Travelling from Sunnyside to Portland... (+ the rest)

Being of from the internet world for a while I have to short track the trip a while. Anyway we continued the beer trip with starting from Sunnyside after a great evening at the Snipes Mountain Microbrewery.



We went back the road and went down the river on the oregon side and finally came to a very sunny day in Hood River and Full Sail Brewing company. Here we had the following beers;

Sunspot IPA
IPA
Pale Ale
Amber
Bock

The Sunspot IPA was quite tasty but the rest of the branch was really not so interesting to talk about. Anyway the place was quite nice and we had a pleasant view over the hood river.

(A bit dark picture of Stefan, but you can spot the river on the left side of his head)

The journey continued by the hood river and we was getting close to Portland and the planned beer festival on the Saturday evening.

We entered the city and continued to the north side of the city to find a cheap motel, and we did, very cheap but it was not the best room experience we have had. I think it was called some like cheap of economic.

But that was not so important so when we finally got our room we managed to take the max train downtown to the china town and continued to the street festival (Bones & Brew) at the rogue pub. It was extremelly hot (around 14.30) so we got a bit confused in the heat. Anyway we succeded in getting the following draught beers;

Siletz Paddle IPA
Steelhead Hop To Trot Pale
Amnesia Dusty Pale
New Old Lompoc C-Note Imperial Ale
Ninkasi Domination IPA
Caldera Dry Hop Orange
Golder Valley Red Thistle Ale



The journey continued through the sun and took us to the Bridgeport Brewing Company where the following beers was consumed;

Blue Heron Pale Ale
Ropewalk Amber Ale
Surpris
IPA
ESB
Porter
Black Strap Stout
Old Knucklehead barley wine

(The best beer is the outstanding; Superdog Double IPA)

After that the next stop was Lucky Labrador Beer Hall where the best beers of the trip was consumed.

Superdog Double IPA
Organic No Pity Ale
Single Hop IPA
Bavarian Wheat



After some book shopping we finally go to the last place of the day; Produce Cafe where we had;

Greate Divide Samurai
Dicks Best Bitter
Laurelwood Pale Ale
Racer 5 IPA



The end... for now...
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I did not succeed in the mission on writing this blog during the actual trip. Mainly due to too many bad or nonexisting internet services, so I simply gave up, and went to sleep instead. But jsut for historical reasons here comes the rest of the trip as short resume.

20060806
Left Portland in the morning and passed "Raleigh Hills" and the "Racoon Lodge & Brew Pub".


Continued for lunch at stopped at "Forrest Grove" and the "McMenamins Grand Lodge". Remember that I had a Hammerhead IPA together with the lunch at this nice little "country"-pub.

Passed a lot of curvey roads before heading for a finally getting to the amazing "Pelican Pub & Brewery" at "Pacific City". This was a great place to staying during the evening and I will never forget when the sun went behind the pelican brief out in seafront. A purely magical place and also some amazing beer was served at the pub, as; "Dorymans Dark Ale", "Kiwanda Cream Ale", "Pelican IPA", "Tsunami Stout" and "Summer Surfers Ale". Talking about the best one, simply the name is "PPA".


Next day on 20060807
Continued to "Newport" and the original "Rogue Brewery & Public House". This is not the brewery but it the original pub established by Rogue brewery. Had lunch and an amazing Rouge I2PA (please a lot more).


Passed "Eugene" and the "Steelhead Brewing Company". Best one here was the Bombay Bomber IPA.


Stayed the evening and the night in "Rosenburg", sorry to say but this is a very boring place, and very poor on beer. But we finally survived at the "McMenamins Station" and had something called "Vienna" on nitro.

20060808
Drow to "Cave Junction" and "Wild River Brewing Company", and had the IPA. Great place, really. A bit small and difficult to find, but after we finally found the place it was quite nice (at the beginning of the town, on the left side, remember!, at the beginning so make sure that you do not pass the whole town before you try to spot the place).


