Under the radar NW breweries

I can vouch for his ex-Spokanishness. When he moved, Pints Alehouse lost it's greatest booster on BA!

 

Just a heads up, Newport Brewing has changed their name to Bier One Brewing. (Luke has about six taps of his beer pouring at the pub now)

 

Heathen. They remind me so much of boneyard but way less busy. I think i prefer some of their stuff over Boneyard. Another great under the radar place is Santiam

 

Seems to be a thing now taphouses turning to brewing.
2 Sparky's Taphouse is also now Sparkys Brewing Company here in Salem

 

Seems like a good idea if you can put out a brew that compares or surpasses what is readily available.That is no little trick here in Oregon!

 

They have Head Hunter on tap their IPA is OK but not in any way in the same league as that.
BUt i guess its a "cheap" keg!

 

i gotta echo this. their recent bottle releases and funky saisons have been on point.

 

JUst had a glass of their Gin Peche Lambic....im no expert but it was really really nice.
18 months in gin barrels..only 4 barrels.
Very nice very drinkable..if you ever see it give it a try..though i dont know if one of the barrels will make it to Portland.

 

Looks like at least one keg will be making its way to Portland

http://www.baileystaproom.com/events/?eid=5553e3045e002c0360ebb465

 

You know, I've been there probably several dozen times at least and I've never seen their brewing setup. I have no idea how big the system is, which surprises even me to admit.

They're under the radar for sure and I'd imagine destined to remain there pretty much forever. That's because most craft beer drinkers aren't looking for subtlety which means very few folks will be "blown away" (something most craft drinkers are demanding their beer do for them) by anything that comes out of Machine House.

And speaking of that IPA ... I just bottled an English IPA I brewed using the same hop Bill uses for his IPA (Bramling Cross). I love what he does with it ... but my IPA tastes like blackberries chased with fresh topsoil. It's a dimension of "earthy" I've never tasted before this.

 

Love the comment about being "blown away." Whenever I critique the "uber stouts" for their lack of drinkability I feel like folks look at me as if I'm from an alternate dimension. We can appreciate a simple salad or omelette that's well made from fresh ingredients - well, some of us can - but the only way a beer can blow us away is with more hops, booze, adjuncts, barrels, etc.

My guess is that this has to change as craft beer matures. Commons is a good example. They made their name with beers that wouldn't "blow you away" but were perfect to pair with food or to have as an aperitif. Having recently moved to Chicago I feel like I've stepped back in time a number of years - the appreciation for subtler beers is much further behind.

 

Give me a simple yet solid pale, Pilsner or saison and I'm in heaven. [shrug]

 

Talk of pilsner gets me to thinking about Heater Allen
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16378/

 

Heater Allen, Chuckanut and Four Winds all make amazing Pilsners.

 

Gotta disagree with you here. I've definitely been blown away by lots of beers from The Commons. Sure, some of those are their bigger and/or more adventurous brews (Bourbon Little Brother, Maybelle, Trillium, etc), but even Urban Farmhouse was a mind blowing beer-up there with the better HF saisons as one of the best American brewed examples of the style and on par with some of the greats from Belgium.

 

I don't think you two are disagreeing, actually.

 

Agreed. Even Flemish Kiss "blew me away" as a NW analog to Orval. But Kurmaraja's point is well taken.