November is a big month for Deschutes Brewery

From the city to the far flung 'burbs, Deschutes is making sure you didn't miss that they are now fully distributed in their first East Coast state — Pennsylvania. With a partnership that began this past summer with importing distributor, Muller Inc. of Philadelphia, some of the Bend, Oregon brewery's flagship beers can now be found with relative ease around the Philadelphia metropolitan region.

From November 4 through November 9, Deschutes and Muller are undertaking its own massive events calendar with Deschutes Base Camp.

If you're anything like me, this is great news. For years, a Black Butter Porter was always high on the list of must-drinks when visiting the west coast. Of course, coming home with something a bit more high-end, like an Abyss or a Dissident, was always part of the plan as well. Now, the Black Butte is available year-round in Pennsylvania as is the Chainbreaker White IPA and Mirror Pond Pale Ale.

Fun fact: Did you know that the brewery was named after the river of the same name that snakes through Bend?

Fun fact #2: Deschutes' brew pub in Bend took home two silver medals from this year's Great American Beer Festival, held just last weekend in Denver, one for its Gluten-free Beer and one for its Sage Fight Imperial IPA.

I recently took the time to sample all three, compliments of a sampler pack that showed up on my doorstep. I made the most of my recent vacation to take plenty of time to dip into all three of these and develop well-considered notes for your consumption.

Read on after the tasting notes to see what Deschutes and Muller have in store for the Philly region in November. Cheers!

Mirror Pond Pale Ale - 5.0% ABV. 40 IBU. 170 calories. Gold Medal in 2010 Great American Beer Festival competition. Available: Year-round. As nearly perfect a balance in a delightful pale ale as you'll find. Moderate in maltiness and bitterness, yet extreme in enjoyable drinkability. If you want to talk about gateways into ales, this classic pale ale could certainly be one.

Chainbreaker White IPA - 5.6% ABV. 55 IBU. 180 calories. Silver Medal in 2012 Great American Beer Festival competition. Available: Year-round. A new Deschutes beer for me and what a welcome addition. Is it an IPA? Is it a Wheat? Is it a Belgian? Can it be all of the above? Full of interesting flavors, breaking the mold of the traditional IPA with bursts of delicious and refreshing citrus aromas and flavors, but tempered with a contribution of bready yeastiness. Could drink this year-round but will be sure to have a constant stash of this on hand every summer.

Black Butte Porter - 5.2% ABV. 30 IBU. 192 calories. Bronze Medal in 2009 Great American Beer Festival competition. Available: Year-round. Here, another classic. A porter that is full of roasty and chocolatey dark malts and light hop bitter flavor, yet not heavy on the palate. A dark, session beer to drink all night, just to confound those that still believe that dark beers are too heavy.

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From the Press Release:

Deschutes Brewery Base Camp Week
November 4 through 9, 2013

Deschutes Brewery Base Camp is a celebration of Mirror Pond's easy-drinking goodness, along with many more of the brewery's passion-heavy, pioneering brews. The Deschutes Brewery team is traveling around to cities all over, providing passionate fans with a seriously fun exploration of beer. Make the trek to Base Camp. It all begins here!

You can chime in and listen to the Base Camp chatter on Twitter using #BeerBaseCamp and by following @DeschutesBeer.

Mon, 11/4, 6:30-9pm, Small Plates, Big Tastes Dinner (Side Bar & Restaurant) - $50; Five delectable small plates of mouthwatering fare paired expertly with Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Inversion IPA, Hop Trip Fresh Hop Pale Ale, Jubelale (on Nitro), and the 25th anniversary Black Butte XXV.

Tues, 11/5, 7pm, Landmarks Beer Dinner (Monk's Café) - $65; Each dish will be paired with beers like Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Black Butte Porter, Chainbreaker White IPA, Inversion IPA, Collage, Chasin' Freshies Fresh Hop IPA, and Class of '88 Imperial Smoked Porter. Assistant Brewmaster Ben Kehs will be present to discuss each landmark course.

