Reality check

Yeah, but now that FIB is gonna go home, tell his FIB buddies, rent a FIB semi-truck, bring their FIB hand trucks, create FIB lines, and create generally FIBby biznizz. Automatic Clamguns and Cheese Throwers won't be enough to stop them. Only Donald Trump can stop..... Wait, sorry, spent too much time on FB today.

Cheers visitor! Carry on!

 

People always seem shocked that there aren't more aggressive traders in the PNW. I explain that craft beer has been ingrained in the culture for so much longer than much of the rest of the country... and there are literally dozens of world class breweries that dot nearly every town and neighborhood and many have been here for a decade or longer.

I sent the following to a trader the other night:

"If many of the hyped hoppy beers or big stouts were made in Oregon or Southern California, or for that matter Minnesota, nobody would ever hear about them because there are already so many fantastic beers brewed in those states. But because they are made in the "hole in the world" parts of the Midwest or New England they are the Holy Grail to people who have never had regular access to world class beer. </mini-rant>"

I never mean to imply the hyped beer of the moment isn't great, but that there are many other beers out there that are just as good.

 

You've illustrated really nicely why I think the PNW is the best region in the country, if not the world, for beer. People in other places claim their state or region is superior because of all the long lines and shit shows you have to deal with to get good beer. It seems like to them, it's a sign of coming of age. But that's like saying the Sahara is the water capital of the world because of how much people have to go through to obtain it. As far as I'm concerned, let New England or Chicago or Grand Rapids claim beer superiority, and let everyone flock there instead.

 

The scene is just more mature here, and we have always been sort of laid back ," who really gives a F**k", types about hype, money ,corporations ect.
Most of the guys i drink with in Salem have been drinking local sonce the late 80s//thats 15-20 years.. a whole generation ( in my 50s).
Sometimes when i have gone out of state back east i am the oldest guy drinking craft beer in a sea of 20 somethings.

 

I wouldnt go so far in saying we are the best in the world..not compared to areas of Germany ,England and Belgium

 

OK, that might be a stretch. But when you think about how long we've been doing it compared to those places, it's safe to say over the last 50 years we are strong candidates for "most improved."

 

Then again we might have been doing it for far longer.
The Oregonian has been trying to catch up to the beer history in the last 2 weeks they had old pics from way back ..late 19th early 20th...a place called Mount Hood Brewery and they had a sign for Red Rye Ale!!
Damn Prohibition!..if not for that how might it have turned out

 

At some point in the last 3 years I think we crossed over into some other zone of accessibility to unbelievable beers. Literally every night we can go out in Portland and get something new or vintage or world class or interesting that would bring a huge line anywhere else, and did in Portland 3 years ago. You can even go to fests at the end of the day and still get almost everything, and it's not out of disinterest, it's out of abundance.

 

I came out to visit quite a few years ago, attended OBF and entered on one of the weekdays at opening. Headed straight for a full glass of Pliny. Watched for about 20 minutes and no one else even got a sample of Pliny. The guy sitting next to me noticed and said "not from around here, huh?"

 

Yep, I'm on the ID/WA border but go to PDX twice a year and the coast annually. My first time going to Bailey's and I was the only one that ordered Pliny when I was there lol

 

Can confirm, and is one of the things I miss most about living in Portland.

If anyone is looking for a laugh, head over to the Mid Atlantic forum and check out the "Notable Releases in NOVA" thread. There are apparently a bunch of guys chasing delivery trucks around, one of which does so with his baby/stroller in tow. It's so bad around here (D.C. area) that it's not even worth going to the great beer bars (and there definitely are a couple) when something "special" is being released because you'll either have to wait in line or cram yourself in like a sardine.

I'm also reminded of the fact that when I drove back across the country in February, I made it a point to stop at Barley Brown's in Baker City and was shocked to still be able to pick up a bottle of Chaos (I think they released it in December). Something that good, and that limited, would probably only last a few hours in NYC or D.C.

The abundance of beer, and the relaxed attitude towards it, is one of the things that makes the PNW great. Don't change!

 

I still haven't had Pliny. I think it reached Spokane exactly once, and I missed it. I suspect I'd totally be that one guy that would be stoked to have it that the local Portlanders would be looking askance at.

 

I moved here from Michigan this summer, and quickly learned that there isn't much worth waiting in line for. There are wayyy too many awesome (local) beers to choose from instead.

The Midwest "hoarder" beer culture is out of control.

 

Ya. I often joke to my friends in other parts of the country that good craft beer is so common here we fill lakes with it to run speedboat races. We wash our cars with it because it removes the moss. ....

 

From my experience, nobody in Oregon gets up really early to do much of anything, other than maybe fishing

Overall on the west coast, we tend to be a little bit more chill about these kinds of things anyway. People waiting 5 hours in line for a limited BA Stout? I can find something just as good or better almost anywhere at any time without waiting at all (maybe a short border lineup if I head to Washington).

 

I'd like to agree, but we've had crazy lines for Reuben's BA Imperial Stout two years in a row and lines for Holy Mountain bottles (I waited from 11:20am to 1pm for bottles of Phosphene and Gin Table) is a thing. Not really what I want to see out here, but at least it's not commonplace.

 

To be honest though, that Holy Mountain release was so terribly run. That line should have been blown through in less than 30 minutes. Recently, I went to the NG BBBB release, was about number 500 in line, and had my bottles in about 10 minutes.

 

Yeah. I think they get a pass for that one as it was the first, but that line was pretty f'n miserable. New Glarus is certainly the standard that the world should be held to. Ridiculously efficient.