Ambling in April

Posted on April 26, 2025 by Thebeerchaser

In the last several posts, I’ve highlighted a few breweries (Baerlic, Ferment and Thunder Island) and two great bars (Holmans’ Bar and the Hi-Top Tavern). This edition of Thebeerchaser will just take a miscellaneous stroll through some random musings and relate a great week-long trip to Kauai in late February.

Upon returning, my wife and I decided that for the rest of March and April, we wouldn’t drink alcoholic beverages except on weekends (Friday and Saturday). This may not seem like much of a sacrifice, but I often enjoy a gin martini on weeknights while watching the Portland Trailblazers. (There were times when it assuaged the pain…).

And I have to say, besides ingesting fewer calories, the few non-alcoholic beers I’ve had are pretty good. It’s a trend. According to an article last month in The Beer Connoisseur:

“Non-alcoholic beer is booming as more consumers seek flavorful, alcohol-free options for social drinking and wellness.”

External photo attribution at the end of the post (#1)

I wondered what the reaction would be in the first dive bar I requested one and thought the conversation might go like this:

Beerchaser: “I’d like a pint of your best non-alcoholic beer.”

Bartender: “Sure buddy. You want to show me some fake ID?”

And Speaking of Kaui….

Kauai is our favorite Hawaiin Island and we had perfect weather. Besides just relaxing on the beach, we explored the island.

And speaking of relaxing, one of the best methods was on the beach – with a cold brew or an exotic drink with a little umbrella in it – reading a good novel. And that raises a good news – bad news situation.

The good news was that I got immersed in Warren Easley’s, last novel Deadly Redemption – a great read. The bad news is that I finished it and have now enjoyed all ten of his books. There aren’t currently any new Cal Claxton novels to read.

Friends had recommended an interesting and unique way to see the sunset on the north part of the island. We would certainly recommend the two-hour sunset golf tour on the Princeville Makai Golf Course. It was well worth the $60 per person fee.

There were about nine golf carts – each seating two – and the charismatic golf pro led the entourage with about six stops where he related the history of the island and other great anecdotes.

We saw amazing natural habitat including several fascinating albatross families and just reveled at what is a beautiful (and incredibly challenging) golf course.

“The final stop on the tour is truly one of the most stunning locations in the world to witness a sunset… our signature par 3, seventh hole on Princeville Makai that makes for the perfect viewing spot….”.

And we learned, among other facts, the wild chicken population – an estimated 450,000 compared to 80,000 people residing on Kauai, evidently dates back to Polynesian settlers in 1200 AD. Although strikingly colorful and perhaps keeping the bug population down, the constant crowing of these scavengers is annoying.

The golf pro also told us about a more recent infestation of large green parakeets when we saw one in one of the trees by the golf course. There are no natural predators.

“Along Kauai’s resort-studded south shore, thousands of wild rose-ringed parakeets with bright green feathers and brilliant red beaks obliterate hotel parking lots and vehicles daily with their poop. Full of seeds, the bird dung attracts rats. If not quickly removed, it can ruin car paint.

Transported to the Garden Isle as pets and then either intentionally or mistakenly released into the wild in the 1960s, the birds now number at least 11,000 on Kauai, according to the scientists who study them.” Honolulu Civic Beat – 6/2/21

Given this bleak history of infestations, it made me wonder if the Kauai Legislature might start restricting lawyers from visiting the Garden Isle. (#2 – #4)

And on the way back from the golf course…..

Some friends told us about a relatively new brewery we should check out for dinner and beer when returning. It was a good tip (although how often does Thebeerchaser not have that assessment when it involves a watering hole…).

NaPali Brewing opened in 2023 and is a family enterprise – the dream of Blake and Kati Conant.

“Our journey to create this space has been one of passion, dedication, and a deep love for the island we call home. We started this brewery with a dream to share the flavors and spirit of Wailua with every person who walks through our doors.”

It has an expansive floor plan, good live music and food you’ll enjoy. Janet and I sat at the bar and our bartender, Quade, was very personable and told us the story of the brewery. I still salivate when thinking about the Poke Bowl I had that night. (#5)

Leaving the Island

As we parked at our hotel on the return from the golf cart tour and brewery visit, we were approached by a couple who I initially thought was just trying to avoid one of the chickens roosting by the cars.

They stated, however, that they had been staying with some friends who stocked up on “salty snacks” and they were leaving for the airport for their night flight home. “Did we want them – otherwise they were going to have to throw them away?”

Janet puts rigorous rations on my consumption of these, but I quietly whispered to her that it would be rude to refuse their kind offer. Did we want to add to the Kauai landfill? And we were not leaving for another day and one-half.

Chipping in…..The goldfish were for the granddaughters at home.

Since we didn’t order a meal on the six-hour flight home, I enjoyed some Doritos and Lays Barbecue Chips. They paired well with one creative offering of Alaska Airlines – it’s new Cloud Cruiser Beer.

