Fort George Brewery + Public House

Science On Tap at Fort George!

2011-11-22T10:40:00.001-08:00

November 30th, some of the raddest local tattoo artists will be hanging out in the Fort George Lovell Building to explain the science of their trade. This is part of a series curated by the Columbia River Maritime Museum that will continue throughout the year. Let's kick it off right-

Cavatica Stout Cans Now Available!

2011-11-15T11:29:00.001-08:00

Our big, bold stout finally has a portable home! The Cavatica Stout cans are in and have been filled! Available for immediate drink-ability at Fort George and beyond. Looking to party Cavatica Stout style? We are going to be kicking off Stout Season with some awesome events this weekend.

Cavatica Stout PDX Can Release Party!
Thursday, November 17th 6pm at The BeerMongers

Come out and sample Cavatica right out of the can. Special Fort George taps include: Cavatica (of course), North V, and Roscoe IPA. The Fort George crew and Powered by Yeast's Tim Ensign will be on hand to answer any of your Stout questions and "breward" lucky attendants with a slap-wrap.

Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside!
Friday, November 18th 8pm at The Wonder Ballroom

If you missed them at the brewery last week, this band is amazing. These tickets are going fast. It WILL sell out. You can buy tickets here.

Fort George will be there in numbers... with Cavatica Stout as well as: Vortex IPA, 1811 Lager, Sunrise OPA, Working Girl Porter, and Quick Wit. We hope to see you rocking out on Friday!

2011 Seafood and Belgian Ales Brewer’s Dinner Menu

2011-11-10T14:59:00.001-08:00

Wednesday December 21, 2011

First Course

Mussels and Frittes

Paired With: Fort George Quick Wit

Second Course

Cream of Watercress Soup with Alaskan Spot Prawns

Paired With: Bockor Cuvee Des Jocobins

Third Course

Smoked Salmon Belly on a Bed of Sprouts and Spicy Pecan Vinaigrette

Paired With: Fort George XVI Chapel

Fourth Course

Whole Dungeness Crab with Ginger and Lemongrass-infused Butter

Paired With: Omer Blonde Ale Brouwerig Bockor N.V.

Fifth Course

A Napoleon of Hazelnut Wafers and Chocolate Mousse with Caramel

Paired With: La Trappe Isid ‘Or 125th Anniversary

All of this, plus a special "intro beer" for $65 or 2 for $120
Get your tickets on the Fort George Online Store, or by calling the pub at 503.325.7468

Fort George Beer & Surfboards: Cannon Beach Merchant Offers One-Stop Shopping

2011-10-27T15:48:00.000-07:00

Interview with Mark Mekenas, Owner of Cannon Beach Surf and CB Beach Store

Q: Describe your business including what you sell, and how long you've been up and running.

A: The CB Beach Store was set up in December 2008 after we had leased the Family Market for 10 years we decided that since we own the building with the surf shop, it didn't make sense to lease space in another building. The CB Beach Store sells beer, wine, some groceries, snack items, sodas, lottery, cigars and cigarettes, beach toys, fishing and some hunting tackle, and fishing licenses.

Q: How are the surf shop and market related? What's it like juggling two different businesses?

A: Both businesses share the same building, and are accessible with a doorway between them. A customer can pay for the products in either store, except for beer and wine, those can only be purchased in the CB Beach Store. It is fairly easy, as they both play off each other very nicely. A customer can hit the surf shop, pick up the equipment for the day, then hit the beach store, and get all the snacks, etc. for a day at the beach.

Q: What made you decide to become a small business owner, and what are the biggest challenges and rewards?

A: After 30 years in the corporate world (alcoholic beverages), and constant travel, the idea of being in one place and working for ourselves seemed like the right thing to do at our time in life. Challenges are the daily biz. Rewards are when everything works right. Both of these are a daily occurrence.

Q: Why did you decide to start carrying Fort George beer and what would you like to tell customers about your selection of craft beers and the experience of shopping for them at your place?

A: Fort George fits perfectly in our business plan, as we were just getting ready to start pairing down our selection of big named corporate brands, and focusing on smaller local beer brands. So, when the rep. walked in the door, we were ready for him, as I was just about to call you guys. Our focus is on higher quality products in all the stores; Fort George fits that requirement perfectly.

Q: What's business like this time of year in Cannon Beach and what's it like riding the peaks and troughs of slower and busier months in a place with seasonal tourism?

A: This time of the year, every day is different, some are slow, and then some are surprisingly busy. The weather plays a big part in day-to-day business, but then we do find that certain products that we carry still have draws year round. The toughest part of the seasonal business is staffing and inventory, always a crapshoot.

Q: What are your future hopes and dreams?

A: Keep growing, keep remodeling, and adding new products to our stores.

Q: Finally, enough about your business, tell us a little about your background including where you're from, family-life, education, hobbies, etc.

A: We are originally from San Diego, left in ‘80, moved to Idaho, then to Seattle, took an early retirement package in ‘98 and moved to Cannon Beach. Married to Maria (today is our 38th anniversary), 2 kids, Jennifer, prior Army, now mom and works at Bank of Astoria in CB , 2 granddaughters, 8 and 4, they all live in Gearhart. Our son is in Seattle is still a reserve Captain in the Air Force, did 10 years active, and now working for Olive Garden. I surf and shoot, while Maria mostly enjoys her gardening. My background was Division Manager in the whiskey business, covering 11 Northwest states, Alaska, and Hawaii.

No Shave November!

2011-10-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

This November, Fort George will be holding a contest, again. Who can grow the best facial hair in exactly 30 days? This is a celebration of manliness and all the glory that is the male beard. Let the best man win… although women are encouraged to participate.

Rules:

1 complete month of absolutely NO SHAVING....PERIOD.

Exceptions: NO EXCEPTIONS.

Contestants must have a picture of themselves, clean-shaven, next to a November 1st 2011 or later newspaper. There will be a photo party at Fort George on Nov. 1. Any other pictures are to be submitted via facebook.com/fortgeorgebrewery or noshavenovember@fortgeorgebrewery.com by Nov. 25

Judging will take place on December 1st at the Fort George Brewery + Public House @ 6pm. All are welcome to judge!

Grand Prize will be chosen by unanimous crowd decision.

Grand Prize? A special bearded Mug Club membership, and beard bragging rights for the year of 2012. A value of $85, but absolutely priceless...

Consolation prizes will be awarded to the less beardly, un-stachely, and pre-pubescent.

MUG CLUB APPRECIATION
Mug club members who renew their membership on December 1st will recieve $2 mugs of Fort George Beer. Proceeds to benefit the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

***All hair to be donated to beardless children. After all... it’s all about the kids.

3rd Annual Halloween Hellorium 10/31

2011-10-14T10:10:00.000-07:00

On... HALLOWEEN!

Come out for our 3rd Annual Halloween party with Ma Barley and the Knowitalls, and party like it's Halloween... because it will be. The party will take place from 7pm until 11pm in the Fort George Lovell Building Brewery, which will be transformed in front of your eyes into the most hellish brewery you have ever gotten your reggae boogie down in! If you have not been to a Fort George Hellorium party, it is a blast. Costumes are a must, and the best costume will be brewarded! See you out there-

Foraging at the George 10/20

2011-10-06T13:03:00.000-07:00

The Fort George Lovell Taproom will be hosting "Foraging at the George," an informative cooking demonstration using locally foraged foods. The Taproom will open at 6:00pm for refreshments, with the event starting at 7:00pm.

Locally grown food is all the rage these days, and you can’t get much more local than wild foods that are foraged and hunted for in our North Coast landscape, from the upland forests to the estuaries.

On Thursday, Oct. 20th at 7 p.m, the Fort George Brewery + Public House, 1483 Duane St., Astoria, is the place to go if you want to learn more about what’s in season this autumn.

Teresa Retzlaff and Kristin Albrecht, co-hosts of Coast Community Radio’s Food Talk program join in conversation with local foragers and hunters Carla Cole, natural resource project manager for Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, and Doug Ray, wetlands consultant and North Coast Land Conservancy board member.

Cole and Ray are both long-time wild food enthusiasts with a passion for cooking and eating from the natural landscape. The evening’s culinary conversation centers around a native food feast prepared as an example of what can be done with seasonal foraged foods and other locally grown ingredients. The presenters will work their way through the menu, talking about each recipe–where the ingredients are found, and how to safely harvest them, and store them if needed. This is a great way to get inspired about incorporating more wild foraged foods into your home cooking

The program takes place in the Fort George’s Lovell Building next to their Tap Room. Doors will open at 6 p.m. for those wanting to purchase seasonal beers on tap and other beverages at the George before the program begins. Recipes and resources will be available for those wishing to learn more about foraging and hunting on the North Coast.

The program is free and open to the public.

TAP ROOM ART SHOW: JOHN FOYSTON

2011-10-05T15:18:00.000-07:00

Beer Journalist Trades Pen for Paint Brush in Art Show


John Foyston with one of our first cans off the canning line.

When the Fort George Brewery has been in the Oregonian, the writer has been John Foyston. Best known for being one of the top beer journalists in the Northwest—John has been writing about Oregon craft beer for 20 years—he’ll be at Fort George this month, not reporting, but showing off one of his more obscure talents, oil painting. John’s art will be on display in the brewery’s tap room during the 2nd Saturday Art Walk October 8th 5-9 p.m. and he will be present during an artist’s reception on October 15th 4-7 p.m. (immediately following the Hoppy Holidays event).
John was a staff writer for The Oregonian for 25 years and as a freelancer still writes and blogs his weekly column "The Beer Here" for the paper. Before he wrote professionally, he was a computer assembler, a monkey handler, a professional musician, motorcycle mechanic and shop owner.

John started oil painting about six years ago. Early paintings were done from reference photos, but thanks to a workshop with Oregon plein air painter, Thomas Kitts, John has been painting outside and onsite for most of the last year. Plein air painting is a tradition going back to the French impressionists and beyond, and requires the artist to establish color and value quickly and accurately, to simplify shapes and work quickly in changing light.
This show includes earlier paintings and recent plein air landscapes and still life, including the series of paintings that John has been doing in the Brooklyn Rail Yard Roundhouse, home of the famous Daylight steam locomotive 4449.

THE BEER GODDESS IS COMING

2011-10-02T08:13:00.000-07:00

Hoppy Holidays: Women's Beer & Food Pairing Event

Beer Goddess Lisa Morrison

Saturday October 15th 2-4:00

Fort George Brewery Tap Room

For the perfect beer and food pairing, look no farther than your child's Halloween candy. Hoppy Holidays is the theme of this year's beer appreciation for women class at Fort George Brewery, an official Barley's Angels event. Your guide, Lisa Morrison, is known around the globe as, The Beer Goddess. Lisa will share her knowledge, and several specialty beers from a variety of breweries plus elegant holiday appetizer pairings on Saturday October 15th 2-4 p.m. in our Lovell Building production brewery, adjacent to the Tap Room. The cost is $30 and we encourage you to register now as the event fills quickly, either in person at Fort George or at our online store.

By the way, the Tap Room will be open during the event (a great place for the men to hang out) and John Foyston's art show immediately follows.

Lisa is host and producer of “Beer O’Clock!,” the Pacific Northwest’s only weekly, hour-long on-air radio show devoted to craft beer -- heard Saturdays 3-4 p.m. on 101 FM in Portland as well as about 10 other stations throughout Oregon. It is also livestreamed at the same time and available in podcasts 24/7 on KXL.com and in podcast on iTunes.

Lisa recently released her first book, Craft Beers of the Pacific Northwest: A Beer-Lover's Guide to Oregon, Washington and British Columbia, to high critical acclaim. She also was one of 40 contributing writers for an internationally published book, “1001 Beers to Taste Before You Die,” which was released in the United States in 2010.

Lisa is a regular columnist for the nationally distributed publications Beer Advocate and Celebrator Beer News and is the first and only female contributor to “Beer Talk” in the national magazine, All About Beer. She writes the “Beers to Your Health” column and contributes other articles for the regional publication Northwest Brewing News. She also frequently contributes to other publications, including Beer Northwest, Nightclub and Bar Magazine, The New Brewer, Zymurgy and Brew Your Own.

Lisa was chosen as one of the three original recipients -- and the first female recipient -- of the national Beer Journalism Awards, presented by the Brewers Association, for a column she wrote about the benefits and traditions of serving beer instead of wine at the Thanksgiving table.

Lisa loves to share her passion for beer with others. She conducts numerous classes about beer in hopes of reaching out to more potential craft beer fans. For example, she presented a seminar on pairing beer with food for the national convention of the Women's Chefs and Restaurateurs Association, and she held a similar demonstration at the Mondial de la Biere festival in Montreal, Canada. Additionally, she has been teaching Beer 101 classes for women (traditionally not beer drinkers) in and around Portland for more than a decade.

As a way to give back to the beer community and raise awareness about craft beer within the general public, Lisa organizes a number of nonprofit beer-related events, including the annual FredFest, a beer tasting for the octogenarian Portland-based beer writer, Fred Eckhard. In the past six years, the event has raised more than $50,000 for local charities.

When she is not writing or talking about beer, Lisa and her husband, Mark, enjoy traveling with their Samoyed dog, Yeti -- if for no other reason than to be reminded that there's "no better beer than here."

Portland beer journalist, John Foyston, will have his oil paintings on display in our tap room during Hoppy Holidays and will be having an artist's reception following the event.

CYCLE OREGON:TEAM VORTEX

2011-09-29T10:02:00.000-07:00

By Deanna Hogan

Way back in February, a few of us decided to organize our own “Cycle Oregon Kickoff Party” here in Astoria (the official party was held at the Nike campus in Beaverton). So we gathered around the kitchen table with our laptops, anxiously awaiting the announcement of the 2011 Cycle Oregon route and the opportunity to register for September’s week-long ride. Naturally, we had an assortment of Fort George growlers on hand to embolden the potential riders.

Left to Right: Kyle Medlin, Chris Hogan, Deanna Hogan, Mike Mitchell, Paul Gascoigne, Janet Graul, Steve Meyer, Allison Mattila Missing: Teresa Hogan, who got an early start

Cycle Oregon, known as the Best Bike Ride in America, is an amazing experience that began in 1988. Over 2000 cyclists travel back roads from one small town to another, enjoying gorgeous Oregon scenery, significant physical challenge, community, hospitality and philanthropy. Proceeds from the ride go to the Cycle Oregon Fund, which helps preserve and protect the special places of Oregon. The ride also provides financial benefits to the host towns as well as cycling-related causes throughout Oregon. The route is different every year.

End of 1st Day in Cottage Grove

This year’s southwest Oregon route encompassed fertile valleys, deep forests, rugged coastline and rolling wine country. 90 percent of the 2011 route traveled on roads Cycle Oregon had never pedaled – which may be why the ride was sold out within 36 hours! Host towns were Sutherlin, Cottage Grove, Reedsport, Bandon, Powers and Riddle. The week’s mileage was 410-499 miles, depending on options on a couple days. Nine of us registered for the ride, and five were first-time Cycle Oregon participants. This was my fifth.

Camp in Bandon

There’s no question we spend a lot of time at the Fort George, so it was a no-brainer we chose to call ourselves “Team Vortex.” Someone had the brilliant idea of having Fort George cycling jerseys made. We passed on the suggestion to the Powers That Be, and by May had our red, black and white jerseys.

The summer was spent riding at every opportunity, though when the event finally arrived I would have liked another month of preparation. I repeatedly (and neurotically) reviewed the ride’s daily maps and elevation grids with a sense of panic. Day 6 had me particularly worried, but I should have taken a closer look at a couple of the other days as well. By August I was bargaining with myself, allowing one beer for every 20 miles ridden, but no more than two beers at a sitting (I cheated once or twice). Contrary to popular belief, beer is not a recovery drink – though it tastes awfully good after a long ride.

To make the most impact, the team decided to wear Fort George jerseys on days 1, 5 and 7. We received lots of questions and comments on the ride, like “hey, that’s in Astoria, right?” and “Fort George – where’s that?” and “Whoo Hoo, Vortex!” We invited a few folks to sample the 1811 and Vortex at camp. We were surprised to meet three other locals sporting Fort George jerseys.
I preloaded each day’s map on my blog and added a few brief posts during the week so that family and friends could keep track of where we were.

