At Beer O’clock, Time Zones are Irrelevant

Posted on June 10, 2025 by Thebeerchaser

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 so the narrative is not clipped or shortened. (External photo attribution at the end of the post # 1)

According to Dictinonary.com, the definition of Beer O’clock is “the time of day when it is acceptable or customary to start drinking alcohol.” Thus, I would suggest that the title of this post is valid – Time zones are irrelevant with this concept.

My intent to have a beer in downtown Portland with two of my long-term friends – Doug Bean and Dan Swift – both of whom are still working and whose offices are in Portland’s Central Business District explains why this concept became relevant to me recently.

Both also happen to be two of the best commercial realtors in Oregon and each has won the Oregon/Washington Commercial Associate Broker of the Year award multiple times – an association with over 600 members. (#2)

Doug Bean

President of Doug Bean and Associates

My connection with Doug Bean goes back to 1966, when both of us played our high school basketball team in the former TYV League – he for the McMinnville Grizzlies and me for the Oregon City Pioneers. Doug was a talented junior who started as small forward while I was a small, skinny guard who spent most games rooting for my teammates from the bench.

We now laugh because while later playing pick-up ball when we both resided at the SAE House at Oregon State (Doug for two years before he transferred to the University of Oregon where he graduated and got his MBA) and then when both of us worked in Portland early in our careers and played at the YMCA, Doug would comment:

“Nothing has changed, Dirt, (my college nickname), you are still looking at the heels of my tennis shoes when I drive by you.”

My response is evidenced by the two team photos below. You will note Doug’s Grizzlies’ photo is from the TYV Jamboree (He’s in the back row just to the left of his coach.) The Jamboree was a pre-season mini-tournament.

My team photo, however, is from the 1966 Oregon High School State Basketball Tournament – OC with a 17-5 record finished first in the TYV and McMinnville finished third and did not go to the tournament.

You will note from the right margin of the second photo that the two teams broke even in league play; however, in a thriller near the end of the season, the Pioneers staged an amazing comeback in the final three minutes to beat the Grizzlies 72 to 70 to capture the league title.

But I digress, although it’s worth pointing out that the above photos help me justify to my wife (born and raised in McMinnville) why I have kept the files she has urged me repeatedly to recycle. https://thebeerchaser.com/2022/12/18/de-files-de-files/ (#3)

Dan Swift

Senior VP CBRE Inc.

I originally met Dan Swift in about 1998, shortly after I became COO at the Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt law firm and we had an RFP process to determine the real estate broker to represent us in lease transactions for our five Northwest offices.

A younger Dan outshone his more established competitors in that process, and he did an outstanding job for us over the next thirteen years until I retired. He still represents the firm (and not primarily because he always came to Board meetings with Krispy Kreme donuts when we made our recommendations.

In a bit of synchronicity, in one transaction for our biggest office – Portland with five floors in the PacWest Center – Dan negotiated with Doug Bean whose firm managed the building.(#4)

A lot of people were entertained when Doug’s firm was located in this high-rise, and we would see each other across the impressive lobby of the thirty-three-floor building. Doug would shout out across the expansive space, “Hey Dirt!” I would then try to explain to people in the same elevator how I got that moniker.. https://thebeerchaser.com/2023/07/06/dirt-and-dust/

Hey Dirt!

Beerchasing at Beer O’clock

The three of us had never Beerchased together and I figured that since they were both so successful and still working, they would buy the beer if I set it up. I wanted to go to a downtown watering hole I hadn’t previously frequented and unfortunately, many which would have been past options, didn’t survive the pandemic.

With all the watering holes I had checked out in my fourteen years of Beerchasing, I’d never heard of the Beer O’clock bar and my research showed that it had made a recovery after it closed early in the pandemic. (#5)

Rising from the ashes…

Due to its limited indoor seating, it was not expected to reopen, but in June 2021, although only with outdoor seating, its reopening was a welcome surprise to a city hard-hit by both the epidemic of COVID and ugly demonstrations.

As stated in a 2021article in New School Beer and Cider – an outstanding Pacific Northwest based web-mag covering the craft beer and cider industry:

“It’s no secret that downtown Portland has had a rough go of it since the pandemic and protests began, but things are starting to get back to normal and Beer O’Clock is back. The downtown PDX taproom had a reputation for its expansive 31 draft tap list that put beer geek connoisseur selections at the forefront and its penchant for old school hip hop blasted from cassette tapes in the audible background. (#6)

The article was entitled, “Beer O’Clock taproom in downtown Portland has reopened with a huge patio.” Well, unfortunately as Portland recovered, many of those patios in the front of establishments extending into the street, are now gone and the bar’s space can be an issue.

