I realize that summer is long gone... But I haven't gotten around to these five places which I visited near the end of my latest sojourn in Portland, OR. So, here we go.
Breakside Restaurant & Pub Brewery
We visited Breakside on a warm mid-summer afternoon, after a long day flying from Minneapolis to Portland. It's a very pleasant brewpub, in an
area of town that is not overrun with beer places. A few tables
and bar occupy the first floor, with space for maybe 25 people. There are five long tables
with benches outside. The second floor is an open split-level space with views
of both the first floor and the outside area. The food menu offers a limited but good range of pub grub.
Four regular beers and seven seasonals were on tap. Sampler sets are also available: six
5-oz. glasses for $8 -- this includes their four regulars and a choice
of two seasonals. We sat on the edge of the second level, and while I
sampled my girlfriend enjoyed watching the very "Portlandia"-like scenes
which unfolded below. The beers were good to very good and the food tasty.
- Breakside Pilsner: Light grassiness, and very light fruit -- pears. Very pale straw color. Sweet grassy initial / balances so nicely in mid / final goes sweet
again. Thin-medium body. Well done.
- Breakside Woodlawn Pale Ale: Good mild citrus aroma, with some other hopping in the mix. Medium copper color. Citrus certainly leads / continues and adds other hop
notes / balances smoothly in final, leaving decent hop tracks. Nice one.
A bit overhopped for a pale ale, but that’s fine.
Alameda Brewing Co.
This is a brewpub/restaurant located quite a ways down Fremont St. It was fairly quiet on an
early Thursday evening. The crowd was mixed, a bit older than many beer places
in PDX. Light rock on the sound system, and news on TV. It has a sort of tepid industrial
look: cinder block, shiny metal siding, and warm blonde wood. A very extensive
menu of pub stuff. The sampler set comprised six 3-oz. glasses for $7, with a choice of
eight regulars, three seasonals, and one on nitro. The beer is here okay, with a
couple of pleasant surprises.
- Alameda Klickitat Pale Ale: Funky and fresh aroma. Light copper with a tan head. Tangy, bright caramel and pine balance right away . Pleasant bittering in mid and
final. Thin-medium body. Pretty good. Has more flavor than (and somewhat
different flavors from) most pale ales.
The Commons Brewery
Commons has a bare-bones tasting room set in the fermentation/conditioning area of
the brewery. The tables are upended barrels and seating consists of a few
(literally, three) stools. We were the only ones
there at opening time, so we took all three. But people soon began arriving and they had
nowhere to sit. Within 30 minutes, there were maybe 25-30 customers. Only one
staffer, and she sure got busy in a hurry. Nine beers on tap and four
bottles for sale. The sampler set provides four 5-oz. glasses (of any of the beers) for $9. Bombers cost
$7-9. No food was available. It was a bit warm in the building, with the afternoon
sun streaming through the large windows and the fermenters working away. The focus is on Belgian farmhouse styles and sour beer, which they do more or less
well. They’ve been open less than two years, and I’m sure that I'll go there
in a year or so to see if they have gotten better.
- The Commons Pale Evening Ale: A bit of harsh fruity Saaz nose, with considerable yeastiness. Hazy light orange/amber color - very pretty. Sweet fruity initial / moves to
some sourness and light bittering, and a well-balanced finish. Medium body.
Nicely made.
- The Commons Flemish Kiss: Nice sourish "red ale" nose. Copper/orange color. Starts out great: good tart berries and something a bit funky and even vegetal / finishes with
good balance and lingering scraps of fruit peels. Thin-medium body.
Good sourness. The Brett does come through -- but only a little. Nice,
delicate. Not overpowering in any way. Smooth, with a good range of flavors.
Concordia Ale House
Concordia is a fairly noisy bar. When I went, there was loud music, sports news, and an amplified trivia game announcer broadcasting endless questions. Twenty-two brews were on the well-selected tap list, with
a decided emphasis on NW stuff. Also, a very impressive selection of bottles in the coolers behind the bar. The service
was not bad. This is a very good place to find all kinds of new beers.
Grain and Gristle
Finally, a restaurant, one of whose co-founders is Alex Ganum, the owner of Upright Brewing. I've been here twice, on my two most recent visits to Portland. It has a pleasant
atmosphere and great service. Excellent food. The "2-fer"
is a wonderful deal; in fact, that’s what we had both times: a meal
for two with two beers for $25. Somewhat limited tap list, but all the beers
are good: eight taps, with two or three of them Upright brews. My girlfriend said that she wanted to eat there EVERY night. Be sure
to check out the beautifully carved maple bar. Love this place!
