Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Oakshire Brewing to Release Winter Seasonal

Oakshire Brewing Company of Eugene, Oregon has released their newest seasonal beer, Ill-Tempered Gnome, throughout the state of Oregon on draft and in 22 ounce bottles. This winter seasonal is a complex brown ale with an underlying American hop punch. At 6.8% abv, the Gnome provides bitter, roasty, chocolate, pine resin, citrus, dark fruit, coffee and sweet flavors all in one glass.

“Ill-Tempered Gnome is a wonderful winter warmer. We used 6 specialty malts and 5 different American hops to craft this big, yet very approachable Northwest-style brown,” explains Brewmaster, Matt Van Wyk.

According to Jeff Althouse, Co-Founder of Oakshire brewing, “We are very excited to release a third beer in bottles. Bottles of Watershed IPA and the award-winning Overcast Espresso Stout have been very well received and we are pleased to introduce Oregon to a third member of the Oakshire family.”

Ill-Tempered Gnome will be available in Oregon throughout the winter months. The Oakshire team will be on hand at The Beer Stein on Wednesday, November 4th from 6-8pm to give patrons a sample of the new beer. You will also find the crew in Portland on November 12th for their Beer Belly dinner at Eastburn, and November 17th at The Green Dragon for their "Meet the Brewer" event.

Dick Young of Dick's Brewery Dies at 56 years old.

I had the opportunity to meet with Dick a number of months back at their newly expanded brewery in Centralia, Washington. He was a great guy with a hilarious sense of humor, and he'll be missed dearly.

Please visit The Chronicle website to read more.

Friday, October 9, 2009

The ART of Beer - Artwork Contest for Cellar Reserve Beer Labels 2010

The Grand Teton Brewing Company and the Teton Arts Council invite all artists to participate in "The Art of Beer," an artwork contest for inspiring labels and promotion of Grand Teton Brewing Company’s 2010 Cellar Reserve beers.

In past years, the employees of Grand Teton Brewing Company have collaborated on label design. This year, however, the brewery decided to call upon artists for inspiration and insight. Artists are requested to submit artwork that depicts “Life in the Tetons” to the Teton Arts Council by October 23rd, 2009. Up to four submitted artworks may be selected and incorporated into the label designs of the Cellar Reserve beers. The winning artwork will be selected for its creativity, originality, artistic quality, and reflection of the theme.

“All of us at Grand Teton Brewing are thrilled to work with artists who create artwork that evokes the natural beauty of this area which we all love and cherish. We are looking forward to seeing the creative ways that the artists represent Life in the Tetons,” said Rob Mullin, Brewmaster and C.O.O. of Grand Teton Brewing Company.

The 2010 Cellar Reserve beers will be released approximately one specialty beer during each quarter of the year. These specialty beers have large format labels on a 1-Liter (33 oz) bottle with a ceramic flip-top lid and a “neck hanger” card.

For the winning artists, an artist bio will be featured on a card, approximately the size of a business card hung around the neck of the bottle. The winning artists may expect wide promotion since these specialty beers are distributed in at least 14 states around the United States with production sizes ranging from 6,000 to 15,000 bottles of each specialty beer. The winning artists will also be promoted on the Teton Arts Council website including a link to the artists’ website. Artists may also be featured on the Grand Teton Brewing Company website and other commercial promotion materials.

Although past label designs were primarily computer generated, this artwork contest is open to artists of all mediums. The judges expect to see a wide range of entries such as paintings, sketches, photographs, computer-enhanced photographs, and yes, computer-generated images. Grand Teton Brewing Company decided too that the winning artwork would inspire the names of the specialty beers. So the artists are truly being given a chance to show their creative interpretations.

“We think this is a great opportunity for artists to showcase their work in a unique format,” said Christine Leusch, Executive Director of Teton Arts Council, “It gives artists an opportunity to have their work seen by a broader audience and in a different format.”

The contest is open to any artist who is a member of the Teton Arts Council. There are no additional contest fees. Each artist may submit up to four (4) pieces to the contest.
Check www.tetonartscouncil.com for contest rules and membership. Deadline for contest submission October 23, 2009. Winners will be announced at an Awards Ceremony November 7, 2009

For more information contact the Teton Arts Council at 208-354-4278.

Oskar Blues Brings 43 Taps Of Beer Soaked Southern Culture To Longmont, CO

Oskar Blues’ new down-home beer joint celebrates beer culture with 43 craft taps, Southern-inspired BBQ & soul-saving live music. “This is an authentic craft beer bar right down to the keg based fountains” says owner Dale Katechis. An in-house smoker, named “the Midnight Toker,” stoked with local apple wood turns out slow smoked North Carolina style BBQ pork, spare ribs, beer-can chicken, salmon and turkey. Home Made Liquids & Solids is scheduled to open Monday, October 12th.

