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| In the bare bones beginning |
Way back in February, President's Day Weekend to be exact, we celebrated Oregon Craft Beer by attending Zwickelmania. We attend every year. It isn't something we want to miss, even though it is growing in popularity and crowds year by year. It is a genuinely good time mostly because each year we attempt to mix it up and find something new. It is far too easy to re-visit our favorites year after year and sample their newest brews, I have only love for the brewers, pubs and tasting rooms that participate in this event.
This year was no different and we found a brand spanky new brewery. When I say new, I mean newer than new. It hadn't even opened yet. We were excited by the prospect of new flavors and even more impressed with the fledgling brew staff. Then we had the beer. All darks, all delicious. You know how I feel about a Stout. And their Saison? Incredible.
And so we waited. A while. Longer than we wanted to. It could not have been easy for the owners, all still working their day jobs, to pull this all together. But they did. Piece by piece. Keg by keg. Thank heaven for perseverance. We have been back a few times since Grixsen opened in April. The beer has always been delicious. The bartender, be it an owner or an employee, always gracious. It has been exciting to see the changes as the tap room and the brewery itself grows. The decor is handsome. Clean. Inviting. Fun. There is a pool table, darts, flat screens and Timbers' games. The only thing missing was food. There was always pretzels or popcorn on the bar, but I would be more inclined to hang out if there was more. There was a food cart that saddled up along side them some evenings, but K and I always seemed to miss it.
The wait is almost over. The lovely folks at Grixsen are developing a menu and it is something to get excited about. German picnic food. There really isn't a more proper food pairing for the Grixsen brand of brew. These beers are deep with flavor and body. The small sample of the trial menu holds up and more so. It is luscious. Savory sausages, pickled vegetables, and a spatzle that will have you switching over from Mac and Cheese with ease.
I especially enjoyed the cheesy spatzle, dolloped with apple butter and a fresh sprig of young dill. It was sweet. It was savory. It was spicy yet herbal. I paired it with the Kolsch because it's still warm outside and I felt this was the perfect version of Winter Fare to be enjoyed in late summer. The sausages were tasty and hit the spot but I wonder why they are not from one of our top notch local sausage makers.
Before our food came out the chef brought out a sample dumpling she wanted us to try. Golden beet and goat cheese. I can only say, I pray this makes the cut for the final menu. This dumpling was a tease of the deliciousness to come and it was heavenly.
I will be headed back soon to try out the rest of the menu. Keep it up, Grixsen.
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| Getting there! |
