more tap takeover

Commons & Breakside Takeover Portland Craft! Sept 18th – 6pm – No Tickets Required Join our team as we hang out at Portland Craft for the night with our Portland Pals! Jacob and Fred from Breakside will be here as will Josh from The Commons! We’ve got 5 beers from each brewery on tap, including some very rare or never before seen beers.

link love

10 stark truths (and we’re not talking game of thrones here) about dating a beer nerd

breakside brewery liquid nitrogen frozen fresh hop beers
and a reminder that breakside and the commons are having a tap takeover at portland craft on september 18th (aka thursday)

a sneak peek at steel toad

the strait loves stateside craft

also, a very happy birthday to one of my oldest friends today
oldest in time known, not age!
not that she reads my blog, but whatever, happy birthday goog!

vancouver craft beer week

my liver is happy that vcbw is over for another year
the rest of me is a little relieved too – so many good times and good beers, but a person’s gotta sleep!

i may have only made it to a few events
but those events were of the all you can drink persuasion
and i do take the list as a personal challenge to complete

i have already given my low-down on the business of craft beer
so i will begin my vcbw list with the opening night last friday
i was volunteering, so there wasn’t much drinking at all for me
holding this event at a nightclub (gossip) was great from a couple of standpoints:  the performance space was in the same room so there was no need for anyone to have to choose between beer and the show; all the breweries were pouring their beers from an actual bar with access to water so there was no running out of rinse water; and the club provided plenty of different areas, including several with seating, to get away from the fray
somehow though, it still managed to be crowded
i think if they hold opening night at gossip again next year i’ll give it a miss

sunday found me at my favourite event of the year, the alibi room’s hoppapalooza
it felt like there were fewer people there this year
which was a very good thing – no crowding, short lines for beer and chili and none of the beers ran dry
nigel opened up the cellar and brought out some vintage sours, barleywines and imperial stouts
such a great way to spend an evening
it was over far too quickly!

on wednesday i went to pdx love at portland craft
this is quickly becoming one of my favourite events of the year
where else can i find all my favourite portland people in one place at the same time, without having to travel?


obviously i’m having a really rotten time photo by Two Peas Photography

there were sixteen beers on tap

i made it through all sixteen

and still managed to have my wits about me – i do love small pours for that!



photo by Two Peas Photography

 

attendees included abe of cider riot

jamie of hopworks

gigantic ben love

base camp, upright, occidental, the commons, breakside and alameda

highlights for me were the commons madrone which i hadn’t had the pleasure of trying before and the breakside india golden ale, which i just can’t get enough of

photo by Two Peas Photography

my only complaint about this is event is the lack of a vegetarian option for dinner

i’m sure everyone else loved the pulled pork on a bun though

how everyone will be wearing their beard next season photo by Ben Love

thursday my oregon love continued at brothers in hop (or bros in hip-hop this year) at the butcher and bullock
plenty of delicious food, including oysters and crab cakes, accompanied the beers by parallel 49, central city, gigantic and ninkasi
there were some service issues at the beginning of the night, but as it wore on the hard-working staff ironed out the kinks and brought the beer faster than i could drink it
i think i made it through the list again
which, even though it was a bit shorter of a list, was an accomplishment because they were bringing sleeves of many of the beers rather than all taster sized pours
the highlight of the night was gigantic’s too much coffee man, which i had not had tried before

photo by Kurtis Sheldon

my liver hurts!
i would say that i’ll never drink again
but that would be a really big lie!

legacy liquor store

newly available at the legacy liquor store in vancouver:

A small craft brewery in Southeast Portland, Oregon inspired by European brewing tradition and Pacific Northwest ingredients, The Commons Brewery, formerly Beetje (Flemish for little) Brewery, started small in the summer of 2010 with nothing more than a single barrel nano system in Mike Wright’s garage. Jump to the summer of 2011 and The Commons Brewery has moved from the garage to a 7BBL commercial space and bottle conditioned beer. Striving to produce brews with moderate alcohol and refreshing, unique character courtesy of yeast strains originating in Europe—truly a beer lover’s paradise—these brews are sessionable and geared towards friends, family and sharing time with one another. So grab a bottle or two and gather ’round!

The Commons Brewery Urban Farmhouse – $13.75
A farmhouse ale that fits the bill after a sweltering day working the land. Hazy straw yellow in colour with baking spice, floral hops and a bit of yeast in its aroma, while more spice (coriander for instance), a touch of citrus and a lovely bittering courtesy of Willamette, Golding and Hallertauer make up the palate. Two words: nailed it.

Joel Wilson | Beer Team | Legacy Liquor Store

The Commons Brewery Flemish Kiss – $13.75
Belgian Pale Ale? Yes, please! This rusty, amber coloured beer smells delicious with appearances of funk and raspberry sweetness. Palate-wise, this particular brew shows off more Brett, strawberries, figs and cereal malt. Complex and tasty, it represents Belgian Pale Ale perfectly, and turns up the volume with a bit of funk.

Chris Bonnallie | Beer Supervisor | Legacy Liquor Store