Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. If you are seeing this post through an e-mail, please visit the blog by clicking on the title at the top to see all of the photos and so the narrative is not clipped or shortened. (External photo attribution at the end of the post. #1)
Based on the name of this blog, one would think that it is primarily about beer and breweries, however, I regularly venture into other territory as you will see below.
For example, in February, my post was a farewell tribute to lawyer and civic leader, Steve Griffith, who died at 80 while ascending 20,540 Chimborazo, the highest peak in Ecuador.
“It’s a new world, but it’s the same Constitution” (2)
US Supreme Court Chief Justice, John Roberts, made this terse retort to Solicitor General John Sauer, in the April 1st birthright citizenship case. That statement, which will be quoted for years, would have had great meaning to Steve and Jim Westwood – both former partners at the Portland law firm Stoel Rives.
That’s because both spent many years as unpaid dedicated coaches teaching high school students the history and principles of the Constitution for the national We the People Competition which culminates with simulated congressional hearings where students testify before a panel of judges acting as members of Congress in the National Finals each year in Washington DC. (#3 – #4)
Westwood’s Grant High School Team won the National Championship in 2013 and 2015. The 1783 tattoo you see below was a result of the promise he made to his team if they won in DC. It was followed by two more – one in 2018 and even though he retired from full-time coaching in 2019, he got a third inking in 2024. The legacy continues as Grant High will compete in the National Finals this month although Jim will be cheering from a distance.
Griffith’s teams from cross-town rival Lincoln High School have a similar penchant for the Nationals.
“Under his guidance, Lincoln High’s Constitution team achieved significant success. The program has won the national ‘We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution’ competition multiple times, including three national titles in the past decade.”
In these times where there appears to be a disdain for the Rule-of-Law by political leaders, I salute the efforts of these two attorneys in trying to preserve it during their careers.
Celebrating Rabbie Burns
The aforementioned Jim Westwood and I go back many years – both Oregon City High School grads as well as professional and civic relationships. Even though our politics diverge, he has been my most frequent Beerchasing companion during the last fifteen years as you can see from just a few of these prior exploits.
Robert Burns’ Night
The esteemed counselor and I also have an affinity for whiskey and have occasionally downed a shot of Scotch while Beerchasing. (It’s a generic term…) So, I was honored when Jim extended an invitation in January to attend the Robert Burns Supper at the University Club – one of the premier venues for dinners and events in Portland. (#5)
“Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide…as a pioneer of the Romantic movement, and after his death he became a great source of inspiration to the founders of both liberalism and socialism.
Burns Night, in effect a second national day, is celebrated on Burns’s birthday, 25 January with Burns suppers around the world…” (Robert Burns – Wikipedia).
A Wee Bit of Trepidation…
Before the dinner, I did a little research to make sure I could wax eloquently about the liquid which was a focus of the evening. I found out through AI that: (#6)
“Whiskey is a broad category of distilled spirits made from fermented grains such as barley, corn, rye or wheat and aged in wooden barrels. Scotch, on the other hand, is a type of whiskey produced exclusively in Scotland, following strict rules regarding ingredients, distillation, and aging…Traditional Scotch is made primarily from malted barley, though some variations use malted wheat or rye.
Scotch must be aged for at least three years in oak casks, sometimes previously used for wine or other spirits. Whiskey is typically aged in charred white oak barrels, with aging requirements varying by type and region…To be labeled Scotch, a spirit must be distilled and matured in Scotland, contain only water and caramel coloring as additives, and be bottled at a minimum of 40% ABV.”
After I eagerly accepted the invitation, however, I reflected on my last major encounter with Scotch since at the dinner, we would be sampling eleven different types of this whiskey. I retired in 2011 after working my last twenty-five years at the Schwabe firm – a NW regional law firm based in Portland.
The last twelve I was the Chief Operating Officer when the firm had grown to about 150 lawyers in five offices. I loved both the firm and my job, although the demands of the job were daunting. When I retired, the firm was extremely generous in sending me off to a “life of leisure” and what would soon include my new hobby — Beerchasing.