Tues, 11/5, 8-10pm, Beer Geek Bonanza (Hulmeville Inn) - $PAYG; Deschutes Brewery brewer Ryan Wibby will be in the house to share the intricacies of all the beers, like Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Black Butte Porter, Inversion IPA, Obsidian Stout, Armory XPA, and the limited collaboration beer Class of '88 Imperial Smoked Porter.

Wed, 11/6, 5-7pm, Beer & Cheese (The Foodery - Wash Square West) - $PAYG; Local cheese from Di Bruno Brothers and the gang from Deschutes Brewery will answer questions and chat about Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Black Butte Porter, Chainbreaker White IPA, Inversion IPA, Obsidian Stout, the Oregon breweryís winter seasonal Jubelale and Hop Trip Fresh Hop Pale Ale.

Wed, 11/6, 5-7pm, Tutored Beer & Cheese (Di Bruno Brothers) - $20; Class attendees will learn the art of cheese pairing from Di Bruno Brothers expert cheesemongers and Deschutes Breweryís beer aficionados.

Wed, 11/6, 6-8pm, Growlers in the Garden (Pinocchio's Beer Garden to Go) - $PAYG; Join brewer Ryan Wibby in the garden to chat and sample favorites like Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Chainbreaker White IPA, Inversion IPA, Obsidian Stout (nitro), winter seasonal Jubelale, Hop Trip Fresh Hop Pale Ale, and a few more rare, hard-to-find brews. The first ten visitors who grab a growler fill of Deschutes Brewery beer will get a free growler.

Wed, 11/6, 7-10pm, Hats Off To Homebrewers (Barren Hill Tavern & Brewery) - $35; Chat with brewers from all three breweries. Sip on an exclusive brew made just for the event, out of your commemorative snifter. Gather complimentary brewing supplies, including clone recipe booklets and bags of whole flower hops, to use in your next homebrew (supplies are limited). Enjoy three beer samples from each brewery, expertly paired with three gourmet tapas-style items from Chef Paul Trowbridge.

Wed, 11/6, 10pm-close, Pin-Ups and Pints (Varga Bar) - $PAYG; A "pin-up-themed" evening with Deschutes Brewery. Play some games, win a challenge and have a tasty pint of Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Chainbreaker White IPA or Hop Trip Fresh Hop Pale Ale, all for chances to win tickets to the brewery's marquis event "Beer-lesque: Tastings and Tassels" Friday night at Urban Saloon.

Thurs, 11/7, 2-4pm, Beer & Cheese (The Foodery - Northern Liberties) - $PAYG; The gang from Deschutes Brewery will answer questions and chat about Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Black Butte Porter, Chainbreaker White IPA, Inversion IPA, Obsidian Stout, the Oregon breweryís winter seasonal Jubelale and Hop Trip Fresh Hop Pale Ale.

Thurs, 11/7, 4-6pm, Keg Kicker Happy Hour (TJs Restaurant & Drinkery) - $PAYG; Cracking open kegs of beer like Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Black Butte Porter, Inversion IPA, Jubelale, Obsidian Stout (Nitro), and Black Butte XXV is guaranteed to quench everyoneís thirst. To top it all off, an appetizer item will be paired with each beer and samples of the Class of í88 Imperial Smoked Porter will be floating around.

Thurs, 11/7, 5-9pm, Phila-Gonia: East Meets West (London Grill) - $15-$65; The Deschutes Brewery crew will be in the house once again sharing pints of beers like Black Butte Porter, Chainbreaker White IPA, Jubelale, Chasin' Freshies Fresh Hop IPA. Rare beers like Collage and Black Butte XXIV (the ONLY keg in all of PA) are part of The Stoic multi-course dinner only. Live blues music by the Carol Moog Band.

Thurs, 11/7, 8-11pm, Outta Line with Deschutes Brewery (Blue Dog Family Tavern- Chalfont) - $PAYG; Live music with local favorites Outta Line will be matched up with some great beer. Beers include Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Black Butte Porter, Chainbreaker White IPA, Jubelale and Hop Trip Fresh Hop Pale Ale. We'll have rare bottles of The Abyss 2012 on hand, as well, winner of the European Beer Star Gold Medal for Imperial Stout.

