"The liver is evil. Must be punished."

Five beers I tasted today at the Oregon Brewer's Festival downtown, in the order I liked them:

• Bell's Porter - Bell's Brewery, Comstock, MI
• Celis White Belgian Wit - Michigan Brewing Co., Webberville, MI
• Resurrection Rye IPA - Collaborator, Portland, OR
• Coffee Bender - Surly Brewing Co, Brooklyn Center, MN
• Rocket Dog Red Rye IPA - Laughing Dog Brewing, Ponderay, ID

I tried to steer clear of Portland brews and Oregon brews in general since I can probably get them almost anytime. But there were too many people, and I love rye bread (which is probably irrelevant), and at the time I don't think I'd ever actually had a rye beer so I hit the Collaborator stand. Turned out to be a good choice and an interesting project (click the link). The Rocket Dog Red Rye IPA was less satisfying.

I wanted to try the Quilter's Irish Death Dark Ale from Iron Horse Brewery (Ellensburg,WA) or the Allagash White Belgian-Style Wheat Beer from Allagash Brewing Co. (Portland,ME) but the line for both was practically out the tent which would've meant a good 30 minute wait. It probably also would've meant a really good beer. Alas. Next year I hope to go with friends, old or new, so that standing in line for 30 minutes amongst 5,000 drunk people won't be absolutely intolerable.

I also deliberately picked one interesting brew I might not otherwise try, hence the Coffee Bender (which was weird, but strangely good, but weird). Yes, it tasted and smelled like coffee. Weird, right?

I was going to head over to the PDX Pop Now music festival afterward, but it was hot, and there was laundry to be done and a sick cat to be kept under observation in case an emergency vet trip was needed. But mostly I found out this morning that I could stream it live instead of actually having to be there. My own beer, my own couch, my own smoke-free air, my own bathroom, no annoying youngster hipsters, same live music which I can turn off whenever I want when bands like this come onto the stage = MAGIC. I {heart} the interweb.

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Subject line is from a t-shirt at the festival. Another t-shirt read "Slow and steady wins the race. Except in a real race." Many more I didn't write down. Note to self: find kitschy t-shirt to wear to next year's festival.

One guy actually had a Coors Brewing Co. t-shirt on... I seriously hope he seriously got his ass seriously kicked at some point. Seriously. (I used to live upwind from the CBC - I can say such things.)