Friday, November 8, 2013
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
"Craft Beer in Japan: The Essential Guide" by Mark Meli / 日本のクラフトビール：エッセンシャルガイド by マークメリ
A few years ago, I went to the large Kinokuniya bookstore in Umeda to see what sorts of books they had on Japanese beer. After some time searching among the many works on sake, whiskey, wine, shochu, and cocktails, I managed to find only one slim volume about beer.
There are now a number of books written about Japanese craft beer, but until recently none in English. That changed last month with the publication of Mark Meli's Craft Beer in Japan: The Essential Guide. Mark spent five years traveling the length of the archipelago, visiting breweries and pubs, talking with brewers and fellow beer geeks, and, yes, sampling all the brews that came his way. (Full disclosure: I've known Mark for several years and I'm proud to have joined him many a time in his arduous and bibulous research work.)
The book is packed with information on Japanese craft breweries, brewpubs, bars, bottle shops, and beer festivals. In addition, it has several essays on the development of beer culture in Japan. It's no exaggeration to say that he probably knows the craft beer scene in Japan better than anyone.
The book is now available in a Kindle version through Amazon.com. Paper editions are currently sold through the Japan Beer Times website.
Several book-signing parties are in the works. You'll be able to meet Mark and purchase the book on site. The first of these will take place at Tadg's in Kyoto on September 18. Tokyo and Yokohama (and possibly other locations) will likely follow soon.
There are now a number of books written about Japanese craft beer, but until recently none in English. That changed last month with the publication of Mark Meli's Craft Beer in Japan: The Essential Guide. Mark spent five years traveling the length of the archipelago, visiting breweries and pubs, talking with brewers and fellow beer geeks, and, yes, sampling all the brews that came his way. (Full disclosure: I've known Mark for several years and I'm proud to have joined him many a time in his arduous and bibulous research work.)
The book is packed with information on Japanese craft breweries, brewpubs, bars, bottle shops, and beer festivals. In addition, it has several essays on the development of beer culture in Japan. It's no exaggeration to say that he probably knows the craft beer scene in Japan better than anyone.
The book is now available in a Kindle version through Amazon.com. Paper editions are currently sold through the Japan Beer Times website.
Several book-signing parties are in the works. You'll be able to meet Mark and purchase the book on site. The first of these will take place at Tadg's in Kyoto on September 18. Tokyo and Yokohama (and possibly other locations) will likely follow soon.
Friday, October 11, 2013
Summer 2013 Part Four (Three More in OR)
Earlier in August I drove out to Hood River, hoping to get to two or even three breweries. However, the first place I stopped at was...
Double Mountain Brewery and Taproom
Set in a multi-room restaurant and bar, with seating for maybe 120 people at tables inside and a few outside. The ceiling is high, with large open-beam construction. It seemed a bit dark on this a sunny day. The brewery area was visible through large glass doors & windows. Rock and country rock from the 60s & 70s played low on the sound system. It was fairly crowded for an early Thursday mid-summer afternoon, with a wide variety of customers: young and old, and families with young kids playing around the tables. Overall, the atmosphere is very friendly and loose. Most of the beers are hop heavy west coast styles (which they do well), along with some more experimental brews (not as well). I had a tasty sandwich, though pizzas are really the main thing here. Taster trays had five beers with variable pricing (regulars for $1.75 per glass, and seasonals or specials from $2.75 to $3.50 per glass). A bit pricey. It's right across the street from Full Sail, which I intended to visit -- but then I decided that ten samplers at Double Mountain was good enough for one day
Double Mountain Brewery and Taproom
Set in a multi-room restaurant and bar, with seating for maybe 120 people at tables inside and a few outside. The ceiling is high, with large open-beam construction. It seemed a bit dark on this a sunny day. The brewery area was visible through large glass doors & windows. Rock and country rock from the 60s & 70s played low on the sound system. It was fairly crowded for an early Thursday mid-summer afternoon, with a wide variety of customers: young and old, and families with young kids playing around the tables. Overall, the atmosphere is very friendly and loose. Most of the beers are hop heavy west coast styles (which they do well), along with some more experimental brews (not as well). I had a tasty sandwich, though pizzas are really the main thing here. Taster trays had five beers with variable pricing (regulars for $1.75 per glass, and seasonals or specials from $2.75 to $3.50 per glass). A bit pricey. It's right across the street from Full Sail, which I intended to visit -- but then I decided that ten samplers at Double Mountain was good enough for one day
On the way into Bend from Portland, in the small town of Sisters, is...
