Dave Knows Portland

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!

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.

April 2-3: Spring Beer & Wine Fest 2010

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Spring Beer and Wine Fest 2010The 16th annual Spring Beer & Wine Fest takes place at the Convention center (777 NE MLK) on Friday and Saturday, April 2nd and 3rd.

Festival-goers will enjoy samples of more than 80 craft beers, 30 regional wineries and many local artisan spirits, plus delectable tastes of specialty cheese and handcrafted chocolate, all while mingling with brewers, winemakers and other craftspeople. In addition, the festival will also offer a global shopping marketplace, cooking demonstrations and educational seminars on the Chef’s Stage, and live music featuring Northwest bands including Keegan Smith & the Fam.

This is perhaps the only regularly occurring local beer festival that I have not ever visited . . . and dangit, I’m going to miss it again this year (I’ll be out of town). Maybe next year! Some of the stuff I’ll be missing:

There are about a million vendors (okay maybe I exaggerate a bit – but there are a lot), beer and wine competitions, a Tour de Cheese and Chocolatiers, and live music.

Both days the fest runs from noon-11pm. Admission is free the first two hours each day, but $5 after 2pm. For $20 you get a tasting glass or plastic beer mug and 10 tokens (standard $1 each for extras). Kids are welcome, with accompanying adults of course, until 7pm (under 12 get in free).

January 29-31: Pinball Pedal and Chocolate Fest

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January comes to an end. Though it’s felt almost spring-like a few days this month, we still have a couple more months of rain and 40 degrees (sorry if this disturbs you but I speak the truth!). So, we make the best of it. The best of it this weekend involves two of my favorite things: pinball and chocolate . . .

Chocolate FestChocolate Fest

Chocolate Fest returns to the World Forestry Center (4033 SW Canyon Road) again this year, and even football fans can make it because it won’t be held on Superbowl Weekend (like last year). [more]

Pinball Pedal

Pinball is one of my favorite participatory sports (juggling would be the other), so the upcoming Pinball Pedal is one of the first bicycle tours to interest me. Though not as ironic as the Tweed Ride which occurs the same day, bikes, beer, and pinball make for a quintessential Portland-style event. [more]