Thursday May 23rd, 2013

Last Saturday’s Putt Putt Drink Tournament was epic. Nine different locations (Amnesia, Lompoc, Laurelwood, Coalition, EastBurn, BeerMongers, Bazi, Blitz and Base Camp)  competed to win the best hole, participants competed to win the best outfit and teams competed for the best (lowest score).  Since this was our first year, we had some kinks to work out, which is good, because we know what to do to improve for next year.  There were 43 players who participated on 11 teams, and out of those 11, 8 teams finished all 9 locations in 6 hours.

Each team of 4 started at a different starting location, and from there, they would either HOP on the bus, HOP on a pedicab or walk to the next location. There was one suggested route, but players were allowed to go in any order they wanted. Team L-Chubs were to scared of the rain to HOP on a pedicab, so they HOPPED back on a bus from Coalition and headed north, which resulted in them revisiting their favorite brewery (Laurelwood) and wasting time. BUT- they used radio cab to transport them to the last 4 locations at the end, and completed all nine locations in time!

The holes were creative and took a lot of effort. Some of them used the brewery equipment as the entire course, some custom built the green and each hole uniquely, some used paper mache, some used duct tape, some used a hammer and nails. They were each customized to the style of the brewery. Last Saturday’s Putt Putt Drink Tournament was epic. Nine different locations competed to win the best hole, participants competed to win the best outfit and teams competed for the best (lowest score).

I was impressed. I spent the morning handing out last minute packets at Base Camp, then eating Franfootas from the hot dog cart outside. I relieved each of the drivers for a loop so they could eat and assisted at Coalition with helping people get where they should be going.

We gathered at Blitz for the after party and awards ceremony. Not only were they the first team to turn in a completed scorecard, but the best score was awarded to “This is Hawkward” with the low score of 20! Congratulations to Michelle Haagen, Mikey Jenkins, Jonathan Parsons and Tyler Blain for being our winning players for BREWVANA’s First Annual PUTT PUTT DRINK mini golf tourney!

The participants voted on the best hole, and 4 out of 8 teams voted for Base Camp to win with their mezzanine drop hole at Oak Hills Course. They really went above and beyond and deserve the recognition- congrats! Participants were encouraged to dress up in their best beer drinking golfing attire for the event, and the scorekeepers voted on the best dressed.  “Balls of Glory” did a great job with their outfits and especially Brandy – decked out in her pink outfit, she was awarded an entire BREWVANA gear outfit with slouchy pullover, hoodie, matching pilsner glasses and a trucker hat that she’ll wear with pride.

Everyone had a great time- despite the cold, rainy weather. Most of the holes were inside, but there was a tent over the hole at Amnesia, so it wasn’t too bad. It lead to additional beer drinking and moving quicker to stay warm throughout the course!

Thanks to the locations for putting so much effort into the creation of the holes and helping us to promote the event. Thanks to our scorekeepers who manned the holes and made sure everyone knew what they were doing. Thanks to the bartenders at each location for pouring the beers. Thanks to the bus  and pedicab drivers for providing safe transportation between locations. Thanks to Base Camp for hosting our packet pick up and race day registration. Thanks to Blitz for hosting the after party. And of course- thanks to the players for participating in our First Annual PUTT PUTT DRINK mini golf tourney! We are looking forward to having you back next year!

Check our FLICKR page with photos from the event! Thanks to Aaron Filipowsky at ASF shoots for taking photos for us!

We have answers. PUTT PUTT DRINK FAQ’s

What if I don’t have 4 people in my group?  Can I still sign up? 

Of course! If you register with 4 people, you will automatically be assigned to a group. If not, you will be grouped with others on the day of the packet pick up- Friday May 17th from 3-7pm at Base Camp Brewery.

How do I get assigned to a team?  How do I coordinate with my team? 

You will be assigned to a team during packet pick up the day before the event. You will meet your team at the starting location the day of the event.

What is the starting location for the tournament??

You will sign up for or be given a choice of a starting location during packet pick up the day before the event, and be available on a first come, first serve basis.

Is there food provided?  Should I bring snacks?

Food is NOT included in your tour price but will be available at each location. Keep in mind that you will average 30 minutes at each location, so if you would like to order food, do that first, or take it to go for the road. You are welcome to eat on the buses or the pedicabs and bring snacks for the road!

How much beer is provided?   Do I get to drink at each location? Should I tip my bartender? 

