Pubbin’ in Portland

Greetings from Beervana (aka Portland)!  I’m here for the weekend with my sister and Melissa (of new-found cider fame).  In fact, I may or may not have a pretty convoluted itinerary ahead of me.  The original plan was to drive from SF to LA, fly from LA to Portland, hitch a ride with Allie and Melissa up to Seattle, stay in Seattle for a few weeks with a couple round-trip weekends out of Seattle in Boston and in Denver for GABF, and then fly back to SF.  Whew.  However, some really good news on the job front has thrown my personal life all up in the air.  I’ll fill you all in on that soon, when I know what it means for the future of this blog.  In the meantime, I’m here drinking hoppy Oregon beer and loving it. This trip started on a very inauspicious note.  I had a 6:03am flight to Portland from LA, so I woke up at 4:00am and got to the airport by 4:40am because I was checking bags.  I hate checking bags, but wanted to bring some homebrew to Seattle.  It was so early that even Starbucks hadn’t opened yet.  I yawned, plugged in my laptop, returned some emails and sat down to watch an episode or two of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, a new obsession of mine.  As 5:45am rolled around and they still hadn’t started boarding my flight, I was getting suspicious and decided to go investigate.  What I discovered was that there apparently there are consequences for not wearing my reading glasses, ever.  My flight was actually at 8:03am and I had another few hours ahead of me in LAX.  Ugh. The bad luck stopped there though, and once touching down in Portland it’s been only smooth sailing.  I napped and took care of some emails until 2:00pm and then set out to explore town.  The first stop was Powell’s books.  I’ve been there on my other trips through Portland and I never tire of it.  They have a store the size of a full city block full in books.  They even had enough books about Alaska that I managed to find three for my sister that she hadn’t yet read, and she’s read every book about the Iditarod, and half of all the other books on Alaska ever published.

Tap wall at Deschutes pub Portland

All this book shopping made me hungry, so I headed on over to the new Deschutes Brewpub in the Pearl District.  I shouldn’t have.  I knew Allie and Melissa would want to eat dinner here, but I just couldn’t help it.  The building is beautiful and understated on the outside and ruggedly chic on the inside.  They had 15 beers on tap and 2 on cask, which was pretty impressive.  Not many breweries have that many house beers available all at once.  The list is below with the brewery’s descriptions of the beers.  I have some qualms with their descriptors, in that they tend to be vague and generic, but few with their beers.

• Classic brews
  • Cascade Ale: “A Northwest original, Cascade Ale is clean and crisp, with an herbal hop character and smooth malt profile.  A light-hearted citrus finish makes it the perfect thirst quencher.”
  • Mirror Pond Pale Ale: “A classic American pale ale, Mirror Pond Pale Ale uses generous quantities of Cascade hops, offering a lush floral aroma with a balanced malt body.”
  • Inversion IPA: “Inversion IPA defies the ordinary, with layers of soft caramel notes and generous amounts of our favorite Northwest hops, for a bright, sunny citrus finish.”
  • Black Butte Porter: “Dark and distinctive like Black Butte itself, Black Butte Porter uses chocolate and crystal malts, crafting a rich in flavor yet easy to drink “dark” beer.”
  • Obsidian Stout: “Smooth and black, like the volcanic rock, Obsidian Stout is a solid, satisfying beer with underlying espresso and chocolaty flavors.”
  • Bachelor Bitter: “An authentic English-style extra special bitter-considered the height of the brewer’s art in British pubs-Bachelor ESB possesses a full malt flavor and balanced hop profile.”
  • Green Lakes Organic Amber: “This auspicious amber ale is brewed with five types of 100% organic malted barley and balanced with Liberty and Salmon-Safe Sterling hops.”
• Seasonal brew
  • Jubelale: “Perfect for a cozy winter gathering, Jubelale is a festive ale characterized by a large malt body balanced with hop bitterness derived from a variety of American and European hops.”
• Pub exclusive brews
  • Hopicide IPA: “This Imperial IPA was created in the most non-traditional Deschutes way: with Cascade and Centennial pellet hops.  If you are scared of lingering bitterness or a fuzzy tongue, do not attempt to tame this beast.”
  • Twilight Ale: “Made with a unique blend of four hops and malts, this lively straw-colored ale has a vigorous hop essence with a malt body that complements the flavor of this special seasonal brew.”
  • Nitro-tap Jubelale: “Our Jubelale is taken to new depths with a quick charge of nitrogen.  Smooth as silk and forever drinkable, this beer will launch many new seasonal traditions.”
  • Mt. St. Helens Keller Bier: “Keller is the German word for cellar.  This beer is called this because it is an unfiltered Pilsner like you would get straight from our cellar.  The beer is made up of all German ingredients which include yeast, malt, and hops (Northern Brewer and Saphir).”
  • Rooster Cream Ale: “This American-style cream ale is one of the smoothest beers ever made here at Deschutes Brewery.  The grist bill consists of pale malt, honey malt, flaked barley, munich, and rolled oats.  The citric hop flavor is imparted by Hallertau and Crystal hops.  Beware of this beer, you might find yourself coming back for another over and over again.”
  • Armory XPA: “This Extra Pale Ale has strong floral notes with a hoppy and flavorful aroma.  Brewed with Cascade, Centennial, German Northern Brewer, and experimental citrus hops.  With the outstanding success of the XPA we decided to bring it back again.”
  • 20^th Anniversary Wit: “A Belgian-style wit beer to celebrate our 20^th Anniversary.  Check out these experimental version in which the brewers tested out various herbs and spices.”
• Cask brews
  • Cask Bachelor Bitter
  • Cask Armory XPA

