New Brewery Opening in Gresham

As you may have heard, Main St. Ale has closed their downtown Gresham location and are opening up as 4th Street Brewing in a brand new state-of-the-art building on 4th and Roberts in the heart of historic downtown Gresham.

4th Street Brewing will feature a family-friendly restaurant, a brewery, a sports-lover's dream sports bar with 9 hi-def TVs, and unparalleled hi-tech meeting spaces on the second floor.

The brewery will open December 1st, and they are currently brewing in the new space already. The hand-crafted mainstay beers will be the same as the ones previously at Main St (for a list, click here).

In addition to the mainstay beers, Adam will also be brewing a wide variety of seasonal beers. One of the unique things about 4th street brewing is that they will be featuring a rotating lager year-round.

For more info, check out their new website at www.4thstreetbrewing.com

Brouwer's has some "Big Wood" for you!

Head down to Brouwer's in the Fremont area of Seattle for their Big Wood Festival. Starting Thursday, December 4th at 11am and running until Sunday, December 7th, they'll have 40-50 wood beers on tap for your perusal. There's no entry fee, and beers will be available in sample sizes so you don't hit the floor after only a few. If you don't want to miss any of the beers, head down on Thursday; if you're looking to avoid the super crazy crowds, try Sunday afternoon. Either way, once these beers are gone, they're gone.

For more information, give Brouwer's a holler at 206.267.BIER

FREE Thanksgiving Dinner

For the last 13 years the Cheerful Tortoise has hosted a FREE Thanksgiving turkey dinner for their customers as a way to say thank you for their business. Come down and get your gobble on from 11am-5pm on Turkey Day. 21 and over only, ID is required, and drinks are not included. The Cheerful Tortoise is located at 1939 SW 6th Ave. Portland, OR. Call 503.224.3377 for more information.

Calling all Seattle-ites: Come Celebrate the Holiday Season at the Winter Beer Festival!

The Washington Beer Commission will present its 4th Annual Winter Beer Festival on December 5-6 at the Hale's Palladium at Hale's Ales Brewery & Pub and winter beer fans are in for a great treat. This year participating breweries are invited to bring multiple styles of beer. The result is the biggest beer lineup ever, almost doubling last year's list.

A new addition to the festival this year is a beer and chocolate pairings in partnership with Chocolate Box, a premium chocolate purveyor in downtown Seattle, adding another dimension to winter beer appreciation!

FOOD:
Hale's Ales Brewpub will serve up its fine pub cuisine straight from its kitchen to complement the bold flavors of the winter beers.

HOLIDAY GIFT SHOP:
At the Winter Beer Festival guests can get an early start on holiday shopping while enjoying the beer. The Holiday Gift Shop will feature a variety of brewery merchandise and beer-related goods waiting to be wrapped up and taken home.

ADMISSION:
$23 advance tickets or $25 at the door
Admission includes a tasting cup & six 5.5oz tastes
Designated driver admission is $5 and available at the door only
Must be 21 years old or older and have a valid ID
Tickets are on sale online at here and at select outlets.

WABL ADVANTAGES:
WABL (WAshington Beer Lovers Club) members will receive two bonus tokens and will get to try the 2008 Winter Fest WABL Beer. WABL Beer is brewed by a different WA brewery for each Commission festival and is available exclusively to WABL members. In addition, WABL members will be admitted one hour only both Friday and Saturday during WABL Hour when they can have the entire festival all to themselves.

BENEFICIARY:
The Winter Beer Festival is a fund raiser for the Washington Beer Commission, the first commission of its kind in the nation. Washington Beer is recognized internationally as being the highest quality thanks to the dynamic energy and creativity of the brewers and fresh ingredients available in our state. Established in July 2007 the Commission represents all 90+ breweries in Washington State and its mission is to ensure that more beer enjoyed in Washington state is made by its own craft brewers, using ingredients from our state's agricultural industry.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Web site: www.washingtonbeer.com/wbf.htm

Holiday Ale Festival has an early gift for beer lovers!