Crossing the Finish Line in Sutherlin

The ride was fantastic, and the fact that we did it with friends and family make it even more memorable. A few of us have even started talking about next year – with a few more friends who want to join us. We’ll have to hold out for February, for the next kickoff party.

Thank you, Deanna Hogan, for writing this first-hand account of Cycle Oregon and for your support in sporting the Fort George jerseys on the ride. Deanna is an RN at Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria, with a variety of interests, including a craft beer enthusiast, a member of the Barley's Angles.

October Music Happenings!

2011-09-28T12:08:00.000-07:00

HOME BREWER SPOTLIGHT CONTINUED: WALT POSTLEWAIT

2011-09-27T09:40:00.000-07:00

You can't judge a book by its cover, and this is especially true for home brewers. The immaculately groomed , smooth-talking "banker", dressed in a suit and tie, may not be who you would picture when you think of a home brewer. Our friend, Walt Postlewait of Enterprise Cascadia, who was instrumental in financing our brewery expansion, is evidence that those with a passion for making beer can be considered very sophisticated.

Q: What inspired you to home brew and how did you get started?

A: I started home brewing back in 1991. I was just out of college and a little bored. I had always enjoyed good beer and in Eugene there was a market that carried beers from all over the globe. My roommate and I started collecting the empty bottles and arranged them on a large bookcase in geographic order. Once out of college and back in the Portland area, I couldn’t find a regular supply of good beer. So I started making my own. I really don’t remember how I got started. I think it was a trip to F H Steinbart’s. After a few years I converted to Cornelius kegs and invested in a CO2 set up. The bottling was my least favorite part of the operation.

Q: What has or hasn't kept you interested in doing it?

A: The mid/late 90’s was the hay day of my brewing. I created a four tap fridge with three devoted to beer and one to an all natural ginger-ale that I created that used no refined sugars. We entertained a lot back then and I was brewing a new batch about every other week. I had a great IPA, stout, and amber which were the staples. I would also play around with more interesting batches like a very light, heavy on honey, ale, and various pale ales ad stouts. Most were named with Indian names and my “operation” was called Tecumseh Brewing. As life added kids and a career, time for brewing began to wane. The four tap fridge was replaced with a fridge that was used more for food, with room for two Cornelius kegs shoved in the corner. As really good beer began to be more readily available, the need to make my own waned.

Q: Are you brewing right now, and what are your plans for beer in the future?

A: I think it has been two or three years since I brewed. I find that a keg from Fort George fits in the spare fridge just fine so I no longer need to make my own. My sister wants to start brewing with some of her friends and I will help her get started.

Q: Describe your all-time best brew:

A: My best beer was a heavily hopped Indian pale ale called Anasazi Pale Ale. I used a bunch of Cascade hops thrown in late, last two minutes, of the boil. It was very tasty. I do miss it from the creating side. I really liked enjoying something I created along with knowing beer is alive. The whole process was very interesting, satisfying, and created great memories. All-in-all, I only made one batch that wasn’t drinkable.

HOME BREWER SPOTLIGHT

2011-09-22T09:39:00.000-07:00

A new addition to this year's Pacific Northwest Brew Cup is a home brew competition, Hondo's Brew Cup 2011. It happens on Monday, September 26th, following the festival.

Many of our patrons are also home brewers, and if you've ever thought about getting involved in the craft, the college is also offering some courses starting this fall. Jim Huber will be teaching these classes, and judging at the home brew competition. He sheds light on his 25-year passion as well as how others can get involved.

Q: How long have you been home brewing and what made you decide to get started?

A: I have been home brewing for about 25 years, and all -grain brewing for the last 20 of those years.

I think a couple of things led me to start. I had made some trips to Europe, and had tasted the wonderful cask conditioned ales they serve in the British pubs. The flavor was unlike anything I had experienced before, and in coming back to the States, I was dismayed to learn that even the same brands weren't close to being as good. These beers needed to be fresh, and the voyage over here didn't do them any good. About that time, a former teacher of mine was talking about the home brewing he had done in his younger days, and I thought, "I can do that too!"

Q: What have been the most challenging and rewarding aspects of it?

A: For me, the biggest challenge is also the biggest reward. I think that as home brewers, we tend to look for inspiration in our favorite commercial and craft brews. We use the same basic process that they do, but our equipment, for the most part, could best be described as medieval. So, how do we respond to that situation? For me, the challenge is to look for the places where we could possibly have the advantage over the pros, and ask the question, “could this allow me to make better beer?”

One example is in our ingredients. As home brewers, we don’t have to turn a profit, and ingredients are not that expensive anyway, so we can use the very best that the world has to offer in terms of yeast, malt, and hops. We can even use a different type of yeast in every style of beer that we make, if we feel that it will enhance that batch of beer. This would be very difficult for a commercial brewery to manage.

For another example, in adding hops after the boil, we can chill our entire batch quickly enough that these aroma hops don’t sit in the high heat for more than a few minutes. That can give a really nice smooth freshness to the hop aroma and flavor that you will rarely find in a bigger, commercial batch that takes longer to cool.

The challenge and reward, then, is to look past what we might have in our glass today, to envision what it might be possible to create, and then figure out a way to make that happen in our next brew.

Q: Have your family, friends, and work colleagues been supportive of your hobby?

A: The reactions have been always been very supportive and encouraging. My wife, Mary, has made many trips with me to various “beer stores” to pick up ingredients, is a good sounding board for new ideas, and is also my best taste tester, especially for the hoppier ales and IPAs. My brew partner, Dennis Hale, has been brewing almost as long as I have, and he is always ready to brew up something new and different.

I think the best show of support, though, is when you bring some bottles or a keg of fresh ale to a party and the “This is the best beer I’ve ever had” comments come up. For me, a good glass of beer is its own reward, but this kind of feedback is nice, too.

Q: Describe your best brew. What are you working on currently/ or what was the last beer you made?

A: I don’t mean to avoid directly answering your question, but I think my best brew will always be the one that has just reached its peak and surprises me in some way. We brewed an English style Bitter this spring that was very close to what I remember tasting in those British pubs years ago, and that was very exciting. That beer was balanced, clear, and ready to drink in about three weeks.

On the other hand, in home brewing you can produce some very long-lived beers; and the flavor will continue to develop. A month or so ago Dennis and I shared a bottle of our first all-grain barley wine, and it was delicious, rich, and complex. That beer was almost 20 years old.

Currently, I’m working on an APA, or American Pale Ale, that I want to brew with the body and fresh burst of hops of an IPA, but that will come in at about 4.5% alcohol. I’ve also been really enjoying trying different Belgian Saisons this summer, and we’re planning on brewing one to have ready for next summer. Another beer that I have been in the mood for is a really thick, malty Scotch Ale. I can’t find one that I like in the stores, so we’re going to brew one.

Q: What's kept you brewing for so long?

A: For me there will always be different styles to try, and I notice that my taste is evolving; so even with the old standards that I’ve been brewing for years, I have new ideas about how I would like to make them better.

Q: What advice would you give to someone either interested in home brewing or just starting out?

A: Get involved with a group of friends, a brew partner, or with an informal club. Half the fun is sharing ideas, recipes, and of course, beer! Another good way to learn more is to go over to Hondo’s Brew and Cork and sign up for a brew session. My first all-grain session will be in November; and we will be brewing an APA, which is a good type of beer to start with.

Q: I hear you're going to be a judge in Hondo's competition, as well as teaching some college classes starting this fall. Can you tell us a little about the program?

A: RJ Kiepke, who owns Hondo’s, wanted to put together a series of college classes that would be good to introduce beginners to home brewing; and he asked me if I would teach the all-grain segment, which will be the third class in the series. He is going to teach the fall and winter extract classes, and my class will be in the spring. He has set up a good facility at his place to do the brewing; and in fact, if you are already a brewer and just want to come down and brew a batch with his equipment, he can accommodate that as well.

In addition, we will be doing a different all-grain brew session every two months or so. This will be great for even experienced home brewers who want to break out of a rut and learn different styles, or who just want to learn how to take their IPA or stout to the next level and make a better beer.

As this series develops, we will do some really interesting brews; and I’m pretty excited about it. With each different style of beer, we will learn new techniques, experience different ingredients, and work with different types of yeast. We will cover the American styles, British styles, Belgians, wheat beers, and also some lagers.

Q: Anything else you'd like to add about home brewing?

A: If you like beer, you should try home brewing at least once. You will definitely have fun, and might have found a great, lifetime hobby.

Q: Finally, besides home brewing, what's your career and family background and how long have you lived around here?

I have done many types of work, and for the last 10 years I’ve worked in the office of the Employment Department.

I grew up in Astoria, and Mary and I live here in town with our pets and a basement full of hobbies. But just like the lasting head on a well-crafted pint, the hobby of brewing always seems to rise to the top.

Pacific Northwest Brew Cup Site: Astoria Waterfront Park in the Making

2011-09-15T13:32:00.000-07:00

If you’ve ever heard Astoria described as a balance between the pretty and gritty, the site of this year's Pacific Northwest Brew Cup nails it. Set on the backdrop of the waterfront just east of the Maritime Museum, you could create postcards of the views of the ships on the Columbia, the trolley passing by, and people and their dogs strolling along the riverwalk. Just to the south, City Lumber’s turn of the century buildings that used to be part of the old rail yard, show off a patina that could only be achieved by authentic weather and age.

To the west, the dormant train depot sleeps; a beautiful brick building with boarded up windows and big dreams for the future. The Maritime Museum hopes to convert it to a workshop for boat builders as well as historic preservation college students. The museum will let you see the inside of the building during an open house on Saturday of the festival, in an effort to gain more exposure for future fundraising.

When the housing market was hot, some feared potential rampant condo development could wall-off views of the Columbia. So the city embarked on a plan for the riverfront. The Riverfront Vision Plan includes a conceptual design for this city-owned parcel to be developed into a waterfront park. The idea seems fairly obscure outside city hall, but the community hasn’t really had a chance to experience it until now.

“This festival has been one of the first activities which has created a draw to the area, to start having the public think of it as a community gathering space. That’s why I’m really excited they’re wanting to have it there again,” said Community Development Director Brett Estes, a fellow beer-lover and home brewer, himself.

The Brew Cup moved from downtown last year, from the now collapsed concrete slab near the American Legion. The city had started discovering some structural deficiencies there and offered the waterfront site as an alternative.

Estes points out there will be more elbowroom at the festival this year, as the Darigold building that had been on the property since the 1930’s was demolished. The former farm supply store wasn’t in good shape, which flew in the face of the city’s own newly adopted derelict building ordinance, plus the city council wanted to open up a larger area for a potential waterfront park. So city officials worked with Clatsop Community College’s historic preservation program to begin taking the building down last spring. Students learned how to conduct salvage materials including historic shop lights and flooring, which may eventually be used in the train depot redevelopment.

The Fort George incidentally is storing some other recycled timbers from the Darigold building, which could become a staircase to the second story above the pub.

The city urban renewal district had purchased the prominent waterfront site in order for the public to have a chance to guide its future. It could be awhile until we see a waterfront park developed, as there’s currently a lot of time and money being spent on the Legion block downtown, but Estes says now’s the time to vision. With the Darigold building down, you’ll be able to see at the Brew Cup this year, a clear view of how much room their would be for a park. The next step, Estes says, is a more detailed design, including public input of what amenities you’d like to see there.

“We’d like to start putting some more meat on the bones and develop a design concept we could get the community excited about and then its looking at long term how do we fund that,” Estes said.

He says he’d ultimately like to see places for people to picnic, and possibly a dock structure to take you onto the river. But for now we’ll look forward to drinking some of the best beer the Northwest has to offer, while dreaming up this prime piece of real estates’ future.

Brew Cup Details September 23rd-25th
For the latest information, go to the Pacific Northwest Brew Cup Facebook Page.

Sponsored By: Fort George Brewery
                          Baked Alaska Restaurant & Lounge

Profits Go To: Clatsop County Food Bank

Music & Events Calendar:
Friday, September 23rd 4:00-5:30 p.m. North Coast Blues Band
                                     6:00-7:30 p.m. Bruce Smith and the Boda Boyz
                                     8:00-10:00 p.m. Minty Rosa

Saturday, September 24th 11:00 a.m. Troll Radio Review (Broadcast Live on KMUN)
                                          1:00-4:00 p.m. Maritime Museum Train Depot Open House
      4:00-5:30 p.m. Big Fish Blues Band
                                          6:00-7:30 p.m. The Distractions
                                          8:00-10:00 p.m. Broken Soviet
Sunday, September 25th Barney Perrine will play most of the day
                                       Growler Sunday: Take your favorite beers home

Monday, September 26th Hondo’s Home Brew Cup

Important Information:
· Mugs are $7 and tastes are $1
· Family-friendly featuring music, food, and games for kids
· Awards: "Thar She Blows" (first beer to run out) and the "Peoples Choice"

Local Hop Farming

2011-09-15T07:41:00.000-07:00

Co-Hoperative Ale Available Starting Friday September 16th

'Tis the season for fresh hop beers. You may be familiar with seeing the plant growing around our breweries' coastal region, but while there's been a few people around here who have talked about commercial hop farming, nothing has materialized. Our Co-Hoperative Ale is done piecemeal from hops grown in local yards and gardens.

Teresa Retzlaff of 46 North Farm in Olney, has grown hops to weave into wreathes, which she has sold at the Astoria Sunday Market. Teresa is not only an exceptionally nice person, but she knows a lot first-hand about the challenges and opportunities of hop farming in the Columbia-Pacific region.

Q: How do hops grow in our area and how could one get started?
A: Hops (Humulus Lupulus) are an amazingly vigorous vine that grows very well in the Pacific Northwest. Oregon produces about 17% of the US market share for hops, which accounts for about 5% of the hops grown in the world. Most Oregon hops are grown in Marion County. Oregon is the second largest producer of hops in the US after Washington State.

The main growing requirements for hops are full sun, rich, well-drained soil that is somewhere near to neutral on the pH scale, and a support system that can handle the rapidly growing vines. They can grow up to 30' tall in one season. This is the vine to plant if you want to hide a building; however, they die back completely to the ground in winter, so it will only be hidden for half the year.

Q: What has your experience been like growing hops including challenges and successes?

A: Hops grew quite well for us on our old farm in Seaside, but in years where the summers were foggier and cooler, they didn't thrive as well, and late summer rain can cause the flowers to mold or rot. We're looking forward to getting hops vines established on our farm in Olney, which is much warmer and sunnier.

One of the biggest challenges is supporting the vines. We had several early trellis designs collapse under the weight of the vines, and have now learned a lot about how to trellis and prune the vines properly. Another challenge is in harvesting hops, as the vines are quite scratchy and many people find that their skin is irritated by exposure to hops vines. Wearing gloves and long sleeve shirts can help.

In September, we used to decorate our market booth with hops bundles, and we always attracted a number of older people who would stop by to reminisce about working as hops pickers when they were young. From the stories we heard, it was hard, scratchy work harvesting hops commercially and no one regretted that they were no longer doing it! But maybe on a smaller scale it won't be so bad.

Q: Why have you grown hops and what do you use them for?

A: I'm embarrassed to say this to a business so renowned for brewing such great beer, but I first planted hops vines because I had read that the vines were excellent for making dried wreath forms, which they are! They generously give lots of material to work with, and the flowers were initially a by-product that I tried to figure out a use for. I would harvest huge bunches of hops and make hop wreaths, and gather dried bundles of hops to sell for fall decorations. I also dried the hops to make herbal sleep pillows, which you can tuck into your pillowcase at night to help you sleep. But mainly, I wove the stripped vines into wreath forms that we used for our fall herb and flower wreaths.

I did plant one variety called Nugget, which I had read was good for making English-style ales, and which I thought my husband, Packy, might enjoy using if he got around to making any home-brewed beer. Sadly, I've kept him so busy with work on the farm that it hasn't happened yet. Maybe next year!

Q: Have you ever thought about growing hops commercially for breweries? Why aren't there any local farms currently doing this?