Two of the gifts they presented at my retirement party were bottles of Herding Cats wine and a wonderful bottle of 15-year Balvenie Scotch. (The wine label was supposed to be a reference to my job description at the firm and I readily accepted the fact that the 50-year Balvenie – now listed at $49,999 – would be too extravagant even fifteen years ago.)
Well, a month later, my wonderful brother-in-law, Dave Booher, and I embarked on a two-day camping trip (we didn’t even have to do it on a weekend…) to the San Juan Islands. Dave is a wonderful cook and grilled steaks while I sat back aside our Strait of Juan de Fuca campsite and initiated my bottle of Balvenie while smoking a cheap cigar.
Fully realizing that I didn’t have to get back to work after this trip ended, I still tried to pack as much into that wonderful evening as I could. To make a long story short, I didn’t touch Scotch again for years afterwards.
The fact that I learned my lesson in 2011 and the eleven tastes of Scotch (which would include three Balvenie vintages) at the Robert Burns dinner would just be sample sips and done over a three-hour dinner/ceremony, mitigated my concern about another major excursion with Scotch
The dinner was wonderful – the company, the Scotch, the food and the ambiance. Rabbie Burns would have been proud. We followed the standard format of this event celebrated all over the world: (#7)
“Burns Night (dating back to 1802) in effect a second national day, is celebrated on Burns’s birthday, 25 January, with Burns suppers around the world, and is more widely observed in Scotland than the official national day, St. Andrew’s Day
The format of Burns suppers has changed little since. The basic format starts with a general welcome and announcements, followed with the Selkirk Grace. After the grace comes the piping and cutting of the haggis, when Burns’s famous ‘Address to a Haggis’ is read and the haggis is cut open.
The event usually allows for people to start eating just after the haggis is presented. At the end of the meal, a series of toasts, often including a ‘Toast to the Lassies’, and replies are made… The event usually concludes with the singing of ‘Auld Lang Syne'”.
Even after listening to the news that day, I left the UC with an air of optimism embracing the assertion of David Daiches Scottish historian and literary critic:
“The proper drinking of Scotch whisky is more than indulgence: it is a toast to civilization, a tribute to the continuity of culture, a manifesto of man’s determination to use the resources of nature to refresh mind and body and enjoy to the full the senses with which he has been endowed.”
It was a night to be remembered and Jim’s generosity will be toasted with a good IPA at our next Beerchasing although I’m ready for another robust Balvenie experience. As we departed, I reminded Jim of one apt Burns’ quote:
“Here’s to us. Who’s like us? Damn few, and they’re all dead.”
Scotch and Moda….
In my recent Beerchaser post, I restated my annual gripe about Moda Health and the Portland Trailblazers purported “generous” contributions to build community playgrounds in Oregon – a combined $20 for every assist in a Blazer game which has averaged slightly less than $40,000 per season – the same amount since it was initiated in 2013 notwithstanding inflation.
The irony is that the Trailblazers were groveling at the 2026 Oregon Legislature for a combined contribution of about $870 million from the State, Multnomah County and the City of Portland to renovate Moda Center for the next twenty years.
Well, they were successful and the funds will be forthcoming from the citizens of Oregon. I guess this begs the question: “Will they raise the $20 next year?” Want to make a bet!
Cheers
External Photo Attribution
#1. Wikimedia Commons (File:Whiskyhogmanay2010.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Author: Guinnog – 31 December 2010.
#2. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (Official roberts CJ – John Roberts – Wikipedia ) United States Department of Justice. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work prepared by an officer or employee of the United States Federal Government as part of that person’s official duties under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the US Code. Author: Steve Petteway – 2005.
#3. Fordham Institute (https://fordhaminstitute.org/about/fordham-staff/stephen-griffith).
#4. Multnomah Bar Association.
# 5. University Club Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1491130319685543&set=pcb.1491130373018871).
#6. Wikimedia Commons (File:Auchentoshan04.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Author: User:Nicor – 16 February 2006.
#7. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (PG 1063Burns Naysmith – Robert Burns – Wikipedia) Alexander Nasmyth (1758-1840). National Gallery of Art – Scotland – 1787. The author died in 1840, so this work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author’s life plus 100 years or fewer. Painter: Alex
