BBC11 - Bridgeport Brewery

Firkin Around...Silverton, Oregon.

August 19^th Bridgeport BrewPub - Portland, OR

Upstairs pub in the Heritage Room

Tonight's trip is to "Beervana"; in other words, the Bridgeport BrewPub, located in Portland. Bridgeport is one of the early pioneers of craft brewing in the state of Oregon. Their brewery is setup in an old three-story tall, former rope factory (the historic Portland Cordage Company). The building dates back to the late part of the nineteenth century. Hand troweled brick along with hewn wooden beams are left exposed in the interior dining sections, creating an industrial yet inviting vibe.

Building leased April 11, 1984

Everything about the building was on a large scale. Across from a catwalk on the second story, there is an enormous clock hanging above the bar below. It is frozen in time at 04:11 and has the Roman numerals MCMLXXXIV, indicating the year 1984. I will go out on a limb to say the clock's time may indicate April 11th as the date of incorporation. This is based upon an article found on oregonlive.com that mentions an April incorporation date from 1984.

Also on the large side are the urinals in the men's room, which were described by some as everything from "open sarcophagi" to "vertical bathtubs." (Sorry ladies of #BBC11, you certainly missed that visual.) I've no pictures to show, but rest assured that these are definitely designed for a man-sized wee. And a good thing too, considering we were in a brewpub among some pretty great beer.



Speaking of beer - - - liquid libations were sampled at the large upstairs bar, where an array of Bridgeport's best selling brews were dispensed by the sample or by the pint. Bridgeport's IPA, Kingpin, Blue Heron, Porter, Hop Czar and Summer Squeeze are just a few to mention here.


Continuing on to the buffet dinner, there was plenty of tasty gourmet food to fill your plate. Mine consisted of fresh fish with pesto, a beef loin medallion, dark green garden salad, roasted potatoes, zuchinni and corn-on-the-cob, Rotini pasta salad and a thick slice of crusted bread. With some water and a beer, the course rounded out nicely. Simply as delicious as it looks.




Just as dinner wound down, we spied some "Beeramisu" a takeoff on an Italian dessert favorite, Tiramisu. The kitchen staff have their own recipe which includes Bridgeport's porter, chocolate shavings and espresso cake. Mmmmm, good!

Firkin Around

More photos here

Firkin Around the Bridgeport BrewPub !


Bridgeport BrewPub and Brewery
1313 NW Marshall
Portland, OR  97209
http://bridgeportbrew.com/
503.241.3612

SanTan Brewery & Pub

Firkin Around...Chandler, Arizona.

Glimpse of the outside brewery ops

A good tip from a fellow Twitter friend led me to SanTan Brewing while on vacation in Arizona. I was looking for some of the local fare and flair in microbrews. The fact that it was also a pub with food...BONUS! We pulled in for a lunchtime bite to eat and a beer or two. Crossing the street from the parking lot, I was able to look inside the brewery as a forklift was loading some of their kegged beer onto a truck, for the upcoming beer festival, Arizona Beer Week 2011. Darned the luck, we are leaving for home a week before the event begins.

What's going on...

Where the magic happens

Moving inside the entryway to the brewpub exposes a rough, but clean industrial interior that shows off wood and brick walls with exposed ceilings. The colorful chalkboard gives you the skinny on the daily offerings of  available beer. Looking half way into the room, a wall with large windows gives a glimpse into the brewer's area at the holding tanks of beer. You can gawk all you want and watch the brewing, in any of the various stages of processing.

What'll ya' have?

It's safe to say that the beer on tap covers the spectrum when it comes to choosing one of your liking. From light hefe's to pale ales, IPA's, amber, stout and even seasonal special ales are all available for dispensing from the bar's taps. In fact, it is a full service bar for those wishing a little something more than a beer. I happened to spy a bottle of my very favorite (and hard-to-find) Irish whiskey on the top shelf.

Superb flight on a crazy cool flight paddle

Tullamore dew - IMHO sign of a good bar

The ladies favorite from the sampler? The seasonal offering...Sex Panther! A barley wine featuring a caramel, chocolate and nutty flavor along with a high ABV. According to the description on their website, "It has bits of real panther in it...so you know its good!"


Lunch is served

Stuffed mushrooms

Appetizers and lunch orders were placed right after the flight, by our server, Oscar. The stuffed mushrooms with a raspberry sauce were wonderful. My club sandwich was a whopper, completed with a side salad and a pickle wedge. My choice for a pint was the Hop Shock I.P.A. which complimented the sandwich, wonderfully. I had a great time enjoying the food and the brewery fresh beer. The wait staff and bartenders were very friendly and accommodating to us on our visit.  

The Chandler Club

It would be nice to return again during the evening to enjoy more of the SanTan beers as well as some of the live band entertainment they also have on hand. Or maybe, I could go back to get a tour of the brewing operations. Lunch, dinner or after hours, it's sure to be a great time.


