Tanker Bar – Here Comes the Armored Cavalry….But Wait…..

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Thebeerchaser

Tanker is another one of the great taverns located in Portland’s “Barmuda Triangle” (BT) on Hawthorne Street (see Beerchaser post on October 3, 2012). And while it might be assumed that the moniker for this bar is a tribute to the “iron beasts” that General George Patton used when he commanded the US Third Army to help defeat the Germans in World War II, it is actually named for the magnificent and mammoth ships that haul cargo in the Columbia and the world’s various waterways.

An excerpt from Portland Barfly gives a very apt description of this combination neighborhood tavern and dive bar. (Note that we learned from Jessie, our friendly Tanker bartender, that the BT is also known as “The Stumble Zone” — for obvious reasons to those with any kind of deductive reasoning capabilities.)

“…..in the heart of the Stumble Zone, lies the capsized hull of The Tanker. The sea-worthy attention to detail shows freshly swapped decks and a total lack of barnacles…….

While you won’t mourn for the lost souls of lonely sailors, you will enjoy friendly service, tasty grinders and possibly the most reliable Wi-Fi in all of Portland.”

A Seaworthy Version of the Namesake

After having a beer at Beer on Belmont Street (see Beerchaser post on April 7, 2013) Portland Attorney and Beerchaser of the First Quarter of 2013, Jim Westwood, and I hit Tanker for dinner and a nightcap.

You might remember that Westwood has advanced linguistic skills and his late and wonderful mom, Catherine, happened to be both his and my Latin teacher at Oregon City High School, which was fortunate that night.

While the only Latin words I remember – understandably never successful in high school or college as a pick-up line – were “pulchra puella” (beautiful girl), Jim translated the Latin phrase used in Tanker’s coat-of-arms below, which is a very appropriate motto:

And who says High School Latin was not a useful course??

“In heaven there is no beer, so that’s why we drink it here.”

That promoted discussion of the converse assertion, which we decided should be, “In hell, you can drink all the beer you want, but there’s none available except Keystone Light.”

Tanker has pinball machines, Pacman Battle Royale, and as one might expect, the Big Buck Hunter Safari video game. According to the Willamette Week 2010 Drink Guide, “….the nautically themed waterhole has the most avid followers of the game (in Portland).”

A game in which one tries to shoot the life out of galloping electronic gazelles led me to question Jim about his prior legal work in Oregon Firearms Education Foundation v. State Board of Higher Education, a 2011 case regarding regulation of firearms on Oregon university campuses.

The real type of pinball machine

While the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled against Jim’s client being able to regulate guns by Administrative Rule, the court opened the door by affirming the State Board of Higher Education’s authority to control its property. This enabled the Board in 2012 to unanimously adopt a policy that bans guns from most corners of campus life.

Mandatory Background Checks for BBH as a start???

I suggested that possibly a reasonable first-step towards rational gun control policy would be to persuade Wayne LaPierre, of the NRA, to agree to support mandatory background checks for people who play Big Buck Hunter.

Possibly a good strategy, but he would undoubtedly bemoan government intrusion while asserting that the Founding Fathers intended the Second Amendment to include electronic weapons and besides, Big Buck Hunter provides a training ground for a well-regulated militia.

Distinguishing Characteristics

Naughty Bingo on Tuesday nights: As described in a Tanker review: “Win Adult novelties playing bingo……drink discounts as well as a signature cocktail list featuring The Naughty Bingo Martini. Everybody wins something.”

Name Your Tall Boy and Join the Can Clan….

Tall Boys and Whiskey Selection:

Besides their 15 Taps, Tanker has 42 different varieties of Tall Boys and more than 30 whiskeys.

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Drink one of each type of Tall Boy and you become a member of the “Can Clan” and get a free t-shirt and a $1 perpetual discount. The same is true once you have downed one shot of each of their 30 varieties of whiskey.

They have a lot of “regulars” for the variety of events they host and feature Trail Blazer and Portland Timber games on their five big-screen TVs with drink discounts.

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And While we are on the Subject, A Brief Tribute to My Favorite Tanker….

Thebeerchaser’s brother, Garry, was a West Point (Class of 1972) graduate who chose the Armored Cavalry i.e. Tanks, as his occupational specialty. During his time at West Point, he was a member of the West Point Glee Club and a small combo in that group called The Headliners.

As the picture below shows, they played at the White House for President Nixon and also appeared on the Mike Douglas show on CBS national television.

“Don’t worry, Cadets, your performance has been recorded…..” (Cadet Williams to the immediate left of Nixon)

Garry had billets at Fort Bliss in Texas, Fort Knox in Kentucky (where the CO was George Patton V) and an extended assignment in Schweinfurt, Germany. He was an outstanding junior officer during his six years in the Army as this excerpt from a 1974 fitness report, written by a Colonel, demonstrates:

“Lt. Williams judgment is of the highest order – totally dedicated to improving his subordinates – devoted to his duty and the battalion.

He has a perspective and understanding which far exceed any other officer in his battalion….He is the best young officer I have ever known. His talents are so far beyond those expected of even the most outstanding officer that no narrative can do him justice.”

“Soldier, obviously you haven’t heard of the slogan, ‘Don’t Tread on Me.'”

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After the military he worked at Tektronix for several years and married a beautiful lady named Pam. Unfortunately, Garry died in 1989, but this post and a round of beer is dedicated to his memory.

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When you’re in the Stumble Zone, give Tanker a try even if it is not on a Naughty Tuesday Night. As one Barfly reviewer summed up quite succinctly, “good bar, good times, good vibe…”And the food was good too – ask for the chicken quesadilla which Jessie cooked himself and was one of a number of good items on Tanker’s menu.

: Jesse, the Bartender and Thebeerchaser logo

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Tanker 4825 SE Hawthorne

Belmont Station – 1,000 Bottles of Beer on the Wall – You Take One Down and Pass it Around…..

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Thebeerchaser

Thebeerchaser at the entrance to Belmont Station

Thebeerchaser teetered on the brink of Beer Tour malpractice when initially confusing The Belmont Inn (see Beerchaser review on March 18, 2013) with the Belmont Station. Since the latter was recently named by Draft Magazine as one of the top one hundred beer bars in the US for 2012, I reasoned that any Tour of Portland Bars and Taverns mandated a visit. It joined five other Portland pubs in sharing that ranking.

Of course, any rational person could have made the same mistake since Belmont Station has been on Stark Street since about 2007. Lease issues which arose in its original home (1997), forced the move from Belmont Street, and they retained the original name.

: Princeton graduate, accomplished singer and beer drinker, Dave Hicks

My companion that night when we hit both the Horse Brass Pub (review to be forthcoming and also one of Drafts 100 best) and Belmont Station was Dave Hicks, a San Francisco consultant, with whom Thebeerchaser worked while a law firm COO before retiring to tour bars and taverns in 2011.

Hicks remains a good friend and is both a cum laude 1986 Princeton University undergraduate and a lawyer who graduated from University of San Diego Law School including a semester studying law in Paris.

There are Ivy League grads with whom you wouldn’t even want to have a water-cooler conversation; however, Hicks is a guy that even President Nixon, with his aversion to Ivy League elitists, would have enjoyed having a beer, wiretapping his conversation or having as a traveling companion on his historic trip to China.

Hicks on the lookout for new pubs and taverns

Besides being a good drinking companion, Dave (and his twin brother) are both accomplished singers and were members of the Princeton’s oldest and foremost a cappella singing group – the Princeton Nassoons where he sang bass.

