Can I have a keg to go, please?

August 23, 2003

Last night at that brewery was fanTAStic! My Dad and I got there around 4:40, 20 minutes before the tour was to begin, and so we ordered a couple of pints while we waited. The man who was going to give the tour was nice enough to let us know that we didn’t have to rush through our pints, though, since they allowed us to take them on the tour. Given the number of steep stairs we had to climb at one point, that’s a brave policy.

In any case, the brewery was kind of neat to see. I’ve never really had a lot of Bridgeport beer in the past, but seeing how something I like so much is made is a neat process. I did learn a couple of interesting things, though. The first is that they don’t infuse CO2 into their beer, they let it form naturally through a process that I wasn’t really paying attention to the details of. Some beers put the CO2 in to make it bubbly; Bridgeport’s is natural. The other thing I learned is that most of the hops that beer is made with comes from Yakima, Washington. That’s not just their beer, our guide said, but most beers around the country. I guess Yakima is hop-central. I know that Oregon grows some hops, though (I’ve seen them growing), so I wonder who uses them? When I hear the term “Cascade hops” I think of Oregon, but apparently Cascade hops come from Washington. Oh well.

After the tour, we got a free pint of any kind of beer we wanted, so I decided to try their signature IPA (India Pale Ale, for those not in the know about beer acronyms) that they’ve been brewing for the longest and that they win awards for, though I tried it a little differently. They also set aside some of their beer and don’t infuse it with nitrogen to make it come out of kegs faster. Instead, our guide told us, they ram a spigot into it, open an air hole, and have to pump it out, or what they call “hand casting.” The result is a slightly thicker, better-tasting beer that allows you to taste more of the hops. That’s actually how they do it in Britain (well, not ENTIRELY, you understand, but that’s how many pubs like to serve their good beer), or if I’m not mistaken, a process known as “pulling” a beer. It took him a little longer to pour my beer because he would pump the handle, discard the foam, pump the handle, discard the foam, etc.

MAN was that good beer. I started off drinking IPA when I first began tasting beer, but I gradually shifted away from it because it was a little too bitter for my taste. I think that helped me adjust to the taste of beer overall, though, since I started towards the very top of the bitterness. Their IPA is supposed to be one of the bitterest beers they have, but the hand cast was almost sweet, because the citrousy taste of the hops was there in the background. Almost like drinking a Hefeweizen with the lemon in the glass, but this was more orangy than lemony. Wait, are those even words? Eh, oh well. We also had a slice of pizza apiece, and I was told correctly, it IS some of the best pizza in the Portland area. Some of the best I’ve had, at least, and I’ve certainly had my fair share and more of pizza over the years. I even picked up an application to fill out. I know I said I was done with food service, but the type of clientele I’d face while working there would be far different than most food service places, not to mention the discount I’d get on beer (and ability to hang out afterwards!) would be well-worth the price of admission. We’ll see what happens. I think I’m going back next week when I have a longer time to spend there so that I can get a pitcher of the hand cast IPA to split with whoever I go with. I’d also like to try a half-pint of their “Old Knucklehead” ale, which is almost as bitter as their IPA but is about twice as alcoholic as the average beer–more than 9% alcohol. In fact, they only sell it in half-pint sizes. You can’t get a full pint, and especially not a pitcher of that stuff. An 18 proof beer is pretty heavy. That’s approaching some hard liquors in alcohol volume.

Luckily I was able to come back and go jogging after that since I ate so early. Two pints of beer and a slice of cheese pizza call for some exercise afterwards. I’m actually kind of sore today, though I didn’t really do anything I don’t normally do. Maybe I’m jogging faster than before or something. Tonight sister Heather (as opposed to Denver Heather who visited a few weeks ago) are going down to Bleacher’s Pub to hear my friend Mike play. Last time I was there they only had the three American lagers on tap (Bud, Miller, Coors) and a small selection in bottles, Heinekin being the best of the bunch. Maybe I’ll get lucky and find they’ve added Killian’s or Sam Adams to the bunch, since those are both slightly better but still found in a lot of places. If not, maybe I’ll spilt a pitcher of Coors since that was once a good beer. Might be worth it to try it, at least. Get a feel for why so many people are able to guzzle the bad stuff down, that sort of thing.

Hope everyone’s enjoying their Saturday. Take care.

Fantastic pizza and excellent beer. Take me now, I’m home.

Posted in Beer, General