McMenamins

OK, who wants a big ol' beer? Like, big. A show of hands?...

Yep, just as we thought. Big beer = happy people.

It hasn't taken long for one of McMenamins' newest acts to start making a splash in the Northwest blues scene...

Please join us at any of our pubs to celebrate a quarter of a century traveled for Terminator Stout, which turns 25 years old on Friday, November 19, 2010.

Terminator's origins can be traced to the Hillsdale Brewery & Public House, most likely brewed on a blustery, cold day not unlike today. The memories of the first batch are fuzzy for those who might shed light on the actual specifics of that original brew. Ancient texts show us that Terminator pre-dates both Hammerhead and Ruby, and was in fact the 12th beer ever brewed at the Hillsdale, making it the 12th batch of beer brewed by McMenamins period. Twelve is a pretty cool number, laden with symbolism and cosmic intrigue, making the ebony liquid's longevity even more fascinating for those who are moved by such happenstance occurrences....

It's no big secret that some of our joints are thought to be haunted. The White Eagle Saloon & Rock ‘n' Roll Hotel, for example, has long been included on lists of Portland's most haunted spots, while Edgefield in Troutdale, Ore., even made it onto a national list of "Top Ten Most Haunted Hotels"!

Any Port In A Storm
A Port-Style Wine Tasting at Edgefield
Thursday, November 11, 2010

What does "any port in a storm" mean, exactly?

It was a phrase used by the Portuguese men and women who brought us the fortified style of wine called port. Traditionally, the Portuguese made their living from fishing the tumultuous Atlantic seas. When the weather made it difficult to continue, they would search for the nearest port in which to take refuge, where they would be welcomed with a glass of warming port and a hearty bite to eat.

Wait, "nearly halfway"... doesn't that mean you never quite get there? You're always nearly halfway??

Although we have made many "wet-hop" ales over the years, McMenamins Breweries unleashed a grand experiment on September 2, 2010, as we attempted our first company-wide fresh-hop ale experiment: The brewing of Thundercone Fresh Hop Ale.

With close friends and family often spread across the country and beyond, no doubt some of your guests will be traveling from quite a distance to be a part of your special day. Why not welcome them with a gift basket to help them feel at home as well as showcase the property, city and region you have chosen for your wedding?

It takes a good 13 to 14 minutes to complete a medium-to-full city roast. There are two stages that punctuate the transformation of the product from green, turgid beans to fully roasted aromatic coffee.

Postcards are a creative and fun idea for save the dates. We offer over 100 different images that capture some of the unique aspects of each of our historic properties. Our postcards highlight the artwork, gardens, beverages, soaking pools, small bars, historic buildings and all of the other wonderful little details that make the McMenamins properties so unique.

You may have noticed the hammers and saws out at our McMenamins location on Broadway. Maybe you've heard the thud of a nail gun, smelled a hint of sawdust in the air.

Yep, we're remodeling.

As you may or may not know, McMenamins roasts its own coffee, and for nearly a decade we have been providing the entire company with our own distinctive blends and single origin coffees. Each year we craft and process about 50,000 pounds of Arabica coffee, which is carefully selected from the major growing regions of the globe. One might ask, "How do they do that...how do they roast their own coffee?"

Those crafty distillers at Edgefield have stirred up something new: White Dog Whiskey, an un-aged version of our famous Hogshead Whiskey !

One of Edgefield's most popular annual events is the Cracked Pots Garden Art Show, and this year's event is coming up soon! Scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, July 20 and 21st, Cracked Pots is free and open to all ages, featuring more than 75 artists selling their wares created from at least 75% reused and recycled materials. Event is 10 a.m. 'til 8 p.m.

When the thermometer pushes 100 degrees, the winds roar down from the mountains, and the humidity dips, we gardeners scramble for water.  Plants in ornamental containers show stress in a day or so. Hanging baskets can dry out even faster. Nursery stock we've propagated and are raising for future planting usually needs to be soaked multiple times a day. In-ground plantings put in this spring are checked and hand-watered.

My old friend Palo Alto is back in our coffee roaster. I first cupped this coffee when I was an apprentice and fell in love with its robust flavor, bright acidity and incredible balance.

This painting is intended for the Zeus Cafe, which will be on the ground floor of the building made triangular by the intersections of Stark and Burnside Streets and Twelfth Avenue in Portland, Oregon.

In 2006 McMenamins moved their corporate headquarters to a former wedding chapel and mortuary in North Portland. Finally, in May of 2010, a new "McMenamins" sign has replaced the words "THE LITTLE CHAPEL OF THE CHIMES" above the door to the offices.