He still sings at some alumni functions and birthday parties, etc., with a spin-off group, the NassauHallics, named for one of the main buildings on campus. He has the good judgment not to participate in karaoke based on the premise that it was Japan’s retaliation for Hiroshima and Nagasaki….

Belmont Station is accurately described in the Willamette Week 2009 Drink Guide as follows: “This misleadingly named establishment which moved four blocks north from its original home on SE Belmont Street two years ago, is deservedly famous for its stock of 1,000-odd beers, plus sundry wines, ciders and meads. But the Station, which is owned, in part, by legendary Horse Brass publican, Don Younger, doesn’t get nearly enough credit for its attached bar. It’s a cheerful, narrow space dominated by the long wooden bar and dozen rotating, mostly local taps.”

While the Belmont Station Biercafe’ is a very nice neighborhood bar and the attached bottle shop is very impressive based on the breadth of its inventory, it does raise the question: “What makes it one of the top 100 bars in the United States?

Beer signs as wall decorations are a nice touch in the bar.

Having reviewed several other bar/bottle shops on this blog including “Bottles” (July 2012) and “1856,” (December 2012), I would rate Belmont Station as comparable although probably having a slightly more varieties of alcoholic brew. It also advertises itself as the first beer bottle store in the Northwest.”

It can be assumed that other bottle shops have similar practices, but Belmont Station also differentiates itself because its bottles have “been thoughtfully selected, meticulously rotated, and
properly stored under UV-filtered light.” Of course a selection of 1,200 different brews raises the question as to how many different brands of beer is adequate – 50 or 175 or 650, or …..?

In college, for example, when it was not available in Oregon because of pasteurization issues, we considered the student who brought back one case of Coors to be a hero. Personally, I would be satisfied with at least 25 options as long as PBR is a choice…….but then I am an aficionado of bars, taverns and pubs and not of beer itself.

A possible validation of the claim, "Portland's Premier Beer Bottle Shop!"

Can you find me a Coors???

Perhaps the following January 2011 review from Yelp provides some insight:

“If you opened up a beer store in L.A., it probably wouldn’t last a month, but folks in Portland love their beer. In the PNW, drinking beer is more than just pouring a 12 pack of fizzy yellow swill down your throat until you puke.

People appreciate a fine crafted brew and will spend good money for a unique beer drinking experience….(Belmont Station) is one of the best bottle shops I’ve visited.”

Besides the inordinate variety of bottled beers and ciders, sixteen excellent beers on tap.

The Biercafe, adjacent to the bottle shop, has sixteen very good and mostly local beers on tap. I chose the $7 “Flight of the Day,” featuring samples of four different beers, which that night included:

Agrarian Ale’s “Chronic D’ Aphotic“, Natian’s “Elephante India Red Ale“, Bear Republic Brewery’s “Cafe’ Racer 15“, all of which were very good, and Lagunitas Brewery’s “Gnarlywine,” which had a “potent toffee and caramel flavor” and was a little rich for my taste. The Agrarian was my favorite and I enjoyed the combination of “five of the farm’s most resinous hop varieties with organic oats and roasted malt – a full bodied hoppy delight.”

Pliny the Elder – great Roman intellect. (He probably drank wine but at least had a beer named after him.

Dave Hicks chose the creatively titled Pliny the Elder Pale Ale by the Russian River Brewery, named after Pliny the Elder, the Roman author, naturalist and philosopher in addition to being a naval and army commander. His death near Pompei, was a result of the eruption of Vesuvius. This excellent Double India Pale Ale also inspired Dave to hum a very melodic “Secular Ode of Horace“ while he was drinking it.

Belmont Station has a nice menu of pub-type food available from 3:00 until 10:00 PM, including snacks such as chips and salsa, hummus and cheese plates in addition to large deli-sandwiches, soups and pizzas. Since we had already eaten, I didn’t get to try a curried potato “pie” that looked very interesting.

Our friendly Belmont Station bartender and Thebeerchaser logo

Thebeerchaser will visit the other five bars in Portland that made Draft Magazine’s top 100; however, having reviewed over fifty establishments on the Beer Tour since 2011, a bar or pub may be analogous to a steak dinner – “Even when it’s bad, it’s pretty good” – especially when you have a good drinking buddy along for the ride.

Beers at Beer?

Posted on April 7, 2013 by Thebeerchaser

The Entrance to Beer – the Bar

The name of a bar or tavern will often reveal much about the owner or the environment of the establishment. Such is the case with “Beer,” a new pub opened last December at 1410 SE Stark Street. Just researching the pub for this blog, shows part of the dilemma. If one searches “Beer,” using Google, your computer screen will show 556 million possible hits for the term!

John Stewart, the cordial owner of Beer and Meat Cheese and Bread

Finding their website (there is none) or even reviews for Beer was problematic as the owner, John Stewart, admitted. He may want to consider this a marketing issue because he has a nice little neighborhood tavern waiting for new patrons and deserving them.

Even the sheet listing the take-out beers, which is extensive, did not have an address or phone number. In addition, the only visible external sign on the street is very innocuous.

Just a few of the interesting beer labels which enhance the ambiance of Beer

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One review suggested just Googling “beer Portland,” however, that didn’t work either although it did reveal that Portland State University is now offering a new on-line course in craft beer brewing.

Solving the World’s Problems appropriately…!

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This is not to suggest that naming a tavern to commemorate beer is not virtuous. As one pundit opined, “One does not solve the world’s problem over white wine.”

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That night, I was accompanied by my friend, Portland attorney Jim Westwood, who besides being a veteran and skilled lawyer was recently honored with the distinction of being this blog’s Beerchaser of the Quarter for January – March 2013. Follow the link to see the write-up which includes a summary of the Portland State College team for the GE College Bowl TV show. Jim was the captain of that team in the 1960’s.

The intensity of their successful preparation for that show by renowned PSC (now PSU) speech professor, the late Ben Padrow, still had an impact on my drinking buddy that night. He would periodically hit a glass with a spoon and yell out as the bartender walked by, “I’ll try a toss-up Bob,” (for Bob. Earle, the host of the show.)

Jim Westwood drinking beer at Beer…an advanced cerebrum is evident. Still quick on the up-take for toss-up questions…..

Since there was no one in the bar from the other college to respond, he would then proceed to spout facts about such diverse topics as esoteric Renaissance art, differential equations or landmark Supreme Court decisions. For example, he queried, Angie the bartender, wondering if the Higgs Boson (God Particle) really “mattered.” Angie, was appropriately dismissive in her response by asking, “When will the rhetorical questions ever end?”

Beer is a small venue (previously a salon) with only about thirty seats – about twelve or so along the nice long bar, at small tables scattered throughout the long – thin rectangular setting.

A nice part of the de’cor

They have ten beers on tap. Jim had a Little Saison from Pfriem Brewery in Hood River and I had a Two Dogs IPA from Portland’s Coalition Brewery (see the link for Beerchaser review.

True to its values, Beer does not serve hard liquor and there is no food served – not a problem, however, since one can order a great sandwich from Meat, Cheese and Bread, the sandwich shop next door, until 7:00 P.M. John Stewart also owns the sandwich shop and will probably expand hours in the summer. Food can also be brought in from any of the nearby establishments.

The sandwich shop next door is great for food to consume at Beer

If you don’t care for one of the draft beers, just pick out any of the 80 to 100 bottled beers or ciders listed on their menu. They are cheaper to take out than drink on site although why not do both? Stewart says that many customers have a pint at the bar and then take some home.

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An extensive list of beers at the bar or to go.

An extensive list of beers and ciders at the bar or to go.

