The sign outside lists it as one of the top 10 pubs in the country… Had to stop in for a few lunch pints.

So, first selection was the Frearless Brewing Scottish ale. It is a lite brown sweet ale with a pretty good body. Head was disappointing because it did not last long and now a little flat :-(. Not a huge selection of beers on tap other than the normal fair of Irish brews. I wanted to try more Oregon locals since this was my first time in Portland!

Oh well on with lunch. You know the place has something on the ball when you can walk in at 11am and there is a cop sitting at a table drinking a beer! Food should be decent… having the reuben when it comes out.

Pappa J

DIA airport – New Belgium pub terminal C

Waiting on a flight home and had to stop by to have the seasonal release of Hoptober from New Belgium. As everyone knows by now, Pappa J has never been a hop-head, but in recent weeks he has been a hopvert and coming around to the dark side of beer. This seasonal brew is very tasty and deserves a few pints to really get a good buzz going before the flight 🙂

So anyone flying though DIA in the near future, I recommend the Hoptober brew for those who want a great beer for the road and something to remember from Colorado!

Not very frothy, but still went down smooth!

Pappa J

Ah, it’s that blessed time of year again…It is the dawn of the Pumpkin Ale .

Brother Boom was ordained to determine the best pumpkin ale in these parts. As it turned out – the first holy battle was a misnomer, it was akin to a slaughter.

Jack’s Pumpkin Spice Ale versus Dogfish Head Punkin Ale.

Jack’s came out lame, barely registering a noticeable pumpkin flavor. It floated out of the bottle as a thin ale with the ever so slight taste of pumpkin. Weak!  It boasted having nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and clove, but I only tasted a watered down wanna be. Very disappointed.

Dogfish Head landed a shot to the labanza that made my halo spin! A bit too much of everything!  Real Pumpkin – CHECK! Brown sugar – check! Allspice – accounted for! Cinnamon – definitely in the steeple! Nutmeg – all over the place.

But at the very least it had a definitive taste! Even after a few seconds, the over-powering taste still lingered. I needed a buffalo wing to clear my palate!

Stunned…but it’s clearly the first round winner for having the temerity to blast out of the gate tasting!

I can’t wait for round 2!