You will get 9 beer tokens that can be used at any location throughout the course, it doesn’t matter how many you use at each one. Each token is good for a 6oz pour into your festival mug. We would suggest you tip your bartender well. They’ll pour your next beer faster, and most likely more full. You are welcome to purchase more beer at each location.

What locations do we go to?

Amnesia, Lompoc Fifth Quadrant, Laurelwood, Coalition, Bazi, BeerMongers, Blitz, Base Camp, EastBurn. It’s your responsibility to get to all 9 locations in 6 hours.

What do we bring the day of the tour?  

You need to bring your signed waivers the day of the tour, unless you have already turned them in at the Packet Pick up. A valid ID. Cash to tip your bartenders and drivers. A putter. Your cell phone. A smile.

What should we wear?

Your craziest Portland PUTT PUTT DRINK outfit. Golf attire. Something cozy that you can PUTT and DRINK in! The player voted best dressed will win a BREWVANA outfit!

How do we get from one location to another?

However you want! BREWVANA buses will be providing transportation from Amnesia, Lompoc Fifth Quadrant, Laurelwood and Coalition. PDX pedicabs will be providing transportation from Coalition to Bazi, Bazi to BeerMongers and Blitz to Base Camp. The others are walking distance away.  You will receive a map,  transportation schedules, and walking schedules in your packet to make it easy to get from location to location. You may also have your own driver, bike (if you stay sober enough), use the tri-met, street car and bus lines (you can figure that out), take a cab, or hire your own private limo.

What if we don’t make it to a location? 

If you don’t make it to a location, you will get the highest PAR- which is 10.

Is transportation free? Do I have to tip my bus/ pedicab driver? 

Yes and we highly suggest you do! Transportation for this event is being provided free of charge for your convenience. If the bus drivers give you a smile- play your song or tell you a joke- they are going above and beyond. The Pedicab drivers are working their asses off (literally) to bike you around. We highly recommend sending a few bucks their way.

Where does it end? Do you bring us to the after-party? 

Your ending location will be the same as your starting location. We recommend starting close to Blitz, so you’ll end close to Blitz. We aren’t providing transportation to the after-party. It will be your responsibility to get yourself to and from the from the after-party safely. We recommend calling Radio Cab at (360) 694-1234.

How do we win? 

Your scorecard needs to be turned in to BREWVANA at Blitz no later than 7pm to be calculated.  At 7:45pm, we will declare the winners: the team with the best score, the player that is best dressed and the location with the best hole. The team with the lowest calculated score will win best score. The scorekeepers will decide the best dressed player and YOU will vote on the location with the best hole!

What do the winners get? 

Each player on the winning team with the best score wins a seat for themselves and a guest on a BREWVANA tour with 6 members of the location who built the best hole. The player who wins the best outfit will win an outfit of BREWVANA gear including a T-shirt, trucker hat, pretzel necklace, and a pair of pilsner glasses.

What does the $55 include?

$55/ person includes shwag bag with tasting mug, T-shirt, scorecard, map and pretzel necklace, 9 holes of putt putt entertainment, 9 6oz beer tokens, transportation to and from various locations and invitation to the awards ceremony and after-party at Blitz, a pretzel necklace and a chance to win!

Where and when is the packet pick up? 

Base Camp Brewing on 930 SE Oak Street from 3-7pm

What if I can’t make it to the packet pick up? 

Find someone else to come to the packet pick up, and let us know who it will be. Or, contact us and we can make special arrangements for you.

How do I register?

You can register online, by clicking on “PUTT PUTT DRINK” on the calendar, and registering and paying online, or you can give us a call 503 729 6804 to book over the phone!

Have more questions? 

Contact us online or call 503 729 6804. We are here for you and we love to chat.

No, beautiful, magical two!

BREWVANA has learned to run, pushing forward by expanding it’s tour offerings to four times a week, developing an amazing Meet the Brewers program, presenting over nine specialty tours each season, and doing an average of eight private tours a month.  BREWVANA is busy!  But not busy enough that we didn’t take a moment and simply celebrate.

BREWVANA hit Basecamp Brewing in full force to toast to another year of great tours, fine craft beer, and the most prolific beer industry in the country. It was so great to see all our beer friends there.  A huge thank you to Basecamp for hosting our little shindig.

Brewers and Imbibers mingled amongst the famous constellation while the DJ accompanied great beer with great tunes.  We all gave thanks to a successful year of introducing new beer drinkers to the rich world of great craft beer We reminisced over all the guests that experienced Brewvana while on the ultimate craft beer tour and brainstormed ways to make BREWVANA even greater in the years to come.  Is that possible?  Come see for yourself.

