Craft Beers of the Pacific Northwest: A Beer Lover's Guide to Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia by Lisa M. Morrison

Author:Lisa M. Morrison
Language: eng
Format: mobi, pdf
Tags: Cooking, WA), West, Travel, Beverages, OR, United States, Beer, HI, CA, Pacific (AK
ISBN: 9781604693133
Publisher: Timber Press
Published: 2011-03-30T07:00:00+00:00

One step into Brouwer’s Café transports you to Brussels

Matt Bonney keeps tabs on the taps at Brouwer’s Café.

The Dray, tiny and charming, with a great draft and bottle list, is proof that good things come in small packages. The name is a clever double entendre. A dray is a type of cart that was once used to move heavy items such as beer barrels, but it is also a word for a squirrel’s nest. Owner Jamie Butler once had a pet squirrel named Steve, and the Dray’s woodsy theme, complete with paneled walls, and tables and bar stools made from tree trunks, is a tribute to Steve. Try counting the squirrels—stuffed, painted, and plastic—as you sip your beer. This cozy space has 13 taps, all well chosen and listed on the printed beer menu by beer color, from light to dark. Despite the Dray’s diminutive dimensions, the beers cycle through so quickly that it’s rare to find the same brews on tap twice in a row. There’s also a list of more than 100 bottled beers. The emphasis, both draft and bottle, is on Northwest and Belgian beers, but you are sure to find something unexpected every time you decide to nestle into the Dray.

On the opposite end of the scale is Brouwer’s Café. You could probably fit three versions of the Dray into this spacious setting, especially if you include the horseshoe-shaped loft area that rims the main floor. Co-founder Matt Bonney says the main goal of Brouwer’s Café is to legitimize beer so that it is appreciated and respected at the same level as wine, while still making it approachable to the average consumer, an objective that is achieved at every turn. Bonney and co-founder Matt Vandenberghe both appreciate Belgian beers and have made numerous trips to Belgium to explore its unique beer culture. Brouwer’s Café reflects their admiration, from the array of Belgian beers on tap and in bottles to the proper usage of glassware and the classic Belgian food, including mussels and frites, on the menu. There’s even a replica of Brussels’ landmark statue, “Manneken Pis,” greeting patrons as they enter.

Much like the Wizard of Oz, the magic of Brouwer’s takes place “behind the curtain.” In this case, though, the curtain is the wall of 62 taps, behind which is a large cooler where the beer is stored for both cellaring and pouring. One side of the cooler is set at 52 degrees for beer storage; that’s where you find kegs and barrels and box upon box of bottled beers. The other side, for the beers that are being poured, is kept at 42 degrees; on that side, kegs line up against the wall, and an ordered tangle of tap lines runs directly from each keg through the wall and out to a tap on the other side. Clean tap lines are an important part of serving beer, as beer stored in lines can begin to influence the flavor. Any establishment that cares about beer will clean its tap lines regularly, using a cleaning agent that runs through the plastic lines.

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