OAKSHIRE MEET THE BREWER & SKOOKUMCHUCK RELEASE
12/15/11
Belmont Station
4500 SE Stark
Portland
5-8pm
Oakshire Brewmaster Matt Van Wyk will be on hand to introduce his Skookumchuck Ale, a blend of 5 wine barrel-aged beers, 2 housing Le Ferme on Apricots and La Folie yeast, 2 housing Collaborative Evil 09 on Drie Fonteinen yeast, and 1 housing Oakshire Wheat on Lacto. A limited number of bottles will be for sale. Skookumchuck, Hellshire II, and Ill Tempered Gnome on tap in the Biercafe.

17th Anniversary Release
12/15/11
Rock Bottom Brewery
206 SW Morrison St
Portland
5:30
Brewers C. Hutchins & Bolton M. will have a trivia questionaire from 1994, prizes, a new anniversary beer and cake.

8 Malty Nights Release
12/14/11
Lompoc Sidebar
3901 N Williams
Portland
6pm
Lompoc Brewing is hosting a release party for 8 Malty Nights, Portland’s only Chanukah beer. Lightly hopped with English hops, this dark brown chocolate rye features a roasted chocolate flavor and a sweet finish.

Apollo Creed CDA Release
12/15/11
Coalition Brewing
2724 SE Ankeny
Portland
7-10
Rocky I on the big screen and the release of Apollo Creed CDA and a special small batch release of a Wheat IPA to go toe to toe with to Apollo Creed

Bourbon Barrel Aztex + Soursop Wheat Release
12/14/11
Breakside Brewery
820 NE Dekum
Portland
Breakside Brewery will release bottled versions of two barrel-aged beers. Bourbon Barrel Aztec is an oak-aged version of Aztec Ale, the brewery’s strong ale made with chocolate and chiles.
Soursop Wheat is a blend of several different Belgian wheat beers that were aged in soured Old Tom Gin barrels and then aged on soursop, a Southeast Asian fruit that is both sweet and savory.
For those unfamiliar with soursop, the brewery will provide samples of the fruit during the release party. Both beers will be available on draught as well. According to head brewer Ben Edmunds, “this will likely be the only time these two beers are on tap simultaneously, since we have very limited quantities of both.” Edmunds also said that he plans to tap one or two special kegs of previously unreleased experimental beers throughout the evening as well. The beers will be available beginning at 3 PM in 750 ml format bottles, exclusively at Breakside’s pub. Earlybird attendees will also benefit from the brewery’s new happy hour menu that runs from 3-6 PM.

Frost Killer Release
12/15/11
Cascade Barrel House
939 SE Belmont
Portland
Frost Killer is a seasonal one-off from the brewery that’s a big winter warmer. Belgian candi sugar, rich malts and notes of ginger and spice greet you in the nose. Caramel malts, spices and sweet hop resins on the palate lead to a mellow sweet finish, with hop notes appearing at the end for a pleasant warming. The spice and candy notes come from the delicate interplay of the dark aromatic candi sugar, sweet and bitter orange peel and the hops. 8.3% ABV / 75 IBU / $4.50 Tear Drop
BONUS: Release of Vintage Vlad the Imp Aler (09) from the cellar. This award-winning NW-style sour is the one and only original Vlad. The sharp tart notes have softened, giving way to smooth caramels and hints of vanillin, toasted sweet biscuits and ripe fruit. Soft Bourbon and vanilla on the palate leave you with a slight Bourbon and spice burn 10% ABV.

Beermaker Dinner
12/15/11
Full Sail Tasting Room and Pub
506 Columbia
Hood River
541-386-2247
5pm
$30-4 courses
Brewmaster Jamie Emmerson and Chef Jeff Baldo will pair four courses and four beers.
FIRST COURSE-Pumpkin Soup with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds and Nutmeg Cream-Session Fest
SECOND COURSE-Deconstructed Baked Potato with Sharp Cheddar, Smoked Bacon and Chive Creme Fraiche-Pale Ale
THIRD COURSE-Coffee and Chili Rubbed New York Steak with Horseradish Parsnip Puree, Brussels Sprouts, and Beer Chocolate Jus-Wassail
FOURTH COURSE-Stout Buche de Noel with Whipped Cream-2011 Black Gold Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout

Full Sail Brewing Company Celebrates its Employee Owners with Brewer’s Share Line-up

In 2008 Full Sail Brewing created their small batch Brewer’s Share series as an opportunity for each of their individual brewers to express their creations to be shared on tap exclusively in their pub. Since their crew came up with so many great beers, they decided to share a selection of them with beer lovers everywhere. The first beer in the series “Extra Special Barney” (ESB) developed by Brewing Supervisor, Barney Brennan will be released in 22oz. bottles and on draft in January.

“It’s rare to know who makes your beer. We’re proud to be the people behind so many award winning brews. As an independent and employee owned brewery, you know that we put our hearts and souls into every drop. With Brewer’s Share, we take it one step further and introduce our individual brewers by name and beer,” said Irene Firmat, Full Sail’s CEO and Founder.

According to Brennan, this beer is a departure from the big, hoppy, Northwest ales. This Extra Special Bitter, a traditional English style ale, is brewed with attention to balance, highlighting both malt and hops. Five different malt varieties give the beer its orange hue, and caramel complexities. A single hop was used, Challenger, including a pound per barrel dry hop. The pint first offers the interaction of the aromas of malt and hop, then the medium body and caramel flavors finish with a slight bitterness. Drinkable and quenching with an invitation to return for another taste. 6.5% ABV, 35 IBU

Brennan’s ESB was inspired by two things; a perfect beer moment and the aromatic highlight of the hop selection in Yakima, a US Challenger hop. As Barney puts it, “I was sitting on the deck at the brewery overlooking the river in the sunshine – drinking a perfectly balanced bitter – already looking forward to the second pint. It was one of those great beer moments. Hopefully, my ESB will make one of those moments for someone else with its five different specialty malts and this one very special hop. We made it entirely with US Challenger hops including a pound per barrel dry hop because we wanted to share the aromatic experience we had at the hop rub in Yakima with our customers.”

