Archives for November 2007

Manzanita gets the New York Times treatment

November 30, 2007 by Dave 4 Comments

Maybe the Times has finally run out of things to write about Portland.

By the Beach, a Town Where Winter Also Has Its Fans

ON the drive south from Neahkahnie Mountain toward Manzanita on the north coast of Oregon, the view is startling: broad cobalt skies above shaving-cream waves that ghost toward shore, all complemented by low, purple mountains that bulk in the distance.

The article gives a few real-estate tips to rich people, but then explains the Oregon phenomena of coastal storm watching:

In early winter, the rains arrive, and winter storms; the average annual rainfall is about 90 inches. Even so, many residents say they look forward to the storms and sit on the beach to watch them roll in.

That’s under a Cons subheading, so hopefully the Times audience doesn’t read too carefully and us locals will still be able to get a cheap place to stay on the coast during the winter.

Best KFC-themed blog post ever

November 28, 2007 by Dave 3 Comments

Rick at the Portland blog Beerdrinker.org is a friend of mine, and also quite a character.

In a recent post, Further adventures of the Kentucky Colonel, he documents his Halloween adventures as the famous colonel.

Where would Colonel Sanders go out for lunch? Why Popeye’s Chicken and Biscuits of course!

I can’t help but wonder what’s going through the minds of those two customers that pose with the Colonel in the parking lot.

A brace of soccer sales

November 28, 2007 by Dave Leave a Comment

The next two weekends will be good for Portland area soccer players and fans who like to shop.

Friday November 30th Far Post Soccer Supply kicks off their holiday sale. Enjoy a cup of hot cider and an EPL games on the TV while you browse the sale items. The sale runs through Sunday, December 2nd. Here are some of the sale highlights:

All Wallbangers – 25% off
All compression gear – 30 % off
All regulation balls – 25% off
All DVDs – 20% off
Select ’07 replica – up to $20 off
Clearance items – up to 75% off

Timbers If you don’t get enough soccer paraphernalia this weekend, then head to PGE Park next Saturday, December 8th, for the holiday sale.

From 10am-4pm all Timbers and Beavers merchandise will be on sale.

Timbers gear will be 25% off. The lucky baseball fans will find Beavers gear 50-60% off!

11/29-12/2: Pickled herring, winter ales and glühwein

November 27, 2007 by Dave 5 Comments

Festivals are few and far between in late fall and winter, but this weekend is one of the exceptions. Fight the holiday cheer and cold: imbibe copious amounts of alcohol, sausage, and pickled herring.

Thursday-Sunday

Pioneer Square hosts the Holiday Ale Festival once again. Stay warm and dry and claustrophobic under the big tent. Take the Max home (if you must drive, rot your teeth with root beer) after you enjoy too many beers with too high an alcohol content and too much cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Actually, there are lots of other choices besides spiced winter ales, but be careful: almost everything is strong.

You know the drill: admission is free, but the plastic mugs are $5 and the samples are a $1 each. No kids at this festival, must be over 21 to enter the tent. Go Thursday for some special beers.

(My favorite part of the Holiday Ale Festival tradition is heading to the Virginia Cafe afterwards for a Cajun Jack Gardenburger and fries.)

Saturday-Sunday

The Scandinavian Heritage Foundation has been putting on the ScanFair for 23 years. Besides the typical xmas bazaar crap, dancers and musicians perform on two stages, there will be various how-to demonstrations of traditional crafts, Oregon’s 52nd Lucia Queen of Light will be crowned and the highlight: a pickled herring eating contest noon on Saturday!

The fair is held at PSU, on the 3rd floor of the Smith Memorial Center (1825 SW Broadway). Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and students, $3 for children 6 to 12 years, and 5 and under get in free.

Meanwhile out in Beaverton the German American School of Portland (located in the old Nike headquarters across from Kmart: 3900 SW Murray Blvd) is hosting the 8th annual German Holiday Market. This is another xmas bazaar-type thing, but with German foods, sweets, and glühwein! I have only recently become acquainted with the German mulled wine (available at Amnesia Brewing this fall and winter when their electric kettle isn’t on the fritz), but it’s fast becoming my favorite winter drink.

Being a native Portlander of German and Norwegian descent I feel obligated to attend all three of this weekend’s festivals – see you there!

Looking on the bright side of the hop shortage

November 25, 2007 by Dave Leave a Comment

Both hops and barley prices are way up this year, and brewers are feeling the pinch; especially local craft brewers, and drinkers, who aren’t fond of adjuncts like corn or rice.

But I am hopeful the result, other than $5+ pints, will be some lighter, more complex beers.

I can appreciate the malty and bitter jolt of a powerfully hopped IPA on occasion, but local drinkers’ obsession with the style baffles me; if the bitterness stuns my tongue into numbness, how am I to taste anything besides the hops?

Give me a tart and sweet lambic, a strong roasty porter, a true European-style pilsner, an ale where the sweet bready malt doesn’t disappear behind the bitter flowery hops!