Beer Around Town

First off I have to say thank you to all the people that read this blog. Because of you and the generous definition of “media” by Cris Crabb of the Oregon Brewers fest I was admitted into the festival this year as a “media member”. There aren’t a whole lot of perks that come with running a blog, well at least that I’ve experienced. No free beers in the mail like some, no discounts at your local pub, so it was I nice perk for the OBF to send a free mug and some tokens my way this year.

A few friends and I dropped into town right around noon on Friday for a day at the Oregon Brewers Festival. First stop was the Tabor Czech food cart on 5th and Start for a pre-fest lunch. This was my first shot at Tabor, after reading some reviews I had really high expectations. Tabor lived up to all of them. The pork schnitzelwich is amazing, I’ll leave it at that as to get onto the fest, but you have to check this place out.

We arrived at the fest just after opening to a busy house, while not the full on evening mob scene, the crowds were already getting heavy. No long waits for beer, but already people were starting to stand right by the pouring table, so it became difficult to distinguish who was in line and who was just sitting around chatting about their frat house. Also the “woo” was already in effect, seriously that irks the hell out of me.

On to the good stuff. Initially I wasn’t sure what to think of the “Buzz Tent”. From the way the OBF website described it you were only able to pick 2 of you 8 samples. Naturally my mind jumped to this scenario, you pay your $20 and get in the Buzz Tent, upon arrival you realize that there are only a few beers you are really eager to try, so they pour you six “ok” beers, then you have to choose between the ones you really wanted with your last two choices. Well, notions were incorrect and the Buzz Tent actually turned out to be the highlight of the fest for me. If you are reading this before going on Saturday buy a Buzz Tent pass and get less normal fest tokens.

First off, you get to choose all 8 of your beers, no getting stuck with anything you aren’t interested in trying. 2nd, you can get multiple samples of the same beer, Sang Royal? yes, I think I will have seconds. 3rd, it isn’t a one-time entry, you can leave and come back any time, if you want to leave and come back later when new beers are tapped you can. 4th, to keep things interesting Preston was changing over beers around 2 o’clock, so you don’t need to wait till things run out, they were working away to keep the list fresh so you could try new things. So, the Buzz Tent works out to about $2.50 a sample, a really good price if you ask me. But thanks to the Taplister crew I was able to get a “Buzz Tent” pass and check this out.

Beers I tried at the Buzz Tent:

Cascade Sang Royal – I know, quit mentioning this damn beer already right? Wrong, it is that good. Speaking with Ron Gansberg at the fest he informed me they are running low on this beer, so better try to seek this one out before it’s gone. You can search back for my previous review if you need, but sour, cherries, and port barrels should be all you need to know.

Fifty Fifty Imperial Eclipse Stout (barrel aged for 180 days in Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrels) – This was incredible, if they held onto part of the keg for Saturday mark this down as a must try. Silky smooth imperial stout, big vanilla and molasses note to it. Bourbon blended well and didn’t have that sharp boozy flavor many pick up, instead just complimenting the beer perfectly. I can’t really find words for how smooth and beautifully this beer came together, reminded me a lot of Firestone Walker Parabola.

Bear Republic Cuvee du Bubba – Some sort of attempt at a sour, just didn’t turn out right. Malty up front then finishes with just a mild cherry sourness. Medicinal and some funky mustiness to it, this didn’t work for me.

Full Sail 1998 Old Boilermaker – Damn, people go nuts for vintage beer around here, the hype on the old ass Saxer Doppelbock from Fred Fest was driving me crazy, and you know what, it sucked, yah, an oxidized mess. This on the other hand actually held up pretty well. Oxidation was mild for a 11 year old beer, smooth caramel up front and a soft earthiness in the finish where the hops probably used to be, bourbon notes were soft and subdued. If you see this on go for it.

Rivereport 5/5 Pepper beer - If you like pepper beers you will like this beer, if not skip it. Right up there with Calipooia pepper beer heat wise. The pepper flavor profile was much different,  but I’m not pepper aficionado so its hard to explain. I thought you got more flavor and less heat then the Calapooia one, but still had enough kick to it where it didn’t feel week.

That was about it for the Buzz Tent beers, we weren’t there for all that long, but I’m thinking about heading back today to drop in on the Buzz Tent again as there are still a number of awesome beers on the line up.

As for the regular fest beers here were my quick notes:

Chuckanut Dortmunder Lager – This is the first I’ve had from this new brewery and left an excellent first impression. Smooth well rounded lager with a smoked malt edge to keep things interesting. Just showing up with a well built lager isn’t going to draw much interest towards your brewery, so the smoked flavor left this one standing out in my mind. Can’t wait to try more.

Collaborator Saison Christophe – I don’t think this turned out right, tastes like the Saison yeast strain got stuck and couldn’t finish fermentation as the beer was overly sweet. The program listed a FG of 1.011, but this wasn’t nearly that dry. Glad there were other Saisons at the fest.

Boulevard Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale – Ok, 2nd Saison don’t let me down. Big citrus hops in the nose, still a bit sweet on the palate, I prefer more dryness in a Saison, but after the Collaborator one this was a big step up. Wasn’t as peppery in the yeast esters, but the floralness of the hops and the bitterness made this a good refresher on a hot day. Boulevard makes an incredible regular Saison, but this was pretty nice overall.

Bridgeport Stumptown Tart – I wasn’t a fan of last years version, but seeing as they changed up the recipe I’d have to give this one a shot. This years actually turned out quite a bit nicer, although still not one I’d really go for often. Lots of cherry and wheat, body is thin, tartness mild. I don’t pick up any barrel character from this. Amazing this is 8% abv, doesn’t taste a bit over 4%.

Anyway, seeing as I spent most of my time in the Buzz Tent there were a number of beers I missed out on, and there was that whole Hair of the Dog thing I had to get to (more on that in another post). I’ll be volunteering at the fest on Sunday, so maybe after my shift I can try out a few others I didn’t get around to. In the end I had a great time at the festival this year. The Buzz Tent should put the OBF back on the map for those that opt to pass on the fest due to the crowds and regular tap selection, sort of a mini-fest inside a fest, familiar beer geek faces abound. Also, being able to chat with the brewers was a big plus.

Thoughts from this years fest?