Fri, 11/8, noon-3pm, Brewer's Luncheon (Jose Pistola's) - $PAYG; Chat with Deschutes Brewery Assistant Brewmaster Ben Kehs and brewer Ryan Wibby about the fantastic beers sampled with a paired luncheon menu. Beers could include Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Black Butte Porter, Chainbreaker White IPA, Inversion IPA, and more. Bottles of the brewery's Black Butte XXV will be available too.

Fri, 11/8, noon-2pm, Brewer's Luncheon (Iron Abbey) - $PAYG; Chat with Deschutes Brewery Assistant Brewmaster Ben Kehs and brewer Ryan Wibby about the fantastic beers sampled with a paired luncheon menu. Beers could include Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Black Butte Porter, Chainbreaker White IPA, Inversion IPA, and more. Bottles of the brewery's Black Butte XXV will be available too.

Fri, 11/8, 5-7pm, Beer & Cheese (The Corner Foodery - Rittenhouse Sq) - $PAYG; The gang from Deschutes Brewery will answer questions and chat about Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Black Butte Porter, Chainbreaker White IPA, Inversion IPA, Obsidian Stout, the Oregon brewery's winter seasonal Jubelale and Hop Trip Fresh Hop Pale Ale.

Fri, 11/8, 5-7pm, Beer & Cheese (The Foodery - Roxborough) - $PAYG; The gang from Deschutes Brewery will answer questions and chat about Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Black Butte Porter, Chainbreaker White IPA, Inversion IPA, Obsidian Stout, the Oregon brewery's winter seasonal Jubelale and Hop Trip Fresh Hop Pale Ale.

Fri, 11/8, 8pm, Beer-lesque: Tastings & Tassels (Urban Saloon) - $5 cover plus $PAYG; An evening full of craft beer-coupled with Naughty Pierre, solo star Fannie Spankings, and the lovely ladies from the Peekaboo Revue. The ladies will feature a Deschutes Brewery beer in each of their burlesque and variety stage acts. Beers will include Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Black Butte Porter, Chainbreaker White IPA, Jubelale, and Chasin' Freshies Fresh Hop IPA. A special "guest" beer will also make an appearance for sampling during intermission.

Sat, 11/9, 1-4pm, DB Day: Pints, Pairings & Prizes (Railroad Street Bar and Grill) - $PAYG; It's the much-anticipated annual Beer Meister giveaway, featuring custom artwork by Integrity Tattoo and presented in partnership with Valor Men's Grooming. There will be no less than 10 beers from Deschutes Brewery to sample, paired with Railroad Street Bar & Grill's famous grilled cheese sandwiches and a chat with brewer Ryan Wibby. Free growlers to the first 20 people to fill a growler full of Deschutes Brewery beer and special raffle prizes will be handed out all afternoon.

Sat, 11/9, all day long, Craft Beer Express: From Around the Bend, Oregon (Pub On Passyunk East - POPE) - $PAYG; What better way to celebrate Deschutes Brewery's final day in Philly than with a tap takeover with Assistant Brewmaster Ben Kehs at the Pub On Passyunk East.

Meet, Greet, and Sample Events
Grab a quick getaway and try some tasty beers from Oregon's Deschutes Brewery. Sample brews like Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Black Butte Porter, winter seasonal Jubelale, and more. Join the crew all week at any of the following times and locations:

