Good Beer Trips

We’ve always wanted to Austin, Texas, so when Alaska Airlines announced non-stop flights from Seattle we jumped on the introductory prices and booked a mid-October trip. We were hoping to get an extended summer, with 80 degree weather but were greeted with what we were told is very rare, mid 60’s, grey sky, rain and drizzle (just like Seattle). Oh well, we made the best of it.

Instead going with a hotel room, we opted for an apartment rental that we found on VRBO.com.  The Riverside Gem was a perfect retreat!  It had all the conveniences of home including a 37 inch LCD TV, full kitchen, Espresso machine, comfortable bed and A/C.  Todd an Amy were great, leaving us alone, but making sure to ask if we needed anything when ever they saw us.  On our first day Todd even drove us the mile to South Congress, to make sure we knew the walking route.  Amy also made us aware of Uncle Billy’s , that did not show up in our Google Maps search.  They were also very apologetic for the poor weather.  It was conveniently located just across Town Lake from downtown, an easy mile or so walk or a quick bus ride got you right into the heart of the Austin action on 6th Street.

An Austin attraction that you can not miss is the Bats.  From mid-March to early November every sunset you can see 1.5 million Mexican free-tail bats fly out from underneath their summer home in the expansion joints of the Congress Avenue Bridge.  It is not to exciting on a overcast night, but on a clear night it is amazing.  For more than 20 minutes we saw bats streaming out from under the bridge and fly off over the city to parts unknown.  You can check out a short video here, but you really have to see it for yourself.

Gourmet Pudding!

We really enjoyed the South Congress district with it’s trailer based eats and it’s quirky shops.We preferred W 6th St, to the hustle and bustle of E 6th st.  The latter really more for the college and 20 something crowds.

Surprisingly Austin, was a fairly green city.  There was green grass and trees a plenty. We had hoped to do some urban hiking on the Barton Springs trail, but because of the weather it was closed.

Were we able to find good beer in Austin?  Well, the answer was yes.   Austin has no shortage on bars.  I’ve never seen so many bars in a US city before, especially on 6th Street.  Many do not have extensive tap lists, so you need to pick wisely. Our favorites were Doc’s Motorworks on South Congress , Little Woodrow’s on W 6th St and the Alamo Drafthouse .

The first two set in former automotive garages with large garage doors and spacious outdoor areas. They featured many Texas brewed beers including those from Austin Breweries: Independence, (512), Live Oak and Real Ale from Blanco, Texas.   Doc’s has Texas beers for $2.50 on Tuesday nights, and Little Woody’s has the same special on Monday nights.  The Alamo Draft House has great locations where you can order a drink and eat good food while watching a movie.

All in all we had a good trip to Austin. We will go back somedayto hit the breweries we missed, hoping for better weather.

-to be continued-

There are very few places better for a beer enthusiast to visit than Portland, Oregon.  Portland has 30 breweries, more than any other city in the world.  I grew up across the Columbia River in Vancouver, Washington, and still have some family and friends in the area, so luckily I get to visit this Beer Mecca often!

On our most recent trip we made return visits to Deschutes, New Old Lompoc and Amnesia and ventured to The Green Dragon, Hopworks Urban Brewery and Upright Brewing for the first time.

Deschutes, Portland, Or - by Lush C

Deschutes Brewery and Public House
I’ve been a fan of Deschutes Beer for many years. In fact, Black Butte Porter is at the top of my list for favorite bottled beers of all time. Since their home in Bend, Oregon is a 6+ hour drive from Seattle we were excited to discover that they opened a location in Portland’s Pearl District in 2008.

The pub can be described as Cozy industrial. It is housed in a large, open industrial building from another century rounded with rough hemmed wood and a large stone fireplace. The Northwest feel is embraced with elaborately carved wood arches leading to the restaurant seating area. They brew in classic copper kettles 16 Barrel system. All the Deschutes classics are on tap: Mirror Pond Pale, Obsidian Stout, Black Butte Porter… etc, plus seasonal choices. Their menu is an upscale pub fare.

