Cascadian Dark Ales Draw National Attention
This year, the Cascadian Dark Ale vs. Black IPA debate has been a hot topic among beer bloggers, writers, and beer enthusiasts across the country. Everyone has his or her own opinion of what the style should be called. And appropriately, there's perhaps no other region of the country where the debate has been discussed more than in the Pacific Northwest. Living in Portland, we are all too familiar with the argument.
But the discussion seems to have slowed in recent months. Perhaps it's because the frequency of CDA releases have slowed. Maybe we've exhausted the argument. Or, maybe we feel defeated because the Brewers Association decided not to formally adopt either name. Instead, the official name in the 2010 Beer Style Guidelines is American-Style India Black Ale.
Still, Cascadian Dark Ales continue to draw national attention. Last week, The Washington Post published the article, An Emerging Beer Style, CDA Marries Hops and Dark Malts. Interestingly, the tone of the article suggests that the CDA name is "gaining currency." In contrast to the Brewers Association's name choice, the article also states, in reference to the India Black Ale name, that "at least one brewery has had that term struck down by federal labeling authorities for not being an accepted style." Whatever the case, the article brings the Cascadian Dark Ale into the spotlight for readers across the country.
On the Road: Providence, RI
Julian's in Providence
For the second time in as many weeks, I found myself on the East Coast again last week; this time it was Providence, Rhode Island. I had never been to The Creative Capital before this trip and, despite the relatively limited brewery options in the city, I was really looking forward to exploring what Providence had to offer. Coincidentally, I was in Providence when our friends at Brewpublic published the first part in a series about beer in Rhode Island. While I wasn't able to explore beyond the city limits, I did find a few great beer spots worth checking out in town.
The most notable of my stops was Julian's. I had first heard about Julian's from a fellow Oregon Beer Odyssey classmate a few weeks ago. Described to me as a place worth checking out, but somewhat off the beaten path, it ended up being only about a mile walk from my hotel. And as Portland was getting rained on, I enjoyed the walk on a nearly 80 degree evening in Providence.
Black Tuesday is a good thing
For me, last weekend began and came to a close in the same place: Saraveza.
On Sunday afternoon, I hooked up with Double Mountain brewer Kyle Larsen for a tasting of seasonals from The Bruery, one of Kyle's favorite breweries. The Orange County, California-based brewery shared a lineup of beers that included: Saison de Lente, Trade Winds, Autumn Maple, Partridge in a Pear Tree, and Two Turtle Doves.
While each of these beers was excellent, it quickly became obvious that the crowd really wanted Ben Wiess from The Bruery to crack open the highly anticipated bottles of Black Tuesday. Black Tuesday is an Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels with an ABV of 19.5%. It's a big beer. I agree with Angelo, this brewery exclusive was a real treat to try.
Goose Island’s Greg Hall introduces Matilda, Sofie, and Pere Jaques to Portland
Goose Island Brewmaster Greg Hall talks about Matilda, Sofie, and Pere Jaques
When I first came across a Goose Island beer in Portland, I was surprised for two reasons. First, I didn't expect to see beer from my hometown 2,200 miles away in Oregon. And second, from Goose Island's pretty extensive line of beers, there was one lone offering available: Bourbon County Stout.
In the months after we moved from Chicago to Portland, I did see Goose Island's Christmas Ale on the shelves at some stores and thought Goose Island may be making a push into the market. But Christmas came and went, and Goose Island's Christmas Ale went with it. Until recently, the only news I heard about Goose Island came from friends still living in Chicago.
Oregon Beer Odyssey Gone Wild
Oregon Beer Odyssey's Ben Edmunds teaches us about sour beers
As far as I can tell, interest in sour beers seems to have grown in recent months. It seems that sours have become a more frequent topic of conversation; they’re finding their way into a more regular rotation at local bars; and they seem to have earned some additional shelf space at local bottle shops – shelf space that was likely once home to other more recognized, expected, and accepted styles.
