Pechluck's blog

Brewvana + New School: Corvallis VIP Tour with Block 15

I've been able to enjoy the Brewvana van twice- once during my experience with Zwickelmania last year, and another time with sponsorship of Google Hotspot for writing reviews. This was my first time that I went directly for them for a specific tour... and heh, was a paying participant. When I saw on FB that Brewvana would be offering with New School beer blog a Corvallis VIP Tour with Block 15, I was excited. I thought the itinerary sounded really promising and full of new tastes for me, and of course I knew I had good experiences with Brewvana those two previous times. I was lucky I bought the tickets that evening while sitting at the bar of Bailey's Taproom and fortunate enough to think to catch up on my FB, because the tickets were all sold out the next day.

The tour on Saturday February 4 (sorry for the delay in my post- I did go international to 4 countries- soon to be covered in upcoming posts) coincided with the same day that Block 15 Brewing in Corvallis was releasing bottles of  two barrel aged beers. Batch 2 of Pappy's Dark Ale (a Dark Strong ale in bourban barrels), as well as the "lost barrels" of Super Nebula (Imperial Oatmeal Stout in bourbon barrels). I have liked many a Block 15 beer, and had both those beers last year at a Block 15 Pappy's Dark bottle release event at Hop & Vine 2011. More recently after hearing about their new restaurant/beer spot during a food tour, have been mentioning multiple times to others (fishing...) on how I would like to visit their beer cave. And, now here was the opportunity where I wouldn't have to worry about driving... Brewvana is going to chauffeur me there.

But wait! There's more! This trip not only included round trip transportation to Block 15, but also

• stops at Calapooia Brewing (known for its chili pepper beer) for beer samples and a behind the scenes tour with owner/brewer Mark Martin;
• and also a stop at Flat Tail Brewing with its more experimental beer selection and more samples with Head Brewer Dave Marliave;
• and a stop at Les Caves Bier and Kitchen (a recently opened European style bistro and beir bar with 16 rotating taps and over 100 bottled beers) for beer and dinner.
• And then, once finally at Block 15, besides accessing a taster tray of Pappy's Dark and Super Nebula 2010 and 2011 and Hypnosis 2011 (barrel-aged Barleywine) at Block 15, we also get to learn about their barrel-aging program and see behind the scenes!

Fun! Signed up!

Calapooia Brewing Visit,  a secret (even from residents down the street apparently) that is getting more successful and is bottling their incredible chili beer so its rise is underway. It was cool to hear how Calapooia was conceived and his philosophy for the brewery straight from head brewer and owner Mark Martin- and his cooler smelled wonderfully yeasty

Flat Tail Brewing, a brewery that loves to get creative and experiment, and our time with head brewer Dave Marliave also gave us insight into the art of concocting a beer and also insight on how it sounds fun and laid back environment but make no mistake, it is also a lot of hard work as a career choice.

Les Caves Bier and Kitchen. We started with a shared appetizer of Artisan Board with head cheese, Willamette cheddar cheese, pickled gherkins with stone ground mustard and fresh baked and torn bread. We then had a choice of 3 dishes (or another dish where we would pay the difference). We went with what was already offered: the Roasted Vegetable Strudel of oven roasted parsnips, squash, onions, peppers, fresh mozzarella & ricotta wrapped in a flaky crust with a pink peppercorn sour cream, served with a winter greens salad; and the Naturally house cured, smoked and steamed Painted Hills beef pastrami with stone ground mustard & crisp pickles on rye ciabatta 11 with gruyere cheese.

The Artisan Board was great, but I found the Strudel a bit too rich because of how buttery the crust was, while the pastrami was steamed too far into dryness. The ideas were good for the dishes- in theory they would match well with beer- but the execution was flawed in our dinners. The place was getting packed as we got there right when dinner was starting- maybe the kitchen got overwhelmed. I was much more conservative during dinner in not partaking in ordering from the huge beer menu because I wanted my palate ready for Block 15, but others couldn't resist the beer bottle list.

Finally, the highlight: the Block 15 visit! There has been no beer from this brewery I have not enjoyed, and I love their concept of aging beers. We tried last year's and this year's Pappy's Dark and Super Nebula and also another beer, Hypnosis, and aged (of course it's aged!) Barleywine. Nick Arzner showed us the maze of corridors that comprises their brewing and aging areas and his perspective of crafting beautifully complex beers.

We got a sneak peek at a still aging White Framboise made with white raspberries that is probably a one time thing- and is going to probably sell out in hours when it does release. We came in late in the day, after their release at the brewery, but he had set aside bottles for our group to purchase, thank goodness! Of all the breweries we visited this one was the most organized, demonstrating their attention to detail and care and control cascading to their work environment even though they work mostly in a basement.