Beer Sampler:
• Hop Trip – A well balanced pale with more hop flavor than expected, must be those fresh hops!
• Alvord – smooth, definitely a session beer with a little extra bite to distinguish it.
• Oktoberfest -malty German style. I could drink more than a few. Sweet, spicy, crisp, with slow developing hop flavor. Hughes of banana.
• Bachelor Bitter on cask – smooth until the finish. Had a slight metallic aftertaste.

New Old Lompoc
We discovered the New Old Lompoc a few years ago when my Grandmother was living in the NW 23rd Avenue Neighborhood of Portland. We ventured in once before, but did not have much of a recollection, so we made the walk from downtown to visit again. It is a Classic Northwest Tavern with basic pub fare. They do have a very nice dog friendly back patio that gives you options for full shade, full sun or hybrid table of sun and shade.

Beer sampler:
• Fool’s Golden Ale – light, crisp, a little sweet
• Condor Pale Ale – Solid crisp middle of the road pale.
• Proletariat Red – A sweet malty Red with a mild hoppy after taste
• Dry Hopped Red (Seasonal)- Smoky yet light, hoppy but not too hoppy
• Centennial IPA – A very floral IPA with a sharp bitter aftertaste
• C-note Imperial Pale – My favorite. This Beer has a lot of hops (7 varieties). It is very floral, very smooth and despite the amount of hops it has a good finish.
• Lompoc Strong Draft (LSD) – A smoky, hoppy, malty beer.
• Sockeye Cream Stout – Smoky, bitter, sharp, thin, and not particularly creamy. Hmm… did I get the right Beer?

Green Dragon
On Friday we decided to make the trek from Downtown Portland to the Green Dragon across the Willamette River in Southeast Portland. We were glad we did. As part of their “Green Philosophy” they have a funky industrial feel with decor that looks like it came from a discount restaurant supply store… but totally works it. They have a large outdoor area that is Dog Friendly. It has a good neo hippy vibe that say “come one, come all”, that reminds me of the bars I frequented in college. For the pinball enthusiasts they have several machines. Unfortunately, they have not released their own Beer yet. I was told it will be released soon. We will be back.

HUB - bu Lush C

Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB)
After visiting my Grandmother, we had about an hour to waste, so my Uncle John took us to the HUB. What a cool place. It is a Biker bar to the extreme. (the pedal kind) And has northwest modern, Bauhaus interpretation. They also have an upstairs with Pinball Machines. It was a shame that we only had time for one beer, and had dinner waiting for us back my Uncle’s house. We will have to return to sample more Beers and their pub fare.

Beer sampler:
• Bike (a fresh hop IPA) – A very floral Beer that finished with a very robust hop aftertaste. Not for the hop squeamish.
• Velvet ESB (English session beer) – A very smooth, well balanced drinkable beer.

Amnesia
This is one of our favorite Breweries in Portland. It is in the recently revitalized Mississippi District housed in a Metal Building with a large covered outdoor area that gives it a perpetual beer garden atmosphere in the best possible way. We try not to miss it when in Portland. They have a very simple, but very appropriate menu: Sausage and Burgers (veggie versions too) grilled on an outdoor BBQ.

Beer Sampler:
• Copacetic IPA – very well balanced fruity and hoppy beer that is not too bitter.
• Desolation IPA – very well balanced, malty sweet, with just enough hops…a very smooth IPA, one of my all time favorites

Upright Brewing
Upright is one of Portland’s newest Breweries. It is in the heart of the Rose Quarter in the basement of a rehabilitated 1920’s building that once housed a bakery, creamery and confectionary. Upright’s niche is open-fermented French and Belgian Farmhouse Ales with a Northwest Style. They are a brewery with a tasting room that is only open on Weekends. Their beers are numbered not named which makes it hard to remember what you are drinking.

Beer Sampler:
• Six – a dark rye beer with hints of camel, chocolate, and a fruit flavor.
• Pinot Barrel Four – Wheat Beer, aged in oak barrels with Oregon Cherry. Light Crisp, and fruity.