I really love the fact that the border between Washington and Oregon is the Columbia River. It was kinda odd seeing the “Now Entering Oregon” sign while crossing a bridge, but it doesn’t add a little bit more excitement to the proceeds than your regular “Now Entering” sign.

Just across the border I ran into some traffic. I’m used to sitting in traffic, but it was especially annoying because I could see my offramp (which was clear) and yet it was oh so far away. Soon enough I was out of traffic and on my way towards one of my favorite parts of the (driving portion of the) trip.

Google Maps apparently knows me very well and set me on a course that would lead me through Mt. Hood National Forest. I’m a huge fan on the look of the Pacific Northwest. I’ve always been enamored with coniferous forests and Mt. Hood was exactly that. Pine trees for as far as the eye can see and low-lying clouds dumping rain on my car. It would pour, then stop, the sprinkle, then stop, then pour, then stop…you get the picture. All the while I curved my way through the mountains, loving every minute.

As I made my way out of Mt. Hood National Forest the mountains slowly gave way to flatter lands. Trees still lined both sides of the road, but they were beginning to thin out and show the signs of autumn. Before I knew it I was out into the rolling plains of NW Warm Springs Highway. It was an odd change of scenery that found me crossing the Mill Creek bridge. I took this opportunity to stop and stretch my legs, and grab some photos while out I was there. As morbid as it is, I couldn’t help imagining myself loosing my footing and plunging towards the bottom of the ravine. Thankfully this did not occur.

Soon enough I was back in the car and inching ever closer to Bend.

Around 3 pm that afternoon I pulled into my motel in Bend, Oregon. After checking in and googling the local breweries I was on my way to start drinking!

With the wind picking up I donned my hat, coat and gloves and headed toward Silver Moon Brewing. I hadn’t heard of Silver Moon prior to my Google search, but it was the closest bar to my hotel. I made my way to Silver Moon and was glad to see that I was there in time for happy hour! Oh, yeah it’s a Monday.

It was a pleasant surprise to see over 10 beers on their beer board and each one was calling my name. Even though this was my first experience with Silver Moon beers I was still drawn to their seasonal/special release/one-off beers. My thinking behind this is that if I ever coming across a Silver Moon beer in my local beer store I’m more likely to see their award winning Snakebite Porter than I am their wet hop IPA. As you can probably tell where this is going I ordered their HOPOPATAMUS WET HOP IPA.

With my Hopopatamus in hand a took a seat to watch the Bears vs. Lions game. Being raised in the Midwest I was frequently subjected to the Detroit Lions and their inconsistent play throughout the 90s-2000s. The game started off kinda badly for the cats from Motown so I started focusing more on the beer in front of me and settled in.

The Hopopatamus went down so easily that I couldn’t help but order their other fresh hop IPA, HOP KNOB. Not a lot of brewers brew fresh hop IPAs, so it was quite a treat to see two on tap from this lesser known brewer. I had a marvelous time drinking two beers of the same style back-to-back that were both quite different from each other, but still incredibly tasty.

With a smile on my face and headed back out into the chilly October air on my way to my next destination: Deschutes Brewery Public House.

As I made my way up the block I was dismayed to see that people were waiting outside for their table to be ready. This didn’t bode well for me and the growing hunger in my stomach. Thankfully I was able to get a table almost instantly, which was one of the upsides to go at this trip alone. I took my seat and was glad to see that there was a TV in my eye line and they were showing the Monday Night Football game. Go Lions!

Deschutes is a brewery that is readily available in my area and I haven’t had a bad beer from them. Every single one of their beers has been tasty and I was more than excited to see what kind of unique beers they had on tap tonight.

I was thrilled to see that there were almost FIFTEEN brewery exclusive beers on tap…but I know have the horrible conundrum of deciding which beer to pick first. I went down the list and tried to find a style of beer that I hadn’t had in a while, so I went with their TWIN PILLARS STRONG ALE. This beast was 8.6% ABV and a big way to start the evening.

After polishing off beer number 1, a burger and some sweet potato fries I figured it was time for dessert. AFTERSCHOOL SPECIAL is Deschutes’s version of the milk stout and a chocolatey way to end a meal. Afterschool was a smooth, creamy beer that hit the spot, but really started to fill me up.