Any time or any way that you choose to visit should provide to be fun affair. I know that the next time I'm in the area, it will be one of my destinations of choice.

A Firkin oasis in the desert! 


San Tan Brewing Company
8 South San Marcos Place
Chadler, AZ 85225
480-917-8700
www.santanbrewing.com

Gecko's Pub

Firkin Around...Sarasota, Florida.

    Out with the wife, doing the Sunday afternoon 'husband' duties…waiting while she clothes shops.  My reward for being patient was Gecko’s.  Across the parking lot from the mega pants/shirts/shoes/sweater box-in-the-mall is this lovely little oasis of a pub.

TV’s everywhere with football, on a Sunday afternoon. Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about. Our lunch was tasty, with a generous sized portion and service was just fine at this establishment.  It also didn’t hurt that Gecko’s had a tidy menu of some fine craft selections.  Taking their place alongside the big yellow three were Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Yuengling Lager  and Samuel Adams Octoberfest, all on tap. It was also cool to see the Guinness, Newcastle and Blue Moon, (hey, at least Miller is trying to ‘get’ this craft beer thing.)

All of them make fine gateway beers, allowing you to get into new and different tastes.  There also were some great bottle selections.  They included Sam Adams Boston Lager, Bass Ale and Abita Purple Haze.  Relative newcomer and local Sarasota distributed brew, Jalehouse Light was also present. Nice!  Props for the little guy!

This makes it evident that yet another restaurant chain understands the beer drinker's palate is changing. And, for the better.  Understandably, many restaurants are shifting to tried and true best sellers at first.  This way, the restaurants don’t get caught paying for what they can't sell to beer drinkers looking for what’s outside the norm. Cheers to them!  These baby steps will begin to allow customers more informed and better choices than just the big three’s yellow water offerings.

Hit up this chain soon. The tide’s turning in the favor of craft beer. Hurrah!

PS - Actually we were shopping for me too, and we were both hungry. But it made a better story!

Firkin Fun Sunday!





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Yalaha Bakery

Firkin Around...Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida.

Yalaha Bakery

Way off the beaten path, on a road in pretty much the middle-of-nowhere, lies a quaint yellow bakery.  The place? Yalaha, Florida. Never heard of it? Let me fill you in.

Returning from a brewery tour in Orlando, it occurred to me that I hadn’t been to this bakery in quite a long time.  It was only a 40 minute side track to get there.  When my wife noticed we were not heading home via the usual route, she realized just what was going on.  This has become a favorite spot of ours, so there were no complaints from her.  Always fun, laid back and family friendly.

Vintage Bavaia 2002's

Arriving during September/October is always advised, especially when it’s the Oktoberfest season. They usually have something festive going on to celebrate Oktoberfest.  But just about anytime of the year is great to visit.  When we arrived, there were pony rides for kids in the back field. We were also fortunate to spot a BMW road club, making this a pit stop in their vintage 1970’s Bavaria 2002 model autos. During another visit, we listened to a genuine oom-pah  brass band and another time we were treated to some local blues musicians. You never know what to expect, so it's advisable to check their website calendar.

If that isn't enough to set the mood, don’t forget the wonderful breads and desserts that are handmade on the premises by the fabulous bakers.  Along with this the German style deli will whip up a sandwich with some best homemade potato salad this side of your mom’s kitchen. All the little details are in the sandwiches from the bakery fresh breads, (yum) and the sides, right down to the pickle spears.

Here for the beer, too!

Now this is a beer blog, you say. So what about the beer? That’s a great question. I was just whetting your appetite for the final act. Sure they have your standard yellow macro brews available, but alongside them in the refrigerated case, I was happily surprised to see the likes of Beck’s Oktoberfest, Warsteiner Lager and Dunkel and Bitburger.  It’s the perfect way to top off the perfect lunch.

Get lost in central Florida and discover this gem of a spot. It is well worth the trip from anywhere.

Firkin Oktoberfest!

www.yalahabakery.com

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Siesta Key Oyster Bar (SKOB)

Firkin Around...Sarasota, Florida.