Last week, I worked with two other artists in Room 219 at Edgefield. I painted a border in the bathroom of that room, because it had been painted over due to water damage.

Ever watch one of those beautiful elaborate Bollywood dance movies, replete with decadent hip sways and groovy gyrations, and wish you could move like that? Well, check out the Jai Ho! parties thrown by DJ Prashant at Lola's Room every month, and you'll soon find yourself channeling the feel of old Bombay.

Yay! Big ups to one of the stars of our Great Northwest Music Tour : Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside just won Best New Band in Willamette Week's 2010 Insiders Music Poll.

Join the Edgefield Gardeners this, Sunday, May 9, for our annual Mother's Day Plant Sale.

Throughout the year, the gardeners prepare for our plant sales -- collecting seeds, dividing perennials, rescuing tree and shrub seedlings from being discarded to the compost pile.

I'll begin the blogs I post about McMenamins' gardens by chatting about the most recent larger garden addition to the Kennedy School. It is also my personal favorite.

Over the weekend of April 24 and 25, check out this fun wine-related event...

Spring on 47 - A Weekend of Wine Tasting

On April 24 and 25, sip your way through an array of wineries and even a saké brewery along Highway 47 in the Northern Willamette Valley before making your way to the Grand Lodge for rest and relaxation.

I was closing in on the grand finale of the Blue Cheer painting and having a lot of fun with the panel when we got a message from the management at Old St. Francis School hotel in Bend, Ore., that a painting in the lobby of the theater had been keyed, or vandalized.

This company has been built on the special talents of many.

Sadly, we have lost some of these bright lights over the years.

It seems like over the past few years, when spring rolls in, I find myself back out atEdgefield. It is a good time of year to work on odds and ends of art projects to help get the property spruced up for the summer, the busiest time of year.

After the usual false starts and frustrated erasures, the local radio station began to play some rousing music, and it all fell together.

Our very own Kennedy School got a cool shout-out today, on TripAdvisor.com. We were named the #1 Quirkiest Hotel in the U.S.!

Sure, you may have done impromptu tequila tastings at a bar - salt, slam it back, lemon, you're pretty, what was your name again? - but at our spirits tastings, it's actually not about, well, getting tipsy. We want you to know the tequila, understand the tequila, love it for what it is! Because tequila really gets a bad rap. It ain't just for Spring Break, friends. (But chances are you will leave a bit tipsy...)

"'Tis the Seasonal": Workingman's Red
Pouring now through May 31

We like to switch it up every couple months with a seasonal beer, one that comes 'round the same time every year and is only available for a limited time. Gives everyone something to look forward to, you know?

Blog update, March 15, 2010
It's the Ides of March, time for an update. I have finished the panel I was working on, the 4'x6' panel which is essentially a homage to Gary Ewing...

In the early 1970s, the reunion at Centralia of two talented friends fueled a wellspring of creative energy that resulted in intimate, unapologetic portrayals of two infamous Centralia subjects steeped in secrecy and intrigue-- the 1919 Armistice Day Tragedy and the Olympic Club.

Irish eyes will be smiling all March long with the arrival of McMenamins Irish Stout. This is our Saint Patrick's Day Seasonal and will pour exclusively on our ‘Nitro' taps the entire month of March.

Room 301 honors Joseph E. Penney, an iconic figure of early-day Portland, whose lifetime of peaks and valleys was the stuff of legend – so much so, Edgefield Distillery named a fine American Dry Gin after him.....

Are you a fan of our Coffee Liqueur, that silky, creamy delicious spirit that is a handcrafted collaboration between McMenamins Coffee Roasters and the Edgefield Distillery? It is wonderful on the rocks or mixed with vodka or added to coffee, to name a few ideas.

I am working on a 4'x6' panel, which will be in the new Crystal Hotel dining room and is a tribute to Gary Ewing, a figure well known in some circles for his psychedelic light shows.  

And the Winners Are...

Last weekend, as the springtime sun shone down upon Portland, hundreds of beer-drinking guests gathered at McMenamins Hillsdale Brewery & Public House for its annual Hillsdale Brewfest, a raucous and merry affair in which our McMenamins brewers submit specially crafted ales on which the guests can vote.

Have you ever heard of "Guestiquette"? It is a new term that is popping up amongst those planning weddings or other large scale events....

While I always like creating new things, as the years go by artwork is starting to need maintenance. That's what I spent this week doing. I returned to one of my murals at the Crystal Ballroom to do some major repair work.

The explanation for this picture is complicated.  Stop reading now if you value highly every second of your life.

Welcome to the cyber catacombs of McMenamins history. It's a wondrous, multi-layered and lyrical realm brimming with life, from the day-to-day to the extraordinary.