The only negative of this trip was how the high alcohol content took a toll, so the bus ride home was full of half a bus of those who pehraps their volume sensitivity was not what it usually is, and the other half passed out trying to digest and give all our power to our livers (I went on this side),  all while scrunched into the very little legroom because the seats were made for children. The reality is that Brewvana is awesome and needs a real bus, not a school bus, similar to what size are used for wine tours: that amount of distance with that many people all day is just not comfortable. I don't see why wine tasters get to be comfotable but beer lovers don't. At least the treatment we get on the tour on and off the bus is definitely red carpet at least.

Brewvana only started a year ago and has been a huge success- and is now in its growing pains. Their concept for the various tours Brewvana offers is intriguing and is good for either those new to beer or experienced beer geeks, for those new or even those who have been in PDX for a while- the logistical arrangement, communication, sparkly fun energy and enthusiasm and passion Ashley and those involved bring- all of those combined make for a "doh! I can't believe that's her job!" and you can't help but absorb that vivacity she has during the tour and you can't help but have fun.

Thanks so much for Ashley of Brewvana and Ezra of the New School for putting this fantastic trip together, for the brewers and their staff for their hospitality and generosity with me and the other beer geeks, and also Jason the bus driver for his patience and amazing skills for both speedy and safe driving, and the other beer geeks for being beer geeks but not beer snobs and letting us into their circle for a little bit.

So I realize that as usual, there is no photographic proof on my own camera that I am even present. Fortunately, Ashley took a bunch of photos as well, which I have stolen a few that had me in them as proof of life and am sharing here. All these photos belong and were taken by Ashley Rose, the lovely beer effervescent princess of Brewvana from the Brewvana Flickr album which has more photographic proof of how much fun they are always having.

A visit to Cascade Brewing

Thanks to JnJ for their gift card to F for his birthday, as it funded what you see here (ok.... many months later) at Cascade Brewing Barrel House... well, on my part (I didn't photograph his food or beers). Tasters of some of their sour beers (their speciality), a cup of Saison Beer Cheese soup (very cheesy!), and Curried Chicken Salad, a mixture of smoked chicken, mango chutney, celery, red onion & seasonal fresh fruit (in autumn this is apples) tossed in a yogurt-based curried dressing served on a bed of greens with bread. Aside from the Chicken Salad I had from Kenny and Zuke's, this is the best chicken salad I have had so far in Portland. And of course, if you like sour beers, you will love it here... if you aren't as big of a fan, they do have some other beers but that's the point here... at least try a sampler of a few of the sours. I'm not a big sour fan, but even I really enjoyed a couple of them. Open up your mind and palate to something new!

Denver/Boulder visit: Beer at Left Hand, Avery, and Oskar Blues

Left Hand Brewing Company has been on my radar thanks to their smooth Milk Stout (which I first had in Chicago), so when I had to go to Denver/Boulder area for some customer visits for work, I made it a stop on my list. List? You betcha. The way I travel for work is that I map out the customer locations, pick a hotel convenient to them, and then immediately look for highly rated reviewed restaurants in the area- I don't leave it to chance to just find a place though I can flex that way at my coworkers' discretion. I may be working, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy some of the local specials.

At Left Hand, you can make your own sampler at the Left Hand tasting room, four tastings for $4, from the tap list of a dozen-  and in additions one of them you will have a choice of nitro or normal tap. When you pick out your tasters, they have little laminated cards from an index card box the bartender will pull so you can enjoy your mini-snifters with a description as well.

For my sampler I went the dark beer route with the Milk Stout on nitro- both the cream and the nitro made it quite smooth and silky indeed; the BlackJack an English style porter that was quite chocolatey; the Wake Up Dead whose licorice aftertaste in the Russian Imperial Stout gave it a kick, and the Fade to Black 3 Pepper Porter that had a very small hint of a taste of spicy tobacco but mostly darkness as appropriately titled.

I should also say there was NO ONE in the bathroom which is why I was ok with taking this photo of what the stalls looked like in the (of course) ladies room... glass filled with grains! They have very minimal food- just snacks like chips and pretzels, nothing that could even be a meal- so keep that in mind and eat beforehand or have plans to eat nearby. If you are looking for a suggestion, try SugarBeet which is where we had local seasonal American cuisine for our dinner.

The next day, we had dinner at Avery Brewing, which I saw had excellent reviews from those who visited. Opening the beer menu to see 21 beers listed was quite eye opening- as is the fact that you can get any of these in a tastings so you make your own flight. For the picture I borrowed my coworkers' beer to show the rainbow at our table of tasters, they aren't all mine.

