2016 Oregon Brewers Festival- Picks & Pans

The 29th annual Oregon Brewers Festival kicked off yesterday and we were there to drink all the beers. Well, not all beers... but between myself, Doug, and Brian, we managed to try 33 of the 88 domestic beers that were available on Wednesday night. Not too shabby!

Here's what you should be sure to try and what you shouldn't waste your tokens on- plus some novelty beers that were interesting enough to take a chance on. 

Picks

Best Sours
There seemed to be more tart/sour beers this year than ever before. Two that really nailed their styles were Aslan Brewing’s Disco Lemonade and Stone Brewing’s Gose Gose Gadget. Aslan came down from Bellingham for their first OBF and brought this Berliner-Weisse that’s tart, full of lemons, and aggressively sparkly. Stone’s Gose has a similar taste but a little more complexity with its flavors.

The longest line was for pFriem’s Mango Sour. While not our favorite beer that pFriem has ever made, it’s worth the 5 min wait for this light and refreshing summer sour.

Best Ryes
A few rye beers cracked our top 5 list for the fest as well. Make sure to check out both Payette’s 8 Second Rye’d and the Collaborator We’d Rye’d Like Kings. Both surprised us with their ability to take what is typically a heavier malt beer and lighten it up with tropical flavors that created great balance and unique aromas.

Misc Bests
A few others to not miss:
- Bayern Brewing Citra Charged Dump Truck 
- 54° 40’ Brewing 70% Ultra Pilsner 
- Culmination Deutschland-Down Under
- Flying Fish Brewing Love Fish
- Pelican Chongie Saaz

Pans

Bouy, Why?
Doug and I drive out to Astoria every few months just to have a few beers (and amazing oysters!) at Buoy Brewing. The view in the taproom is great and their ability to make clean, perfect-to-style beers has always been impressive. However, Buoy finally managed something no other brewery has ever done in the 8 OBFs we have attended: they made a beer bad enough to dump the 4 ounce taste. Their Dragon Weiss was just not good. The dragon fruit taste was lost because of all the off flavors (beer nerds: so much diacetyl flavor). Sad face.

All Trend, No Substance
Boulder Beer’s Pulp Fusion Blood Orange IPA was another one we found strange. We didn’t hate it but it was… confusing. Our tasting notes simply read “I don’t get it.” It was neither hoppy enough to make it a good IPA nor fruity enough to make it a decent fruit beer. Pass.

Weird, But Worth It 
 
A Twist on a Classic Combo
Out of pure curiosity, Doug tried Zoiglhaus Brewing’s Birra Pazza al Pesto. It was… something. A wheat beer infused with pine nuts, parmesan, basil, garlic, and olive oil, then ‘dry-hopped’ with basil, it is what it claims to be: pizza in a glass. I can’t say that I loved it but I can’t say it was bad. You definitely can smell the basil and very subtly a hint of garlic but only the slight tang of olive oil and basil comes through in the taste. It’s confusing that a brewery so heavily influenced by German brewing and culture would make a pesto pizza beer, but they did and you should try it cause it’s definitely unique.

Strawberry Spice
Lakeland Brewing’s Lipstick on a Pig was the group's most polarizing beer. Doug thought it was delicious with its "subtle strawberry backbone and hint of basil, rounded out with the spiciness created by Saaz hops". I wasn’t so sure. It’s creative and not for everyone, but worth checking out.

All in all, the lineup of beers isn’t as strong as it has been in past years (I mean, Breakside’s entry last year, Rainbows and Unicorns, was so good it became a year-round beer for them and a must-order for me every time I see it), but OBF still a party a beer lover shouldn’t miss. The weather is only going to get hotter throughout the week, so make sure to stay hydrated. Cheers!

2014 Holiday Ale Fest Top Picks

Guest Post by Doug (@douglasfranz/@firstedbrew)
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It's that time of year again. The Christmas trees, office parties, homemade cookies, and... THE HOLIDAY ALE FEST! Nothing gets me in a more cheerful spirit than drinking some barrel-aged imperial stouts, peppermint-infused porters, or cranberry saisons under a giant tree with friends, family, and a few thousand festive strangers.

Due to our busy holiday schedules, Katie and I had to check out the festival on a Thursday this year. With a smaller crowd and shorter lines, we were able to try many of the 40+ beers that are being offered at the 2014 version of the festival. I think we both agree that the selection of beers is pretty great this year compared to years past, which is saying a lot. We only tried one beer last night that wasn't delicious (hint: the brewery rhymes with "Ex-Vovo") and while we liked the rest of what we had, there were 5 that stood out above the rest:

Lost Barrels of Mirror Mirror (2009) - Oak-Aged Barleywine from Deschutes
The story is that Deschutes lost some barrels of Mirror Mirror in their warehouse, only to rediscover them some years later. I'm not normally a barleywine fan but I went back to this one twice throughout the night. All the harsh, strong flavors have faded with time leaving just subtle hints of pinot noir and a sweet and sour finish that will linger long after your last sip.

