Malt Ball, PBY party, first Commons bottles: the Beer Here for the week of Mar 23- 29

POWERED BY YEAST FIRST ANNIVERSARY PARTY

LAMBIC BLENDING SEMINAR 4- 5:30 p.m. Saturday, March 24, 2012 Bazi Bierbrasserie, 1522 S.E. 32nd Ave.; $20, Reservations here

In West Flanders, brew masters often blend old (oude) and young (jong) lambic beers to create a final product sold to the public. Join Artisanal Imports and Powered by Yeast at Bazi to taste and experience how the addition of a very sour beer into a more mild beer changes the character. Participants will get to sample six different lambic blends all while learning about the history and characteristics of this style of beer. Inevitably, beer enthusiasts will find a balance that suits them, whether its a strong percentage of young beer or 100% sour.

Big Time Brewing Co, founded in Seattle in 1988, is Washingtons oldest brewpub. Head brewer Drew Cluley and asst. brewer Bradley Zimmerman are in Portland for two events tonight and tomorrow afternoon, so you can taste some of their fine ales. Whiny the Complainer and Wheatapaug Groove will be pouring at Saraveza tonight and theyll be joined by Powderfinger Rye Ale and Scarlet Fire IPA at Apex tomorrow, which is also the site of a washoe tournament for beer industry teams.

About the beer: Whiny is a delicious triple India Pale Ale that features an abundant amount of bitterness, hop flavor and aroma from over 3 lbs of hops per barrel. Hops include, Cascade; Centennial, Chinook; Columbus; Magnum; Amarillo; and Simcoe. WtC was dry hopped with Nelson Sauvin hops from New Zealand. Original gravity 1.088; Terminal gravity 1.019; 9.1% abv. The name Whiny the Complainer was thought up by former head brewer Bill Jenkins it is in homage to Russian Rivers Pliny the Younger and the patrons who whine because they missed out on their coveted few ounces of PtY. Whiny was the 2,300th batch brewed at the Big Time since batch #1 was brewed on November 10th 1988.

Wheatapaug Groove is a hoppy American wheat ale with lots of Cascade, Chinook and Amarillo hops. The addition of orange juice concentrate to the boil adds to the citrusy goodness of this beer. Original gravity 1.054; Terminal gravity 1.012 5.5% abv. Powderfinger is a pale spicy ale with 18% rye malt supporting a decent bitterness and floral note from the plentiful use of Liberty hops. Original gravity 1.067; Terminal gravity 1.015; 6.8% abv.

Scarlet Fire IPA became the fifth year round beer at the Big Time in 1996 joining Bhagwan's Best IPA, Prime Time Pale Ale, Atlas Amber, and Coal Creek Porter as the only beers always available in our pub. These five ales are augmented by 25 to 30 seasonal beers throughout the year. Scarlet Fire features Cascade, Columbus, Chinook and Centennial hops. Original gravity 1.066; Terminal gravity 1.017; 6.4% abv.

BROTHERLY LOVE IN BOTTLES

The first bottle-conditioned beer from The Commons is finally ready: Brotherly Love, a variation of Little Brother Belgian dark strong ale. Its matured in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels with red tart cherries and roasted Peruvian cocoa nibs and there are just 150 bottles available as befits the Commons nano-brewery heritage. The Beetje Series is a celebration of those beginnings. First brewed in 2010 on a one-barrel system housed in Mike Wrights garage, these small-batch beers pay homage to the rustic brewery that continues to inspire our creativity and ingenuity.

Fearless Brewing celebrates the vernal equinox and its this years batch of its popular Maibock (36 IBU and 7.5% alcohol) with a release party that includes live music by Fireside Six, plus brewer Ken Johnson will be on hand for brewery tours and to answer questions about beer styles and brewing techniques. German brewers were once only able to brew beer during the winter months, and Maibock was the first beer released, and is characterized by its freshness, with pronounced grain and continental hop flavors. Theyll begin pouring Maibock at noon and will also have Scottish Ale, Clackamas Cream Ale, Peaches n Cream Ale, Porter, Mjolnir IPA and Loki Red on tap, plus a bit of Fearless Strong Scotch Ale.

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Malt Ball, PBY party, first Commons bottles: the Beer Here for the week of Mar 23- 29