Beer!

[jberger]

Im getting thirsty just reading all this....Oatmeal Stout comes to mind...althought that 'Circle of Ales' at the Chalet does sound good.
actually how about the 'Arctic Circle of Ales'....now thats a two-for-one punch

Sam Smith's Outmeal Stout, clear bottle, can't see through it with a 500w hallogen

[jberger]

Sniff Sniff

I still can't drink real beer without massive debilitating headaches. I've gotten to where I can drink a couple "lite" beers though with no effects. (No effects of any kind, unfortunately.)

But rum is good!

And so close to Fat Tire....

Odell's across town from Fat Tire kicks ass

[CoPilot]

Has anyone heard of Strohs? Now that's some premium grandpa beer you can't find in the pacific northwest. Nothing better than $7.49 for a 30 pack. Hmm mmm hmmm!!!

[hambone]

Strohs!
What about Old Style? Can't get that out here either. Thankfully.

[CoPilot]

You know, my Pops drinks Old Style...or he used to. Bit too watered down for me, and I'm usually all about the watered down domestic. Not a fan of Strohs, I take it?

[hambone]

"fire brewed" or something. It's not bad in bottles, I just don't like cans. Hell, I'll drink anything with hops and malt. But you can't beat a fresh locally made beer. The mass-produced stuff just can't compare.

[CoPilot]

for sure. guess i just got used to drinking the cheap crap... !! i'll have to work on that...

[hambone]

Yeah, it's good to mix it up a little. Do you live in the Midwest?

[CoPilot]

born and raised, now transplanted to the pacific northwest.

i'm a product of the indiana corn fields.

you?

[hambone]

Me too! Chicago to Portland. I miss the city and the state of Illinois in general, but life is more suited to me out here, all those wild areas...

[CoPilot]

Chi-town, eh?? Had my first real long island at a little joint called Billygoats. Been there? Place cracked me up..."CHEESEBURGER? You want CHEESEBURGER?"

I grew up right outside Chicago, city right off the stateline...Hammond. Doesn't always get a dot on the map...usually see Gary instead...half a dozen, six of the other!

[hambone]

Oh yeah..they've got a couple, the one on Lower Wacker is better and weird.
I've been to Hammond, when I was a kid I used to go with my uncle to watch trains around there.

[PDX_Hops]

Ah, Chicago- good memories there. I spent 5 months there back in '96. Awesome food (Italian beef, deep dish pizza, hot damn I'm hungry thinking about it!) and great blues clubs.

Had some great beer (Goose Island, whose beers you can get in several places in Portland). Also had plenty of Old Style- I remember there was some ratty bar near Comiskey Park where they had 'em for 50 or 75 cents a can! Always nice to get good and loaded for cheap outside the bar before going inside to pay 7 or 8 bucks a beer.

Would love to get back there sometime for a long weekend or something.

[PDX_Hops]

I'm from western North Carolina (Appalachian Mtns) originally, but have lived here in Portland since '97. At the time, microbrews were really few and far between in NC. Took a while for the revolution to catch on there, but things have really taken off the last few years.

There's nothing quite like living in the microbrew capital of the country, though. We're pretty spoiled here.

[PDX_Hops]

McMenamin's Edgefield out by the airport.... coolest place ever, brewery, distillery, little red shed (tequilla and cigar bar, literally a little-red-shed) winery, theater.

Rhonda and I spent our first anniversary there back in '98 and have loved it ever since. We go out there once in a while to play a little pitch and putt golf. It's one of our regular pitstops for a beer after a hike in the Columbia Gorge, too.