That’s right kiddos, last year’s Inaugural Eugene Beer Week was such a smashing success (and a direct catalyst for Portland and Corvallis Beer Weeks – Humbleness Editor), the event is returning for a sophomore run.  And this year’s EBW promises to be better, stronger, faster! Well, maybe not faster… not really sure how that even relates, but definitely those first two things I mentioned. In any case, come May 7th, lil’ ol’ Eugene will once again be drenched in a solid week of beer revelry.

Of course, an event of this magnitude cannot occur without a truckload of hard work, planning and general behind-the-scenes monkey business. Oh, and money too… Yep, money sure helps. Remember those fantastic posters, hand bills and advertisements from last year’s EBW? Well, they didn’t design, print and distribute themselves… although with NASA’s budget getting hacked to pieces, we should now have some top men and women with some free time on their hands. I wonder if they can be convinced to work for beer? But I digress…

Last year, EBW had just over a dozen official sponsors, and Mike and crew did a fantastic job stretching every sponsorship dollar to its fullest extent. Those posters, hand bills and advertisements I mentioned above were the result of sponsorship monies. And if you have no idea what I’m talking about, well, then you can see one of the reasons we need more sponsors this time around. With this in mind, official planning for EBW 2012 got underway last week, with a meeting to discuss the marketing of this year’s event. While we are busy working on our list of potential sponsors, I thought I would get the ball rolling with a call-to-arms to the craft beer community.

Do you have a favorite brewery, bottleshop or watering hole? The next time you visit your establishment of choice, ask them if they are aware of Eugene Beer Week and ask them to get involved. Or perhaps, like our NASA friends, you have a little extra time on your hands too? Well, volunteers are always nice… especially those with server permits. Happen to be an artistic individual? We’d love to see your ideas for a new EBW logo.

You can get involved by contacting EBW through the official website at www.eugenebeerweek.org, or the event’s Facebook page. And keep an eye on both for more information on this year’s event.

Cheers and stay tuned!
Kevin

Man, it feels nice to have my Christmas shopping done early for once. With the baby being a big, late-December question mark, my wife and I had everything bought and wrapped weeks ago. In fact, I was done so early that I almost forgot to post my annual gift guide. So, in the spirit of down-to-the-wire shopping, here are some last-minute picks for the beer lovers you haven’t yet crossed off your lists. (Note: this is going to be an Oregon-centric, Willamette Valley-specific post)

Block 15 – La Ferme’ de Demons

Nick does some amazing things at Block 15 and La Ferme’ de Demons is a great example of beer-wizardry. This dark Saison, aged in Pinot, Bourbon and Oregon oak barrels with cherries, was my pick for Oregon Beer of 2010.

Batch one was unfortunately draft only, but in October batch two was released in handsome, corked and caged 750 ml glass. Expect one to set you back about $15.

Oakshire – Hellshire II

Hellshire I flew off the shelves so fast it quickly became one of those beers of legend. By comparison, Hellshire II’s sales have been a little languid. The beer is still readily available around Eugene, but is starting to develop a story of its own.

There is much talk right now on Beer Advocate that Hellshire II is infected. Matt replied in the thread that analysis is currently being performed, and offered some tasting notes of his own, but neither confirmed nor denied the presence of that sneaky bugger Brett. Of  course, human perception being what it is, once the “wild” fire alarm is pulled, hysteria ensues. And we all know the logistical problems associated with unringing bells.

So, let’s call this my gambler’s pick. Maybe it is infected and will worsen over time. Or maybe it will turn out to be a happy accident, like Abyss ’09. Or maybe, just maybe, the labs will come back clean and all the stone-throwers can try again… assuming they didn’t dump the rest of their bottles in outrage and can get the taste of foot out of their mouths. In any case, this feels like another legend in the making… a bet worth $15.

Ninkasi Winter 4 Pack

As I mentioned in my last post, this thing is a hell of a deal. Total Domination, Believer, Sleigh’R and the new Imperiale Stout, all packaged up in an easy-to-wrap box and all for about the same price as the other two beers on this list ($15).  Perfect for Ninkasi diehards and new inductees alike. And since I am completely failing at nicking relevant images from Google tonight, I’ll finish with another label shot.

Cheers and Merry Christmas!
Kevin

Okay, let’s see if I can get this one wrapped up tonight. After enjoying Redhook’s Down Under Stout with a couple friends, we opened a bottle of Ninkasi’s Imperiale Stout that had been sitting in my refrigerator for much too long. Sampling these two beers back-to-back was a great way to appreciate just how diverse the category ‘stout’ is; especially when a glass of home-brewed dry stout is also thrown into the mix.

Both Down Under and Imperiale are creamy, full-bodied brews, but they go in completely different directions when it comes to the way in which the dark malts are used. Down Under is light on roast, while Imperiale hits you immediately with sharp notes of coffee and chocolate.  Where Down Under maintains a consistent dark-malt flavor from start to finish, Imperiale finishes with a kick of hops and a punch of alcohol.

In fact, Imperiale reminds me quite a bit of Widmer’s W’11 KGB from earlier this year, but without the sticky sweetness and occasional hot alcohol notes. Not to say that I didn’t enjoy KGB, it’s just that Ninkasi’s package feels a little a bit more polished, or maybe rounded is a better way to describe it. And while I’m on the subject of feeling packages, I want to mention that you can still get Imperiale in the Winter 4-pack, which also contains bombers of Total Domination, Believer and Sleigh’R. Not a bad deal for around $14 and not a bad gift idea for those of you with a beer lover on your list and some holiday shopping still in front of you.

And on a final Ninkasi note, I am looking forward to the 2012 Renewale Porter, which should be available sometime after the first of the year.

Cheers!
Kevin