I wanted to pass this sweet deal on from our friends at PDXPipeline. Win a Free Oregon Brewers Festival $50 Package from PDXPipeline.

“Pipeline is giving away another $50 packages (two mugs, 40 tokens, one program!) to the Oregon Brewers Festival. To win: Comment on this post why you would like to attend. If you have already commented/entered here, you don’t have to enter again. We’ll draw the winner on Friday (July 23) @ noon.

Reminder: We give out 100s of $$$ in free tickets every month to our Portland Facebook Group for many of the top events & venues in PDX. Join it if you like free stuff. Not on Facebook? Join our email list and win there.”

Kerry with SoMe Award and beer in hand

Last Thursday night Taplister won a SoMe Award in the category of Best Social Media App – The Next Big Thing Award. The SoMe Awards or social media awards, honors “the best social media projects, programs and campaigns in the Pacific Northwest.”  Here is a description of our category: “A social media marketing campaign utilizing a social media application (includes widgets, iPhone applications, Android applications, Facebook applications, Twitter applications, & Google Gears). Entries will be judged on the marketing impact, usability, scalability, and viral nature of the social media application.”

We at Taplister are very excited about this award and look forward to further innovating the way craft beer fans consume information (pun is intended).  This is our second accolade.  The first was when John Foyston of the Oregonian’s Beer Here column named us the Best Intersection of Beer and Technology of 2009. In the next 30 days expect big things from Taplister including another iPhone app, an Android app and even a Facebook Application.  Cheers and thanks to Ryan Lewis for the pics!  Also here is a video from the event: Kerry at the SoMe Awards Talking About Taplister

Kerry putting one back before accepting a SoMe Award

Last Friday Taplister was selected as a finalist for the SoMe Awards in the category of Best Social Media App – The Next Big Thing Award (see our submission here).  The Some Awards or social media awards, honors “the best social media projects, programs and campaigns in the Pacific Northwest.”  We are honored to be selected as finalist and hope to take home this award.    Taplister is truly a passion project that relies on other passionate craft beer fans to help it grow and stay updated.  We need the craft beer community to support us by attending the SoMe Awards Banquet and voting for us in the People’s Choice Award.  The event is $20 in advance in Portland, Oregon at the Mac Club this Thursday May 6th from 7-10pm.  Thanks for your support and cross your fingers.

Ezra Johnson-Greenough & James Blum

Portlanders are serious about three things:  Beer, technology and our community.  To continue to let Google know we are the right choice for their Google Fiber to home network, we decided to open source the Gigabit IPA recipe that Hopworks created.  This will allow other cities the opportunity to brew this fine beer.  The code for the beer or recipe is available on Google’s open source code website and below.

We’re “opening the source code” so you can home brew a Gigabit IPA all your own.”
said the Mayor of Portland, Oregon, Sam Adams.

Today I assisted my friend’s Ezra Johnson-Greenough & James Blum from the New School Beer Blog to brew the first home brew version of the Gigabit IPA.  I enlisted help from these experienced home brewers since it has been nearly two years since I have home brewed.  As I am writing this post we are still in the brewing process of this hoppy brew and we look forward to comparing this to the Hopworks version.  If you are interested in brewing this beer the recipe is below.

Gigabit IPA Recipe

If you are a true craft beer fan then you have probably heard of Fred Eckhardt.  Fred is a beer & sake writer, home brewer and beer educator.  But what he is probably best known for is his personality.  You see my wife and I attended one of Fred’s beer & cheese pairings at Rogue Public House in the Pearl several years ago.  Fred entertained us with funny stories, facts & zanny one liners or as we call them Fredisms.  Now it is your turn to meet Fred at his 84th birthday party/fundraiser, Fred Fest.  I was fortunate enough to attend his birthday last year with fellow beer geeks.  Great & rare beers were had, food was consumed and good times were plenty.  I felt good about drinking since all of the proceeds went to a charity of Fred’s choice.  Join me at Fred Fest 2010 at the new Hair of the Dog Brewing and buy your ($50) tickets soon before they are gone.  Remember you are drinking for charity.

Fred Eckhardt, Kerry & Josie Finsand

The Press Release:

FredFest Date Change, Tickets On Sale

PORTLAND, Ore.  — The littlest big beer festival in the world – or at least in Portland – is slated for Monday, May 10, Fred’s actual 84^th birthday.  Tickets go on sale immediately at the official Web site: http://www.fredfestpdx.com

What started as a surprise 80th birthday party for world-renowned beer writer Fred Eckhardt grows each year and has become a significant fundraiser for the charity of Eckhardt’s choice. Now in its fifth year, this year’s proceeds will go toward finding a cure for juvenile diabetes.

