An Entirely New Kind of Spirit

Townshend's has been in the business of finding all the interesting ways of presenting tea since 2003, which is about when the Tea Company began as a college project at the University of Oregon in Eugene. Founder Matt Thomas' idea was to bring  a casual coffeehouse atmosphere together with top-grade loose leaf tea, an apparently well received concept that has since grown into five locations. An inviting atmosphere, good music and friendly service come together with exceptionally crafted tea to make the teahouses gathering places that appeal to people of all ages. 

They've been making kombucha since 2008, which has given Thomas and his team the opportunity to learn a lot about fermentation and make friends throughout the beverage universe. In 2012, Matt started thinking about how it might be possible to apply a traditional liquor-mash fermentation approach to their existing kombucha fermentation to create a higher level of alcohol that would yield a high-proof spirit when distilled. It was a chance to make an entirely new kind of beverage alcohol. 

That is, taking a tea fermentation, driving it forward to create a higher base alcohol content, then distilling it. 

Its certainly not an idea that would motivate many people to start a business around it, but it makes sense for Townshend's because since very early on they have tried to offer as many forms of tea to their customers as possible. In 2008 this meant creating Brew Dr. Kombucha, a new approach to brewing kombucha that uses the same high-quality tea blends that are served at their teahouses. The new distillery project at Thomas & Sons follows that mission of taking great tea to new places.

Recently, the distillery has announced the first ever release of their innovative new spirits outside of Oregon. Through a partnership with KBI Craft Spirits, who will distribute the line of tea-based spirits throughout Seattle and Washington state, Washingtonians will finally have access to one of the most innovative craft spirits to come on the market this past year.

Thomas & Sons Distillery’s unique expressions include four “Townshend’s Tea Spirits” — Sweet Tea, Spice Tea, Smoke Tea and Bitter Tea — all fermented and distilled in-house, from leaf to bottle, from a wash composed of tea leaves, herbs and cane sugar. 

Rounding out the collection are two specialty spirits: Townshend’s White Rose, a clear spirit made from a simple recipe of white tea and rose petals, and Bluebird Alpine Liqueur, a warming spiced spirit destined for hot toddies everywhere, featuring ginger, fennel, cassia, and angelica root.

Find them online or at your local bottle shop in Oregon or Washington State.

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Pickathon: A Musical Expression of Value

Draped lights dimly lit the paths weaving through the city of music-binging forest dwellers. Tents, hammocks, and hung linens decorated the green forest, squeezed into every habitable square yard between the sloped pines and ferns. It was an awe-inspiring sight for this first-time Pickathon attendee, and would serve as a welcomed cool-haven amid the uncharacteristic Portland heat that would linger most of the weekend.

captured by Brud Giles

This year marked the 17th anniversary of Pickathon, a 4-day music festival hosted on the Pendarvis Farm at the outskirts of Portland. True to the quirkiness and ideals of Portland, Pickathon exhibits a dedication to local food and drink as well as reduced footprint at a level unique within the music festival scene. Fare options included food from such local favorites as Bollywood, Pine State Biscuits, and Podnah’s Pit Barbeque and coffee from Stumptown Coffee Roasters. The drink menu offered a strong lineup from local breweries, cider houses, wineries and distilleries. It was hard to go wrong in an area that loves hops, whether it was Fort George’s Overdub IPA or Deschutes’ Pinedrops IPA. With cider’s growing popularity, there were great options from Reverend Nat’s and a refreshing pear offering by Anthem Cider. The cocktail menu consisted of dangerously delicious collaborations between local distilleries Dogwood and New Deal combined with mixers from Starvation Alley.

captured by Heather Binns

Furthermore, the commitment to sustainability at Pickathon is enough to make any Portlander proud. Between their bold elimination of disposable products, exhaustive list of alternative transportation options, and solar panels to offset the energy expenditure at the event, they bend over backward to ensure the environmental impact is minimal.