Oskar Blues has worked with Eco Cycle (www.ecocycle.org), a local environmental company, to create a zero-waste kitchen that will feature gluten free & vegetarian inspired dishes served next to Oskar Blues favorites such as the “Silo Burger.”

Jason Rogers, a veteran of the Colorado culinary scene, will oversee all kitchen efforts at Oskar Blues Home Made Liquids & Solids. Rogers most recently was executive chef at the JW Marriott at Cherry Creek hotel in Denver, and before that was culinary director at Jill’s Restaurant in the St. Julien Hotel & Spa in Boulder. He also has worked in Aspen and onLink the East Coast and was twice invited to cook at the prestigious James Beard Foundation’s Beard House in New York City. “I’m fired up to work with Oskar Blues to create a menu that’s on par with our craft beer, which has challenged the public perception of what to expect out of a canned beer.” adds Rogers.

In April of 1997 Dale Katechis opened Oskar Blues Cajun Grill in the small Rocky Mountain foothills town of Lyons, CO. Known for its southern hospitality & blues music, the funky restaurant quickly added quality craft beer to the equation in 1999. In 2002, Dale looked to regionally distributing his craft beer as a way to keep the Oskar Blues name in the public eye during the slower winter months of the now fully functioning brew-pub. He was approached by Cask Brewing Systems (www.cask.com) about an affordable canning line for craft brewers. “We thought the idea of our bold, hoppy pale ale squeezed into a little can was hilarious. It made us laugh for weeks.” adds Katechis. Seven years later a genre bending regional craft brewery has come to life and now supplies boundary busting canned beer to 25 states. Bringing the marketing strategy full circle, Oskar Blues is now opening a beer bar to offer their community and fans of the Longmont brewery’s 3-dimensional canned beers a place to hang their hats & celebrate beer culture, right in the heart of Colorado beer country.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Hood River Hops Fest Tomorrow!

--Killer Beers, Food, Art, Music in the Heart of the Gorge
--Final Beer List Includes 33 Flavors of Fresh Hop Goodness
--More Tents!

Fall is here, which means it's time for some hoppy harvest beer! Fresh Hop beer, to be sure! The 6th Annual Hood River Hops Fest will feature a cornucopia of more than 50 delicious brews from 28 Northwest breweries, including 33 Fresh Hop beers. In addition to the flowing suds, Hops Fest features live music all day, local food and art vendors, and a Kids Zone to keep the young ones happy. It's a great downtown party with fun and frolic for everyone.

For those who don't know, Fresh Hop beer is made during the short window of hop harvest every year, with straight-from-the-vine hops. Instead of the usual process of immediately drying and sending baled hop cones to cold storage, the fragile fresh hops are taken straight to the brewery and, in most cases, tossed into a brew that very same day. Fresh hops possess a whole range of aromatics, flavors and resinous textures that are often changed during drying. Northwest brewers have made harvest time their own Fresh Hop Extravaganza, and Hops Fest is the first place to check out all the special brews.

And new this year: More Tents! They've doubled the tent order for this year's Hops Fest. Come rain or shine, they'll have you covered.

The 6th Annual Hood River Hops Fest runs from Noon to 9pm this Saturday, October 3rd in the Downtown Lot (enter at 5th & Cascade) in Hood River, Oregon. Free admission; $5 mug purchase required for sampling; $1 tokens for 4-ounce samples. Minors welcome until 6pm when accompanied by an adult.For more info, visit www.hopsfest.com.


The Beer List:

