64 OZ’s Lorraine Lyons holds up a marshmallow-garnished S’More Stout. The Third Street gathering place was recently named one of the top seven taprooms in Oregon by the beer website New School.
64 OZ’s Lorraine Lyons holds up a marshmallow-garnished S’More Stout. The Third Street gathering place was recently named one of the top seven taprooms in Oregon by the beer website New School.
The smell of toasted marshmallow paired with a stout took center stage at a local ale house Thursday, but it’s a quieter beer that deserves that kind of attention.
Base Camp Brewery of Portland did the first tap-handle takeover at the six-month-old 64 Oz growler station and tap house, and the estimable S’more Stout found the flare — literally — as owner Lorraine Lyons wielded a blow torch behind the counter. She roasted a skewered marshmallow as garnish to the hearty but harmonized stout (7.7 ABV, 70 IBUs) with chocolate and smoke notes to live up to its name.
“We’re all about the outdoors and enjoying the wonders of where we live,” said Base Camp’s Casey Helwig at the gathering.
The stout is worth checking out, but while you have the chance (and it’s limited) the Base Camp Cooper Spur red ale is the must-taste this week in this beer burg. For this is Base Camp’s second Hood River Valley venture in as many years, following last year’s beer-paired dinner created by chef Joe Silliman at Inn at Cooper Spur. According to Helwig, that led to the brewery choosing the north face of Mt. Hood for its next Location series ale — beers made using ingredients found in scenic areas of Oregon. (Another example: an Eagle Cap Wilderness ale employing mushrooms from that locale.)
With the Cooper Spur red ale, brewers got pear wood from Miller Farms in Parkdale, and chipped it up. The wood was then placed in a special bag and steeped in the fermenting ale. It’s a new process that allows for flavors of ingredients to more quickly imbue the ale, according to Helwig.
The result? An ale that, held to the light, resembles the skin of a perfectly ripened Anjou, and the subtle scent of a Bartlett. As Pete Townshend wrote, “The perfume nearly beats the taste” — but not quite. The taste brings just a hint of pear juice within a rounded, malt-forward massage to the palate (8.1 ABV, 60 IBUs).
Everybody’s celebrates first bottling
Everybody’s Brewing in White Salmon will have some fun Nov. 25, as they begin selling 22 ounce bottles of barrel aged and specialty beers. The brewery is calling these the “Local Harvest Series,” as they will only be available for purchase locally at the pub. The series will roll out with two offerings: Barrel Aged Sour Cherry Saison, and Russian Imperial Stout. To celebrate, they will open their newly expanded brewery to the public for tours from 2 to 5 p.m., with the opportunity to sample beer straight from the brite tanks. The Russian Imperial Stout clocks in at 10 percent ABV, and 90 IBUs. Barrel Aged Sour Cherry Saison is 6.9 percent percent ABV, and 24 IBUs. The brewery’s annual “Night Before Thanksgiving Karaoke” starts at 8:30 p.m.
Owner/Brewmaster Doug Ellenberger said he’s excited to finally bottle some of his beer. “We make some barrel aged, and specialty beers that we don’t distribute, so we’re happy to give people who visit the pub a chance to enjoy these beers at home,” he said. “We’re starting to see our barrel aging program mature, and this will be a great outlet for those beers.” He also noted that the Local Harvest Series will rotate styles frequently, selling each new bottle only while supplies last. “We’re really pleased with how these first two beers turned out,” said Ellenberger.
“This Saison began as a crisp Belgian Saison brewed with Pilsner malts and Merkur hops. After primary fermentation, we racked the beer to Pinot Noir barrels and added 125 pounds of local sour cherries to each barrel. After three months of aging, this beer is full of cherry flavor and aroma.”
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