But nothing could make the event more Portland than the stamp of approval from Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen, stars of popular TV show Portlandia. Early event goers will be looking for themselves on an upcoming episode, as filming took place on the Pendarvis farm Thursday evening, with guest appearance by the Flaming Lips.

The sips and bites, however, are of course just accompaniment to the real heart of the event: its music. Rather than household names and overplayed headliners, Pickathon offers a tasty buffet of novel, innovative artists of impressive variety. Luckily, second helpings are offered as each band plays two sets at the varying venues. The main course is largely rock and folk infused with a lineup ranging from the upbeat folk-bluegrass roots of Brothers Comatose to punk band Cloud Nothings. There are plenty of complementary side dishes in the form of jazz solos from tenor saxophonist Kamasi Washington, hip-hop flare from Shabaaz Palaces, and retro soul in the guise of 25 year-old crooner Leon Bridges. While the lineup has something for a wide variety of musical tastes, it certainly helps to have an appreciation for country given Pickathon’s, at times, county fair feel, thanks in part to the haystack seating at some venues and mass square dancing events.

captured by Autumn Andel

The weekend was packed full of memorable performances. The heat on the Pendarvis farm made the barn venues excellent filters, retaining only the most enduring fans. Saturday evening the barn was bursting with hoots and hollers for Langhorne Slim’s authentic gruff set. Ty Segall kept the energy high with shredding guitar inciting mosh pits and crowd surfing, followed by a monstrous set from Canadian avant post-punk band, Viet Cong.

captured by Nehemiah Silwoski

Brothers Comatose was a personal favorite that electrified the crowd with their fast paced string picking on the main stage following a wild late-night set in the barn. Southern rock band Hiss Golden Messengers played a tight set on the main stage Friday night and again in the woods on Sunday afternoon.

image by Tim LaBarge

The woods stage was popular among the artists who graced it, frequently receiving the comment of “the coolest venue ever played”. Not difficult to imagine, given its cozy location tucked away among the cool trees and green ferns and humble framework of branches surrounding the performers. Perfectly complimented by performances such as the dreamy, smooth serenades of Brazilian born singer-songwriter Rodrigo Amarante, the stage exudes a feeling of enchantment, as if sharing the experience with a hidden audience of elves and fairies. In contrast, JD McPherson had the woods absolutely shaking in dance with his retro-rock on Sunday afternoon. But no band was as well suited for the mystical venue as the UK band Wolf People with their ominous sounding melodies and lyrics to match the wilderness vibe.

captured by Sara Vandepas

While this microshiner walked away with a generous list of new artists to add to her summer playlist, to wholly realize the beauty of Pickathon one must look beyond its wonderfully understated lineup of genuine artists. What distinguishes Pickathon is the ability of its organizers to produce an event of this caliber without casting aside the values currently gaining momentum in a generation re-evaluating its priorities. The festival is a testament to the uncompromised quality achieved by supporting local establishments as well as the seemingly lofty but attainable standard of sustainability. To truly appreciate Pickathon is to acknowledge the subtle thread of value they expertly weave into an exhilarating musical event.

captured by Brud Giles

 This article courtesy of Hayley McCoy, an optometrist and samaritan enjoying the life of a microshiner in Bend, Oregon.

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Time Lapse from TOAST 2015

On March 7th, the MicroShiner crew followed the Oregon Distillery Trail to the Leftbank Annex in Portland, OR to enjoy a night of craft spirits at TOAST, the Oregon Distillers Guilds' annual tasting event.

Here is a fun time-lapse of the event that captures what it means to be a MicroShiner in #PDX!

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A TOAST from the Leftbank

It was a dark and stormy night.

Actually, the weather was picture perfect in Portland, Oregon, and people flooded the streets and parks of the Rose City to celebrate what from all appearances was winter's end. As the sun slowly descended in the west, a small queue began to form at the entrance to the recently reimagined Leftbank Annex, and the unusually warm spring day gave way to what looked to be an equally spirited evening.