Fresh Hop Beers:
Amnesia "Fresh Hoppalata"
Astoria "Hoptimus 2.0" Imperial IPA
Big Horse " Vernon the Rabbit Slayer" Imperial IPA
Big Horse "The Strange" Hemp Ale
Bridgeport "Hop Harvest Ale"
Cascade Lakes "Fresh Hop Pale Ale"
Deschutes "Fresh Hop Mirror Pond" Pale Ale
Deschutes "Hop Trip" Pale Ale
Double Mountain "Killer Green" Fresh Hop IPA
Double Mountain "Fresh Vienna "
Ft George "Cohoperative Ale"
Full Sail "Lupulin Ale" ( Crystal )
Full Sail "Lupulin Ale" (Cascade)
Hopworks "Sodbuster" Pale Ale
Laurelwood "Hop Bale" Pale Ale
Laurelwood "Organic Goodness" Pale Ale
Lucky Lab "The Mutt" Ale
Lucky Lab "Das Moot" Pilsner
MacTarnahan's "Fresh Hop MacTarnahans" Ale
New Old Lompoc "Harvest Man" Red Ale
New Old Lompoc "Fresh Hop Crystal Wheat"
Ninkasi "Nugg E. Fresh Wet Hop Ale"
Oakshire "Fresh Hop Harvest Ale"
Pelican "Elemental Ale"
Rock Bottom "Hoodwinked Integrity-Style Ale"
Rock Bottom "Octoberfist"
Roots "Hoppopotamus"
Rogue "Chatoe Rogue First Growth Wet Hop Ale"
Sierra Nevada "Harvest Ale"
Three Creeks "Santiam Harvest" Farmhouse Ale
Upright "Fresh Hop of Bel Air" Saison-style Ale
Walking Man "Fresh Hop IPA"
Widmer "Hopturnal Emission"

Other Beers:
Amnesia “Copacetic” IPA
Astoria “Bitter Bitch” Double IPA
Bridgeport “Hop Czar” Imperial IPA
Cascade Lakes "Kolsch"
Elliott Glacier “Gnarl Ridge Double Dry-hopped IPA”
Elliott Glacier “Belgian Espresso Stout”
Everybody's “IPA”
Everybody's “Common Ale”
Ft George “Divinity”
Full Sail “Nate's Ubergehopft Fest Bier”
Hopworks “7 Grain Survival Stout”
Lazy Boy "Big Trouble" Imperial IPA
Lazy Boy "Red Head" Imperial Red
MacTarnahan's “Humbug'r Winter Ale’
Oakshire “Overcast Espresso Stout”
Pelican “Doryman's Dark” Ale
Three Creeks “Desperado Imperial IPA”
Upright “Four”
Walking Man “Hoptoberfest”
Widmer “w'10” Black IPA

Live Music Schedule:
Noon - 2pm : traditional German "Oompah" band!
2:30 - 4pm : blues legend Norman "The Boogie Cat" Sylvester
4:30 - 6:30pm : Geno Michaels and Soul City
7pm - Close: local rockers Speedqueen Underground


Hood River Hops Fest is a benefit for the Downtown Business Council of the Hood River County Chamber of Commerce. Sponsors include Amerititle; Andrew’s Pizza; Bob Stone AutoCenter; CH2MHill; The City of Hood River; Columbia River Insurance; Crazy Pepper Cantina; Double Mountain Brewery; Full Sail Brewing; Gorge Networks; Hood River Bagels; Hood River Hotel; Hood River County Commission on Children & Families; Hood River Supply; Mt. Hood Meadows; Oregon Bounty; Oregon Brewers Guild; and Your Rental and Party Center.

Also be sure to check out the next two stops on the Fresh Hop Tastival series, sponsored by Oregon Bounty and the Oregon Brewers Guild:

Sat Oct 10: Oaks Park. Portland, noon-9pm
Sat Oct 17: Downtown Eugene noon-9pm

For more info on these events, visit www.oregonbeer.org/fhbt09.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Celebrate October With Microbrews and Brats at the Palace Ballroom

On Friday, October 30 from 5- 8 p.m., Tom Douglas Restaurants’ Palace Ballroom will be transformed into Oktoberfest heaven for this Beer and Brats event. The brainchild of Warren Peterson, Tom Douglas Restaurants’ newly appointed “beer czar” and roving chef, Beer and Brats showcases some of his favorite West Coast microbrews, and bratwurst from Seattle’s top sausage purveyors.

Guests will have the opportunity to taste German-inspired microbrews and meet the brewers from Big Al Brewing (White Center), Baron Brewing (South Park), Maritime Pacific Brewing (Ballard), Elysian Brewing Company (Capitol Hill), Sierra Nevada Brewing Company (Chico, Calif.) and Deschutes Brewery (Deschutes, Ore.).
A selection of bratwurst will be provided by Isernio’s Sausage (Beacon Hill), Cascioppo Brothers Meats (Ballard), Bavarian Meats and Uli’s Famous Sausage (Pike Place Market), Da Pino (Ravenna). The bratwurst offerings will also include handcrafted sausages by Tom Douglas Restaurants chefs—“beer czar” Warren Peterson, PalaceLink Kitchen’s Brian Walczyk, and Dahlia Lounge’s Brock Johnson.

Tickets are $34 per person, including tax, and must be purchased in advance. To purchase tickets, please contact Christy at (206) 448-2001 or christinal@tomdouglas.com.

