Stammtisch – Get a group, grab a table and drink a bier!

Posted on July 29, 2014 by Thebeerchaser

A new face in the Kerns Neighborhood

Dan Hart and Chris Navarra are the co-owners of two North Portland bars – Prost and Interurban – see Thebeerchaser reviews in November 2011 and May 2012, respectively. Prost was an early favorite on Thebeerchaser Tour of Portland Bars, Taverns and Pubs. Interurban, relatively new when we visited, was okay, but had none of the character of its counterpart a few blocks north on Mississippi Ave.

: Memories – Prost in 2011

Laura, Ryan and Kenzie – some of University of Portland’s great alums

They have now opened a third Portland bar – Stammtisch on NE 28th Avenue – in the Kerns Neighborhood. Early reviews are very good and we had a great experience.

Stammtisch replaces a bar named Spints Ale House, which based on numerous largely critical comments, was not a loss because of mediocre food, expensive beer and marginal to terrible customer service. One Yelp review concluded, “Spints is ultimately an exercise in unmet potential,” consistent with another stating, “As mentioned in other reviews, the ambience in this joint is non-existent, the music loud and dreadful, and the staff a tad less than gracious (& I’m being polite there!).” (Yelp 1/2011)

Before that the site had Café 401 – closed only a few months after opening to big breakfast crowds. An April 2009 review in the blog “Breakfast in Bridgetown” summarized as “Simple, but above average” – not a rousing endorsement. So Stammtisch does not have an insurmountable legacy to uphold……

Community tables…

Stammtisch is a German term for “an informal friendly get-together held regularly and also the usually large, often round table, around which the group meets.”

Based on the lively crowd on a weekday night, the name is appropriate because community seating is encouraged – and appeared to be working well. “My boyfriend and I shared a table with some strangers when we first sat down and we were clinking our steins with them by the time the bier arrived at our table.”

According to Oregon Live (4/30) “(Hart plans to) transform it into a sister bar to Prost with more German taps, more schnapps and more food.” Our experience and the majority of the early comments viewed indicate that predecessors food quality issues won’t be an issue: “Stammtisch has now become our go-to German restaurant in Portland ..and it’s a drive since we live about 30 miles out-of-town.” (5/6/14 Yelp John B)

: Expansive menu and food quality creates a nice dilemma….

Willamette Week published a restaurant review on June 25th and went into great detail on the expansive selection of German food on the menu. The four of us shared just a few of the selections ranging from the Fiorelle (Riesling braised trout) to the Bretzel to the Brites to the Bratwurst with sauerkraut. A return trip would pose the dilemma of whether to repeat what was outstanding or try something new.

This ambivalence would also occur on the German bier selection. The 18 taps – six rotating – helped to reinforce Ernest Hemingway’s assertion: “It was as natural as eating, and to me, as necessary. I would not have thought of eating a meal without drinking a beer.”

Affirmed at Stammtisch

Our selection included:

Professor Fitz Briem 1899 Berliner Weisse

Kostritzer Schwarzbier Ayinger Celebrator

Veltins Pilsner

A Beerchaser tradition is to visit my bars with interesting people and this was no exception – three young professionals, all of whom make me an ardent fan of The University of Portland, their alma mater. Brian Doyle, Editor of UP’s wonderful magazine Portland, award-winning author, and most impressively, Thebeerchaser of the Quarter in February 2014 summed it up best.

Author Brian Doyle

He was chronicling the amazing success of the Rise Campaign at the University which concludes this summer and has raised $180 million over the last four years. He reflects on UP: “I cannot count the number of students I have met in 23 years here who became riveting and creative and devout and admirable men and women.”

Portland – the UP magazine

So let’s briefly look at my companions that night. Laura Williams – who I am immensely proud to say, is my youngest daughter, a 2008 UP alum and a dedicated pediatric oncology nurse, first at Randall Children’s Hospital and now at Doernbecher.

Ryan Keene – UP 2011 – a skilled project manager at O’Neil Electric, who also helps coach the cross-country team at Clackamas High School, and even works weekends helping in the Arleta Library Bakery and Café – a great SE venue especially for breakfast and featured on the Food Networks “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives .” (Ryan and Laura were along for Thebeerchaser visit to Quimby’s in NW Portland earlier this year in March.)

