The Holy Ghost Bar – A Spiritual Progression

Posted on January 8, 2025 by Thebeerchaser

Welcome 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. (External photo attribution at the end of the post #1 – #2)

I’ve been to a slew of bars and breweries in fourteen years of Beerchasing in which the establishment had a previous life – something distinctly different from a watering hole.

These have included automotive shops and garages, drycleaners and laundromats, printing shops and even lawyer offices and houses of ill repute (in one case, reportedly in the same quarters…) In many cases, the bar or brewery was initially another drinking establishment that went out of business or changed ownership.

Such is the case of The Holy Ghost – opened in November 2022 in Southeast Portland at the busy intersection of 28th and Gladstone. For decades, it was a funky dive bar – Pub at the End of the Universe – operated by the McCormick family – notable Portland restauranters. It closed in 2017.

“(The developer) has been researching the building and says it seems to have been built in the 1920s or earlier and played home to four or so tenants over the years. It was once a pharmacy with a tavern alongside, and before it was named Pub at the End of the Universe…” Portland Eater 12/15/17 (#3)

“A haven for all vibration”

“Pub at the End of the Universe has been established for over 30 years by the McCormick family. A haven for all vibration that liked to chill out and be treated like family. The Pub has a unique atmosphere with multi levels and full bar, pool and darts.

The music scene dates back to late 80’s with rock and roll and metal bands opening up the ears and eyes of the Pub….We were creating a place where folks can get together and be creative with the Universe.” Reverbnation.com

Why the Holy Ghost?

In 2024, I had two informal gatherings with colleagues involved with the Abbey Foundation of Oregon (I serve as VP of the Board). I was looking for a new Beerchasing venue and thought a religious theme would be appropriate.

Having already been to the wonderful Church Bar in 2013, I ruled that one out – maybe a good choice because in November, a patron was stabbed to death in the bar (The Oregonian.) https://thebeerchaser.com/2013/12/11/church-eat-drink-pray-repent/so

I also thought that the venerable Bar of the Gods – one of the first bars I visited early in 2012 – only six months after I started this hobby – would be inappropriate so I narrowed it down. (Notice the prices on the BOG menu….)

The Bible Club and The Holy Ghost both get great reviews and had convenient locations, but the latter got the edge because of its martinis. I met my former law firm colleague, Margaret Hoffman there and it was a good choice.

Marget is now retired and besides being honored in her profession as a top product liability litigator (Oregon Super Lawyer and named as one of the Best Lawyers in America), Margaret is an outstanding human being. She is also skilled at fly fishing and in her “spare time” spends additional court-time playing pickle-ball and traveling the world.

The Holy Ghost has a bright and attractive interior that has been totally refurbished since the Pub at the End of the Universe days. The only reference to elements of the trinity in the former were vodka, wine and beer.

Sid Chi, the friendly Bar Manager, since it opened in 2022, said the bar was named “after some song the owners liked.” Subsequent research revealed that it emanated from The Bar- Kays:

“The Bar-Kays is an American funk band formed in 1964. The band had dozens of charting singles from the 1960s to the 1980s, including ‘Soul Finger’ (US Billboard Hot 100 number 17, R&B number 3) in 1967, ‘Son of Shaft’ (R&B number 10) in 1972, and ‘Boogie Body Land’ (R&B number 7) in 1980.” (Wikipedia) (#4)

The_Bar-Kays_1968_press_photo

(In 1978, they had a hit single “The Holy Ghost” that rose to #9 on the US Rhythm and Blue Chart.)

“Your love is like the Holy Ghostshakin’ all in my bonesI never felt such a feelin’In all the days I been round, yeahWhenever I feel the pressure(Jah!) I can’t seem to hypnotize my mind(Well!) Your love is like the Holy GhostAnd I feel like I’ve been born a second time.” (Genius.com)

Margaret and I are both martini drinkers (me with gin and her with vodka) so we didn’t take advantage of their extensive cocktail/mocktail selection which draws rave reviews. And the Holy Ghost Gin Fizz may be worth returning:

“We’re really into the idea of the gin fizz. It’s a great drink but no one wants to make it because it takes so long to shake,” Caraeff says, describing the five-minute shaking process it takes to mix a proper version of the New Orleans classic.

