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  • SwillJockey 9:59 am on July 26, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    SwillJockey’s OBF Recap 

    Overall, I think this was the most enjoyable of the Brewfest visits I’ve had so far.    Going early on Friday was a definite bonus.   The lack of crowds and lines was a nice change from year’s past.

    Ok, these are all of the beers that I remember either coughing up a token to taste or stealing a sip of something Frosty grabbed.

    Anderson Valley Brewing Co
    Summer Solstice Cerveza Crema – I don’t recall liking this one, but for the life of my I can’t remember why.   I think it had a great punch on the first sip, then it just disappeared leaving nothing behind.
    Boulder Beer Co
    Kinda Blue – For a blueberry beer, this was pretty good.   Much better than the Bluebeery one that Frosty got.   This one is made from real berries rather than the other one’s “extract”   Ick.    I’d drink more of this one if it showed up in my beer fridge.
    BridgePort Brewery
    Stumptown Tart – This was actually my first taste of this year’s Tart.   I’ve had one sitting in the beer fridge for a couple of months and never got around to having an occasional special enough to crack it open.   It was good, but I think I like some of the previous ones better.
    Golden Valley Brewery
    Festival Kölsch – Yup, it was a Kolsch.  Snoooze.  Next beer please.
    Laht Neppur Brewing Co
    Strawberry Cream Ale – This one was faintly strawberry-ee, and after hearing from Frosty that other folks thought it was horrible, I had to try it.   I was pleasantly surprised by it.   It tasted good, but I don’t think I’ll stock it in the beer fridge.
    Moylan’s Brewing Co
    Pomegranate Wheat – By far my favorite beer of the fest.    I even sprang for a whole mug of this stuff after my first taste.   The wheat malt and pomegranate work very well together and I was really, really surprised by how well they pulled this tasty beer off.   Bravo!
    Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing
    Olallieberry Cream Ale – This one tasted exactly like a Shasta Soda from my youth.   Very fizzy, very berry, and not very beery.
    Three Creeks Brewing Co
    Creekside Kölsch – Yup, it was another Kolsch.  Snoooze.    I like Kolsch beer, but these two didn’t do anything special for me.
    I’m looking forward to next year already, if only to get some more of the freshly roasted nuts from the vendor I can’t remember the name of.   Sigh.

     

  • Frosty 10:35 am on July 24, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    OBF Wrap Up (a’la Frosty) 

    I realize that the Oregon Brewers Festival is still going on, but if years of this even have taught me anything, its that unless you like standing shoulder to shoulder with a crush of humanity, you only really want to go on Thursday or Friday at noon. So being that it is now Saturday, I can say that the event was awesome, and for anyone who actually wants to drink beer, and not just stand in line; over.

    This year, I loaded up with the carbs for breakfast, so I was able to plow through considerably more beer without feeling ill. Unfortunately, the blueberry pancakes didn’t do anything for my ability to remember what I’d had. Instead, I relied on the miracle of modern smartphone technology to help me catalogue my drunken exploits. (And I only dropped my phone in beer once!)

    Special thanks go out to the Taplister guys for the free schwag and friendly conversation. Also, I would like to give props to the amazing place with the crazy nut varieties. I was too drunk to remember the name of your business, but a toast to you anyway.

    Of the brews, three really stood out among the rest.

    Natian Destination Red
    Did you know this Portland brewery existed? Me neither. Still, the combo of the Oregon Honey into the Red Ale really made for a fun combination. Perfect for summer, and was truly the first beer at the fest that I had that was truly “good”. Keep it up Natian…whoever you are.

    Moylan Pomegranate Wheat
    Fruit beer is a scary concept. It is usually either awesome (Stumptown Tart) or horrible (almost everyone else). Well, whatever the magic sauce is,  Moylan’s found it. The pomegranate isn’t overpowering, the wheat balances it, making it an ideal beer for a warm summer outing. Usually picky SwillJockey drank the equivalent of 5 tokens worth of the stuff, so thats saying something.

    Cascade Summer Gose
    Hurray for the local boys. Known for their super fruity Krieks, the Cascade Brewing guys at Racoon Lodge created a nice Belgian Sour that was the right balance between fruity, and wheat. This was probably my favorite from the whole fest. There was enough flavor to keep it interesting (unlike many watery offerings from the various tents, but still light and cool enough to be drinkable in the 80 degree sun.

    So there you have it. With water in hand, I let my liver recover, and thank skylark, SwillJockey, and the OBF folks for another drunk worthy year. Prost!

     

  • Frosty 2:13 pm on July 23, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    Boulevard Farmhouse 7 

    image

    Mmmmmmmm. Farmhousey

     

    • SwillJockey 6:01 pm on July 23, 2010 Permalink

      First taste definitely better than the second. Get’s more horsey tasting with each sip.

  • Frosty 1:46 pm on July 23, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    Moylan pomegranate wheat 

    image

    Win! Best fruity beer at the fest. SJ even got a full glass

     

    • SwillJockey 6:01 pm on July 23, 2010 Permalink

      Best beer by far of all 10 that I tasted today.

  • Frosty 1:38 pm on July 23, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    Great northern barrel aged big fog amber 

    Augh. “Tastes like paint” -SJ   Indeed.

     

  • Frosty 1:14 pm on July 23, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    10 Barrel ISA 

    Kinda IPA light. Good, but not great to follow a sour beer.

     

  • Frosty 1:04 pm on July 23, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    Cascade Summer Gose 

    image

    Kinda fruity, kinda sour, all yum.

     

  • skylark 1:01 pm on July 23, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    Oregon Brewer’s Festival Wrap Up 

    The Holiday Ale Fest is 1 block away from my office, so the Oregon Brewer’s Festival had a lot of ground to cover. Did it?

    Yes, it did. Summertime + Beer + Portland Waterfront = Amazing. The amount of talent at the OBF was astounding… and I’m not just talking about the women. Did I just say that? Yes, I did. I raise my commemorative Oregon Brewer’s Festival plastic mug to every beer drinking lass out there. It needed to be said. The breweries there represented the best in craft brewery.

    The food, although overpriced, was great. The beer, sans a couple odd entries, was a sign that Oregon has the potential to become the beer capital of the world.

    My favorite beer happened to be my last one, Rogue’s 21. It’s “Old World” style and yummy, malty, hoppy, drinkable nature made it dangerous. I’m a fan of Rogue, but they’ve never really been my favorite outside the confines of Newport, Oregon. They’ve never bottled anything I truly enjoyed. Let’s hope they start moving in the direction of their Single Malt IPA and 21. These beers make a strong statement and would surely set them apart from their beer isle compatriots.

     

  • Frosty 12:53 pm on July 23, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    Upright Junkie Gruit 

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    Whats in a name? Not hops apparently. 0 IBU! Ok, but lacks any finish.

     

  • Frosty 12:33 pm on July 23, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    Natian Destination Honey Red 

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    I didn’t even know this place existed. Now that I’ve had this refreshing brew, I recommend s seeking them out.

     

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