Circles of Life
In 1997 (I think), the arts and culture editor of Portland’s elder alt-weekly, Willamette Week, hired me to write an every-other-week beer column (“The Mash”) that paired with a wine column (“The Crush”) to keep readers abreast of all the latest artisanal beverage news. I was grossly unqualified, having never written about beer nor been educated on the craft of journalism. My sole experience in reportage was writing the sample article I sent in by way of application for the job.
Once I’d been hired, I visited the editor, Audrey Van Buskirk, in her office at the paper. We had a short meeting during which time I asked two questions—anyway, the two that I can recall. The first regarded the reporting itself, about which I was feeling increasingly anxious now that I was expected to perform it. “Just spell their names correctly and you’ll be fine,” she assured me. (She was right.) The second was an idle inquiry about why she hired me, of all people. “I have a really good instinct about people,” she said, somewhat gnomically.
Why bring all of this up now? Decades after leaving Willamette Week to pursue other jobs, Audrey is back in Portland and writing at least occasionally for WW. For the paper’s fifty-year retrospective of important city milestones, she wrote a piece on the impact of Widmer Hefeweizen. That is of course a beer featured heavily in my book The Widmer Way, a project that would almost certainly have never happened had she not taken a flier on me all those years ago.*
Each Time a Brewery Departs, Another is Born in Its Grave
This is not the only circle of life on today’s docket. I wanted to alert you to a new brewery opening in Bend. Terranaut hasn’t even celebrated its one-month anniversary, and it already has a wall of awards, starting with a GABF medal for the third batch of beer brewer/founder Bryon Pyka ever made at the brewery. That it is a brown ale, beloved throughout the Beervana Cinematic Universe, only enhances its reputation. (The other six came from Sip Magazine and their annual Best of the Northwest awards, where the brewery also picked up four platinums—the top award.) I haven’t been to Bend in the last month to try the beer, but that’s quite a start.
Terranaut has taken over the space formerly operated by Monkless, a very healthy and living brewery, though this kind of recycling has become one of the most distinctive features of craft brewing. It’s sort of like when cities are built on the ruins of former cities. In a related phenomenon, brewers repurpose themselves when they depart employment at one brewery to start their own. Bryon is the former Innovation Brewer at Bend’s 10 Barrel, where he ran the wild ale program. Yet that’s not exactly where his interest lies:
“People kind of expected more of those types of beers from me, but I quite honestly want to do everything except that! I'll still tie in the experience I gained from using unconventional ingredients to do some fun experimental beers, but I'm excited to brew lagers and classic styles. The way I've been describing what our taplist will look like is an even mix of classic styles, modern styles, and experimental beer.”
I haven’t been to Bend in the past month, so I haven’t had a chance to try their beers. I’ll report back when I do, but meantime, you can read more about Terranuat in the latest edition of the Celebrate Oregon Beer newsletter that went out yesterday. If you’re not subscribing, you’re missing out (and you can do so at that link). This may well be the last time I flag the “Spotlight” we do each time.
And Finally
Completing our “circle of life” stories, I am pleased to mention that Celebrate Oregon Beer is co-sponsoring the 2nd annual Holiday Brew Fest! Held in Pioneer Courthouse Square, this is the successor to the Holiday Ale Fest, which sadly did not survive Covid. But now in it's second year, he HBF will warm you this winter
Times/Dates
Fri 12/6 5:30 - 9pm.
Sat 12/7 Noon - 9pm
Sun 12/8 Noon - 5pm
Tickets available now: Buy here
Volunteers needed: Sign up here
More information about the event, breweries, and beer: website
Proceeds from this event will help support Celebrate Oregon Beer.
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* As to whether Audrey’s instincts were indeed good when she inflicted me on the public all those years ago, I shall leave the reader to decide.