Beer O’clock now just has several picnic tables in front of the bar on the sidewalk. The bar originally opened in 2016 and was named “Beer Belly.” “Rick Gencarelli founded Beer O’ Clock, and…(it) shares the building with his other project of fast casual pasta joints called Grassa. (New School Beer)

No more large patio

Gencarelli is a nationally recognized chef and restauranteur, who also owns the Lardo restaurants in Portland (one was originally right next to Beer O’clock), Grassa and Bluto’s – a Greek-inspired restaurant he opened in the fall of 2021.

All of his restaurants draw great reviews and have loyal patrons. For example, a 2022 article in Oregon Live entitled, “Bluto’s isn’t very Greek. It is very good.”

You Don’t Have to go to Greece

All three of us liked the bar (especially the company…) and in researching, I noticed that there is also a Beer O’clock Pub in Thessaloniki, Greece, which appears – like the establishment in Portland – to have a great selection of beers on tap, although from the pictures on Facebook, seems a bit more raucous and spacious. (#7 – #9)

And the Greek option gets positive reviews. For example:

“πολύ καλό φαγητό, εξαιρετικο περιβάλλον, φανταστική μουσική και το βασικότερο,άψογοι επαγγελματίες.”

If you don’t know Greek, that translates to, “Great food, great environment, fantastic music collection, and most of all, really friendly personnel.”

And in the interest of full disclosure, I just discovered another Beer O’clock Bar in Annecy, a town in southeastern France – only about twenty-two miles south of Geneva Switzerland. And this one is unusual because of the delivery system. Read the Trip Advisor review below:

” loved the concept! 👌🏻 Super smart and practical! A card to recharge, self-service beer taps, a direct breakdown of the amount paid and off you go, enjoy! It’s perfect ! 🍻 The place is warm, cozy, pub atmosphere, games are also available! 🃏 Honestly great!”

Now Back in Portland

Fortunately, one doesn’t need to travel 6,120 miles (or only 5,407 to the one in France) to hit a bar with a great name when we have one in Portland with twenty-six beer taps, four ciders and kombucha. And while the reviews are not in Greek, our own Beer O’clock rakes in the compliments:

“Honestly the best beer bar around…Bar is clean and well-lit and the bar is unique because it is attached to Grassa so you can pick out food from a huge menu and bring it into the bar. Highly recommended ! Amazing selection of beer and cider and some canned cocktails! ” Yelp 2/20/2023

At Beer O’clock, everything is timely, so even though this one is three years old, I liked it:

“Bill Haley and the Comets, 1954
One, two, three o’clock, four o’clock, rock
Five, six, seven o’clock, eight o’clock, rock
Nine, ten, eleven o’clock, twelve o’clock, rock
We’re gonna rock around the clock tonight

Well, this old geezer can still rock the clock, let me sit and clock down a beer at happy hour “Beer O’clock” time time time for IPA!” (#10)

These guys are from Dirt’s era!

Portland’s Beer O’clock, although the seating is limited to bar and a few booths, the narrow interior is well lit and attractively designed with plants, handsome natural wood walls and art with posters and a great-looking blanket plus three large-screen TVs.

Dan, Doug and I enjoyed the beer – both of them had a Ferment Brewing (Hood River) Everything in Bloom Hazy IPA and I – a Red Zeppelin Amber Ale from 54 40 Brewing in Washougal, Washington.

The beer was as good as the stories we told and went down significantly more smoothly.

As I suspected, Doug and Dan argued over who would pay for the beer which is another reason why I’m going to get this group together again this summer. Dirt says “Thanks, guys!” (#11)

External Photo Attribution

#1. Microsoft AI image generator (Microsoft Designer – Stunning designs in a flash).

#2. Doug Bean and Associates website (https://dougbean.com/people-2/doug-bean/).

#3. CB Richard Ellis website (https://www.cbre.com/people/dan-swift).

#4. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons – PacWest Center (icensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. Author: Cacophony 18 June 2006.

#5. Beer O’clock Bar in Portland Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=368184038860885&set=a.368184018860887).

# 6. New School Beer and Cider website (Beer O’Clock taproom in downtown Portland has reopened with a huge patio — New School Beer + Cider).

#7. Beer O’clock Pub (Thessaloniki, Greece) Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/beeroclockskg/photos/t.100054261410083/899034206875586/?type=3).

