I love beer. After now having visited over 350 different breweries, it’s fair to say I have sampled a lot of beer (follow me on Untappd). From post-race pints and run club meeting locations, to beer miles and relays, running and the kegged nectar seem to go hand-in-hand in Oregon. Our Kegs and Legs feature is where beer drinking runners like me can go to find some new favorite beverages.
Check out previous posts here!
My first experience with Stickmen Brewing was at their Lake Oswego Pub, an awesome place to grab food and a beer, especially in the summer, while sitting out on their lakefront patio. This was early in my craft beer-drinking days, and I remember feeling a bit underwhelmed. Whether it has been my own palate changes or something new that Stickmen did, but they are now one of my favorite spots, especially now that that they are in their newest Tualatin location – the Stickmen Beer Hall (which will be home to the first Oregon Brewery Running Series 5k event in February.
When they opened the beer hall in 2016, a North Carolina brewer was brought in to assist, and I think this committment shows. They won a Gold Medal at the 2016 Oregon Beer Awards for their “Kissed by Melons” cantaloupe sour (soooo good), and I personally think that their unique sours, seasonals, and one-off experimentals are some of the best out there. That leads to this beer of the week – 500 Festive Berries – a delicious one-off sour that is perfect for the festive winter season (and beyond).
The “500” p0rtion of the name is in reference to Stickmen’s 500th batch of beer. The kettle sour pours a beautiful rose red color and the taste is fantastic. 168 pounds of cranberry are the focal point, but the addition of orange peel and dry hopped juniper really gives it a little more complexity. I didn’t find it as sour as many other from the genre – and I think the balance of tart cranberry really makes it an easy drinker. While it may have a tinge of holiday feel to it, it’s definitely not something that needs to be limited to only that season. This may be a one-off batch (I hope not!), but it drinks year round.
They don’t have 500 Festive Berries in bottles, but if you head out to the beer hall, you can get a 32oz crowler to go – while it lasts! Check out ther entire menu and beer list here.
Beer:
- 500 Festive Berries
- ABV: 7.1%
- IBU: 21
Brewery: Stickmen Brewing (Facebook)