The Holiday Ale Festival is giving beer lovers a gift by opening one day early, and rewarding those who come with a selection of rare and vintage kegs!

The 13th annual Holiday Ale Festival will take place Dec. 3 through 7 at Pioneer Courthouse Square, located at 701 SW Sixth Ave. in downtown Portland. Hours for the event are 3 to 9 p.m. Wed., 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thurs. through Sat., and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sun. The event has also expanded, increasing its capacity to better accommodate the crowds.

In addition to the three-dozen specialty winter beers that will pour all five days, the festival will tap a limited selection of hidden treasures on opening day; once they run dry, they're gone. Beer aficionados can look forward to tasting 2005 Samichlaus, the strongest lager in the world; BridgePort Old Knucklehead, Fred Eckhardt Vintage No. 11; 2006 and 2007 Jim, a strong ale blended specifically for the festival by director Preston Weesner and Hair of the Dog Brewing Co.; 2007 Scaldis Noel from Brasserie Dubuisson; 2007 Allagash Curieux, a Belgian tripel aged in Jim Beam barrels; and 2007 Anchor Foghorn, among others.

These rare beers will join the festival lineup of winter warmers, most of which cannot be found outside the event. Among the highlights, look for Alameda's Papa Noel's Special Reserve, Cascade Brewing's Drie Zwarte Pieten "Sangnoir", Deschutes' Mirror Mirror Barleywine, Collaborator Hallucinator, Firestone Walker's Velvet Merkin Stout, Full Sail's Dry Hopped Wassail, Golden Valley's Oaken Bomb, Hopwork's Noggin Floggin Barleywine, Lagunitas' Black Pepper Chocolate Stout, Lompoc's Brewdolph, New Belgium's Abbey Grand Cru, Stone's Smoked Porter with vanilla beans, Rogue's Yellow Snow IPA, Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot Ale, Pyramid's Snow Cap'n & Tennille, and Track Town's Oak Rum Stout. A complete list is available at www.holidayale.com.

Admission into the venue is free. To taste beer, the purchase of an initial $20 tasting package is required, which includes a souvenir mug and 10 beer tickets. It takes four tickets for a full mug of beer, or one ticket for a taste. Additional beer tickets can be purchased for $1 apiece. The festival stops selling beer tickets one-half hour prior to taps closing. The Holiday Ale Festival is for ages 21 and over.

Despite being held outdoors in the chilly month of Dec., more than 15,000 festival attendees stay warm and dry under a large clear-topped tent that covers the venue. Gas heaters create a cozy ambiance beneath the boughs of the region's largest decorated Christmas tree. In addition to beer tasting, the festival also features on-site food, event merchandise, complimentary root beer for designated drivers, mead sampling, and seasonal background music.

Returning to the event is the fifth annual Belgian Beer Brunch taking place on Dec. 7 from 10 a.m. to Noon on the upper level of Pioneer Courthouse Square. The auxiliary event features European pastries, meats and cheeses to accompany an assortment of Belgian winter beers not available at the festival itself. Tickets cost $35 and are available at www.holidayale.com.


About the Holiday Ale Festival
The Holiday Ale Festival is the most prestigious winter beer sampling opportunity on the West Coast, and is a joyous tradition among beer lovers who treasure the big beers of winter. Held outdoors in the chilly month of Dec., the festival pours more than three-dozen robust winter craft brews, the majority of which have either been created specifically for the event, or are vintage or reserve beers not available in the general market. For more information, visit www.holidayale.com or call 503-252-9899.

Post-Thanksgiving Ale time!

The Brewers Union Local 180 in Oakridge, OR will be tapping their first firkin of an oak-aged English old ale after Thanksgiving. As all of their in-house beers are cask-conditioned, they have no idea what this will taste like until it's tapped. This ale's three months old, with an ABV of 6.2%. All ale fans are invited for a pint of this new treat, along with whatever happens to be pouring on their other five beer engines.