So, the team purchased a number of bubble tea shaking machines to do the work for them. It still takes a solid five minutes to make, a fact that is outlined on the menu, but that’s just part of the charm.” (Portland Eater)

Cocktail “Heaven”

But the gin fizz is not the only innovative concoction as evidenced by this excerpt from Wikipedia:

“Among cocktails on the mezcal and tequila-focused drink menu is a ranch water with infused tequila, a mezcal old fashioned with Cazadores Reposado, and an Altos Plata Aperol spritz. Holy Ghost also serves a drink with bubblegum-infused vodka.

The bar has a 400-bottle agave collection and also serves beer, wine (including sparkling varieties), and low-ABV and non-alcoholic drinks made with drinking vinegars, Seedlip, and syrups. One mocktail has gin, ginger, hibiscus, and raspberry, and another is a whiskey chai.”

Quite often in these posts, I go into a detailed description of the bar, but in this case the photos below convey it better than a narrative. Evidently, the total refurbishing of the bar was done through a collaboration between Three-on-a-Match Bar Group and Guerilla Development Co. both of which are very innovative firms.

A principal in the Match Group is Ezra Ace Caraeff – a well-known figure in Portland and former Music Editor for the Portland Mercury.

I always try to visit an establishment twice before doing my review and in November, I returned – again with Abbey Foundation Board members, John Meek, John Limb and Gene Dieringer.

Both Meek and Limb are recent Board Presidents and we affectionately refer to them as First and Second John, although I avoided my inclination of an initial toast of:

“In the beginning was the Word…..”

While the Holy Ghost doesn’t serve food, it shares part of the building with The Electric – a pizzeria and 28 Tigers – a dumpling and noodle shop. There is a nice patio with a fire pit that is very popular with patrons and the social media reviews of the offerings are quite positive.

There’s good street parking available and the only real complaint is that the acoustics aren’t great and carrying a conversation can be a problem, although we didn’t experience that. It’s also sometimes challenging to find a seat.

Portland is fortunate to have the Three on a Match Bar Group which appears to have the same mission as Portland entrepreneurs and “bar revivalists” Marcus Archambeault and Warren Boothby.

The other Three on a Match bars are

Another good Portland watering hole

Cheers and Happy New Year

External Photo Attribution

#1. – #2. Holy Ghost Bar Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/holyghostbar/photos).

#3. Pub at the End of the Universe Facebook Page (PUB at the END of the Universe | Portland, OR | Shows, Schedules, and Directions | ReverbNation).

#4. Public Domain – Wikipedia Commons (File:The Bar-Kays 1968 press photo.jpg – Wikimedia Commons). This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published in the United States between 1929 and 1977, inclusive, without a copyright notice. Author: Distributed by Stax Records. The Bar-Kays in a press photo from the late 1960s. – 1968.

The Crux of the Matter

Posted on August 11, 2023 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 and so the narrative is not clipped or shortened. External photo attribution at the end of the post. (#1 – #2)

My wife, Janet and I first visited the Crux Fermentation Project in Bend in the summer of 2017 on a Central Oregon road trip. And there is no shortage of options in Bend as evidenced by the Bend Ale Trail.

Now the number of stops on this malted trek varies based on the internet site you check and the date because I saw figures ranging from ten to eighteen to thirty – the latter of which appears to be the latest count:

“For a small mountain town, Bend packs in the breweries. With 30 breweries on the Ale Trail, there is no lack of variety — whether you love , IPAs, or just a good beer-flavored beer, there is a craft brewery for everyone here!”

It’s debatable whether Bend can still be considered a “small mountain town” with a 2021 population of 102,000 and in 2017 we did not travel the entire journey which now has expanded to seven “Territories” and is more sophisticated….