Continued to "Eureka" and the "Lost Cost Brewing Company". Quite a famous place for their beers, but I have had better beers. Famous beer that that you have have heard off is; "Alleycat Amber" and the "Indica IPA".


Also find a nice Irish pub in "Eureka" called "Gallahers Irish Pub" and had some nice US-micros; "Andersson Valley Summer Solstice" and "Mendocino Eye of the Hawk Ale". Did not even see any Irish beers, :).

20060809
A big beer experience day, simply because we finally got to "Fort Bragg" and the "North Coast Brewery". This is a great place, had a shop on one side of the street and the pub on the other. Here we had a amazaing lunch with some great beer experience; "Acme IPA", "Acme Pale Ale", "Red Seal", "Red Seal (draught cond.)!!!!" (this one is unique, and nothing as the normal red seal, it is in simple words; smoooth), and finally the great "Pranqster".

One great place to the other, we continued to "Boonville" and the "Andersson Valley Brewing Company". Built as has wine house in the middle of the wine country we had the great examples of beer in the form of; "Hopotin IPA" & "Poleeko Gold Pale Ale". Nice place, but a bit warm for us Swedes.


Went to "Hopland" and the "Mendocino Brewing Company".


Ended up in "Ukiah" and the "Ukiah Brewing Company". Still extremely warm but we had a good dinner and some great beers.


20060810
If the last day was a good day for beers, this day was probably Nirvana for a beer geek.

Went to "Healdsburg" and "Bear Republic" and had the mighty "Racer 5 IPA".


A short stop and lunch in "Calistoga" (most famous for Wines) and the "Napa Valley Brewing Company". A poor place for beer, but a nice little town. We also had a short Wine tasting journey that I will not talk much about here, :).

So here it comes our new favorite in american micros came to us when we visited the Norrebro Brewpub in Copenhagen during the spring of 2006. It was a very simple bottle that had a small name tag saying "Blind Pig". Which turned out to be a great american IPA. Doing some research when we went home we discovered that this beer came from a brewery called Russian River. Due to that it was very exiting to finally come to "Santa Rosa" and the "Russian River Brewing Company". The brewery has it all, and the blind pig is still a favorite but the rest are also new classics in the brewery history. Tasting went from; "Blind Pig IPA" to "Parking Violation Pale Ale" to "Russian River IPA" to "Pliny the Elder" to "Little White Lie" to "Redemption" to "Perdition" and finally "Damnation". And the winner is;

1. Pliny the Elder, *****


Ended up in "Petaluma" and "Dempsey's"

and the "Finbar Devines".


20060811
Getting close to the end we went to "Berkley" and "Jupiter". Which is a brewpub.


From there to "Oakland" and "Pacific Coast Brewing Company".


Went to "Pleasanton" (where Documentum is located, meaning the product I am working with during my none off days) and "The Hopyard". This is a great place outside San Fran and has a lot of beer on draught, like the few one we had; "Stone Arrogant Bastard", "Big Sky IPA", "Blind Pig IPA" (once more) & Hoptown IPA (nitro).


After sitting in the car queue for central "San Francisco" we could settle at the "San Fran Brewing Company".

20060812
Got some sleep and some sighteeing we went by foot (finally we got rid of the car) to the "Rogue Ale House" in San Francisco.


Continued to the best pub in the USA; "Toronado" and some amazing beers. I will only mention one which is the "Moonlight Bombay by boat IPA".


Then to "Magnolia Pub & Brewery". Had a good Mild from Dark Star (not the english brewery).


Went back to town and the "Thirsty Beer Brewing Company" and finally end up at a "21 amendment" after a long beer day. Had a Blind again, :).

20060813
Last day San Francisco and the last day of the beer trip, but did not include any pubs. Instead we had some great beer at the best beer shop in the USA according to me, at least the most friendly one; "The City Beer Store & Tasting Bar" (thanks Charlie). Here we sampled; "Drakes IPA", "Lagunitas Red Ale", "Lagunitas Freak Out Ale","Stone IPA","Hair of a dog Fred","Drakes Porter (on draught)" & "Deuchettes Inversion IPA"

Bye and good night.