Check here for more information.

Free Burritos!!

Chipotle is opening in Salem, and to celebrate they're giving away burritos on Monday, November 24th from 11am-8pm. The store will have it's Grand Opening the following day.

Chipotle is also launching its Harvest Program in Oregon and Washington stores only where
at the end of each day individual stores will refrigerate ALL their unused beans, rice, meats
2x weekly, and these items will be picked up and donated to local food relief agencies, including St. Vincent de Paul and Salvation Army Family Services.

Go out, get yourself a free burrito, and show your support for a place that's stepping up to help those less fortunate.

Saraveza is throwing three parties in ten days…and you're invited!

Pull up a bar stool and get ready for some free Ninkasi, dirty beers and beer cartoons!

PARTY #1: Ninkasi Bottle Release Party. Wed, Nov 19th
LET'S CELEBRATE W/ FREE BEER! You know you love a big Ninkasi bomber…and you may have already been lucky enough to enjoy their Oatis Oatmeal Stout draft-style. This Wednesday from 6-8pm it will be the best of both worlds as Jamie Floyd, Ninkasi's main man, pours samples of Oatis from a 22oz at Saraveza.

PARTY #2: Tailgaiting Party. Mon. Nov. 24th
PACKERS VS. SAINTS: Calling all green and gold!!! Join a roomful of cheeseheads for Monday night's 5:30 kick-off. Cheese and Summer Sausage plate passed as soon as the clock starts. Save belly room for our tailgaiting party (i.e. delicious 1/3lb. Old Country Brats on the grill). Dirty beers, red beers and mimosas all game long…..

PARTY #3: Grand Opening Shin Dig. Fri. Nov 28th AND Sat Nov 29th.
POST THANKSGIVING GRAND OPENING PARTY: Free pasties, brewers, beer cartoons, holiday beer tastings, tailgate party and much much more! Check website soon to find out specific times and details for all of the above festivities.

On a side note:
We're now open for lunch at 11am with DOUBLE the amount of booths! Enjoy a pasty for here or one for the road!

For more information about Saraveza, visit: www.Saraveza.com/. Now come'on – let's party!

New Tap Handles Inspired by New Belgium's Bike Culture

New Belgium Brewing has retooled their tap handles for the first time in seventeen years!

New Belgium, the makers of Fat Tire Amber Ale, have announced that they're replacing their 17-year-old bar tap handles with a svelte, new bike rim-inspired handle. New Belgium will swap out more than 25,000 handles across nineteen states in the next three months. Old handles will be brought back to the brewery and repurposed for retail display and signage. New Belgium believes the new tap handles will better represent their respect for the bike culture.

"The new handle perfectly blends form and function in an environment that is often times more than a little visually assaulting," said Brian Kruger, Sales Co-Pilot at New Belgium Brewing. "We found local sources that could manufacture our vision and bring it life. Now, where wood, enamel and big bulbous heads reign supreme, we will enter a slender, aluminum bike rim that reflects New Belgium – literally."

The handle includes a New Belgium Brewing logo reflector and is made to represent a bike rim, complete with spoke holes and recessed edges. New Belgium wanted to use Colorado companies for the artistic execution and turned to Heritage Die Casting out of Denver and U.S. Precision Mold in Arvada to produce the one-of-a-kind creations.

"I think it's neat to see this whole process taking place right here in Colorado for a Colorado company," said Gregg Bannick, with Heritage Die Casting. "I am incredibly proud of the final product. Creation of this bar handle involved some intricate work with pretty elaborate tools, but we wanted to make New Belgium's vision a reality."

"In the end, a tap handle is primarily meant to inform the consumer what is being poured, while also representing who you are as a company," continued Krueger. "Our new handle is simple, clean, and direct and it's 100 percent a representation of who we are."

Catch the Amazing Race-style, no-holds barred, winner-takes-all battle royale as Team New Belgium rolls out the first new handles in their own hometown in this three minute video.