While Beer may be a little bit of a challenge to locate, it is definitely worth a visit. And while you’re at this sterling example of a Portland neighborhood bar, hoist a mug and toast Jim Westwood, the first Beerchaser of the Quarter for 2013.

Beer 1410 SE Stark Street

Angie the Bartender with Thebeerchaser logo

Portland Attorney, Jim Westwood Beerchaser of the Quarter for January – March, 2013

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Thebeerchaser

Attorney and Model Citizen, Jim Westwood

It is fitting and proper to recognize those who distinguish themselves, not only in their trade or profession, but also for their contributions to the overall community. Portland lawyer, Jim Westwood, is the epitome of civic virtue and an accomplished appellate lawyer. Besides, he and Thebeerchaser are alums of both Oregon City High School and Portland State University.

He therefore joins such luminaries as Princeton Professor Emeritus, Dr. Harry Frankfurt, author of “On Bullshit,” crime novelist, James Crumley, former Oregon State Beaver and NFL football player and mountaineer, Craig Hanneman, and even the crew of the historic USS Constitution as a Beerchaser honoree.

We spent a recent evening drinking beer at The Tanker and Beer, two more establishments on Thebeerchaser Tour of Portland Taverns, Pubs and Bars. Reviews of both venues will be posted on this blog in the next ten days.

Westwood at Beer drinking beer….(stay tuned for the forthcoming review of Beer)

Those of you old enough to remember black and white TV sets, will probably also remember the “GE College Bowl” quiz show. It pitted a four-person college team of erudite students against another school for a half-hour showdown each Sunday evening during the 1960’s and ’70’s.

Westwood, Coach Padrow and the PSU College Bowl Team

Westwood (Center – left) , Coach Padrow and the PSU College Bowl Team (Portland State University Magazine May 2, 2005)

Westwood was the captain and is the only surviving first-team member of the legendary Portland State College team coached by legendary speech professor, Ben Padrow.

The PSC team played the same upset role Florida Gulf Coast University has so far in 2013 March Madness, by defeating their opponents for five straight weeks before they retired as champions with the sum of $15,275 in scholarships.

The legacy of the PSU scholars is evident:

“The 415 points scored in their final match ties them for fifth-highest single-game total achieved, and their 1725 points total set a new record at the time, and is fourth highest overall. The March 26, 1965 issue of Time has an article on how the College Bowl victories helped change Portland State’s image as “the flunk-out school” for University of Oregon and Oregon State drop-outs…” (Portland State Alumni Association News article by Kathryn Kirkland, May 2, 2005)

: Portland State University Campus – now rivals the U of O and OSU

Rod Hill

Jack Cappell

Bruce Sussman

Jim Westwood .

An IBM meteorologist console in 1965 (From Wikipedia – a work of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin. – public domain)

What do all these gents have in common? Well, all are current or past meteorologists for Portland Network TV stations. Jim helped pay his college tuition by predicting low pressure fronts and daily temperatures for KGW in the ’60’s.

Last year, he again used his experience in front of the camera to play a nutty professor in a video published by the Multnomah Bar Foundation to teach students about the US Constitution.

Nutty Professor or a former Jason Bourne??

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He changed from physics to history as a major “because of the math….”. After graduation from Portland State, Westwood served in the military as a Naval Intelligence Officer for several years. Because of his superior language skills, he spent a year learning Thai – an extremely difficult language to master.

While he still cannot talk about what he did in the military, Jim’s tenure as a “spook” may have led him to subscribe to the following premise: “When trouble arises and things look bad, there is always one individual who perceives a solution and is willing to take command. Very often, that person is crazy.”

After the military, he spent three years and graduated from Columbia Law School in New York City, which in 2012 was ranked by Forbes Magazine as the top law school in the US for future employment of law grads. After serving for two years as the Assistant to the President of PSU, he’s practiced law in Portland since 1978 at both the Miller Nash firm and Stoel Rives, where he is now a senior counsel.

He is considered a constitutional scholar, and has been designated from 1998 to 2013 in Best Lawyers in America and as an Oregon Super Lawyer. Jim has volunteered for 11 years as a coach for “We the People” high school constitutional law teams for Grant High and De la Salle North Catholic High School. Marilyn Cover, Executive Director of the Classroom Law Project (CLP), stated, “He’s a great teacher, a great coach and a great model citizen.” He was honored last year as the 2012 Legal Citizen of the Year by the CLP.

Ok – the answer is “Nutty Professor!”

His other civic and professional contributions are too numerous to mention but include a term as President of the City Club of Portland (1991-2) and the Board of the Multnomah Bar Foundation.

So join Thebeerchaser in hoisting a mug to Jim Westwood. Your toast might be more appropriate if you convey it in Thai as a tribute to his military service. If you need a tutorial, the following excerpt from Wikipedia may help. While drinking, keep in mind the last sentence below:

“From the perspective of linguistic typology, Thai can be considered to be an analytic language. The word order is subject – verb- object, although the subject is often omitted. Verbs do not inflect. Duplication conveys the idea of doing the verb intensively.” (Some of the Thai vowels are illustrated below)


	unrounded		unrounded		rounded
	short	long	short	long	short	long
Close	/i/ -ิ	/iː/ -ี	/ɯ/ -ึ	/ɯː/ -ื-	/u/ -ุ	/uː/ -ู
Close-mid	/e/ เ-ะ	/eː/ เ-	/ɤ/ เ-อะ	/ɤː/ เ-อ	/o/ โ-ะ	/oː/ โ-
Open-mid	/ɛ/ แ-ะ	/ɛː/ แ-			/ɔ/ เ-าะ	/ɔː/ -อ

Belmont Inn – Check That Name….

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Thebeerchaser

The Belmont Inn on Belmont Street!!

Draft Magazine recently named Belmont Station as one of the top 100 beer bars in America. While Thebeerchaser prides himself on his due diligence in scoping out and then visiting bars, this one got by him. Perhaps the slip up in confusing The Belmont Inn (sometimes the moniker Belmont’s Inn is also used) with the similarly named venue is understandable, however, because Belmont Station is actually on Stark Street. Although the Belmont Inn is not in the top 100 bars, we still had good beer, reasonable food and another “shot” at Big Buck Hunter.

Poet and essayist, Walt Whitman said, “I have learned that to be with those I like is enough,” and the companions on a Beerchaser visit can definitely affect the experience. I was therefore fortunate to have David Dickson and Adam Davis join me in hoisting a mug. Dickson has been featured in previous reviews including The Muddy Rudder Public House and Davis Street Tavern and can be considered a Beer Tour regular.

David Dickson (l) and Adam Davis

Davis is one of the founders of the NW’s premier polling and public opinion firm DHM (Davis Hibbitts and Midghall, Inc.). Adam’s erudition and audacity are notable and starting out with a Vodka Tonic with a touch of Peach Schnapps was indicative of his eagerness to go off the beaten path.

After finishing his freshman year at Grant High School, Adam moved to Estacada (home of The Rangers) where he served as student body president. He worked on the “Go-19” Campaign to lower the voting age and was one of the founders of the first high school chapter of OSPIRG. Some suggest his political instincts were shaped in downtown Estacada at The Legendary Safari Club which in those days was not strict in checking OLCC cards.

: One of the Distinguishing Features of the Safari Club was its “Menagerie…”

The Original Safari Club in Downtown Estacada

After attending Willamette University for one year he transferred to Portland State, where he graduated. While at PSU, he also served as then State Representative and now Congressman, Earl Blumenauer’s first administrative assistant.

Some suggest Thebeerchaser was a victim of the curse, “May your life be filled with lawyers,” and Adam reinforced that plague since he graduated from U of O Law School and then practiced for a year before starting his opinion polling work. His current work involves a lot of interesting stuff and he needs to use a power point presentation to explain what he actually does for a living.

