This Saturday, January 7, we will be hosting our FIRST run of the year, and we couldn’t be more excited! Portland Brewing Co. is hosting, and it’s been awesome getting to know them. Not only will this be the first of 17 events in 2017, but we will also be sharing some pretty amazing deals when you register for multiple events. From 20 – 40% off, all levels of runners, walkers and joggers can appreciate getting active and enjoying great beer. We will also be introducing the “Brew Crew,” which is essentially a chance for you to get a second beer (and some other cool stuff) when you sign up for the 12 pack.
What Beer Should You Try? Ask the Brewer!
Recently, I headed over to Portland Brewing Co. to chat with head brewer Ryan Pappe, to learn a bit more about this craft beer institution, as well as scope out the course, and sample the beer. Pappe recommends you try these 3 beers when you run with us on January 7.
“You gotta try MacTarhanes Amber Ale.” says Pappe. This is a classic beer that people have been drinking for years. “It’s a hoppy any time of year kind of beer. Single hop with cascade for a quintessential American hop taste. Clean, crisp, hop forward…it would be a pale ale if it came out today. There was a time when Mac’s was everywhere in Portland.”
Second is the 1977 Championship Lager (the beer he bought me the day we met, by the way). It’s their third year of making the official beer of the Portland Trail Blazers, and a shout out to their lone championship season in 1977. Pappe told me there are all sorts of fun numbers associated with the beer.
“I encorporated numbers into the beer in sort of esoteric ways. 5 malts for 5 players on the floor. IBU’s (32 maybe) which was Bill Walton’s jersey number (MVP of finals). 7 SRM (color target), for the 7th season when they won championship. I wanted something interesting enough for a beer geek, but also something you can drink while you’re watching the game.”
Finally, try the Bourbon Barrel Black Watch Cream Porter.
“Black Watch is our seasonal, old time Portland Brewing Beer. It used to be around a lot, but now it’s a winter seasonal beer. It went in the barrel at 5.3% alcohol, and came out at 10%! It’s nice and creamy, but you only want a bit of it!”
One cool thing about their current location is the antique German brewing system that sits at the very front of the brewery. “It’s from the 1960’s, used in Germany and shut down at some point. When they were putting this brewery together, someone found it and put it in here. It’s very strange to be brewing on this antique system, designed to make German lagers. Over the years as craft beer has evolved, we’ve had to learn how to brew many different styles of beer on it.”
To visit this outpost of the Portland beer scene, join us on January 7, 2017, for our 5K fun run that starts and ends at Portland Brewing. Come for the run, stay for the beer! We hope to see you there.
About the Run
We want to emphasize that our runs aren’t traditional “races”. You will not be timed (at least not by us), you’ll be running on an open course, and there are no medals at the finish. The run, however, will be super fun!
The Portland Brewing run will start at the brewery, and wander up the Thurman St bridge, then wander through the neighborhoods up to the entrance of Forest Park. From there, we’ll have a long hard down hill, back through neighborhoods on the other side of Thurman, back to the brewery. Expect a lot of up hills in the first half, and the second half is almost entirely downhill!
The weather will be cold and wet, so dress warm! We’ll make sure you get reheated when you come back to the brewery to grab a beer and listen to live music from J&B On the Rocks. Portland Running Company will also be there, along with Nossa Familia and our Nonprofit Partners.
See you Saturday!
