Through the Lens of the Recycling Bin: A Psychogeography of Craft Beer

The last few weeks as I've walked around Portland I noticed that craft beer is a regular part of pretty much everyone's routine. I walk past houses where a group of people are hanging out on their front porch, chatting, and drinking bombers of Rogue. A house down the street is grilling some hamburgers and sipping on some 10 barrel bottles. I turn the corner and two ladies walk out of New Seasons carrying a six pack of Elysian while talking about how the latest beer isn't as bitter as another they had recently. Another block or so a family is watching their kid play in the yard and they're all grabbing beers from a 24 pack of Full Sail Session Lagers. I've even started taking photos of craft beer litter. The other night I discovered what may be the best way to visually describe the city's attachment to craft beer: Residential Recycling Bins!

So yeah, I decided to get a little creepy and snap pictures of people's recycling bins. The following images will give you a glimpse of how Portland does beer. Now, this is just three short blocks worth of recycling bins. Some of the bins contained no beer, but I'd say that at least half did have beer...and good looking beer at that. Let's take a look:

Oregon Beer Scene meets Colorado Beer

I spent the past month in Portland, Oregon because, in addition to visiting friends and family, I had organized a number of events that brought some of what Focus on the Beer is all about to the Pacific NW. As you know, our wonderful state of Colorado is home to well over 150 breweries, so I worked with about ten to bring their beer to a special event during Portland Beer Week. In addition to that I also organized a couple Beers Made By Walking walks and a BMBW tapping. I'd like to share some of the photos from these experiences. Many of our Pikes Peak Region readers have been a part of our BMBW walks, or you have attended some of our events, so you know what fun they can be. It felt really special to be able to do some of these things in a city that has such a huge influence in the beer industry.

Portland Beer Week is not really a beer week, it's an entire ten days of impressive beer programming. From the Portland Fruit Beer Fest, which challenges people to think very differently about fruit beer, to the Wine and Cheese Fest, to the barrel age beer seminar, the entire thing is one of the more serious educational beer programs I've ever seen.

Ale Apothecary's Breath of Fresh Air

Last weekend I was able to make the trip from Portland to Bend, Oregon, and spend some time visiting Isaac and some other friends. Isaac, who moved out there a couple months ago, has been quick to visit all the breweries in Bend and has established some friends in the industry. It was fun to visit places like Crux Fermentation Project, which I've watched intently since I first heard that Larry Sidor was leaving Deschutes to start the brewery. The beers were fantastic and absolutely worth talking about.

There are all sorts of other great breweries popping up around the state, including the Logsdon Farmhouse, near Hood River, but I haven't been able to visit that one yet. There was one brewery that I just can't not mention. Ale Apothecary is a rustic little brewery on a patch of four-ish acres, west of Bend, as you begin to head into the mountains. The property has a river that runs through it, and it sits on a hill in a forested area, very close to, possibly even located in, a national forest. The brewery is a small space attached to a house, where brewer Paul Arney allows the landscape to affect, and infect, his beers in a most exciting way.

Colorado Beer goes to Oregon

Focus on the Beer and Belmont Station are teaming up to bring a very special collaborative event to Portland for PDX Beer Week. We have worked with over ten breweries from our great state of Colorado to send their beer to Oregon. Many of the breweries have never distributed out of state before, so this will be a very special treat for our PDX drinking friends. Here's a list of what we will be getting to drink on June 14th, the list is subject to change:

Backcountry / Brett is a Douche / Imperial Saison with Brett
Crooked Stave / Vieille / Dry-hopped barrel aged Saison
Crooked Stave / Surette / Barrel aged provision Saison
Crooked Stave / St. Bretta / 100% Brett Witbier
Elevation / Third Base Tripel
Elevation / False Summit / Bourbon Barrel Aged Quad
Elevation / Oil Man / Bourbon barrel aged Stout
Elevation / Apis Red / Quad aged in red wine barrels
Great Divide / Barrel Aged Hibernation
Grimm Brothers / Snow Drop / Honey Wheat Ale
New Belgium / 2010 Vrienden / Hibiscus, Brett, and Lactobacillus
Oskar Blues / Chardonnay Barrel Aged G'Knight
Ska / TBA
Telluride / Face Down Brown
Telluride / Fishwater Double IPA
Trinity / TPS Report / Wild American Bretta
Trinity / Barrel aged Brett Saison with lavender
Trinity / Red Swingline / IPA with Lactobacillus
Trinity / Damn it Feels Good to be a Gangsta / Barrel aged dark Saison
TRVE / Stout O)))
TRVE / Tunnel of Trees IPA

Colorado Beer Tapping for PDX Beer Week
June 14th / 6pm / Belmont Station
4500 SE Stark, Portland
Facebook Event

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Beers Made By Walking in Oregon for Portland Beer Week

Even though Focus on the Beer is a Colorado-forward blog we do mention Oregon quite a bit. The reason is because I'm originally from Oregon and I've been organizing beer events there since 2008. It's been fun tying the events together more and more through this blog and I hope our readers don't mind!

Beers Made By Walking will have two special events for PDX Beer Week. On June 12th we will have a public hike in Forest Park and on June 13th we will tap four beers from Breakside, Coalition, Hopworks, and Gigantic inspired by a trail in Forest Park. Details are below:

A pictorial glimpse of the Bend, Oregon, beer scene

As you may have heard, I will be moving to the pastures of Oregon. Bend, Oregon, to be exact. I had the opportunity to visit some of the more popular Bend breweries during a recent fall trip. Here are a few of the highlights that may persuade a few of you to come visit me this summer. Enjoy!

-Isaac

First stop: Boneyard Brewery.  Hey look, a mobile bar!