Portland Beer Tour Part II: Hopworks, Finally!

Beer Luvvas,

First - Happy Birthday Freebird! Sorry I missed the event @ Cork!

But I'm glad to say that I finally experienced Hopworks Urban Brewery this evening. It was worth the wait (although probably not worth the multi-hour wait I would have had the last time I was in town).

I met the whole fam-dam-ly (Mom, Dad, Sis) for dinner and a couple pints tonight. I arrived before the rest and started with the Organic Survival "Seven Grain" Stout. It wasn't a bad stout, but the "15 lbs of cold-pressed Stumptown Hairbender espresso" paled in comparison to the C.E.O. Stout from Right Brain that I experienced in Michigan less than 2 weeks ago.

You don't know how much it pains me to write that a Beervana beer pales in comparison to one of the same style from the U.P.

Dad chose the Organic IPA - like father, like son. A find quaff if I do say so myself.

Mom went with the "DOA" - Deluxe Organic Ale - "Strong like bull but sweet like your momma." A fitting choice by my momma, and a well rounded ale to boot.

Sis selected the Organic Velvet ESB, which I consider HUB's 2nd best brew behind the IPA.

For my second round, I selected a "seasonal" beer which was actually a blend of the Stout and the Porter (no longer found on the regular menu). This beer was actually better than the Stout on it's own. I felt the additional malts from the Porter gave the brew a much richer flavor, even though it completely overshadowed the remaining coffee hints present in the Stout on it's own.

We split a pizza, which was excellent in it's simplicity; and honestly it's the first pizza I've experienced with freshly grated Parmesan cheese (upon request) which was an excellent touch.

Two days and counting to OBF. Hopefully I'll be able to join most of you on Thursday afternoon (assuming I get everything work related done in time). If not, I'll see y'all on Friday & Saturday!

Update: For those of you attending OBF, Hopworks is hosting a Hangover Brunch on Sunday July 27, featuring a special menu (pancakes, breakfast pizzas, etc.). Nothing like a little hair of the dog to get you going after 2+ days of quaffing too many brews!

Prost to Freebird! Happy Birthday Baby!