I knew I had to have at least one more beer before heading to the next brewery, so I chose a “smaller” beer to save space in my stomach. SPENCER’S GOLD is an American Pale Ale that has one of the greatest noses that I had smelled all weekend long. Sadly, the beer itself did not live up to the hype of that hop-filled aroma, but it wasn’t like I was gonna dump the beer out.

Three beers down and a Lions victory in my pocket, I figured it was time to hit the road. I picked up 22 oz. bottles of their CONFLUX NO. 2 and THE STOIC for the road, but I sadly have not cracked those open yet (soon…soon).

With the wind picking up and the temperature dropping, I headed toward the Bend Brewing Company. Thankfully I only had a few blocks to walk, but I was saddened to find out that the bar was closing for the night. It was pushing 10:30 and I had had a long day, so I decided I should probably just call it a day. I had driven across the state and enjoyed several good beers, so I had nothing to be upset about. Even better I had two more bottles of great beer and another day of travel ahead of me to look forward to! So it was back to the hotel with California on my mind.

Come back soon for the fifth and final day of my travels!

You’ve heard of back-seat drivers, this is an instance of back-seat hopping. The bulk of Centennial and Cascade hop additions came at the end of the boil, creating substantial aroma and flavor for such a smooth and drinkable beer. This ale is filtered for your pleasure.  

Spencer’s Gold pours a delectable creamsicle orange. Head is a film with a bright white ring, which adds to the creamsicle look. Lacing splashes the inside of the glass, dripping down as the beer disappears.

The nose on this beer is HUGE on fruit. Here’s the smell breakdown: tangelo, then grapefruit, then pine and finally some orange. It actually reminded me of those orange slice candies (the ones with the sugar sprinkled on them). The blend of fruity hops and piney hops is damn near perfect in this beer.

Taste is a splash of spicy orange with a faint bit of grassiness…and that’s about it. There may be a hint of tropical fruit/grapefruit in the end, but it isn’t pronounced at all.

Mouthfeel is just north of light. A mild stickiness is present that leads to some clinging.

I was sooo disappointed by the taste of this beer. Spencer’s Gold has one of the best noses I’ve smelled in a long while, but the taste was just meh. After taking a whiff of that nose I was prepared for the best beer of the trip, sadly it was not the case. Maybe next beer.

Overall: 6 out of 10

As an AMERICAN PALE ALE: 6 out of 10 (4 points go to the nose alone)

FOR FANS OF: Firestone PALE 31, Deschutes MIRROR POND, Southern Tier PHIN & MATT’S EXTRAORDINARY ALE, 

From the kids’ table to the grownups’ table, this rich creamy Chocolate Milk Stout will bring you back to kickball games and playing in the street. We even added some lactose to help grow strong bones!

Afternoon Special pours a dark brown/black. Faint auburn highlights appear when the glass is held to the light. An inch of cola foam sits atop the beer before slowly fading to nothing but a film. Lacing is thick and leaves rings like that of an old tree.

This may come as a shocker, but the nose on this beer is big on milk chocolate. There’s also some acidic sour milk scents that are thankfully not that big. Malted milk balls come through before fading to a big Hershey’s syrup flavor in the back-end. I even picked up something that smelled like Kahlua.

Afterschool Special tastes oh so chocolatey! Dry chocolate powder blends into a light-on-the-alcohol White Russian. Smooth and tasty!

Mouthfeel is medium and creamy. It goes down easy and coats your throat with a chocolatey concoction. A faint powdery feeling is left behind.

I will admit that I’m not the biggest milk stout expert as I hinted at above. That being said, Afterschool Special is a pretty tasty beer. The lactose often times overpowers the rest of the flavors and keeps it from being a great beer, but it was a nice after dinner treat.

Overall: 6.5 out of 10

As a MILK STOUT: 7.5 out of 10

FOR FANS OF: Hollister CHOCOLATE MILK STOUT, Goose Island CHOCOLATE MILK STOUT, Terrapin MOO-HOO

Light in color yet not in vigor – this beer is Central Oregon summertime warmer. This beer was brewed using 100 pounds of unrefined Mexican brown sugar-piloncillo. The light malt bill of Castle Pale and Vienna allows the sweet pillars to stand their ground. We used Centennials to provide the bitter backup and more Crystal hops on the back end then our kettle has ever seen. Aromas of tart fruit from our homegrown Belgian yeast adds another layer. 

