Oregon Beer in $50.00

Apparently this blogging thing has given me a small amount of beer clout. More and more I am getting asked beer questions from friends and co-workers. A question that has come up a few times recently is:

I will be visiting friends/family in another state.

OR

Friends/family from out of state will be visiting me.

I want to give them some Oregon beer. What do I do?

Much in the spirit of Jeff’s Challenge: 5 Beers in Portland, I decided to create a “shopping list” of Oregon beers that I would recommend for someone visiting the state or someone wanting to spread Beervana when they travel.

I limited the list to $50.00; the amount most commonly given when I ask, “Well, how much do you want to spend?” All the beers listed should be available at any good bottle shop, and many can be found at the grocery store. I didn’t include any seasonals or limited releases; I wanted to craft a list that would be relevant any time of the year. Many of the beers I chose are personal favorites, but as a whole, I think the list creates a good picture of craft brewing in Oregon.

Hair of the Dog – Adam: 12oz. Bottle @ $4.99

It’s hard to start a list of great Oregon Beers without immediately jumping to Alan Sprint’s brewery. HotD has been crafting beers of the highest quality since 1993. Adam was the first beer produced by HotD, a resurrection of the extinct Adambier style.

BridgePort – IPA: 6-pack @ $7.99

BridgePort is an Oregon institution. This is THE beer that started the NW IPA boom; a near perfect beer from one of Oregon’s oldest craft breweries. Grounded in the tradition of British India Pales, this is a much different beast than the NW IPAs that have come out in the last few years. Which brings us to…

Ninkasi – Total Domination: 22oz. Bomber @ $4.99

The flagship beer of one of Oregon’s fastest growing brewery. Total Domination is a perfect example of the evolution of IPAs in the Pacific Northwest; big, crisp and full of citrus hops.

Upright Brewing – Four: 750ml. Bottle @ $11.99

Upright is a curious little brewery. In less than a year, they have carved out a name for themselves as a brewer of fantastic Farmhouse ales. All of their bottled beers roll a numeric name, Four being my favorite of the bunch. It is a sour-mashed wheat beer, brewed in the Farmhouse style using a French Saison yeast.

Laurelwood – Free Range Red: 220z. Bomber @ $5.99

Big, hoppy Red Ales are quickly becoming as synonymous with Northwest brewing as IPAs. Laurelwood’s brew is not only one of my favorite NW Reds, but brewed entirely with organic malts.

Oakshire – Overcast Espresso Stout: 220z. Bomber @ $5.99

Overcast is one of those beers that gets a little better every time I drink it. It is brewed with organic coffee from local roaster Wandering Goat Coffee, giving it an intense espresso flavor.

Pelican Pub & Brewery – Kiwanda Cream Ale: 22oz. Bomber @ $6.99

Pacific City is a small town of about 1,000 people on the Oregon coast. It is also the home of one of the state’s most decorated breweries. Kiwanda is one of those beers that redefines a genre. There is no other Cream Ale I can think of that every comes close to capturing the taste of Pelican’s brew.

Total: $48.93 (+ deposit)

So, there it is. Before you ask about Dead Guy or Black Butte, I purposely passed over Deschutes, Widmer and Rogue while compiling my list. All three breweries have deep distribution channels and can already be found throughout the country. Free Range Red could have easily been Ninkasi’s Believer, but the bottled version of Ninkasi’s brew has been tasting a little off lately.

I really wanted to include Cascade Brewing’s Apricot Ale. It is every bit deserving of a spot on the list, but at $16.00 a bottle, I just couldn’t find room under the $50.00 cap. It is my first recommendation as a replacement for any of the beers I listed, or as an addition for those who want to splurge. If you happen to catch any of the beers on sale and end up with a few extra bucks, I would pencil in HotD’s Ruth. It is quickly becoming my favorite APA and a steal at less than $3.00 a bottle.

I am interested to hear how you would spend $50.00 if you were making up a Oregon beer care package. If I get enough response, I will set up an Oregon Beer Recommendations page. If you want to theme your list (stouts, IPAs, summer ales, etc) or pick a different dollar amount, that is fine too.

Cheers!
Kevin