“Track your progress in our free app, or pick up a keepsake paper passport at the Bend Visitor Center for $5. Either way, you can plot your course, bone up on brewery knowledge, or pick a perfectly paired adventure for your trek through each territory.”

But we did visit some great Bend breweries on the Trail including Sunriver, Boneyard, Goodlife, Spokenmoto (coffee and beer), Immersion and Atlas Cider Company.* Interestingly, notwithstanding the pandemic and increased competition, all are still open and appear to be thriving. (Photos from our 2017 trip)

*I was initially concerned that Atlas Cider was gone, but some additional research revealed it changed its name to Avid Cider Company because of an intellectual property dispute with Atlas Brew Works which brews beer in Washington DC. (Bend Bulletin)

(I guess that was before all DC lawyers were employed working on prosecuting or defending felonies……)

But Let Me Digress….

But before I get back to Crux and an exciting new development for the brewery, let me take a brief international side trip – appropriately, because I was talking about the Bend Ale Trail.

I want to take this opportunity to invite my friend from Germany, Rich Carbonara and his wife, Doreen, to Oregon to experience this Central Oregon phenomenon. (#3 – #4)

While we have not met face-to-face, Rich and I regularly share e-mails and comments on each of our blogs. Reading an excerpt from this Philadelphia native’s bio below and seeing the book he wrote, you will not be surprised at the commonality of our interests.

“Since those times, I’ve hiked from the Rockies to the Andes to the Himalayas but friends still mostly think of me as the beer guy, the one who was into craft beer before it became fashionable.

Living in Munich, I still do my fair share of alpine hiking in the nearby Alps but I find myself ever increasingly drawn to Germany’s brewing heartland to not only find the beers I’ve been looking for there since 1997 but also to enjoy the many trails that more gently get a person from point A to point B. In my case, those points are often if not always breweries.”

Now the scope of Rich’s adventures in hiking and exploring breweries far exceeds what we could offer just in Bend, but there are certainly numerous NW hikes and craft brews to more than pique his interest.

And besides, that would help me convince Janet that we should reciprocate and visit Munich for Beerwandering – a great complimentary activity to Beerchasing. If the photos of the breweries, the beer, the beautiful countryside and the food below entice you, check out his website. (#5 -#12)

https://www.beerwanderers.com/

“(I can be) a resource of information about the beer, food and trails of Bavaria, and in particular the northern part known as Franconia.

If the ideas don’t seem self-explanatory enough or if you just want a local guide to do all the planning, reserving of accommodation, getting you on the right trails to the best breweries and making sure you order (or at least know about) the local delicacies, then please feel free to contact me (thebeerwanderers@gmail.com”

What’s in a Name?

While we enjoyed each of our seven stops on the Trail, Crux, was clearly our favorite. The taproom was magnetic, the beer varied and high quality and the design of merchandise and beer cans and bottles creative.

But the most impressive feature was and still continues to be the grounds surrounding this former AAMCO Transmission Shop.

With food trucks, playground equipment and a stage for musical acts it’s a “community” gathering place that attracts locals and their families, tourists from throughout the Northwest and even “Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers that take a break from their 2,600-mile trek.”

And one cannot help but feel the positive energy that keeps things hopping into the evening. The clever way Crux does “Sundowner Hour” with flexible times during the year depending on when Old Sol disappears below the horizon ($1 off beer 1/2 hour before and after sundown) is another example of creativity.

Crux had its tenth anniversary last summer celebrating the vision of Larry Sidor with co-founders Paul Evers and Dave Wilson

“….During these ten years, Crux has been producing hundreds of different beers and has since expanded into wine, cider, and most recently, whiskey!” Brewpublic.com

I don’t know the origin of the name, but an educated guess is after the celestial Crux:

“a constellation of the southern sky that centered on four bright stars in a cross-shaped asterism commonly known as the Southern Cross. It lies on the southern end of the Milky Way‘s visible band.” (#13 – #14)

Rest on its Laurels? No Way!