Service by Brett

Willamette Week in its 2007 Drinkers’ Guide – A Sinful Guide to Portland’s Best Bars” described Belmont’s Inn: “There’s plenty of beer, the crowd is diverse and finding a seat is rarely a problem.”

There are very few other reviews of this bar and it can be described as a nice, but not distinctive, neighborhood tavern with a bunch of beer options (23 on tap in addition to PBR and Bud) and good, reasonably priced food.

David Dickson, being a Stanford grad and having spent most of his career in management at academic institutions, made an effort to impress Adam in our political discussion with the assertion, “In democracy, it’s your vote that counts while in feudalism, it’s your count that votes…..” He started with a Double Mt Indian Red Ale from Hood River while I drank an excellent Spire Mountain Dark N Dry Cider (it was…) from Olympia. We collectively followed up with Portland’s Breakside Brewing Pilsner.

The Bar at the Belmont Inn

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After appetizers, we all had good meals choosing from their excellent selection of 1/2 pound burgers. They also have a robust selection of salads and sandwiches.

Since they don’t have a working web page, it’s a challenge to determine when the Happy Hour occurs, but it appears it’s from about 11:30 to 7:00 each weekday and more confined on weekends. They are open 365 days each year.

There are three pool tables, five video poker terminals and five or more traditional pin-ball machines in addition to the ubiquitous Big Buck Hunter.

The “Old Style” Pinball Games

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David, in his quest to become the world’s best fake marksman, gravitated towards this electronic big-game hunt, while Adam spewed memories of the “real” prey at the Safari Club in Estacada

“If only I had spent more time shooting and less time studying in Palo Alto….”

Some of the reviews suggested the service was less than stellar, but we found Brett and Angie were friendly, helpful and efficient. Although the Belmont Inn may not make not ever be considered one of the nation’s top bars, it has a diverse group of regulars, friendly staff and a memorable selection of beer. And according to Adam, it is one of a limited number of establishments where one can get a good Peach Schnapps.

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The Belmont Inn 3357 SE Belmont

Bartender Brett and David Dickson with Thebeerchaser logo

Say “Tug Boat (Brewery)” Ten Times Really Fast……

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Thebeerchaser

Sam Adams at the entrance to the Tug Boat Brewery

Wait a minute, I guess “Toy Boat” is the phrasing that’s supposed to mess up your diction when rapidly repeated. However, Portland’s Tug Boat Brewery, is a treasure waiting for you on SW Ankeny Street in downtown Portland. Notwithstanding the fact that I worked downtown every year since its founding in 1993, I had never even seen it. Ankeny Street reminded me of my long-ago trips to Dan and Louis’ Oyster Bar (near what is now Voodoo Donuts) where I used to take dates in high school.

I spent a productive and enjoyable two-hours at the Tugboat with former Portland Mayor and now, the new City Club Executive Director, Sam Adams, talking about issues and his vision for the City Club of Portland, which Thebeerchaser joined in 1971 after graduating from Oregon State. Established in 1916, the City Club is Oregon’s premier public affairs forum and promotes civic engagement through its volunteer research and other activities. Sam was selected from a pool of 80 very qualified applicants.

He was in a good mood (I suggested that it resulted from not having to listen to Randy Leonard on a daily basis anymore) and has dynamic ideas for City Club. He did not fall for the joke I tried to pull, however. (Have him order a Samuel Adams Lager and the bartender bring a picture of the former Mayor to the table.)

Sam Adams, new Executive Director of the City Club of Portland

Sam suggested we visit the Tugboat, described by the following excerpt from Willamette Week’s 2011 Drink Guide:

“You’d be forgiven for mistaking Tugboat for a classy Prohibition-era speakeasy. The dimly lit microbrewery, Portland’s smallest and downtown’s oldest, brews tiny batches of browns, ambers and stouts………the laid back pub is surrounded by books; regulars strike up conversation behind a battered copy of Ulysses. “

Note: Not to digress, but the only problem I have with the above quote is that assuming the WW reporter was old enough to visit a speakeasy, he or she would have to be about 110 years old to make this assertion!

No legal beer? No wonder there were speakeasys.

No legal beer? Glad that none of us were around to experience this period.

“The place even has an Emmy on display (Thebeerchaser verified that this is correct and the father of one of the bartenders was the Director of “Rich Man, Poor Man”)…..It has nabbed some much-deserved medals for its unfiltered beers, making it a perfect environment for casual drinkers looking for peace and conversation. “

A Limited, but Quality Selection of Drafts

Matt, one of the bartenders, was extremely helpful and based on his prior employment as a pedi-cab tour operator giving Portland brewery tours, also knowledgeable.

He stated that the Tugboat location was originally a coffee shop. The interesting furnishings as described above and below are all remnants from the prior tenant.

Matt and Thebeerchaser with the famous logo…..

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Distinguishing Characteristics

The Beer: Unlike most breweries, Tugboat does not distribute their beer – they produce just enough – only eight kegs per batch – to serve in the brew-pub – it’s truly a craft beer.

Because they do not mass produce it, the beer is not filtered. “…our ales retain their freshness because the yeast is allowed to live…The pasteurization process that strips body and color from beer is a necessary evil in ‘big batch’ commercial brewing. But, thankfully, that ain’t us. We filter our coffee. Not our beer.”

Although the number of Tugboat brews available that night was limited to about four, Sam and I thought their beer was very good (we had a Red Cloud and Snow Plow IPA). They also have other draft beer available. Since I was driving and Sam rode his bike, we did not have the courage to try their Chernobyl Stout (13.5%!) I also tried a Pear Cider which was excellent.

Almost all of the Internet reviews were positive although some, such as this somewhat pretentious critique by PortlandBarFly asserted that the beer is too hoppy: “….Leftist bike messengers, fauxhemians, silly old men that wish to be taken for professors, the sort of couples that enjoy playing board games before strangers – there’s a suffering self-satisfaction about the crowds keeping Portland’s smallest brewery afloat that makes one wish to jump atop the bar and force regulars to admit their beer just isn’t very good. The emperor has no clothes and far too many hops.”

Is there really a copy of “Ulysses” in this collection?

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In contrast, some out-of-town visitors were impressed, “I LOVE THIS PLACE!….an eclectic mix of people and everyone’s so approachable and nice! I wish I could live here. (They did not clarify whether they meant Portland or in the Brewery itself…) “I’m ready to crown it one of the friendliest establishments in Portland.” (Bing – 4/29/12)

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The Interior and Furnishings: “This place is awfully unassuming from the outside – just a door down a side street and some heavily tinted windows. But that adds to the effect of being inside and feeling like you stepped into someone’s basement rumpus room.” (Bing – 8/21/12)

A comfortable “rumpus room” environment…

On one wall, there are thirty-five 33 RPM album covers from the past – and speaking of eclectic, one row consisted of The Village People, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Grand Funk Railroad, The Royal Marines and Peter Nero’s “Summer of ’42.”

Before CDs and Pandora…..

One person suggested that there was even a secret door to Portland’s infamous Mary’s Club in the back, but the bartender stated that this was true of the Mexican restaurant next door.

The food is pretty limited, but reasonably priced and good: “When the pita plate came out, everyone raved about the
hummus, but when the nachos came out, jaws dropped. I would have to guess there
was an entire bag of chips on the plate, loaded up with cheese, peppers,
olives, etc. for just $7.” (Bing – 8/21/12)

Grand Funk – old but after Prohibition….

