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You are here: Home / Archives for Widmer Brothers

Salt & Straw Beer Ice Cream

Posted on July 16, 2013 · Leave a Comment

It’s no secret, I love ice cream.  And I’ve hopped on the Portland hipster bandwagon and fallen completely in love with Salt & Straw, Portland’s farm-to-cone ice cream shop.  I have friends from all over the country who have tried Salt & Straw ice cream with doubt and disbelief only to become fanatics after just a few licks.  Not only do I like organic beers, I pretty much swoon for anything that is local, sustainable and organic.  This is why I love Salt & Straw, their ice cream is handmade in small-batches using only all-natural dairy from the best local, sustainable and organic ingredients Oregon has to offer.

ice-cream

Last month, Salt & Straw stepped their game up teaming with six local Portland breweries to make a six-pack collection of beer-infused ice creams.  I was lucky enough to try all six.  Here is what they created:

  1. Passionfruit Berliner Weisse in Coconut Water Sorbet: Using Breakside Brewery’s “Passion fruit Berliner Weisse” to create a tart, passion fruit sweetened, marmalade that is ribboned into a coconut water sorbet.
  2. Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout: Finding inspiration in Hair of the Dog’s barrel aged “Cherry Adam of the Wood,” to created a dark malty, cherry ice cream and cold steeped it in a bourbon barrel.  (Note:  This was definitely tied for first place as my favorite of the six-pack!)
  3. Smoked Hefeweizen: Spin on Widmer Brothers’ world famous Hefeweizen by smoking wheat malts and steeping them into the cream to create a smoked hefeweizen ice cream.  (Note:  The other first place favorite of the six-pack!  Seriously, with Salt & Straw you can’t just pick one flavor!)
  4. Hopped Farmhouse Ale: Based off of Commons Brewery’s “Myrtle Farmhouse Ale,” and used three different methods to steep the meridian hops in order to capture the bright aromas of peach and refreshing bitterness of grapefruit.
  5. IPA Upside Down Cake: Captured the pineapple, citrus and piney hop flavors of Gigantic Brewing Company’s Imperial IPA by using hop-back technique to pull out the sweet and spicy hop flavors and adding a pineapple upside down cake infused with ho leaf and candied tangerine zest.
  6. Bretta Fermented Pears and Fudge: Using Logsdon Farmhouse Ales’ famous Bretta yeast strain and inspiration from their “Cocoa Bretta Ale,” this carefully fermented pear juice and a malted fudge syrup to make a Bretta fermented Pear Wine ice cream with ribbons of Bretta Fermented, Malted Fudge.

Been to Salt & Straw?  What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

Filed Under: Breweries Tagged With: beer, Breakside Brewery, commons brewery, gigantic brewing company, hair of the dog, ice cream, logsdon famrhouse ales, Portland, salt & straw, Widmer Brothers

Vancouver, WA – Summer Brewfest 2013

Posted on June 19, 2013 · 1 Comment

summer-brewfest
Last weekend, I had the honor of playing beer and coffee tour guide to a group of friends from all over the country.  Stephanie, from Seattle by way of Praha, Czech Republic.  Ben, from Indiana/Raleigh, back from Praha and on his way to Beijing.  And Dave, from Chicago/LA, on his way to Macedonia.  Needless to say it was an epic weekend of drinks, travel stories and multiple languages.

Being the only local of the group, we spent a lot of time at some of my favorite water holes.  Including Hopworks, Gigantic, Burnside and Bridgeport.  But we also made is across the river to Vancouver, Washington for the Summer Brewfest.  I’ll admit, this was my first time ever going to downtown Vancouver.  It was a pretty fun afternoon of beers and sunshine.

That being said, my only “peeve” of the day was the $25 entrance fee.  This seems a little steep for a new beer festival and goes again common (er, Oregon) beer festival practices.  In which case, there is free entrance to the festival and you have to pay to drink.  This includes the price of a cheap plastic mug (usually $5) and drink tickets ($1/taster).