And Kenzie Larson – UP 2010 – a very successful senior account representative at the amazing young company, Jama Software – recognized on the Forbes’ Most Promising Companies in America list the past two years.

Our waitress, Leslie, with Thebeerchaser logo and Ryan, Laura and Kenzie

All of them are good citizens and great athletes – with the emphasis on running. For example, last summer Ryan, who ran two years of cross-country at Gonzaga before transferring to UP, ran a 50K – that’s 31.1 miles – ultra-marathon in Bend on the Flagline Trail. He finished 3^rd overall with a time of 4:15. – that’s essentially an eight minute mile for the distance! In fact, the only negative thing I can say about Ryan harkens back to his college days when his favorite beer was warm Busch Light.

Fortunately, his discernment in girl friends surpasses his beer selection…

Kenzie, besides having played basketball at UP, recently ran the Rainier-to-Ruston Relay, with a team of 4 ladies – it’s like a mini Hood-to-Coast (51.9 miles – so each ran about 12 or 13 miles over the 3 legs) from a starting point on Mt. Rainier to the Tacoma waterfront finish line. They were the top female team, finishing in 7 hours and 20 minutes.

Laura, Ryan and Kenzie lend credence to the complaint: “The only problem with beer is that you have to be stationary to drink it.” They also motivated me to at least sprint from the bar to my car when we left….

Laura and Kenzie – stationary for the moment

Now there were complaints about the service at Stammtisch’s predecessors, but the reviews so far are very good. Our waitress, Leslie – a Louisiana gal who moved to Portland based on the recommendation of her friend who works at Prost – was knowledgeable about the bier, friendly and efficient.

She’s worked there for a month and one-half and said, “We’re having fun here.”

Adrian and his wife – neighborhood fans….

And Dan Hart is smart. One of Ryan’s co-workers at O’Neil (Adrian) and his wife live in the neighborhood. They said that Dan met with the neighbors as they were planning the layout and operation – he was a good listener and responsive to their concerns. As you can see by the picture of the parade of bikes which filed past while we ate, the neighborhood is interesting!

: An interesting neighborhood

He had an impressive response to a complaint by one patron on Yelp that the beer was too expensive:

“We are glad that you enjoyed Stammtisch. A little note in regards to the price of bier. Our biers that we sell are all premium imported biers shipped from Germany that are sold in .5L glassware. These glasses hold approximately 20 oz, but are filled to the .5L (16.9oz) mark, then the rest with head.

This means that you are getting about 25% more bier then you would if you were at most any other brewery or bar in town…. From my experience that is cheaper than most any other brewery….that makes their beer on site and doesn’t need to be shipped half way across the world. Just trying to ensure you know exactly what you are getting for your dollar. Thanks again for checking us out and we hope to see you at the Pub again soon.” 6/9/2014 Yelp

We thoroughly enjoyed Stammtisch and plan to return. The comment from another happy repeat customer, who gave a five-star review in Trip Advisor, echoes our experience:

“I’ve been to Stammtisch several times since it opened a few months ago and I highly recommend it. It’s a casual place, but the staff is friendly and attentive, and the food and beer are excellent. Pretty much all the food I’ve had has been delicious.” (July 8, 2014)

Stammtisch 408 NE 28th Avenue

(To view the map with all the bars reviewed by Thebeerchaser, click on the “View Larger Map” link at the bottom of the map below)

Thebeerchaser Does Alaska – Part II – Haines, Glacier Bay and Juneau

Posted on July 17, 2014 by Thebeerchaser

The Mendenhall Glacier outside of Juneau

As we continued our cruise on the Holland America ship, Statendam, after a day and one-half cruising through the Gulf of Alaska from Seward, we had our first port call at Haines, Alaska. At first, I was skeptical. Why would we want to stop at a city named after an underwear brand….? (actually that is Hanes – America’s first name in comfort since 1901), but it was one of our favorite stops on the cruise.