The inspiration for the name “Brewer’s Share” came from that mysterious portion that vanishes from a barrel during aging that brewers refer to as the “angel’s share,” and that led to “Brewer’s Share,” an equally mysterious offering that appears during inspiration. Brewer’s Share can also mean a unit of ownership, as in stock. Consider this program to be an Initial Public Offering (IPO). Whenever you purchase a Brewer’s Share you get a unit of ownership – one share of the batch. As a shareholder you have the right to consume the beverage. In doing so you will also be investing in the public good – as each brewer not only chooses the recipe, they choose a local charity or organization that will benefit from each bottle sold – Which can bring an excellent return on ingestion (ROI).

Full Sail’s Brewer’s Share small batch offerings will be available in 22oz. bottles and on draft. The other beers in the 2012 line-up include Phil’s Existential Alt, Chris’s Summer Delight Berliner Weiss and Big Daddy J’s Malt Liquor. Full Sail will release one Brewer’s Share at a time and a new beer will be released for each season.

With each Brewer’s Share series beer, Full Sail picks a local charity or organization to receive a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the beer. Barney has chosen to support Columbia Gorge Arts in Education so every barrel of Extra Special Barney benefits this organization. The Columbia Gorge Arts in Education provides visual, literary, and performing arts to local K-12 students. Through artist residencies in schools, workshops, after school programs, community art projects and installations, programs for at-risk youth, and cultural performances, Columbia Gorge Arts in Education served 6,000 kids last year in the Mid-Columbia region. For more information please visit www.cgaie.org.

Ninkasi Brewing Company Is Excited To Announce The Release Of Six New Beers For December And January

1. Holiday Ale, SLEIGH’R DARK DOUBLE ALT continues to become a new tradition in the Northwest.
Dark, rich and toasty, Sleigh’r is a easy drinking 7.2% abv holiday ale. Available until Dec 31st in 6 packs+22oz bombers.

2. Winter Special Release, IMPERIALE STOUT is now out in stores in 22oz bo#les only. Full bodied and surprisingly smooth, Imperiale has a big roast hit up front, and rich, dark malt flavors balanced by ample hop bitterness. 9.1% abv and 70 IBUs.

3. THE LITTLE ONE – is one of two offerings to counter-point the big flavored beers of Winter. Little One is brewed in an age old tradition of using the grains used in brewing Barleywine to brew a second “Small Beer”. This beer is mildly bittered with 100% German Haulertauer hops which are also used in a dry hopping to maximize their lovely aroma. The Little One is copper hued with hints of caramel, piquant fruit, and a elegant hit of grassy, slightly earthy hop flavor and aroma. 30 IBUs 5.2% abv

4. STERLING PILS is a German-style Pilsner brewed with North American Ingredients, including Sterling hops from Washington, Premium Pilsner malt from Canada, and some of the best brewing water in the world from the Pacific Northwest. 30 IBUs 4.9%
abv.

January brings two more beers:

5. CRITICAL HIT BARLEY WINE comes with a warning – It is hopped to high heaven. 11 varieties of Hops. Two-hundred and twenty pounds of them, for only 17 barrels of beer! Its high gravity nature has been mellowing for a year to warm the cheeks and soul. Critical Hit will be released for the first time in limited release 22oz bombers and draft. Available Jan, 2012 100 IBUs 11.7% abv

6. Ninkasi’s RenewAle Seasonal Beers celebrate a different style of beer in the darkest time of year. 2012 brings RENEWALE PORTER. Bittersweet chocolate aroma and flavors accentuate this dark, rich Porter. Balanced and satisfying, this robust style Porter is sure to bring cheer in the New Year! Available in 6 Packs, 22 oz bottles and 1/2bbl draft. 38 IBUs 5.9% abv

Bones, Brews and Brown Spirits Beermaker Dinner
12/12/11
Burnside Brewing
701 E Burnside
Portland
6:30pm
$75
(503) 946-8151
Email Molly at BurnsideBrewCo dotcom for Reservations
Burnside Brewing’s first ever in-house beer dinner hosted by Brewmaster Jason Mcadam and Chef Ronnie Vance.
Will feature food pairing experiments with spirits like Glenmorangie scotch, Domaine Chandon sparkling wine, Grand Marnier and Burnside Brewing’s house beers.
Menu:
Caesar Salad- parmesan reggiano cornet, romaine-garlic shaved ice, anchovy-Chandon Brut Classic
Oysters and Pearls-kumamoto oyster, peach tree smoke, “caviar”, “brioche ice”-Burnside Stock Ale
Lemon Meringue Pie-leg of lamb, honey comb, “ meringue custard”-Burnside Oatmeal Pale Ale
Toffee-Coffee-Confit-macchiato toffee, cointreau, duck confit-Burnside Oyster Ale
Peppermint Patty-liquid nitrogen grilled chocolate mousse, pork tenderloin, mint “jelly”and Burnside Sweet Heat
Tea-soy tainted kobe beef consommé, coriander, rose, nutmeg, ginger-Burnside Alt Bier
Dessert: Pasta Marinara-strawberries, cream, Champagne and Strawberries
Cremesicle “Grand Marnier Cuvee du Centennaire” Burnside Permafrost and IPA Cigarette