Dave Knows Portland

The Wedge 2011

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The WedgeThe Wedge: Portland Celebrations Cheese Festival returns to the Green Dragon Bistro & Brewpub (928 SE 9th) this Saturday, October 8, 2011.

This farmer’s market-style event is organized by the Oregon Cheese Guild to showcase artisan, specialty, and farmstead cheesemakers from throughout the Northwest.

Southeast 9th in front of the pub between Belmont and Yamhill will be blocked off to make room for 32 cheesemakers, including Fraga Farm Goat Cheese, Rivers Edge Chevre, Rogue Creamery (creators of one of my favorite cheeses, Rogue River Blue!), Tillamook Cheese, Tumalo Farms, Willamette Valley Cheese Company, and more.

The cheese fest goes from 10am to 4pm. Though the event is free and open to the public, the Oregon Cheese Guild suggests a $5 entry contribution to benefit the the nonprofit’s efforts to support and promote the artisan cheesemaker community.

Holiday Booze Bazaar (11-December-2010)

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Whiskey!House Spirits Distillery‘s 5th Annual Holiday Booze Bazaar takes place Saturday, December 11 at the distillery (2025 SE 7th).

We’re back at it this year with holiday cheer, kittens and mistletoe, and a ton of decorations! We have a bunch of wonderful vendors and will be releasing a special House Spirits White Dog, our 100% malted barley un-aged whiskey, in a convenient 750ml sized bottle.

Vendors this year include Imbibe Magazine, Jacob’s Creamery, Joyas de Panama Cigars, Olympic Provisions, Sassafras, Theo Chocolate, and more!

Heather and I attended this, and the similar Season’s Eatings event at New Deal Distillery, last year and can attest that this is a holiday bazaar you’ll actually enjoy!

Mini cocktails and snacks will be available, as well as booze gift boxes, barware, bitters, mixers and cocktail books. This event is free, but you must be over 21 to attend. It runs from 11am until 5pm.

Season’s Eatings at New Deal Distillery (11-December-2010)

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Season's Eatings 2010The 2nd Annual Season’s Eatings at New Deal Distillery (1311 SE 9th) takes place Saturday, December 11 2010 from noon until 6pm.

Some of the region’s best chocolates, cheeses, wines, spirits, charcuterie, baked goods, and pasta will be available to sample and to purchase, and it’s all a benefit for the Oregon Food Bank. Admission is free with one non-perishable food item or cash donation.

The Little Red Bike Cafe may be defunct, but Ali and Evan certainly aren’t. Ali will be at Season’s Eatings offering artisan jams and handmade granola under the moniker ‘Little Branch‘. Outside Evan will be manning Lucy’s Original, offering hamburgers and milkshakes!

Also in attendance will be Dessert Labs, Tails and Trotters, Gales Meadow Farm, Confectionary, Xocolatl de David, Clive Coffee, Random Order Coffeehouse and Bakery, Briar Rose Creamery, The Hop and Vine, Riverwave Foods, Unbound Pickling, and People’s Sandwich of Portland – whew!

June 7: The Cheese Stands Alone Science Pub

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Omsi Science PubOMSI’s Science Pub event for June 2010 takes place this Monday the 7th at the Bagdad Theater (3702 SE Hawthorne).

Oregon State University professor of Food Science and Technology Lisbeth Goddiki, Ph.D. presents The Cheese Stands Alone: The Science Behind Oregon’s Acclaimed Artisan Cheeses.

Oregon wine is mighty fine, but, increasingly, no one does cheese like the Beaver State, either. In recent years, Oregon’s specialty artisan cheeses have achieved international acclaim. Oregon’s Rogue River Blue, for instance, was named Best of Show in 2009 in the prestigious American Cheese Society’s annual artisan cheese competition, beating out more than 1,300 other entrants. Oregon cheeses took a jaw-dropping 22 prizes overall in the competition. Business for our cheese makers, even in a down economy, is booming.

What’s so special about the way we separate the curds from the whey? What’s different for manufacturers today as they approach the ages-old craft of cheese making? What do they know that you can benefit from in shopping for and/or making your own cheese?

Science Pub runs from 7 to 9pm, but arrive early (5pm doors open) to secure your beer, grub, and a seat! There’s a $3.00 suggested donation/cover charge.

April 17: Firkin Fest 2010

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Firkin Fest 2010The 3rd Annual Firkin Fest takes place Saturday, April 17th at the Green Dragon (928 SE 9th).

A firkin, for those unfamiliar with the term, is an old English unit of volume.

For beer and ale a firkin is equal to nine imperial gallons, seventy-two pints, or a quarter of a barrel (40.91481 litres). Casks in this size (themselves called firkins) are the most common container for cask ale.

Now you know.

The Firkin Fest features firkins of beer from twenty Oregon breweries, artisan cheeses and chocolates, and is structured quite differently from most local beer festivals. This beer fest ain’t cheap ($30!), and you have to buy tickets ahead of time (at Rogue.com, or at the Green Dragon by phone or in person). But, the crowding won’t be quite as ridiculous as at some beer fests because attendance is split into two sessions, with only a limited number of tickets sold for each (last year it was 200 per session).

Heather and I attended last year’s event, and thought there were not enough places to sit or lean and prop your pint, there were no lines for most of the beers most of the time, which was a pleasant departure from most beer festivals.

The $30 admission gets you a souvenir glass, eight 6 ounce taster tickets, and two food tickets. The first session runs from 11am to 2pm, and the second from 3pm to 6pm.