Portland, Oregon’s five boroughs consist of 95 neighborhoods, each of which is represented by a volunteer-based neighborhood association, from St. Johns in North Portland to Arnold Creek in the Southwest. All of these places are rooted in city history and lore — and all are constantly changing. When you think of the Pearl District, does it bring to mind beat-up warehouses, desolate rail yards, and brewery brownfields, or the chic and stylish neighborhood it is today? Does Chinatown conjure images of rough frontier beginnings, or high-end art galleries? When Peaks and Pints thinks of the Kerns neighborhood, we think of beer pong. Study a Portland map and you’ll see Kerns is located in both central and southeast Portland, just on the east side of the Willamette River, north of Burnside Street. Northwest Sandy Boulevard runs straight through it, splitting Culmination Brewing Company and Migration Brewing Co. — thus ping ponging back and forth between the two, jumping over the NW Sandy net. In celebration of Migration Brewing in the house tonight, we present a flight of both breweries that we call Craft Beer Crosscut 1.23.19: A Flight of Portland Kerns.
Craft Beer Crosscut 1.23.19: A Flight of Portland Kerns
Culmination Scales of Passion
5.5% ABV
The Berliner weisse is a light-bodied sour wheat beer that’s known for being highly carbonated with acidic sourness. The name of the style, Berliner weisse, is protected by German law, which states that a beer should only be called by that name if it is brewed in Berlin, just as a Kölsch must be brewed in Köln. At the height of its popularity during the late 19th century, Berliner weisse was the most favored alcoholic drink in Berlin, and nearly 50 breweries were producing it. However, it fell by the wayside, as pale lagers became the beers of choice worldwide. Currently in Berlin there are only about three makers. Culmination Brewing and Moksa Brewing Co. from Rocklin, California, couldn’t care less about German law, their collaboration Scales of Passion Berliner weisse overflows with passionfruit, red raspberry, and dragonfruit.
Culmination Illusions of Grandeur
10.4% ABV
This viscous, black beer’s fleeting tan head can’t hold in the rich, malty scents that escape from the glass: Bold coffee adds a roasty edge to strong vanilla and chocolate for a mouthwatering, rich aroma. The beer’s vanilla flavor washes over the mouth, carrying bitter chocolate, espresso and toffee, which collect in the middle of the tongue. Booze momentarily appears from behind the roastiness before drowning in the wealth of flavors. The creamy beer finishes with more vanilla, roast and chocolate.
Culmination Captive Audience
10.5% ABV
Aged four months in Magdalena Rum barrels, Culmination’s Captive Audience barleywine hits the nose with malty toffee tones and sticky rum aromas. Applaud the warm and boozy flavor starring woody oak, caramel, smack of rum, toffee bready malts, lingering sweet candy sugar malt tones, as well as a hint of heat and dark fruit.
Migration Cannonball Red IPA
7% ABV, 55 IBU
Since opening in 2010 in Northeast Port, Migration Brewing has added a production facility and brewpub in Gresham filling the 20,000 sq. ft. building with 17,000 housing a new 20bbl brewhouse and the rest a brewpub. The brewery’s Cannonball is brewed with Crystal, Centennial, Amarillo and Simcoe hops giving this red IPA a shot of piney and resinous character with citrus and tropical aroma.
Migration Straight Outta Portland
7.3% ABV, 69 IBU
Migration Brewing’s bread-and-butter beer, this Northwest style IPA has plenty of hops but the firm malt body carries the day, providing a broad canvas that carries all the way through the flavor. Straight Outta Portland delivers a solid tropical melon and mango aroma, which follows into the taste with a good dose of pine. The semisweet malt lingers long into the aftertaste with good clean feel and crisp bitterness for an easy drinking IPA.