Mon, 11/4, 4-6pm, Mari's 6 Pac 'n' Mor, 835 Hiesters Ln., Reading
Mon, 11/4, 6-9pm, Union Jack's Pub - Glenside, 2750 Limekiln Pike, Glenside
Tues, 11/5, 4-6pm, The Beer Shoppe, 46 Greenfield Ave., Ardmore
Tues, 11/5, 5-7pm, The Beer Store, 488 2nd Street Pike, Southampton
Thurs, 11/7, 5-7pm, Whole Foods - Glen Mills, 475 Wilmington West Chester Pike, Glen Mills
Thurs, 11/7, 6-8pm, Whole Foods - Plymouth Meeting, 500 W Germantown Pike #1500
Fri, 11/8, 3-6pm, Capone's, 224 W Germantown Pike, Norristown
Sat, 11/9, noon-3pm, Wegmans, Collegeville, 600 Commerce Drive, Collegeville
Sat, 11/9, noon-3pm, Wegmans, Warrington, 1405 Main St., Warrington
Sat, 11/9, 3:30-6:30pm, Wegmans, King of Prussia, One Village Drive, King of Prussia
Sat, 11/9, 3:30-6:30pm, Wegmans, Malvern, 50 Foundry Way, Malvern
Sat, 11/9, 3:30-6:30pm, Wegmans, Downingtown, 1056 East Lancaster Ave., Downingtown

Philly Beer Week 2010: Day 3 Wrap-Up

Link to Day 3 Pictures

Link back to Day 2 ----- Link forward to Day 4

What Saturday lacked in The Brew Lounge's participation in Philly Beer Week 2010 (see Day 2 if you don't know of what I speak) was completely made up for with a very pleasant Sunday outing. With Patty staying at home, this means, however, that you'll be subjected once again to my quite suspect photography skills (you'd never guess that I was the photography editor of my high school yearbook, now would you?). Though, she was pleased to see her work recognized by the esteemed Jack Curtin who commented on her keen eye and quick shutter finger in capturing William Reed, nightclub dancers, and other activity from Day One.

I began my Sunday with a solid breakfast at home of eggs, bacon, bagels, juice, and coffee. No way I was going to be undernourished on Day 3.

I figured with the city likely to be one traffic nightmare after another (related to the annual Bike Race that takes place in Philly...one of Philly's truly great sporting events/assets to be sure), I opted to begin my Sunday with a quick pop-in at Capone's just outside Norristown on Germantown Avenue. This would then facilitate the Germantown Avenue tour That I planned to take into the City, thus avoiding the Manayunk Mess of people, logjammed traffic, and people leaving SOGO ;-) (if you don't know SOGO, then you don't know! but ask, and maybe I'll tell you)

Quick? HA! This was not to be from the moment I spied my barstool, looked across the bar, and was beckoned by Mr. Dan Bengel. Here we go, I thought...the slippery slope! My 30 minute planned stop turned into around 90 minutes, with as perfect of a sampler as I could have imagined (3 from St. Somewhere and 1 from Cigar City). But then, a special midwestern brew from Boulevard was offered up by John, another fellow barstool jockey, and then, Mr. Big Dan insisted we split an appropriately small glass of Cigar City's brandy barrel-aged Hunahpu. My first experience with this incredible imperial stout was a wonderful one, but certainly an indicator that my time at Capone's must come to a close if I was to stick to the rest of my so-called schedule.

Bob Sylvester stopped in with Jordan Fetfatzes (Bella Vista Beverages) for a couple of hours at Capone's. The affable Bob took time to stop at each table to talk Florida Beer with the folks who had come out to taste some of his fine beers, especially the Saison Athene...this one particularly shone when served after being aged 18 months in wood.

Even though this event was not part of the official 2010 PBW Calendar, I felt it important (as apparently have many others during the restaurant's 4 events that they've conducted over the past 3 days) to stop in for a visit at one of the region's must-stops for great beer and great beer events. My Philly Beer Week is really to be about focusing on the positive, and that's what this stop-in was all about.

Off I went, but not before bumping into Sara (formerly of Ortino's Northside) who was heading in to meet up with Brian, Dan, and John. So, I can only imagine that the leisurely Sunday afternoon lollygagging continued on for a couple of more hours.

Next up on Germantown Avenue was General Lafayette Inn & Brewery in Lafayette Hill, just on the suburban side of the city's northwestern boundary. Chris DePeppe (Beerheads) was there hosting a dog-friendly event called Suds 'n' Buds where the dogs got to play freely behind the restaurant in the bed and breakfast's fenced-in front yard. Maybe 15 people, 10 dogs came out for this event? It seemed like a nice afternoon for the folks to kick back and enjoy some beer while allowing their dogs to get some quality social time and exercise.