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Tugboat has only one wide-screen TV which purportedly cannot be tuned to any sports channel…..

Terry Nelson (husband), Megan McEnroe-Nelson (wife), and John McEnroe (father-in-law/father) are proud of their own owner-operated brewery and have an establishment with good beer and an environment with great character and ambiance.

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Tugboat Brewery 711 SW Ankenny

45 degrees latitude 132 degrees longitude

A limited menu but good food at a reasonable price.

Some More Miscellany and 2012 in review

Posted on February 17, 2013 by Thebeerchaser

: Looking Back to Prost (November 2011 post) and Moving Forward

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So far in 2013, Thebeerchaser Tour of Portland Taverns has been in low gear with only The Grand Café (which was a grand stop) and the Davis Street Tavern reviewed. Three additional establishments will be visited next week including one brewery and posts will follow.

So during the interim and after contemplating some historic treasures below, I present the 2012 Beerchaser.com Annual Report compiled by WordPress. For those of you who are considering blogging, WordPress is a great option for your software. There are some interesting statistics in the report, and although it is a bit tardy, take a quick glance below and click on the link:

Besides 6 rotating draft beers, over 400 varieties of domestic and imported beer at 1856 in NE Portland.

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Wisdom in Words

Those of you who follow this blog know that Thebeerchaser loves wisdom imparted through quotations – many by statesmen and notable philosophers on beer-related topics. Consider the following:

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G. K. Chesterton

A brilliant essayist and philosopher who also appreciated a brewski at times.

This brilliant British essayist, philosopher, newspaper columnist and novelist lived from 1874 to 1936 in London and was often known as GKC. He defended Christians although he would not hesitate to take jabs at any institution.

“No animal ever invented anything as bad as drunkenness – or as good as drink.”

His dry wit and erudition is remarkable. An internet search of his many remarkable quotes will entertain and impress you including two of my favorites below:

“Music with dinner is an insult both to the cook and the violinist.”

“Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese.”

Winston Churchill

The Prime Minister showed remarkable courage, foresight and political savvy during the War years. He was also the master of a dry wit – which might require moisturizer lotion even on a rainy Portland afternoon. (courtesy David Dickson):

V for Victory and Cigars and a Good Whiskey…

“Always remember that I have taken more out of alcohol than it has taken out of me.”

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The Pilgrims

And yes, even the Puritans who were stern and unyielding in their moral hygiene, understood the importance of ale when considering their course of action as evidenced from the following excerpt from the log of The Mayflower:

“For we could not now take time for further search (to land our ship), our victuals being much spent, especially our beer .”

Some of the Ballast had Malt, Barley and Hops....

Some of the Ballast was Malt, Barley and Hops….

2012 Annual Report

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 6,700 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 11 years to get that many views.

Click here to see the complete report.

Beer Chaser Miscellany V and The Davis Street Tavern

Posted on February 8, 2013 by Thebeerchaser

An Evening at the Davis Street Tavern

Thebeerchaser offers these tidbits and a quick commentary on the Davis Street Tavern – more of a restaurant than a pub, but worth a cursory review based on our visit. However, first a few miscellaneous Beerchaser items:

This Beer Really Hops

Thebeerchaser’s youngest daughter, when she was in grade school, had a wonderful frog collection – ceramic amphibians, posters, stuffed frogs like teddy bears, etc. Each time I had a business trip, I would seek out and bring home an addition to that collection, which grew to be almost 100 in number.

The remnants of a once great amphibian collection…..

Frog Poster from Collection

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As her aggregation grew larger, it became more challenging to find suitable new toady trinkets. While at a conference in either St. Louis or Chicago, I was therefore quite proud of myself to find a unique amphibian addition – Bad Frog Beer! A pub I discovered, featured this product which had interesting roots in Michigan.

I consumed an excellent light-colored amber beer and decided that the empty bottle with the amazing Bad Frog logo would be a unique supplement to the group of polliwogs in my daughter’s room. The bottle survived a suitcase ride home and my daughter liked it. Thebeerchaser’s spouse, however, had better judgment – and you will probably understand and support why she did not accept my assertion that our young collector did not yet understand the underlying message conveyed by this rebel frog.

From the Bad Frog Brewery –

The Bad Frog story is quite interesting and you should visit this link to their website to see their story and perhaps even purchase a sweatshirt.

Jim Wauldron, the founder, was not a brewer, but a graphic artist and t-shirt designer, who created the image and merchandise – but no beer – much to the consternation of people throughout the country who wanted both the t-shirt and the non-existent beer. According to their website:

“Well we did learn about beer and started brewing in October 1995. Then the whole thing went BESERK! We’ve expanded to 25 states and overseas. We were BANNED in 8 states. The banning of the Beer and the non-stop legal battles with each State prevented the expansion of the Beer, but BAD FROG fans all over the world still wanted the BAD FROG merchandise. We’ve been featured on CNN, CBS, NBC, FOX, and ABC. BAD FROG was even featured in PLAYBOY Magazine TWICE.”

The legal challenges resulted because of the frog’s none-too-subtle extension of what is presumed to be its middle finger. Liquor boards in multiple states banned the beer. Eventually the US Second Court of Appeals overturned the New York State Liquor Authority‘s ban on selling Bad Frog Beer in an interesting and extremely entertaining First Amendment case Bad Frog Brewery, Inc. v. New York State Liquor Authority 134 F.3d 87 (1998).

Lawyers would love the language from the court opinion which has some great footnotes and includes,“…..(The logo) is patently offensive’ and presumably a suggestion to have intercourse with oneself.”

And a February Oriented Bar Joke……

Thomas Edison (born on February 11, 1847) walks into a bar. The bartender says, “I’ll serve you, but don’t get any ideas.”

: The Ultimate Idea Man – Born in February

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The Davis Street Tavern

Happy Hour at the Davis Street Tavern with Janet Williams and Kate and David Dickson

Several months ago, Thebeerchaser and spouse, Janet, were joined by our good friends, David and Kate Dickson, for a happy-hour repast at the Davis Street Tavern. Dr. Kate is one of the most knowledgeable authorities on secondary education in Oregon, or for that matter in the US. David, the retired VP of Development for Marylhurst University, is a Stanford University grad and earned his graduate degree at the U of O.

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He is one of the brightest and wittiest minds you can find – for example on backpacking trips he sings country-western tunes such as “She was only a bootlegger, but he loved her still…..”

This statement on his mental acuity begs the question, “Just how bright is he?” Well, let’s use this example of dialogue from David’s sophomore linguistics class in Palo Alto:

Professor: “In English, a double negative forms a positive. In some languages though, such as Russian, a double negative is still a negative. However, there is no language wherein a double positive can form a negative.”

David: “Yeah. Right…..”

Our last Beerchaser Tour adventure with the Dicksons was at the delightful Muddy Rudder Public House in Sellwood. (see review in this blog in April 2012)

The guidelines for Beerchaser’s Tour of Portland Bars and Tavern disdain taverns which are primarily restaurants and this establishment comes close. An abbreviated review, however, is warranted since it does have a great Happy Hour (Mon. – Fri. – 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm and Saturday – 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm.) There is also a nice late night menu from 9:00 until midnight.

Opened in 2008, it is still almost pristine and has very nice dark wood interior – “It handsomely preserves a piece of Portland’s past, with sandblasted beams and pillars, original brick interior walls and acres of polished wood for a splendidly burnished effect.” (The Oregonian – April 2009)

The bulk of the space is occupied by the restaurant in what Portland Magazine described as a “roomy pub atmosphere.” The Bar is located by the front entrance. It reminded me of Interurban on N. Mississippi Ave. – a nice place, but none of the character of a good neighborhood or dive bar. One doesn’t patronize based on the ambiance.

