In 1805, long before the debut of IFC’s hilarious sketch comedy show “Portlandia,” Captain William Clark wrote in his journal, “Welcome to the theater of majestic beauty―the Great Northwest.” In 1969, a decade before homebrewing became legal in this country, Fred Eckhardt penned A Treatise on Lager Beers: How to Make Good Beer at Home... View Article
Not long ago we spent a long, lazy weekend in Portland, OR. It soon became clear that it would take two articles to do this beer-blessed city justice. In the last issue we visited the Pearl District, a short streetcar ride from downtown. This issue, we’ll venture to other parts of town. So, come on.... View Article
To call Portland, OR, “an embarrassment of beer riches” would be an understatement. For years, enthusiasts have flocked to the Rose City to enjoy that perfect pint; and establishment after establishment either brews, or pours, nectar from the gods. The city is so serious about its beer that one alternative newspaper rates movies on a... View Article
OK, I’m sticking my neck way, way out. But I want folks to take a good look at what is happening here and in the rest of the U.S.A. The great beer districts of the world are no longer located only in Belgium, Germany and England! We are developing some fantastic new beer venues here... View Article
You have to hand it to Don Russell, although what you had to him might vary depending upon the city where you prefer to drink beer. In Philadelphia, Russell is Joe Sixpack, a man who turned beer into a full time job: reason enough to admire him. He has also rather brazenly declared his hometown... View Article
Who brewed these 25 beers over the last 10 years: Hallucinator, Snow Plow Milk Stout, English Brown, Belgian Dubbel, Belgian Wit, La Vie, Bermuda Schwartz, Pre-Prohibition Lager, Steel Bridge Porter, HB25, Hop Nation, Fearless Scotch Ale, Sled Crasher, Moore Fearless Maibock, Saul’s Stout, Saison Christophe, Alpenhorn Vienna Lager, Hopnosis, Zephyr, Lagerhead Pilsner, Big C Stout,... View Article
While visiting a TV station in Albuquerque on business—like many of my beer-writing brethren, I have a “real job” in addition to my “beer job”—one of the news anchors and I got to chatting about my growing enchantment with Land of Enchantment’s famous cuisine.
I may be prejudiced, but the Portland area is shaping up to produce some of the best beers and brewers in the world. Our pubs are interesting and well managed. They often serve a wide-ranging selection of draft craft beers, accompanied by good food. Craft beer sells well in these parts, with sales in the... View Article
As part of its silver anniversary celebration, All About Beer Magazine asked me to name my 25 favorite American beer cities. Lists like these invite controversy, which isn’t a bad thing. Differences of opinion make for good discussion and are amicably resolved over a pint or two.