In a quest to answer the timeless question: “What Would Fred Drink?” lucky Fred fans will gather at the NEW Hair of the Dog brewery and tasting room, 61 Yamhill Street in southeast Portland the evening of May 10, from 6 to 10 p.m.  They will be treated not only to a rare assortment of hand-selected beers, but also light fare and a birthday cake — complete with a round of “Happy Birthday” — for Fred. Cheeses, chocolate, candy and even cereal will be offered in abundance so attendees can experience some of Fred’s famed beer-and-food pairings.

At the FredFest, there will be a silent auction at the event featuring bottles of rare beers. And a worldwide online auction of rare beers and vertical flights will be held the same weekend, allowing Fred fans across the globe to be a part of Fred’s birthday and the FredFest celebration and fundraiser – even if they can’t actually attend the FredFest event.

Cost for FredFest is $50 in advance and includes a souvenir glass, free ticket for a raffle of bottled specialty beers and four hours of sampling, sipping and story-telling with Fred. Tickets are limited and they are going fast (they’ve sold out every year to date), so get your tickets before it’s too late at http://www.FredFestPDX.com and also at http://www.FredFestPDX.net

On Wednesday afternoon I was drawn to Pioneer Courthouse Square like a moth to a flame.
It was time for the Holiday Ale Fest to begin, and for those in the know it truly is a holiday as we all take the days off from our respective jobs to be there at the opening.
This year it began earlier then ever at 2pm on a Wednesday. The experienced beer festival goer knows you must arrive to these things early, and preferably on a weekday if you want to beat the craziness.
And this year was no exception, I arrived before 2pm to find a line already a block long. Once I got in there weren’t any lines but the place filled in record time. By 3pm the place was full and a line was forming for only 2 beers, Hair Of The Dog Jim and Samichlaus. 2 infamous and rare beers that are both enjoyable yet both overrated in my opinion.

Each of these beers is definitely worth checking out, they are both beasts and unique. One was once the highest alcohol beer in the world (samichlaus), and is still the strongest lager (14%abv) the other is a beer brewed in honor of the late Jim Kennedy and the Holiday Ale Fest. Jim from Hair Of The Dog is a blend of other barrel-aged HOTD beers, different each year and then toasted with a few commercial bottles from the cellar. One year of this brew had a 91 Rodenbach Alexander added and another a Cantillon. I could definitely pull out some funk and souring from those vintages in addition to all of the bourbon spice and wood notes. Its also a very hot beer, it will warm you up and the hops are not forgotten. The newest vintage was very hoppy and green and needs some time to improve and the edges to round off.

Unfortunately this year they came up with some terrible art to advertise the fest. A slutty looking santa’s helper named “Holly” with a lot of cleavage and a short skirt with some candy cane stalkings. Awkwardly holding a tulip glass of beer.
Apparently this is the first in a series of different girls for each year of the festival.
Now I have no objections to a hot girl holding a beer but the art is cheesy and way overdone. Very unclassy and borderline sexist.

Regardless this is a great beer festival. Easily one of my favorites. Perhaps #1. The Collection of brews here is unprecedented, for a beer drinker like myself often I have had 80% of the beers at any given festival before it begins, but at this one I think its more like 25%. The setting and location under those great big tents creates a great atmosphere. This fest is truly the event of the holiday season!

My beer picks to search out are:

Alaskan: Barleywine
A must try beer. One of the top barleywines in the world. Its dark even for a barleywine and has many layers of malts.
It has the typical barleywine sweetness but the finish is relatively dry and with just the right amount of hoppiness to balance it out. I love to pick out the flavors in this carmel, toasted wood, brown sugar, spicy hops…

Bear Republic: Barrel Aged Old Baba Yaga
Probably the consensual pick of the fest. This Cabernet barrel-aged Imperial Stout stood out among all the other imperial stouts and big beers. Appropriate winter beer sweetness balanced with a sour red wine grape character and some even hopping.
Not that this beer is sour by any means but just that subtle note of fermenting grapes. Not sure if I have had anything like that in a beer before. And I have had numerous wine barrel aged stouts. Some great roastinesss and smoky leather qualities peek through and ultimately overwhelm the palate to make this a very memorable beer.

Cascade: Drie Zwarte Pieten “Sang Noir”
This is a big 10.2% abv Flanders Red style. Made from a blend of barrels it has a lot of appropriate sourness.
I have had 2 other “Sang Noir” blends and this one is the finest. They have achieved the most sourness here as well as some great berry sweet tartness and dry oaky barrel flavors. This is the palate cleanser of the fest.