“(It’s) created exclusively for the airline through its partnership with Seattle-based brewery Fremont Brewing….this exclusive India pale ale (IPA) has been brewed specifically to taste great at high altitudes. It’s served in cans designed with bright and colorful artwork that pays homage to the Pacific Northwest region.” (emphasis supplied)

The statement “brewed specifically to taste great at high altitudes” may mean the intoxicating effect of a 6.5% ABV at 30,000 feet, but I took one can home and really enjoyed the beer just as much at our residence in West Linn, Oregon which is just 105 feet above sea level.

As we got home and reflected on the superb weather we had, I skimmed the Darwin Theory Winter Newsletter named appropriately, “Monkey Business,” which had arrived in the mail. No it’s not a recap of the Scopes Trial. Darwin’s Theory is one of my favorite dive bars – in Anchorage, Alaska. We visited it when we were on an Alaska cruise in 2014.

Talk about a contrast. The newsletter told the tale of the weather conditions they faced at the beginning of the year:

“One of the worst snowstorms ever, and there have been many, came through the first week of January. Solid hard rain for two days, winds that reached 100 miles per hour (that’s Hurricane level) followed by a cold front that froze the standing water.

Darwin’s did something that it has never done in the 45 years of operation, that’s closed its doors for the safety of its staff and customers, the glare ice was incredulous. Best never to see the likes of this storm for another 50 years.”

External Photo Attribution

#1. Wikimedia Commons (File:Bartender – Malmö-1992.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. Author: John Leffmann – 1992.

#2. NaPali Brewing Website (Napali One Year Anniversary -capturedbyjolie-05-3aef4a24.jpg (1920×1280)).

#3. Wikimedia Commons (File:Green Parrot Cairns-1and (4197620649).jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. Author: Sheba_Also – 13 December 2009.

#4. Wikimedia Commons (File:Red Junglefowl by Tisha Mukherjee 06.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Author: Tisha_Mukherjee – 21 March 2025.

#5. Wikimedia Commons (File:Martin Lipton, McGraw Hill lawyer, cropped.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) This work is from the Bernard Gotfryd collection at the Library of Congress. According to the library, there are no known copyright restrictions on the use of this work. Author: Gotfryd, Bernard, photographer – 1979.

Jug or Not???!!!

Posted on April 22, 2024 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 above to see all of the photos at the end of the post and so the narrative isn’t clipped or shortened. External photo attribution at the end of the post. (#1)

The number of iconic Portland bars along Sandy Boulevard on Portland’s east side is notable. The recently renovated Sandy Jug at 74th and Sandy rejoins two classics I’ve reviewed – the Sandy Hut, (“Handy Slut”) and the Slammer.

The Jug, until mid-2023, was known as Pirate’s Cove – a well-known Portland strip club!

In addition, there are some lesser known, but great watering holes from the Rum Club, Sheridan’s, Park City Pub, Lift-off Lounge, Ace’s Tavern, Katie O’Brien’s, Wedgehead, My-O-My to the Escape Bar and Grill.

The Sandy Blvd. bars are not quite as concentrated as the dives in the infamous Barmuda Triangle in Southeast Portland. (The Urban Dictionary – pinpoints the BT as “an area of bars that collectively saturate the SE Hawthorne Arts District at the base of Mt Tabor.”).

However, one can have his or her own focused and lengthy Beerchasing journey just along the 4 miles of Sandy Boulevard from the Slammer to the Escape.

The Auspicious History

The Jug because of its history and distinctive structure is known not only in Oregon, but throughout the US as a place to see. As stated in a 2013 post of RoadsideAmerica.com:

“Pirate’s Cove — built in 1928 as a tire shop and auto repair garage (the Orange Blossom Jug service station – Waymarking.com) has been a bar, strip joint, soda shop… a jug with so many uses.”

Pirates’ Cove closed in 2023, but two Portland entrepreneurs, who have been labeled “bar revivalists”, Marcus Archambeault and Warren Boothby, resurrected it and The Sandy Jug reopened in January 2024.

The pair has transformed other failing Portland older bars and failing dives into thriving establishments in the last ten years, including the Alibi, the Double Barrel, the Vern, the Sandy Hut, Holman’s, the Bantam Tavern and Gold Dust Meridian.

Cheers to Portland’s Bar Saviors – Some of Their Resurrections (#2- #4)

Stripped to the Bone…

Now this is a blog about bars and breweries and not nudie bars, but Pirates’ Cove is integral to the history of the Sandy Jug. For context, a little over ten years ago, an urban myth circulated about the Portland’s ranking in the US strip club hit parade. Willamette Week’s 2013 article gave insight:

Does Portland Really Have the Most Strip Clubs of Any City in the US? (#5)

Bus_Paradise (1)

As one can see from the excerpt below, the answer is “yes” with a disclaimer:

“Turns out Portland, with one strip club for every 9,578 residents, is indeed the leader among the 50 largest U.S. cities, narrowly edging Tampa at 10,813 and blowing Las Vegas’ 33,002 out of the water. Myth confirmed.” (per capita and not total number)

And Pirate’s Cove, evidently had a good reputation, if you use the term loosely, among its peers as documented by this article in Here Magazine – an online international travel guide to cities:

Your Guide to Portland’s 6 Friendliest—and Punkest—Strip Clubs (#6 – #7)

Pirate’s Cove was listed first with this description:

“Pirate’s Cove is kind of a staple in Portland,” says Cloud, a dancer here. ‘It’s not very popular in that it doesn’t get all of the attention, but it’s been in town for a long time. It’s one of those places where locals really dig it.’