While the team at Crux has garnered many awards for both its beer and marketing, they are not resting on their laurels – so to speak. For example, in May 2021:

“After a few trial runs, Crux Fermentation Project has officially released NØ MØ Non-Alcoholic IPA in 12oz cans and on draft. This is the perfect option for those looking at cutting back their alcohol intake, reducing their calories consumed or pairs nicely with a lunch during the work day.

NØ MØ Non-Alcoholic IPA is brewed like a regular IPA using Citra and Mosaic hops.” (Brew Public May 4, 2021) (#15)

NO-MO-12pk-web

And I was especially pleased to read the June 18th article in Oregon Live Andre Meunier’s Beer Column entitled, “Crux Portland Pub opens in SE at former home of Vagabond Brewing.”

“The Crux Portland Pub is pouring 20 taps of its offerings, which eventually will include three batched cocktails.

Beers on the first tap list include five lagers, such as the Bivio Pilz Italian Pilsner; seven IPAs, including hazies and West Coasts, such as the tropical Grade A Portland IPA brewed for the new pub; and Tart Cherry Tough Love, a barrel-aged imperial stout.”

This was welcome news in light of another Oregon Public Broadcasting article entitled: “7 Portland Breweries and Taprooms are Closing. Is Peak Craft Beer Over? It named the following: Pono, Ambacht (Hillsboro), Sessionable, Grains of Wrath, Brewery 26, Unicorn and Conspirator Beverage.

Only one week later Oregon Live reported:

Culmination Brewing, once a Portland rising star, up for sale as costs, pandemic fallout take toll

I was really saddened by the closure of Pono Brewing after a visit with friends in January 2023. It was a wonderful family-oriented tap room with great food and good beer that they brewed temporarily at Zoiglhaus Brewing.

Founder Larry Clouser and his wife in addition to Marketing and Graphic Design Director, Byron Sina were gracious and talked about the challenges they had to overcome and their plans for the future. I wish them well.

While some of these closures were only the Portland-based part of their operations, the tale was familiar:

“Rising costs of operation, change in consumer drinking habits, and the lingering effects of the pandemic have all affected the market.”

But I Will Close on a Happy Note

Janet and I joined our friends John and Kim Limb and John and Sharon Meek for a Sunday afternoon dinner at the the new SE Pub. (Both Johns and I serve on the Abbey Foundation of Oregon Board – we refer to them as First and Second John…)

And while our friendly and competent server, Jen, stated that after opening in early June it’s still a work in progress, we were all impressed and will return.

The Beer – As you can see from the photo below, the tap offerings are rich and include their non-alcoholic brew. They also have wine and cocktails.

The Velvet Underpants IPA (6% – 60 IBU) was the favorite although the Cruz Pilz (5.2% – 35 IBU and the Noisy Boy IPA (5.7% – 65 IBU) both got good reviews and I’m sorry we didn’t get a sampler so we could try more of the tap list.

Photo Jul 23 2023, 5 20 59 PM (2)

Thanks to Kim Limb’s alertness when we walked in – she heard that one of the brewers from Bend was on site – I got to briefly chat and get a photo of Grant McFarren, Crux’s Assistant Brewmaster. (Take a look at this interesting interview with him about Experimental Hops) (#16)

The Food – Rather than rely on food carts as does the Bend location, the new pub has its own kitchen:

“… the menu includes dishes like a chopped cheese sandwich—a New York bodega classic, a muffuletta, sticky wings, a cheese-and-charcuterie board and a beet avocado banh mi.” (Willamette Week 6/19) (#17)

Our group, after a great Brussel Sprout Starter (flash fried and tossed with local hop honey, smoked blue cheese, Crux Whiskey, and pork belly ) had the Muffuletta Sandwich, the Jerk Chicken Sandwich, and the Beet and Burrata Salad (fresh local greens, roasted beets, delicata squash, sun-dried cherries, candied walnuts, pickled red onion, burrata cheese, and focaccia croutons). We were happy with our meals.

The Setting – As mentioned, still a work-in-process, but definite potential for this former Darigold Dairy structure.