This description from Portland Barfly in 2009 is an apt description: “Don’t let the name fool you. This isn’t a tavern, but an upscale (fairly expensive) restaurant……The dining area is much bigger than it appears from street level with a front bar/dining area, a huge dining area in the back, and an upstairs. The atmosphere is cozy with dim lighting and the décor is rather rustic with the original brick walls and timber beams left over from when the building was constructed.”

Another nice touch as stated in their website: “We proudly show artwork generously provided by Butters Gallery,” as evidenced by the following work displayed in the bar when we were there.

Davis Street Tavern 500 NW Davis Street

Portland Weather During the Winter Months

Yes, it gets frustrating living in The Rose City when daily cloudy skies and rain are the standard for the Northwest between October and April. This old gem in Thebeerchaser’s newspaper files – it’s old enough that Phil Stanford was still writing a column in The Portland Tribune (2001-08) – summarizes it well.

“A guy gets off a plane at PDX and its raining…..He checks into his hotel and next morning it’s still raining……Next day, same thing. And the next……A week later, he’s waiting for a cab to take him back to the airport and, would you believe it, it’s still raining……He spots a paperboy in the lobby. ‘Kid,’ he says, ‘Doesn’t it ever stop raining around here?’ ……’How should I know,’ says the kid, ‘I’m only 12.'”

The Rain Cycle – That means over and over and over…….

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Now Get That Snack After Reading This Closing Note……..

In the November General Election, voters in Washington approved the sale of marijuana subject to State regulations. Washington also privatized the sale of liquor, which has had an unintended consequence – the price has risen causing many people to flock to Jantzen Beach just over the Oregon border to buy their hooch. This prompted one letter-to-the-editor which summarized the situation very succinctly:

“With the Washington marijuana initiative passing and the Oregon one failing, and the increase in Washington residents traveling to Oregon to buy cheaper liquor, building a new Bridge over the Columbia River is now an imperative.”

The Columbia River Crossing —- Now and Imperative!!

A “Frank” Conversation About The Grand Cafe

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Thebeerchaser

The Grand Café has an interesting history, both as a bar and as a restaurant. Thebeerchaser was joined in his recent visit by some lawyers from the Schwabe Williamson law firm’s Product Liability Group – a group of “Boeing 747 pilots,” if one considers former US Supreme Court Chief Justice, Warren Burger’s description of the judicial system: “The courtrooms of America, all too often have Piper Cub advocates trying to handle the controls of Boeing 747 litigation.”

The Grand – at one time the Union Ave Social Club

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The Grand is now a partnership and Portland luminary, athlete, bar-owner-entrepreneur (Peters’ Inn and The Habit), independent candidate for governor and former prison inmate, Frank Peters, is officially the “chef.”

Portland appellate lawyer, former “Town Hall” moderator and Oregon Duck, Jack Faust with Frank Peters

“The Grand owns me,” according to Peters, who agreed to show up that night and give our group what turned out to be an interesting tour of this historic venue – one with which he’s been associated for eighteen years. According to Francesca, one of bartender/managers, “Frank still shows up at 5:00 A.M. each morning. He doesn’t bar-tend anymore and has mellowed in the last few years!”

Based on some research help from former Oregonian history columnist, John Terry, and recollection by Peters, the original incarnation of The Grand was known as The Union Avenue Social Club (UASC). It dates back to 1926 when “The Club” was at the corner of Union Ave and SE Russell St. and was probably a speakeasy.

After Prohibition, it moved from Union Ave to the present site on Grand Avenue. The UASC was revived by Lee Hamblin, (he liked the name) owner of The Pantry – a well-known eatery on NE Broadway. The next owner was John Asparro in 1966, and according to Frank, later by famous Portland restaurateur, Horst Mager, of Der Rheinlander, Tivoli Gardens, Couch Street Fish House, L’Omelette, Brasserie Montmarte, etc. fame.

The stairs leading to the Cha Cha Room

The UASC ultimately flamed-out economically because a fine-dining establishment on the East Side wouldn’t attract patrons. As one patron stated, “I found the ambiance opulent, the food mediocre and the prices unconscionable. Never went back.”

This restaurant review from the Women’s Editor in the March 17,1975, of The Oregonian may give some insight :

“Is it as expensive as people say? Does it really offer 20 different coffee drinks…..? Yes, it is expensive. And the special coffees that emanate from the tremendous imported brass espresso machine behind the bar (still there!!) seem endless…..”

At one time, monogrammed China and Crystal in this space.

“Lee Hamblin…..after careful renovation and redecoration opened the UASC, perhaps the most frankly posh place in Portland to eat……Sophisticated cuisine, interior décor and service were the criteria……”

“The linens were snowy, the crystal and china monogrammed and fresh roses and candles adorned each table. Such a meal cost $26 (remember that is a 1975 price!) per person not including cocktails, wine and after-dinner drinks….Yet as the owner suggests, if money is a serious factor, it likely would be best to dine elsewhere.”

Frank and Francesca behind the bar

The bar’s interior reflects its rich history and Frank’s distinct personality – also chronicled in his self-published memoir, “The Frank Peters’ Catalog” written in the Oregon State Prison (where he was rumored to have had an office and a secretary).

After spending 30 months in prison – six of it in the Multnomah County Justice Center in Portland – he had to rebuild his life from scratch. He performed his community service at the Washington Park Zoo, shoveling elephant manure. He also attended culinary school and earned his certificate from the American Culinary Federation. His long association with the Grand Café followed.

Francesca with the “Grand” piano – literally……Live music on Saturday nights. (Notice the brass espresso machine on the right…)

Frank’s quirky personality and always creative intellect, may best be gleaned by some of the following anecdotes:

While in the State Prison, he formed The Götterdämmerung Society for the purpose of having the inmate members watch Richard Wagner’s Opera, “Ring of the Nibelung.”

He promoted the event in the prison newsletter with the following: “Seventeen hours of gods, dwarfs, giants, love, betrayal and redemption — a real Oregon State Penitentiary Soap Opera”.……The inmates met in Peters’ cell (D-533) several times before the opera was actually broadcast (on OPB) so they could bone up on a few of the plot twists” (From September 2, 1990 Oregonian column by Margie Boule)

Karaoke at the Grand - may include an occasional opera piece..

Karaoke for all ages every night at the Grand – may include an occasional opera piece..

Viewing the main picture wall is worth a visit in itself!

While managing the Portland Mavericks minor league baseball team, to protest an umpire’s call during a game in Seattle, he stole first base–literally–and hid it in his hotel room. At another game, he rotated the team through the innings so every player played every position.

During his gubernatorial campaign, one of his ideas was to have F-4 Phantom jets from the Oregon National Guard buzz Japanese boats that were trawling in Oregon waters and driving down hauls for local fishermen. His campaign slogan was, “A Vote for Frank Peters is a Vote for America.”

In 1994, the Grand Café held a karaoke contest judged by the Honorable Steven Gallagher–the same judge who sentenced Peters to prison.

The Final Four plaque with Coach Paul Valenti’s and Athletic Director, Slats Gill’s pictures.

Frank was an outstanding athlete both at Oregon State and afterwards. He and teammates, Terry Baker, Mel Counts, Jimmy Jarvis, et.al. on the 1962-3 OSU basketball team made it to the NCAA Final Four with a 22-9 record – “We sailed under the radar until Terry returned from the Liberty Bowl in January and then he led our team to March Madness.”

