Beer by the Case?? Pumpkin ales?

As a former Pennsylvanian, I can assure you that you will get over the inconvenience of not being able to buy beer by the case very quickly.

Any bottle shop will sell you 4 six packs and put them in a case box for you to carry out, but i dont think you are going to find that cases are discounted. Which isn't really a big deal since just about everything here is cheaper than in PA (even when you put together four random six packs).

Those bottle shops you found that sell by the bottle also sell by the 6 or 12 pack. Beermongers will have the best prices. Belmont Station has a very large selection, but their individual 12oz bottles are upcharged from the sixpack price. They have FW Union Jack on sale right now for $8.99/6 or $36/case. That's a damned good deal.

The best bang for your buck might be Fred Meyer (esp. Hawthorne) where you will often find 12 packs on sale for $12.99-$14.99 (Deschutes, SN, New Belgium..)

 

And when the pumpkin beers come out any of the local bottle shops will have them. Belmont Station usually groups all of the seasonals together in the cooler so that should be easy for you.

 

Safeway actually gives "case" discounts - I think it's 10% off 4 six packs on top of the sale price. Of course you can only get the major guys (Deschutes, Full Sail, Sierra Nevada, etc) but it ends up being pretty cheap.

 

When it's the season, The BeerMongers for Pumpkin beers too. You'll find them all contained in one section there.

 

Nice to know!

 

I have never seen Shlafly's version out here. But I could've just been missing it. You should look forward to the Elysian versions -> Night Owl, The Great Pumpkin and Dark O The Moon.

 

The Night Owl is widely available through the Fall. You'll probably see it places like Fred Meyer. The Great Pumpkin and Dark O The Moon are more limited and only a handful of cases will make it to places like Belmont Station and The BeerMongers. You'll have to be on your toes for those two, but they are two of the best Pumpkin Beers I have had, IMO.

Fred Meyer will have a few other varieties, but you'll better off at the more specialty places, or at least markets like New Seasons, Zupans, and Whole Foods. Probably start to see Pumpkin beers in September.

Also, Elysian does a giant Pumpkin beer fest every year in Seattle. Last year they did do a small touring version that was featured at Saraveza here in Portland. But the Seattle version is a must for Pumpkin beer fans and absolutely worth the pilgrimage. Also they do a whole bung and hammer set up into giant pumpkins filled with beer.

 

Not a problem.

Here's a list of some you may see around Portland (excuse me if some of these have made it to PA before):

Elysian Night Owl
Elysian The Great Pumpkin
Elysian Dark O The Moon
Southern Tier Pumking
DogFish Head Punkin
Uinta Oak Jacked Imperial Pumpkin
Unita Punkn
Jolly Pumpking La Parcela
Rogue Chatoe Rogue Pumpkin Patch
Shipyard Pumpkinhead
Buffalo Bills Pumpkin Ale
Lakefront Pumpkin Lager
New Belgium Kick
Midnight Sun Treat
Midnight Sun Trickster

Also note, that some of these may not be distributed to Oregon, or recreated again, so you might not see them. Also, there will be others that I did not list, as well as Tap-only offerings.

On a side note, I would recommend heading to Hair of the Dog and trying some Greg. It's not a pumpkin beer, but it's made with different variates of squash and is at Gruit (completely hopless). You may find that you like it during the pumpkin beer off season. And growler fills only costs $15.

 

You'll have to trade for Brooklyn, New Holland and Saranac. They don't get distribution in Oregon. Or if Half Time gets them in stock you can order online.

www.halftimebeverage.com

 

Good recommendation. I'd forgotten about Greg. Especially considering OP's aversion to hops. Underrated by Hair of the Dog's standards, but one I really enjoy when I'm in the mood for that kind of thing.

 

FYI, The BeerMongers has Elysian Night Owl now.