For more information about Tom Douglas Restaurants, please visit here and follow Tom Douglas Restaurants on Twitter @TDRcreampuff.

Pike Celebrates 20 Years of Brewing Craft beer

By the time Rose Ann and Charles opened their own brewery, they had the experience of working with some of the World's greatest breweries including Samuel Smith, Ayinger, Orval, Pinkus, Lindemans, and Traquair House, which together, represented over 2,000 years of brewing experience.

The Finkels identified the potential for a world class brewery in Seattle that was capable of brewing beer equal to, or even exceeding, the standards of the World's classics. The first keg of Pike beer, Pike Pale Ale, was tapped by Ayinger owner and head brewer, BraĆ¼ Franz Inselkammer. Franz, the president of the Bavarian Brewing Association, proclaimed the English style beer to be as "balanced, malty, and delicious; like fresh bread, ideal for the harvest season." Over the ensuing 20 years, first in the original brewery on Western Avenue, and now in a beautiful multi-level, gravity flow, steam heated brewery and brew pub, Pike has introduced what many describe as classic ales, including Pike XXXXX Extra Stout; 1989, Pike IPA in 1990 (Roger Protz's choice of one of the 300 beers to try before you die); Pike Old Bawdy Barley Wine, 1991 and soon to be included in the revised edition of the same book; in 1992, Pike Kilt Lifter (N.W. Brewing News Reader's Choice, Best Scotch Ale, 2006, 2007 and 2008); Cerveza Rosanna (named for Rose Ann Finkel) and Auld Aquaintence, in 1993; Pike Weisse in 1998; Naughty Nellie Golden in 1999; Pike Tandem Double in 2006; Monk's Uncle Tripel in 2007; Pike Entire Wood Aged Stout, 2008; and now, as a special treat, just for our 20th birthday, Pike Tripel Kriek, a tripel that was fermented with Brettanomyces yeast, along with the addition of 60 pounds of local organic Bing cherries per cask that were added at the peak of Washington State cherry season in June 2009. Since then, the cuveĆ© has been aging in Washington State Cabernet wine casks. XXX Kriek will be available on draft at the pub and at Brouwers Sour Beer Festival during Seattle Beer Week 2010.

In addition to their standard lineup (plus Tripel Kriek), Pike will also be releasing its other oak aged beer, Pike Entire 2009, in time for their anniversary. Entire is a blend of Pike XXXXX Extra Stout and a Pike imperial stout (high gravity) aged in Heaven Hill Bourbon barrels for 7 months.

Join the Pike family to celebrate their 20th birthday on October 17th at 5p.m.

He'Brew Beer Turns 13!


America's smallest, biggest and most award-winning Jewish (and now Sideshow Freak) Beer Company, Shmaltz Brewing celebrates its 13th year of delicious beer and delicious shtick with the special release of JEWBELATION BAR MITZVAH: their 13th Chosen Beer in 13 years of Shmaltz. Brewed with 13 malts, 13 hops and soaring to 13% alc, Jewbelation Bar Mitzvah will be nationally available in 22 oz. bottles and a very limited amount of draft for select bars beginning October 1, 2009.

This winter, HE'BREW will pit Jewbelation Bar Mitzvah along with other Chosen Beers against national holiday beer luminaries in their annual challenge "Chanukah vs. Christmas: The Battle Royale of Beers" in NYC, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Atlanta, Connecticut, Baltimore and additional cities t.b.a.. Designed by Shmaltz's Art Director Matt Polacheck, Jewbelation Bar Mitzvah's artwork incorporates consumer submitted Bar/Bat Mitzvah photos culled from Shmaltz's recent national photo contest.

Oktoberfest in Downtown Medford

Live music and the best in German beers will make downtown Medford come alive this Saturday, October 3rd during the 1st Annual Southern Oregon Oktoberfest from Noon to 6 PM at 410 East Main Street.

The event celebrates German beers, and local Oktoberfest style seasonals. Over 20 beers will be available for sampling including beers from Ayinger, Erdinger, Paulaner, Widmer, Walkabout, and more. Minors accompanied by adults are welcome to the event.

“Because hundreds of people enjoyed our BeerFest this past June we decided to have another downtown event to celebrate Fall,” explains Chris Dennett of Bear Creek Beers. “This a great opportunity to sample some fabulous beers, save money, and have fun.”

Cost is $10 per person and includes three tasting tokens, a commemorative pint glass, and live accordion music. German food will also be available. The Southern Oregon Oktoberfest is being sponsored by KBOY of Radio Medford and Bear Creek Beers.