A: We are both beer-drinkers, and would love to grow hops commercially for local breweries on our farm. I love watching the vines shoot up out of the ground each year. I swear you can see them grow each day. The chartreuse green flowers are odd-looking but beautiful to me, I enjoy seeing them dangling all over the vines in early September like tiny Japanese lanterns. We've been figuring out the best spot to plant the vines on our new farm, because once you plant them it's best to let them establish there and not keep moving them around.

The north coast isn't the ideal place for growing hops, our summers can be cool and wet, which hops don't like. A heavy rain just as you're about to harvest your hops can be a disaster, and you just never know what kind of summer we'll have here. But there are good micro-climates here on the coast, and I'm hoping our new farm is in one that will lend itself to hop growing.

If they have the room to devote to growing the vines, I think local farms could do well offering fresh hops in the late summer-fall for fresh hop beers both to our great local breweries and to the growing number of home brewing enthusiasts here. A local farm can offer hops that will be fresher than anything a brewer might get from a farm that’s hours away. Something else to consider is that in Oregon, hops that are dried and bundled for sale are required to go through a USDA inspection process with a mandatory assessment per pound that growers must pay, so that might also be a deterrent to a small farm considering setting up a dried hops business. Right now there is no required inspection or assessment for fresh hops, although with the growing market for fresh hops in Oregon that will probably change.

Q: Anything else you'd like to add about hops, farming, beer (it's fresh hop beer time), and/or community?

A: For people who are interested in growing hops themselves, it should be noted that Oregon has a quarantine that prevents you from bringing in roots from any other state except Washington and Idaho. Fortunately there are many great sources for hop plants in Oregon, so it's not hard to find a good selection of varieties.

Packy and I are looking forward to tasting the 2011 Co-Hoperative beer that the Fort George brews, it's always tasty, and I love knowing that locally grown hops have gone into it. Hopefully 46 North Farm will have fresh hops to contribute for the 2012 batch! If there are particular hop varieties that people are interested in having a fresh local source for, they should get in touch with us. We want to grow varieties that people want to use! I'll still use the vines for dried wreath forms, but the Fort George has helped me develop a greater appreciation for the potential of those funny looking green flowers.

Taproom Art Show Saturday, September 17 with Brandy Coulthard.

2011-09-14T12:02:00.000-07:00

Come check out the work of local artist, Brandy Coulthard, for a meet and greet Saturday September 17th from 7:00-9:00 in the Fort George Lovell Taproom. "Animal idioms and other such monkey business" is the theme for this show, and it fits in well with the Fort George crew. Though Brandy creates with many formats, this show features watercolor and acrylic.

You may have seen Brandy's art throughout town, as Brandy is Co-Owner of Hold Fast Tattoo Co. & Art Gallery in Seaside. No stranger to the Fort George, Brandy has left the Vortex IPA mark on our chef, Dana McCauly.

Come hang out with Brandy and Co. this Saturday, enjoy some special brews and a game of shuffleboard. See you Saturday-

Vortex IPA Slow Cooker Beer Can Chicken

2011-09-13T14:29:00.000-07:00

By Zetty McKay/Brewery Wife

With school back in session and fall in the air, quick and comforting meals are a must. So, I thought I would share a favorite family recipe for Vortex IPA Slow Cooker Beer Can Chicken. It has the same flavorful, juicy, fall-off-the-bone characteristics as traditional beer can chicken; however, this is a simple weeknight supper. With very little prep work, which may include drinking some beer the night before, set your slow cooker on low and come home to a succulent dinner that’s great for family, and impressive and intriguing enough for entertaining.

INGREDIENTS
Whole Chicken (4 pounds)
Potatoes (12 small red/yellow or equivalent)
Onions (1 large or several small)
1 Cup Vortex IPA This equals 8 ounces, which is half of a pint-sized can. You may want to drink half of a can the night before making the chicken, reserving enough for your recipe in the morning.

DRY RUB
Tablespoon Salt
Teaspoon Black Pepper
Tablespoon Paprika
Tablespoon Brown Sugar

DIRECTIONS
Remove giblets, rinse chicken, and pat dry. Mix dry rub in a small dish and then rub it all over the chicken.

Chop onions, into large chunks and cover the bottom of your slow cooker with them.

Lay the chicken on top of the onions, breast down, and back facing up. Arrange as many potatoes as the cooker can hold, with the lid still fitting securely. I left mine whole as they were smaller, but you may want to cut larger ones in half.

Finally pour your Vortex into the cooker alongside the chicken, as to not wash away the dry rub. Cover, set heat to low, and let cook. Mine cooked for 6 ½ hours; however, I've had good results at 8 hours as well.

Remove potatoes, chicken, and onions from slow cooker and arrange on a platter. The meat should be falling off the bone, and therefore is very easy to “carve”, just using your hands.

VORTEX GRAVY
If you’ve had an especially demanding day, or company coming over, you may want to make some Vortex gravy. Just mix a few Tablespoons of corn starch with a little cold water in a small dish until smooth, and whisk it into the juices in the slow cooker. Turn the heat up to high, cover, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Then, pour over your platter, or let individuals serve their own.

I served this feast with a fresh loaf of Pan Rustique from our brewery neighbor, the Blue Scorcher Bakery, fresh green beans, and cans of Fort George Vortex IPA--a perfect pairing with this meal.

By the way, we really enjoy our Vortex out of big red wine goblets; the vessel is good for channeling aromatics, allows for enhanced hop flavors to come out as it warms in your hand, and it makes an elegant presentation.

A good friend, Susie, came over for dinner, and we couldn’t stop eating, the food was so good. We were super full, but she happens to be one of the best pie-makers in the world, so we forced ourselves to top off our meal with some blackberry pie, that was still warm from the oven. It was totally worth relatively little effort for such a great meal. I can't wait for you to try it too!

9/10 Fort George Taproom Takeover with Brandy Coulthard

2011-09-08T15:20:00.000-07:00

Animal idioms and other such monkey business will be appearing at Fort George's Tap Room on Saturday, September 10th and remaining for the entire month.
You may have seen some of Brandy's work walking all over the Northwest Coast. Brandy Coulthard is currently co-owner of Hold Fast Tattoo Co. & Art Gallery in Seaside, and has been an artist of various mediums her entire life. This new exhibit from Brandy will display multiple watercolor and acrylic pieces throughout the Fort George Tap Room.

Come hang out with Brandy and check out the less painful side of her art for Astoria's 2nd Saturday Artwalk taking place Saturday, September 10th from 5pm-9pm.

September Music Schedule

2011-09-07T13:52:00.001-07:00

1st Local Craft Beer and BBQ Dinner At Portland Prime with Fort George Brewery

2011-09-07T10:21:00.000-07:00

Wednesday September 14th 6:30pm

We are honored to be part of the 1st Local Craft Beer and BBQ Dinner at the Portland Prime Restaurant in Downtown Portland. Come be part of dining history with Fort George and the Portland Prime for an end of summer BBQ. Fort George brewers will be on hand to hang out and talk beer, food, and beer. See you there!

Appetizer Course
Grilled Langostino with grilled mango bruschetta, and smoked finishing salt.

Served with Fort George Divinty

2nd Course

Chop salad with raspberry wheat ale dressing.

Served with Fort George Sunrise Oatmeal Pale Ale

3rd Course

BBQ Beef Brisket served with grilled corn on the cob, Jalapeno corn muffins w/ honey butter, and a hopped macaroni and cheese.

Served with Fort George Vortex IPA

Dessert Course
Raspberry stuffed Stout lava cake served with a Working Girl double chocolate ice cream.

Served with Fort George Working Girl Coffee Porter

Reservations to be made via Portland Prime
121 Southwest 3rd Avenue
Portland, OR 97204
http://www.portlandprime.net/
(503 223 6200) $45 per person

Menus will be printed with a brief description of entrée and beer selection for guests to take with them and help guide them through the experience!

Ms. Collins Serves Good Grades & Pints

2011-09-06T19:26:00.000-07:00

When our wonderful and longest-standing server, Sarah Collins isn’t working at the Fort George Public House, she’s creating lesson plans and grading papers. Sarah is heading back to school as she does every year at this time. She’s a 5th grade teacher at Gearhart Elementary. We talked to her about how she manages to juggle both careers.

Sarah admits it’s tough, but what she loves about working at the Fort George, is how much she’s been able to learn about Astoria and the people. Many patrons have become her friends, which has been great, as she didn’t know very many people when she first moved to town. Sarah says her shifts at the Fort free her mind from the constant whirring thoughts of teaching including planning, grading, and how individual students are performing. She continues to juggle both because she bought a house last year and along with a master’s degree come daunting student loans.

While the demands of the jobs differ, there are also similarities.

“In both jobs you are trying to keep people happy and keep them excited about being there. And sometimes adults who have been drinking act a little like ten-year olds, so I feel right at home,” Sarah said with a grin.

Sarah says it's her Midwestern work ethic that keeps her going (go Buckeyes). Her past career, as touring manager for Pink Martini, took her to places including Beirut, Istanbul, and Monaco. She says they were all caring, talented musicians, who she feels privileged to have worked for. She changed careers when the band was between albums, aiming for a more stable lifestyle.
Sarah is a very busy lady, but she does allow herself one day off a week.

“I try to sleep in, read the Oregonian, do the crossword and pause to be thankful,” Sarah said.

2011 Pacific Northwest Brewcup

2011-08-20T12:53:00.000-07:00

It's that time again. The last weekend of September belongs to the 10th Annual Pacific Northwest Brewcup Beer Festival in Astoria, Oregon. Brought to you by the Fort George Brewery and our friends at the Baked Alaska restaurant, the fest returns to the Astoria riverfront next to the famous Maritime Museum September 23rd through the 25th. Astoria is the perfect backdrop for some beer tasting. Over three-dozen breweries will pour their beer on the waterfront along with live music, food, and vendors throughout the weekend. The festival is a family friendly event with games and root-beer tasting for the kids.

Back by popular demand, Sunday is Growler Day, an opportunity to bring home your favorite beers from the fest. That is to say if your favorite is still pouring! Be sure to vote for the "People's Choice" award, and drink up for the "Thar She Blows" award, a clean sweep for Fort George last year.

Another feature of this year's Brewcup is the Home Brew Competition. Sponsored by Hondo's Brew and Cork, The Home Brew Cup will be judged on Monday, September 26th. Pre-registration must be filed by September 8th. Registration forms can be obtained from Hondo's Brew and Cork, Fort George Brewery. For more information, check out the Hondo's Brew Cup Facebook page.

Stay tuned to the Pacific Northwest Brewcup Facebook page as we release beer and band information.

Update: 9/7/2011
PARKING
Visitors to the Brew Cup should park at the East end of the Maritime Museum Parking lot. Walk to the water, take a right. We'll be there.

HOURS
Friday: 12:00noon-10:00pm
Saturday: 11:00am-10:00pm
Sunday: 11:00am-4:00pm

MUSIC LINEUP
Friday, September 23rd:
4:00-5:30 North Coast Blues Band
6:00-7:30 Bruce Smith and the Boda Boyz
8:00-10pm Minty Rosa

Saturday, September 24th
11:00am - 12:00 Troll Radio Review
4:00-5:30 Big Fish Blues Band
6:00-7:30 The Distractions
8:00-10:00 Broken Soviet

Sunday, September 25th
All Day - Barney Perrine

MARITIME OPEN HOUSE
The Maritime Museum who is hosting parking for the Brew Cup will open their doors to the public on Saturday, September 24th from 1:00-4:00. If you haven't checked out the Maritime Museum, here is your chance to take the tour for free. It is most definitely worth it!

HOMEBREW CONTEST
Hondo's Brew and Cork will be sponsoring the HomeBrew Cup on Monday September 26th. Pre-Registration ends September 8th for entrants. This event is open to the public, so come out and support your local brewers. (Hondo's also has a great tap selection and tons of great canned/bottled craft beer for sale.)

Lower Columbia Disc Golf Course Coastal Throwdown

2011-08-18T15:48:00.000-07:00

2011 Fort George Regatta: (REBA) Bicentennial Edition

2011-08-09T13:39:00.000-07:00

Saturday August 16th for the Astoria Regatta, Fort George will be hosting an all day party. We will start at noon with a Salmon BBQ and outdoor beer garden that will last throughout the day. The taproom will also be open all day with special appearances by Coffee Girl Stout, and Bourbon Barrel Cavatica Stout. Follow the 2nd Saturday "Beer Walk" around Astoria to end up at the Lovell Taproom for the "Beer Show" an art exhibit featuring... well, BEER. The outdoor stage will be graced by country superstars Angie and the Carwrecks at 1:00pm, and Left Coast Country at 8:00pm. Talk about a Reba pregame- See you out there!

Exploring Fort George 7/28

2011-07-19T13:41:00.000-07:00

Come check out some amazing Fort George and Astoria history from some of the most knowledgeable historians on the area. Thursday, July 28 at 7:00 in the Lovell Building Brewery. The event is FREE and the Taproom will be open for whistle-wetting. Beer + History = ?

The public is invited to the Fort George Brewery and Public House on Thursday, July 28 at 7:00 pm for a presentation about the earliest U.S. settlement in Chinookan territory on the west coast of North America. Speakers will include Chinook Nation Chair Ray Gardner and National Park Service archeologists Dr. Doug Wilson and Dr. Bob Cromwell. The event will be held at the Fort George Brewery, on the site of the original Fort Astoria and Fort George trading post.

An Epic Story

In 1811, representatives of the Astor Fur Company established a trading post on Chinookan lands along the Columbia River. At that time, the Chinookan peoples were the densest population of non-agricultural people in the Americas and possibly the world, with sixty thousand people living along the lower Columbia River. The Chinook owed their wealth and power to a trading network that extended up the Columbia River as far as Montana and along the Pacific Coast to southeast Alaska and California.

The early days of the post were marked by intrigue, politics, and drama, as both nations maneuvered for profit and influence. “The story is epic,” said Mac Burns, Director of the Clatsop County Historical Society and Chair of the Astoria Bicentennial Committee. “It includes drownings, shipwrecks, political marriages, and the brilliant leadership of Concomly, whose genius so impressed the Western world that his head would be stolen from his grave to try to divine the secrets of his leadership.”

Three speakers intimately familiar with the history of the lower Columbia will help bring the story to life. Dr. Doug Wilson and Dr. Bob Cromwell have led or participated in archeological investigations at Middle Village, Cathlapotle and Fort Vancouver. Ray Gardner is the elected chair of the Chinook Indian Nation and a descendent of Willapa Chief Huckswelt.

“Events like this are possible because of peoples’ commitment to history and heritage,” said Lewis and Clark National Historical Park Superintendent David Szymanski. “Thanks to Chairman Gardner, one of the most engaging speakers on the lower Columbia. And thanks to Jack Harris and Chris Nemlowill at Fort George for keeping their property’s history alive.”

Northbound and Down. Southern Washington Distribution Friday!

2011-07-05T17:07:00.000-07:00

Fort George beer will be available in Southern Washington this Friday July 8th. Cans of Vortex IPA and 1811 Lager will be available in cans, as well as our full lineup on draft.

We will be celebrating Friday at "By the Bottle" in Vancouver WA with free can tastings and some special draft beer.

For more information, check here.

Fort George and the Original Dinerant "Hot Dog and Beer Pairing" 7/29

2011-06-30T13:03:00.000-07:00

In celebration of Oregon Craft Beer Month, and SUMMER, Fort George Brewery is teaming up with the Original Dinerant for an extreme summer "hot dog and beer pairing." These are not your Mom's Oscar Mayer Wieners. Chef Ryan Bleibtrey has carefully planned four courses of encased entrees, from radical to traditional, with complements for each. From there Fort George brewer, Spencer Gotter, has matched some exceptional summertime brews to wash down the grub. Start to finish, Sunrise Oatmeal Pale Ale, Spruce Budd Ale, an unnamed Imperial IPA dubbed an "aromatic faux Imperial Pilsner," and the Working Girl Porter will complete the cycle. Staged on the Friday of the Oregon Brewers Festival, in the heart of Downtown Portland, this is a don't miss event! If that's not enough, to warm you up, look out for a special release of Bourbon Barrel Stout before the dinner.