One of the biggest take aways from this event was there were a lot of common beers (and breweries) present.  However, I did find some new breweries to check out.  Like Heathen Brewing, Loowit Brewing Company, Mt. Tabor Brewing and West Highland Brewing all out of Vancouver, WA.  And Pale Horse Brewing Company and Phat Matt’s Brewing Co. out of Salem and Bend, Oregon, respectively.

Here is what we tried:

  • Swill Beer by 10 Barrel Brewing (Note: Despite the name, this beer was surprising good and my favorite at the Festival!)
  • Indulge Amber by Heathen Brewing
  • Transcend IPA by Heathen Brewing
  • Wailua Ale by Kona Brewing Co.
  • Big Wave Golden Ale by Kona Brewing Co.
  • Shadow Ninja IPA by Loowit Brewing Company
  • Vandalia Summer Ale by Loowit Brewing Company
  • Graceful Wheat by McMenamins
  • Mango Tango Pale by McMenamins
  • P5 Pale Ale by Mt. Tabor Brewing
  • Faded Roots Honey Blonde by Mt. Tabor Brewing
  • Mama’s Little Yella Pils by Oskar Blues Brewing
  • G’Knight Imperial Red by Oskar Blues Brewing
  • Hillbilly Blonde by Pale Horse Brewing Company
  • Hopyard Dog IPA by Pale Horse Brewing Company
  • Surfer’s Summer Ale by Pelican Brewery
  • Silverspot IPA by Pelican Brewery
  • Kolsch by Phat Matt’s Brewing Co.
  • White IPA by Phat Matt’s Brewing Co.
  • Na Zdravi by Southern Oregon Brewing Co.  (Note:  This was hands down Ben and Stephanie’s favorite beer. “Na Zdravi” means “Cheers” in Czech.)
  • Holy Water by Southern Oregon Brewing Co.
  • Razz Wheat by Vertigo Brewing
  • Friar Mikes IPA by Vertigo Brewing  (Note: As the only IPA fan of the group, this was Dave’s favorite beer of the Festival.)
  • Mango Moon Ale by West Highland Brewing
  • Westie Strong Scottish Ale by West Highland Brewing
  • Citra Blonde Summer Brew by Widmer Brothers

What is your favorite summer brew?

[In the spirit of full transparency, my entrance to the Vancouver Summer Brewfest was provided by Zzoom Media.]

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: 10 Barrel Brewing, 2013, beer, beer festival, Heathen Brewing, Kona Brewing Co., Loowit Brewing Company, McMenamins, Mt. Tabor Brewing, Oskar Blues Brewing, Pale Horse Brewing Company, Pelican Brewery, Phat Matt's Brewing Co., Southern Oregon Brewing Co., summer, Vancouver, Vertigo Brewing, West Highland Brewing, Widmer Brothers

Fruit Beer Festival 2013

Posted on June 17, 2013 · 3 Comments

fruit-beerLast weekend was my favorite beer festival.  The Portland Fruit Beer Festival!  I’ve been going since it started three years ago.  (You can read about the First Fruit Beer Festival.)  This year, bestie Beckie, former-roommate Jeffrey and I along with an assortment of friends spent the sunny Saturday trying a vast assortment of fruit beers.  Just in case you were wondering, a fruit (or vegetable) beer is a beer brewed with a fruit (or vegetable) addition or flavoring component.  And they are hands down my favorite type of beer!

