Somerset on Couch

Apparently Abram Goldman-Armstrong decided to throw me a party. Knowing that I like my ales served on cask at cellar temps, and my ciders tannic and strong, he contrived a lovely little festival called Pressing Matters with plenty of both. Of course, I kid—it’s not a party for me, but everyone:

Pressing Matters
Saturday, Nov 17, 1-8pm
Cider Riot, 807 NE Couch | Tickets here

Many Portlanders know Abe, his commitment to tradition, and his love of the ways of the the UK. As a consequence, we can expect “casks of ale [to] be tapped in the traditional manner with taps driven in with mallet at the festival opening.” A very rare appearance by cask-only Brewers Union Local 180 will be on hand, along with cask-fanciers like Gigantic, Machine House, and Santiam, the latter of which is bringing something called simply “Ale,” god bless them.

Perhaps even more impressive is a list of some of the best traditional ciders on the West Coast. There are French, Spanish, and lots on English-style examples on hand, and I think we’ll get a sense of how these are starting to evolve from pure European recreations into something more American. There will be four traditional perries on hand (fermented pears), and those are quite rare in these parts.  

Most of you will not have had the experience of visiting a West Country pub, but for one afternoon you can see the next best thing. I’ll be there and the beeronomist has said he’ll try to join me—maybe we’ll see you there, too.