Haines – beautiful in its isolation – has a population of only about 1,800 and is 90 miles north of Juneau. In 2011-12 season they recorded 360 inches of snow. It was actually named in 1884 to honor Frances Electra Haines, who established a mission for the Chilkat-Tlingit natives – the two native tribes populating the area.

We took a nine mile bicycle tour to Lake Chilkat in the morning, thrilled by the bald eagles swooping to land salmon, and later that day, I got to visit the wonderful Haines Brewery Co. on another excursion.

Our tour-guide in the afternoon from Rainbow Glacier Adventures was a great lady named Cheryl Mullins – a transplant to Haines – “When I was young, I followed a guy from Indiana and ended up liking Haines a lot more than I liked him….” She fishes, hunts, was an extra in the 1991 movie White Fang – filmed in Haines – and even did her moose call for our tour group of eight.

She is evidence of W.C. Fields great quote: “”Marry an outdoors woman. Then if you throw her out into the yard on a cold night, she can still survive.” Based on her energy and spunk, she would probably be the thrower rather than the throwee.

P1020447 Paul Wheeler, and his wife, Jeanne Kitayama, are the owners and operators of the Haines Brewing Company. Paul, the brewer, briefed our group, conveying his passion for brewing good beer – originally a hobby in the 1980’s – and we tasted what were all outstanding brews.

The small brewery, founded in 1999, produces only 380 barrels per year – 90% of which is sold in to nine accounts in Haines, Juneau and Anchorage – and fortunately will be expanding to a much larger site in downtown Haines that will be constructed later this year.

Listen to the video below and you can see the passion and enthusiasm Paul has for his craft.

We sampled four of the ten beers they were currently brewing:

Buster Board Lager Dalton Trail Pale Ale

Captain Cook Spruce Tip # Lookout Stout

# my favorite and the most interesting to brew and taste

: Lined up for tasting

Thebeerchaser and Peter with Spruce Tip Lager and the “logo”

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We did not have a chance to visit two of the bars we saw in Haines, but the pictures below show they are interesting..

The Fogcutter Bar in Haines – awaiting our next visit….

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The photo below is courtesy of JudyAnn Mathews who has a gallery in Auburn, Washington and was gracious in sending the print and some of her other work which is outstanding – check out her gallery on-line.

Harbor Bar in Winter by JudyAnn Mathews Fine Art Photography

The Statendam headed for Glacier Bay – not a formal port stop but a destination which we viewed for over two hours – an unforgettable experience. Naturalist John Muir’s description of The Margerie Glacier – twenty-one miles long, one mile wide and 300 feet high – as “Miraculously Wondrous.” It’s almost an understatement as one contemplates the scope and magnificent beauty of this bay.

2014-06-24 18.37.54 Take a look at the video below to show part of that action – what sounded like a rifle shot, then a rumble, before a large chunk of glacier (tons of ice) slides into the bay and creates a wave which rocked the Statendam from side to side.

We then headed for a day in Juneau – the “island” capital of Alaska – population of about and

A whale-watching excursion on a catamaran was next – with a substantial discount if you don’t see whales – there was no need for a return of cash at the end of the trip! We learned from our guide, who is a PhD candidate in marine biology, that the humpback whales in the area eat about a ton of food per day although their throats are fairly narrow.

A rare opportunity let us witness them in a cooperative feeding technique in what is described as a “Bubble Net:”

“In this technique, which is unique to humpback whales, the animals exhale through their blowholes while swimming in a tightening spiral so as to create a cylindrical wall of bubbles under the water. The wall of bubbles acts as a net that fish are reluctant to swim through. The whales then suddenly swim upwards through the bubble net, mouths agape, swallowing thousands of fish in each gulp……Some whales take the task of blowing the bubbles, some dive deeper to drive fish towards the surface, and others herd fish into the net by vocalizing. (Wikipedia)

You can see the gaping mouth in the incredible picture I took below and the video leading up to it:

The Bubble Net climax…

On the way back to Juneau, we stopped for a visit at the Mendenhall Glacier – another massive ice flow and incredible natural sight.