Twin Pillars pours a delectable apricot color with orange highlights present when held to the light. There is practically no head present.

At 8.6% ABV I wasn’t surprised to pick up alcohol in the nose, but it was bigger than I expected. Hints of juniper and nail polish remover are also detectable, with sweet fruits and Belgian candi sugar lying buried underneath.

With that big alcoholic nose I was expecting the booze to come through right out of the gate, but that wasn’t the case. Alcohol was hardly present at all in the flavor, with sweet being the dominant taste. The Belgian sugars blend with the pale malts to give it an easy drinking accessibility. Tangerine and grapefruit are also present and also quite delicious.

Mouthfeel is thin, but there is a definite heat that leaves a slight residue behind. Even though I didn’t pick it up visually there is a bit of carbonation that can be felt in each sip.

I was surprised by Twin Pillars. It’s called a Strong Ale, but it has Vienna malts and ends up tasting more like a Belgian Tripel. WTF? Thankfully it’s tasty and easy drinking, and in the end that’s all that really matters.

Overall: 7 out of 10

As a STRONG ALE: 7. 5 out of 10

FOR FANS OF: Bootlegger’s DR. TONGUE, Great Lakes NOSFERATU, Lagunitas WILCO TANGO FOXTROT

So, take our already splendly hopped HopNob IPA and brew it with 100% Oregon Grown Raw Centennial Hops . . . . and put it on tap! Pouring now till it’s gone. Get yours!

Hop Knob pours an orangish gold color. Head is a spotty collection of bubbles that you can trace all the way from the bottom of the glass. Lacing is as big as one would expect from an IPA of this style.

The nose on this beer is big on fruit. Orange and grapefruit scents are so powerful that it smells like it’s from concentrate. Hints of deep fry batter are present, but not so much that it is unappetizing.

A simple way to sum up the flavor of this beer is pine needles soaked in orange juice. It almost tastes like a Gin and Juice (gin and orange juice), but without that alcoholic kick. Grassy hops comes in toward the end and mellow everything out.

Mouthfeel is light and creamy. The beer evaporates quickly, which isn’t something that happens often with IPAs. It goes down with a bit of a burn, but doesn’t leave too much stickiness or clinging.

I can’t think of the last time I had two beers of the “same style” back to back and had them taste so different: HOPop was piney where as Hop Knob was fruity. Silver Moon’s motto must be leave them wanting more, because their beers seem to do that. Another success.

Overall: 7.5 out of 10

As an INDIA PALE ALE: 8 out of 10

FOR FANS OF: Silver Moon HOPOPATAMUS, Sierra Nevada ESTATE WET HOP, Bear Republic WET HOP

Made with 100% Oregon Grown Cascade Raw hops this deep straw colored ale is for the hop lover who can’t get enough. Big, bright spicy hop flavors will blast over you as HOPPO satiates all desires hoppy!

HOPopatamus pours a light caramel color with a creamy film of white atop it. Lacing is thick and clings to the side of the glass like wet paint. A steady stream of bubbles can be seen pushing its way up through the beer.

The nose is a rather muted pine scent with sweet hints of grapefruit and shoe polish. Well, the shoe polish wasn’t sweet, but it was present. There’s really not a whole lot going on with the nose; at least not as much as one would expect from the style.

Taste is mellow, but hoppy! Pine comes through first with a flavor that seems like literal wet hops. A bready malt flavor appears toward the end to balance out the flavor. These malts give the beer a smooth finish.

Mouthfeel is light, but sticky. There is a faint burn and residue left behind, but it falls short of your standard IPA.

This was a well put together fresh hop IPA. I could literally tell that it was fresh and that is a first for me. The hops and malts are well-balanced, which made this beer an easy drinking experience. Not something you find every day.

Overall: 8 out of 10

As an INDIA PALE ALE: 8 out of 10

FOR FANS OF: Deschutes HOP TRIP, Twisted Pine FRESH HOP, Dogfish Head WET HOP AMERICAN SUMMER

With my belly full of beer I decided that I needed to work off all the empty (yet delicious) calories I’ve consumed in the day. So instead of flagging down another cab I decided I would just make the 3+ miles walk back to downtown Seattle. The only downside was the fact that a majority of my trip went through the industrial part of town, so it wasn’t the most “scenic” walk possible. Either way I headed north with the sun hiding behind the clouds and a faint breeze blowing on my face. 