I tried out the Hand Drawn Ellie's Brown Ale, Out of Bounds Stout (if it wasn't for dinner and not wanting to be up from caffeine maybe I would have braved the Out of Sight House Blend that adds a cold coffee toddy to the beer), Hog Heaven Barleywine style ale, and Freckles Saison (a wedding ale brewed with rosehips, cherries and orange peel). I would have had the Fumator which is a strong ale that is smoked and aged in whiskey barrels for 3 months but they were unfortunately out. It was amazing we found this as it is way back from the main street with a small sign, but we felt like we had found a hidden secret and were happy with our experience. They serve food here, though it is mostly appetizers and burgers and sandwiches.

Oskar Blues' Liquids and Solids was conveniently located across the street from the hotel, and offers beers in the pint, half sized for half price, and also beer flights of 5 tasters. I enjoyed the Honey Badger Smoked Porter, which unfortunately spoiled me for the One Nut Brown I had second.

So close to the several Marriott hotels that you can walk there and back, just be careful crossing the local highway. Of the three breweries, this one was most friendly to family dining as it can offer a full meal and had a big menu that could satisfy anyone, including mostly southern food but also healthy and vegetarian items (even if it's tongue in cheek, such as an item named "There's a Hippie in My House" for one vegetarian sandwich and a Margherita pizza includes "yuppies unite" in the description even as their pizza dough uses beer as part of the dough to give it a bit of hop).

The only food I remembered to photograph was a fast food lunch that I had picked out as we were in a tight timeline between appointments: Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers. The atmosphere showed its history from the original Freddy with pictures on the wall and the semi-nostalgic 50s diner fashioned feel that I hadn't seen since. And, they are insanely generous with their crispy thin cut shoestring fries, which you can have with ketchup or add their own special seasoning or their cheese sauce. The meat is lean sirloin rather then just ground beef and thin so when grilled they become sorta crispy, especially the edges which are so thin they are almost like lace made of meat or burnt cheese on a grill.

Next stop: Boston

Fire & Brimstone Beer Event

The Hop & Vine, a bottle shop of beer and wine that also serves as a drinking and light eating establishment, had a special beer event last weekend called Fire & Brimstone. I was really excited for this event because the beers offered were all smoked beers or chili beers. These are beer profiles I really really like. So there I was, at the beginning of the festival, among the first dozen there...

After taste-testing all that were on tap, for the smoked beers the ones that rose to the top included the Emlisse Rauchbier that had a smoky porkyness to it, the Oakshire Lil'Smokey's combination of smoke and coffee flavor was appreciated, and Caldera Rauch Ur Bock had a very liquid bbq profile. For Chili, the Calapooia Chili beer, an amber ale with fresh Anaheim, Serrano, and Jalapeno peppers was my favorite in that it offered an initial cool pepper freshness followed by the heat at the end in each mouthful.

Here are some photos from that event as we enjoyed all the beers on the patio, along with some snacks. Not pictured was an awesome pickled plate that included pickled pineapple!

Another visit to Breakside Brewing

I saw Breakside Brewing had just released their bourbon barreled Aztec on Wednesday, so  I had to go check it out. The Aztec is their take on an American strong ale. It is dark (my type of beer) and brewed with honey malt, cocoa, and a mix of Serrano and Habanero chiles. This is a regular on their tap, but this version was additionally aged in bourbon barrels, which I found tamed the spice so it was less backside taste of English Indian curry as instead there was more rounded smoothness, with even a tinge of hard alcohol sweetness. It is sweet, spicy, and strong (12%).

I selected for dinner Breakside Brewing's Curry Fried Chicken served on a bed of mashed potatoes and seasonal local veggies topped with a curry bechamel, fresh pico de gallo, and crispy onions. It went really well to compliment the beer- the chicken was moist with a thick crispy fried skin, the mashed potatoes were creamy as was the curry sauce (resonating the smooth but spicy of the beer), the veggies were cooked right to bring out some color of the broccoli but it was still crisp, and the pico de gallo balanced it out with a bit of tart juicy acid. I would order this dish again, depending on the beer I am highlighting.