Deschutes: Lost Barrels of Mirror Mirror
This is supposedly lost barrels of the 05 Mirror Mirror Barleywine. I am not that big of a fan of the current Mirror Mirror which is a blend with parts aged in various wine and whiskey barrels as well as tanks.
This version is unblended 100% oak aged and you can really taste it. It still has the overwhelming sweet maltiness but this time balanced with a heaping of toasted oak flavor. Almost as if sucking on the wood in a good way.

Firestone Walker: Velvet Merkin
I have had this 4 times now. It is always a highlight. This oatmeal stout is one of the tastiest under 6%abv beers around and is a delight to the stout starved Portland market where everyone is concentrating on hops and extreme beers. In description it sounds like any other, creamy, rich, coffee, chocolate…but in taste it manages to pack in more of those flavors in terrific balance then most others.

Fort George: North III
Brewed specifically for the fest is this interesting offering from Astoria. 8.8% abv with Honey Malt, maple syrup and sugar plums.
The sugar plums unfortunately/predictably are lost. Sugar usually leaves little flavor behind. But the honey and the maple shine through and yet dont overwhelm. Some nice spicy notes as well and a belgian yeast character.

Full Sail: Wassail Holiday Blend
A blend of Full Sail’s annual winter warmer Wassail with 35% of the blend being their Top Sail bourbon barrel Imperial Porter. This wasnt for everyone but I loved the combo of the toasty malts and spicy hops of the wassail with the boozy, roasty and vanilla characters of the Imperial Porter and some of that bourbon sweetness showing up.

Laurelwood: Polska Porter
A 10.1% Baltic Porter. For those that dont know this style a Baltic Porter is a strong porter brewed with a lager yeast instead of like an ale. Typically they have a lot of the european maltiness from Munich malts.
I am always happy to see a baltic porter even when they dont taste much like one as this beer.
It does taste like a terrific Robust Porter or Imperial Stout. Thick heavy chewy body with layers of roastiness and sweet malts. This is a bit like a 4 shot espresso with a big dollop of cream.

Also of note:
Upright Brewing Holy Herb
(biere de garde style brewed w/ Hyssop and aged on Eucalyptus wood!)

Hopworks: Kronan The Barbarian
(baltic porter)

Brasserie Dupont: Avec Les Bons Voeux
(a wonderful saison)

Bridgeport: Bourbon Ebenezer
(barrel aged version of Bridgeports winter brew)

Eel River: Spiced Baltic Porter
(truer to style baltic porter with just light winter spicing to freshen it up)

Ninkasi: Unconventianale
(Imperial stout made with lavender, tarragon and honey!)

Avoid:

Bayern Faceplant

Laughing Dog Chocolate Huckleberry Stout

Lompoc Brewdolph

Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella Pils

Rock Bottom Blitzen

by:
Ezra aka Samurai Artist

We take a tour of the Lucky Lab Quimby Beer Hall Brewery with the brewer Ben Flerchinger.

Interview, Video/Audio, and Graphics by:
Ezra Johnson-Greenough
Alison Grayson
Ritch Marvin

Portland’s Beer & Bike friendly mentality goes off the deep end. Hopworks’ Christian Ettinger takes us on an Edgar Winter Group style “free ride”. Kegs + Bike + Bar = Mobile Portland Party!

Interview, Video/Audio, and Graphics by:
Ezra Johnson-Greenough
Alison Grayson
Ritch Marvin

Part 2 of a tour of Bridgeport Brewing in Portland, Oregon with head brewer Karl Ockert. Karl discusses the brewing process and some of the ways Bridgeport practices sustainability.

Interview, Video/Audio, and Graphics by:
Ezra Johnson-Greenough
Alison Grayson
Ritch Marvin

Part 1 of the Bridgeport Brewing Sustainability Tour in Portland, Oregon with head brewer Karl Ockert. Karl walks us through a play by play of their brewing process and some of the ways Bridgeport practices sustainability. If you’re interested in how beer is made, sustainably and well, this is a great video to watch. Invite a friend that is new to the micro-brew scene then watch and learn with this very informational 2 part series. You’ll definitely want to create your own sustainable brews by the end of this video and you’ll probably have a better idea how. A prost to Karl for going green and paying the bills, all while sippin’ on the good stuff.
Part 1 of 2. Part 2 coming soon! Cheers.

Cinematography and Editing By Ritch Marvin.

Interview, Video/Audio, and Graphics by:
Ezra Johnson-Greenough
Alison Grayson
Ritch Marvin