One of the first things I spotted was the old Ranier Brewery building. This giant brick structure is now the home to Tully’s Coffee amongst other things. It’s a very impressive building and I wish it was still brewing beer so that I could have taken a trip. 

While passing along the train tracks I noticed some artwork hanging on the outside of a nearby building. Living in Los Angeles I see stuff like this quite frequently, but to see a building with large art pieces on it, but without any graffiti was a nice breath of fresh air. 

After passing by Safeco Field and CenturyLink Field I found myself back at Elysian Fields (where I went to try to get a ticket earlier), so I stepped inside and took a seat at the bar.

Obviously that long walk worked up a thirst so I consulted their rather expansive beer board (they had approximately 15 Elysian beers on tap and 5 guest beers) and selected their Belgian Stout, THE HORROR. With my beer hitting the spot and the Packers vs. Falcons game on TV, I settled in for a nice relaxing dinner. About this time I ordered the chipotle chicken sandwich and another round.

I had been wondering for the past few months what style of beer was gonna dominate 2011 for me. For instance, 2009 was the year that I learned to love hops and I would always order the hoppiest beer on the menu. 2010 was the year of Sour Ales. This was the first time I really experienced sours and from that point on I would try every sour I could get my hands on. It was at the GPBF that I realized that 2011 was the year of Spicy Beers. I came to the realization that every time I see that a beer is brewed with pepper or chilis I have to try it (even to the point where I almost ruined my palette by drinking a Ghost Chili IPA). That is why I knew that I had to try their SAISON POIVRE (saison brewed with peppercorns) as soon as I saw it on the menu. Thankfully this beer was everything I hoped it would be and ended a day full of beer ups and downs on a high note.

Check back soon for DAY #4!

I once again couldn’t find any info about this beer on Elysian’s website. 

Saison Poivre pours a light caramel with gold highlights. Head starts at 1/4 inch of foam, but it fades before too long. No noticeable sediment or bubbles are present, but lacing is mild with tendrils that sneak up out of the brew.

The nose on this beer is definitely spicy! Pepper dominates the nose; I detected black pepper and what could only be the peppercorn.

This is where this beer completely won me over. The taste is spicy, but not too spicy. Pepper floods the forefront before sliding off into the a light wheat sweetness. The malts of this beer keep the spices in the check (I’m guessing pale and caramel malts). Delicious.

Mouthfeel is light, but burny (it’s a technical term). The pepper is noticeable and makes you remember it all the way down. A bit of drying is present due to the heavy amount of spice in this beer, but nothing that I would consider a deal breaker.

This was a good beer. Adding peppercorn to a saison was a fantastic idea and it added an extra kick to what is already a spicy style. Saison Poivre was well put together and didn’t lean too far this way or that.

Overall: 8 out of 10

As a SAISON: 8.5 out of 10

FOR FANS OF: Cigar City GUAVA GROVE SAISON, Anacortes PEPPERCORN SAISON, Great Lakes PANTALON PEPPERCORN SAISON

I couldn’t find anything about this beer other than the fact that it’s kind of a one-off beer. That makes me glad that I tried it when I had the chance. 

The Horror pours a deep black with no visible highlights or carbonation. One to two inches of brown-white foam sits atop the inky liquid. Lacing is heavy and leaves a brown sheet on the sides of the glass.

Anise is big in the nose, along with roasted barley. Faint baker’s chocolate and hints of smoke balance out the scent.

Taste is mild…and that is a good thing. The anise comes through and gives it a slight spiciness before the malts balance things out. The Belgian yeast can be noticed toward the back-end as cloves appear to pop in to say hello. There is something in there that kept making me think of bubblegum with every sip I took.

Mouthfeel is creamy and goes down smooth. Drying occurs, but nothing more than what would be expected from a dry stout.

The Horror is a style of beer that I don’t see very often, but I’m always willing to try. I do wish that the dark malts, that stouts are known for, were showcased a bit more. The Belgian influences are definitely present and accounted for, I just wish that the stout was a little more active in the flavor.