Three Creeks Brewery
It's in a large log cabin style building, divided into a main sit-down restaurant area and a restaurant/bar area. This seems to be part of a larger resort, with many snazzy cabins scattered among the large pine trees. We sat in the restaurant/bar area, which had seating for maybe 60-70 people. It was rather noisy, with several sports TV channels going as well as loud country music on the sound system. The brew system and fermenters were visible at one end. The atmosphere was quite friendly and relaxed and the service good. Sampler sets of their six regular beers were $9 for six 4oz. glasses. Three seasonal beers were also available. Unfortunately, the food is probably better than the beer. All the brews are decent and competently made, yet somehow unexciting.
It's in a large log cabin style building, divided into a main sit-down restaurant area and a restaurant/bar area. This seems to be part of a larger resort, with many snazzy cabins scattered among the large pine trees. We sat in the restaurant/bar area, which had seating for maybe 60-70 people. It was rather noisy, with several sports TV channels going as well as loud country music on the sound system. The brew system and fermenters were visible at one end. The atmosphere was quite friendly and relaxed and the service good. Sampler sets of their six regular beers were $9 for six 4oz. glasses. Three seasonal beers were also available. Unfortunately, the food is probably better than the beer. All the brews are decent and competently made, yet somehow unexciting.
Finally, one more place we visited in Bend was...
Bend Brewing Company
This is in a fairly nondescript building along the river, with sort of staid, faux granite cinder block walls. It was not at all busy on an early Sunday afternoon. The crowd seemed decidedly older than at most other places in town. Three sports TVs on three different walls and "Dad Rock" (Aerosmith and Springsteen) on the sound system. Sampler sets: 10 5-0z. glasses for $18. The beers were mostly unexceptional -- fairly regular range of styles and none of them pushing too far. The service was good at first, but then the server kept coming back every 15 minutes to ask about our food order, even though we said we’d come only for the beer. As we got ready to leave she made a sotto voce rude comment. If you’re getting stamps in your Bend Ale Trail passport, then you need to visit this place. Otherwise, there are much better places to go in Bend.
This is in a fairly nondescript building along the river, with sort of staid, faux granite cinder block walls. It was not at all busy on an early Sunday afternoon. The crowd seemed decidedly older than at most other places in town. Three sports TVs on three different walls and "Dad Rock" (Aerosmith and Springsteen) on the sound system. Sampler sets: 10 5-0z. glasses for $18. The beers were mostly unexceptional -- fairly regular range of styles and none of them pushing too far. The service was good at first, but then the server kept coming back every 15 minutes to ask about our food order, even though we said we’d come only for the beer. As we got ready to leave she made a sotto voce rude comment. If you’re getting stamps in your Bend Ale Trail passport, then you need to visit this place. Otherwise, there are much better places to go in Bend.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
World Craft Beer Tasting 2013 / 世界のクラフトビールテイスティング2013
What if they held a beer festival and (almost) no one came?
Well, we (almost) found out at the second iteration of the World Craft Beer Tasting, which took place on a hot, sunny weekend (September 21 and 22). Perhaps the heat kept people home or maybe the three-day weekend allowed Osakans to escape the city, but it really was rather lightly attended. Anyway, the upside was that there were never any crowds at the taps, and it was a cinch to sample a wide range of beers.
3pm
4pm
Last year's event was much smaller in scale and was held in a little neighborhood park near Umeda. This year, the organizers, Craft Beer Base, moved it to the Minato Riverplace next to the Namba Hatch building and doubled or even tripled the number of offerings.
A whopping 19 U.S. breweries were represented, along with nine from Japan, five from Belgium, four from Germany, and two from the UK. But only about half (or less) of the total beer list was on tap. Due to the low turnout, most kegs were not emptied until quite late in the day, and it was not possible to sample some of the more intriguing brews on the list.
A certain amount of disorganization was evident for much of the day. Many of the event volunteers did not know much about the beer. One poor fellow accidently knocked the tap off a keg, and he froze while maybe half the beer spouted up to the top of the tent. Event souvenir glasses were available somewhere but I got three different answers about where they could be purchased -- and each turned out wrong. Finally, tickets had been available in advance only (and, strangely, in books of ¥400 and ¥100 tickets when nearly all beers cost ¥500) -- but every vendor was accepting cash. Growing pains, perhaps, and these were really minor inconveniences.
Anyway, the beers that were on provided a very considerable selection. Some highlights were the following:
Stone Levitation Ale
Subtle nose of rich buttery maltiness. Dark brown with good lace. Hoppy initial -- a sort of overripe citrus fruit / malt takes over, and a very slight metallic note appears. Light body. Sort of a light hop tea thing, very tasty and pleasant.