Not that of course as soon as we sat down we didn't as a group once again order the excellent blue cheese waffle fries. You can't come here without ordering that again. We also tried on the barkeep's recommendation the Fire Roasted Jalapeno Poppers, fresh jalapenos stuffed by hand with chorizo, jack, cheddar, and cream cheeses, herbs, and spices... which I liked though not as much as the blue cheese waffle fries (photo of fries from previous visit- I was drinking beer when the fries came thanx)

Other dishes served to my beer drinking companions included two other appetizers since they are so generously sized: Breakside Brewery's Housemade Hummus and Marinated Veggie Plate with olives, Italian marinated tomatoes, cucumbers, pickled onion, pepperoncini, feta, and pita; and their Nachos with housemade pico de gallo, jack and cheddar cheese, black beans, sliced jalapenos, guacamole and sour cream

The only other entree that night was the Lambwich 1/2 lb Lamb/Beef patty cooked to your liking, served on a Brioche bun with pesto mayo and Tzatziki Sauce topped with red peppers, pickled onions, lettuce, and tomato, with a side of salad

In terms of breweries to visit, Breakside and their regular update of their beer offerings weekly on Wednesday with special collaborations makes it one of my most highly recommended brewery to visit when in Portland, kicking out my previous choice of Rogue to try "unique beers", and it even pushes me to go outside my usual downtownish/Pearl hood for beer.

Oregon Brewer's Festival 2011

Starting tomorrow to Sunday... the annually held Oregon Brewer's Festival. Located by the Waterfront to the river, the festival offers four days with several stages for music and this year 85 breweries each pouring a showcase beer in tastings for $1 or glasses for $4. Also, a Buzz Tent with 8 rarer experimental taps that will be kicking all weekend since they are smaller kegs so that tent will continually be refreshed with new offerings.

To avoid the crowds, I am with a small group that took Thursday(tomorrow) off and will be sitting by the Buzz Tent to keep an eye on the rare beers. Going earlier always means it is less crowded, especially if it is before the after work crowd or Saturday late afternoon/evening people.

Photo from last year's OBF

You can find the regular beer list here (though I like this list at Portland Beer better since it has descriptions, although the one on the official site has #s for the locations so you can more efficiently plan your various tent visits). The Rare Tap List is overall listed here but Twitter #OBFBuzzTent will announce when new beers are ready to taste all weekend. Entry to the event is free, though you have to purchase tokens and a $6 tasting mug to drink that is reusable the whole weekend in lieu of any entrance cost. There is some food available at the festival thanks to six restaurants that will have booths, but you can also bring your own food. I have XXX Sharp Cheddar and Bergonost cheese from Yancey's with crackers all ready.

Some beers I am particularly looking forward to that caught my eye from the taplists:

• Burnside Brewing's Gratzer, a smoked beer style which they just unveiled recently
• Dogfish Head's Black & Red, which is a Raspberry Mint Imperial Stout, I wonder if those flavors will work... “A velvety smooth “dry-minted” stout with a serious fruit problem! Heavily roasted grains brings forth a dry, chocolaty character that contrasts with the sweet, fruity full-bodied flavor. But it’s not really black – it’s a very deep red, and the foam has a pinkish hue. A hundred pounds of spearmint and peppermint in secondary fermentation help the beer finish sweet and smooth.”
• Kona Brewing Co's Sassy Grassy, a beer described as "Ginger Lemongrass Quencher"
• Old Market Pub & Brewery is offering a beer named Berried Alive! which is a Belgian Boysenberry Ale. “336 pounds of Oregon boysenberries and 110 pounds of Oregon raspberries in the secondary fermenter on top of a six-grain malt bill weren’t sufficient to make this beer stand out for Old Market brewers. They then fermented the brew with Trappist high gravity yeast and aged it in Pinot Noir barrels. Low hop levels let you better taste the fruit and oaky, smoky notes.”
• Also in the fruity style is Widmer Brothers Brewing Foggy Bog Cranberry Ale, which promises tartness in its ale profile
• Three Creeks Brewing FivePine Chocolate Porter sounds just my style- I'm a stout and porter type of girl
• Prodigal Son Brewery and their Bruce Lee Porter, ok maybe partially because of the name
• On the other hand, despite the name, Boneyard Beer's Girl Beer which is a Pilsner with "Eighty-eight pounds of sweet dark cherry puree in the secondary give the English Ale yeast something to do while this one waits to make up her mind"
• Many things on the Buzz Tent List sound delicious, but I am most excited for Ale Industries'Dry Hogged Bacon Brown and Maui's Imperial CoCoNuT Porter and Stone Brewing Co's Stone Smoked Porter w/Vanilla Beans

Possible Faceoffs:

• Ginger as an ingredient- Blue Frog Grog's Ginger Meyer Ann (with lemon) VS Kona's Sassy Grassy (with lemongrass) VS Black Diamond Brewin'gs Oranje World (with orange) VS New Belgium's Somersault (with apricot)
• Berry Bash- Dogfish's Black & Red VS Old Market Pub's Berried Alive VS Ram's Berry White VS Cascade's Razberry Wheat vs Vertigo's Razz Wheat VS Boneyard's Girl Beer
• Porter Time- FiftyFifty's Donner Party Porter VS Laughing Dog's Anubis Imperial Porter VS Maui's CoCoNut Porter VS Prodigal Son's Bruce Lee Porter VS Three Creeks FivePine Chocolate Porter