He also played AAU basketball at Claudia’s and then the East Bank Saloon where he played for international AAU championships. He remembers getting a call in a bar in Key West, Florida from Claudia’s idiosyncratic coach, Walt Spitznagel, pressuring him to show up for the next game. (Bartender after answering phone: “Hey, anybody in this place play basketball in Portland, Oregon?”)

: Frank – the short guy in the middle – with fellow East Bank Saloon AAU Teammates and former Blazers Leroy Ellis and Dale Schleuter

He even played briefly (“I was a ‘cup-of-coffee’ – for the Orioles – that’s how long I was up in the Majors…”) for the Baltimore Orioles and showed me a letter – he gets about two per month from collectors – with his Rookie baseball card enclosed asking for his autograph.

Brooks Robinson replacement???!!!

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The basement of the Grand is devoted to one of its traditions – Salsa Dancing and Andrea’s Cha Cha Club Wednesday through Saturday nights. Our group even had its own Salsa dance lesson. “We sell Fun,” stated Peters, “And Salsa dancing is not defined by age,” – our group may have validated this premise! Andrea, the originator of the Cha Cha Club and one of the partners in the Grand, personally leads the dancing lessons from 9 – 10 PM Wednesday through Saturday night.

“May I cha-cha-cha to the Bench, Your Honor? (Instruction by Gina)

A Tradition and Still Going Strong

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The walls leading to the intriguing Cha Cha Club in the basement are filled with additional mementos and photos of Marilyn Monroe.

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The Bar Downstairs

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The Grand has karaoke every night and salsa dancing – you can even get a lesson – see link to the website for the schedule. There is pub food and a good selection of drinks and beer typical of most bars, but being able to drink those beers in a building which is more than 100 years old and in which the atmosphere evokes memories of old Portland, is definitely worth a visit – or two.

A Tradition at the Grand Cafe

And ask Frank to give you a tour. He ended this one with his “motivation speech” in which he asked rhetorically, “Do you want to be a victim or a hero? You decide.”

I have a feeling that there was not much of a cerebral debate on this question by each lawyer to whom it was directed.

Francesca and Frank with Thebeerchaser logo

The Grand Café 832 Grand Avenue

Some More About Frank Peters…….

Frank Peters has always been and remains a character. Those who listened to his recent interview on Dwight Jaynes’ (according to Frank and confirmed by The Godfather – the one-time President of the two-member Frank Peters’ Fan Club when Dwight worked for the Portland Beavers) “Posting Up” program on Comcast SportsNet NW, can gain insight on his personal philosophy and how it was changed by his life experience.

When I asked about whether it made him angry that part of his prison sentence was for marijuana growing and distribution – a line-of-work that might as of January, 2013, make him an entrepreneur in the states of Washington or Colorado, he stated, “I’m not mad – I broke the law at that time.” He also talked about how proud he is of his granddaughter, who is an excellent high school volleyball player at one of the PIL Schools.

Frank’s granddaughter (lower left) and the Cha Cha Group….!

Peters’ book – about 50+ pages – an eclectic collection of quotes, observations and anecdotes in a loose-leaf binder with a picture of him campaigning for Governor in Eastern Oregon – warrants additional consideration. Thebeerchaser offers these quotes as examples of why it was an interesting read. (There are no page numbers so they are not cited.)

On Portland in the Golden ’70’s — and then the ’80’s

My studio (apartment) at the Sovereign was on the 2^nd floor, overlooking the main drag on the corner of Broadway and Madison. Two large eagles flanked my one large window giving the effect of a speaking balcony. The Sovereign was a class hotel in the 1920’s, and now it is a historic building with tile bathrooms. The walls are sound proof with high ceilings.

The Sovereign – also has mellowed with age…

On one side lived a violinist with Maybury’s (Peters’ nickname for Portland) symphony, on the other, a premier rock & roll sound system operator. The Sovereign (was) is home for people on their way up. Restaurant Managers, students, young professionals, etc. Eleven floors of unusually unique people – no kids, no dogs allowed.

My problems began the day the lights were turned out at Peters Inn and my other restaurants. I went thru several bankruptcies and loss of identity – ‘Occupational Hazard, No Occupation at all.’ – Song by Jimmy Buffett….The ‘80’s found ‘No Game Today,’ ‘No More Mavericks,’ ‘Frank Peters Bar-less’ and ‘No inexperience required.’

On Cannabis…

Marijuana is called weed, grass, ganja, bud or hemp. It’s a plant representing many things to many people. It’s made of stems, roots, seeds, smell & leaves. It is used for rope, sails, medicine and sweet dreams…..It grows as tall as a 2 story house, or as dwarfed as a basset hound…..As a green plant, it’s the base of the food chain.

: “Raises some philosophical and policy questions

On Time in the Multnomah County Justice Center

On the inside looking out, or is it the outside looking in? Surrounded by people, yet so alone. From the eighth floor, I observe people on the street taking care of business, and the construction progress of the new store “Saks Fifth Avenue. This is the project that replaced my restaurant, Peters Inn. Not a happy day.

On Prison Life in the Oregon State Penitentiary

Well, I served 30 months – to the day, and there isn’t a doubt in my mind that I am a better person. I do not recommend prison; however, if it is necessary the time can be well spent elsewhere.

I was in Salem, with a new set of goals and objectives – Survival. The title of Willamette Week’s article was ‘Sex, Lies and Video Tape.’ It could have been worse. Salem was a good place for me to be.

I still don’t know if I have a minimum (sentence) – I don’t know what I have. How can I complain when there are over 300 lifers, with many never getting out – very heavy. I signed up for school. I scored grade level 12 on my tests (English, which is a foreign language to me, held my score down) typical of an OSU graduate….

: The Oregon State Penitentiary – twenty-four months after six in the Justice Center in Portland

My life, physically and socially has been on a severe downhill slide for the last six months. Can it get worse? It seems worse, but at least I know my sentence and I feel a little better. Then I look carefully at my neighbors; tattoos, weight lifter arms and repeat offender attitudes. I proceed with caution, great caution and keep my mouth shut as the mood loosens with light conversation.

Then I hear from an immense Black inmate. ‘Hey Peters, remember me, you kicked me out of your club. You sure are white.’ ‘Well,” I say, ‘I’ve been kicked out of my own club so don’t feel bad.’

“Frank, I would like to ask you to do something for us, but I don’t know how to ask,” explained Grizz, ‘Just ask,’ said Buzz. Grizz gives Bud a dirty look and says, ‘O.K., O.K. – Frank, will you play softball for us? We are in third place, and our goal is to make the playoffs. We are the Marauders, sponsored by the Lifers….’ I look at Bud, Bill and Grizz, then I look at the other four hundred plus inmates and made my decision on the spot. I played for the Marauders. We won the second half and made the playoffs, I proceeded to go to prison on a softball scholarship. It was fun and the only way to go.

According to Maslow; we seek freedom from fear, food and shelter, love and belonging, ego and self-actualization. This doesn’t leave a prison person many choices. Food and shelter are the only absolutes. Where should my plan focus? After a few games (mental footwork) with inmates and guards, I decided to self-actualize. In my mind, self-actualization is borderline fantasy, and everyone in prison lives fantasy.

An attempt to reach the top of the pyramid

If your mind is on the outside, you believe friends and lovers remain faithful and big paying jobs will be available. Maybe your mother in truth is faithful – ‘even Hitler had a mother.’ If your mind is on the inside, you do sports, walk the yard, pump pig iron, chase the bag or take big deals.

Self-actualization is self-development, NOT people or system development. I decided to make prison an adventure. A plan of self-actualization and a plan to live fantasy. A practical reality plan to live in Fantasyland. Oregon State Penitentiary.