Gargantua (2013) - Imperial Strong Ale Blend from Eel River Brewing Co.
Ok this is cheating because its the same wonderful beer as last year. But I don't care because its SO GOOD! Last year, some of us felt the vanilla was slightly overpowering but with a year of aging, the sweet flavors have mellowed some and the profile is a bit more balanced. This is still a beer that only works at the holiday ale fest because it's like drinking a delicious dessert. But what a delicious desert it is! (PS. Make sure to check out this year's version of the Gargantua as well for comparison's sake).

Gingersnaps - NW Style Sour Strong Ale from Cascade Brewing
Smells like gingerbread cookies, tastes like Christmas. Our group was divided on this beer but if you like sours, this was a special beer. Cascade always manages to challenge your tastebuds with new and unique beer flavors and with Gingersnaps, they don't disappoint. It's a strong red sour with lingering booziness and holiday spices.

Prestidigitation - White Chocolate Milk Stout from Oakshire Brewing
One of the challenges of being a brewer at the Holiday Ale Fest has got to be how to make a unique beer without being over the top. Oakshire finds that sweet spot with their blonde stout. It's different (it looks like a pale but tastes dark with coffee and chocolate hints) but it doesn't assault your senses with overpowering flavors.

The Incredible Abominable of the Enchanted Barrel Forest - Barrel-Aged Imperial Winter Ale from Hopworks
With big beers, it's all about balance. With their barrel-aged Abominable, Hopworks mixes vanilla and bourbon spice with slight hints of citrus and caramel creating a really tasty treat.
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Note from Katie: 
The photo booth is back this year!! That means I have an excuse to post one of my all-time favorite photos, which was taken at the Holiday Ale Fest a few years ago:

Cheers!

2014 Oregon Brew Fest- Picks & Pans

Doug is Happy Hour Honey's resident beer expert so we're leaving it to him to share what beers were hits and what beers were misses for him at this year's Oregon Brew Fest. Take it away, Doug!

For 27 years, the Oregon Brewers Festival has been giving Portland a reason to get together and celebrate some of the best breweries in America. This year’s OBF features 88 beers from 85 breweries around the country. The selection is massive and can be overwhelming. Fortunately for you, I braved the rain yesterday and headed down to the waterfront so I could try as many of these 88 beers as one person can in five hours.

5 Beers You Cannot Miss:

Sraffe Drieling from Logsdon Farmhouse Ales
I’ll admit it- I love Logsdon. There’s nothing more romantic than farmhouse ales brewed on an actual farm. This Tripel ferments with organic pear juice, giving off fruity sweetness to balance the spiciness from the Belgian yeast. It’s perfect and the best of the festival.

Ester the Farmhouse Maiden from Deschutes
Deschutes always rolls out some tasty brews for OBF and their selection this year didn’t disappoint. This is a balanced saison with pink peppercorn and lemon.

Toasted Coconut Chocolate Porter from Caldera Brewing
The sweet chocolate maltiness of this porter is balanced with a roasted coconut flavor that will have you returning for one (or four) more tastings.

Amber Lager From Bayern Brewing
One of the highlights at the 2012 Holiday Ale Festival was Bayern’s 14% ABV Eisbock. Similar to their winter brew, this beer is simple but bursting with flavor.

Double Latte Coffee Milk Stout from Sierra Nevada and Ninkasi Brewing
If you’re into dark beers or coffee, this is the beer for you. Brewed with cold press coffee from Stumptown Coffee, this is a balanced, sweet, and amazing stout.

Low on Tokens? Skip These 3 Beers:

Cider Weiss from 10 Barrel Brewing
The idea is great and I typically love 10 Barrel so it pains me to say that this beer fell a bit flat. The flavor isn’t as strong as you’d think and its on the lighter end of a Berliner Weiss.

Trilogy 2: Aussie Salute IPA from BridgePort Brewing
My number one pet peeve at brew fests is when breweries bring a beer that I can buy in a grocery store. Why do I want to spend tokens on something that I can buy a six pack of at Safeway? BridgePort does this with its underwhelming IPA.

Wisconsinite Summer Weiss from Lakefront Brewing
This wheat ale is made from all Wisconsin-sourced ingredients. Unfortunately, Wisconsin must taste like bland, boring beer.

*Bonus*: I wanted to point out the best named beer for the festival: Billy Ray Citrus. The name is far better than the beer but points to Kells for creativity.

The Oregon Brewers Festival is always a mix of good beers, bad beers, and lots of people. This years has all that and it really is a party you shouldn’t miss. Cheers!