The crowd in question were what could be considered MicroShiners, enthusiasts of craft spirits, and the event they were lining up for the fifth iteration of TOAST, Portland's annual artisan spirits tasting hosted by the Oregon Distillers' Guild and the Oregon Distillery Trail.

With over 40 micro-distilled and craft labels assembled, the event offered attendees access to a selection of spirits that dwarfed even the most ridiculously well-stocked bar, serving up samples of some hundred or more individual tastes and flavors. Included in the price was an unlimited number of tastings, a souvenir sniffter, and hors d'oeuvres prepared by several shining stars from Portland's renowned culinary scene.

Upon entering, we were greeted by Ted Pappas of Big Bottom Distilling and current president of the Oregon Distillers' Guild. Ted shared with us some details about the event, ending with a dissertation on the highlight of the evening, an unveiling of the Oregon Starka Project.

"Write this down," he said. "A rye, pinot barrel; a zinfandel; and a rye barrel with French oak staves and applewood."

Starka is unique even in Portland, a city renowned for its expansive craft spirits portfolio. It is barrel-aged vodka, a style of crafting that spirit nearly unknown outside the borders of its eastern European motherland. The Oregon Starka Project is only the second such launch in America, following the recent release of Cardinal Sin Starka by St. Louis Distillery.

The uniqueness of the spirit itself is only amplified by the fact that the Oregon Starka Project is a collaboration between three local micro-distilleries. Its the type of thing that can only happen in Portland, a town nearly notorious for harboring a quasi-socialist sentiment.

"To my knowledge its the only collaboration between distilleries," Pappas adds. "Breweries and distilleries; there's lots of that. But this is something unique. We're really supportive of each other here."

The unveiling was scheduled for later in the evening, and Pappas hopes it will become an annual event at TOAST. Until then, there were plenty of other delicacies on hand ready to be sampled.

Indio Spirits, one of the distillers collaborating on the Starka Project, had an extensive portfolio on display, a highlight of which was their Hopka hop vodka. The spirit is dry hopped using local Cascade hops, resulting in what amounts to an incredible tasting experience.

Vinn Distillery was another notable stop. Offering a blackberry liquor, vodka, whiskey, and traditional Chinese baiju, Vinn is unique in their use of rice as the basic building block of their spirits. Produced locally in Wilsonville at their family owned distillery, Vinn's product is likely the only craft baiju in America, although Michelle Ly of Vinn believes we will soon see an influx of this rare (at least in the US) spirit from Chinese producers. Support the local effort and ask for Vinn instead!

Another unique taste being sampled was Cascade Alchemy. One of several micro-distillers at the event from Bend, Cascade Alchemy's selection contained a number of interesting flavors including Apple Pie and Barley Shine.  Of particular note was their Chai Tea, made from corn and distilled eight times before being infused with chai from My Chai in Bend. Refreshingly smooth, it would be sublime strengthening an Arnold Palmer on a summer afternoon.

Of course, this is only a few of the notables to be found at TOAST. With time running out on a tie score in the night's match between the Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake, the wealth of the assembled craft spirits only increased in value, providing some needed respite for a few of the home team's more hardcore fans.

As the evening progressed, attendees narrowed down their favorites, with many purchasing a bottle for home, another aspect of TOAST that makes this particular tasting event unique.

Still, all things must end, even those as remarkable as TOAST, and so it did, closing with a VIP after party on the mezzanine. Clearly a success, this year's event set a high bar that will only be eclipsed by future iterations in scope and scale. We look forward to seeing you there! 

  Cheers!

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Portland's TOAST to Craft Spirits

Tickets are now on sale for TOAST 2015, the Pacific Northwest's signature artisan spirits tasting event.

Entering its fifth year, TOAST connects small distillers and producers of handcrafted spirits with the craft enthusiast in a unique all-inclusive tasting experience. TOAST will take place Friday, March 7th, 2015 from 4-10pm in the beautiful Leftbank Annex building in SE Portland, and will feature over 40 distillers, on-site product sales, bites from top local chefs, music and other entertainment.

