Events for August 26, 2010

Meet the Brewer -- Walkabout Brewing

Green Dragon Bistro and Brewpub, 928 SE 9th Ave., Portland

5:00 PM

A rare chance to meet up with this elusive southern Oregon brewery! Featuring Worker’s American Pale Ale, Red Back IPA and Jabberwocky English Strong Ale.

Upright Brewing Beer and Barbecue Dinner at Urban Farmer

Urban Farmer Restaurant, Nines Hotel (8th Floor), 525 SW Morrison Street, Portland

7:00 PM

Chef Matt Christianson of Urban Farmer Restaurant has partnered with Upright Brewing owner and head brewer, Alex Ganum, to celebrate summer’s quintessential ingredients: Beer and Barbecue. Chef Matt and Alex have collaborated on a five-course dinner that pairs Oregon Dungeness crab, Wagyu beef and Afton Field Farm chicken with farmhouse inspired beers that are brewed just a few miles from the restaurant in the Rose Quarter’s Left Bank Project.

Upright Brewing is located in Portland near the Rose Quarter, and specializes in farmhouse inspired beers rooted in France and Belgium but made with local ingredients and a Pacific Northwest twist. The name is a reference to legendary jazz musician Charles Mingus and his primary instrument, the upright bass. Mingus was a musician whose compositions defy categorization. At Upright, we use a special saison yeast and open fermenters to produce beers that are a true hybrid style, sharing Mingus’ spirit of exercising creativity and craft.

Alex Ganum is the owner and head brewer of Upright, and will be attending the dinner and offering insight into the unique brews. He grew up drinking his father’s German pilsners and his older brother’s Bells Porter before moving to Portland in 2002. After meeting several homebrewers he decided to give it a go and never looked back. Seven years later his love of brewing led him to open Upright, a brewery he thinks is as much part of the community as it is personal.

Thursday, August 26th
7:00 p.m.

Urban Farmer Restaurant in the Nines Hotel (8th Floor)
525 SW Morrison Street in downtown Portland

BEER & BBQ DINNER MENU:

First Course
Frogmore stew with Dungeness Crab, Hawaiian Blue Prawns, Hama Hama Clams, corn, chorizo, and new potatoes

Paired with Upright #4 – Wheat Beer
Four is truly a light yet flavorful beer. The recipe uses a good portion of wheat and incorporates a sour mash into the process to make it slightly tart and extra refreshing. It has delicate aromas and flavors that span a range of floral, grassy and herbal notes. The finish is extra dry and makes the beer a great beverage to pair with food.

Second Course
Kansas City-style BBQ Wagyu brisket, foie gras, house pickled cherries

Paired with Upright #6 – Dark Rye Beer
Six is a dark rye beer with layered flavors including chocolate, caramel, pepper, wood, cherry and tropical fruit. It starts semi-dry and smooth and finishes fully dry and tart with a small bite from the hops.

Third Course
Buttermilk fried Afton Field Farm chicken, fried green tomatoes, basil aioli, house pickled beets

Paired with Upright #7 – Saison
Seven is our most aromatic beer. The brewery’s saison yeast is fully expressed in the aroma with lots of fruitiness while the hops provide light spice notes. The beer has some heft mid-palette but finishes dry with a lightly lingering bitterness.

Fourth Course
Prime Short rib Chili, lardo wrapped green beans, cold water cornbread

Paired with Reggae Junkie Gruit
Reggae Junkie Gruit is a farmhouse version of a hop-less beer using a variety of herbs and spices in their place. To formulate the recipe we took a trip to the local herb shop and stuck our noses in a whole lot of jars until we settled on lemongrass, hyssop, bitter orange peel and Sichuan peppercorns. We added a bit of spelt to the grist to make this a true adventure for ourselves, as we had never used these ingredients. The beer came out wonderfully dry and tart with a tonic-like quality. Expect this invigorating brew to become our spring seasonal in the future.

Dessert
Deep Fried Spiced Chocolate Ice cream cake

Paired with Late Harvest
Late Harvest is a Pinot Noir barrel-aged farmhouse-brown ale brewed with spices. It’s tart yet balanced profile has elements of beer, wine and Italian-style bitters.

PRICE AND RESERVATIONS
Price is $65 Per Person plus gratuity. For reservations, contact Urban Farmer at 503-802-4630