It's just a little beachcomber joint in Siesta Key Village, a shell's throw from Sietsa Key beach. No pretense here; it is a come-as-you-are bar and restaurant that caters to the upscale and beach bum clientele alike.  SKOB as it is pronounced by locals, serves up cold beer, tasty food and breezy tunes. You can choose from dining on the L-shaped deck that wraps around the west side of the building, or dine inside at high top tables.  You can even sit at the bar from inside or outside.  No air conditioning here, so if you can't stand the heat, well, you get the idea. Straight off the beach, a little piece of paradise. So being locals, we know when to hit this place when it's not so crowded.  Some nights you can hear the steel drum band or like tonight, a guitar man is plying his trade.  Getting down to dinner; this visit we had the clam strips and side salad, (Mom says you have to have something green, ya' know!) They were done to perfection; not greasy at all.  I also tried the local area award winning SKOB Burger and fries. Got the burger medium with lettuce, tomato, onion and a pickle. Starting to sound like a Jimmy Buffett song, but this was a "Cheeseburger in Paradise" for sure. All we need is the cold beer... Brew selection you weren't expecting. Since this is a beer blog after all, we now needed something to wash it down with...a Sam Adams Octoberfest, on tap. And that, my friends is a fait accompli. Further inspection of the bar showed three tap stations with a few single taps scattered about. Besides your Bud/Miller/Coors lineup, there were cider's from Magner's and Strongbow.  Sam Adams Lager was also there with the Octoberfest seasonal.  Kona Longboard, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Bell's Oberon rounded out another tap station.  Other popular favorites on tap: Bass Ale, Stella Artois, Red Hook IPA, Blue Moon, New Castle Brown Ale, Shock Top, Yuengling and the ever popular Guinness 'crooked sheleighly' was seen. They even have SKOB Brew, a house beer, on tap.  Oh my!  All of those tap handles packed in behind that tiny, busy bar. There is a crazy little custom of signing dollar bills and having them stapled to the walls and ceiling or anywhere they can fit them.  It really stands out when you walk inside the dining area. Sure to make your eyes pop when you see how many there are all around you.  The wait staff are friendly and get you seated as fast as they can.  No long wait on the food, and the presentation is so great, it clashes with the decor. It won't be what you expect. So come in your board shorts, bikinis and flip-flops or your best Tommy Bahama's...the great food, beer selection and live music on the deck put you in just the right mood. Planning a beach vacation to Siesta Key sometime in the future? Be absolutely sure to make this a can't miss stop on your beach going agenda.

Firkin Best Beach Bar!

Siesta Key Oyster Bar - SKOB
5238 Ocean Blvd
Sarasota, FL 34242 
(941) 346-5443      
www.skob.com




 
 

Wynkoop Brewery and Restaurant

Firkin Around...Denver, Colorado.

Wynkoop. Is it pronounced WIN-koop or is it WINE-koop? No matter, even the locals disagree. One thing everyone agrees about is it's a fine place to grab brewery fresh beer and great pub dishes in the Denver LODO area.  It's right around the corner from historic Union Station.   Fresh Beer. Good Food. We arrived around six on the final night of The Great American Beer Festival.  The Wynkoop's beer selection covers the spectrum of what craft beer drinker's seek out.  The placemat doubles as your beer guide, letting you know what's in store on tap. Our starters included Mile HIPA which had a big bump of hops.  It was delicious.  Also sampled was the B&K Schwarzbier, a dark-as-night German-style black lager, that has gently roasted flavors balanced by an understated hoppiness. It garnered them a 2008 Great American Beer Festival Gold Medal in the German Schwarzbier category. Our food order included Smoked Chicken Salad; large slices of smoked chicken over greens. Greek olives, tomatoes and carrots rounded out this bowl full of good things from the garden.  A tuna melt was also chosen along with a grilled chicken club. Each in their own right had significant portion size. Though the restaurant was busy, not full, it did take a while for our orders to arrive.  The beers kept us entertained for a while. Bits of history, old and new. Named after Denver settler-turned-native Ned Wynkoop from the 19th century, the pub and brewery has been in operation since 1988, located on the corner of 18th Street and Wynkoop Street in the lower downtown (LODO) part of Denver. As previously mentioned, the historic Union Station is just around the corner.  If you find yourself waiting for a table, have your camera ready for a quick photo. Also notable, the Wynkoop is the home of the annual selection for the Beer Drinker of the Year.  This is not someone who can consume quantities of beer as the name might imply, but rather a test of knowledge.  Each year the final handful of contestants arrive at Wynkoop.  They are whittled down from across the land  and are grilled by a panel of beer savvy judges about their knowledge and prowess in the topic of all things beer. I had the honor of meeting with this year's winner, Bill Howell, from Alaska.  You can read more about Bill and his adventures with beer in his blog, Drinking on The Last Frontier. I highly recommend it.

Firkin LODO Denver!

Wynkoop Brewery and Restaurant - Denver
1634 18th Street
Denver, CO 80202
Phone: 303-297-2700 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              303-297-2700      www.wynkoop.com

The Tilted Kilt - Denver

Firkin Around...Denver, Colorado.

