Hail to the Ale (and Cider House)

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

West Linn is a suburb of Portland, Oregon – about twelve miles south – a wonderful community as I related in my last blog post – “Thanksgiving Thoughts.” We’ve lived here for the last forty-two years.

With a population of 28,000, it’s an ideal place to reside. I’d never have believed that when I played sports at Oregon City High School in the mid-60’s, that West Linn (our arch cross-town rival) would become my home for most of my life.

In fact, as reported in Oregon Live, the rivalry has a rich history

“The (West Linn) Lions and (Oregon City) Pioneers will try to win the ‘Battle for the Bridge,’ a rivalry that started in 1921. The game is billed as the longest continuously played high school football rivalry west of the Mississippi River.”

“With an all-time series deadlocked at 50-50-1 after 101 historic meetings, anticipation is at fever pitch. ” (Greatamericanrivalry.com) November 2024

(Last year West Linn won 52 to 13 and in 2024, it was a 63 to 0 shellacking in 2024.)

Some high school seniors used to walk across the arch on the historic bridge on the day of the game. (Perhaps some of the Pioneer footballers are now tempted to jump……#3)

The Oregon City Bridge, also known as the Arch Bridge, over the Willamette River.

Now, when I was in high school, the two schools were fairly evenly matched. The highlight for me came in my senior year at OCHS. When our basketball team played West Linn at home, we were leading the TYV League, but West Linn had a very good team.

As we took the court for warm-ups in our cracker-box gym, the Pioneer’s five-person Pep Band, perched on a precarious platform off the balcony, blared out “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” (No.1 by The Tokens in 1961). The crowd went wild.

We went on to soundly beat the Lions and won the 1966 League Championship – the first time in twenty-one years and went on to the State Tournament. In the last ten years, however, West Linn has become an Oregon sports powerhouse.

Take a look at their record of Oregon State Championships.

Baseball: 1978, 1982, 2022, 2023, 2024
Boys Basketball: 1997 (4A), 1997 (3A), 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
Boys Swimming; 1948
Boys Track and Field: 1996, 1997, 1998
Boys Tennis: 2003, 2004, 2023
Choir: 2019, 2022
Dance/Drill: 1989, 1991
Football: 2016, 2022, 2024
Girls Golf: 2010, 2011, 2014, 2016
Girls Swimming: 1950, 1951
Volleyball: 1998, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2021
Wrestling: 2023

Those who follow professional sports will recognize the names of these WLHS Alums all within the last ten years:

Payton Pritchard (Celtics – NBA), Alex Forsyth (Denver Broncos – NFL), Jayden Grant (Las Vegas Raiders – NFL) and Elijah Molden (LA Chargers – NFL) – all WLHS alums – Clockwise below: – Pritchard, Forsyth, Grant and Molden. (#4 – #7)

But I Digress…

While most of the bars and breweries I’ve reviewed are in Portland or throughout Oregon, I have a few West Linn favorites including the Salty Rhino and the Nineteen 33 Taproom.

I revisited an establishment just last week, however, in the heart of the historic district of Willamette which merged with the City of West Linn in 1923.

I made my first trip to the Ale and Cider House in 2018 and returned on a recent Saturday night to hear our friend of many years, Charlie Rose, and his group, Parkwood play some great tunes. (more about Charlie below)

As described in the City of West Linn’s website:

“This district stands out due to its exceptional collection of Victorian and early-twentieth-century American architectural styles, which have remained largely intact. Its period of significance extends from 1895, when the first residences were erected, to 1929 when construction activity declined significantly, mainly attributed to the onset of the Great Depression and a dwindling supply of available building lots.” (#8 – #9)

The establishment opened in early 2018. As stated in their website:

“The Ale and Cider House (A&CH) blends the charm of a traditional English-style public house with modern amenities. Originally established in 1915, the building underwent a complete rebuild and remodeling in 2018.

The warm and inviting atmosphere of A&CH….makes it the perfect backdrop for creating nostalgic memories with your loved ones.”

And it has an appealing ambiance with a number of nooks and crannies, a great long bar and a small area for bands and entertainers. Behind the taproom is an event center and also an expansive beer garden – the entire operation is 16,500 square feet. It’s an amazing part of this community.

They have a robust selection of beers, ciders and wine Their website states:

“Our e-commerce platform allows for our customers to order bottles from our International bottle shop and 32 oz crowlers or 32/64 oz growlers from our 42 taps of craft beer and cider to-go.“

An expansive selection of drafts

Enhancing this establishment is the fact that it is a local family-owned business (7Bev Corp). I talked to General Manager Toney Chay, son of his co-parent owners (Ann and JC) and they’ve thrived since inception in 2015 with exciting plans for the future:

“7Bev is a vertically integrated beverage company engaged in real estate development, farming, production, and self-distributed sales and marketing of alcoholic beverages.” (#10 – #12)

The Chay family supports the West Linn and surrounding communities and the Ale and Cider House has become a local hub and gathering place. The A&CH doesn’t brew its own beer (although that’s planned in the next year) but their flagship brew is Queen Orchard Base Brut French Dry Cider.