Space is limited. For reservations, call: (503)546-2666

July Music Calendar

2011-06-29T11:01:00.000-07:00

For more information and booking availability, visit Astoria Hideouts.

4th Annual Liberate the Ales 4th of July Party!

2011-06-28T16:48:00.000-07:00

Come celebrate the 4th of July with Fort George as we host our 4th annual Liberate the Ales Party with Ma Barley. It will be an all day event with Dana cooking up BBQ ribs, taproom games, a special tapping of North the Fourth, and Ma Barley bringing home the reggae from 7pm until the fireworks.

June Music Calendar

2011-06-10T18:05:00.000-07:00

Fort George Fathers Day June19th

2011-06-08T16:47:00.000-07:00

BBQ on the Patio from NOON to 5:00

Come hang out at Fort George for a day full of beer related activities for Dad. The beer garden BBQ will kick off at noon with music from Howlin Houndog at 1:00 to 3:00.

Father’s Day portions of Dana’s Famous BBQ Beef Brisket with House Made Cornbread and Coleslaw will be served all day. The Lovell Brewery Taproom will be open all day with specialty brews and brewery games such as the new shuffleboard court.

Pace yourself and make a complete day out of it. Horace Pickett will be playing in the pub at 8:00!

Brownsmead Flats CD Release Party

2011-05-27T14:28:00.000-07:00

Saturday, June 4th, 2011 - Lovell Building Brewery - FREE

The Brownsmead Flats will be releasing their newest batch of recordings, "Strings and Yarns," with a special performance at the Fort Goerge, Lovell Building Brewery. The show starts at 7:30 and the taproom will be open for refreshments (BEER!). The Brownsmead Flats are a Fort George staple and are self described as "homebrewed acoustic music with a Northwest Flavor." Come out to get a first listen to their newest batch of material, and pick up a CD!

Pints for Parkinson's

2011-05-05T12:25:00.000-07:00

May Music Calendar

2011-04-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

For more information visit Astoria Hideouts.

[PDX] Fruit Beer Festival!

2011-04-14T16:52:00.000-07:00

Fort George Pouring for Tattoo Exibit

2011-04-05T16:01:00.000-07:00

Fort George will be pouring beer on opening night of "Tattoo" The Art of the Sailor from 4pm - 7pm. Tattoos and beer!

2011-03-31T12:50:00.000-07:00

To kick off the spring, Fort George will be hosting can release parties at two of Portlands premier taphouses, Belmont Station and Saravesa. There will be complementary can tastings of 1811 Pre-Prohibition Lager and Vortex IPA, as well as some extra special brews on tap. Fort George will be dishing out some swag, and Lori the "Sugar Pimp" is crafting up some extra special giant Fort George can cakes. Those of us who were at the Fort George Birthday Bash can attest to the greatness of these craft beer cans!

Friday April 1st @ Belmont Station. 5:00-8:00 Map

Saturday April 2nd @ Saravesa. 7:00-10:00 Map

Can't wait to see PDX drinking Fort George pounders! Happy April-

April Music Calendar

2011-03-30T14:21:00.000-07:00

Look what's on tap for April music

Fort George and Hama Hama Oyster Pairing at Urban Farmer!

2011-03-30T14:15:00.000-07:00

Double click to enlarge.

St. Patricks Day with Peter Dodge and Tommy Alto on 3/20

2011-03-16T10:53:00.000-07:00

ST. PATRICKS DAY, THURSDAY 3/17
Join us on St. Patricks day with traditional celtic tunes by Peter Dodge, David Crabtree and friends! Plenty of storytelling, drinking and carrying on.

Tommy Alto - Sunday 3/20

TOMMY ALTO is the Canadian Rock 'n' Roll renegade and Psycho-Pop sweetheart of the Pacific North-West. Renowned for his spellbinding stage presence and powerful, dynamic voice, Tommy Alto exists to provide the people with the raw essence of pure, unadulterated Rock 'n' Roll, as well as the vigorous, yet melodic sounds of Psycho-Pop.

In December of 2009, Tommy Alto released his debut EP. The disc featured catchy singles like Jack! and Sweetheart, a Psycho-Pop anthem that was met with praise from various media magazines and entertainment journalists. Tommy Alto's debut full-length album will be released in early 2011.

An unyielding entity that refuses to resign, Tommy Alto is driven to make an indelible mark on the minds of the public for decades to come.

Fort George 16oz Cans

2011-03-10T14:24:00.000-08:00

Cans of Fort George beer are starting to circulate throughout the coast and Portland. Look out for 16oz Vortex IPA and 1811 Lager cans at a convenient store, bottle shop, or pub near you.

Fort George Birthday Bash 3/13

2011-03-10T14:20:00.000-08:00

This Sunday is Fort George's 4th birthday! Come out and celebrate all day with hourly raffles, a special Fort George birthday cake, re-release of North IV, and music by the Swaggers.

The Swaggers 3/13 8pm

The Swaggers formed in Astoria, Oregon in the late 1990's. Bassist Frank Peper and singer/guitarist Chris Corbell first worked together in a tribute to Woody Guthrie at the Netel Grange. After recruiting drummer Jeff Carden the band began to play in local venues and write original songs that combined a rockabilly dance feel with their diverse americana influences. The band also covered a lot of well-known and lesser-known classic tunes ranging from Johnny Cash to John Lee Hooker. The Swaggers released a full-length, self-produced album Rockarama in 1999 and went on to play regularly in Portland for a few years, sharing the stage with many other rockabilly, honky-tonk and swing bands along the way. The guys have been working on new tunes and plan to release their first digital single online in early 2011. And they're looking forward to more rockin' good times!

Andy Combs and the Moth 3/6

2011-03-02T08:38:00.000-08:00

Sunday, March 6th
8pm No Cover

Andy Combs and the Moth will perform eccentric tunes at the Fort George Brewery and Public House on Sunday, March 6th at 8pm. The following is a great tale about the origins of Combs and the Moth. "From the misty mountains of Orgomus in the tiny village of Ashloppolinopoliston there echoed one day long ago the great beast of Gantramicus whose terrifying voice shook the emerald hills with a ancient chant of a hundred thousand demons and their broom filled clutches. The thunderous clammering was so great that it spun the green planet off of its axis and forced every dweller upon it into a deep confusing sleep that trapped them all inside a lute that had been clammered upon for ten years straight. The lutesman was a kind fellow but one that was strucken under an enchanting spell which was cast upon him by a strange and powerful wizard of the hills. So ten years before the howl of Gantramicus he began strumming thusly upon thedragon stringed six-lute and piping upon the french laden harp-o-blosticus singing songs of spiders and pielights, cereals anddesert lands, long winters and midnight suns."

"After years of carting about the western land with many other minstrels and pipers of the sort the lad found himself in the far anddistant lands of Colorogisbury, the very place he was born, where he had no chariot of woodsmen but only his lute and harp to sing to the kind folk of the land with. Soon he began to strum and clammer upon other instumapods as well such as the banjomaphone and the accordio-oggatron, plus many others. Two and one half yeermanons have past forth and the lad still plays from town to village and from village to town and back. Moving about in his octopus-car and secretly being followed everywhere by the mysterious moth! Now he resides in the emerald hills of Portapomagrofoliston where he met the amazing Sir Dustonatron of the 5th league and many others beginning the mighty quest into the firey planet sun."

Fierce Bad Rabbit 2/26

2011-02-23T10:00:00.000-08:00

Sunday, February 27th
8pm No Cover

When Fierce Bad Rabbit formed in 2009, regional media called them a 'supergroup.' The stand out talent of each member of the band was already well established in Northern Colorado. But super groups are engineered by record labels. The members of Fierce Bad Rabbit were magnetically drawn together to create indie pop music with a hook and a heart.

Featuring Chris Anderson (vocals/guitar/piano), Alana Rolfe (viola/vocals), Dayton Hicks (bass), and Adam Pitner (drums/percussion), Fierce Bad Rabbit found regional success nearly immediately after coming together. Song writing came natural, and the band soon released a self-titled EP that had airplay before it hit the streets. They were voted 'Best Indie Rock' by peers in the Fort Collins Musicians Association, and Westword nominated the band for 'Best Indie Pop.' They performed at the 2010 South by Southwest in Austin, received featured airplay on stations throughout the region, and were selected for the inaugural class of SpokesBUZZ Fort Collins, a non-profit that raises awareness of Fort Collins as a music hub.

With the October 2010 release of their first studio LP, Spools of Thread, the band is poised to gain broad attention. The songs on the album are an emotionally powerful, infectious brand of indie pop. Songs like 'Everything’s Alright' and 'All I Have Is You,' are radio-ready sing-a-longs without the triteness and disposability too often found in pop music. Instead, Anderson pens songs with an honesty and depth that captures and connects listeners.

Weekend Brewmasters Class at Fort George

2011-02-16T14:36:00.000-08:00

Want to learn more about brewing beer? Fort George will be hosting a brewing class through Astoria Parks and Recreation March 5 & 6, 9am-3pm Saturday and 12pm-3pm Sunday. Participants will tour the brewery and go through the brewing process from start to finish over two days.

For more information sign ups, check out Astoria Parks and Recreation: http://www.astoriaparks.com/catalog/item/7464000/8383896.htm

Zwickelmania! at Fort George 2/19

2011-02-16T11:48:00.000-08:00

Fort George will be participating in Zwickelmania again this year, and we have even more zwickel for your drinking pleasure! Tours of the new 30bbl production brewery, as well as the Public House's work horse will be offered all day. Samples of Fort George beer will be poured right off of the zwickel, and the new tasting room will be featuring several exclusive brews.

The Besties and Orca Team 2/20

2011-02-16T11:07:00.000-08:00

Pop-punk with tropical and salsa influences, Besties will play with Orca Team at the Fort George Brewery and Public House on Sunday, February 20th at 8pm.

Barley's Angels Womens Beer Tasting Event 2/20

2011-02-10T15:47:00.001-08:00

Join Lisa "Beer Goddess" Morrison, author of the upcoming book Craft Beers of the Pacific Northwest and host of the weekly radio show, "Beer O'Clock!," for the first-ever meeting of the Beer O'Clock Chapter of Barley's Angels -- a worldwide organization intent on helping women chart their own good-beer journeys.

We will taste and compare at least six beers, pairing them with some fantastic snacks, learning a bit about recent developments regarding beer as a healthy addition to your diet. This will be held in the new brewery at Fort George, so there will also be a brewery tour and you can learn first-hand how beer is brewed.

Toronto … London … Astoria! This ladies-only gathering marks the official worldwide launch of Barley's Angels, as chapters in Toronto, Canada; and London, England, are also holding their first Barley's Angels meetings on the same weekend! Be a part of beer herstory!

Date: Sunday, Feb. 20, 2-5 p.m.Where: Fort George Brewing's New Brewery, 1483 Duane St., Astoria, OR

Cost: $35 per person, available now at Fort George. This event is always a sell-out, so get your tickets today! E-mail Erin@fortgeorgebrewery.com or stop in Fort George to sign up.

Questions? Call 503 325-PINT

Darren Orange Exhibit for Astoria Art Walk 2/12

2011-02-10T15:44:00.000-08:00

This Saturday, artist Darren Orange will be showing off some of his works in Fort George's new tasting room from 5-8pm. Darren has been crafting amazing chalk art for the Fort George beer menu boards for a while, and we are honored to show off some more work in the newly opened Fort George tasting room housed in the Lovell Auto Building on 14th and Duane St. Guests should enter the the Lovell Brewery from 14th St. and can enjoy tastes of Fort George beer while checking out Darren's art. In addition to the paintings, Darren has crafted some special Stout Month boards in the public house and tasting room!

www.darrenorange.com

Stout Month All February!

2011-02-10T12:00:00.000-08:00

10 days down and many more stouts to go, Fort George continues it's annual Stout Month celebration. To celebrate the darkest of beer and the shortest of months, the Fort brewed up six house stouts, and another ten guest taps were hand picked from all over the region. The popular "blind taster tray" is available throughout the month, and unique Fort George Stout Month 2011 t-shirts/hooded sweatshirts are for sale at the pub, or on the online store.

Check out the current beer lineup on the right hand side of the screen, and stay tuned for more guest releases.

Bruce Smith w/ the Crazies

2011-02-09T14:19:00.000-08:00

Sunday, February 13th
8pm No Cover

Texas native Bruce Thomas Smith plays original “Transplant Rock.” Smith, who now lives on the Oregon North Coast, is a guitar in the driver seat and a story teller in the back, top down, cruisin’ just below the speed-limit, open highway, and tons of fresh scenery kind of musician.

Bruce has released 6 solo music projects to date and has recorded original music soundtracks with his friend Tuck Neilson. Bruce and his previous band The Rocks won a regional southern Oregon Battle of the Bands. Bruce's song "You Leave the Mark" is a featured part of the new Bridges CD, a compilation CD featuring several other Northwest Artists, the proceeds going towards Cancer research here in the North West. (www.bridgescd.org)

Bruce has a fan-base stretching from Tennessee to Texas, Oregon to New York. He will be performing at the Fort George Brewery and Public House with guests the Crazies: Holly Jeffrey on bass and Ken Kirby on drums. Show starts at 8pm. There is no cover.

Troubadors of Devine Bliss

2011-02-02T13:51:00.000-08:00

Sunday, February 6th
8pm No Cover

Troubadours of Divine Bliss are a duo from Louisville, Kentucky. They met 21 years ago in a spirit-filled, holy rollin', charismatic church. Renee's Dad was the Pastor & Aim Me's Dad was a Deacon. Renee was hammin' it up on a Hammond Organ & Aim Me was moonlighting as Faith Bunny. They were baptized, sanctified & deodorized respectively. As the Hatfield & Mc Coy's of the Pentecostal world, Aim Me's Dad ended up kicking Renee's Dad out of the pulpit. They both lost faith in religion & gained faith in the Spirit.

In 1995, the Universe brought them back together with the vision of being Troubadours of Divine Bliss, Street Performers who travel around encouraging Revolution of the Spirit & Courage of the Heart. Renee had a dream she was playing an Accordion, so she got one. Aim Me learned two chords on the Guitar & Bliss was born. They followed their destiny to the streets of New Orleans where (wrapped in battery-operated Christmas lights) they debuted as Christmas Carolers in 1995 on the corner of Royal & Toulouse in the Big Easy.

In 1998 they were named “Best New Folk Band” by New Orleans’ Offbeat Magazine. Through the years they have had the privilege of living the life of true troubadours, traveling the wondrous expanse of America, Europe & Canada. & have been inspired accordingly. Their travels have given them the opportunity to sample a wide variety of tastes, cultures & timely issues that have become the muse for their myriad of musical genres & 4 recordings.
With accordion, guitar and sweet, unique harmonies "smooth as KY Bourbon, soft as Spanish Moss", these gals sing about courage of the heart and revolution of the spirit in a way that will soothe and inspire your soul.

Scott Cook

2011-01-26T17:12:00.000-08:00

Sunday, January 30th
8pm No Cover

f you listen well, lifelong traveler and musical hobo Scott Cook's new album may remind you just how rare a commodity honesty is in today's music scene. There's an awful lot of talk about it, but very few songwriters really wear their hearts on their sleeve, and even fewer do it with such lyrical craftsmanship and raw feeling as you'll hear on this record.

It has been two years and a lot of roads traveled since Scott Cook traded in his job teaching kindergarten in Taiwan for a full-time living as a musician on the road in North America, and while he's certainly experienced his share of hardships and struggle along the way, he isn't thinking of quitting. His self-published 2007 debut, Long Way to Wander, made the national folk top ten on college and community radio, and kept him on the road for the better part of two years, living in his van, playing constantly, picking up stories and passing them on. His newest "love letter to the world" is a fitting follow-up, and his best work to date. Entitled This One's on the House, it's a collection of road stories, existential ramblings, and musings on love, loss, and the courage to love again.

