Cooking on Cook

When word came that famed Oregon brewer John Harris (Dechutes, Full Sail) was selling his brewery to Great Frontier Holdings, Ecliptic and that most of the beers would be brewed elsewhere, it was a blow as Ecliptic anchored the bottom of trendy Mississippi Avenue in North East Portland.

But news dropped earlier this month (about the same time that we learned that Bagby Beer Co was making way for Green Cheek) that…..

“…Von Ebert Brewing announced it is moving into the formerly Ecliptic Brewing facility on N. Cook Street in Portland, which allows the brewery to expand production and distribution from 4,000 barrels per year to as much as 20,000 barrels per year.”

And, “John Harris is a beer institution who helped put Oregon on the map. By taking over the N. Cook. Street space, Von Ebert will be able to continue the legacy of brewing Oregon’s world-class craft beer.”

The best part of the news comes from Harris, who says, “Von Ebert Brewing makes awesome beers and I look forward to working with them to continue to produce small batch Ecliptic beers on the same equipment.”

The transition to Von Ebert Brewing should have the N. Cook Street taproom reopened this spring.

A Podcast & A Beer – Let’s Make a Sci-Fi

This month the spotlight is on Sci-Fi.

Three Canadian comedians try to create a good sci-fi show, in Let’s Make A Sci-Fi.  Those comedians are Ryan Beil, Maddy Kelly, and Mark Chavez.  It is an eight episode series that follows the ups and the downs of birthing the next cool adventure. 

This podcast ticks a couple boxes off the bat, under 10 episodes so I am waiting for a finish and in the 30 to 40 minute range so I know editing has been done.

Plus this is not just a riff-a-thon. The trio are actually trying with humor as a side dish. Plus it makes you think about why you like certain Sci-Fi and not others. I don’t think I would have made the choices they did and I may not have liked their pilot but the getting there was fun and interesting.

On the craft beer side, I would look for any Ecliptic Brewing beers because they have space and astronomy themed beers that would match plus they have some nice lighter PNW IPAs that would be just right. If not Portland adjacent, I would choose a dark as the sky Czech Dark Lager since that style of beer hides a lighter interior.

5K

As a born and raised Portlander and a Gin fan, this new milestone release from Ecliptic Brewing is doubly up my alley.

This is Batch 5000 and it will be a golden BarleyWine ale aged in Old Tom Gin barrels and will reach 13% ABV. Maybe we will see this in L.A.

Review – Two from Ecliptic Brewing

When NoHo bottle shop, Hop Merchants added Ecliptic beers to their to-go menu, I hopped onto their online order form and picked up a pair to review.

Phaser pours that signature super light and milky color.  Not a lot of fruity here.  Mostly piney and resinous.  Not bad. Tiny bit of citrus shake feel. 

Starburst pours a light orange color. Bright orange aroma. Rind.  Quite bitter.  Like this. West Coast IPA. Grapefruit notes as it warms. 

Ecliptic California Collabs

Ecliptic Brewing of Portland, Oregon is turning 5 years young and will be releasing 5 special beers throughout the year called the 2019 Cosmic Collaboration Series.

John Harris, Ecliptic Brewing’s Owner and Brewmaster has reached out to Brooklyn Brewery, Breakside, Bell’s and two California breweries too.

Here is the full line-up:

Ecliptic Brewing + Brooklyn Brewery: Tangerine Farmhouse Ale (February)
Ecliptic Brewing + Firestone Walker Brewing Co.: Galactica Hazy Double IPA with #692, Idaho 7 and Kasmir (April)
Ecliptic Brewing + Breakside Brewery: Nectarine Sour Ale (June)
Ecliptic Brewing + Bell’s Brewery: Juicy IPA (August)
Ecliptic Brewing + Russian River Brewing Company: Hoppy Belgian Strong Golden Ale (October)

Style + Fruit

Hurray! Finally grapefruit in a beer other than IPA!
Ecliptic-Zenith-Grapefruit-Gose
If I can sneak in a 2nd visit to Ecliptic, I will really want to see how this works out. I always think of grapefruit the way my Mom made it for me, sprinkled with brown sugar and not paired with the salt of a Gose.

Portland Beer – Thanksgiving 2014

It can take me awhile to process and put into words what a I have experienced. Especially with beer vacations. So while I string together some coherent thoughts, here are some photos from my recent trip back to the homeland…..

The new Fat Heads in Portland near Powell's Books
The new Fat Heads in Portland near Powell’s Books

Yup. Growler fills in grocery stores.
Yup. Growler fills in grocery stores.

My first visit to Ecliptic on South Mississippi.
My first visit to Ecliptic on South Mississippi.

The imaginative names at Ecliptic.
The imaginative names at Ecliptic.

Ecliptic Filament Winter IPA

Ecliptic-Filament-Winter-IPA-label

Talk about a cool and understated label with an intriguing beer from Ecliptic inside.  The name is an inspired choice.  Fits the brewery name and the season.  Though, I have started seeing the nomenclature of Winter or Fall IPA’s on some beers and I hope this sub-set of a style gets some clarification.  Otherwise we could be heading toward a free-fall come judging time.