese tasting event at Rogue Public House in the Pearl that pairs 10 beers and 10 cheeses on July 22
Another beer and food dinner event, Gigantic Brewing and Restaurant Beck which benefits Le Cordon Bleu’s Student ACF Hot Foods Team and Ronald McDonald House Charities of Oregon and SW Washington on July 25
July 27 is apparently Oakshire day- there is an Oakshire Barrel Aging Seminar at The Upper Lip over Bailey’s Taproom at 1:30pm, and you can warm up to taste those 4 beers pouring with Raven and Rose’s Oakshire Brewer’s Brunch with 3 courses at 11am… my arteries made me pass on the full Irish Breakfast at Raven and Rose, but I’ll be at the Upper Lip
The McMenamins at Cornelius Pass is releasing a special spicy beer trio for what they dub Pepperfest ’13 on July 31
Also on July 31 is the 3rd Annual Brewer’s Burger Brawl at Hop & Vine boasting a battle of burger and beer!
And ALSO on July 31 (you guys are killing me) is the 3rd Ben Fest, celebrating all the brewers named Ben that we have here, and they are all bringing a beer!

You don’t have to only drink your beer of course- check out recipes I have made in the past using beer, including beer cheese faceoff with two beer cheese recipes, beer ricotta, and my favorite beer recipe so far, beer soup of Butternut Squash and Ale Soup with Candied Almonds and homemade Mascarpone and with Cambozola. I’ll be sharing another beer food recipe in just a bit.

Or, perhaps you are just looking for something to pair with your beer. This recipe was shared by Cha Cha Cha and posted also at the Oregon Brewer’s Guild. This recipe from Cha Cha Cha was recommended to pair with a Full Sail Sessions Beer (Black Lager). The beers always stand out to me because of the unique bottle they come in, a stubby bottle. The bottle style is really called stubby, by the way.

When I saw this recipe, I thought of a friend I know who enjoys Full Sail as a regular beer to enjoy while watching TV, and who as of yesterday, just flew off to do a Bruseels to Amsterdam tour, 9 days of touring with cycling and drinking beer on a tour with Beercycling. We first found out about Beercycling a few years ago during Zwickelmania, and it has been on our wishlist- but our friends are actually doing it this year. Good for them, and Bon voyage, and bring back some beer (I will also accept gouda cheese)!

Mole Poblano from Cha Cha Cha (makes about 4 cups of mole)

3 Chiles Mulatos
2 Chiles Pasillas
2 Chiles Anchos
1/2 Chipotle peppers (optional if you want it a little spicy)
6 clove of garlic (finely chopped)
1/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup peanuts
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 onion (chopped fine)
1/4 cup ground coriander
1/8 cup ground cloves
1/2 stick Mexican Cinnamon (ground)
1 ounce bittersweet Mexican Chocolate chopped coarsely
2 cups of chicken broth
1/4 cup raisins
Brown sugar or salt to taste

Place oven rack in middle position and preheat to 350 degrees F. Then take all the chile peppers and garlic on an aluminum sheet and toast for 6 minutes until fragrant. Remove chiles and let them cool before then removing the seeds and stems and chopped them into 1/4 inch pieces. Make sure to wash your hands, and DO NOT TOUCH YOUR EYE. Ouch.
Meanwhile in the oven before turning it off, toast the almonds and peanuts by putting them on on ungreased sheet in a single flat layer for 10-15 minutes, and then ground them in a food processor.
In a large skillet, heat without any oil on the pan the sesame seeds at medium heat until they are toasted and fragrant. Remove.
Now add oil on medium heat, add garlic and onions until soft. Then add all the toasted pepper pieces, coriander, cloves, cinnamon and chocolate. (Make sure you stir constantly until chocolate melts).
Add to skillet chicken broth, raisins, and your toasted almonds, peanuts and sesame seeds. Stir for about 15 minutes until sauce is thick.
Place everything from skillet in a blender or food processor and blend well.
Place sauce back in the skillet and stir for another 8 minutes, season with brown sugar or salt.

Now, the question is as you open up that beer what to pour this mole on. Enchiladas? Burritos? Maybe. You can continue to poach a protein (chicken, pork, tofu) in the sauce in the skillet. Or take the easy way out instead if you want and pour this on some store bought rotisserie chicken and eat it on Mexican rice.

And maybe you’ll have some beer left after dinner, and you’ll decide to follow suit from the menu at the Full Sail Pub and Tasting Room at Hood River and throw some vanilla ice cream in it and call the beer float your dessert! Don’t forget to check into the beer on Untappd – if you check in 2 different Oregon beers and you’ll get a special badge for this month. So go out and get a sampler tray from your local Oregon brewery!

Can you identify my sampler trays?
all the beers at Bridgeport Brewery in a sampler tray McMenamin's Ale Sampler tray for beer Laurelwood Beer Flight Deschutes Brewing, make your own beer sampler with 6 options possible from their menu which changes seasonally (though it has a few constant ones) Sampler tray from Upright Brewing Walk the Dog sampler, plus a glass of another beer, at the Hair of the Dog tasting room Tasting tray of beer at Coalition Brewing A sampler tray of beer at Breakside Brewery Tasters at Cascade Brewing, specializing in sour beers < Sampler at Fort George Brewing in Astoria. Back left to right: 1811 Lager, Quick Wit, Sunrise Oatmeal Pale Ale, Vortex IPA; Working Girl Porter, Cavatica Stout, Quiet Rye-It, Red Tide; OmegaTex, North 5, and Firkin Nut Red dry-hopped with Cascade Hops