The 16th Annual Holiday Ale Festival Dates And Details Announced

Holiday Ale Festival toasts the spirits of the season 16th annual event serves up four-dozen rare winter beers in the heart of downtown Portland PORTLAND, Ore. - Oct. 11, 2011 - The 16th annual  Holiday Ale Festival will take placeNov. 30 through Dec. 4 at Pioneer Courthouse Square, located at 701 SW Sixth Ave. on the MAX Light Rail line. The popular event will feature four-dozen big, bold ales designed to fend off the cold chill of a long winter night. From IPAs, Belgians and barleywines to winter warmers, porters and stouts, these beers are crafted specifically for the event or are hard-to-fine vintages, helping secure the event's reputation as one of the nation's preeminent winter beer festivals. Event hours are 2 to 10 pm Wednesday, 11 am to 10 pm Thursday through Saturday, and 11 am to 5 pm Sunday. To avoid the lengthy lines that often accompany Northwest beer fests, the recommended days for attendance are Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday. The Holiday Ale Festival is for ages 21 and over. What makes this festival standout from other similar events is the beer selection; the festival works with every brewery involved to make sure they can send a beer that has either been made specifically for the event, or is a rare or vintage beer that isn't commonly tapped in the state. According to festival manager Preston Weesner, "It's about the fans. This is a once-a-year event and these beer lovers are here to support their favorite brewery. When they get up to the taps and find something special, it further solidifies their support of Oregon craft brews and strengthens our reputation in the beer world as THE place to drink beer." To enter and consumer beer, the purchase of an entry package is required. The general admission package at the door costs $25 and includes the 2011 tasting mug and eight taster tickets. Advance general admission packages cost $25 and include the tasting mug, 10 taster tickets and expedited entry all five days. Advance VIP packages are available for $50 and include the tasting mug, 20 taster tickets, a bottle of water, access to VIP lines and express entry all five days. Express re-entry requires a wristband and the 2011 mug, and is subject to the festival's capacity. Previous year's mugs will not be filled. Advance packages are available online at www.holidayale.com.   Once inside the festival, a full mug of beer costs four taster tickets, and a four-ounce taste costs one ticket. Certain limited release and special tappings may not be available in full mug pours, or may cost double tickets. Additional beer tickets can be purchased for $1 apiece. Designated drivers in a party of two or more may purchase a designated driver wristband for $5, which includes Crater Lake Root Beer or bottled water for the duration of the stay. Despite being held outdoors during one of the coldest months of the year, more than 17,000festival attendees stay warm and dry under clear-topped tents that cover the venue. Gas heaters create a cozy ambiance beneath the boughs of the region's largest decorated Christmas tree. In addition to beer tasting, the festival also features on-site food, event merchandise and a coat and bag check that raises funds for the Children's Cancer Association. For more information, visit www.holidayale.com or call 503-252-9899.

Anderson Valley's 15th Annual Legendary Boonville Beer Fest (in Pictures)

Loaded up and hitting the road.

First stop: Caldera Brewery in Ashland, OR

Caldera's gleaming brewhouse. The second tank on the right is filled with Hop Hash!

Angelo and the Oakshire crew are ready to roll.

The magnificent Mt. Shasta.

Obligatory stop at In-N-Out in Redding, CA.

The Oregon caravan is almost there!

Time for a beer with the Marin brewers.

Camp Eugene (Oakshire's Missing Link and Ninkasi Double Dry Hopped Tricerahops on tap).

Angelo, Lucas, Matt, King C, Amy, 2 friends, and Paul repping Oregon.

Found a jawbone down by the creek, loving nature.

Playing in the creek, not deep enough for a good swim though.

Travis showed up in his newly modified Element.

The hydraulic grill!

Uncommon Brewers made the trip up from Santa Cruz.

Russian River and Washoes at the campground.

Nice old car in beautiful Anderson Valley.

Time to head to the fest (Double Mountain representing OR again).

Break for some quick holes on the brewery Disc Golf course.

Camp Moonlight.

Matt and Bryan from Oakshire with the Homebrew Chef Sean Paxton.

Triple Rock is pouring beer and loving it!

Troy Potter bolstering excitement for Eugene beer!

I had to run and hide shortly after taking this picture, no mullet for me today!

Saw this guy on the way out enjoying a cigar and corndog.

Clear Lake, CA.

