Dragon Tales 6.20
Dragon Tales 6.20
Submitted by Jim Parker on June 20, 2008 - 3:57pm.
Welcome to your weekly dose of news from the ever-changing world that is the Green Dragon Bistro & Brewpub.
In this issue:
Happy anniversary ... kind of
Happy happy hours ... really
Happy brewers ... meet them
Happy trails ... for Founder
Happy beers ... here and on deck
Happy reading ... someone other than me
Happy anniversary ... kind of
Monday, July 7, will be a special first anniversary here at the Green Dragon. It's the first anniversary of our first missed grand opening opening party.
Huh? Just typing that confused me. Let me explain.
Anyone who has ever opened a pub knows the most foolhardy mistake you can make is to announce an opening date (see Hopworks Urban Brewery), unless you have enough money to give spare change to God when he runs low at the end of the month (see Deschutes Brewery).
But, we did it. We told everyone we were aiming for a June soft opening with a big party on July 7th – you know, 7-7-7 – the day boatloads of happy couples decided to tie the knot so that the husband would have at least a fighting chance of remembering their anniversary. I will leave it to you, gentle readers, to decide for yourselves who was more deluded. We got stickers made, we ordered beer, we invited friends from out of town.
But on that glorious day, not only were we still sans license, we were still about two months shy of having the place ready for business. So we did what any self-respecting future publicans would do – we threw a party. But because we weren't yet licensed, it had to be a private party. Some of you were invited, some of you made it, some of you we didn't know yet. I won't taunt you with details, but we did polish off a keg of Ninkasi Total Domination (still the best-selling beer at the pub) and most of a keg of Bend Brewing's Outback X (which went on to win a gold medal at the recent World Beer Cup).
It was a blast. And any party worth having is worth having again. Only this time, you are all invited. So Monday, July 7, you are hereby invited to the Green Dragon Bistro and Brewpub's First Anniversary Missed Opening and Grand Re-opening Party. Why Grand Re-opening? Well, it's high time to celebrate all of the changes new majority Ed Scwartz and general manager Andrew Sloan have made. So it will be Happy Hour all day with the newly finished Happy Hour Menu (see below) in effect from open to close. We'll also have a shuffleboard tournament and a few other surprises up our sleeves. I can't guarantee Outback X, but we will have something from Bend Brewing, plus the requisite keg of Total Domination and a full lineup of great beers.
No RSVP required, just show up on the 7th and help us celebrate.
Happy happy hours ... really
The new happy hour menu is complete and we like it so much we're offering it twice a day. So not only can you get happy from 4 p.m. To 6 p.m., but you can renew your vows of happiness each night from 9 to close.
And who wouldn't be happy with baked potato fritters, beer battered onion rings, Buffalo bleu cheesy poofs and more for only $3.
Happy brewers ... meet them
Don't forget the special double whammy Meet the Brewer bonanza coming up Tuesday, June 24 and Friday, June 25. On Tuesday we have the reigning World Beer Cup Small Brewpub Brewster, Tonya Cornett, from Bend Brewing Co. She's bringing some Axehead Red as well as her Great American Beer Festival winning Hophead Imperial IPA, plus some other special treat.
Then, on Wednesday, Grady Hull from New Belgium Brewing will be in town from Fort Collins. Hull is the creator of many of New Belgium's specialty beers, such as Mothership Wit, Springboard, Skinny Dip and Mighty Arrow. He'll have all of those, as well as a special surprise beer.
Kicking off July, which is Oregon Beer Month, will be Eric Walthen of Alameda Brewhouse. Eric started out delivering Alameda's beer with his Beer:30 distribution company. But when brewer John Eaton left for a different brewery, Eric stepped in and took over the brewing duties. No word yet on what he'll be bringing, but he promises some nifty surprises.
All Meet the Brewer nights start at 6 p.m.
Happy trails ... for Founder
If you spend much time at the bar on weekday afternoons, you have likely met Ron “Wort Dog” Boleyn, one of our Founders Club members. If you have noticed his absence the past week or so, there is a reason. Ron has been on an extended “pub crawl” around the west, visiting breweries in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. During this tour, Ron logged his 500th “brewpub” visit by stopping in at Ninkasi Brewing in Eugene. While Ninkasi is not technically a brewpub, it does have a keg cooler with three taps, “I called ahead and checked,” Ron says. “Otherwise, I couldn't count it.” And, after last night's visit to Deschutes' Pearl District pub, his count is at 507.
Happy beers ... here and on deck
On tap, as of 2:41 p.m.
Great Divide Hercules Double IPA
Ninkasi Believer
Fish Organic Pale
New Belgium Mighty Arrow
Diamond Knot IPA
Czechvar
Lost Coast Double Chocolate Porter
Hacker-Pschorr Dunkleweizen
Piraat
Stone Ruination
Butte Creek Organic pale
Willamette Imperial IPA
BridgePort IPA
Green Flash West Coast IPA
Full Sail LTD
Anderson Valley Summer Solstice
Spire Dark and Dry Cider
On deck
Grand Teton Bitch Creek ESB
Bear Republic Racer 5
Fort George Nut Red
Mt. Shasta Lemurian Lager
Rock Bottom American Dream IPA
Leffe
Anchor Porter
Chimay
Lucifer
Lagunitas Dogtown Pale Ale
Mt. Shasta Mountain High IPA
Happy reading... someone other than me
Beer, food and spirits blogs are cropping up everywhere. Here are links to some of my favorites. If you have your own favorites you'd like to share, let me know and I will pass them along.
John Foyston's of the Oregonian delivers witty snippets of local beer news, events and zombie pictures.
Dave Dronkowski's online accompaniment to his Portland Tribune column by a rotating cadre of beer lovers also has beer news.
Eugene mixologist Jeffrey Morganthaler mixes tales from behind the stick with plenty of helpful how-tos, all with witr and style.
Mike Sherwood is the mad scientist behind SubRosa Spirits, producers of Tarragon and Saffron infused vodkas. He's also the former executive director of the Oregon Brewers Guild and a food, drink and music fiend. This site isn't actually a blog, but rather a “virtual restaurant” website, complete with menus, music and merchandise. It is frequently updated, so it's fun to check back now and then.
That's all for now,
Jim Parker
Official Scribe of the Green Dragon