Esteemed Portland beer writer Fred Eckhardt turns 82 today. Portland’s Fred Eckhardt is a living legend, especially in his home city, having pioneered writing about and defining beer styles with his early book on the subject, The Essentials of Beer Style, published in 1989. Today is also the day the 3rd annual FredFest will be held, a beer festival honoring Fred. Join me in wishing Fred a happy birthday.

Fred Eckhardt and me at the Great American Beer Festival in 2005.

At the Celebrator’s 18th anniversary party in February. From left: Shaun O’Sullivan, from 21st Amendment, Fred Eckhardt, the woman who wanted this picture of all her beer writing “heroes” in the first place, me, Tom Dalldorf, Celebrator publisher, and a brewer from Brewmasters.

And at the same party, this time sandwiched in between Judy Ashworth and her daughter.

Today at 3:00 p.m. (left coast time), the online auction for FredFest begins, and will close on Sunday, also at 3:00 p.m.

Here’s some of what’s up for auction, the proceeds of which will be donated to charity. You can find more information about the lots at the Liquid Solutions Blog and the auction itself is at Liquid Solutions.

1. Hair of the Dog Dave 1994 (375 ml)
2. Hair of the Dog Adam #1 1994 (12 oz.)
3. Full Sail Old Boardhead Vertical: 1998 & 1999 (12 oz.), 2001-2007 (22 oz.)
4. Pike Old Bawdy Vertical: 1996-1998, 2006-2007 (12 oz).
5. AleSmith: Old Numbskull (750 ml), Grand Cru (750 ml), Horney Devil (750 ml)
6. Lost Abbey: Older Viscosity (375 ml) Angel’s Share (375 ml), Lost and Found (750 ml)
7. Rodenbach Alexander 1991 (330 ml) and Rochefort 10 1999 (330 ml)
8. Westvleteren 12 1997 (11.2 oz.)
9. Anchor Brewing Commemorative Michael Jackson’s 60th Birthday Beer (1.5 L)
10. And others from Avery, Midnight Sun, J.W. Lees, Big Time, Fish Tale — and more

From the press release:

Beer aficionados across the nation will be reaching for their wallets this weekend when rare beers and vertical collections will be highlighted at the first-ever FredFest Online Beer Auction.

The auction starts at 3 p.m. PDT Friday, May 9 and begins to wrap up at 3 p.m. PDT Sunday, May 11. The auction is designed to run concurrently with FredFest 2008 — a celebration of the 82nd birthday of Fred Eckhardt, the Dean of American Beer Writers, which is taking place May 10 at Hair of the Dog Brewing Co., in Portland.

“FredFest started as a surprise 80th birthday party for Fred, but is coming back around in its third year as a fundraiser in the memory of fellow beer scribe and friend, Michael Jackson,” said FredFest co-organizer Lisa Morrison.

Each year, Eckhardt is asked to choose a charity for FredFest. This year, he chose Parkinson’s Resources of Oregon, a local affiliate of the National Parkinson Foundation. Jackson had been battling complications from Parkinson’s disease when he died last summer.

The first-ever FredFest online auction was the brainchild of Hair of the Dog owner Alan Sprints, Ben Love of Hopworks Urban Brewery and Matt Maples of Liquid Solutions bottle shop.

It’s for a worthy cause, so bid generously.

The Oregon Brewers Festival is a mere three months away, but already tickets are on sale for the Oregon Brewers Brunch and Parade, which will take place the morning of the first day of the festival. This year, the brunch will be held at PGE Park, 1844 SW Morrison, on July 24 beginning at 9:00 a.m. The brunch is limited to 300 people. An order form for tickets to the brunch and parade are available online. It will be sponsored by Widmer Bros. Brewing.

From the press release:

Tickets are $20, which includes brunch, Widmer beer, a parade t-shirt and an OBF festival mug (good all weekend long). It’s the deal of the century! The event is limited to 300.

At 11 a.m., brewers and beer lovers will set out for an old-fashioned parade, accompanied by marching band music. The parade will wind its way for approximately one mile through Portland sidewalks to the opening ceremonies and the tapping of the inaugural keg of the 21st annual Oregon Brewers Festival.