There is ample free parking in their lot and on the street. The picnic tables – an interim setup – will be replaced by a full patio with heater which will probably be covered. They have a lot of space on the second floor which is being built out.

All this will supplement the very attractive long bar and current space for tables. And while Vagabond left some brewing hardware, it’s not being used now, but the plan is to brew on site as they progress with their plan:

“The new, modern rustic look is a credit to the skills and hard work of Gary Estenson, Crux’s maintenance manager, and head brewer Sam Wallace, Randles said. They took decades-old onion boxes that had been abandoned on a farm, cleaned them up, and crafted the wood-lined walls with them.

Estenson fabricated the copper-cylinder pendant lights hanging along the bar, in addition to other touches.” (Oregon Live 6/18) (#18 – #19)

Check out the new Crux Portland Pub. It’s here for the long term.

External Photo Attribution

#1. Crux Fermentation Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/cruxfermentationproject/photos/pb.100064366644696.-2207520000./5298066050280973/?type=3).

#2. Crux Fermentation Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/cruxfermentationproject/photos/pb.100064366644696.-2207520000./5673598242727750/?type=3).

#3. – #12. Beerwanderers Facebook Site – Beerwanderers Blog – Rich Carbonara Facebook Site (https://www.facebook.com/beersworththewalk) (https://www.beerwanderers.com/) (https://www.facebook.com/rcarbonara).

#13. Crux Logo – Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=637074851781397&set=a.637074795114736).

#14. Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crux_Chart.jpeg) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Author: Harv4 – 18 April 2014.

#15. Crux Website (NØ MØ Non-Alc IPA | Crux Fermentation Project %)

#16. Linked in (Grant McFarren) ((24) Grant McFarren | LinkedIn).

#17. Food (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=191032433938879&set=pb.100090963706407.-2207520000).

#18 – #19. Fermentation Brewing Project Portland Pub Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/cruxportlandpub).

Beer and Technology Conflate at Binary Brewing

Posted on February 14, 2023 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 and so the narrative is not clipped or shortened. External photo attribution is at the end of the post.) #1

The last brewery I visited in 2022 was suggested by my friend and colleague on the Abbey Foundation of Oregon Board (AFO). John Meek is the Immediate Past President of that Board and there were a couple of reasons I thought this was a good option.

First, the current President of the AFO, John Limb – who just retired after serving as the long-time publisher of the Oregon Catholic Press – and I had a great experience at the Chuckanut Brewery late in the fourth quarter. It provided momentum….

And since I’ve focused on breweries and bars on Portland’s east side and Binary is in the heart of Beaverton on Portland’s west side, this would be an opportunity to take what is purported to be newspaper editor and publisher, Horace Greeley’s advice – albeit on a micro level and as an old guy – “Go West….” (#2)

“Go West, Young Man” – but make it farther than Beaverton!!

Third, and I will tell you more about him below, but John Meek is an extremely bright guy – elected to Phi Beta Kappa and a magna cum laud grad in Computer Science from Washington State University. He’s had an outstanding career in the technology sector and, more importantly, likes good beer.

When I go Beerchasing, I try to focus on people smarter than I am. John is a good example…..!

I didn’t know if John was attracted to Binary because of his career – or the beer – or possibly both. Binary is defined as “relating to, composed of, or involving two things.”

The co-owners of Binary Brewing, Josh Johnson and Roger Wood changed the name and rebranded Uptown Brewing – a beer bar, bottle-shop, and homebrew supply shop – and started brewing in 2018.

Their motto is “Good beer is like software – in the end it’s Binary.”

“The Portland area has a long history of beer and technology. Our team brings together experience in both so we chose a name that reflects those two roots. Our goal is to bring start-up excitement back to the craft beer market – developing new beers and revitalizing classic styles for modern tastes.”

Binary had been operating and brewing with a seven-barrel system out of a very small facility located outside the Beaverton city limits.

