Collaboration is the name of the game of Portland Beer Week 2016. To celebrate, a group of writers from regional and national magazines went on a tour given by Brewvana to sample several Beer Week creations made by Portland foodie destinations. Each one—BUNK Sandwiches, Blue Star Donuts, Hotlips Pizza and Salt & Straw—produced a limited-edition menu item using Portland Beer Week’s official beer, Subcontinental India pale ale.
The beer itself is a collaboration between Hood River’s Double Mountain Brewery and Portland Brewing. Double Mountain’s Matt Swihart and Portland Brewing’s Ryan Pappe chose to highlight their love of the Indian spice blend known as garam masala. Although the beer is an IPA, the flavor notes are sweet and spicy—redolent of pepper, cumin, cardamom and clove—rather than bitter, piney or fruity, which made it a perfect complement to the many sweet and spicy treats that we were about to sample.
The tour started off with a visit to Blue Star Donuts, who made an official s’more doughnut for the festival, filled with chocolate and Subcontinental IPA mousse and topped with fluffy, toasted marshmallow frosting.
The Brewvana crew then whisked us to Bunk Bar Wonder, the third location of the famous Portland sandwich shop known for its decadent concoctions and live music. The slab of fried chicken was brined in Subcontinental IPA, smoked and deep-fried, topped with pickles, maple syrup, hot sauce and bacon scallion aioli, all loaded onto a ciabatta bun. One of the week’s most successful collaborations, the tang and spice of the messy toppings complemented the deep smokiness of the chicken.
Next was a stop at Hotlips Pizza, a Portland institution for 32 years. Their Portland Beer Week pie featured bratwurst simmered in Subcontinental IPA, with cheddar, onions and a mustard glaze also made with Subcontinental IPA on top of melted mozzarella and a smooth, creamy garlic and Parmesan sauce.
Finally, we stopped at Salt & Straw’s recently opened Wiz Bang Bar—their first soft-serve location—for their signature Portland Beer Week creation of a hopped garam masala ice cream, served as a float with Subcontinental IPA. Although this was one of my most highly anticipated creations—Salt & Straw is known for their innovative, unusual ice cream combinations—it was disappointing. The emulsified fat of the ice cream trapped the hop oils on the tongue, leaving a strong aftertaste of hop bitterness.
A little variety in the day’s beer might have gone over well—“Would you like some Subcontinental IPA with your Subcontinental IPA?” the Brewvana crew joked—but all in all, it was a thoroughly satisfying tour of some of Portland Beer Week’s most interesting and toothsome culinary creations for a once-in-a-year event.