Me? I was hoping to try the Copper Crow IPA, one that's been getting some nice reviews. But, alas, the second (or was it third?) batch had just been kicked earlier during brunch, so I went to my fallback beer--and the beer that put Chris Leonard and Russ Czajka on the map for me--the Chocolate Thunder porter. And, just like that it was time to move on.

I'd fallen a bit behind schedule due to the maniacal machinations of Big Dan back at Capone's (fine, fine! I'll take some responsibility as well). I was still intent on hitting up Johnny Brenda's and City Tap House, with not much room for error on the Schuylkill Expressway to get me home in time for the puck drop at 8:20.

I was pleasantly surprised at my ability to easily slide through the city coming down Henry Avenue (I opted off Germantown Avenue at this point since Earth Bread + Brewery was not opening until 4:30pm), Hunting Park, Kelly Drive (now just having been reopened after the Bike Race with virtually no cars yet on the road), to 33rd Street, to Girard....across town hitting most lights 'green' to Girard and Frankford where Casey Hughes (Flying Fish) and Nick Johnson (Tröegs) sat outside like beacons (or sirens?) calling me to crash on the rocks of Johnny Brenda's.

A parking spot out front was not too difficult to come by. Johnny Brenda's remains one of my favorite venues in the city...the building's got real honest-to-goodness character, to say the least. And, to be hosting a solid brewery like Tröegs, its brothers (Chris and John) and "ambassador" (Nick) paired up with some right solid local music (some of which included brewery employees like Ed Yashinsky), this quickly became one of my early favorite events of PBW 2010 thusfar. At least, shall we say, favorite of those I've attended. Otherwise, the Hammer of Glory Tour might instead be at the top of my list.

Some rockin' music, great beer peeps to hang out with, some rockin' beers (roggen beer, yes! the Citra hop-based Scratch 31, yes! in a new oak barrel? yes!) made for a great way to spend a couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon. Then, it was time to add my one last stop before heading home for the Stanley Cup Finals game five.

Mr. (or Brother?) Woody Chandler had stopped in to Johnny Brenda's and although he has been working his way into a Driver's Permit and License (yes, you read that correctly...like how I buried that deep within this posting?!...let's see which of you fastidious readers pick up on it), he's always up for a ride across town. He hadn't been to City Tap House yet and was also interested in checking out the Deschutes premiere that was scheduled.

After dropping off Woody and parking the car (feels like 'Driving Mr. Woody', eh?!), I made my up the elevator and inside to dip into some Hop Henge and The Abyss, two wonderful beers which I've previously only had on the West Coast or GABF...unless you count the bottles that I've flown home with me to drink in the backyard.

We'd arrived too late to get a picture with the brewer, but in enough time to find John Doherty, a couple of Fishtown Beer Runners, The Philly Beer Girl (Helene), and numerous other fans of Deschutes beer.

But, the place certainly would not have been what you'd call crowded. Unless perhaps it was busier closer to the kickoff of the event at 4pm? But, then again, neither was Johnny Brenda's...and these were two very solid events of interesting and unique offerings. Now, of course, Smoke 'Em if Yous Got 'Em at Yards was occurring simultaneously as were dozens of other events, but from reports I've picked up on along the way, attendance at most events has not exactly what I'm guessing most would have hoped for or wanted.

It then brings me back to the question I posed the other day: Is 1000 events too many? (Well, actually, I stated that in my opinion it is, but I am asking for your own feedback as well.) I'll continue to think it is, but will reserve final judgement for a week from now when the post mortem begins. Thus far, though, it seems that in this warmer weather, just as many potential participants (maybe) are doing not as many things as in past years and they're being stretched across almost twice as many "events" as last year. I'll be anxious to hear more from the proprietors and event organizers as the week wears on.

Until then, it's Day 4. Happy (continued) Philly Beer Week 2010! Today and tomorrow may turn out to be the two best weather days of PBW 2010. Enjoy and be safe.

and thus endeth (perhaps) the TBL posting with the most parentheticals ever (?)