Eugene Weekly : Holiday Happenings : 11.15.07

Holiday Happenings :

Candles in the Window, Carols at the Spinet Plethora of Eugene options for the hols
Winter Warmers Lift a pint for (or of) holiday beer
Oh, Christmas Tree! A source of agony, a source of income
Tasting Heaven Thanksgiving weekend makes the palate merry
Holiday Events Seasonal calendar a glance

Winter Warmers
Lift a pint for (or of) holiday beer
BY MOLLY TEMPLETON

Every October, there’s a day I look forward to: the day I spy Deschutes Brewery’s Jubelale on a store shelf or in a friend’s refrigerator. This is the sign of fall being in full swing, of winter being on its way … and of more winter beers in my future. Trips to the grocery store start to result in sixers of Full Sail’s Wassail, Bridgeport’s Ebenezer and Alaskan Winter Ale; I start paying more attention to what’s on tap when I go out. And there are plenty of places in town at which you can stop in, shed your layers of coats, sweaters and scarves and put back a pint or two of wondrous winter beer.

According to McMenamins’ website, the Northwest brewery’s tasty Sleepy Hollow Nut Brown is on tap now, and their “subtly spiced with cinnamon, ginger and allspice” winter beer, Kris Kringle, should be available at all their restaurants starting Nov. 16. At High Street Brewery and Café, you might find something special to the cozy pub; brewer Lane Fricke says he’ll probably create something seasonal in the coming weeks though he’s not sure what just yet. One possibility is Heavy Hand, which Fricke describes as an IPA-style strong ale.

At Eugene City Brewery, you can currently get Rogue’s Santa’s Private Reserve, a variation of the brewery’s Saint Rogue Red. And in a few weeks, you’ll be able to try ECB brewer Trevor Howard’s Festivus, which he says is “an English-style old ale, high in alcohol, low in hops, with a really malty profile.” Over at Steelhead Brewery, look for the return of Heat Miser, “a standard winter seasonal, big, malty, amber-brown color, dry hopped,” according to brewer Ted Fagan. Fagan’s also brewing Behemoth, a strong ale with about 10 percent alcohol. Both Steelhead seasonals should be available between mid-November and early December.

Our two upstart — er, youthful — Eugene breweries also have new offerings for fall. Willamette Brewery‘s beer lovers threw in their hats with Wandering Goat Coffee Roasters, who created a cold water extract of the coffeeshop’s espresso blend for the brewers to use in their new Espresso Stout. Willamette’s Jeff Althouse says there’s the equivalent of about a shot of espresso per pint. “It’s big on game day at some of our sports bars — people have it as their breakfast beer,” he says. The surprisingly light (and unsurprisingly delicious) stout is beginning its life as a seasonal, but Althouse says that if interest stays high, Willamete will keep brewing it beyond the winter season.

Ninkasi‘s Jamie Floyd says the same thing about his brewery’s new winter beer, Oatis Oatmeal Stout. Last year’s Ninkasi winter seasonal, the Believer Double Red, was so popular it became a year-round brew, and it’s possible this one might as well. The stout is named for a black lab, Otis, who belongs to Ninkasi’s brewer and part owner; the “a” in Oatis was added “to show the oats in the stout.”

These beers, excellent as they all are, are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to winter seasonals — it’s still early, after all. When I asked what other winter beers the Bier Stein might have on tap in the coming weeks, Chip Hardy offered up a list of more than 20, including Terminal Gravity’s Festivus, two Belgian beers, Bison Ginger Bread Ale and Diamond Knot’s Ho Ho Brown. If you’re craving even more wintry beer flavors, consider getting out of town for Portland’s Holiday Ale Festival, Nov. 29-Dec. 2. More than 36 festive brews from across the west will be available for tasting, including Laurelwood’s SinterKlaas, Lompoc’s Brewdolph, Pelican’s Bad Santa and ever so many more. (Check www.holidayale.com for details.)

Willamette Brewery’s Espresso Stout is available at McShane’s, Highlands, 20 east, The Vintage, Eugene City Brewery, Bel Ami and 101 at Big River Restaurant in Corvallis; it’s on rotation at the WOW Hall, Bene Gourmet Pizza on Willamette, Sam Bond’s Garage, The Bier Stein and Cornucopia. Ninkasi’s Oatis Oatmeal Stout is available at Marché, Starlight Lounge, The Old Pad, Cornucopia and soon at Jameson’s and other locations; it’s also available at Corvallis’ Fox and Firkin and Suds and Suds.

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