Pics from Yesterday: Bailey's Taproom for Germanfest, Cartopia for FourSquare Day

We started out with the Germanfest at Bailey's Taproom. Our group of 7 were fortunate enough to get a great seat by the front so that we could watch Rob Widmer deliver the Widmer Alt in his red pickup truck thanks to our pre-sale tickets  that for a $10 more allowed us in 2 hours earlier in a more leisurely drinking environment since it was limited admission. Usually we have a small cheese plate with a little bread to help absorb the alcohol since we seem to insist each time at these festivals on trying every single beer. This time with 7 of us and because we wanted a German theme to the food it got a little crazier.

As a plus though, I was introduced to Edelweiss Deli, which is where all the cut up cheeses, the Champion bread with its seedy goodness, and the hungarian, paprika, and pepper salami came from, as well as some European chocolate and gummy candy.

The cheese board you see is what I usually bring and fits the wedge for the table, but since I thought we might have more cheese then we could fit on the plate this time based on snack roll call the day before, I cut mine into cubes. In the left, largest compartment was a favorite of many, the havarti with caraway. To the right of that was a traditional German brick cheese- which tasted creamy but also had a bit of a smell that necessitated using a toothpick unless you wanted to smell it all day. In the smaller compartments, from left to right, was the butterkase, a smoked cheese, and then I cut up pieces of a Bees and Beans honey bar.

More pictures of various brews. My personal favorites were the Vertigo Zen Dunkelweizen with its touch of banana; Berlinerweiss in various combinations with the syrups they had ranging from raspberry and huckleberry to the mysterious woodruff (the raspberry accounts for the pink beer you see); the Cascade 10 Autumn Gose offered Cascade's signature tartness but not too sour; the Oakshire Schwarz Black Wolf offered some roasty malt; and Rauchbier, at least the first time around- I liked the smokiness, but it was overwhelming on my second 6oz pour- but great with the salami. Others also liked the Heater Allen Hugo Bock and the Hopworks "What the Helles" Helles Bock. Thanks for the 19 beers Bailey's!

We then went to Cartopia to help celebrate Four Square Day with a Swarm Party. Every checkin at Whiffies that night would garner a $1 donation to the Red Cross for Japan- and we got to eat some delicious cart food from Whiffies (fried pie, with here a filler of BBQ Beef Brisket with Mozzarella), Potato Champion  (fresh cut, twice fried, Belgian-style pomme frites, served in a paper cone. They are just as crispy as they look) and from Pyro Pizza (Italian style wood oven fired White Truffle pizza that has white truffle oil brushed on the dough and then is topped with romano cheese and a dash of black pepper. Next time, I'll try to remember to ask to add as an additional topping basil or sundried tomatoes).

Bailey's and Santeria go together like milk and cookies

I've certainly mentioned Bailey's Taproom often enough, but I may not have mentioned that almost every time we go there, we also get the best Mexican we have found in Portland so far, Santeria. Sure, it's a hole in the wall, hidden between Mary's and convenience store and Tugboat and Bailey's along a tiny street. But, they are fast, delicious, and deliver to your table at Bailey's as you are enjoying the inevitable taster tray because Bailey's has rotated their taps (as they do every week) and now there are a dozen new beers you may not have had before. No wonder we come here weekly. This time though, we tried to capture the experience with our guests.

When you walk into Bailey's first grab a table. There a lot of 2-tops and only a few that can comfortably fit more. Ignore the armchairs- not if you want to eat anyway, because the tables by them are low. After you have claimed your territory, come up to the front to read the beer menu in plastic sheets. The front has all the drafts, the back is all bottles. The chalkboard also has the list of all the drafts - but the menu has more detailed descriptions of each beer on tap.

You can order a pint, or a 10 oz, or tell the good man that you want a sampler and he will give you a little sticky to write down your do it yourself tray. Order by number!

Once you have your liquid deliciousness safely at your table, now is the time to get the solid delicious stuff. You can actually grab a Santeria menu from the barkeep and call your order, but we like to walk across that little alley in order to see what the specials are and see what is available, and that way when they come deliver your order they can find you since there is a good chance the delivery person has already seen you. After you order, hurry back to plot how you are going to fit the food and drinks on the table. In this photo below, the left side of the table ordered single tacos so it came on a smaller plate, but the food are usually the size of the platters you see on the right.

One thing Santeria does well are mole. Also, their tinga is outstanding- it is chicken or a vegan version using soy chorizo, cooked to a nice spicy burn with cooked with chorizo, tomatillo's, onions, tomatoes, and chipotle peppers. Add mole and tinga for a super combination of spicy flavor bursting with every bite- you'll need the rice and beans to give your tongue a break. And your beer of course. Below are Mole enchiladas with tinga in brown mole sauce.