Stopped at Sierra Nevada on the way back for some beer and lunch: Imperial Oatmeal Stout, Bigfoot, and Ghidorah Double IPA

A little snow in May coming back over the CA-OR border pass...

and then a rainbow outside of Eugene, OR, what a trip!

Be Excellent to Each Other.

Sasquatch gets verrry thirsty.

Ty Conner and Quentin Falconer

The Quick and Easy Boys and live art.

Eugene Hilton, where a corny keg makes a great doorstop.

The Eugene Hilton just beyond the Markets

The inaugural Eugene Beer Week was anchored by the 9th annual Sasquatch Brew Fest in Eugene, OR this past weekend. I got an early start and will fill in the details of Eugene Beer Week as they become available but I would like to give this incredible fest it's fair due first. We began the trek from our motel to the Hilton, passing through the famed Saturday Market consisting of handmade crafts and many talented individuals. The Farmer's Market located across the street presented bounties of the spring along with many wonderful aromas. I picked up some dried Cherry Bomb and Smoked Habanero peppers from Crossroads Farms to turn my chili up a notch.

Raise your hands if you are feeling Sassy!

Maritime Pacific sharing space on Hopwork's Jockey Box

Sasquatch was moved from its outdoor location at Kesey Square to the Eugene Hilton last year amid space concerns. The decision allowed the organizers to move the festival up a month to May since weather was not a concern (fortunately). This date is better suited to commemorate the passing of Glen Hay Falconer. At the brewer's dinner this year, Hopunion made a huge announcement as they presented a check for $50,000 to the Glen Hay Falconer Foundation. Many of the beers at this year's festival featured the proprietary Falconer's Flight blend including Maritime Pacific's Decompression Ale, Seattle Beer Week's 2011 Commemorative Beer. This beer was created by Corey Blodgett, a past winner of the Glen Hay Falconer Foundation Brewing Scholarship Program.

Terry Bucher and Kirk Studach

 Hops were a central theme at the festival which also featured live music, a silent auction, raffles, food, and a homebrew competition. Best of show for the homebrewers went to Justin Lang and Bill Nave for their Bad Intel IPA. Hopunion showed their generosity again by offering a trip to Hop School as their prize. Randy Scorby seemed to place in every other category and the local homebrew club, Cascade Brewers Society, showed well with Terry Bucher and Kirk Studach placing multiple beers. On the professional side, some favorites included the aforementioned Decompression, Lompoc's Peregrine Imperial IPA, and Block 15's Millenium Falcon (featuring Millenium and Falconer's Flight hops).

This cast was ergonomically designed to fit the Sasquatch sample glass.

Hops (how did Colin and Malachi slip in all the pictures?).

Feeling Sassy!

All night...

A Few Weekend Events

Another Friday leading into very beery weekend! I almost let the week pass me by again without posting about some of the events happening around the area.

First up Roscoe's is having their monthly Beer Summit today April 29th, beginning a 4 pm. This month will feature 14 different Oregon made Belgian-Style beers.  Some of the breweries featured will be: Oakshire Brewing (Frederic's Lost Arm), Hopworks Urban Brewery (Muscles from Brussels), Boneyard Brewing (Whitshack Wit), Upright Brewing (Rose City Seven), Laurelwood Brewing,
Deschutes, Prodigal Son (Neuer Morgan), Fort George, Double Mountain,
Cascade Barrel House, Beetje, and many more.

PCTBB 2010

Speaking of Belgian beers the 5th Annual Portland Cheers To Belgian Beers is being held tomorrow Saturday, April 30 noon to 9 pm. at Metalcraft Fabrication (Metalcraft makes brewing systems and tanks for brewers in Oregon and beyond). Located at 723 N Tillamook St. This year's featured Belgian yeast is Wyeast 3787 Trappist High Gravity. This is usually one of my favorite springtime festivals and I'm really looking forward to this event. Find all the information including the list of the beers and a map to the event at the Oregon Brewer's Guild website. Hope to see you there!

Oregon Garden Brewfest 2010

And last but not least, the Oregon Garden Brewfest is also this weekend in Silverton, Oregon Friday, April 29th, 2011 - 4pm - 11pm and Saturday, April 30th, 2011 - noon - 11pm. For more details go to The Oregon Garden website.

My wife and I attended the festival last year and had a really nice time. The festival beer list is mainly Northwest oriented but also features beers from around the country and a few international beers as well. The best part is when you need a break from drinking beer (and the crowd) you can go outside (weather permitting) and enjoy a walk in the beautiful Oregon Garden! It makes for a great time.