Here are some photos from last year’s parade, which began at Rogue.

Portland Mayor Tom Potter with festival organizer Chris Crabb as the parade begins.

The parade wound its way through Portland’s downtown until everyone massed across the street from the festival grounds and crossed the street to enter the festival and tap the ceremonial keg, signaling the opening of the festival.

Perhaps I’ll see you there this year.

Today is John Maier’s 53rd birthday. John has been the head brewer at Rogue Ales for as long as I can remember. He’s won countless awards, pioneered numerous new styles and been instrumental in the rise of the Pacific Northwest’s beer scene. Join me in wishing John a happy birthday.

At the Sasquatch Beer Festival. John Maier, sandwiched by Jamie Floyd and Nikos Ridge, both from Ninkasi Brewing.

Rogue owner Jack Joyce, Portland Mayor Potter and John pose for photos at the opening of the Oregon Brewers Festival last year.

John at the Brew Am gold tourney last year. This photo (hopefully) courtesy of Bob Brewer, from his Picasa gallery.

Portland’s Fred Eckhardt is a living legend, especially in his home city, having pioneered writing about and defining beer styles with his early book on the subject, The Essentials of Beer Style, published in 1989. A couple of years ago, Portland threw Fred a surprise birthday party for his 80th — called “FredFest.” It’s become an annual event, now in its third year. And this year, the charity event will raise funds for Parkinson’s disease in honor of fellow beer legend Michael Jackson, who passed away last August.

From the press release:

More than 15 rare and unique beers created by some of Oregon’s most celebrated breweries will be on tap at FredFest 2008. The event will take place from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 10 — the actual date of Eckhardt’s 82nd birthday — at Hair of the Dog Brewing, 4509 SE 23rd Avenue in Portland.

The beer menu is still being firmed up, but brewers are promising to pony up something special for the event. The number of beers for FredFest will increase from last year, according to co-organizer and chief beer wrangler Preston Weesner. Some of the breweries that already have committed to the event include: Hair of the Dog (with a special keg of Jim 07), BridgePort, Deschutes, Widmer, Hopworks Urban Brewery, Rogue and Firestone Walker.

Attendees will be treated not only to a rare assortment of hand-selected beers, but also light fare including pastrami cured with Hair of the Dog Fred ale and a birthday cake — complete with a round of “Happy Birthday” — for Eckhardt. Cheeses, chocolate, candy and even cereal will be offered in abundance so attendees can experience some of Eckhardt’s famed beer-and-food pairings.

Cost for the event is $50 in advance and includes a souvenir glass, free ticket for a raffle of bottled specialty beers and four hours’ of sampling, sipping and story-telling with Eckhardt. Admission is limited to 200 attendees. Judging from previous years, the event is expected to sell out quickly. Tickets are available through Pay-Pal. E-mail fredfest@comcast.net to purchase tickets.

Additionally, this year, a silent auction featuring bottles of rare beers running in conjunction with FredFest, allowing Fred fans across the country to be a part of Eckhardt’s birthday and the FredFest celebration and fundraiser.

As always, proceeds from FredFest and the related online auction will go to a charity of Eckhardt’s choice. This year, Eckhardt named Parkinson’s Resources of Oregon, the local affiliate chapter of the National Parkinson Foundation, as the featured charity in memory of his longtime friend and fellow beer writer Michael Jackson, who died in 2007 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.

What more could you ask for, great beer and a worthy cause.