If you can't decide what kind of meat you want, try the First Class Flight which includes 3 tacos, one each of the Tinga taco, Pastor taco (sweet pork cooked with onions and pineapple) and Cochinita taco (a tarter Mayan recipe with pork slow cooked in orange juice, lime, achiote and banana leaves) served with rice, beans and guacamole for a very filling meal. Alternatively, you can switch out the Tinga taco for the saltier Carnitas taco if you order the When Pigs Fly taco flight instead. Below is the First Class Flight.

If you want to really absorb alcohol though, the burritos are the best choice. Thick and stuffed with alcohol absorbing deliciousness. I often get the Chorizo Burrito (filled with chorizo, eggs, cheese and pinto beans) to get lots of protein, or if I am feeling a bit sweet and spicy and no-bean please I get the Pastor Burrito with pastor, rice, cilantro and onion. More recently I've been getting the Fish (Pescado) Burrito with breaded cod, rice, refried beans, lettuce, pico de gallo, and sour cream because although hey, it's a burrito, I've been crushing on the texture of the crunchy deep fried flaky fish inside the soft burrito. For a hint of what's inside, it's the same kind of fish that would use for what you see below in my fish taco (I did just eat 3/4 of a Cheesus/Quesus before I got here after all). I like to switch out the sour cream for salty Cotija cheese but when F goes over to order on my behalf he always forgets, thus you see sour cream on the taco which is the normal combination.

If you are veggie, you can get the vegan burrito (Black beans, rice, lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole)- they always bring you the green and red sauce but request the habanero one to really kick that burrito up. Or, get the burrito using veggie chorizo or vegan tinga. Below check out the vegan taco version, and the size of a burrito- in this case a vegan chorizo burrito. Another plus of the burrito is that you don't need to manage silverware on your table and you can hold the swaddled warm burrito in one hand and your beer in another. It also can take less space because the swaddling is so good you don't really need the plate

Don't forget to eat the carrot! It's pickled but spicy, don't waste it! After you are done, bus up your dishes and empty glasses to the bar where the beer dude will hold it for the Santeria person to take back, get your one beer that didn't fit on the 6-drink sampler tray, maybe in a 10oz or pint. Don't be surprised if you eat everything... or if you want to run back over to Santeria for a takeout container. It's a little hole in the wall, but it's good authentic Mexican- surprising almost everyone because the looks really are deceiving here. I didn't even have this on the list for my guests to eat, since they were from LA I assumed good Mexican was a dime a dozen so had other food in mind- but F insisted, and since other F wanted Bailey's anyway, this ended up working out. And... this was judged to be really good Mexican by them. In fact, this is not the first time that Santeria has heard from LA residents about how authentic and better their food is!

Now, drink, talk, play. Bailey's has boardgames if you would like to play a game, but on my part our weekly visit is also our "lots of talking about work, the local/national/world news, gossip of our friends, etc" catch-up time that is so easy to fall out of at home when you have your own computers and TVs and one wants to play a videogame while the other wants to read a book in bed, etc. Email and Twitter and FB can't compare to actual conversation and goofy faces. No one is there rushing us out like a date night at a restaurant, there's no TV that inevitably draws your eyes away from the people you're with... it is like 21st century Cheers. Actually, all the guys who run or work at Bailey's do know our names when we go in... and we recognize many of the other regulars as they probably do us. Awww.

Zwickelmania 2011

Saturday February 19th 2011 was the third annual Zwickelmania. Zwickelmania is hosted by the Oregon Brewers Guild (OBG) and is a five hour statewide event in which many breweries throughout Oregon open their doors and offer visitors a chance to tour the breweries, meet the brewers, and sample their favorite beers... Various shuttle buses sponsored by Rogue or Brewvana drove different routes to take those who didn't want to drive or bike/wanted to visit multiple breweries on a route in a row from stop to stop... and did I mention all for free? Amazing.

Each brewery has different offerings. The ones that I specifically set my sights on for my first time doing Zwickelmania were first choice, Laurelwood, that was offering cupcake and beer pairings. Meanwhile, Alameda's free tastings were 2 beers: My Bloody Valentine (a Blood Orange Saison), and Caffeinated Bear (a special keg of their award winning Black Bear XX Stout infused with 3 pounds worth of cold-brewed Kobos coffee per keg) sounded interesting. Fellow enjoyer of deliciousness H wanted to see Columbia River Brewing (new to Portland and they had purchased the location of Laurelwood Pizza) and Upright (which we had both separately kept wanting to visit, but neither of us had ever been), both of which were also on the same route as my two top picks, so we headed out at 10:30 to start our brewery open house adventure on the N/NE route.