The 2009 Portland Happy Hour Guidebook

Wondering where to get the best deals in Portland for Happy Hour? Check out the newest edition of the Happy Hour Guidebook. There are 50 NEW full reviews, more than 275 listings, 21 coupons included, and color-coded maps. At 288 pages, you'll never again have to ask yourself, "where should we go for a drink?"

Click here for more info and support your local drink destinations, as well as local authors!

Boundary Bay November Events

Boundary Bay’s got your music, art, and beer events on lock-down for November!

Monday nights in November, 2008 9pm
James Higgins and the Muddy Boots Band
Monday nights @ Boundary Bay Brewery in the tap room sees the return of the Muddy Boots Band with the addition of Bellingham, via Scotland, singer songwriter James Higgins. Come down for great folk original and traditional songs!
Click here for samples of his tunes.

Tuesday nights in November, 2008 9 PM $1
The Jazz Project presents Jazz Jam
Tuesday nights @ Boundary Bay in the tap room The Jazz Project presents Jazz Jam! Come enjoy, or bring your horn, sticks or axe and participate, in great live jazz music courtesy of local and regional players.
Click here for more information.

Friday, November 21, 10:30pm, $4, 21+
The Late Show presents The Love Lights and special guest
Boundary Bay Brewery invites you to stay up late Friday night with The Late Show starting at 10:30pm in the taproom and featuring Bellingham’s own purveyors of rock ‘n soul the Love Lights with special guests.
Click here for more information.

November 1st through November 21st
8th Annual “Don’t Quit Your Day Job”
Employee Art Show
Artwork on display and for sale.

November 28th through December 5th
RECYCLED art show
Recycled art from local artists and Ten Thousand Villages on display and for sale.

Last Week of November
Cabin Fever in 22 oz. Bottles available for the first time this year. Available for a limited time only.

New Limited Edition from Goose Island Makes its Way West!

Goose Island Brewing Company has been celebrating the annual release of its Bourbon County Stout since it was first created 16 years ago by brewmaster Greg Hall to commemorate the 1,000th batch at the original Chicago brewpub. As 2008 comes to a close, Goose Island has yet another reason to celebrate; thanks to larger distribution capabilities, the brewer is able to make the massive imperial stout, the first of its kind, available to beer connoisseurs throughout Oregon, California and Arizona. The beer begins shipping today and is scheduled to hit shelves of better grocery stores and beer specialty shops in the three states by mid-November, 2008.

When Bourbon County Stout was first crafted, Hall brewed an imperial stout in four-year-old bourbon barrels, where it aged for one hundred days. The 2008 batch kicked things up a notch by aging for 10 months in 16-year-old barrels. This process allowed the liquid to pick up its charred oak, chocolate, vanilla, caramel and smoke flavors. With an alcohol by volume of 13% and a shelf life of five years, the finished product is clearly not for the inexperienced drinker; Hall developed Bourbon County Stout for seasoned craft beer drinkers and high end spirit connoisseurs who appreciate beers that come along once in a great while. Like a fine wine, the flavor of Bourbon County Stout evolves as it ages over five years, thereby lending a different flavor and experience for the drinker, no matter when he chooses to enjoy it.

"Until now, beer drinkers didn't have access to massive imperial stouts in stores," Hall said. "We set out to change that. This year, thanks to our commitment of increasing our barrel-aging capacity in our brewhouse, we are proud to say that we can bring Bourbon County to more
beer enthusiasts than we ever imagined when we brewed the first small batch back in 1992. We think Bourbon County Stout will definitely make some memories and new fans this holiday season."

Described by some as "a great cigar beer," Bourbon County Stout is dark and dense. The flavor is so intense, Hall says, that only the most decadent chocolate dessert can stand up to it.

Bourbon County Stout will be available on tap at Goose Island's Clybourn and Wrigleyville brewpubs as well as in 12 ounce bottles in specialty stores, with suggested retail for a four-pack at $19.99. For more on this special release, please go to www.gooseisland.com

Drink beer, get cultured and win stuff.

