Organic Brewer's Festival at the Forestry Center
I often ponder what makes organic beer a superior beverage. Could it really be that a lack of pesticides and poisonous fertilizers is evident on my tongue as I knock back a glass? Maybe it's just the idea that I like, but I present as evidence my favorite breweries: Laurelwood, Roots, Otter Creek, Fish. All four will be on the hill this Saturday at the 2006 North American Organic Brewer's Festival along with many craft breweries unheard of in these parts. Wholly Shit.The celebration is organized by Roots Organic Brewing which offers one explanation for organic superiority on their festival webpage:
"Up until the last century, hops and barley, as with most crops were grown organically, without chemical fertilizers and pesticides. It is only appropriate that the historical beer styles revived by the craft brewing movement be brewed organically."
Some intrinsic aspects of brewing and beer culture remain valid in my idealistic perspective; community, craft, artistry, commerce, good times, building positive relationships through healthy interaction. Organic craft brewing to me is a natural extension of the best beer ideal. Corporations consider best management practices; organic craft beer is a best practice for living. It's sad that products need to be certified by the government as free of pesticides and other chemicals, but if that's what it takes to inform consumers it's probably worth the hassle and expense.
OK, if you’re still not convinced to meet me at the Forestry Center on Saturday consider this. You can take the MAX to Washington Park, the continent’s deepest train station. An elevator pops you out 260 feet above in beer Eden where you’ll sip some of the world’s finest liquid sustenance in a forested park overlooking downtown Portland.
If one brought a bike, one could conceivably hurtle down the Westhills at ridiculous speeds after organic beer imbibation, angering old aristocrats and barons of industry in their mansion fortresses with fervent whoops and howls. Such activity would be reckless, illegal, ill-advised, but inimitably Portland. I do not condone such behavior. ...and wear a damn helmet.
posted by Bridger at 12:24 PM
6 Comments:
I wanna go check that one out. I had the Heather ale at Roots last night. Stellar!
Heather is not like anyhting I've tasted before. I wonder if they'll have it at the festival?
I'd go to Roots every night if I could. Too bad it's across town. I'm going to have Tuesdays off work this summer so hopefuly every week I can gorge myself on thier $2.50 pints. Summer in Portland is paradise, I had forgotten.
I wish I could fly up there for the orgofest. I homebrew organically, for the most part, and grow my own organic hops. New Zealand is the king of organic hops, by the way, and there are many sources of organic grains for homebrewers.
I'm not sure what's funny about organic hops.
Until recently, I've generally found organic beers an inferior product. Maybe it was the ingredients, maybe the breweries.. Luckily, work by the folks at Roots, Laurelwood and elsewhere have really raised the bar to the point where some organic beers are, like, tops in their style.
I've only started drinking organic beer in the last year or two, so they've always been great as far as I can tell. It's interesting to hear it wasn't always that way. To me it makes sense that better beer comes from better ingedients. I'm no expert, but I think of the apples at the store, shiny with wax vs small and expensive, then I think of the hundred-mile algae plume off the Missisippi delta for an entirely differnt motivation. Some things seem great that don't turn out that way and some things get better with time.
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