We decided to start with Columbia River Brewing. After parking the car along a neighborhood street, she risked my life by dashing out in front of an approaching car to cross the street but was cautious about crossing in front of a car that had to turn onto the street from a driveway. We still ended up at Columbia River Brewing before they opened at 11, and tried to casually peruse their food menu (highlighted by an offering we saw of a Black Angus Beef burger stuffed with bacon and cheese) and waited a few beats after they opened the doors. This was their first time on Zwickelmania as well, and after they generously poured pretzels and some sliced hye roll onto serving platters and offered glasses of water, Rick the brewer took us on a tour. He talked about the various barley he uses- he sometimes will even mix them, and he has in his recipe book more then 80 some recipes, some which are 200 years old. He also told us about how he became a brewer, which started with a short apprenticeship in England where he fell in love with beer and brewing while on vacation and started learning the ropes right there on vacation. Unfortunately we only had 30 some minutes before the shuttle was scheduled to stop, so we left as the group was starting to get samples directly from the tanks.

Smelling and tasting the samples of the grains ingredients that can be used in the beer recipes. I found it endearing that they were labeled using obviously hand-torn paper from a notepad that advertised a drug (Clavamax- which is an antibiotic for dogs and cats!). Also, their old school tanks, which are not automated/computerized - the only technology is monitoring the temperature.

Next stop was Laurelwood Public House and Brewery. They had advertised that they would be pouring four, but they actually gave out samples of five, although only four were officially paired with a dessert item. The beer samples included the Organic Expresso Stout, Beer X, and Vanilla Porter at one table, and at a smaller stand the Moose and Squirrel Imperial Stout and the Bourbon Olde Reliable Barleywine. This was definitely the highlight for me of all the brewery stops.

The chocolate cupcake with expresso whipped cream was paired with the Laurelwood organic expresso stout. The expresso stout has a coffee taste profile to it that comes out quite clearly, while the cupcake was moist and perfect. Ok, I had two of them. I wouldn't be surprised if this was true of other tasters too... we got there 20 minutes before the Laurelwood posted opening time of noon, but they were already pouring and tasting, and a little bit later they had to bring out the big refills of the food, and those cupcakes were being displayed on the real working instead of the pretty trays. That tray made such a welcoming sight for your eyes though upon first entering the crowded little tankroom (though we saw a loft lounge on the 2nd floor!)

The chocolate cupcake with chili is paired with the Laurelwood vanilla porter. The chocolate cupcake with chili just had a little bit of that chili dusting on the cream to balance out the sweet and bitter that was present in the vanilla porter. Meanwhile, the dried cherry and orange peel chocolate bark was paired with the Laurelwood Beer X so that the fruit tartness could further add to the complexity of Beer X. I also used the bark to balance out the Moose and Squirrel Russian Imperial Stout, which was too bitter for my liking.

Our favorite pairing of the day was the smokey ginger and bacon cookie sandwich with mapple cream filling, paired with the bourbon barrel aged Olde Reliable barley wine. The cookie was huge and chewy, and since the barleywine has a bitter finish, the sugar on the ginger cookie could add a bit of sweetness along with the maple cream, while the little pieces of chopped bacon in the cookie gave it a bit of savory salt

Next stops, and with less pictures, were Alameda and Upright. Alameda's offering My Bloody Valentine, a Blood Orange Saison, was amazing. I was expecting more blood orange undercurrent to it, so it was not quite what I expected, but still a beer to kick back and enjoy. Meanwhile the Caffeinated Bear (a special keg of their award winning Black Bear XX Stout infused with 3 pounds worth of cold-brewed Kobos coffee per keg) definitely had upped the intensity of the coffee flavor- up to tasting like it had a shot of expresso in my beer- without enough of the roast and chocolate to smooth it out, though I'm someone who likes sugar and cream with my coffee and would never drink a plain expresso. At Upright's basement tasting room, we shared a $6 tasting tray (they had about 10 beers to choose from, though only half were their own and others were guest) as well as tasting a beer tapped from the tank by a brewer for free. Then we rode the Brewvana shuttle for the last time back to Columbia. Thanks Brewvana, for the transport and the complimentary pretzel necklaces and bottled water, and we'd be interested to see what kind of tours you'll be putting together (they open in April). The photo of the art on the top of the bus ceiling tells you their attitude towards beer.

