Double Mountain “Das Boot” Release Party

Friday March 6, 5-8pm: Come join Double Mountain and Saraveza staff as we tap the first kegs of a new Double Mountain specialty offering while enjoying some seriously comfortable German-themed food goodie. The fun starts at 5pm with some free mini Sauerbraten pasties – get them while they last! We’ll also be raffling off some Double Mountain shirts and glassware throughout the evening.

About the beer: Brewmaster Matt Swihart has been kicking out batch after stellar batch of Double Mountain beers for nearly two years now…but this one is co-owner Charlie Devereux’s turn. (Matt and Charlie met as shift brewers at Full Sail back in the early ‘90s.) “Das Boot” is a dark ale broadly in the style of an altbier, brewed with Pilsner, Munich and chocolate malts, Kölsch yeast, and a variety of German hops. A velvety malt character is nicely balanced by herbal bittering-hop notes. Das Boot is dry-hopped with whole Hallertaus for extra aroma. 6.2% ABV, 50BU.

About the food: Saraveza's Spence Lack has been delivering some killer eats out of Saraveza’s little kitchen since day one. For those of you unfamiliar with the pasty (pronounced pass-tee), it’s a pastry hand-pie with a savory filling -- the Anglo version of an empanada. The pasty originated in the British Isles and is wildly popular in the northern Wisconsin / Upper Peninsula region, where owner Sarah Pederson is from. It’s the perfect pub food.

Spence is working on a Sauerbraten (German-style marinated pork in sauerkraut) pasty that should prove a hearty complement to Das Boot’s malty richness. Hope to see you there!

Call Saraveza at 503-206-4252 for more info.

Valentine's Special: Bottles, Pours & Food!

He loves me, he loves me not....Saraveza has some simple Valentine solutions for those looking for a quick gift, a quick drink or a night out on the town full of delicious food and drink.

OUT ON THE TOWN: Looking for a place to eat? Join us for our first 5 course meal ($25 per person) which, of course, we've paired with Valentine's beers (if you so dare - $12). 5-11pm Friday and Saturday.
1st course: Willamette Valley Boerenkaas Raw Cow Cheese crostini with Pineapple Compote
2nd course: Chicken Liver Pate with Amarena cherries (veggie substitute: Mushroom Duxelle)
3rd course: Ceasar salad with Spanish Bocquerones
4th course: Lobster Bisque with Poached Lobster, preserved Meyer Lemon salad (veggie substitute available)
5th course: Lori's chocolate cherry cupcakes

Stop on by this Valentine's weekend (5-11pm) and enjoy some of our favorite, fanciest and priciest BOTTLES BY THE POUR:
- Sterken's Wit
- Cascade Kriek '08
- Rene Cuvee
- Cascade Apricot
- New Belgium, Dark Kriek


LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT GIFT? May we recommend:
- Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence
- Lindemans Framboise
- New Belgium, Dark Kriek
- Cascade Kriek '08
- Cascade Apricot
- Perronelle's Blush English Draft Cider w/Blackberry Liqueur (GLUTEN FREE)
- Las Rocas de San Alejandro '07 Rose Wine (GLUTEN FREE)

Fieldtrip to CASCADE BREWING: "We don't need labels!"

Just because we're closed on Tuesdays doesn't mean that we at Saraveza are taking the day off. No-sir-ree-bob. Sometimes we're organizing our coolers, dreaming up new pasties, tasting new beers and other Tuesdays we're taking fieldtrips!!!

Ever since we laid our tastebuds on Cascade's Vlad the Imp Aler (a blend of soured oak-aged quads, tripels and blondes) we knew that this brewery was onto something unique. Sooo, we packed up our bags and headed to Beaverton to visit Cascade Brewing and Raccoon Lodge Brew Pub.

What we found during our visit is that brewers Ron Gangsberg and Curtis Bain are making some of the most innovative beers around. In addition to their regular line-up of beers you'll find on tap at the Lodge, there's an entire line of Belgian styles that are being oak aged, blended and/or soured. Their line-up includes:

Vine - Is it a wine? NO! It's a beer. And it's beautiful!!! This soured blend of blonde ale and ale made with white grapes is such a treat! Insane and delicious! So wonderful that when Curtis explained to us that we wouldn't be able to get our hands on it until the bottles were labeled, Tyler, our beloved beertender, exclained, "Labels! We don't need labels!" Lisa, a fellow beertender, then cried, "This will be served to toast at my wedding!" In conclusion, all at Saraveza LOVES the Vine. And no, we won't have it until the labels are FDA approved.