Widmer Brothers Brewing is sponsoring "An avalanche of MUSIC, FASHION, & FILM" at Grand Central Bowl on Wednesday, November 19th. They've brought together some great winter fashions including styles from Lizard Lounge, Icebreaker, and Holden. Rage Films is premiering "Such Is Life," which shows some of the world's elite skiers hitting the planet's best powder. This is the first event of its kind.

Tons of prizes are up for grabs too. The first 250 attendees will get a Big Chill Mixed CD courtesy of 94/7 and will also have a chance to win a Widmer Snowboard, a VIP Prize Package from Rage Films, a VIP Prize Package from Grand Central Restaurant and Lounge, and one of fifty Big Chill Goodie Bags courtesy of Scion, so come on out!

Roll Out the Barrels, Rogue Releases Pink Gin

What do you get when you marry the best American gin and world class Oregon Pinot Noir barrels? Pink Gin, the latest world class spirit from Rogue.

Rogue master distiller John Couchot ocean ages his award-winning Spruce Gin in Oregon Pinot Noir barrels at Rogue's Newport, OR House of Spirits to create a new, slightly fruity, mellow gin with a pink hue.

The Beverage Testing Institute rates Pink Gin "Highly Recommended," describing it as a:

"Slightly hazy pale topaz color. Spice cake with lemon frosting, nutty praline, and resiny tree bark aromas. A round, lightly tannic entry leads to a dry-yet-fruity medium-to-full body of cinnamon, cream, minerals, and lemon curd. Finishes with a sweet spiced nut, lemon thyme, and wet sandalwood fade. Interesting flavors; try as a substitute for spiced rum in cocktails and toddies."

The original Spruce Gin was awarded the "Best American Gin" at the 2007 World Spirits Competition. Pinot Noir from Oregon's famed Willamette Valley is considered to be the finest in the world.

Available mid-November in 750ml serigraphed bottles, Pink Gin is made with 14 ingredients: spruce, Willamette Valley cucumbers, juniper berries, angelica root, orange peel, lemon peel, coriander, ginger, orris root, grains of paradise, tangerine, free range coastal water, champagne yeast and grain spirit.

Go on, get pink.

Alaskan Brewing releases Baltic Porter in bottles for the first time!

This November, Alaskan Brewing Co. is rolling out a limited edition release of Alaskan Baltic Porter in 22 oz bottles. This gourmet brew is the newest edition to Alaskan’s growing list of high-end, high-alcohol beers, including Alaskan Smoked Porter and Alaskan Barley Wine, to be released in 22's.

Substantial amounts of specialty malts, dark black cherries and gourmet vanilla beans make Alaskan Baltic Porter a deep, dense beer with a variety of aromas and flavors.

“This beer is all about the ingredients,” says Alaskan brewer Michael King. “A ridiculous amount of hand-peeled and seeded whole gourmet Madagascar vanilla beans were used along with nearly 500 pounds of dark cherries and a variety of specialty malts to create a dynamic and smooth experience. Aging on toasted French oak and the addition of vanilla beans really rounds out the flavor.”

Alaskan’s Baltic Porter is full bodied and jet-black in color with garnet highlights and a dense tan head, characteristics similar to a Russian Imperial Stout. The smooth, deep maltiness is accentuated by raisin and licorice notes as well as chocolate and mild coffee characters. The oak brings hints of bourbon and hot toffee. The higher alcohol content contributes to the warmth of this richly flavorful beer.

Alaskan Baltic Porter began the same way many of Alaskan brews get their start, as part of the brewery’s limited edition Rough Draft series.

“We first released Alaskan Baltic Porter on tap in 2007 as one of our Rough Drafts available only in Alaska,” explains Alaskan Brewing co-founder Marcy Larson. “It was an instant favorite among our Brew Crew and those in our home state that had the chance to try it. This year we decided to release a limited amount in bottles for people to take home and enjoy for years to come.”