The Mendenhall Glacier

Our excursions kept me from exploring Juneau’s bars and pubs other than to take some pictures and walk in the Red Dog Saloon – supposedly “world famous” but any bar with a line to get in strikes me as a tourist trap rather than a venue worth Beerchaser review.

Red Dog Saloon – Perhaps “world famous,” but no ambiance….

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Worth exploring…

That said, the Imperial Saloon, both from the exterior and interior, looked like a place worth exploring in the future as did the Arctic Bar.

Intriguing from the outside…

: The Imperial — much better character and possibilities….

We departed Juneau in the early evening and sailed that night to Ketchikan. The rangers, when briefing us about both of the large glaciers and the resulting typography mentioned “glacial rebound.” This is the gradual rise of land masses that were forced downward by the huge weight of ice sheets.

Leaving the pier in Juneau

It sounded to me more like recovery from a hangover after hearing some very detailed and technical information about geology. And there was no draft beer on the ship to mitigate this rebound.

Fortunately, the Stantendam had other resources – one which Thebeerchaser honors when not drinking his favorite brew – and that is a gin martini (up and with olives) – a bargain at $6.99!

Gin rather than vodka – up and with olives….

I was somewhat curious why the ship did not have a few kegs to provide draft beer, rather than just bottled beer, but for those of you who are true beer aficionados and still want to cruise, there is also a remedy.

Click on the link below to get information on “The Top Seven Beer Cruises.” These cruises cover all parts of the globe – and one in Alaska :
“Now in its 16th year, the Alaska Beer Cruise sets sail Sept 5 to 12 and includes seminars, onboard beer talks, beverage themed activities and tastings led by experts. The tour includes specialty hard-to-find brews distinct to the Northwest region and features a trip to remote breweries in Alaska’s capital city Juneau. The cruise departs from and returns to port in Seattle.”

http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2014/06/05/top-7-cruises-for-craft-beer-lovers/

Thebeerchaser Does Alaska – Anchorage – Part 1

Posted on July 8, 2014 by Thebeerchaser

Mt. McKinley – the tallest peak in North America

Alaska is not the only place in the United States where one can still find pristine wilderness, but the magnitude of the expansive unspoiled forest, glacial fiords, diverse wildlife AND good bars make it a worthy trip – one which Thebeerchaser and his spouse experienced for eleven days in late June.

Boarding the Statendam in Seward

Robert Louis Stevenson said, “Old and young, we are all on our last cruise,” and since we had never been on a cruise, we decided to take the Holland-America Inside Passage cruise on the Statendam – a wonderful decision.

We flew into Anchorage and had a day in this picturesque city, before a day train trip to Denali National Park for two days.

The bar in the Glacier BrewHouse

Of course, it was important to get a feel for the bars in Anchorage – not that I could deduct the trip, but Thebeerchaser has a reputation to uphold. So for lunch in the city, we stopped at a brewery recommended by the hotel – The Glacier BrewHouse – for a good salad and split a Glacier Brewery Imperial Blonde – it was good and rejuvenated us after the flight. The Brewery produces more than 4,500 barrels per year.

Adventurous spirit was not required to find the next bar – since it was a half block from our hotel, but Darwin’s Theory will go down as one of my favorite bars on this trip and on the three-year Thebeerchaser’s Tour of Portland Bars, Taverns and Pubs. After dinner, while Janet rested, I walked to this wonderful institution – one that had NO draft beer, wine or hard liquor, but free popcorn, a great jukebox and an outstanding environment. Read two Yelp reviews which were spot on!

Survival of the Fittest embodied…..

“When you step inside, you’ll realize that this is no hipster dive bar. No sir! This has been a dive bar since inception and doesn’t appear to have changed. Beer in the bottle, great service, and interesting patrons round out the perfect dive-bar experience.” Yelp – 11/13 by Eric from Nevada City, CA

On a Friday night, the place was jammed and I sat next to a guy named Bill – in his fifties and an oil field worker, in addition to having fished in the Bering Sea and running marijuana from Mexico to the East coast in the ’70’s. “I had an old Lincoln with really big fenders….” I asked him about bars in Anchorage and he said to be careful because in the last few years there had been a few shootings at bars close by.