The musical palate is even broader this time, with nods to folk, roots, country, and soul, and the capable help of some of Edmonton's finest players: Jesse Dee on electric guitar, Bill Bourne on guitar and vocals, Doug Organ on piano and hammond organ, Thom Golub and Moses Gregg on upright bass, Dwayne Hrynkiw and Pascal Lecours on drums, Darrek Anderson on pedal steel, Cam Neufeld on fiddle, Jason Kodie on accordion, Mike Sadava on mandolin, and Lynett McKell, Jacquie B, Megan Kemshead, Haley Myrol and Dana Wylie on vocals, as well as Matthew Ord and Jez Hellard from England, playing guitars and harmonica respectively. Engineer Doug Organ at Edmontone Studios and mixer Brad Smith worked together with Scott to produce a spacious, lushly textured album that will surprise Cook's longtime fans and undoubtedly introduce many more to the work of this prairie balladeer.

A wearer of many hats, Cook also builds websites, writes poetry, fiction and non-fiction, and co-organizes Taiwan's Peace Festival, a non-profit music and arts festival that raises money for peace work and charitable work on Taiwan and worldwide.

Scott has toured extensively in North America and Taiwan, including appearances at Taiwan's Spring Scream Festival (7 times) and Peace Festival (4 times), Canada's North Country Fair (4 times), South Country Fair (2 times), Fred Eaglesmith's Southern Picnic (2 times), Pembina River Nights, Sasquatch Festival (4 times), Edge of the World Music Festival, Waynefest, Sonic Orchard and Come Together Music Festivals, and America's Earthworks Harvest Gathering and the Hoot on the Hudson with Pete Seeger, as well as legendary venues like the Sidetrack Cafe in Edmonton, the Railway Club in Vancouver and the Free Times Cafe in Toronto. Long Way to Wander spent a month in the top ten on Earshot's national campus & community radio charts and the follow-up, This One's on the House, is currently getting airplay across Canada.

Left Coast Country

2011-01-21T14:57:00.001-08:00

Sunday, January 23rd
8pm No Cover

Left Coast Country is a temporarily four piece string band based out of Portland, Oregon that delivers to you a variety of high octane traditional, bluegrass, country along with an entourage of contemporary originals.

Professor Gall 1/16

2011-01-13T17:51:00.000-08:00

'A Tincture of Junkyard Folk and Steampunk Jazz'.

Professor Gall seeks to uncover the contradictions of an ambiguous and native-less society, 'dreaming the existentialists' dream', while at the same time pleading for individualism, peace, and more fun at funerals.

The Portland, Oregon conglomerate starts with Drew Norman on vocals, guitar, percussion stomp box, and banjo, who brings his theatrical experience to the musical stage and is responsible for the initial musical and lyrical embellishments. Drew’s recent side roles include the ‘Husband’ in the stage and movie version of Sally Tomato’s TOY ROOM (Severe Enterprises), a rock opera that won awards from The Heart of England Film Festival, among others. He is also commissioned by other musical luminaries on stage and in the studio from Chris Robley’s Fear of Heights Orchestra (Cutthroat Pop Records) to Jeff Hanson (Kill Rock Stars Records). Scott Johnston heads up the first chair position for the horn section, arranging charts and providing his saxophone alchemy. Rounding out the ensemble is Monte Skillings on trombone, Todd Burba on clarinet and accordion, Sean Hudson on stand-up bass, Jake Pegg on tuba, and Andrew Clarinet on the.…ahem…clarinet.

Casey Neill

2011-01-04T14:03:00.000-08:00

Sunday, January 9th
8pm No Cover

"A masterful songwriter" Punk Planet

Casey cut his teeth in the underground music community of the Pacific Northwest. Maintaining an international touring and recording career, his songs have garnered widespread praise from radio and critics, as well as musical luminaries Jello Biafra, Amy Ray, Pete Seeger, and Steve Earle. Casey has played stages such as New York's Town Hall, San Francisco's Great American Music Hall, and Glasgows Celtic Connections Festival.
In 1995, Casey self released his CD Riffraff - 12 folk punk songs with a political focus. Based on the success of his debut, he was signed to the Appleseed imprint of Red House Records in 1997. A track of his was featured on their Grammy nominated tribute to Pete Seeger, Where Have All the Flowers Gone, alongside interpretations of Pete's songs by Bruce Springsteen, Billy Bragg, and Ani DiFranco. Appleseed then released his self-titled CD in 1998, Skree in 1999, and a live CD Portland West in 2001.

His album Brooklyn Bridge, released in 2007, includes the sessions recorded by Johnny Cunningham and features over 25 musicians. The players include the New York incarnation of Casey's band, his acoustic Trio from the 90s, many of the current Norway Rats, and guests Chris Funk and Jenny Conlee of the Decemberists, songwriters John Wesley Harding and Erin McKeown, guitarist Eric Ambel of Steve Earle and the Dukes, and more. The result is a 12 song collection of anthemic rock, punk attitude, desolate ballads, and Poguesy punk roarers.

Brooklyn Bridge includes the sessions recorded by Johnny Cunningham and features over 25 musicians. The players include the New York incarnation of Casey's band, his acoustic Trio from the 90s, many of the current Norway Rats, and guests Chris Funk and Jenny Conlee of the Decemberists, songwriters John Wesley Harding and Erin McKeown, guitarist Eric Ambel of Steve Earle and the Dukes, and more. The result is a 12 song collection of anthemic rock, punk attitude, desolate ballads, and Poguesy punk roarers.
Casey will be playing a solo show at the Fort George Brewery on Sunday, January 9th at 8pm. There is no cove

Bluestone Trio

2010-12-23T09:40:00.000-08:00

Sunday, December 26th
8pm No Cover

Bluestone is one of the newest groups performing in Tri Cities and Eastern Washington. They distinguish themselves from the plethora of East Side blues bands with a sound influenced by classic R&B and jazz artists (Dr. John, Ray Charles, Etta James, etc.). The group is piano and vocal based, covering a range of styles from New Orleans R&B, Chicago blues to East Coast jazz.

New Years Eve with the New Mexican Revolution!

2010-12-16T12:38:00.000-08:00

Friday, December 31st
8pm No Cover
Fort George Brewery

The music of the New Mexican Revolution has its roots in the gothic Americana of performers like Willie Nelson, Tom Waits, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Wilco and Los Lobos. Their songs are stories of drifters, wanderers and lost souls set against a kaleidoscope of American music, with an array of instrumentation and textures.

Songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Wesley Shirley grew up in the high desert of New Mexico, listening to the country music of the 70’s and 80’s in his parents record collection. The joy and desolation of this environment informs much of the music of tNMR. Having its start in Ft. Collins, Colorado and after playing around northern Colorado for two years, the band took a hiatus as Wes dedicated his time to other musical projects. In 2004, the Revolution reformed with a new lineup, playing the old songs, along with a handful of new ones, and began to gig around their new home town of Portland, Oregon. The first album, The Promise of Mutiny, was released in September of 2004, and they successfully toured the west coast and mountain states twice in the summer of 2005 in support. Their second album, Theories of Sun and Rain, was released in May of 2006, and has received positive reviews both at home and abroad. The Revolution has benefited from a long list of collaborators and conspirators over the years, and continues to value the collaborative effort of music making as they record and perform new music and continue to tour.

David Crabtree

2010-12-16T12:32:00.000-08:00

Sunday, December 19th 2010 at 8:00 pm - NO COVER -

Belgian Ales and Seafood Dinner

2010-12-08T09:50:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, December 15^th 2010

At the Fort George Brewery + Public House

Intro

A Trio Of House Cured Salmon; Traditional Norwegian Gravlax, Juniper Berry and Tanqueray Lox, Fennel and Ouzo Lox Served on Crumpets with Sour Cream.

Fort George Brewery – Quick Wit

Salad

Risotto Cakes with Bornstein Smoked Scallops Served on a Bed of Butter Leaf Lettuce and a Bacon Sherry Vinaigrette.

La Brasserie Unibroue – Éphémère (Apple)

Soup

Shrimp Bisque with a Blue Scorcher Crostini, Rouille, and Warm Chèvre.

The Bruery – Saison Rue

MAIN COURSE

Whole Dungeness Crab and a Malheur Beurre Blanc.

Malheur Bière Brut - Brouwerij De Landtsheer NV

DESSERT

Ladies in Nightgowns – Granny Smith Apples Baked in Pastry Dough Topped with Crème Agnlaise.

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery - Raison D'etre

Caulfield and his Magical Violin

2010-12-07T17:24:00.000-08:00

December 12th at 8pm.
From Anacortes, Washington, powerpop band Caulfield and his Magical Violin will play at the Fort George Brewery and Public House. There is no cover.

Angie and the Car Wrecks

2010-12-02T12:05:00.000-08:00

Sunday, December 5th
8pm No Cover

Angie and the Car Wrecks are comprised of two brothers, Shawn and Dale Ball, on the upright bass and guitar, respectively, with their good friend Calvin Jernberg on the drums and Dale's wife Angie Ball leading the pack and taking on vocals. They are based in a small town in the Pacific Northwest, where they hone their craft on many rainy days stuck inside.

The Car Wrecks have a 6-song EP that was released in March of 2010 and has been well-received. The new EP has helped them land some prominent gigs, such as Lounge Acts 2010 in Aberdeen, WA opening for Grammy award-winning band Soul Asylum, the 2010 Pacific Northwest Brewcup in Astoria, WA, the 2010 Kustom Kulture Festival in Silverdale, WA opening for James Hunnicutt, the Juke Joint Gamblers, Hard Money Saints, Big John Bates and the Voodoo Dollz, and Three Bad Jacks and the 2010 Jake the Alligator Man Bday Bash in Long Beach, WA opening for DragStrip Riot.

The Car Wrecks' main influences are the pioneers of classic rockabilly music, most of them featured on the Sun label in the 1950's: Carl Perkins, Billy Lee Riley, Elvis, and of course Johnny Cash. Other influences include the Stray Cats, Hank Williams Sr., Loretta Lynn, Waylon Jennings, and more recently, the Chop Tops and the Reverend Horton Heat.

Los Gallos Rumba

2010-11-26T11:11:00.000-08:00

Sunday, November 28th
8pm No Cover
Fort George Brewery
1483 Duane St.-Astoria

Los Gallos Rumba hails from Portland, Oregon and brings with them the sounds of flamenco music with its rich gypsy and arabic roots. Their sets are infused with romantic Spanish guitar and cover everything Latin from rumba, to salsa and meringue. Lead singer of the group Mercedes Estevez is from Barcelona Spain and moved to Portland two years ago. She has family from Jaen, Andalucia where flamenco music originated which inspired her to sing since she was a child. Her joyful spirit and passion fill her voice with an enchanting unique splendor. Mercedes also is a skilled song writer and dancer. She gets everyone fired up with her graceful flamenco inspired movements. A night to wear your dancing shoes to the Fort George Brewery!

Lulu Lafever

2010-11-08T11:58:00.000-08:00

Sunday, November 14th
8pm No Cover
Fort George Brewery
1483 Duane St.-Astoria

Lulu LaFever, Grammy Member, delivers Sultry Blues, smoother than black velvet jazz and juke joint swing...incredible talent and originality. Lulu's big personality has been involving and entertaining audiences for over 15 years. She lives up to every expectation of a performer named Lulu LaFever...In 1994 Lulu received a grant from the Oregon Arts Commission for her talent as a songwriter and singer. She began work on her first CD and left her career as a registered nurse to pursue her dream...to show off and share her music with the world. Six CD's and over 15 years of touring later it proved to be the right move. As Lulu always says "Life is soooo good! Don't just take the scenic route, be the scenic route." Lulu has been compared to Ella Fitzgerald, Bette Midler, Cindy Lauper and Bonnie Raitt, but she most definitely has a style all her own. As a songwriter and composer Lulu creates new boundaries in the world of music. Lulu and her band "Lulu LaFever and the Hot Tamales" has had the honor of opening for Willie Nelson and Big Bad VooDoo Daddy. Whether solo or with her band Lulu is what the world needs...A Good Time!

Dramady w/ Rollerball

2010-11-03T10:43:00.000-07:00

Sunday, November 7th
8pm No Cover
Fort George Brewery
1483 Duane St.-Astoria

A night of double the fun is heading to the Fort George Brewery and Public House. Two North Pole Records bands Dramady and Rollerball will be heading up the night on Sunday, November 7th from 8 to 10pm. Dramady is a two piece rock band from Portland, OR. The band consists of Amanda Mason Wiles (Rollerball, Six Foot Sloth, The Pink Widower) on bass, vocals, clarinet, and saxophone, and Zac Stanley (Narwhal vs. Narwhal, Miss Massive Snowflake) on drums, vocals, and keyboards. The music is highly rhythmic danceable pop with groove laden dub bass and melodic horns. Zac is pretty amazing to watch live as he plays drums, keyboard, and sings all at once while the crowds dance the night away.

Rollerball are coming in their new incarnation of a trio. Depending who you ask and when you hear them, Rollerball can be many things. Pop band, gothic wavers, experimental noise jerks, groove dub spacers, or weirdos, but one thing holds dear, Rollerball never rests. They work hard and strive harder. Not concerned with sales or acclaim, Rollerball does what it does. They practice, they tour, and they push the limits of sound on every release. You can't get bored with their sound because it is morphing as you read this. After 14 albums, a clutch of eps and singles, countless compilation appearances, multiple European and American tours, Rollerball is still virtually unknown to many, and though they might wonder why, they don't dwell on it. They make more music and search for someone to release it. And so North Pole Records has come to the rescue. With their last two releases on Italian Avant Garde super label, Wallace, we thought it time to try to show the States what they have and should treasure. This is American music and this is a legendary band.

2010-10-28T15:37:00.001-07:00

This November, Fort George will be holding a contest: Who can grow the best facial hair in exactly 30 days? This is a celebration of manliness and all the glory that is the male beard. Let the best man win… although women are encouraged to participate.

Rules:

1 complete month of absolutely NO SHAVING....PERIOD.
Exceptions: if there is a work conflict with facial hair, you may adhere to workplace standards.
Contestants must have a picture of themselves, clean-shaven, next to a November 1^st 2010 or later newspaper. Contestants may start the contest late, but not early... no no.
Pictures are to be submitted via facebook.com/fortgeorgebrewery or noshavenovember@fortgeorgebrewery.com
Judging will take place on December 1st at the Fort George Brewery + Public House @ 5pm.
Grand Prize will be chosen by unanimous crowd decision.
Grand Prize? A special bearded Mug Club membership, and beard bragging rights for the year of 2011. A value of $85, but absolutely priceless...
Consolation prizes will be awarded to the less beardly, un-stachely, and pre-pubescent.

***All hair to be donated to beardless children. After all... it’s all about the kids.

Ma Barley Halloween Hellorium!

2010-10-26T11:54:00.000-07:00

Saturday, October 30th
Doors open 8pm
Music 9-11pm
$7 Cover

Location: Fort George 'Hellorium': The Lovell Building
14th street between Duane and Exchange. Enter from the Fort George parking lot.

Come out and groove to Astoria's favorite house band, Ma Barley, before the first beers are brewed in the new brewery. Food will be served. Costumes will be expected!

The Brownsmead Flats 10/24

2010-10-19T16:11:00.000-07:00

Sunday, October 24th
8pm No Cover
Fort George Brewery
1483 Duane St.-Astoria

The Brownsmead Flats have been performing their unique style of music for over 20 years. Creating new tunes and playing traditional songs that appeal across the generational spectrum, they are a well known entity in the Columbia Pacific region. The Band is made up of, Dan Sutherland on hammered dulcimer, mandolin and fiddle. Ray Raihala on banjo and guitar. Robert Stevens plays guitar and banjo. John Fenton on bass and mandolin. Ned Heavenrich plays harmonica and guitar. Their tight vocal harmonies and enjoyment of making music together translate into an evening of good times and merryment.

