K and I decided to grab a quick breakfast before hitting the breweries with friends but I was feeling indecisive and couldn't find my way around the multitude of amazing eateries that offer Sunday morning fare. We rolled around the Mississippi area of Portland for a good 30 minutes or more before I spotted Muddy's.
I'm trying to maintain right now just thinking about this place. I seriously want to sprint out of the house and get there right now. It truly does feel like home away from home and the staff here are sweet as pie. K and I felt absolutely comfortable grabbing a table in the front room of this modified home and playing some trivial pursuit. In fact, just walking through the door felt like walking into a friend's home and the eclectic art only enhanced that groovy Sunday morning feeling. Yes, the Bloody was delicious and I have to admit when my drink comes with a freakin' salad floating on top my heart flutters a little. Bloody Marys should be more than just a drink, they should be a meal. The ones at Muddy's fit the bill and at only $6 a drink, your bill won't make you cry. But I was really hungry and we were about to embark on some serious imbibing and so to the menu: So much good stuff and I really thought I knew that I wanted the Alison's Lovely Lox Party, a scramble of eggs, lox, cream cheese, green onion and dill. Then our server offered a Strata with pretty much every breakfast meat under the sun and some lovely fresh veggies to boot. Of course I folded. That's not the first time I've been swayed by a suggestive server, but sooo happy I did. The Strata was amazing, huge and just what I needed to pad my tummy for a day of tasters and teases. It was served alongside sliced red potatoes covered with cheese (yes, please) and an apple/cranberry slaw (refreshing). K ordered one of my all time favorite breakfast offerings, Biscuits and Gravy. Thinking about it brings a tear to my eye, a happy tear. The Shroom it-Biscuit- Love it consists of a divine mushroom gravy smothering two homemade biscuits but not your usual run of the meal flaky breakfast biscuit. These were more like a corn muffin or polenta type biscuit. They held up marvelously well under the gravy that slightly reminded me of my Pop's stroganoff, hence the happy tear. Perfect way to start a day of Zwickeling.
On to Breakside Brewing. Now, I was a little bummed when we first entered this sweet contemporary dining room. There was a very cordial greeter at the door, handing us a ticket for our ONE free sample. Wait, what? One sample? I had looked at the menu before coming and saw at least a dozen beers on tap for the day, seven of them being seasonal offerings. We were informed that any other tasters that we ordered would be 4 oz. tastes for $1. OK, that's not so bad. A taste is usually an ounce. A flight taster is about 4 oz. We can't expect these guys to go broke in one day of free beer to the public so I stopped whining. Shortly after we arrived some very friendly brew-hands gave us a tour of the brewery facility downstairs under the restaurant and we were able to meet the newest Breakside brewer and a taste of his first batch. It promises to be something good, after it leaves this tank and hits carbonation, I'll be back. The best thing on tap at Breakside currently is the Aztec Ale, an American style ale flavored with habaneros, serranos, and cacao nibs from Mana chocolate. This 10.2% abv Ale was amazing. The flavors blended sweetly and the heat didn't steal the show but simply made it more interesting. I love a peppered beer that doesn't destroy you palate, Bravo Breakside. The Bourbon Maple Oatmeal Stout (7.2%) is a wonderful classic aged in Buffalo Trace Bourbon barrels. I love Stout. I love Maple. Serve this to me with an amazing BLT and I'll be in Heaven.
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| Breakside Brewery on NE Dekum |
From Breakside we moved on to Migration Brewing. Migration was celebrating their Third Anniversary and the crowd was loud and happy to be there. I was a little bummed because the brewer here clearly knows his business and I'm sure he was sharing all sorts of valuable brewing information but I couldn't hear a word he was saying. So I just stood there and enjoyed my Lupelin dry-hopped IPA and tried to weasel in closer for a better view. By the time I made it to the front of the pack, our Brewmaster was sampling out a keg of some amazing Cream Ale flavored ever so slightly by the Pinot/Aquavit barrel it was aging in. I must say, I was beginning to get really happy about the Zwicklemania's celebrating the 5th year with the traditional gift of Wood. Barrel-aged brews were in delicious abundance.
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| Migration Brewery on NE Glisan |
After Migration, we trekked down to Burnside Brewing. Waste of time. Long line. No tour, just a winding line through the brewery for ONE sample of beer. You could choose either have a taster of Barrel-Aged White Out, a pretty tasty Barleywine or Sweet Heat, an Apricot/Scotch Bonnet mess of an ale. A true palate destroyer, can't see enjoying this beer with anything. K, who usually enjoys the heat in food and drink found this totally undrinkable. When he asked if he could try the Barley wine instead, the server ( I hope he wasn't a brewer) rudely dismissed us. Hey, I understand busy but douchey is uncalled for. Like I said, wasted of time. I'll try to drop the Yellow card on this one and hope they make a better showing for their Fruit Beer Festival in June. I'm all for redemption.
Last stop for the day was The Laurelwood, one of our favorites for Zwickelmania. We have always come here first because the pairings are always so sweet and delicious and there really isn't anything more fun than beer for breakfast except dessert and beer for breakfast. Because we started a little bit backwards this year, we came to the Public House last. Still, the best part of the day. The staff at the Laurelwood Public House on Sandy Blvd. are great. Friendly, knowledgeable. They had been at this all day by this time and they still wore relaxed, welcoming smiles. Ready to answer questions and serve their delicious beer. It was crowded, yes. It was loud, yes. But for some reason the set up at Laurelwood allows you to talk to the people who brew the beer practically one on one, in an intimate setting and they have always made K and I feel as if we belong there. I honestly don't know why I don't go here more often. I've always loved their seasonals, especially the Organic Moose and Squirrel. Today's offerings included the St. Wenceslas Winter Bock (abv 9%), the Ein Hopfen single hop ale (abv 4.5%), NATE Cascadian Dark (hoppy dark deliciousness) , and a really soft but on it's way Pilsner that was being released just for Zwickelmania. Served straight off the Zwickel cellar style, it is meant to be cloudy and flat. Fermentation has not really started to clean it up and turn it to the crisp Pilsner style many are used to. I found it enjoyable and liked the young flavor. My favorite of the day, however, was their sour cherry red, Red Rum (7.7% abv). Not sure if this is the same collaborator's Sour Red from last year but if it is, it has aged well. I remember it being good last year. This year's Sour was Grrrreat! Laurelwood Public House and Brewery continues to be one of the better showings at Zwickelmania. I will be going back for more. It's time to fill my growler.
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| Crowds did not damper the spirit or the specialness of Laurelwood's showing. |
Beer tastings are fun. Free food pairings are totally enjoyable. The chance to meet and speak with some of Oregon's finest Brewers, Brewmasters, Cellar Chiefs and Brewhands and Pub owners is priceless. Perhaps the smoozing colors the way I feel about the beer; I'd like to think my palate is a little more honest than that. Friendliness, charm and yes, sharing knowledge and showing pride in your place and your product is good business. There will be places I WILL return to and spend some money and places I MAY return to...One thing for sure? I'm counting the days until next year's Zwickelmania. Thank goodness I live in Portland.
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