PRESS RELEASE – FRANK PETERS #53381- cont. 08/14/90

…Behind the scenes, Peters dispenses a new brand of counseling to younger inmates. He challenges rather than gives gratuitous advice, challenges them to find their own path to a better life after prison. Challenges them to seek their own answers, and put their experience to proper use on the ‘outside.’ Whether this approach will save one from a repeat prison term or not, no one will likely ever know. But it is unique and innovative method that seems at least to spark some favorable response…..

Philosophically Peters declares he’s learned one thing, ‘The person wasn’t bad, their thinking was bad.’ Peters declines to reveal just how he plans this (1,000 hours of community service) but indicates that ‘the real value is to make an overall contribution to the quality of life, something worthy of his energies. If the journey doesn’t change you, why bother to leave home?’

On the Campaign for Governor

‘Never be neutral in a conflict, whoever wins must destroy the uncommitted’ (Machiavelli, year 1539). This leaves little room for an independent in power politics. The game plan was to run a ‘state-wide’ campaign with credibility and open the door for other non-party candidates. We hoped to split Democratic & Republican votes at all levels and make deals….It destroys the ‘good old boy politics’ and political party ladder. It opens the door for real democracy.

$Wikimedia \Commons - public domain dedication (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Machiavel_Offices_Florence.jpg) Author - Jebulon 6/2001$: Machiavelli – some day my Prince will come

Any concerned person can participate. Events did not work in our favor. Four years we campaigned…..in small towns throughout Oregon…..‘A vote for Frank Peters is a vote for America.’ They never knew how close we came to killing their political Dinosaur….The possibilities were awesome….We were serious – Machiavelli serious.

Happy New Year 2013 – Beerchaser Miscellany IV

Posted on January 4, 2013 by Thebeerchaser

Excellent Draft Beers at the Wet Monkey Café in Astoria

Excellent Draft Beers at Astoria Brewing Company’s Wet Dog Café in Astoria

As we commence 2013, those of you who are intellectually challenged (or bored) may be asking, “What did Thebeerchaser accomplish in 2012, in the second year of his Tour of Portland Bars, Pubs and Taverns? Is said Tour still alive and healthy?”

Although a biased commentator, my answer to the latter question is “Yes!” based on the data shown below, which includes twenty-two watering-holes last year and eight public houses during five months in 2011.

Establishments Visited in 2012 *1

Neighborhood Bars – County Cork, Muddy Rudder Public House, Hawthorne Hideaway, Laurelthirst Pub

Dive Bars – Ship Tavern, Bar of the Gods, Dixie Tavern

Historic or Classic Bars – Claudia’s, White Eagle Saloon, Lutz Tavern, Cheerful Tortoise, Mock Crest Tavern

Bars that Defy Classification – 1856, Gold Dust Meridian, Bottles, Interurban, Ash Street Saloon

Brew Pubs – Migration Brewery Pub

Bars Outside of Portland – Embers Brew House (Joseph), Desdemona and Wet Monkey Café (Astoria), PourHouse (Port Townsend, WA)

*1 The Davis Street Tavern was visited but the review will be posted in 2013.

Former Portland Mayor Bud Clark, Attorney Jim Westwood and Oregonian Columnist John Terry at the Goose Hollow Inn

During my career in legal management, I analyzed many statistics and trends. Figuratively regressing, I would suggest that visiting and reviewing a bar every 16.6 days (15.9 if one counts the Davis Street Tavern) in 2012 was a reasonably ambitious schedule and compares favorably with the partial 2011 year (starting in mid-August) in which the average days between visits was 17.1 – and no visits were made to bars outside Portland.

A Question of Priorities

The Embers Brew House and Pub in Joseph, Oregon added venues outside Portland

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Keeping in mind my former co-managing partner’s favorite quote: “He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lampposts – for support rather than for illumination,” further analysis reveals other critical relationships and possible development of an esoteric null hypothesis.

For example, the Historic Bar class representing 26% of the bars was the most frequent type visited followed by Neighborhood Bars and Pubs Outside Portland in second place with 17% and Brew Pubs with only 4% of the visits last year. It’s very interesting to note that the average visits for each category is 16.5% with a standard deviation of 7.6%. Clearly, Brew Pubs need closer scrutiny in the coming year if the deviation from the mean is to be diminished!

: The White Eagle – Historic on the Exterior and the Interior –

To impress my son-in-law who is an engineer, I tried to work in the radius of gyration function into these statistics without success. But let’s momentarily digress to help educate readers on the benefits of beer-related topics and how they relate to the scientific method………..

Boyle’s Law, for example, may be encountered in beer production given that breweries are closed systems with constant temperatures and its worth toasting (with your favorite microbrew) the inverse relationship of pressure and volume in the given mass of confined gas within the vats as fermentation occurs……..

Critical advances in chemistry by Robert Boyle with alcohol experiments….

Another pioneer in chemistry influenced by my favorite brew was Joseph Priestley, an 18th century English clergyman, philosopher and chemist, whose house was next to a brewery. He began to experiment with the gas given off by fermenting beer and discovered a method of impregnating water with the carbon dioxide by placing a bowl of water above a vat of fermenting beer – thus inventing soda water.

Joseph Priestly used this equipment in experiments with beer in the late 18th century.

2012 Beerchasers

We also named a number of individuals or groups as Beerchasers-of-the-Month or Quarter. They included:

Musician and consultant Forrest Green, Coach Mike Riley and the OSU Football Team, Former OSU and NFL football star, Craig “Dude” Hanneman for his Mt. Everest climb in May, the Crew of the USS Constitution.

Also Portland State Professor of Economics, Dr. John Walker, Oregonian history columnist, John Terry and Princeton Emeritus Professor of Philosophy and author of the brilliant book, On Bullshit, Dr. Harry Frankfurt.

If you read one book in 2013, make it Dr. Harry Frankfurt’s “On Bullshit.”

2011 Establishments Visited

Between August 2011 and the end of the year, we visited eight establishments which were a superb commencement of Thebeerchaser Tour of Portland Bars including:

Getting the Boot from Emily the Bartender at Prost in 2011

Neighborhood Bars – Gladstone Street Tavern and Brooklyn Park Pub

Dive Bars – Joe’s Cellar and Yukon Tavern

Historic or Classic Bars – Buffalo Gap Saloon

Bars that Defy Classification – Prost

Brew Pubs – Amnesia Brewery Pub, Coalition Brew Pub

The Yukon Tavern – one of the proverbial Dive Bars visited in the first year of The Tour

2011 Beerchasers

Those honored with this designation last year included:

Crime Novelist James Crumley, retired chemical engineer Harold Schlumberg and four bartenders of the initial bars visited as follows:

Emily – Prost

Dave – The Twilight Room

Natasha – Gladstone Street Tavern

Natasha - A Great Bartender from the Gladstone Stree Tavern

Natasha – A Great Bartender from the Gladstone Street Tavern

Phoebe – The Brooklyn Park Pub

Please continue to give me suggestions on both public houses worthy of a Beerchaser visit and candidates for Beerchaser-of-the-Month.

And if you are really curious and lack meaningful life activity, the radius of gyration is defined as “the name of several related measures of the size of an object, a surface, or an ensemble of points. It is calculated as the root mean square distance of the objects’ parts from either its center of gravity or a given axis.” An explanation and the formulae can be found at the above link in Wikipedia or any good engineering textbook!

Thanks to the 40 “followers” on this blog and we are encouraged with the increasing number of visitors that averaged about 800 per month in the second half of 2012.

Happy New Year!

So many establishments and so little time!!