Portland’s Bottle Shops

Every city should have a few great bottle shops, especially if that city is known for beer. In my opinion, Portland needs more neighborhood bottle shops; there’s something special about buying beer from a place that specializes in beer and beer alone. A good bottle shop is a place where anyone can go for simple advice—on food pairings, styles, glassware, cellaring, etc.—without... [Read more]

Wine shots – Cassidy’s

What Portland’s Pouring, By Jonathan Jenkins When I think of the best places in town to drink wine, it’s really kind of a mixed bag. There are some places that clearly ‘want’ you to have some wine with your meal; others want you to have wine, yes, but it is more a function of their profit margin than their desire for you to have a memorable experience.... [Read more]

Wine Shots – Kir

What Portland’s Pouring, By Jonathan Jenkins Amalie Roberts has got my number. As soon as I sit down at the counter of her wine bar, and look up at the large chalkboard that lists her selections for the day, I find myself ticking down the list, thinking: “yes, yes, yes, yes” right down the line. Granted, her European-leaning sensibility might have a fair amount in... [Read more]

Restaurant Wine Lists: Getting the most for your dollar

I have been meaning to put my thoughts about how to maximize your restaurant wine buying dollars to print for a long time. I was finally motivated by a similar article in the Wall Street Journal that just came out where they listed their top ten ways to get the most drink for your dollar. It was pretty informative, but from being in the wine biz for almost…ack…20... [Read more]

Brewer talk: Dylan Goldsmith, Captured by Porches

If you’ve ever home brewed, it’s always in the back of your mind: “Could I get a larger space with more equipment to brew large batches and actually sell beer?” Dylan Goldsmith from St. Helens-based Captured by Porches is doing exactly that. Starting out as a home brewing club in Portland, the brewer, through inventiveness, sheer beer knowledge and good ol’ Craigslist,... [Read more]

Beer Roundup for November

I’ve collected a few thoughts since October’s Hopfest at HUB and instead of writing a handful of smaller posts collected the scattered information into one post. The Old Market Pub & Brewery – Not bad, not great, worth a second visit I had very low expectations for The Old Market Pub & Brewery, located on the Westside at 6959 S.W. Multnomah Blvd. Online... [Read more]

A Little Italy – A Sampler of Affordable Wines

Italian food and wine (and travel, for that matter) is certainly not lacking in attention.  Perhaps the main reason for this is diversity; there are so many provinces in Italy – each with its own bounty, style and attitude – that there is a seemingly infinite amount of things to talk about, write about, and experience.  What is true one place is rarely true of... [Read more]

Morton’s “The Steakhouse” Holds Riedel Event

A beer town like Portland can make a wine aficionado like myself feel a bit out of place at times. It seems as if beer is viewed as the average guy’s drink of choice, while wine is left to the realm of fine restaurants and dinner parties. People seem to find beer familiar and comforting, while wine is often considered to be mysterious and intimidating. I have no idea... [Read more]

Hop Harvest: The flavors hit the woof

I don’t think I’m alone in expressing my disappointment at how quickly beer ran out at the recent Fresh Hop Beer “Tastival” held at Hopworks Urban Brewery. In fact, here’s a post from BrewPublic that pretty much mirrors my own experience. Waiting in long lines for a specific beer only to be told said beer [cough Double Mountain Brewery’s Killer Green cough] was... [Read more]

Two grand beers for the end of summer

Reviewing beer is such a subjective matter. Every beer lover I know has their own tastes – I definitely have mine. There are some beers I’ll never try or drink again. But that doesn’t mean that the beer was necessarily bad – it just wasn’t my cup of tea – or pint being the case. Sure, you’ll still get the occasional beer review from... [Read more]

Inversion IPA: Summer every day beer

By “Schlockstar” What’s that one beer you seem to drink all summer long? The old standby that you can turn to day in and day out, every week, old faithful, never disappointing the taste buds? Everyone has their favorite. Mine? Deschutes’ Inversion IPA. I remember reading about it a couple years back and anxiously awaiting its debut two years ago. A few... [Read more]

Tales of the Cocktail Part 3

I’m finally back from New Orleans. Although the Tales of the Cocktail ended on Monday, I stayed to visit with friends and take a quick side trip to Austin to visit some relatives. It’s good to be back in the cooler weather of Portland. A few more observations: Absinthe is all over the place this year, and my tour of the forthcoming Absinthe Museum of America on... [Read more]

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