Cascade Kriek - A Flanders style kriek soured and aged with Oregon cherries. This delicious ale won a bronze medal in the wood/barrel aged sour category at GABF this year!
Cascade Apricot - Holy cow! This Flanders style apricot beer was out of sight!!! Such a tasty treat that Draft Magazine named it one of its top 25 beers of 2008.
Mouton Rouge - A blend of 4-6 Flemish reds ales aged in oak barrels. Delicious!! Expect to find this on our sour tap handle!
Cuvee du Jongleur - A blend of Flemish Reds and soured Belgian Tripels - the perfect juggle of a blend.
Cascade Blackberry - You guessed it...Flanders style ale with blackberries!

After a three hour tour, we headed to basement bar, shot pool and ate some appetizers. Their Coconut Onion rings are not so bad! The entire staff at Raccoon Lodge and Brewery were so hospitable. Thanks to all for a memorable experience!

HELP A BROTHER OUT: Food Drive @ Saraveza

Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to read this....
Hard times in Portland, Oregon…Layoffs, foreclosures and other economic disruptions are taking a terrible toll on our families, friends and neighbors. I know I'm feeling it... at least once a week I talk to a friend or customer who has lost his/her job. Today's economic crisis stretches from loss of income to loss of nourishment. The calls for emergency help in Oregon are skyrocketing. The need to fight hunger in our own backyard is unprecedented. Through the month of February, we at Saraveza are encouraging our friends and patrons alike to help where they can -- by either donating $1 or donating food.

JUST $1 equals 5 lbs of food: Oregon Food Bank's greatest need is cash donations. Every dollar you donate enables Oregon Food Bank to collect and distribute more than five pounds of food through its food distribution program. With this escalating need, OFB's goal is to raise $5,000.00 during the month of February. To donate, drop some cash into the "Feed our People" jar at Saraveza, or click here and enter 'Blog for Food' in the tribute section on the OFB donation page. Or send checks directly to Oregon Food Bank at PO Box 55370, Portland, OR 97238. In the memo write 'Blog for Food.'

FOOD DROP: Participate in Saraveza’s Food Drive and bring in fresh, canned, dehydrated or frozen food donations. (Click here to view a list of most wanted donations.)

FEELING THE PINCH YOURSELF?: If you need a little push or are feeling the recession blues – participate in our Bottle Shop Swap. Until February 14th, bring one unopened, unexpired bottle of anything — soda, shampoo, soy sauce or Schlitz — to Saraveza and we'll trade you a 12-ounce bottle from our selection of American craft beers. (All bottled food – Prego, Ketchup, pickles, etc will be donated to the OFB.)

Thank you again for reading this. I am so thankful for my job. If you've been to Saraveza you see that I work with an awesome group of people who, like me, are so thankful for your patronage. We all thank you for coming to Saraveza and, if you can, helping in this outreach.

Best, Sarah

Cheeseheads take note! Beerheads listen up!

Last night, Steve of Steve's Cheese and I gave our first beer and cheese class. We had done our homework and came up with some slam dunks on combos. Even for a girl who's eaten her fair share of cheese (Wisco Yo!) and drank more than her fair share of beer (snooze ya loose!!) I had some new flavors in these matches. Here's the menu that made fireworks in my mouth:

Kickin' it off right: Pholia Farm’s ELK MOUNTAIN (Raw Nigerian Dwarf Goat) - Rogue River, Oregon w/ HUB’s DIABOLITO (Small Belgian Strong) - Portland, Oregon

Separated at birth: ROS OMBRA (Sheeps Milk) - Catalonia, Spain w/ Moylan's SCOTCH ALE - Novato, California

Super smooth: Guifante’s 3 MILK ROBIOLA - Piedmont, Italy w/ Eel River’s CLIMAX NOEL (Imperial Red Holiday Ale) - Fortuna, California

A group favorite: Herve Mons’s GRUYERE (Raw Cow) - Bern, Switzerland w/ Brouwerij Verhaeghe’s DUCHESSE DE BOURGOGNE (Flemish Red Ale) - Vichte, Belgium

Our most punk rock combo: Neal’s Yard Dairy - Colston Basset’s “SHROPSHIRE” (Cow’s Milk) - UK w/ Ommegang’s GRAND CRU ROUGE (Flemish Red Ale) - Copperstown, New York

We're set to do this again. If you're into it, just sign up for Saraveza's mailing list and you'll be of the first to know.