High Water Hop Riot IPA
Huge, stinky, near manure aroma, with caramel and peach. Big caramel in initial / the hops go into warp speed in mid / big grapefruity tones in finish. Truly West Coast stuff.
Lagunitas Maximus
A spectacular nose: deep citrus & dark pine, some fresh meat and umami notes, too. Near perfect blanace in initial / mid palate takes it up a notch, with a lovely mix of peach, orange, and tropical fruit / finish fills the mouth with hop bitterness. Mmmm!
Well, we (almost) found out at the second iteration of the World Craft Beer Tasting, which took place on a hot, sunny weekend (September 21 and 22). Perhaps the heat kept people home or maybe the three-day weekend allowed Osakans to escape the city, but it really was rather lightly attended. Anyway, the upside was that there were never any crowds at the taps, and it was a cinch to sample a wide range of beers.
Last year's event was much smaller in scale and was held in a little neighborhood park near Umeda. This year, the organizers, Craft Beer Base, moved it to the Minato Riverplace next to the Namba Hatch building and doubled or even tripled the number of offerings.
A whopping 19 U.S. breweries were represented, along with nine from Japan, five from Belgium, four from Germany, and two from the UK. But only about half (or less) of the total beer list was on tap. Due to the low turnout, most kegs were not emptied until quite late in the day, and it was not possible to sample some of the more intriguing brews on the list.
A certain amount of disorganization was evident for much of the day. Many of the event volunteers did not know much about the beer. One poor fellow accidently knocked the tap off a keg, and he froze while maybe half the beer spouted up to the top of the tent. Event souvenir glasses were available somewhere but I got three different answers about where they could be purchased -- and each turned out wrong. Finally, tickets had been available in advance only (and, strangely, in books of ¥400 and ¥100 tickets when nearly all beers cost ¥500) -- but every vendor was accepting cash. Growing pains, perhaps, and these were really minor inconveniences.
Anyway, the beers that were on provided a very considerable selection. Some highlights were the following:
Stone Levitation Ale
Subtle nose of rich buttery maltiness. Dark brown with good lace. Hoppy initial -- a sort of overripe citrus fruit / malt takes over, and a very slight metallic note appears. Light body. Sort of a light hop tea thing, very tasty and pleasant.
High Water Hop Riot IPA
Huge, stinky, near manure aroma, with caramel and peach. Big caramel in initial / the hops go into warp speed in mid / big grapefruity tones in finish. Truly West Coast stuff.
Lagunitas Maximus
A spectacular nose: deep citrus & dark pine, some fresh meat and umami notes, too. Near perfect blanace in initial / mid palate takes it up a notch, with a lovely mix of peach, orange, and tropical fruit / finish fills the mouth with hop bitterness. Mmmm!
Saison Dupont Cuvée Dry Hopping
Big fruity, tangerine aroma. Very pretty deep yellow color
with a full white head. Strong lemony flavors, with back-end hop touches and a
sourish edge. Quite dry. Not sure what the dry hopping added. Very good, though
the regular Saison Dupont is better,
Baird Under the Blue Sky
This was a collaboration beer (w/ Tani Ai of Craft Beer Base)
made by Baird Brewing for the WCBT event. Very light aroma with touches of
grapefruit and peaches. Somewhat hop- happy initial, well-balanced in mid
palate, and light hop tinges in final. Creamy and quite fruity. Light, tasty,
and very drinkable
Friday, September 20, 2013
Summer 2013 -- Bend, OR -- Part Three (10 Barrel Brewpub) / オレゴン州 ベンド （10バレルブルーパブ）
We went to 10 Barrel Brewpub on a warm Sunday in mid August.
It was really busy, but the server quickly found us a place at a large island table in the middle of the restaurant section. The place has a friendly, open,
and welcoming atmosphere. A wide variety of customers: old, young, couples,
families with lots of kids, and (of course) dogs, too. Folk music playing low
on the sound system. The food was great. We had a huge Greek salad and
sandwiches to go with our beers. The pizzas looked very good; the large ones
seemed to be the size of a car tire
I was familiar with several of 10 Barrel’s more widely
available beers, including Apocalypse IPA, Sinistor Black Ale, and ISA – so I
focused on several that don’t often make it into beer bars or bottle shops.
10 Barrel Power to the People Stout
Listed as “P2P American Stout," it had a rich chocolate
nose with slight alcohol fumes rising. A massive chocolate initial, which
fizzed up into a great coffee/chocolate mid palate, and finished slow and
deeply satisfying. Smooth and creamy, it packs a lot of flavor.