Joe McMurrian 10/17

2010-10-11T19:03:00.000-07:00

Sunday, October 17th
8pm * No Cover
Fort George Brewery
1483 Duane St.-Astoria

Joe McMurrian is a Delta Blues/Roots songwriter/ guitarist based in Portland Oregon. He has a rich capability to infuse tradition with contemporary invention through his intense finger-style, slide guitar work and original storytelling. Joe is deeply influenced by the Delta Blues and American Hill country masters like Skip James, Son House, Doc Boggs, Robert Pete Williams, Fred McDowell, Robert Johnson, Bukka White, R.L Burnside, Roscoe Holcomb, Blind WIllie Johnson, Lightning Hopkins and modern players like Buddy Guy, Bert Jansch, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Leo Kotke, Doc Watson, James Blood Ulmer, Chris Whitley, Junior Kimbrough and Rajeev Tarnoth. Joe blends all these influences into a powerful modern gumbo that can switch from gut wrenching hard driving deep blue’s to intricate acoustic ballads. Recently Joe has formed the power quartet Woodbrain, signed with Memphis Label Yellow Dog Record and has picked up the electric guitar he used to play so much as a teen and plugged into an amp full of electricity to explore the endless possibilities available to this dynamic new band sound. The result is the new release, Swimming in Turpentine, an album that promises new & exciting things things to come for Blues and Roots music.

When he was 9 Joe found his father’s steel slide guitar up in the attic and decided to start playing. His father still played a little slide and standard guitar that he used to play in the 40's, so Joe learned the basics of various Willie Nelson, Muddy Waters and Jimmy Rogers songs. 32 years later he still likes it.

In Los Angeles he played every acoustic venue available, as well as receiving weekly airplay on the prominent radio station KCRW in Santa Monica. Joe has performed at countless venues & numerous festivals Including the Portland Waterfront Blues Festival (the past 4 years), Portland Brewers Festival, Park City Utah Founders Tile Bluegrass and Folk Festival, Pasadena Blues Festival, String Summit and the Listening Room concert series in Los Angeles. He has appeared with such luminaries as John Mayhall, Paul Geramia, LouisianaRed, Keb Mo, Paul Livingstone, Eddie Kirkland, John McEuen, Charlie Musslewhite, Preacher Boy, Canned Heat, Sonny Landreth & Little Charley and the Nightcats to name a few. When he performs on stage he is in a way painting with sound, ebbing and flowing towards new realms of experience in the moment.

David Matthew Daniels

2010-10-05T09:07:00.000-07:00

Sunday, October 10th
8pm No Cover
Fort George Brewery
1483 Duane St.-Astoria

"Out of the dark corners and dreary rain of Portland comes the folk-rocker guitarist/singer DAVID DANIELS. Following in the deep and roughed-around-the-edges footprints of Morphine, John Prine, and Elliott Smith to name just a few of his countless influences, expect Daniels to put on a true and honest show not quickly forgotten or easily reproduced by others in the field today."
-Noah Bernstein-Hanley Camelia Lounge, Portland, OR

Not your typical singer/songwriter, David Matthew Daniels describes his music as "a country-punk-blues-and-roll-jazz-soul review" because his influences are as diverse as the genres he recreates. His music is true Americana: honest, soulful, heartfelt stories of love, loss, life, fighting the good fight, and hope, even in the darkest corners of the soul. With songs that are reminiscent of smoke filled dive bars to songs that remind us to find something worth fighting for, Daniels has a song for everyone who listens.  Daniels words, his melodies, expect fully deserved waves of empathy. Throughout the caressing sounds of his guitar, knees buckle, with relief, and at the eloquence of each note from his piano. The listener is overtaken by the liquid fire of his voice, of his story.

AstoriaHideouts.com
FortGeorgeBrewery.com

Cowpokers!

2010-09-27T19:35:00.001-07:00

Local supercharged rock n roll and outlaw-country band The Cowpokers will play
at the Fort George Brewery and Public House on Sunday, October 3rd at 8pm. There is no cover.

Super XX Man

2010-09-20T15:24:00.001-07:00

Sunday, September 26th
8pm No Cover
Fort George Brewery
1483 Duane St.-Astoria

Scott Garred started off his career as Super XX Man (pronounced "super double ex man") in the mid-'90s while still a member of the Austin, TX indie pop trio Silver Scooter, putting out a pair of self-released cassettes. Garred has since relocated to Portland, OR, continuing a steady stream of releases that have moved from home recorded four-track material to full fledged studio productions. Along the way, he has also turned Super XX Man into a bona fide band, that these days features his wife Michelle on accordion, singer Ali Wesley, Kelly Dachtler, and drummer Bob Ham.

Super XX was an old b&w film made by Kodak which Garred who called it “double x.” One day he received a letter from a friend in his former hometown of Pullman, WA, in which she said that she dreamed Garred had a heart attack. In his response, he performed live to a 4-track cassette player with the song “The Destroyer” which begins with the lyric “I dreamed I was Super XX Man flying over Texas.” That was the center piece on the self-titled 12-song cassette released in September, 1995. Garred's original goal was to release one cassette a year, not much thought being put into it otherwise, except always looking for the most efficient way to dub as many tapes as possible and give them to all the good people in life. He recorded everything using a dirty SM-58 microphone purchased on the street in Seattle during his first touring experience in college. It cost $35. He likes to believe it was used by Mudhoney.

Denali and the Demon Squirrel

2010-09-15T16:38:00.001-07:00

Sunday, September 19th

8pm No Cover

Fort George Brewery

1483 Duane St.- Astoria

Denali and the Demon Squirrel was formed in early 2009 by two young Portland, Oregon songwriters: Denali Kennedy and Jesse Faxon-Mills. They began to play live shows constantly, from farmer's markets and coffee shops to larger stages, and they never slowed down. Both artists play guitar and sing, weaving layers of soul and their own musical wilderness through original folk rock songs. Instead of seeking to emulate their heroes, each next song writing move has been built upon a search for the perfect expression of sensation, emotion, and love. The power of their live show develops with percussive and playful guitar work, vocal delivery, and the subtle power of their lyrical content. Many of the songs are obviously haunted, but often hopeful at the same time, and some reveal a more mischievous, goofy side. This band is playing to give something real to their audience, to share the hard nights and the goodness, and spike it all with inspiration.

Hometown Show

2010-09-02T12:39:00.001-07:00

September 5th
8pm No Cover
1483 Duane St.-Astoria

Hometown Show is one man, Matthew Harrison, who is bringing his Country Folk from England. Always Just Passin' Through (also the name of his latest EP and tour) singing songs about friends, family, familiar faces, places and fading memories. Harrison has received national airplay and toured extensively throughout the United Kingdom and the United States. Hometown Show has had the pleasure of sharing the stage with top international artists such as; Austin Lucas, Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit, Josh Small, Lemuria, Mike Hale and Chris Murray. He will perform in Astoria at the Fort George Brewery and Public House on Sunday, September 5th from 8-10pm. There is no cover.

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AstoriaHideouts.com

Troll Radio Revue Saturday, August 28

2010-08-27T03:11:00.000-07:00

Troll Radio Revue will be broadcasting from the deck one last time this summer!!! Hope we'll see YOU out on the deck at 11am this Saturday, August 28. Lots of great music from The Hackles, Kinobe & Soul Beat Africa and the Beerman Creek String Band. If you can't be in the audience, tune in on KMUN or coastradio.org !!!!

Shoeshine Blue

2010-08-24T12:46:00.001-07:00

Sunday, August 29th
8-10pm
1483 Duane St.-Astoria

"As the music progresses, layers are added to the mix: shuffling drums, a touch of violin and winsome vocals by leader Michael Apinyakul and a variety of breathy female singers. By the end, they are overflowing with sound, often reaching a swelling but gentle crescendo toward conclusion."
--The Oregonian

Shoeshine Blue began years ago as a lo-fi literary blues act. Songwriter, Michael Apinyakul's uncanny abilities with a cassette 4-track earned him critical praise from both the press and studio engineers with the album, "Talk Real Slow". Since then, Shoeshine Blue has evolved into something else entirely. Falling somewhere between classical and blues, folk and gospel, old time and indie. As a solo act, Apinyakul displays a fast, dark, and emotive finger picking style, as if Mississippi John Hurt listened to The Melvins, but more often Shoeshine Blue consists of a larger lineup of violinist Shawn Mclain (Blind Pilot), bassist William Joersz (Nick Jaina, Run On Sentence), singer Ali Wesley (Super XX Man), and drummer John Vecchiarelli of more bands than I can count, plus his own wonderful songs. This bare bones combo produces wistful backdrops for lyrics full of political fervor, high romance, and heartland poetics.

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AstoriaHideouts.com
FortGeorgeBrewery.com

Regatta Weekend Sat. 14th Art & Beer Walk

2010-08-13T03:46:00.001-07:00

A perfect weekend activity awaits this Saturday evening in Astoria. Follow Highway 30 to where the big River finds the biggest Ocean, for an evening of original art and local brew. The ever-spectacular Fort George Brewery is sponsoring the community's monthly 2nd Saturday Art Walk, supplying different beers to art venues. Meander our quaint, quirky and historic streets, peruse the unique selection of art and creative wares throughout the downtown .... AND enjoy an award winning ale or refreshing wasabi ginger ale while you take in the art experience. The event hours are 5 - 9 PM, Art & Beer walk maps and official Vortex tasting glasses will be available at art venues. For more details about this event please visit: www.astoriaFOG.org/beerwalk

Fort George Beers that will be offered:

Wasabi Ginger Ale
Our ginger ale is a non-alcoholic soda made in house. With two different types of wasabi and fresh local ginger in this soda, the Wasabi Ginger Ale is a little spicy, a little sweet, bubbly and delicious.

Golden Goose
4.5% ABV
Our lightest beer mingles mild caramel malt sweetness with mellow hop spice to create perfect session ale. Named in honor of and also available at the Goose Hollow Inn Pub in Portland; this beer tastes best when ordered by the pitcher and shared with friends.

Quick Wit
5.5% ABV
A Belgian style ale that is pale and cloudy in appearance due to the beer being unfiltered and high levels of wheat. Wit beer is traditionally brewed with coriander and orange zest. Ours uses organic pale and wheat malts, ground coriander, organic lemongrass (to impart a delicious citrus character), and wild-crafted elderflower. With one smell of this glorious wit, a taste will follow soon.

Divinity
5.2% ABV
While fruit has been widely employed in beer brewing for thousands of years, many folks these days turn their noses up at the idea as a yuppie swill and claim to prefer a "Real Beer". We take great pride in our fruit beers; using all organic barley, wheat grains and 60 lbs of whole, frozen Ollolie berries (Ollalie is Clatsop jargon for “Berry”) to impart a subtle tartness and divine color.

Nut Red Ale
5.9% ABV
While hops and bitterness are all the rage today, this beer takes time to explore the complexity and character of malt. This red is really more of a rich scarlet and is created from a wide variety of specialty malts carefully milled together to form layers of roast, toast, and biscuit with a nutty finish. These are balanced with mild and complementary hops resulting in a beer neither to bitter nor too sweet.

Sunrise Oatmeal Pale Ale
5.5% ABV
A smooth and creamy session-style American pale ale. With a straw colored hue, this beers dry nature with affable bitterness and lovely hop aroma makes it an easy choice for drinking anytime of the day, even when the sun is rising. This beer is based on the first beer ever produced at the Fort George Brewery (Beer #1). We decided to add 75 lbs. of oatmeal to make it even better.

Vortex
ABV 7.4% IBU 97
India pale ale's were designed to withstand the long voyage to India. Today, it seems one has to design the IPA strong and hoppy enough to make the trip back as well. Vortex IPA was the Fort George's first foray into this strong beer category. Our IPA is made with generous additions of Amarillo, Simcoe and Cascade hops throughout the brewing, fermentation and conditioning phases, balanced with heaps of organic pale malt. We designed this to not rip your taste buds off your tongue, but rather vigorously stimulate them and your palate into a lupulin-ecstacy of pleasure. During the cross-country truck trip our brewery made to find it's home in Astoria, it was nearly scattered to the cornfields of Nebraska by a tornado. We try to capture some of nature's intensity in every pint.

Cavatica
ABV 8.8%
An immense, bold, black as night, American stout beauty; Cavatica is no dry Irish anything. Made in the tradition of terminator, except stronger, one sip and you will surely take notice of what you're drinking. The name honors this brewer's affinity with arachnia. Be forewarned, this beer will stain your clothes.

Bourbon BBL Cavatica
8.6% ABV
What could make our Cavatica stout even better? Bourbon! We let our house stout sit in wild turkey barrels for two and half moths. There in the dark bourbon soaked barrel our stout soaked up as much bourbon quality that it could before we sent it off to the bright tanks. With an up front bourbon taste backed by our dark malty stout, the Bourbon Barrel Cavatica is a deliciously potent brew that demands a taste.

Working Girl Porter
4.6 ABV

Our Panamax Porter is reborn with this new coffee porter named The Working Girl. This porter is reminiscent of our Panamax but has now has been brewed with the addition of over 5 lbs. of working girl coffee beans. The beans were put into both the mash tun and the kettle to create a light coffee aroma and coffee aftertaste in this diverse porter. With additional hints of chocolate and rye malt, this porter is well balanced and fantastic at any point in the day.

Spruce Budd Ale
4.9%

With the help of many Fort George fans we picked over 120 lbs of Spruce tips, leaving our arms aching from the constant stabbing of the Spruce needles. Through all of that pain of picking over 35 lbs of Spruce tips for each batch came a beer that cannot be rivaled in deliciousness. With nothing more than organic pilsner malt and Spruce tips for ingredients, this beer might be the best thing you have ever put in your mouth. With Spruce tips being full of vitamin C, this beer is incredibly good for your health* and can lead to a longer life.** With each glorious sip you are able to realize what an adventure into the woods taste like. With hints of Spruce, citrus, and more Spruce, these beer tastes like a Spruce tree. With the summer heat in full swing, grab a growler of Spruce Budd, find some shade underneath a tree and enjoy life.

*Probably not true
**Definitely not true.

Floating Glass Balls and Bulldog Rhythm Review Reunion play live while we have a BBQ at the Fort George Sat. 14th

2010-08-13T03:24:00.001-07:00

Floating Glass Balls
Saturday, August 14th
just after the Regatta parade
12:30-2:30pm

Bulldog Rhythm Review Reunion
8-10pm

Join the Fort George Brewery and Public House on Saturday, August 14th for Regatta Weekend. Following the parade down town will be live music from the Floating Glass Balls, local beachgrass, at 12:30pm. There will be a barbeque and seating on the Fort's new patio. The party will continue all day long with more music by Bulldog Rhythm Review who are having a Reunion show starting at 8pm. In the late 90's Bulldog Rhythm Review cut a wide swath from Rockaway to Alaska packing the largest dance halls with patrons hungry for a thick rocking soulful sound in five part harmony. Members of this legendary band include Claxton 'Kingsize" Taylor on guitar, lead and backing vocals and founder of BRR. Clax brought his particular brand of goodtime jazzy soul to the area in the mid 1970's with a sizable collection of Ray Charles and Howard Tate recordings. He put a fantastic band together in those heady time called "Rhythm Sponge" Claxton has played with far too many bands to list here but suffice it to say whatever genre, whatever tune he's bound to make it swing with his deep soul groove and he is the soul of the Bulldog Rhythm Review. Denise Drake is on lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar, tambourine and shakers.
Denise came to the attention of Bassist Dave Quinton after moving to the area from Alaska. It took about two minutes to see how much she could add to sound and the show. The lovely Ms Drake sings effortlessly with amazing range and could not hit a sour note if her life depended on it. The dimension she brought ushered the band into it's golden age. Dave Qinton plays bass, acoustic guitar, and is also on lead and backing vocals. Dave is mister smooth. Don't be deceived by his boyish looks. He's been playing all kinds of music professionally forever from bluegrass to the symphony he has an easy laid-back style and a natural inclination to keep things together. When Dave croons one of his signature selections once or twice a set it makes for a cool sip of respite from the hot sauce. Peter Unander rocks the keyboards and sings backing vocal. Peter is a natural musician and loves to play. He's played piano for Shanghaied In Astoria, the Pagan Pancakes and dozens of other great bands. His association with Claxton Taylor goes back decades and provides a depth and dynamic of vital importance. Wes Warmond is on the guitar, a fine player from the Cannon Beach area. He really knows how to fit in and it's always a treat to have him play with the band. Rounding out the troupe is J. Pierce Christie master of trap set and on vocals. Pierce has a nice little vintage 1965 Ludwig Ringo drum set with the blue oyster finish. His cymbals are a delightful mix of period Avidis and Turkish K Zildijian. Pierce has played extensively around the area since the early 70's and played with BRR since it's inception in the early 90's. When Pierce moved out of the area in 2000 BRR went on hiatus. So did his drums. Since moving back Pierce has dusted off his drums and his chops and is ready to go.