Not convinced? The giant sign outside the establishment has been known to say ‘We Care A Lot.’ Who doesn’t love a neighborhood dive with heart?”

It was also listed in a 2023 Time.com article as one of the “10 Strangest Strip Clubs in America”:

“Jack Sparrow himself would love – the outside of the club is shaped as a large jug of rum.” (#8)

Aargh!!! Rum….

Grading the Transformation

The physical transformation is not remarkable, but positive:

“Inside, Boothby and Archambeault have opened up the ceiling, revealing the impressive woodwork inside the jug….the tavern isn’t very large inside, but a new patio will add additional seating, especially once warmer weather returns.” Oregon Live 1/25/24

The only remnants of the strip club are a chandelier outside the woman’s restroom and a wall filled with pictures of the former dancers in the men’s restroom.

But the most “tangible” (so to speak) change is in the atmosphere. From the stereotypical strip club “ambiance” of dim lighting, cheap perfume, worn carpet and lonely desperation, it has evolved into a wonderful neighborhood bar pervaded by a welcome and energetic vibe.

I visited twice – both within six weeks of the January opening. The first time I was accompanied by my long-time friend, Hillary Barbour, a Reed College alum, who now works at the Oregon Beverage and Recycling Cooperative as Director of Business Development.

This follows six years as Director of Strategic Development for Burgerville LLC and many years as a Director on the staff of Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer. (#9)

Hillary is no stranger to Beerchasing, including a trip to the Vern – another of the Boothby -Archambeault retrofits. She declined my suggestion to change her name for this trip since the bar has a clever offer – valid every day: patrons with the first name Sandy get their first drink on the house.

Some might question the aura generated by my drinking buddies on the next trip since four of the six are or were lawyers. (clockwise starting second from left in teal jacket Steve Schell, Jim Westwood, Larry Frank and John Kelly). Lawyers have a tendency to school….

On the left is Tom Kelly, retired owner of the Neil Kelly Co. and on the right is Dr. Doug Walta, founder of the Oregon Clinic and retired CEO of Clinical Services for Providence Health and Services in Oregon.

Besides being smart, personable and good at drinking beer, I’m proud to say that each of these guys (and Hillary) have contributed untold hours to civic and charitable activities which have made Portland a better community.

Tom Kelly, Steve Schell, Jim Westwood, John Kelly, Larry Frank and Doug Walta

The Staff and the Trappings

Both of my visits were on weekday afternoons and the place was hopping. The weather precluded the patio being opened, but most tables and the bar were filled by the time we left and it was an amiable and enthusiastic crowd.

Jenna, the Manager and our bartender, was personable and excited about the future of the bar and her staff was efficient and friendly. Take a look at this message from Management on Facebook.

Jenna

“Not sure how it’s been 2 and1/2 months since we opened our doors, but one thing is for sure…we are so happy to be here. Thanks so much for all the love and support during the last few months. We couldn’t have done it without you.

And a heartfelt thanks to our staff for being just delightful, hardworking people that make it all worthwhile. We appreciate each and every one of you.”

The walls are filled with good stuff and great mementos and bar relics fill the idiosyncratic space – there are some neat nooks and crannies and hanging lights brighten up the place..

Economical?

Both of my visits were during Happy Hour which is 2:00 to 6:00 every day and what a deal! You can get a domestic draft for $3 and micro-draft for $5 and a well drink for $4 plus some limited food offerings.

During regular hours, prices are also very reasonable with the standard burger at $11.99 and sandwiches from $10 to $12. I considered a shot of a Blueberry Kamikaze for $8, but feared going down in flames on the way home. (#10 – #12)

Happy Hour Prices

We didn’t eat either time, but the Yelp reviews on both the food and the overall experience are overwhelmingly positive. The only negative features mentioned were a sound system that needed some work and making it more clear to patrons that they have to order from the bar:

“Went tonight to check it out and had a chopped cheese sandwich, fries and a couple of beers. Everything was literally cooked perfectly, seasoned perfectly and tasted amazing!! Friendly service and a great laid back vibe definitely make this a place to check out!! Will definitely be back!” Mar 19, 2024 (and this from a guy from Peoria so as the old saying goes….).

and

“I’ve been driving by this place for years. It used to be a strip club and recently new owners have transformed it into a pretty cool neighborhood bar. Decor is funky and eclectic. Music is mostly 70s/80s. Drinks and food are tasty and affordable. Staff is friendly. I’m giving 5 stars because I’m rooting for this place to succeed”. Feb 14, 2024

You should pay a visit to this historic Portland watering hole and support the continuing efforts of Boothby and Archambeault. I’ll be looking forward to their next project. (#13)

Cheers