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This is a time of year when craft beer speaks for itself, but with help from the people who make it. Cold Forming Tap
And with Oregon Craft Beer Month and Zwickelmania, opportunities abound to quaff and converse.
McMinnville-based ForeLand Beer is launching “ForeLand & Friends PDX Residency Series,” a month-long event that owner David Sanguinetti said celebrates “the spirit of collaboration and artisanship within Oregon’s vibrant craft beer community.”
Each week starting Feb. 7-12, ForeLand’s Portland pub at 2511 S.E. Belmont Ave., known as The Study, will host an independent Oregon brewery that does not yet have its own taproom.
“This series aims to showcase the rich diversity and innovative spirit of Oregon’s craft breweries no matter the scope or size by featuring up to four unique beers from each guest brewery,” Sanguinetti said — alongside a collaboration beer brewed at ForeLand’s McMinnville brewery.
Each week, beer enthusiasts will have the opportunity to explore a curated selection of beers that Sanguinetti said are “from some of Oregon’s most creative and beloved breweries,” including Hetty Alice, Oak Union, Kings & Daughters, and Nebuleus. The special events will be based at The Study, but the collaboration beers will also be on tap at the McMinnville brewery location.
Highlighting the week, each Thursday from 5-7 p.m., and Friday, March 1, for Nebuleus, will be each brewery’s residency and collaboration with ForeLand.
Guests can meet the team, learn about the brewery, and hear the stories behind the beers. In addition, packaged beer and merchandise from each featured brewery will be available for purchase.
The schedule is: Feb. 7-12, Hetty Alice Brewing Co.; Feb. 14-19, Oak Union Brewing; Feb. 21-26, Kings & Daughters Brewery; Feb. 28 to March 3, Nebuleus beer.
“Through this month-long series, ForeLand is proud to foster a sense of community and innovation with their friends and peers and highlight the collaborative spirit that defines Oregon’s craft beer scene,” Sanguinetti said.
The ForeLand Portland pub will highlight collaborations and guest rotating beers.
For details on events at each brewery and their collaboration beer, visit forelandbeer.com or on Instagram at forelandbeerpdx.
Released Jan. 20 were the first cans of Gold Dot ales, the new Heater Allen brewing venture that’s been available only on tap since last summer.
“We’re excited about the future,” said Kevin Davey, co-owner with Lisa Allen of Heater Allen. They hosted a one-day release party at their tasting room and beer garden. The event featured Gold Dot Helles (4.9 ABV), Cold IPA (7.0), and Dark Lager (5.4) as well as Heater Allen Pils and other standards.
“I think there’s we’re trying to do some beers that are high end and lower ABV that are repeatable, you can have a few. Moderation is key to the future,” Davey said.
As a “celebration beer,” Cold IPA is higher in ABV, Davey noted, adding “we try to make it drier, to have them finish more attenuated, to make sure they are more digestible, so you don’t feel so full. It increases its drinkability. Our beers are very dry, and we want to focus on that: making a dry beer that is very flavorful.”
At Evasion Brewing, a drier, softer mouthfeel is the goal in the new Way Too Blazy Hazy IPA (5.5 ABV), described by brewer Jonathan Anderson as “a more traditional New England style,” less caramel-forward than other IPAs the brewery makes.
Way Too Blazy sales will benefit the Wildland Firefighters Foundation; the beer will be available in stores soon, and can now be tasted at the McMinnville taproom.
Anderson said he is proud of the brewery’s lager-conditioned Baltic Porter, and his new, soon-to-be-released Kolsch, calling it “super crisp, really dry fermented, one of my favorite beers.”
He spoke Wednesday in the middle of brewing the second of two new batches of Hophoria, one of the gluten-free brewery’s long-time stable of beers.
Anderson’s Always in Saison Farmhouse saison, made using cranberries and blueberries augmented with cinnamon and other spices, is on “for another week or two.”
Anderson joined Evasion last year after its purchase by Josh and Rebecca Gordon, who have expanded the taproom at the brewery, 4230 N.E. Riverside Drive. The taproom is open 1 to 6 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.
Over 50 breweries from across Oregon will be participating in the annual Zwickelmania brewery tour from 11 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 17. This marks a change as in more recent years, Zwickelmania took place over two weekends. Now it’s going back to its roots and taking place solely over Presidents Day weekend, according to the Oregon Brewers Guild.
Participating are ForeLand, 777 N.E. Fourth St., with tap tastings focused on a beer to be determined, and Heater Allen, 710 N.E. 10th Ave., which will offer tours, a case sale, and introduction of its new Export lager in cans and on draft.
Named after the “zwickel,” a German word for the sample port found on fermentation vessels, Zwickelmania is an annual celebration of craft beer in Oregon. Hosted each year by the Oregon Brewers Guild, this year’s event will see well over 50 breweries opening up its doors for tours and tastings.
Another Zwickelmania stop will be Stickmen Brewing at 19475 S.W. 118th Ave, Suite 1, Tualatin, for a preview of what the brewery will bring to McMinnville when it opens its new location. Brewery officials could not be reached at press time for details, but chairs and tables are up and the Granary Row facility it is taking over on Lafayette Avenue, near 10th Avenue, looks close to ready.
- Stickmen will have 60 seats inside and another 10 or so on the covered patio, parking in the rear of the building. The menu features wood-fired pizzas and salads along with 28 taps filled mostly with Stickmen beers, and wine and cider. Curated cocktails will also be served; Stickmen’s brewing and packaging happens in Tualatin.
- The saison from Evasion I tried and found that its fruit-forward nature evoking spring while the cinnamon and allspice resonating with winter flavors form a fine bridge between seasons. Despite the name “Always in Saison,” it’s available on tap for the time being, meaning this weekend at the Northeast Riverside Drive taproom would be a good time to catch a pint.
- Personally I am looking forward to the pFriem Family Brewers tap takeover on March 8 at Growler Station on Northeast Baker; pFriem is a standout brewery, one I observed from its founding in Hood River to burgeoning growth in the past 11 years, always with a wide variety of lagers, IPAs, inventive specialty ales, and barrel-aged fare. It will be interesting to see what the pFriem pfolks bring to McMinnville. Send beer, cider and spirits news to kirby@newsregister.com.
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