And that's just few events this weekend! There are many more events in the coming weeks now that "festival season" is upon us. Have fun and choose wisely.

Brewpublic's Microhopic 3 Sat. April 23, 6pm

Our friends over at Brewpublic have put together another Microhopic event. Previous Microhopic events I have attended have been a blast. Always a great opportunity to try some beers that you won't find just anywhere. Hope to see you there!

Hey craft beer lover

BREWPUBLIC is pleased to announce our next event. MICROHOPIC is a series showcasing new and interesting breweries and beer styles from around Oregon. In our third installment of MICROHOPIC, our friends at Migration Brewing Company will host and participate in this unique tasting experience. In addition to Migration's fine house brews, we will also be showcasing newer releases from Amnesia Brewing,Beetje Brewery, Breakside Brewery, and Burnside Brewing. These five Portland craft microbreweries encapsulate the spirit of innovation in brewing amongst Portland's many distinct artisans. Plus, they are a younger, fresher face to the community that we are eager for you to experience first hand, therefor, brewers and brewery representatives will be on hand to discuss their work with folks. Here's the details of the event:

When: April 23, 2011  6PM-midnight
Where: Migration Brewing 2828 NE Glisan Street, Portland, Oregon (click here for map)
Why: Because we are crazy about craft beer.

KLCC Microbrew Festival

From klcc.org:

KLCC 89.7 FM is a public radio station licensed to Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon. With 81,000 watts of power, KLCC 89.7 FM is the most powerful public radio signal in Oregon.

KLCC serves more than 88,000 listeners each week within a 100 mile radius of Eugene. Besides our main transmitter in Eugene, we have translators in four communities throughout Western and Central Oregon (Cottage Grove, Oakridge, Riddle and Sisters), and five sister stations -- KLBR in Bend, KLFO in Florence, KLCO in Newport, KLFR in Reedsport, and KMPQ in Roseburg -- all broadcasting KLCC programming.

Ted and co. pouring the Mutt (I love delicious, fresh cask ale at a festival)

For the past 10 years KLCC has been hosting the Microbrew Festival at the Lane County Fairgrounds, continuing the tradition of the original Easter Seals fundraiser. Proceeds from the event benefit the listener supported public radio station. Entertainment included Ty Curtis Band and Jacob Merlin. 50+ breweries featured over 120 various beers and cider.

Third Place: Block 15 (Corvallis, OR)

Second Place:Silver Moon (Bend, OR)

The festival has included a Collaboration Brew since its inception, this year's was titled "A Session Beer." Block 15, Brewers Union Local 180, Hop Valley, High Street, Ninkasi, Oakshire, Steelhead, Track Town Ales, and Valley Vintner & Brewer participated this year. Each brewer started with a base of Glen Eagle Marris Otter malt then picked a single hop to differentiate their offering. A variety of yeasts were employed amongst the breweries. Valley Vintner produced 4 different beers but the WGV combined with Steelhead's house yeast stood above the rest. Being able to taste and compare the local offerings is a unique treat. Unfortunately, none of the Collaboration Brews contested the People's Choice award. The top 3 spots were swept by Oregon breweries (7 other states and 2 countries were represented at the festival) but Eugene got a rude awakening from their neighbor to the north. Two flavorful stouts, Love Potion #9 from Block 15 and Bourbon Barrel Aged Export Stout from Silver Moon preceded the People's Choice, Flat Tail's Licentious Goat:

Brewed with a ridiculous 3.5 pounds per barrel of Simcoe, Chinook, Amarillo, Sterling, and Zeus hops, this bonafied Imperial India Pale Ale has a massive nose of Grapefruit, Tangerine, and resin. The addition of Damiana and Horny Goat Weed, two of nature's strongest natural aphrodisiacs, add a sensuous layer of Lavender and Hawaiian Ginger. At 8.5% and over 90 IBU's, this is one naughty Goat!

People's Choice: Flat Tail (Corvallis, OR)

Due to the OLCC's recent "interpretation" of state homebrewing policies, the annual homebrew competition was annulled. Instead of announcing those winners, Jamie Floyd from Ninkasi and Tripp Sommer raised a toast to Don Younger for everyone not able to make it to the wake at the Horse Brass.

In addition to the beer, KLCC hosts a music sale over the weekend. I picked up a handful of gems both new and old.

Crate Digging

Kris and Gayle celebrating another great year!