The kids entertained themselves with friendly games of pin the pow on Rosie and bobbing for apples. Prizes were won.  Many pretzel necklaces were made and several die hards rocked a BREWVANA tattoo before nights end.

But the highlight of the night was Ms. Ashley Rose, owner and beer lover, giving appreciation to the beer community for embracing BREWVANA so fully and helping her see her dream come alive.  She spoke from the heart about the origins of this great company and the road ahead. The touching thank you for the support and love her father, Papa Sal, has constantly supplied brought tears to many eyes as we all thought about those people in our own lives that push us ever gently forward.  It was a beautiful video diary that allowed all present to see the backbone of BREWVANA; one girl, two buses, an amazing father, and a team of beer loving passionate tour guides.

Cheers to two awesome years!  We are stoked to see you at next years anniversary party.

Yesterday, our bus Rosie got a face lift!  
 
 
For those that have been on Angel, our other bus, you know that she has HOP green paint inside of her.  Rosie, although getting an amazing mural, still needed a little love.  As you can see from the photos, she now is sporting her hop green inside!
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Do you all know the rules on the Brewvana bus?

March 16, 2013

I’m not going to lie. The memories of the Anniversary Party at Double Mountain are a bit fuzzy, I blame Double Mountain and everyone else.  Here’s why:

#1.  The beer was SO freakin good. How could I resist?

#2.  The ABV was excessive. Really.

#3.  Alex was the DD, the bus was full of my friends, and they MADE me have fun.

Eight imbibers HOPPED on the bus with Alex from Old School PDX and Ashley Rose from BREWVANA on a voyage to Hood River, Oregon on a beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon. The ride flew by full of smiles, great views, beer trivia, sweet potato chips, cookies, cheese and beer. Tyffany Degray, Double Mountain’s marketing manager, greeted us upon arrival and walked us through the doors and gave us our mugs and tokens, showed us where everything was and told us to have a great time!

The beer was so freakin good, and it was very high in alcohol. First I tasted the Killer Red (7.2%ABV), fresh HOP IRA. There was limited availability and it was to die for.  If there weren’t 23 other beers to choose from, I might only have drank that all day. HUGE juicy HOP deliciousness followed by a well rounded finish- and never too bitter. Next I tasted a baby sip of the anniversary ale but it was too smokey for me so I passed and ordered The Dunkel Vision instead.  This was a dark wheat (6.8% ABV) beer.  A hint of sweetness from the malt, surprisingly sessionable and unique.

Although I was trying not to go over board with the high alcohol beers, I had a sip of a friend’s Pale Death and fell in love, so I had to get one myself.  At (9.3% ABV), this belgiany IPA is the perfect balance of bitterness paired with the fruit from the belgian yeast. It went down way too easy. To taste something a little less high, but still along the same lines, I sipped on the Red War- a strong belgiany red ale (8.4%)

To sour it up, I next had a signature Double Mountain favorite- the Devil’s Kriek (8.8%ABV).  It was like dessert, and I love dessert. So I had another one.

The beer was exceptional- above and beyond. The band played, and we danced. It was a great time, and we continued the party the rest of the way home. Our group of imbibers was the best- it wouldn’t have been the same without the amazing people that we had on the bus! Thanks to John, Brian, Matt, Michelle, Molly, Quinn and Baker for an amazing day of beer love fun. You guys are the best.

Thanks to Tyffany at Double Mountain for making our visit memorable, and thanks to Alex at Old School PDX for providing a safe ride home.  Congratulations to Double Mountain for Six Years of Beer Love- your beer is amazing, and you know it.

See you next year! Cheers!

Jason Webb

Hi Friends!  Nikki here.  I had a fantastic day last Sunday with Jason Webb, owner of Portland U-Brew and Pub!  If you haven’t heard about Brewvana’s Meet the Brewer tours yet, let me explain.

Every month Brewvana plans a unique, once in a lifetime opportunity for you to spend the day with a professional brewer!  We start at their establishment and then head to some of their favorite places around town.  The Brewer and their guest ride along the entire day with you, geek out on some of the most amazing beer in the world & have SUCH a great time.  We get to see behind the scenes at all the stops & meet the people behind the beer.  Seriously, the best time ever!  Jason picked some awesome spots!