#8. Logo – (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=618910133261028&set=a.618910123261029),

#9. Server (https://www.facebook.com/beeroclockskg/photos/t.100054261410083/899035906875416/?type=3).

#10. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:Bill Haley and the Comets1956.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published in the United States between 1930 and 1977, inclusive, without a copyright notice. Author: Decca Records. Photographer – James Kriegmann, New York. 4 August 1956

#11. Microsoft AI image generator (Microsoft Designer – Stunning designs in a flash

October Origins

Posted on October 17, 2021 by Thebeerchaser

This slogan is dear to my heart – see below….

(Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. If you are seeing this post through an e-mail, please visit the blog by clicking on the title above to see all of the photos and so the narrative is not clipped or shortened.)

The Origins of Beer

In previous posts, I’ve talked about the legacy of Benedictine Monks in the history of beer which dates from the 5th century along with the great story of St. Brigid of Ireland. This remarkable woman was a patron saint of several things, including dairymaids, cattle, midwives, and newborns. But there’s also evidence of an equal passion for beer.

“…..when the lepers she nursed implored her for beer, and there was none to be had, she changed the water, which was used for the bath, into an excellent beer, by the sheer strength of her blessing and dealt it out to the thirsty in plenty.”

Going back further, Wikipedia chronicles the earliest archaeological evidence of fermentation — 13,000-year-old residues of a beer near Israel. The earliest clear chemical evidence of beer produced from barley dates to about 3500–3100 BC, in western Iran.

“During the building of the Great Pyramids in Giza, Egypt, each worker got a daily ration of four to five liters of beer, which served as both nutrition and refreshment that was crucial to the pyramids’ construction.”

Well, my education on the history of beer was supplemented last week, when my good friend, “West Coast Dave Hicks,” a consultant with whom I worked at my law firm before I retired, sent me the following article, which of course, piqued my interest:

http://Ancient Poop Shows People In Austria Enjoyed Beer And Blue Cheese 2,700 Years Ago)

Dave is one of the smartest guys I know, having graduated first from Princeton (cum laude) where he was also a bass in the famous Princeton acapella singing group, The Nassoons. and then from University of San Diego Law School – including a semester of study in Paris.

He then started his consulting career, which has taken him all over the world. On his trips to Portland, there have been numerous memorable Beerchasing expeditions.

The diverse watering holes we hit included the Horse Brass Pub, Sloan’s Tavern, the Double Barrel, Reel M Inn and Richmond Bar, to name just a few, where we have raised a mug and eaten unhealthy pub food.

The article relates how archeologists found evidence of what may have been the first cheeseburger and beer combo!

“Several thousand years ago, an Iron Age salt miner took a dump in what is now …… Austria. In all likelihood, the pooper never gave their little deposit a second thought.

He would be rather surprised to learn that it has now become a scientific artifact, enabling researchers to discover that Europeans ate blue cheese and drank beer 2,700 years ago.”

Thanks to Dave for keeping us informed and the next time he comes to Portland, I guess we need to come up with beer name to honor the ancient “dumpster.” Since I don’t think either directly or indirectly referencing fecal matter in the name of a beer would fly, what about “Outhouse Ale?”

But what brewery would take this on? Fortunately, through research, I noticed that there is an Out.Haus Ale Brewery in Northwood, New Hampshire. Perhaps they would brew this on as a seasonal basis.

The Origin of “Dirt”!

From Dirty Donnie to Dirty to Dirt…

I often get questions from those who view the header of Thebeerchaser (credit is due to my long-term friend, fraternity brother and Beerchaser-of-the-Quarter, Jud Blakely) which has the moniker, “Don ‘Dirt’ Williams,” where this moniker originated. Often, the questioner suspects it was based on some nefarious exploit from my college years.

Well to set the record straight, it did emanate from college, but from my fraternity brothers at the SAE house at Oregon State University. I was on an NROTC Scholarship and in my freshman year, decided that to get in shape and because I admired my fellow frat bro and NROTC, colleague, Walt Ebel, I joined the Army ROTC group named “Raiders.” Walt had signed up previously.

In retrospect, it was kind of ludicrous. On Saturday mornings, we would dress up in utilities, go down to the Armory on campus and then run several miles holding rifles, do the obstacle course and try to look cool. Well, at that time, my height was 5’10” and I weighed about 120 pounds dripping wet.

There was an illustrator named “Hutch”, who made a decent living by doing cartoon caricatures of OSU students. He would tour the dorms and fraternities and feed off the comments of colleagues of his subject to create his image. Hutch was quite talented.