The “patio” outside Darwin’s

I thought he was exaggerating, but checked out stories on the internet and he was correct. To wit:

At J.J.’s Lounge on Oct. 10, 2011 – two people killed.

Three men shot and injured outside a downtown Anchorage nightclub – the Anchor Pub in June 2013 – three blocks from Darwin’s.

November 11, 2013 – A shooting wounded a woman and left a man in critical condition outside of the Office Lounge, a Midtown Anchorage bar.

One of the reasons, I felt safe in Darwin’s was the bartender – Barbara Jean – who told me that the bar was 30 years old and she had worked there 29 of them. She was friendly and her patrons loved her, but she was tough and would not tolerate rowdiness. She put me on the Darwin’s mailing list and didn’t hesitate when I asked to take her picture with Thebeerchaser logo. (Darwin, the last name of the owner celebrated his 70th birthday that Saturday – and there was going to be a big celebration.)

: Barbara Jean with Thebeerchaser logo

Another review from a Portland guy who visited Darwin’s in November, 2013 is worth quoting from Yelp. Ryan P. said:

“ABSOLUTELY the the best bar I’ve been to in Anchorage! The ladies tending the bar were amazingly nice and welcoming and made me feel right at home. Coming from a local bar town like Portland, it was very nice to have the same type of feel in this place.

From the moment I walked in I felt completely comfortable and welcomed. I LOVE THIS BAR. I’ve heard it can be crowded at times, which is reasonable considering how small the space is, but the service is THE BEST. PLEASE VISIT THIS PLACE! They are amazing!”

I paid $4 for my bottle of PBR and the same amount for a Silver Gulch Brewery’s Silver Gulch’s Northern Light (Bill’s recommendation from a good Anchorage brewery) and paid in cash based on the sign on the bar: “We accept no out-of-town checks and damn few local ones!”

We did not partake at any other Anchorage watering holes, but embarked on a walking tour and took some pictures – it showed a number of interesting options:

Snow Goose Restaurant and Sleeping Lady Brewery – what a great patio on the roof overlooking the bay.

The Pioneer Bar – “As a connoisseur of dive bars this one ranks up there. To start off, despite what opinion you have of PBR, any place that serves 24 oz. cans of PBR has a lot of class. Not to mention all the Alaskan beers on tap and knowledgeable bartenders . (Colin from Anchorage on Yelp 7/2011

In case you need directions to The Pioneer Bar….

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Humpy’s Great Alaskan Ale House – presumably named after the whale and not a patron – looked interesting and had “more beers than all the other bars in Anchorage combined,” on tap. It has a sister pub in Kona, Hawaii and got mixed reviews, in part, based on slow service and mediocre food, but does have live music. It will have to wait for another visit, but had a lively crowd, expansive menu and looked intriguing.

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The Gaslight Lounge – This is one that you might want to avoid based on violence reported above at other bars. Four of the five reviews on CitySearch did not recommend this bar and two mentioned fights

Not recommended…..

“Trashlight Lounge – I worked next door for years and every time I regrettably went in, there was an absence of friendliness. Staff were mostly arguing with drunk customers. It became a joke to look out our back window and watch the fights roll out of the bar every night….it seems to revel in it’s low class reputation among downtown. (ja4vlink – pre 2014)

McGinley’s Pub – While one might be suspicious of a bar that advertises itself as “A touch of Old Ireland in the heart of downtown Anchorage,” they have a great website. We ran out of time and just took a picture of the entrance – which looked a little boring – but they have a bunch of dark beers and ciders on tap, serve corned beef and cabbage , sheppards pie, and bangers and mash in addition to standard pub faire.

Some questioned whether it was really an “Irish experience.”

It got mixed reviews on Trip Advisor, which had them rated 161 of 674 restaurants in Anchorage based on the 67 reviews submitted – 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Glacier Bay Brewery and Darwin’s were definitely hits in Anchorage.

We embarked on the train the next morning for the seven to eight hour trip to Denali National Park through some wonderful scenery. The bald eagles were magnificent and as we saw one dive successfully for a salmon out the window, I reflected on the observation of one Alaskan resident:

“Alaska in the summer, is a great place to be a bird.”