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AstoriaHideouts.com

Ian McFeron Band

2010-08-11T03:18:00.001-07:00

Sunday, August 15th
8-10pm No Cover
Fort George Brewery
1483 Duane St.-Astoria

Saturday, August 14th
2-4pm No Cover
Waikiki Beach, Cape Disappointment

The Ian McFeron Band exploded onto the Seattle music scene shortly after releasing their debut album, Don't Look Back (2003), when they were discovered by "The Mountain" in Seattle (AAA-formatted KMTT at 103.7 FM). Within months, the first single, Love Me Twice, edged out songs by Modest Mouse, Bob Schneider, The Bo Deans, and Ray LaMontagne in The Mountain's "New Music Throwdown," a weekly competition where listeners vote for their favorite of two new songs. The band went on to share the spotlight with international and national artists such as Patty Griffin, Nanci Griffith, Shawn Mullins, Amos Lee, Sister Hazel, Missy Higgins, Julia Fordham, Carbon Leaf, The Hothouse Flowers, and Jars of Clay.
A prolific songwriter whose lyrical prose and fervent work ethic has drawn comparisons to Bob Dylan and Ryan Adams, McFeron has released a steady stream of albums: Don't Look Back (2003), A Long Way To Freedom (2005), and Fistfight With Father Time (2006). Let It Ride (2007) marks the band's fourth full length LP- a fourteen-track narrative spanning themes of love and heartbreak, faith and despair, political corruption and hope. Released on March 3rd, 2007, Let It Ride was celebrated with back-to-back shows at the Triple Door in Seattle, both of which sold out in advance.

In live performance, McFeron (vocals, guitars, piano) is joined by the Texas fiddle of Alisa Milner and the backbeat rhythms of Jon Markel and Mark Bateman. The band has also performed with well-known Northwest lead-guitar players such as Alice Stuart and Rod Cook, and with slide-guitar virtuoso Dan Tyack. The diverse musicianship of its members allows the Ian McFeron Band to shift smoothly through a variety of roots-Americana styles, ranging from acoustic folk rock to gritty alt-country blues, from heartfelt, soulful ballads to driving, danceable backbeat groves.

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AstoriaHideouts.com

Art & Beer Walk in Astoria

2010-08-10T20:59:00.001-07:00

Fat Man & Little Boy: the Atomic Duo

2010-07-19T23:03:00.001-07:00

Thursday, July 22nd
8pm No Cover
Fort George Brewery
1483 Duane St.-Astoria

Fat Man & Little Boy: the Atomic Duo is the latest project from Bad Livers founder Mark Rubin featuring the hot mandolin and plaintive vocals of young Silas Lowe. This release marks Rubin’s first foray into American folk music since the last Bad Livers CD almost a decade ago, and is the first recording he has made as a singer and guitarist. Inspired by the great “Brother” vocal duets and string bands of the Depression era and formed on a dare, Rubin and Lowe have in a very short time risen to the vanguard of the emerging re-interest in acoustic roots Americana in their home of Austin TX.
Their debut CD was recorded live and without overdubs in the course of 3 hours on lovely spring afternoon, their new CD features instrumental rags and waltzes, breakdowns, blues and ballads marked by hot picking and tight vocal harmonies that harkens back to the rough and ready sounds of both urban and rural songsters. It was a common interest, nay obsession with, pioneer Texas musical acts like the Dallas String Band, the East Texas Serenaders, western swing crooner Floyd Tillman and others that brought Rubin and Lowe together initially. Playing a guitar and mandolin graciously provided the National Resophonic Guitar Company; they are most comfortable performing entirely acoustically, without microphones, much in the same way their musical forefathers found perfectly acceptable.

And unlike many acts today mining a similar vein, they strive to present their music devoid of hokey trappings of nostalgia, infusing the wise old parables of American Song with the intimacy and urgency of the modern era. Relying on material whose content speaks to the ages, they include in their live sets numbers penned by contemporary songwriters, many of whom they known personally and have worked with such as Don Walser, Danny Barnes, Steve James and others.

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AstoriaHideouts.com

Blackberry Bushes

2010-07-11T12:31:00.001-07:00

Sunday, July 11th
8pm No Cover

The Blackberry Bushes Stringband is a high energy, soulful, Americana quartet. The “Bushes” are a band of songwriters with a strong Bluegrass and old-time bend. They have remained loyal to their Ozark, Appalachian, and Mississippi River roots and added just a twist of West coast indie-rock. Second place winners of the 2009 Telluride Bluegrass Band Competition, The Blackberry Bushes Stringband formed in Olympia, WA in 2004. They tour nationally, and feature quick pickin’ banjo songstress Kendl Winter, singer-songwriter-strummer-stomper Jes Raymond on guitar, rattlesnake fiddler Jakob Breitbach and lowdown songsmith Joe Capoccia on the upright bass. They are often noted for their sweet harmonies, darling lyrics, and near virtuosic musicianship. Their songs are instant classics, and their performances are guaranteed to turn heads and move an audience.

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AstoriaHideouts.com

Liberate the Ales BBQ

2010-07-04T01:21:00.001-07:00

2:00 pm till the Fireworks
Sunday, July 4th
Fort George Brewery
1483 Duane St.-Astoria

Live music and BBQ in the Fort George Brewery parking lot celebrating our nation's Independence Day. The patio will be open for awesome outdoor seating and view of the bands.

Los Comatosos warms up the evening with their latin folk stylings from 4-6pm.

Local reggae favorites Ma Barley keep the party rocking from 7:00 till the fireworks.
Spencer will have on tap outside our Vortex IPA, Divinity, Spruce Budd Ale, and North 3.
Dana will be BBQing baby back ribs, and serving them with coleslaw and watermelon!

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AstoriaHideouts.com

Flock to the Dock and then Trek to the deck!

2010-07-04T01:08:00.000-07:00

We Need YOU! To make this an Outstanding Downtown event!
The Astoria Downtown Historical District Association (ADHDA), Astoria Warrenton Chamber of Commerce (AWCC), Astoria Sunday Market (ASM), Astor Street Opry Co. (ASOC), Baked Alaska Restaurant, FOG, Fort George Brewery, Mise en Place Kitchenware, Old Town Framing Co. and Purple Cow Toys, have teamed up to sponsor the
2010 FLOCK TO THE DOCK and TREK TO THE DECK
4th Of July Party in Downtown Astoria on Sunday July 4th!

This event is an expansion of the Annual Independence Day Party on 12th Street dock in downtown Astoria created by Baked Alaska owners, Jennifer and Chris Holen. This year’s celebration marks the 10th year for this fun frivolity and in honor of this significant anniversary local businesses (listed above) have come together to cultivate this wonderful FREE downtown annual event!

Activities at the 12th Street dock include: musical performances by Jesse Lee Falls & The Distractions along with Ms. Ann Tierney on acoustic guitar, food & drink offered by the Baked Alaska and other local restaurant vendors, children’s games provided by Purple Cow Toys, the creation of a masterpiece chalk art doodle lead by Ms. Dulcye Taylor (Open to participation by all!), photo booth fun from ASOC & the ADHDA along with the 2010 Cast of Classic and Junior Shanghaied In Astoria leading the 2nd annual “River Walk Parade”.

Then to keep the party happening, there will a brilliant “Party Hop” CHALK PATH connecting the celebration on the 12th Street Dock to the Fort George Brewery right through downtown Astoria! At Fort George you will find their 3rd Annual Liberate the Ales Festival celebration which features their notorious beer garden on their fantastic new outdoor deck, delicious barbeque, and music by Local Latin-folk band Los Comatosos and local Astoria reggae group, Ma Barley.

The Downtown Parties begin just as the Sunday Market closes (right around 3:00pm) to encourage all locals and visitors alike to stay in downtown and enjoy the evening!

The “Everything but the Kitchen Sink” River Walk Community Parade starts At 6:00pm when walkers will gather at the Old Train Station in Downtown Astoria (look for signs!) ending at the12th Street Dock Party. This 2010 Independence Day parade theme is “Everything but the Kitchen Sink” based on the World War II campaign which called on average citizens to become extraordinary as they combine efforts towards one goal of freedom and independence. As the slogan says “Everything but the Kitchen Sink” and we as Americans, community members and Astorians, can hold together even when times are tough… if we stick together!

Remember the theme (Independence Day and everything but the kitchen sink!) and don’t forget to dress appropriately! Prizes will be provided by the Astoria Warrenton Chamber of Commerce, Astor Street Opry Company, Baked Alaska, Old Town Framing Co., Mise en Place, Fort George and Purple Cow Toys and will be awarded for: Best in Kid, Dog (you read right…DOG) and Adult Costumes, Best Group, (independence day), Best umbrella, Best decorated Bike (or other moving object) and (for Dulcye) Best Sturgeon costume.

It is our hope that this 4th of July, through our combined energy we can create a vibrate, artistic, fun and safe atmosphere for all community members to gather, relax, celebrate and enjoy a safe place to enjoy our city’s fabulous AWCC fireworks display together in Downtown Astoria!

So do not forget to:
“Flock to the Dock and then Trek to the deck”
So you can: chalk, shock, rock, gawk, talk and PARTY HOP in downtown Astoria on the 4th of July!”

For more information call Jennifer at 503-298-0682. See you there!

Autumn Electric

2010-06-27T18:36:00.001-07:00

Sunday, June 27th
8pm No Cover
Fort George Brewery
1483 Duane St.-Astoria

Autumn Electric started playing soft dreamy folk music in November 2008. The band comprised Michael Trew, who sings, plays the guitar, flute and percussion and Naomi Smith on piano and vocals. They did a small tour of the west coast sleeping on floors and living off gas station coffee. Upon returning to Seattle they hit one of the worst snow storms Seattle ever saw. They hibernated and drank coffee from the food bank. In early 2009, they found Dan DesRosiers, who plays the drums and glockenspiel, and began exploring grunge roots. Autumn Electric then released a full album in July 2009 followed by a US tour in November. 2010 has seen the band exploring of much of the northwest as well as taking a foray into college radio. Naomi comes from a classical and jazz-oriented background. She met Michael while working in the University of Washington library of music and after a stint as bassist in Undercover Llamas. She then traveled to Alaska and Europe and has returned to the Northwest music scene. Michael has been borrowing his dad's records for years, liking mostly John Denver, The Moody Blues and Simon and Garfunkel. His voice teacher was Chandanna Dixit from India. He was mostly influenced from church hymns. Daniel DesRosiers hails from the East Coast and grew up on a mix of psychedelic rock and experimental recordings. You may know him from a project called Pink Robot.

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AstoriaHideouts.com

Heather Christie

2010-06-14T16:51:00.001-07:00

Sunday, June 20th
2pm No Cover
1483 Duane St.-Astoria

Join the Fort George Brewery and Public House this Sunday, June 20th and celebrate your father at a BBQ in the parking lot with special guest Heather Christie. Heather was born into a family of musicians in the Pacific Northwest. Gifted with the love of musical arts, she began singing and playing in bluegrass jams, country & folk tunes, gospel sing-a-longs, radio theater and talent shows. She started writing at an early age and began singing professionally in her early teens. Heather has graced the stage of many Performing Arts Centers, Theaters, Colleges, Festivals, Galleries, Pubs, and House Concerts. As a Lilith Fair Finalist, and national award-winning FROGTOWN performer, Heather has performed nation wide with many top artists such as Tracy Grammer, Linda Hornbuckle, Fred Eaglesmith, Harry Manx and Brian Webb. With three albums of her own, and recent collaborations with award-winning producer Philip Pelletier, Heather Christie continues to create and explore many styles of music that speak to the heart and soul of the human experience.

The Holiday Friends

2010-06-14T16:50:00.001-07:00

Sunday, June 20th
8pm No Cover
Fort George Brewery
1483 Duane St.-Astoria

The Holiday Friends is a five-person band from northern Idaho that formed in the autumn of 2008. Members include: Scott Fagerland (guitar, vocals) Jesse Wityczak (keyboard, vocals), Jon Fagerland (guitar, vocals), Zack O’Connor (bass, vocals), and Jacob Mraz (drums). They self-released their debut EP Neon Persuasion in the spring of 2009, and began building a broader fan base through regular live performance.

Their sound draws from a variety of influences, but is distinct and maintains its integrity. While employing synthesizer arrangements reminiscent of groups like The Killers and the incorporation of intertwining guitar melodies and bass lines redolent of Modest Mouse, they also tip the hat to giants such as The Beatles and The Beach Boys through proficient use of vocal harmonies, organic acoustics and auxiliary percussion.

Their Musical Influences include The Beatles, The Shins, Animal Collective, Timid Tiger, Fleet Foxes, Band of Horses, The Beach Boys, Modest Mouse, My Morning Jacket, The Killers and others.

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AstoriaHideouts.com

Trashcan Joe

2010-06-11T17:18:00.000-07:00

Sunday, June 13th
8pm No Cover
Fort George Brewery
1483 Duane St.-Astoria

“Trashcan Joe is a marvel, a wonder that defies categorization in any sort of contemporary setting.” -Don Campbell, The Oregonian

In 2002 Cap'n James Cook needed an outlet for all the old-time jazz and folk songs he'd learned over the years, so he rustled up some friends willing to take on this oddball assignment, thus forming Trashcan Joe. But along the way, they found themselves writing their own tunes, which have become the real strength of their recordings and live performances. This trend culminates in 2006's Real Life, Trashcan Joe's third CD, but the first composed entirely of original material.

A typical live show consists of these original tunes, classic standards from early jazz and blues, movie theme songs, and swing, all played with drive and finesse. Trashcan Joe are a steadily working live band, and have played venues such as Oregon Country Fair, Pickathon (twice), Oregon Public Broadcasting's LiveWire, the Northwest Folklife Festival in Seattle , and were the house band at the 2006 Candidates Gone Wild at the Roseland Theater.

In 2006 Trashcan Joe joined the roster of Young Audiences, an organization devoted to bringing musicians and other artists into schools for educational performances. “Anything can be a musical instrument!” is the band's message as they explain how their instruments work, and show kids how they can make their own instruments from cans, combs, pencils, and other household items.

Trashcan Joe also has soundtrack work on the old resumé. In 2004 they scored the music for the Aurora award winning OPB special Zig-Zag which explores the stories of several Portland area commuters. Later that year came the feature motion picture Lipstick and Dynamite, which chronicles the history of women's wrestling and includes TJoe music as part of the soundtrack.

Trashcan Joe has a well rounded and exciting sound, and can rise to any occasion. Go and check them out!
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AstoriaHideouts.com

Where you can find our Truffle Shuffle Stout on tap this weekend

2010-06-05T03:32:00.001-07:00

Astoria Taps:
T Paul's Supper Club
Astoria Coffee House
Triangle Tavern
Silver Salmon
Wet Dog Cafe
Pizza Schmizza
Desdemona Club
Oh yeah, Fort George

Cannon Beach Tap:
The Lumberyard

Portland Taps:
Apex
Bailey's Tap Room
Belmont Station
Saravesa

Tony Smiley

2010-06-03T04:38:00.001-07:00

Sunday, June 6th
8pm No Cover
Fort George Brewery
1483 Duane St-Astoria

"One-Man-Riot-Loop Ninja", Tony Smiley (Portland, OR) has become one of the busiest musicians in the Pacific NW. His unique, no holds barred performances truly stand out in this internationally recognized music scene. "His sound is so thick and engulfing…. even the hippest of hipsters drinks it up and booty shakes with wild abandonment; one part road trip, one part thrift shop record collection, and fifty zillion parts dreamy endless summer soundscape". (Justin Morrison, Plastic Landscaper) Dance floor beats and wah-wah guitars punctuate his appealing rock epics. The high-energy compositions including folk, human beat box, 80's new wave, and rock-n-roll are truly awesome. His wide-ranging influences include some of classic rocks finest: Prince, David Bowie, Pixies, INXS, and Jimi Hendrix. Tony's shows and recordings are enhanced by Mr. Kevin Younkins (Mixer/Co Producer) capable knob twisting. As he mixes in real time, stereo effects and levels are adjusted as looping instruments are played. Tony says, "I lay down a rhythm guitar lick and loop it and then I lay down a bass lick and loop it, then beatbox and then I sing and play lead over that. When the time comes I also use the loop pedal to sing harmony or back up vocals." Jeremy Wilson's (Dharma Bums/Pilot) MastanMusic Label is the marketing force behind "Driving Myself Sane", Tony Smiley's 2nd release. 2008 will find Tony on the road shocking audiences nightly, providing some of the most mind-blowing rock shows the world has ever seen.