So when it was my time, there were about twenty of us in the SAE living room and my peers started yelling, “He’s a Raider.” Well, below is the end product.

From “Dirty Donnie,” to “Dirty,” to “Dirt”!

And “Dirty Donnie” hit a chord. It then mutated to “Dirty” and then just plain “Dirt.” Although my time in Raiders was less than one year, that appellation has stuck for over fifty years. And I love it!

When my younger brother, Rick – also an NROTC midshipman, joined the SAE’s several years later, as one might predict, his nickname became “Dust.”

An example was twenty-five years after OSU graduation, while I was working for the Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt law firm in the PacWest Center. The Building Manger was Doug Bean and Associates, a high-end commercial real estate firm.

Doug Bean was a fraternity brother at OSU and transferred to the U of O where he graduated and then formed his very successful real estate and property management firm. He had an office in the PacWest Center as did I.

When Doug would see me in the lobby, he would yell across the space in a booming voice which caught the attention of other people in the lobby of the thirty-floor high-rise, “Hey Dirt. How’s it going?”

In retrospect, the original college label of “Dirt” has kept me grounded, let to many down-to- earth conversations and I’m proud to say that Dirt remains a part of my identity!

The Origin of Freeland Spirits – Part II

Why is Thebeerchaser Touting Bourbon? *11

In a recent Beerchaser post, I wrote about a relatively new distillery in NW Portland that is a great story. I became aware of this enterprise when my son-in-law gave me a bottle of Freeland Spirits Bourbon a few months ago. It was the best bourbon I’ve ever had and I researched the origination of the the business.

“Freeland Spirits celebrates the women of the craft. From the gals who grow the grain, to those who run the still, we’re creating superior spirits that celebrate all the Northwest has to offer.”

You should check out the story of how co-owners, Jill Kuehler and Molly Troupe demonstrated entrepreneurial spirit, opened Freeland in 2017 and have never looked back – even during a pandemic. Well, they are expanding and had the Grand Opening of their new Tasting Room on N. State Street on October 14th. They’ll be open daily from noon to 6 PM.

And Speaking of Outhouses….

With apologies for redundancy to regular followers of Thebeerchaser, but since I talked about poop in this post and it’s the month of Octoberfest, I feel it appropriate to restate one of my favorite lawyer stories from my post: https://thebeerchaser.com/2021/05/27/lawyers-continued-summer-associates-part-i/

In this litigation – filed in the early ‘90’s, a Portland resident filed a $53,220 lawsuit against the Mount Angel Octoberfest claiming the portable toilet he entered was pushed over by unruly patrons. His lawyer claimed:

“Plaintiff was violently thrown around the inside of said portable toilet, became intimately mixed with the contents thereof, sustained a fracture of his right wrist as well as other contusions and abrasions.”

“Intimately mixed with the contents thereof…”

Unfortunately, I could not determine the result of this lawsuit and assume – just like the contents of the overturned chamber – it settled. Thus, a jury never had to contemplate either culpability or damages as a group exercise – one which might have proven to be an odorous task.

Cheers

* External Photo Attribution

*1. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Olaf_Simony-Jensen_-_K%C3%A6lderinteri%C3%B8r_med_munke_i_festligt_lag_-_1904.png

*2. Wikimedia Commons – Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic. Author: Wolfgang Sauber – 21 July 2011. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigid_of_Kildare#/media/File:Saint_Non’s_Chapel_-_Fenster_3_St.Bride.jpg)

*3 Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:EMS-89615-Rosecrucian-Egyptian-BeerMaking.jpg) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Author: E. Michael Smith Chiefio 12 May, 2007

*4 Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Salzbergwerk,_Deutschen_Museum.JPG) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Germany license. Author: High Contrast – 2010

*5 Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Human_Feces.jpg) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license. Author: Cacetudo 29 May 2006.

*6 Out.Haus Ales Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/Out.Haus/photos/10158449282739118).

*7 Wikimedia Commons (http://By U.S. Army – U.S. Army, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45595228) Source: US Army 2015

*8 Oregon State NROTC Alumni Website (https://www.osu-nrotc-alumni.org/) Courtesy Jud Blakely.

*9 Doug Bean and Associates Website (http://dougbean.com/people-2/doug-bean/)

*10 Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons – PacWest Center

*11 – 14 Freeland Spirits Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/freelandspirits/photos/?ref=page_internal)

*15 Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Outhouse,_Lake_Providence,_LA_IMG_7386.JPG) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. Author: Billy Hathorn – 17 May, 2013