I started with the Cask Bitter and figured I’d work my way on up.  Learning to appreciate English-style ales is a goal of mine right now and I do like cask ale regardless of style, so it seemed right up my alley.  I got a 10oz pour that showed up medium amber with little to no head, just a very slight white lace around the edge of the glass.  It had a soft carbonation and a round, full mouthfeel.  I got a burst of fruitiness with sweet oranges leading the charge and other light fruits (pear?) in the background.  The hop flavors came through second and built up on my palate as I kept drinking, such that they were stronger in sips taken near the end of the glass than at the beginning.  A solid beer no doubt, but not life changing. As I was drinking, the temptation to get something off their incredible menu got stronger and stronger.  I succumbed to the pear and goat cheese pizza with duck prosciutto, though I was also eying some of the many dishes that incorporated the breweries beer, including most of the desserts.  As the quote on the menu says, “We make all of our own breads, desserts, sausages, soups, sauces, and dressings with local sustainable products in order to support neighborhood businesses, the environment, and to offer the tastiest meal possible.” My server was polite and very efficient and made quick work of filling sampler trays given the bar’s water-squirting glass cleaners.  My only complaint about the bar itself was that it had no hooks for coats or purses.  This is such an easy thing to add, and enormously helpful if the bar is full and you’ve nowhere else to put a purse since you’re sitting on a high stool. I moved on to the Jubelale, which was available on regular and nitro tap.  I just got the regular though.  It was a dark copper color with a lasting but thin off-white head.  It had a raisin-y aroma that continued into the taste of beer, while being joined by a hop sharpness.  I can’t remember having a winter warmer this hoppy before, but I really enjoyed it.  It was about this time that I decided to make hops the theme of my weekend.  Oh sure, I’ll try other not-so-hoppy beers as well, but when in doubt I’ll order IPAs, Imperial IPAs, fresh hop beers, pilseners, etc.  It is hop season after all.  The beer tastes spiced, but unlike many other breweries that add spices to their brew, those flavors in the Jubelale come just from the yeast and peppery alcohol.  If I took a big gulp, the malt flavor rose in prominence and I tasted caramel along with the dark and fruity yeast esters.  If I took small sips, the hops and alcohol dominated and I got more of a bitter, peppery flavor.  This is one I’d buy again, especially since I appreciate the craftsmanship inherent in the fact that they can get this level of spice without adding spices.