10 Barrel OG Wheat India Pale Ale
Deep citrusy nose. Hazy bright straw color, with funny
little streams of carbonation from the sides of the glass. Balanced with dark
hops and big malt. Wheat fruitiness was pronounced. Very tasty stuff.
10 Barrel Red Faucher
This one is named for a cook at 10 Barrel’s Boise brewpub.
Good, scratchy and roasty malt aroma. Rather heavy roast malt initial. Mildly
hoppy in mid palate, with some buttery or even umami notes. The finish was
pleasant and balanced. Very satisfying mouthfeel. Seems more like an amber than
an Irish red ale.
10 Barrel Swill Beer
This Berliner Weisse is one of 10 Barrel’s most popular seasonal
brews. But I found it a little too thin and quite spritzy. Too sweet,
candy-juicy for a Berliner.
The beer sampler set was comprehensive and inexpensive: ten
3-oz. glasses for $10. This really is one of the best places in Bend.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Summer 2013 -- Bend, OR -- Part Two (Silver Moon Brewing) / オレゴン州 ベンド （シルバー·ムーン醸造）
Silver Moon Brewing is set along one of the busier streets in town
and really appears somewhat uninviting from the outside.
And inside, to a
certain extent. It sort of blends brewpub and roadhouse music bar, and is a touch grimy.
Not that I felt entirely out of place, but perhaps some dreadlocks, tats, or piercings would
have let me blend in better than my khaki shorts and a polo shirt did. A fairly
loud two-man music group was onstage, and we were asked a
couple of times to pay a cover charge (which we ignored).
The food menu was good, if limited: sandwiches, several good
appetizers, and salads. Samplers of Silver Moon brews were available: five 4oz.
glasses for $8. I had not heard much about this brewery, and my expectations
were not so high -- but I was pleasantly surprised by the variety and quality
of the beer.
Silver Moon Bridge Creek Pilsner
Smooth, light grassy sweet nose. Clear, brilliant straw
color. Tart initial / sweet and grassy mid palate / tropical fruit and
lingering hop traces in the finish. Has more body than a typical pils. Very
good hopping. Nice grass and floral notes.
Silver Moon Libation Pale Ale
Piney and medium malt aroma. The initial taste is a twisting
game of pine resin and caramel. A smooth and pleasant mid palate. It balances
out nicely in finish. The flavors develop and blend well. Seems like a mature
brew.
Silver Moon Hounds Tooth Amber
Nice citrusy aroma. Light copper color, with good lace. A
restrained grapefruit initial taste. Graded bitterness and some decent
maltiness in mid palate. Really more like an IPA than an amber ale.
These lighter, commonplace styles were the best on offer. I
left with the feeling that Silver Moon is a rather underrated brewery.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Summer 2013 -- Bend, OR -- Part One (Deschutes Brewery & Public House) / オレゴン州 ベンド （デシューツブルワリー）
I had a busy summer traveling throughout the U.S. In Oregon for a
week, Athens GA for two, Minneapolis for a long weekend, and then back out to
Oregon.
My son and I visited Bend OR for a few days. A small city
(pop. approx. 78,000) in the central part of the state, it is home to no less
than 15 breweries. We spent most of our time there exploring five of them, and
took a side trip out Tumalo Falls for a bit of hiking.
Deschutes Brewery & Public House
This is where Deschutes started, and where they have grown
into the 5th-largest craft brewery in the United States. Deschutes has always
focused on making clean, full-bodied ales (such as Mirror Pond Pale Ale), and brews in that style dominate the tap list here. But a few deviated from that line and those were the ones I enjoyed most.
Deschutes Dust Buster American Kölsch
A pub exclusive. Medium-strength citrus aroma, with tangy
citrus flavors. With strong hops in mid palate, it is very flavorful but tastes
more like a pale ale than a kölsch.
Deschutes Willamette Weisse
A Berliner Weisse that uses scotch broom and red cedar
leaves in place of hops. A dusty lemon juice aroma and a fruity tartness
so mild that it is simply an afterthought. Very delicate and smooth. It could
almost be a breakfast drink.
Deschutes Belgian Baroness
A pleasant estery nose, with light berries. A fruity mix dominates, and then great bittering folds in smoothly. The finish is balanced, slightly phenolic, and a bit unrefined. Complex, sweet, interesting, and so tasty.
Deschutes Horse Ridge IPA
This is in Deschutes’ best style line -- and is kind of an amped-up
big brother to Inversion IPA. I also had it on cask, and that version has a blue
cheesy initial flavor but overall is a bit milder and gentler and not quite as
full bodied as on tap.
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