Oregon new user

[VicariousCynic]

I'm Mark. New to brewing with 25 years drinking craft. A friend does all grain and I started brewing with him last year. Pale ale, Saison, Scotch ale, are all brewed, bottled and gone. Pilsner, Maibock and an Irish red are in various stages of almost there (patience, patience...). Did an extract at home in Jan - a W06 clone. I'll consider doing more extract brews at home... if and when I have an empty carboy. Love the all grain... still and all - there are other expenses before my own tuns - like a fridge, and hoses, and taps, and tanks....

My first all grain recipie will be cooked on 3/3 - an ESB with a little rye. Looking forward to seeing how that turns out.

One last bit - all the hype on the Northwest style has seriously limited the availability of other beer styles in the NW. If you are looking for a beer with heavy citrus hops, look no further. However if you are looking for a sour, or an odd style of belgian, or this, or that or the other thing... good luck. NW peeps - please try asking for something other than an Imperial IPA at your local bottle shop. Thanks.
Mark

 

[DiggerinOregon]

I completely agree about the choices around here. I swear people's tasebuds are completely fried in these parts. I can't even find a porter that isn't bitter hopped to the moon. Good luck with the ESB and all your future brews.

 

[Cyclman]

Welcome to brewing. If the LHBS doesn't have it available, plenty of online alternatives. Fortunately, my LHBS has about 50 kits and 30 grains to select, my problem is picking which.

 

[DirtyOldDuck]

Welcome. I am guessing you are not from the Portland area if you can't find anything but Imperial IPAs (which I happen to love). Belmont Station, for example, has a selection of almost 1300 beers. We also have sour beers courtesy of the Cascade Brewing Barrel House and others. If you can't find anything but highly hopped beers, you might want to look just a little harder.

 

[VicariousCynic]

Thanks all for the replies. DirtyOldDuck - it's not so much a question of availability, as one of predominance. The "northwest palate" is so attuned to high abv with bold citrus hops that the majority of offerings are in line with those two indicators. Brewers offer what the people pay for. I'd just like to see a little more demand (thus a little more supply) of some other styles. Ill continue to encourage beer drinkers to try something other. The higher the demand for variety, the more variety.

 

[Fuzzy_Ninja]

Welcome fellow Oregon home brewer. Albany here