Hell of a party!!

Last night was a great night at Beer Mongers, but then again, aren't they all. The event was Sean's B-Day, the "8 year anniversary of his 30th". The boys at Beer Mongers know how to bring in a crowd. The shoulder to shoulder mass was treated to live music, Hammy's pizza (the best in the city), and free beer samples. The crowning event though had to be the drinking from the yard. I won a groovy old school beer mongers T-Shirt, though I was hoping to snag the grand prize which was a three liter bottle of Duvel. Oh well, maybe next yard day.
I have tons of pics here.

Cheese Bar

There is a new reason to head up to upper Belmont, Cheese Bar. Cheese Bar..mmm..unless someone creates a peanut bar I can not imagine a better premise for a pub. The selection of cheese is staggering, and thankfully dished out by people that know far more than myself about cheese. The staff all seem to know the perfect pairing to go with whatever you enjoy there, or have at home. The tap selections are small but seem well thought out. During my last visit, I enjoyed a Wandering Aengus Pear Cider, while Erin had a Hale's Supergoose. Both paired brilliantly with the daily Euro cheese board, which during our visit features three Italian selections. They also have sandwiches, and other nibbles.
The only bummer is I wish they would write somewhere what the daily cheeses are. They do tell you when they serve it, but they are such foreign names to me, I'd like to have something written down.
That's a small bummer. With outside seating to enjoy the weather, and a nice array of gourmet gifts items, Cheese Bar is ..well..it is pretty fucking awesome.

Sabbatical

I have been taking a short break from blogging. Just, really, haven't felt like it. I have needed to step back, and think. Something recently has renewed my fingers to the keyboard. I had one of my best friends from Illinois come in and spend a couple days with me. Much like spending the fourth of July with small children, seeing Portland, and Oregon through a set of new eyes is truly a worthwhile experience. He comes from a far off world where the only Oregon beer is Widmer Hef, and asking for an IPA gets you not a beer, but a confused look.
Showing him around, from brewery to brewery, was a lot of fun. From the mighty Widmer, to the basement of Upright.
I was getting bored, depressed, and could not get in touch with why I had originally moved here many years ago. The stress of a job you hate, and other problems in life seem a little more trivial once you realize you could have a job you hate....in..say..Oklahoma.