This year’s event will have an updated format, taking place on a single night with lively activity throughout the evening and an all-inclusive ticket price covering all food and drink samples. Participating distilleries will also be offering products for sale on-site, including several limited releases.

TOAST attendees can expect a huge variety of spirits to sample, including rare liqueurs like absinthe and aquavit. Participating distilleries include Aria Gin, Bendistillery, Big Bottom, Bull Run Distillery, McMenamins, Oregon Spirit Distillery, and Vinn Distillery. 

Celebrated Portland chefs including Chef Scott Dolich of The Bent Brick will pair tasty bites with the vast selection of spirits, while some of Portland's best mixologists will be crafting exceptional cocktails for guests to purchase at the MicroShiner-sponsored bar.

General Admission tickets for TOAST are $45. Limited VIP tickets are also available for $60, which includes two cocktails, access to the VIP room and entry to the distillers after party. 

Tickets can be purchased online here.

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Oregon Distillers Festival

The emergence of Oregon as a mecca of craft distilling was showcased for the curious front and center recently at the adult playland known as McMenamins’ Edgefield just outside of Portland. Here, under a big top tent on a hot Saturday in July, were poured some of the Beaver State’s finest spirits for those in attendance at the Oregon Distillers Festival.

 

Around 20 distilleries took part in the four hour event at the flagship property of the brewpub chain known throughout the Pacific Northwest for taking old unique properties and turning them into fanciful watering holes. To be certain, McMenamins’ had both of its distilleries, one at Edgefield itself and another from its Cornelius Pass Roadhouse property, represented, but also on display were small shop operations ranging from the Oregon coast to the high desert and beyond.

One of the newest Oregon distilleries offering up samples of its spirits was Cannon Beach Distillery. Owner Mike Selberg and a female companion were showcasing two rums and an agave spirit. Selberg’s liquors are award winning, he noted, which is impressive when you consider his is mostly a one man operation producing only 400 to 500 cases a year.

Down the row a bit from Cannon Beach was Bull Run DistillingCompany, whose primary focus is upon whiskey. Lee Medoff, one of those heading operations at the distillery, ironically spent some of his formative time in the industry as a brewer at McMenamins. Bull Run was pouring two of its whiskies, one of which was described taste wise as starting like a Canadian whiskey and finishing like an Irish, along with a rum as well.

While most distilleries were showing off whiskies, rums, vodkas and other well known spirit types, a few were also offering samples of what would best be described as pre-mixed cocktails. One of these was Northwest Distillery. Owner Meghan Zonich had at the ready Hello Lovely, a refreshing concoction best enjoyed when served chilled and characterized as a “spirited strawberry lemonade” made from Oregon vodka, natural strawberry/lemon flavor, and pure cane sugar.

Not to be outdone by the visiting distilleries, theMcMenamins’ offerings on display at its two tables had plenty takers during the festival. The Edgefield distillery showcased its regular stable of spirits as well a new offering known as Aval Pota. This malt whiskey distillation, consisting of freshly pressed Oregon apples as well as organic brown sugar and cinnamon, was described by one event goer as tasting like “apple pie.”

As for Cornelius Pass Roadhouse, it was pouring samples of a new, and as yet unreleased, aged whiskey beside a tasty hazelnut liqueur.

All in all, it was a solid showing by members of the Oregon distilling crowd and a reminder that the emerging craft spirits movement is taking the liquor industry in directions it has never really considered before.

Nino Marchetti, a freelance writer out of Portland, runs his own whiskey blog known as The Whiskey Wash (http://thewhiskeywash.com) and writes about lifestyle and consumer technology topics. Nino has over 10 years of freelancing experience writing for print and online ventures. When not writing, he can be found exploring his favorite haunts around the city or enjoying a good glass of whiskey or beer. Look for more on the Oregon craft spirit scene from Nino here @MicroShiner.

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