@ Portland U-Brew

We started at Portland U-Brew and Pub and tasted some of Jason’s delicious beers!  The B.B.B.B. Belgian Pale, The Xana Brew Golden, The Liquid Lace Oat Stout & The Funky Monkey Belgian IPA!  We learned about the ingredients first hand (talk about a lot of grains!), saw Vorlaufing firsthand (the process of clarifying the wort being drawn out of the mash tun) & got to know all of our new friends!

@ The Commons

Next we headed to The Commons Brewery and tasted Farmhouse ales.  These beers are centered around the yeast used & for some of the imbibers, were like nothing they had ever tasted before!  Owner Mike Wright lead us through three samples (the pilsner, urban farmhouse & walnut), explaining their unique story along the way.  We all left with a few bottles to take home (and enjoy on the bus!).

Our next stop was The Beer Mongers.  Owner Sean Campbell greeted us with samples from a new brewery in Bend, OR called Rat Holes Brewing.  The Fence Post Porter has a soft, creamy mouth feel and a hint of chocolate in the finish! (I bought one to go and am drinking it as I write this – DELICIOUS!).  Los Gorditos Taqueriasupplied us with lunch!  I think we all enjoyed this stop – a really unique place in Portland!

just left The Beer Mongers with some delicious bottles!

We ended at one of my personal favorites - Coalition Brewing!  Elan, brewmaster & co-owner, poured us samples of his Cream Ale, ESB & Cascadian Dark Ale! Jason gave us a tour of the brewery and beer trivia was a success!  Check out some photos of the tour HERE!  Thanks go out to all that were involved for making this tour a success!

kickin’ it back where the magic happens @ Coalition

Join us in April with Charles Porter, brewmaster of Logsdon Organic Farmhouse Ales, for a day in Hood River!  Cheers to Oregon beer!

Last night at our employee meeting we played Trivial Pursuit with questions about Beer/ Brewing Process/ People in the Craft Beer Community/ BREWVANA company info as well as Tour Operations questions. It was a good time, especially since we were sipping on Flemish Kiss from the Commons. Yum.

One question that was asked was, “What is another name for a Fresh HOP beer?”

The answer I was looking for was a “WET HOP beer”. The answer I got was a “Harvest Beer”.

What exactly is a Harvest Beer? Was it another name for a Fresh Hop beer? To find out, I asked our friends in the beer community. This is what they said:

2.19.13

I had the pleasure of riding on the BREWVANA bus with Nate yesterday, in the company of 13 beer lovers to pre game at the Hoops and Hops event, followed by awesome seats at the game, watching the Blazers play against the Phoenix Suns. Despite my true lack of concern for basketball, I had a great time.  The enjoyment of the ride with BREWVANA and the BEER and the great people  made for a remarkable evening.

This past Saturday Coalition released their new cans of CDA and Migration released their 3 year anniversary seasonal- the Triploid IPA and both were represented on the bus.  Merrill was reppin the Old School Blazers T, while sippin on a can of CDA on the ride there  celebrating a Happy Belated Merry Christmas! Colin from Migration gave me a 22oz bottle of their limited release Triploid that I shared with my friends on the bus as well. It was delicious. Since Elan couldn’t represent at the game, he sent Aaron, King of Awesomeness as his replacement, and the other Aaron was our photographer for the evening.

The Hoops an Hops tasting event was fun. The beer was good, but the only brewers I saw were Migration’s brewer- Mike Branes, who previously led a BREWVANA Connoisseur Tour and Ken Johnson from Fearless Brewing as well.  I wish that there was more participation from the brewers.  THEY are the ones we all love and appreciate, and the Hoops and Hops events are an opportunity for us to meet them and talk about their beers.

I tasted Fearless Loki- red ale which was really delicious- forward hop flavor balanced by the smooth maltiness.  I tasted the Mr Pigs pale from Coalition- which I already knew I liked, followed by Widmer’s Russian Imperial Stout- which was my favorite. You’d think I’d be over the stouts after this weekend’s Festival of the Dark Arts, but I’m not. Tis the season!

Watching the Blazers play was enjoyable, but like I said- I have little concern for the game itself. Our team remained about 10 points behind the Suns throughout the entire game, and eventually let us down in the end.  The BREWVANA crew had a great time- especially our BREWVANA reps- Lil Ashley and Jesse  who were on TV next to the people who won FREE PARKING- right up front in 100 level seats!

Good times had by all. Looking forward to the next game! HOOPS and HOPS rocks!