In July, 2022, after totally refurbishing what used to be the Beaverton Bakery – located in a 135-year old building – on Broadway in the heart of town, they upgraded to a ten-barrel system and enough fermentation vessels to more than quadruple former production. (Oregon Beer News) #3

The result was a compact, but well designed and attractive taproom and brewery in the back with an impressively large picture window showing the brewing hardware:

“The one element that remains as a tribute to the old bakery is a portion of the 1930s era floor near the main entrance—blue-and-gray hand-painted cement that resembles a charming patchwork quilt.” https://www.wweek.com/bars/beer/2022/07/19/binary-brewing-opens-its-pub-and-production-facility-in-beaverton-this-week/

Binary’s plan was ambitious and their new digs allowed them to can and distribute. And the taproom is upscale and mod – unusual for the genre:

“A plant lined skylight adds warmth to the white, black and cold metal blue tones of the taproom with the punch of bright plants to liven up the computer circuitry themed space….

The open windows to the brewing operations are framed with the coolest customized aspect of the taproom, the draft towers that emulate the circuit board art of the Binary logo.” https://newschoolbeer.com/home/2022/7/binary-brewing-opens-in-beaverton

There’s also a separate room with a large community table, a few additional small tables and two old-fashioned pinball machines – a nice touch. A hall leads out to a patio, which is very nice although the picture on their website doesn’t adequately convey it.

The Beer

According to Andre Meunier in his 12/11/19 article in Oregon Live: “(Head Brewer Roger Wood, makes) mostly English and German styles, including pales ales, stouts, a Kolsch and a helles, plus IPAs of course, including hazies”

“One of my favorite parts about Roger’s brewing is … balance is one of our specialties,” (Co-owner) Johnson says. ‘We call it the bitter loop, and it’s that we always want that beer to finish a little bit dry and a little bit bitter — dries out the mouth, and what it does is it makes you want to drink more. Another sip, another pint.'”

Photo Nov 15 2022, 3 36 03 PM (2)

Surprisingly, Binary’s website is not that informative. There is nothing about its history (I got what I could from multiple news and internet articles) which is unfortunate because they have a good story to tell.

And unlike most breweries, there is no description of their beer along with the picture of label. Fortunately, our server, Angela, was very helpful and knowledgeable about the nuances of the beer.

While they have a food menu with prices for their Megabits operation (described below), they don’t have prices for their beer in the taproom – perhaps as noted in a few reviews, that’s because they are a bit pricey – pints are $7 and a flight of five four-ounce pours is $12.

There were twelve beers on tap and at John’s suggestion – which was a good one – we went for two flights to get a better idea of the variety and what we liked. So we got to taste ten of the twelve beers on tap.

IMG_7603 (2)

The favorites were Mech 47 – a hazy IPA @ 6.2ABV, Virtual Redality @5.7 and which compared favorably to the red ales which I usually order on brewery visits and the Arrakis – a spiced ale @6.3. The Pinball Pils @5.2 also was a hit. (Since they didn’t have descriptions on the Binary website, I’ve provided the links to Untapd for its reviews.)

To my recollection, we thought that all of the beers rated favorably for our personal tastes.

One reason, I’m disappointed at the lack of description of their beers is that they do a wonderful and creative job with their labels. I’ve shown three of the four mentioned above which were on the website although Arrakis wasn’t shown.

You can see that they also put a lot of creativity into the names of their brews, most of which have clever names related to technology. For example, I loved the “Wheatadore 64” as it brought back old memories!

So why not just give a brief description of each one to help the consumer?! (#4-6)

The Companionship

One of the most valued aspects of my idiosyncratic hobby, is the company I keep when I go Beerchasing. There are some “regulars” who’ve gone on multiple trips such as retired lawyer, Jim Westwood, members of the Faust Clan (Jack, Amy and Charlie) and former colleagues from the Schwabe firm.

The photos below are from Beerchasing at the former Burnside Brewing, Mad Sons’ Pub, Crackerjack’s Pub and The Independent Sports Bar – the first three are gone but not forgotten….a comment on the pandemic’s effect on small hospitality businesses.