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AstoriaHideouts.com

Pete Krebs and his Portland Playboys

2010-05-28T23:51:00.001-07:00

Sunday, May 30th
8pm No Cover
Fort George Brewery
1483 Duane St.-Astoria

Hailing from rainy Portland Oregon, the Pete Krebs Trio can be found performing somewhere around that town almost every night of the week -- clubs, pubs, restaurants, old man bars and gas stations -- playing their own music, a mix of hillbilly swing, gypsy jazz and tunes from the Great American Songbook. Led by guitarist and vocalist Pete Krebs, the Trio features Keith Brush on upright bass and David Langenes on guitar. Formed in 2006, the Trio has appeared nationally as well as internationally and has been featured on Oregon Public Broadcasting's 'Art Beat', KMHD's 'Home Grown Live' and both the Portland and Cathedral Park Jazz Festivals and the PDX Lindy Exchange. The band's sound is timeless, equal parts Texas roadhouse, Paris dive bar and New York's sonic landscape. A regional favorite of the NW swing-dance community, the Trio often find themselves shaking the shack for dancers and listeners alike. As they like to say, 'music for your drinking, dining and dancing pleasure...' C'mon out to a show and say howdy, we'd love to see you there!

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AstoriaHideouts.com

Miss Massive Snowflake

2010-05-21T01:54:00.001-07:00

Sunday, May 23rd
8pm No Cover
1483 Duane St.-Astoria

"Miss Massive Snowflake is the Partridge Family of weird." Willamette Week

Miss Massive Snowflake are freshly returning from their April 2010 European tour with their new album called "Songs About Music." They will feature songs off the new album live Sunday, May 23rd at the Fort George Brewery and Public House. Portland's Miss Massive Snowflake is led by former Rollerball skipper Shane de Leon, and the group plays a politically charged mix of glammy rock augmented by brief noisy excursions. de Leon, whose strong voice and humorous wit, lead protest songs that come off like party anthems. Horns wail and punch screwed groove guitar riffs, while fat bass and polyrhythmic percussion combine with both female and male vocals to make beautiful, moving, and intellectually satisfying rock music. This is Miss Massive Snowflake’s second full-length album following the 2008 electronic based, “Queen’s Headache” (NPR07). The music starts at 8pm and there is no cover.

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AstoriaHideouts.com
FortGeorgeBrewery.com

Catherine Feeny

2010-05-16T17:55:00.000-07:00

Sunday, May 16th
8pm No Cover
Fort George Brewery
1483 Duane St. -Astoria
www.fortgeorgebrewery.com
www.catherinefeeny.com

Catherine recently moved to Portland, Oregon. When not touring, she indulges a new found passion for growing vegetables. In 2008 she drove 12,000 miles with her husband-to-be in a 1990 Mazda 323 called Swansong playing more than 40 planned and impromptu shows in dens, living rooms and gardens all over the United States.

Previous to arriving in Portland, Catherine lived for several years in Norfolk, England, releasing her second album to critical acclaim. ” ‘Hurricane Glass’ is one of those albums that soothes the listener into quietude… and only then coils its complications and ambiguities around you,” wrote Dain Cairns in the The Sunday Times.

After being picked up for the film “Running with Scissors,” and featured in “The O.C.,” the album’s lightning-rod track “Mr. Blue” reached the A-list at Britain’s most listened-to radio station, BBC Radio 2. Catherine toured the British Isles extensively, both as a headline act and in support of such artists as Martha Wainwright, Kelly Jones (The Stereophonics) and The Indigo Girls.

Catherine is touring with her new album "People in the Hole" which will be officially released June 25th.

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AstoriaHideouts.com

Los Comatosos

2010-05-09T10:43:00.001-07:00

Los Comatosos
Sunday, May 9th
8pm No Cover

Los Comatosos led by Mike Metzner (a.k.a. Scheckie) will perform at the Fort George Brewery and Public House. Scheckie was born into a musical Portland family. Influenced by his older brother Jeff Metzner, a Portland jazz pianist, one of Scheckie's first musical forays was in the experimental band, Smegma. His musical tastes and experiences covering miles of ground, with stints with bands such as The Crackpots and the Latin band, Los Comatosos, Scheckie's musical travels also extend to England, Ireland and Spain.

As a sideline, Sheckie got work playing latin music in a night club, and was asked to bring in a couple musicians to make a trio. Inviting fellow Star Garage bandmate Wayne Evens to play bass, along with percussionist Russell Jaland, the band played Latin music every week in Nottingham. When Sheckie returned to Astoria he left singer/guitarist Rikki Martinez to keep the trio going. When Sheckie returned a year later, Rikki was still playing with Wayne and Russell. They'd renamed the band Mas Y Mas. So when Sheckie returned to Nottingham, Mas Y Mas became a quartet. They later went on to much acclaim, playing in all the top clubs in Dublin, Cork and all over Ireland.

Back in the Northwest, Sheckie continued to book his latin-folk band, Los Comatosos, with Bond Street bandmates Spud Siegel and Bill Uhlig. They produced a well-received CD. Spud Siegal and Mike Metzner will be performing as Los Comatosos on Sunday, May 9th at 8pm. There is no cover.

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AstoriaHideouts.com
FortGeorgeBrewery.com

2010-05-03T18:52:00.001-07:00

Recently Alex Hansen has been seen sporting the Fort George logo, and not on a t-shirt or hat. He had it tattooed on his arm. Talk about a loyal customer!
Though the actual tattoo was done on the spur of a moment (by Sean Gillholy of Outside the Box Tattoo in Longview, WA), the idea had crossed Alex’s mind prior to his sitting, as he had already dedicated an entire arm to tattoos representing Astoria, including a piece representing a portion of the art on the Astoria Column.
Why, you might ask, would he choose to do such a thing (besides an easy way to get $1 off his pints on Tuesdays)? First and foremost, Alex is a huge fan of the Fort. Most regulars would recognize Mug Club Member #50 as he often comes in for a brew (usually Vortex) after work, and sometimes even in the middle of the day. He loves the beer and the atmosphere, and what he describes as the “diverse culture of people” that hang out here. He also loves watching people attempt to parallel park through the front windows (always entertaining!). He says that, before the Fort opened, there was something missing in the social scene of Astoria, and that the Fort has now filled that void. As someone who truly believes in keeping it local (can you blame a local Knappa boy?) and genuinely loves beer, Fort George is a natural fit for Alex.
And then there’s the cycling, Alex’s other passion. He’s been competing with Project 529 Team just about as long as the Fort’s been open, and the two have been a good match. The Fort has helped sponsor many of his local cycling competitions, including Cross Crusade in Astoria and Tour de Gulch in Longview, with raffle prizes, t-shirts, and of course beer. And those bikers love their beer! Something about the two really mesh; Alex says it tends to be the same type of culture, those who love to bike and those who love craft beer. According to him, “the post-ride beer is just as important as the ride”. There is nothing like a cold one after a good, hard ride. And because the beer is so good, Fort George has a definite fan club in the bike racing crowd.
Alex has taken his passion for biking to a new level recently by co-founding the Lower Columbia Bike Project, which focuses on both trail building and on bringing the passion for cycling into more people’s lives. And this is in addition to his full-time job at Bergerson Tile.
We love our regulars at the Fort, and Alex is definitely one of the best, always smiling when he walks in the door. We’re glad to have him as a customer, and we’re definitely proud to have our logo forever inked on his arm.

Chris Parreira w/ Laura Lee Imhoff

2010-04-29T23:55:00.001-07:00

Sunday, May 2
8pm No Cover
Fort George Brewery
1483 Duane St.-Astoria

East Coast Folk-Jazz meets West Coast Folk-Bluegrass.

Chris Parreira and Laura Lee Imhoff met in Austin, TX in the Spring of 2009. While very different stylistically, they shared a similar work ethic and an immense respect for each others music and immediately became close friends and gig buddies. Laura Lee is a Southern girl at heart, but grew up on a small farm in Massachusetts. She taught herself to play an old guitar; stringing her poetry to a melody. In her late teens, Laura Lee moved to Boston and continued to grow as a young singer-songwriter. Chris

A lively and dynamic performer, Laura Lee Imhoff serenades the audience with her sexy, sultry voice; roping them in with heartfelt, storytelling lyrics of broken hearts, new loves and old loves. Her percussive guitar playing is similar to that of Ani DiFranco, but she blends it with an honest, original voice that some people might put somewhere between Norah Jones and Regina Spector. The young songstress has toured from the East Coast to the heart of the South and is now making her debut along the West Coast.

Chris Parreira also has a very energetic, percussive style of guitar playing, but takes a slightly different approach. It’s folk, it’s bluegrass, it’s jazz, but it’s also fresh and modern sounding. A smooth baritone, Parreira sings from the heart about the joy, the loneliness and every emotion in between that comes with being a traveling songwriter.

Performing both solo, and as a duo, Chris Parreira and Laura Lee Imhoff will meet up in San Francisco, CA this April for a tour that will take them to Seattle, WA and everywhere in between.

www.chrisparreira.com
www.lauraimhoff.com

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AstoriaHideouts.com

Home Brewer's Dinner Wednesday April 14, 2010

2010-04-09T00:41:00.001-07:00

Home Brewer's Dinner

Wednesday April 14, 2010

Appetizer

Buffalo sliders: with mushrooms, Brie, and served on a Blue Scorcher bun

Joel Lick Spigots: Harry Oyster Stout

Salad

Sautéed Spicy Tiger Pawns on a bed of wilted spinach with a red wine vinegar

Brett Estes and Bob Father: IPA's #22 & 23

Soup

Smoked Tillamook Cheddar Bisque with popcorn

Dan Sutherlands: Brownsmead Brown

MAIN COURSE

Pork Vindaloo
An Indian Style sweet and spicy slow roasted Pork Shoulder with Stewed tomatoes and Orange bosom Basmati

John Heasley: Experimental IPA

DESSERT

Debbie’s Chocolate Cream Pie

Anthony De Luz: Coco Nib Brown

______________________

1483 Duane Street Astoria, Oregon (503) 325 - PINT

Crown Point

2010-04-09T00:38:00.000-07:00

Sunday, April 11th
8pm No Cover
Fort George Brewery
1483 Duane St.-Astoria
www.jondavidsonmusic.com
www.russellstaffordmusic.com

Acclaimed for his passionate and energetic live performances, Jon Davidson tours relentlessly in support of his latest album, Perfect Cliche. The first two singles off the album have garnered airplay on over 200 FM stations across six radio formats: Modern Rock, AAA, Hot AC, Country, Rock, and College, and charted at #1 on several stations.

Jon Davidson is a solo artist as well as the frontman for the hard rock band Silversafe. The singles "Beautifully Bittersweet" and "Going Home," from Perfect Cliche, have garnered airplay on 200 FM stations in 45 states, and will be included in several upcoming films and MTV shows. His single, "What Can I Say?" has been selected for inclusion in the 2010 film, "Twisted Redemption." He has toured in 5 countries and played with artists such as Powerman 5000, Puddle of Mudd, The Exies, and Hurt.

Russell Stafford is an Australian born singer/songwriter residing in Portland, Oregon. Since releasing his debut album “Freshwater” in 2005, Russell has shared the stage with such prominent artists as Augustana, Anna Nalick, Josh Radin, Mat Kearney, Meese and more. His unique sound, powerful performances and genuine character have garnered him both local and national radio airplay, and a dedicated Northwest fan base.

In 2008, Russell released the much awaited follow-up to Freshwater. Fittingly titled "Between You & I", he continued his efforts to break out of typical singer/songwriter restraints. In 2009, Crucial Music Publishing began using songs from Between U & I for select national broadcasters and independent films

The album weaves from the pop/rock single "Cheap Wine”, to the all out rocker, "Every time I come down" with a cohesive sound that’s as unexpected as it is unique. Joined by guitarist Kevin Hahn (Animotion, Tri-Polar, Castella, Kleveland), Bassist Dain Ryan (Dirty Little Fingers) and drummer, Jason Fellman (Breakfast Club, Jason Fellman Band), "Between You & I" is a testament to the diverse talent of this young songwriter.

Russell also lends his music and talents to many local and national charities, including the Muscular Dystrophy Association, The Humane Society and the Doernbecher Children's Hospital.

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AstoriaHideouts.com

Bruce Smith and the Boda Boys

2010-03-29T04:04:00.001-07:00

Sunday, April 4th
8pm No Cover
Fort George Brewery
1483 Duane St.-Astoria
www.brucesmithmusic.com

Southwest meets Northwest: Texas native Bruce Thomas Smith plays Original “Transplant Rock” (TM), You know, Guitar in the driver seat and a story teller in the back, top down, cruisin’ just below the speed-limit, open highway, and tons of fresh scenery...

Bruce has released 6 solo music projects to date, ( 4 CD's ) and has recorded original music soundtracks with his friend Tuck Neilson. Bruce and his previous band The Rocks won a regional southern Oregon Battle of the Bands. Bruce's song "You Leave the Mark" is a featured part of the new Bridges CD, a compilation CD featuring several other Northwest Artists, the proceeds going towards Cancer research here in the NW. (www.bridgescd.org).

Bruce has a fan-base stretching from Tennessee to Texas, Oregon to New York, and is currently living on the Oregon Coast. Come see him LIVE, and, as Bruce says: "Let's meet some new best friends!"

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AstoriaHideouts.com

The Faraway Boys

2010-03-28T14:10:00.001-07:00

Sunday, March 28th
8pm No Cover
Fort George Brewery
1483 Duane St.-Astoria
www.fortgeorgebrewery.com
www.farawayboys.com

"So(outhern) O. C. Rockabilly"- heidie johnson

Southern Orange County, California Rockabilly band The Faraway Boys will tour through Astoria at The Fort George Brewery on Sunday, March 28th at 8pm. Somewhere between Psychobilly, Rock-n-Roll and traditional Rockabilly, falls the sound of Faraway Boys. A power trio that first began on a street corner in Laguna Beach, CA. in the summer of 2005, and have since progressed to playing the local club scene as well as a string of small tours. The band members are Scott "Scotty" Young on guitar/vocals; Sean "Bucky" Walbrink on drums/vocals and Miguel "Ralphie" Gonzalez on up-right bass/ vocals. That street corner taught the Boys how to perform in front of an audience for the first time and gave them the confidence they needed to write their own songs. Faraway Boys are greatly influenced by the greats: Johnny Cash, Elvis and the Stray Cats. Back in those early days, it was a common sight to see the Boys on their street corner every Friday night, playing away.

Then, in the fall of 2005 the Boys decided they had out-grown their little corner and began to rehearse in a regular practice space. It was at this timethat they began to try out their original material for the first time. Within a few months, the first of three Faraway Boys song demos had been recorded and the sound was more traditional, spawning the classics Sailor Jerry Rum and Cowboy Moon. For the next year or so, Faraway Boys spent most of their time in thier practice studio close to home - refining their sound and focusing on performing live. The weekends would give them good opportunity to showcase the songs written during the week and propel them towards becoming a better live act. The live show is the true love of the boys and their energy is full of contagious emotion, humor and heart-felt spirit. The band's policy of performing "Any time - Any where" has led them from San Diego to Sacramento and parts of the mid-west during the first year playing "Any time - Any where" they could! Currently, Faraway Boys have just come out of the studio with their first album: Pirate Ship Set Sail, which they are planning to release on April 4, 2008. Their love for meeting new people, writing songs and playing live shows keeps them busy on most weekends. To put it simply, their music is their life and love...and it shows!

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AstoriaHideouts.com