Admittedly, I’m fairly inexperienced when it comes to sour beers. While I enjoy them, I haven’t devoted much time or energy to really learning about them. So, my perception that sours are gaining traction and becoming more readily available may be skewed by the fact that I’ve recently started to pay more attention to the style. In any case, I wanted to learn more. Conveniently, I also wanted to check out the Oregon Beer Odyssey, a recently launched Portland-based company offering a series of beer classes. On Saturday, I attended Oregon Beer Odyssey’s Sour and Wild Beers class, and I can’t say enough good things about it.
Chicago Bound? the Local Option is a great option
As I watch the #CBCChi and #CBC2010 tags come through via Twitter, I'm painfully aware that I'm missing the Craft Brewers Conference in Chicago this week. Instead, after moving to Portland, OR from Chicago in August, I'm 2,200 miles away wishing I could have stuck around long enough to join in on the fun. Unfortunately, it's not going to happen.
While I know the usual suspects will be at the top of most peoples' charts - the likes of Goose Island, Three Floyds, Piece, The Map Room, Hopleaf, Half Acre, Publican, Metropolitan Brewing, Two Brothers and Revolution Brewing come to mind - I felt compelled to make a suggestion, in fear that these guys may be overlooked by some.
Do yourself a favor, and check out the Local Option when you're in Chicago.
The Green Line Project: Goose Island Uses New Beer to Promote Sustainability
A few weeks ago, a friend of mine in Chicago asked me if I’d heard about Goose Island’s new beer: Green Line Pale Ale. I had not yet heard anything about it, but in the following days saw it mentioned on Twitter and in online news stories several times. In reading about the new beer, it became obvious that this was more than your average beer release. The beer is actually part of an entire project called the Green Line Project, with the goal of generating awareness about, and making Goose Island a more environmentally friendly company.
According to information available on the project’s website: www.glproject.com, the Green Line Project was prompted by a study that measured the carbon footprint of a typical keg of Goose Island beer. At its broadest level, the Project centers around the idea that beer distributed in kegs produces less waste than beer packaged in single-serve containers like bottles. At the same time, limiting the distance that a keg travels in order to reach the end consumer can dramatically reduce the negative environmental impact caused by vehicle emissions, energy usage, and refrigeration.
For these reasons, Goose Island launched Green Line Pale Ale as a keg-only beer, and decided that it would only be distributed in the city of Chicago.
I Spent $15 to Drink Pliny the Younger
It's true. Last night I spent $15 to drink Pliny the Younger. After missing other local tappings of the much-hyped beer at Horse Brass, County Cork, Saraveza, and Henry's Tavern in Portland, I figured that the $15 offer from Belmont Station would likely be my last chance to try this year's Pliny the Younger. After trying it last night, I'm glad I spent the money.
Bear Republic HopFest at Bailey’s Taproom
After spending the weekend showing some out-of-town family members around Portland (and being somewhat out of the loop for a few days), it was great to check out Tuesday night's Bear Republic HopFest at Bailey's Taproom. I had become a fan of Bear Republic a few years ago after finding Racer 5 pretty consistently on tap at The Map Room in Chicago, and I was looking forward to trying some of the brewery's other hoppy brews.
I ended up finding Ezra from The New School at Bailey's, and we tried the four Bear Rebpulic beers on tap as part of HopFest (from left to right in the photo above):
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On the Road: Flat Street Brewpub – Brattleboro, VT
While I was out of town earlier this week, I had the opportunity to visit Flat Street Brewpub in Brattleboro, Vermont. After hearing from local B&B owners Amy and Tim Brady, that Switchback, Otter Creek Imperials, and Long Trail Brewmaster beers would be worth seeking out, I thought I might find one at Flat Street. Unfortunately I didn't find any of these recommendations at the brewpub, but didn't mind all that much after seeing the list of 20 beers on tap.
About half of Flat Street's taplist is beers from Berkshire Brewing Company, a brewery about 30 miles south of Brattleboro in South Deerfield, MA. I opted for the seasonal Berkshire Cabin Fever. The beer is described as:
Copper amber in color, this medium bodied ale has a great balanced flavor. A fruity spicy hop finish compliments the caramel taste. Think of English pale ale dry hopped with German Tettnang hops. This ale was made to sustain you during the long New England winter.