While John and I had been to Cooper Mountain Ale Works in Tigard over a year ago, we mostly talked about Mount Angel Abbey issues and I didn’t get to hear much of John’s background. So as we were going through our flights I asked him (and since he is a humble guy) supplemented that with info from Linked-in.

John, since his graduation from college in 1978, has been involved in executive management of tech companies. And his impressive list of positions started the year he graduated with his first job at Timberline Systems.

Most business and professional service people know it’s a good NW firm that develops, markets, and supports accounting and management software for construction, estimating, property management, and architect/engineering industries. (See the link for the interesting history.) (#7)

John-Meek-AR20

In 1986 the company changed its name to Timberline Software Corporation and named John the Vice-president of Research and Development. He worked at Timberline for twenty years and the next ten in senior executive positions at WellMed and WebMD.

Since 2010, he has been self-employed as the Managing Member of

And John, like many people who already have demanding schedules also is a guy with poor refusal skills – he donates a lot of time for active roles in charitable organizations.

These have included the Assistance League of Portland Advisory Council, Special Olympics-Oregon (Chair of the Board since 2014) and the Abbey Foundation of Oregon where he just completed two years as President of the Board and still serves on the Executive Committee.

He and his wife, Sharon, are world-wide travelers and sports people. The left picture is high on the Eiger in Switzerland, while below right shows John scuba diving in Cuba. (#8 – #9)

From May 7th to the 20th John and Sharon Meek and others from the Northwest will join Fr. Odo Recker, O.S.B., and Fr. Timothy Kalange, O.S.B., – two Benedictine monks from the Mount Angel Abbey on a 12-day pilgrimage to Israel and Palestine!

Since my technology skills were never significantly honed and have diminished further since retirement, I tried to impress John (having checked my 9th grade math primer before our visit).

When our tab came to $29, I casually mentioned that it was the equivalent of $11101 in the binary system. I then showed him conceptually, my work for the conversion:

Divide the number by 2.
Get the integer quotient for the next iteration.
Get the remainder for the binary digit.
Repeat the steps until the quotient is equal to 0. (#10)

If only I had Cue Math when I was in 9th grade!

He told me that I should stick to conversations comparing lagers to ales and the nuances thereof…..

Final Observations

We didn’t eat on this trip but Megabits – the in-house restaurant which has an eclectic menu. It includes a number of slider options, three “big” salads and plenty of small bites such as mac & cheese, deviled eggs and cheese curds. Prices appear to be reasonable and the ratings on individual social media and news commentary are good.

Initially, Binary was the only brew pub in downtown Beaverton, but since their opening others have proliferated. They now include Beaverton taprooms for nearby Loyal Legion, Von Ebert, Ex Novo, Great Notion and the (ever-expanding) Steeple Jack Breweries.

Binary is therefore trying to build a “community” through its Mug Club and a number of events which appear to be interesting and creative. (#11-13)

John and I will have to return to check out the patio and see how proficient we are on the Godzilla and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pinball machines and whether we can use artificial intelligence to help! We both thought Binary Brewing was a good experience with very drinkable beers and good ambiance. (#14)

Cheers

External Photo Attribution

#1 Binary Brewery Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=445502577557729&set=a.402923055149015).

#2 Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (Horace Greeley restored – Horace Greeley – Wikipedia) This file was provided to Wikimedia Commons by the National Archives and Records Administration as part of a cooperation project. The National Archives and Records Administration provides images depicting American and global history which are public domain or licensed under a free license.

#3 Binary Brewery Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/binarybrewingco/photos/pb.).

#4 – #6 (https://www.binarybrewing.co/beers)

#7 Mount Angel Abbey Annual Report (https://abbeyfoundationoforegon-annualreport.org/)

#8 – #9 Courtesy of John Meek

#10 Cue Math Website (https://www.cuemath.com/numbers/29-in-binary/)

#11 – #13 Binary Brewing Website (https://www.binarybrewing.co/s/stories).

#14 Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons ((Wikimedia Commons (File:BinaryData.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. Author: Sérgio Valle Duarte 1999.)