On Saturday the Portland Spring Beer & Wine Festival took place at the Oregon Convention Center. Awards were given in eight categories, with a gold and silver awarded in each. The results are listed below:

Amber, Brown & Red
Gold - Pelican Pub & Brewery Anglers Amber
Silver - Lost Coast Brewery Downtown Brown

Belgian-Style
Gold - North Coast Brewing PranQster
Silver - Widmer Belgian Golden Ale

Double IPA and other Strong Ales
Gold - Stone Brewing Ruination IPA
Silver - Lang Creek Brewing Zeppelin Imperial Ale

Golden & Pale Ales
Gold - Stone Brewing Pale Ale
Silver - Pyramid Curve Ball Blond Ale

IPA
Gold - Laurelwood Public House & Brewery Organic Green Elephant IPA
Silver - Henry Weinhard’s IPA

Lager
Gold - Pabst Blue Ribbon
Silver - Kona Longboard Lager

Porter & Stout
Gold - Stone Brewing Imperial Stout
Silver - Deschutes Obsidian Stout

Wheat
Gold - Deschutes Wolf Mountain Wit
Silver - Blue Moon Belgian White

Today is brewer Teri Fahrendorf’s 29th birthday. That number is pure conjecture, but it sure seems right for a woman who spent the last year or so on the road, criss-crossing the United States twice visiting friends and colleagues in the brewing world. Sadly, I was out-of-town when she passed through the Bay Area last year. Teri was the brewmaster for the Steelhead Brewing chain for nearly two decades before leaving last year on her odyssey. She also recently founded the Pink Boots Society, an organization celebrating women in the brewing industry. You can follow along with her Road Brewer adventures. Join me in wishing Teri a very happy birthday.

Teri behind the Steelhead Brewing booth at GABF in 2006.

Teri Fahrendorf, then head of brewing operations for Steelhead accepting the Silver Medal for U.C.I.P.A. in Category: 14 Cellar or Unfiltered Beer at GABF.

After a panel discussion at GABF on women in brewing. From left: Carol Stoudt (from Stoudts Brewing), Jennifer Talley (from Squatter’s Pub Brewery), Natalie Cilurzo (from Russian River) and Teri Fahrendorf.

With only one more day to go before “Beer & Chocolate Day,” here’s one more article on this delicious subject.

This one is by Greg Kitsock and appeared in the Washington Post today, entitled A Different Kind of Drinking Chocolate and explores a number of chocolatey beers, including one of my favorites, Rogue’s Chocolate Stout featuring Sebbie Buhler on the bottle. Here’s what Kitsock has to say about the Rogue Chocolate Stout, some of which I didn’t know: Rogue Chocolate Stout, from Rogue Ales in Newport, Ore., originally was brewed for export to Japan as Chocolate Bear Beer. Its label, featuring a teddy bear with a pink heart on its belly, was hardly designed for macho appeal. “In Japan, women give men chocolate for Valentine’s Day,” explains Sebbie Buhler, Rogue’s regional rep for the Northeast. When the brewery decided to introduce the beer to American drinkers in 2000, Rogue founder Jack Joyce renamed it and substituted Buhler’s portrait on the 22-ounce silk-screened bottle to honor her 10 years of service. As a base, Rogue uses its Shakespeare Stout (a fairly strong and aggressively hopped example of the style), infusing Dutch bittersweet chocolate into the finished beer. Drier than the Young’s, with a spicy, resiny finish, the stout is complex and intriguing, although the chocolate and the hops clash in the finish. Sebbie also had a bit to say about the beer that bears her likeness: Rogue Chocolate Stout is “a very versatile beer,” Buhler says. “It goes beautifully with big, stinky cheeses, and particularly blue cheese.” She also notes that it makes great beer cocktails, especially when mixed with Belgian fruit lambics. Try Lindemans Kriek or Lindemans Framboise (a raspberry ale). Those fruit beers are highly aromatic; to keep the stout from being overwhelmed, blend them at a ratio of at least two or three parts stout to one part lambic. Buhler also likes mixing Rogue Chocolate Stout with Rogue Chipotle Ale, a beer flavored with smoked jalapeno peppers. The half-and-half makes an excellent accompaniment to spicy Mexican fare such as chicken mole, she says. Sebbie lives in the same state where I grew up, Pennsylvania. Her brother Dave Buhler is also one of the co-owners of Elysian Brewing in Seattle, Washington. The pair have been in the beer business as long as I can remember. Happy Valentine’s Day, Sebbie.

Me and Sebbie at the Falling Rock during GABF week 2006.

