Oregon, Spring 2015, Part 2: Fort George Brewery + Public House

I took a short drive up to Astoria, a town of about 10,000 people located in the extreme northwest of Oregon and home to no less than four breweries.

First stop was Fort George Brewery + Public House. Not too crowded on a weekday afternoon. Bar seating for 12 and tables and booths for maybe 50. There is also an upstairs area, which has a wood-fired pizza oven. 14 taps were on: 12 from Fort George and two guest taps. 

February is stout month here, and they offered a blind tasting set of eight stouts. I had been hoping to select my own tasters, but what the heck. The eight small glasses came with a judging sheet (answers on the back).

With frequent reference to descriptions on the beer menu, I was able to identify only three correctly – but later I learned that even the lead brewer could identify only four, himself!

The taster set of eight 2.5oz. glasses cost $12; half pints go for $3.50; snifters for $4.25; pints for $4.75; and pitchers for $16. A bit expensive, overall.

A friendly vibe to the place. I had a chance to talk to a night shift brewer out near the smoking area, and he gave me a lot of interesting information about the place and the beers.

Here are the eight stouts I sampled:

Fort George Accasbel’s Dry Stout (4.75%)     3.1 out of 5.0

Coffee nose, with some mild dark fruitiness. Near black, translucent, thin head. Coffee, chocolate, and very thin strain of raisins and plums. Thin body, a bit watery. Light thin coffee and dark fruit (again) are the main features.

Fort George Squashed Stout (6.7%)     3.2

Mild chocolate nose, translucent dark brown, sticky lace. Dark roast (mild), light fruit, and some nutty notes. Thin-medium body, very smooth mouthfeel. Pleasant. The squash lightens it up, but doesn’t add much else.

Fort George Viva La Stout (7.6%)     3.4

Dark roast nose, light coffee, some vanilla and spice (also a weird kind of room air fragrance spray note). Black, moderate tan head, thick slippery lace. Chocolate initial, light spice, cinnamon. Medium body, lightly warming. Pleasant, smooth, and creamy. The air sanitizer/fragrance thing detracts.

Fort George North the Eighth (VIII) (9.9%)     3.6

Barrel-like nose, but apparently it is not barreled. Chocolate nose, mild and pleasant. Black, thin head. Again a bourbon-like initial, overripe dates, a light phenolic note. Hopped with Cascade. Lightly warming stuff.

Fort George Cavatica Stout (8.5%)     3.6

Thin chocolate nose, some dark fruit. Black, creamy tan head. Chocolate, berries, and long hop tracks. Medium-thin body. Creamy, smooth, with deep bittering. This is one of Fort George’s most popular beers.

Fort George Bourbon Barrel Cavatica Stout (9.1%)     3.7

Big bourbon nose. Medium dark brown color, thick lace clinging to the glass. Bourbon, smooth fruitiness, with dates, prunes, raisins. Medium body, a bit thin for the style. Good blend of the barrel and fruit. Hides the alcohol very well.

Fort George Shot in the Dark Breakfast Stout (9.8%)     3.8

Heavy, thick coffee nose. Dark brown, thin tan head. Coffee flavors, big dark fruitiness, and some barrel notes. Medium-heavy, very creamy body. Very tasty stuff. Good blending of the coffee and bourbon (the coffee is just a touch over steeped).

 

Fort George Voluptas Stout (8.1%)     3.9

Nutty nose, with cookies, and light spice. Translucent dark brown color. Wonderful sweet dark fruit, cake dough, berries, and a long sweet chocolaty finish. Medium body. Very nice. Less bitterness and more fruitiness than most stouts. Almost a blend of a dark fruit beer and a stout. Love it.

Fort George Brewery + Public House

1483 Duane Street

Astoria, Oregon, USA 97103

(503) 325-7468

Mon-Thu: 11AM-11PM

Fri-Sat: 11AM-Midnight

Sun: Noon-Midnight

Oregon, Spring 2015, Part 1: The Mash Tun

The first spot I visited in Portland on this trip was The Mash Tun. This is a smallish brewpub located on Alberta Street (the main entrance is actually on NE 22nd Ave.). Though it started in 2005, it seems to have kept a low profile, as many flashier and more cutting-edge bars and brewpubs have opened around town. People in Portland seem to know the place, but few go there often or even mention it much. It developed as, and still feels like, a local neighborhood bar.

It was dark, even in the daytime, with a somewhat worn, rough-edged look. There were ten or so customers on a late Thursday afternoon. Only a single TV, over the bar, tuned to the National Geographic channel, with the sound muted and subtitles scrolling. Also, a pool table in the middle of the room and a cool vintage jukebox in one corner. Seating for maybe 60 people, with a large deck patio area out in the back.

Ten taps of house brews were available, along with one guest cider tap and five bottle/can beer selections, including Rainier Ale (that old NW favorite). Tasting sets cost $1.75 for each glass, though there are discounts for taster sets of 4, 6, 8, etc. My flight of four cost $6. Glasses for $3.50, pints for $4.50, and pitchers for $13.50. Overall, the beers were fair to middling, but definitely below average around these parts.  One writer has described them as “workmanlike” and “drinkable.”

Here are the four I tried:

Mash Tun Short Circuit Fresh Hop Ale    2.2 (out of 5)

Grassy nose, with rotten dates, and a Pine-Sol chemical note. Light copper color. Rude off-flavors, sweetish malt, and a rasty finish. Thin body. This one was made last fall and hasn’t survived well.

Mash Tun Tomahawk IPA           2.6

A single-hop IPA. Caramel nose with stinky bitterness. Medium copper/amber color, some lace. Malty, buttery initial. The hopping, which rose on the carbonation, wasn’t entirely agreeable. Medium body. This one seemed underattentuated and the balance was quite off.

Mash Tun Kilgore Stout               3.3

Named for a Kurt Vonnegut character, this stout had a decent chocolate nose, with some light powdery cocoa notes. Flavors of dark roast, more chocolate, some coffee, light bittering, a balanced finish, and good hop tracks. Medium body, quite creamy perhaps oats in this?). Pleasant stuff. Maybe actually a sweet stout.

Mash Tun Alberta Pale Ale          3.4

A light spicy, citrusy nose. Pale straw color, with no head. Tasty maltiness among the initial flavors, with citrus and grass. It balances nicely in mid palate. Thin-medium body. Well-rounded, straightforward stuff. The best beer I had there.

The Mash Tun

2204 NE Alberta St

Portland, Oregon, USA 97211

(503) 548-4491

Mon- Fri: 1 pm -1 am

Sat & Sun: 10 am -1 am