Rogue ale house and distillery

It was time to move on if I wanted to hit anywhere else before Allie and Melissa arrived, so I wandered a few blocks over to Rogue Alehouse and Distillery.  They had a nice, sunny, outside patio seating area, but I wanted to eye their list so I headed on into the bar.  The bartender, Mike, was awesome.  Even though he was busy he waved to show that he saw me and would be on his way over.  This is such an easy gesture, I wonder why more bartenders don’t do it.  It keeps people, especially people in a bar on their own, from feeling ignored and abandoned.  He headed ASAP to take my order and asked what brought me to Portland after I mentioned that I used to live practically next door to the SF Rogue location.  When I told him beer, he was brimming with suggestions and went to the back to grab me a copy of the Oregon Brewpub Guide.  This was service at its best: jolly, helpful, non-territorial. [PS - that guide is published by the Oregon Brewers Guild.  You used ot be able to request your own copy in the mail for free.  I did it last time I went to Oregon.  Now, it seems they've revamped their website and I don't see any such option anymore.  Oh well, you can still pick up the guide in any good brewpub in town.] The bar itself has a few other really neat touches, especially the brass plaques with the names of the regulars affixed to the counter and high tables.  I also liked that the sides of the room were lined with crates and crates of bombers full of Rogue beers.  I may have thought Deschutes had a lot of house beers on tap, this took things to a whole new level.  There were 28 Rogue beers available and another 7 beers from Issaquah and Track Town, two breweries acquired by Rogue in 2000 and 2004.  With so many choices, I hardly knew where to start.  Though I heard some old favorites (Brutal Bitter, Chocolate Stout, etc.) calling my name, I figured I ought to try something new while I had so many choices.  This being the weekend of the hop, I went with the Morimoto Imperial Pilsner.  I wasn’t sure how I’d like this beer, but wanted to give it a chance since Pilsners are another category of beer that I’m working on appreciating better.  Man, this was certainly the right place to start.  I loved it.  First of all, it was a total hop bomb.  The aroma reeked of dry hopping and the beer tasted like bright, bitter lemony hops.  Another great thing about Rogue is that they are data geeks, and love to provide all the stats on all of their beers, both on their bottles, on their menus at some locations, and online.  So, I can tell you that the hops in this beer are 100% Sterling, which is closely related to Saaz, a Noble hop from Bohemia (Czech Republic).  I also appreciated the straightforward mouthfeel and flavor profile: sharp and crisp.  This beer is focused, it’s not a muddle of a bunch of different flavors in a soft, mellow, complex combination.  While I want that in, say, a Belgian dubbel, it’s what sometimes gets to me in English bitters.  This imperial pilsner had purity and zing to the notes it carries and it made the bitter from Deschutes seem flabby by comparison. My one complaint about the Rogue Alehouse was that smoking was allowed in the bar area.  However, I know this is one of those black and white issues where probably just about every smoker is going to see this as a pro, just about every non-smoker as a con, and vice versa in places where smoking is not allowed.  I would have stayed longer, especially to taste some of their distilled spirits (white rum, hazelnut rum, dark rum, and spruce gin) or more of their beers, but after 2 10oz pints and this 16oz 8.8% pint (isn’t a pour that big on a beer that big a questionable move?), I definitely needed a break, so I went for a walk. I’ve copied the list of Rogue beers available in the Portland Alehouse below because the variety is just astounding.

• American Amber Ale
• Brutal Bitter
• Chipotle Ale
• Chocolate Stout
• Dad’s Little Helper Malt Liquor
• Dead Guy Ale
• Dry Hopped St. Rogue Red
• Hazelnut Brown Nectar
• Imperial IPA
• Imperial Porter
• Imperial Red
• Imperial Stout
• Imperial YSB
• John’s Locker Stout
• Juniper Pale Ale
• Kells Irish Lager
• Mocha Porter
• Mom’s Hefeweizen
• Morimoto Black Obi
• Morimoto Soba Ale
• Old Crustacean Barleywine
• Oregon Golden
• Santa’s Private Reserve
• Shakespeare Stout
• Smoke Ale
• Yellow Snow IPA
• Younger’s Special Bitter (YSB)
• Track Town 100 Meter Ale
• Track Town 200 Meter Ale
• Track Town Triple Jump
• Track Town Honey Orange Wheat
• Issaquah Bullfrog Ale
• Issaquah Menage a Frog
• Issaquah Smoke Frog