Finally, it was time for food. We decided on Burnside Brewing- thanks H! We started with fries and she with oatmeal pale ale and I with the apricot wheat and scotch bonnet pepper ale. That pepper ale is basically like super jacked up pepperjack beer- difficult to drink on its own, but it actually was fine with my entree until I was full. On the other hand, we appreciated how the oatmeal added a touch of smooth cream, just a touch, to the pale ale. Fries were nothing special- just absorbers of grease (and alcohol, so there is that). Tossing this in a little bit of truffle oil or parmesan or garlic or adding interesting dips like cheese sauce or curry would have made this so much better. The fries, essentially, need something else.

For our entrees, H had the excellently executed Duck Menage a Trois which was cooked perfectly to crispness while still being moist with juices, while my super meaty and savory Thundering Stampede 3-meat meatloaf was also really good. My meaty entree of meatloaf was enhanced by the addition of buffalo and elk and then the whole thing wrapped in bacon made for some complex savoryness. The meat was accompanied along with some slightly undercooked fingerling potatoes (too bad, as I wanted it to wipe up all the juice on the plate) and the vinaigrette dressed greens which balanced the savory of the meat with just the right amount of acid. Did I mention how meaty savory good the meatloaf was? Great great entrees.

Just like the appetizer though, the dessert also disappointing. The description, Bacon-Maple Ice Cream Banana Split with Chocolate Stout Sauce, intrigued us from the start. I was expecting a stronger bacon profile- like chunks of bacon- with the ice cream, those flecks weren't cutting it. Fifty Lick's bacon ice cream is far superior. Still, if I wanted some good food with my beer and not just adequate food, as long as you're ordering an entree, Burnside does offer more substantial complex entrees then any other brewery I've visited so far. It is gastropub rather then comfort food pub grub, aka restaurant quality entree that might draw you here even without the beer offerings (although the atmosphere here is standard northwest brewery- exposed ceiling, minimialist industrial with lots of wood to warm it up). Too bad the appetizer and dessert are still at the typical brewpub level, so not as standout and leads to an uneven menu.

Burnside is still so young though, so much potential is there. And, after reading the yelp reviews later, I wish I had tried the appetizer of Cohiba- I had noticed it when reading the menu but passed since I was interested in the entrees. The cohiba is a raved about offering of Duck Confit, crispy crepe, wrapped in collard greens. Maybe when we go back and get their dry Irish Stout, which was still on deck when we visited?

Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.

A coworker had a birthday this past week. His pick was a birthday treat for our team from Ken's but that the cakes Ken's had were passed over instead for macarons. He got two kinds, the sweeter orange ones as well as the spicy chocolate ones. I sampled both (even though each was probably 2 inches wide so these are nice big macarons) and the spicy chocolate are far superior by balancing rich chocolate with that dusting of pepper. I think the orange ones would be much better as part of a high tea but in the regular macaron size, they were a bit too creamy sweet for my taste anyway, though I think many in the team chose that over the idea of the heat in the chocolate. After a discussion of how macarons vs macaroons suddenly we were talking about other bakery goodies, and out came the word "cannoli" and the famous quote from the Godfather.

So of course this weekend I had an urge for some cannoli. I was hoping to find a place that would offer a version that would fulfill my craving without having to resort to asking my sister to ship them from her current hometown Boston from Mike's Pastry. But, as luck would have it, there is a bakery that is well reviewed for them in North Portland, only a few blocks from a yellow Max line stop. The cannoli I got are size small (they have small and large ones available but I think the small is  the perfect sweet 4 bites) at Di Prima Dolci on Killingsworth. I could not resist also buying some bread (I'm almost always a wuss for getting bread from a bakery- that aroma is too intoxicating to not take a bit with me) and well as pignoli cookies. The pignoli cookies are made with almond dough that then is rolled in pine nut, resulting in a cookie that is soft and chewy while having a light nutty flavor.

The take home from my errand run

This bakery stop worked out perfectly because they are just a door down from Hop & Vine's release party with Block 15 of  bottled Pappy's Dark, one of the highlights IMHO of the recent Bailey's Cellarfest. Unfortunately they were only allowing one bottle per customer, so I only was able to snag one for our beer cellar. Hop and Vine had Pappy's Dark on tap, and I also got to try their Super Nebula, a Bourbon Barrel-Aged Oatmeal Imperial Stout which I actually decided I liked better then Pappy's Dark. The oatmeal gives it a bit more creaminess to the malty bourbon flavor profile of the beer. I can't wait until next year, as Nick said they might try to get more in the bottle next year of Pappy's, but also release both Pappy's and Super Nebula as their February bottles. Since he is also dropping off a keg and a case at Bailey's though, I might be able to get a second bottle so I am not torn between savoring and sharing its goodness versus saving and investing the beer. I know Block 15 is pretty new to the brewery scene, but they are definitely creating a unique impression with their barrel fermentation and mixing palate, keep the liquid deliciousness coming!