On Wednesday night, I had the great fortune to attend the media preview for the 2nd Annual Brewstillery Festival. Hosted by Stormbreaker Brewing in North Portland, this unique event takes place on Saturday, February 27 from 12:00 - 8:00 p.m. and offers 27 pairings from Oregon-based breweries and distilleries.
In addition to being treated to samples of some of Stormbreaker’s delicious new food menu items, including house-made chicken liver mousse and country pate, Olympia Provisions chorizo and cacciatore, fresh cheeses, pickled veggies and more, this intrepid writer also got to taste eight of the carefully-crafted beer and spirit pairings.
If you’ve ever tried a barrel-aged imperial stout, e.g. Crux Fermentation Project’s Tough Love, you know how well the flavors of Kentucky bourbon mingle with spicy roasted malt and smooth vanilla. Many breweries now age beers in used wine barrels as well as many other spirit barrels like gin and rum. But have you ever considered pairing say, a Peanut Butter Porter with Hazelnut Espresso Vodka? Either mixed together or served side by side, Wild Ride Brewing’s excellent, nutty beer goes perfectly with Crater Lake Spirit’s sweet and sophisticated dessert vodka, both out of Central Oregon. No barrel aging needed!
Brewers and distillers were on hand at the media preview event to present their pairings and explain how they settled on each particular beer and spirit combination. Josh Grgas, Brand Manager at The Commons Brewery in Portland, leveraged his previous experience working with Stone Barn Brandyworks to develop their pairing of Pumpernickel Rye Saison with Nocino, a liqueur made from unripe green walnuts which are soaked in rye whiskey and pinot noir brandy along with vanilla, cloves and other spices. As Stone Barn posted on their website: “The richness of our Nocino is a great match with the tartness of The Common’s farmhouse yeast, and the spice profiles of each beverage pair together beautifully.”
You can look forward to all 27 unique pairings, including the above-mentioned deliciousness, as well as a wheat beer made with pears (Coaltion’s Bosc Mode) paired with a ginger liqueur from New Deal; an imperial stout (Double Mountain’s Moon Patrol) paired with absinthe from Hood River Distillers; and a saison (Breakside’s Belly Laugh) paired with a white tea and rose petal spirit from Thomas & Sons Distillery.
For more information about the festival and to purchase advance tickets: http://www.stormbreakerbrewing.com/brewstillery-2-fest.html
To follow the event on social media:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1074801255871840/
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