By the time I had completed walking the nearby blocks of downtown Portland, the sun had set, Allie and Melissa had found parking, and we were ready to head back to Deschutes for dinner. This time I knew exactly what I wanted, since I had been eying it earlier but didn’t want to kill my palate on my first beer of the night: The Hopicide Imperial IPA.  It arrived in a snifter, a thick, reddish copper with faint lacing.  The aroma was classic, big, American piney and grapefruity hops (Cascade and Centennial for sure according to their notes on the beer).  What was most surprising though, was that the bitterness was not over the top.  They must have gone much heavier on the aromatic finishing hops than on the bittering hops during the boil because when I took a sip, I thought it could have been more of an Imperial Red than an IIPA.  Sure, there were some hops there (as I’d expect in a good IRed), but nothing to that made me feel my tongue was facing death by hopicide.  I enjoyed it, and thought they did especially good with the aroma, but wonder if I’d already killed my palate on the Imperial Pilsner for not thinking this was particularly bitter (it’s apparently 94 IBUs, which means it ought to be awfully bitter). Our final stop of the evening was Henry’s 12^th Street Tavern.  When we rolled in, I thought we had gone in the wrong door at first, because we found ourselves at the hostess stand of a swank white-tableclothed restaurant swarming with young professionals.  Surely this couldn’t be it? Wrong.  We took a left turn and headed to the bar area, threading between the guys in button downs and the skinny girls in their peep-toe heels.  At first it looked like there was no where to sit, and I was starting to even wonder if this was the kind of place where people drink beer, expecting to see cosmos and cabernet on the bar tables.  But, that old phrase about books and their covers definitely applies in this case, because I was all wrong.  The crowd parted for a brief moment revealing three empty stools at the bar and two islands of taps behind the counter pouring 99 beers.  Another old saying is popping into my mind now and it goes something along the lines of “ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall, ninety-nine bottles of beer, take one down, pass it around, 98 bottles of beer on the wall…”

The glasses chilling on the 'snow' strip

We sat down at the bar and immediately oohed and ahhed at the glass-wide glycol-cooled strip of “snow” running the length of the bar.  I’m guessing it’s pretty unnecessary since (A) no one else has one, and (B) it really didn’t seem to cool or keep cool the glasses at all.  Well, I’m sure doesn’t hurt either, so no harm no foul. One thing I really liked about their list is that it is organized by style instead of by brewery.  This is the way a lot of restaurants write their wine lists, to make it easier for customers to zero in on the beers in the style they are looking for.  Historically, this wasn’t very necessary for beers since beer lists weren’t that long and all but a few customers didn’t know what the styles were anyway.  But with a list this long and a good share beer-geek customers, this becomes crucial.  I wish more breweries did this.  It wouldn’t require a style-nazi type mentality either.  We don’t need 80 or 90 subcategories on every list, you could just group ‘Belgians’ or ‘Sours’ together without differentiating the different sub-types and those who really want to know whether something is a dubbel vs. a tripel or a berliner weisse vs. an oud bruin could look at the description for that particular beer, rely on their own beer geeky knowledge, or ask the bartender. I have very few notes from this part of the night, but I can at least list what I drank:

• Allie round 1 – Walking Man Black Cherry Stout: smelled exactly like black forest cake. Luckily the taste was pretty dry and a lot less intensely cherry-ish.
• Melissa round 1 – Double Mountain India Red Ale
• Me round 1 – Ninkasi Tricerahops Imperial IPA: Not half as aromatic as Deschutes Hopicide but easier to drink. Lower in ABV?
• Allie round 2 – Alameda Black Bear Stout on Nitro
• Melissa round 2 – Oakshire Espresso Stout: I wanted to order this one for myself but Melissa called it first. Very smooth with prominent coffee (espresso, obviously) flavors, chocolate showing up second, and a hint of vanilla in the end of the taste.
• Me round 2 – Fearless Scottish Ale

And that my friends, was it for us.  We went home and Allie reports that as soon as my head hit the pillow I was out.  Well, what can you expect for getting up at 4:00am? Today we drove down to Bend, OR, and I’ll fill you in on all the details in my next post.  No awards for guessing which major brewery we visited, it’s too easy. Cheers! -JJ