Like Alaskan Smoked Porter, the Baltic Porter can be enjoyed fresh or aged like a fine wine. The vanilla characteristics are more apparent in fresher vintages while the malty and complex dark fruit flavors become more dominant with age. Hit up their website for more information.

Abyss Coming Nov. 14 to Portland

Portland, Oregon - are you ready for a new batch of Deschutes Abyss? I know my credit card is.

DESCHUTES BREWERY HOLDS LAUNCH PARTY FOR THE ABYSS

What:
Deschutes Brewery's wildly popular Reserve Series beer, The Abyss, will be hitting store shelves soon and to celebrate, the Portland Deschutes Brewery and Public House will be holding a late night release party on the evening of Nov. 14th.

In addition to a special small plate menu focusing on lighter fare, attendees will have access to a rare vertical tasting featuring the 2007 and 2008 batches of The Abyss.

Beer enthusiasts will be excited by the opportunity to purchase The Abyss before it hits retail shelves, although at this party customers will be limited to a 6 bottle purchase per person. A limited number of Abyss gift boxes will be available for purchase, which include both the 2007 and 2008 versions and a collectible Abyss t-shirt.

When:
Friday, November 14th from 10:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.

Where:
Portland Deschutes Brewery and Public House
210 NW 11th Avenue
Portland, OR 97209

"Don't Quit Your Day Job!"

Boundary Bay Employee Art Show, Nov. 1st – Nov. 28th

The tap room and dining room of Boundary Bay Brewery have long been used as a gallery space to promote local and regional artists. Bellingham has a very strong art community and the brewery strongly believes that one way to support the community is to support local art and artists.

This month they are highlighting the art of their many, talented employees. For the past seven years, they've held an annual employee art show and this year they are absolutely thrilled by the quality of work.

The work encompasses a range of mediums from photography, painting, jewelry making and much more. Stylistically, you are sure to find something that appeals to you since you will see both classical styles of art and more contemporary, modern pieces in the show. Head down to Boundary Bay before November 28th to see the many talents of the brewery staff who work hard to bring you the food and beer you love!

Rogue Nation Barley Farm Takes Root

The Rogue Nation Department of Agriculture has planted 122 acres of winter malting barley near Tygh Valley, Oregon.

Rogue has entered into a strategic alliance with Dr. Bill McAllister to grow malting barley for Rogue Ales and Rogue Spirits. Together with Rogue Farms' own hops from its hop yard in Independence, Oregon, proprietary Pacman yeast from Wyeast Labs in Odell, Oregon and free range coastal water, Rogue will brew an all-Oregon ingredient Sesquicentennial Ale in 2009 to celebrate the state's 150th birthday.

In addition to the 122 acres of winter barley, McAllister and neighbor Scott Laney will plant an additional 103 acres of spring malting barley. The result will be a summer harvest of nearly 500,000 pounds of barley, which will be malted at Great Western Malting.

McAllister and Laney have set about "Rogueifying" the area around the barley fields. They have set a large boulder, excavated while preparing one field, on the roadside, proclaiming it "Rogue Rock." A few yards away, "Rogue Pond" empties into "The Little Rogue River." Other boulders unearthed during field work will be arranged into "Roguehenge."

The Rogue Nation Postal Service will issue a stamp to commemorate the barley farm, the Department of Energy is placing a webcam on site so Rogues worldwide can check the crop's progress and the Rogue Nation Treasury has added a 4 hopoe note with McAllister's picture to its official currency.

Rogue is proud to participate with Oregon Farmers in the growing of the two major agricultural ingredients in beer, connecting the dots between what's in the ground and what's in the glass.

Celebrating its second century, Rogue Ales is an Artisan Varietal Brewery founded in Oregon in 1988, as one of America's first 50 microbreweries. Rogue has 550+ awards for taste and quality and is available nationally and in 20 countries.