Alpenfest


Table Rock Brewpub and Grill Presents Boise’s Official Oktoberfest on October 10th, 9:30am to 7:00pm. Come Rain or Come Shine!

Ann Morrison Park Boise, ID • Free Admission

Pancake Breakfast from 9:30am to 11:00am

Live Music, Great Food, Beer and Games!

To Benefit The Boise Nordic Foundation.

From the Team That Brought You Boise BeerFest!

October Music Schedule for Doyle's Public House

LinkVisit www.doylespublichouse.com for details.

Grand Teton Brewing to Get Energy From Yeast

Grand Teton Brewing Company was notified September 30th by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that it was awarded a grant to turn its brewing yeast into energy. New equipment to be installed at the brewery will harness the energy created during fermentation to heat water for brewing.

During busy summer months, Grand Teton Brewing Company's yeast generates an average of 129,000 BTUs per hour through the fermentation process. This Rural Energy Assistance Program (REAP) grant will allow Grand Teton to recover much of that energy to heat water used for brewing and cleaning. This should save the brewery the equivalent of 2,550 gallons of diesel fuel per year at current production rates.

"The best thing about an energy recovery project like this is that it will grow with us," said Brewmaster and C.O.O. Rob Mullin. "The more we brew, the more oil we'll save. This is just phase one. After monitoring the efficiency of this project, we'll look at solar panels to provide additional heat for our brewing water."

Benefit for Brian Redman Tomorrow

This past weekend, Brian Redman, a bartender at Doyle's Public House in Tacoma, WA, passed away. Doyle's is holding a memorial/benefit for him tomorrow, Friday, October 2nd. The big tent is being rolled out and over 12 bands will be playing tribute to Brian. They are asking for a $5 donation at the door. There will be a Taco Truck in the parking lot for late night eats. So many members of the Tacoma community have stepped forward with generous donations to make this event possible.

Doyle's is establishing an endowment for music with Greater Tacoma Community Foundation. They are asking for either cash donations directly to this fund or items to be used for the raffle on the day of the event. After funeral expenses are covered all donations will go towards the endowment. All items & checks may be dropped off at Doyle's.

Checks may also be mailed to: The Greater Tacoma Community Foundation, 950 Pacific Avenue - Suite 1220 - Tacoma, WA 98402

Oakshire Brewing Wins Medal at GABF

The Oakshire Brewing Company recently claimed a silver medal at the 2009 Great American Beer Festival Competition.

“It’s a great thrill to be recognized for our hard work. And to win with one of our year-round beers is equally exciting as we can continue bringing this high quality local beer to our many Overcast fans.” says Matt Van Wyk, brewmaster at Oakshire.

This silver medal is the first national award for Oakshire Brewing and the first in Eugene since 2003 when local Bier Stein owner Chip Hardy brought home a gold while at West Brothers Brewery. This medal is Van Wyk’s 10th at GABF and fifth straight year medaling. Previously he brewed for Flossmoor Station Brewing Company in Flossmoor, Illinois.

Oakshire was recognized in the coffee beer-style category for Overcast Espresso Stout a dark ale crafted with locally roasted and cold pressed organic espresso beans. Oakshire is a 2,000 barrel microbrewery located in Eugene, OR that specializes in brewing quality hand crafted ales in small batches and distributes throughout the state of Oregon.

Chuckanut 2009 Small Brewpub of the Year


Chuckanut Brewery claimed the title as America’s Best Small Brewpub and Small Brewpub Brewer of the Year 2009, winning four medals: two gold and two silver at the 28th Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colo.

Chuckanut Brewery is the first brewery in the history of the Great American Beer Festival competition to win a Small Brewpub of the Year award with all Lager Style Beers.

Chuckanut Dunkel - Gold medal in the European Style Dunkel Category

Chuckanut Vienna Lager - Gold medal in the Vienna Style Lager Category

Chuckanut German Pilsner - Silver medal in the German-Style Pilsner Category

Chuckanut Schwarzbier - Silver medal in the German Style Schwarzbier Category

The Great American Beer Festival is the largest and most prestigious competition for American craft beers. This year’s competition featured 3,308 beers from 495 breweries. A panel of 132 professional judges from 10 countries, worked over a three-day period during the week of the festival, to award brewers prestigious gold, silver and bronze medals in 78 beer categories, establishing the best examples of each style in the U.S.

These awards are among the most coveted in the beer industry and heralded by the winning brewers. Brewmaster Will Kemper and Head Brewer Josh Pfriem specialize in making quality driven, consistent, well-crafted traditional German lagers and English ales.