Overall: 7 out of 10

As a BELGIAN STOUT: 7.5 out of 10 

FOR FANS OF: Smuttynose BELGIAN STOUT, Midnight Sun SLOTH, Picobrouwerij Alvinne / Den Bierzolder PODGE BELGIAN IMPERIAL STOUT

I woke up Sunday Morning and immediately jumped online to find the Eagles vs. Bills game. It quickly became apparent that Philly was not gonna win this one, so I wasn’t too concerned that I was gonna have to miss it (the first game this year I didn’t watch).

With myself showered and ready to greet the day I stepped out in to the early morning drizzle in search of something to eat. After consulting my phone I found a nice little diner called Planet Java and made my way there. As I ate my breakfast I was forced to watch the Giants vs. Seahawks game (which NY ended up winning, boo).

After consuming more than enough food I made my way toward Elysian Fields in hopes of scoring a ticket to the GREAT PUMPKIN BEER FESTIVAL. Considering this was the reason that I drove to Seattle I was really hoping that I would be able to get in. I realize that this wasn’t very good planning on my part, but by the time I had decided I was going on this trip I wouldn’t have had time to get my ticket shipped to me. Thankfully they were open, but the bartender informed me that they were sold out of tickets. Uh oh…

I stepped outside and started walking toward the new Elysian Brewery and site of the GPBF. Within minutes I was able to flag down a cab and arrived at the brewery 15 minutes before the gates were set to open.

Thankfully there were only a few people in front of me in line, so I was feeling a little bit better about my chances of getting in.

After what seemed like an eternity I was able to step through the gates and purchase my tickets. Shit was about to get real.

With the price of admission I was handed a pumpkin-shaped taster glass, five drink tickets and a “program” for the event. I was actually rather impressed by the program. It had a map on the first page that showed you the layout of the site and where each beer tent/table was located (there were 8 of them). The rest of the booklet consisted of a description of each beer (its name, who brewed it, where the brewery was from, the ABV and a brief description of the beer). This made it quite easy to figure out where everything was and I was able to go through and mark off all the beers I wanted to try.

The rest of the even pretty much consisted of me going from tent to tent trying several different beers. Here is the breakdown of the first part of the day:

Beer #1: MR. YUCK

Beer #2: SOUR PUMPKIN 2010

Beer #3: PUMKING

Beer #4: PUNK RAUCHEN

Beer #5: URSA ORANGE

At this point I was out of my original batch of tickets and needed to procure more. I decided to do the smart thing and grab a bottle of water while I was there. I found a seat and took a much-needed hydration break before heading back into the thick of things (aka drinking more beer).

Beer #6: PUNK’N BbOMB

Beer #7: LA PARCELA 2008

Beer #8: EXTRA SPECIAL BUTTERNUT

Beer #9: PUMPKINEATER

It was at this time that they rolled out “the Great Pumpkin”. The Great Pumpkin was a very large pumpkin (about two foot wide) that was setting on a pallet and had candles sticking out the top. Now, what set this apart from your average two-foot wide pumpkin with candles sticking out of the top was the fact that this one was filled with beer! Elysian’s DARK O’ THE MOON Pumpkin Stout. The crowd quickly gathered ’round, but we saddened to learn that we still had a few minutes to wait before that tapped the pumpkin. I wasn’t too upset, because I had a glass full of beer I needed to consume before I would be ready for DOTM. 

Beer #10: COCHE DE MEDIANOCHE

Just about the time I was finishing up Coche de Medianoche the brewers arrived with the tap and a hammer. People quickly surrounded the Great Pumpkin eagerly holding their empty tasters glasses. 

With a THWACK the beer was flowing and us beer lovers anxiously raised our taster glasses, trying to be the first to take a sip. Now, I wasn’t the first person to get my glass filled, but I was close. I covered my glass and quickly made my way out of the crowd so that I could enjoy my beer and others could get a taste.

Beer #11: DARK O’ THE MOON

With Dark O’ The Moon consumed I reached into my pocket and pulled out my last ticket. By this point several of the beers that I had marked off on my “To Try List” were gone, so I got a glass of AAAHHH…GUS GUS and settle down for pumpkin beer number 12.

Beer #12: AAAHHH…GUS GUS

I glanced at my phone and saw that it was nearing 4:45 pm. I had been at GPBF since 11:45 and I had consumed 12 different pumpkin beers. I was nearing my liquid consumption breaking point and I was all pumpkined out, so I decided to call it a day. The GPBF was a really fun time and something that I might have to do again next year.