What is a Tilted Kilt?  Think that other national sports bar chain with orange satin pants, but add a kilt instead...or is that subtract a little. The atmosphere has an American version of the UK\Irish\Scottish vibe.  Your entire waitstaff wears plaid kilts. The inside is reminiscent of what you've seen in travelogues and brochures of pubs from over there, but as we are Americans, everything is over the top in scale. The place was packed this afternoon with GABF attendees. The beer selection is pretty much complete with English and Irish favorite beers and pretty much void of American craft beers.  I guess that's okay if you are jonesing a Euro brew.  After all, you can get an American craft beer in a million other places in this city, so it fills a niche. As we entered the pub, a knight's suit of armor was in the entryway announcing that it was St Practice Day.  That's not a typo; every 17th of the month, (except in March), they hold a day of practice!  We hit the jackpot because it was exactly halfway to/from St. Patrick's Day.  Guinness and Jameson were the daily drink special offerings.  Our hotel had complimentary drink coupons and so we ordered some 'green beer' in honor of the day. I spied some Tullamore Dew behind the bar. In my estimation, any bar that carries the stuff is a good bar! Food, beer, spirits and great service. Our waitress Kristen, was helpful with the menu selections and daily drink specials. As crowded as it was, we didn't wait long for a drink or our food.  Our selections included a turkey with oven roasted veggies, Buffalo chicken fingers (medium, as recommended by Kristen), and a chicken wrap sandwich. All were enjoyable and the side orders of fries were hot and not greasy.  Just a note: the chicken fingers are normally served with cayenne pepper, but you can ask them to use mild, medium or hot Buffalo sauce.  I second the waitress' recommendation.  For dessert, we had some Guinness. Now that's a proper dessert!

Firkin Plaid!

The Tilted Kilt - Denver
1201 16th Street, Denver
Colorado 80202 
(303) 893-5458 ()

tiltedkilt.com

Falling Rock Tap House

Firkin Around...Denver, Colorado.

Ah, Denver! Ah The Great American Beer Festival (GABF) !  Ah Falling Rock Tap House!  Just into town, I dropped my luggage at the hotel room, then grabbed an RTD bus ride up 16th Street.  A quick dash up Blake brought us to Falling Rock.  It's just about a block from Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies. The Falling Rock has been a beer Mecca for over a decade, or as they like to exclaim, "...nearly 1/8th of a century".  Folks come here for a very good reason, as they have 75+ beers on tap and 130+ bottles at any given time.  The beer selections on the wall are mind boggling. The unused tap handles and empty bottle collection wraps its way around the upper part of the wall. Walking inside for the first time, you'll look like a tourist in New York staring up at skyscrapers. I met a veritable who's-who of bloggers, brewers, assistant brewers, bookwriters and Twitter tweeps as I wound through the throngs of craft beer lovers.  We ordered a couple of Shmaltz Luna Lagers from the Coney Island lineup and promptly headed downstairs to see Jeremy Cowen of Shmaltz. He was signing copies of his new book: Craft Beer Bar Mitzvah: How it took 13 years, Extreme Jewish Brewing, and Circus Sideshow Freaks to make Shmaltz Brewing Company an International Success.  Zak Davis, the West Coast regional representative and friend of the blog, was behind a bar pouring out samples of the Hebrew and Coney Island brews for the crowd. Also in the house, we spotted Erik, Eli, Brandon and Romey and the rest of the boys at BeerTapTV.com .  They had a portable video unit linked to the internet, streaming live signal to their Ustream channel.  After an impromptu interview with yours truly, they introduced me to Robin Goldstein, co-author of The Beer Trials. LA Craft Beer Examiner Chris Spradley, fellow Tweeter and recently of Master Chef fame was also in attendance.  Enough with the name dropping, the fun was underway! Beer and good times, upstairs and downstairs. The atmosphere was upbeat and "chill" all at the same time. When it was time for a refill, we sauntered back upstairs.  Making our way up to the bar, we must have looked like piglets to a mother pig; leaning through patrons seated at the crowded bar trying to get a bartender's attention. Reloaded with fresh Odell 5 Barrel Pale Ale, I turned around for the most pleasant surprise of the evening. The 'shock' of blonde hair was the first giveaway...it was indeed Ashley Routson, aka The Beer Wench !  Introducing myself, she immediately greeted me with a bear hug. Along with Erik Boles, the three of us shared great discussions about beer and blogs.  Throughout the evening, Ashley introduced me to many of her craft beer loving acquaintances. The night went along as we toasted one another.  Finally, fatigued from travel, I wandered back through LODO (Lower Downtown) and slunk into the hotel around 2 AM.  The bed caught my body like a  knuckle-ball in a catcher's mitt. Just as the sandman arrived, I realized this was going to be a special trip. A special trip, indeed.

Firkin Happening Joint!

Falling Rock Tap House
1919 Blake St.
Denver, Colorado
(303) 293 – 8338 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              (303) 293 – 8338      end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Hours of Operation
11am-2am Monday-Friday
11am-2am Saturday & Sunday