The Barley Wine made by Bridgeport Brewing, Old Knucklehead, has long had one of my favorite names for a beer. For whatever reason, I’ve always loved the word knucklehead. As insulting epithets go, it hearkens back to a gentler age when people called each other big galoot, nincompoop or goof ball. To me, they’re the kind of insult you call your friend when he makes a mistake that you want to point out, but without really hurting his feelings. They seem more in the good-natured ribbing category of name-calling. And that’s how I see Old Knucklehead. With each label, a different beery luminary was featured in an illustration. Batch No. 11, for example, had Portland beer writer Fred Eckhardt on the label. The new one, which makes its debut today, has John DeBenedetti on it.
 

 
DeBenedetti owns F.H. Steinbart, a well-known homebrew shop in Portland. Batch 12 was aged in bourbon barrels and then was blended back into a cask. 1,100 cases will be bottled. John Foyston has the full story in today’s Oregonian.
 

January 18th was the first of the Beer Chef’s beer dinners for 2008, and featured the beers of Pelican Pub & Brewery in Pacific City, Oregon. Brewmaster Darron Welch was on hand to talk about his beers. Three times Pelican Pub & Brewery has been named brewpub of the year at the Great American Beer Festival.

Pelican Pub brewmaster Darron Welch with the beer chef Bruce Paton.
 

For more photos from the Pelican Pub Beer Dinner, visit the photo gallery.
 

Full Sail Brewing in Hood River, Oregon will be re-launching their seasonal LTD series that they debuted in 2007. Though curiously, they’re starting over again with Recipe 01, so perhaps re-booting might be more accurate.

From the press release: Full Sail proudly announces the return of its lager seasonal program — the LTD series. Our first offering is a wonderfully balanced medium, copper colored lager with subtle hop accents, and a caramel aroma, that goes down smooth - perfect for the winter season. Since its release last year LTD has been embraced by both the critics and consumers alike winning a gold medal in the World Beer Championship and becoming one of the fastest growing new beers in the U.S. (I.R.I 12/02/07) “We are excited to be able to branch out and brew some interesting lager beers as they are such a huge part of brewing tradition. It is one of the best parts about being an independent, employee owned company - we get to celebrate our creativity as well as the rich heritage of beer styles,” said Brewmaster Jamie Emmerson. “It is such a pleasure to brew these beers and have them develop such a fervent following — it is why I love my job!” LTD Recipe 01 will be available in six-packs and in draught and will begin shipping from the brewery again in January 2008. The bottle labels describe LTD Recipe 01, as an easy drinking, nonetheless way tasty limited edition lager. Featured on the six-pack is a “Malt-O-Meter” that will tell you at a glance that LTD is a medium body, perfectly balanced malty beer with a lovely hop aroma and caramel notes. For the beer aficionados, or the aspiring ones, the bottom of the six-pack features an easy to read chart of “Today’s Recipe”, including hop (Czech Saaz, Hallertauer) and malt varieties (caramel, chocolate and wheat), Plato (16 degrees), I.B.U. (26), alcohol by volume (6.4) and even secret sauce! Full Sail will follow up with a limited edition bottling of LTD Recipe 02, this spring.

John Foyston had a nice piece in the Oregonian yesterday about one of my favorite — and perhaps most underrated — beers to be poured at the Oregon Brewers Festival. It was certainly my favorite the year it appeared, 2006, and as this story attests, people are still talking about it. The beer is Ned Flanders, a sour beer based on the style Flemish Red Ale, of which Rodenbach Red and Duchesse De Bourgogne (another fave of mine) are perhaps the best known examples. I chose it as my buzz beer of the festival that year. Van Havig, then the brewer at Rock Bottom in Portland (and now a regional brewing manager) put quite a bit of effort into the beer, aging it in five different kinds of barrels and then blending it back together. Responding to a question from Foyston, Havig lays out the full story of this beer, and it’s a fascinating account filled with history and chutzpah.
 

Will the real Ned Flanders please stand up? Van Havig and his inspiration for Ned Flanders Sour Red Ale.