Here is what we tried:

  • Alamosa by Alameda Brewing
  • Strawberry Rhubarb Pie by Breakside Brewery (Note: Beckie tried this one – not me.  I don’t do strawberries.)
  • Bier Royale by The Commons Brewery
  • Currant Event by Deschutes Brewery
  • Strobilus Berry Wheat Bitter by Falling Sky Brewing
  • Forbidden Wonder Fruit Ale by Fort George Brewing
  • Hey there Fruitcake! by Gigantic Brewing (Note: More of a mimosa beer than the Alamosa.)
  • Tiger Tonic by Hopworks Urban Brewery (Note: This was a great Fruit IPA – yeah I said it.)
  • Fruition Wheat by Laurelwood Brewing (Note: This was like a sour version of McMenamins Ruby.)
  • Blue Raspberry Lager by Lucky Lab Brewing (Note: This beer was GREEN.)
  • Gose the Elder by Oakshire Brewing
  • Ruination IPA – Tropical Heat Edition by Stone Brewing Co.
  • Cucumber Crush by 10 Barrel Brewing (Hands down the best beer at the Fruit Beer Festival!)  
  • Rhubarbarian by 2 Towns Ciderhouse (Note: I want to try and make a clone of this cider.)
  • Barrel-Aged Citrus Wit by Upright Brewing
  • Champagne de Granada by Widmer Brothers
  • Cranberry Bu Weisse by De Garde Brewing
  • 10% Plout by New Belgium Brewing (Note: Not sure of the name of this beer, it was on the Rare & Rotating Taplist.)
  • Kriek by Schooner Exact Brewing

 What fruit beers do you like?

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: 10 Barrel Brewing, 2 Towns Ciderhouse, Alameda Brewing, beer, Breakside Brewery, De Garde Brewing, Deschutes Brewery, Falling Sky Brewing, Fort George Brewing, fruit beer, Gigantic Brewing, Hopworks Urban Brewery, Laurelwood Brewing, Lucky Lab Brewing, New Belgium Brewing, Oakshire Brewing, Portland, portland fruit beer festival, Schooner Exact Brewing, Stone Brewing Co., The Commons Brewery, Upright Brewing, Widmer Brothers

Upright Brewing – Portland, OR

Posted on May 2, 2011 · 3 Comments

Now that the Portland Trailblazers 2010-2011 season is now over 🙁

I can now share with you my pre- Trailblazers game tradition 🙂

I’m lucky enough to attend Blazer games on a regular basis.  While I am a big fan of the Widmer Brothers, I’m not a big fan of shelling out $8.75 per drink per person at the Blazer games.  This is where Upright Brewing comes into play.

Upright Brewing is located right across from the Rose Garden in the Left Bank Project.  The Left Bank, is a collaborative space, where small businesses that are mission-focused can come together to make Portland even better.  In the basement is Upright Brewing, a relatively new brewery to the Portland scene, but has already amazed my taste buds!  I think it’s because Upright Brewing specialized in farmhouse inspired beers from France and Belgium but is made with local ingredients with a bit of that Pacific Northwest “Keep Oregon Beered” twist.  At Upright they use a special saison yeast and an open fermentation process to produce beer that is a true hybrid style.

Back to the Blazer games.  Here’s what you do.  There is free parking near by (send me an email if you really want to know) or just take MAX (Portland’s light rail system).  Head to Upright Brewing, which opens two hours before each Blazers home game.  Meet up with your friends there, grab beers for $3 or a pitcher for $12 and hang out.  Make sure to get there early since the place gets packed the closer to the start of the game.

Since I can only drink two beers before a game, that means I spend $6 total, plus my standard $1/beer tip, totals me up to $8.  Still $0.75 CHEAPER than a beer in the Garden!  Plus I got TWO!  Pretty simple decision for me.  I’m sure you’ll agree.

Jenna’s Tips:

  • Chances are Alex (the owner and head brewer) or Ezra (chief beer pourer and artist) are working.  Be sure to say “hi” if you see them.  Alex wears a slick pair of glasses and Ezra is usually hanging out by the cash register.
  • The Number Four is my favorite.  But I also always make sure to try what ever seasonal they have on tap too.
  • Also, while they do have some snacks, make sure you plan on eating before heading to Upright (or grabbing food at the Garden).  Your stomach will thank you later.

Been to Upright Brewing before?  What did you think?  What’s your pre-sporting event beer tradition?

Filed Under: Breweries Tagged With: Left Bank, Portland, Trailblazers, Upright Brewing, Widmer Brothers

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My name is Jenna.

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