“….with a light, refreshing taste that’s perfect for solo sipping or creating delicious cocktails. Its delicate flavor, reminiscent of Brut Champagne, makes it ideal for any occasion – from special celebrations to casual gatherings.” (#13)

Events

20210519-155204_orig

With their spacious facilities, they can host both large and small groups and enthusiastically support non-profit groups. The reviews are great as evidenced by these two from Yelp on 6/11/24 and 1/21/23 respectively:

“The team at the A+CH helped us organize and execute a truly special night for our 2024 WLHS graduates. They talked us through food and beverage options and were so easy to work with! We had approximately 200 people celebrating- we had music and games and everyone loved the fun casual atmosphere. The location is truly special with a beautiful outdoor area and minors are welcome.”

20191214-173758_1

“I found this gem of a place in West Linn. Wow, what a great place to hold a company party, a family gathering or other events. This is a fantastic venue for any party!

Food

Rotating food trucks are adjacent with NW local vendors including Bellagio’s Pizza, Kelly’s Tacos and Cousins Maine Lobster.

Entertainment

The A&CH has live entertainment on most Fridays through Sundays ranging from rock, jazz, R & B, country western and folk music. Every Thursday is an Open-Mic night.

We loved listening to Charlie Rose and Tim Walker’s group Parkwood on a Saturday night. Their rendition of “Into the Mystic” was the best I’ve heard other than Van Morrison himself. Their tunes range from Chicago to the Eagles and even the Judds. Great sounds and they return on December 20th. (#14 – #16)

A Rose is a Rose…

Now this is not only a blog about bars and breweries, but also about people – interesting and talented ones and that’s why I’m finishing with a profile of Charles Rose II.

I can make the case that Charlie is a Northwest version of the Renaissance Man although he doesn’t paint and have as full a beard as Leonardo Di Vinci.

He studied Mechanical Engineering at Portland State University and worked for PacifiCorp for four years before opening his own firm – Rose Technical Graphics where he and his team have produced computer-aided design services (two and three-dimensional technical graphics) for thirty-eight years. (#17)

Design services since 1987

Charlie was a high school athlete, and besides his musical talent, is the type of guy who can build and fix anything from woodwork to video technology. For many years, while his sons attended West Linn High School, Charlie filmed and edited the WLHS football games video for post-game analysis by the coaches.

But where I most saw Charlie shine was in the outdoors – years of Father/Daughter backpack trips. Mr. Rose always shouldered the heaviest pack because he carried all the maps as well as the tools to accommodate and dispose of our waste needs environmentally in the National Forests where we adventured.

One of the most memorable treks was our 1997 climb of the South Sister – at 10,358 feet, Oregon’s third highest peak. The daughters and their dads camped at Green Lakes, before reaching the summit the next day and walking five miles out to our cars by flashlight that night.

I still have memories of the rich, dark coffee that Charlie brewed for us that evening at Green Lakes – also lying awake in the tent we shared until 2:30 AM because of the resultant caffeine high.

These annual hikes had a lasting impact both on the fathers and daughters.

In closing, I might add that those remarkable girls – all WLHS graduates and now in their late thirties – continued their ascents – academically and professionally:

Their careers include an athletic trainer, a pediatric emergency department nurse, a teacher including a stint in Teach for America, a speech therapist who opened her own clinic, a surgeon and a marketing professional who formed and eventually sold her nutrition-focused company.

One month ago, they held their 20th WLHS reunion where they and their classmates enjoyed the festivities at the Ale and Cider House event center. Go figure! (#18)

External Photo Attribution

#1. -#2. Facebook Page Willamette Cider and Ale House (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=761397615314774&set=a.761397571981445).

#3. Oregon City High School Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/oregoncityhighschool/posts/the-104th-football-game-oc-vs-west-linnfriday-november-1-at-700pmpioneer-memoria/1147621267371819/)

#4. Wikimedia Commons (Payton Pritchard Celtics – Payton Pritchard – Wikipedia) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. Author: Erik Drost – 15 November 2021.

#5. Public Domain – Wikipedia Commons (File:Alex Forsyth.webp – Wikimedia Commons) This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work prepared by an officer or employee of the United States Government as part of that person’s official duties. Author: Petty Officer 2nd Class Joel Mundo – 26 December 2022.

#6. BeaversEdge.com (Oregon State DB Jaydon Grant Announces His Return For 2022 – BeaversEdge: Oregon State Beavers Football & Basketball Recruiting). Author: Brenden Slaughter – 2 January 2022.

#7. Wikimedia Commons (File:Elijah Molden 2021 09-19.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Author: Chipermc – 19 September 2021.

#8. # Historic Willamette.com (Historic Willamette Main Street).

#9. Facebook Page Historic Willamette (https://www.facebook.com/HistoricWillamette).

#10. Queen Orchard Cider Website (https://www.queenorchard.com/).

11. Ale and Cider House Website (https://www.aleandcider.com/making-of-ach.html).

#12. 7Bev Website (https://www.7bev.com/about.html).

#13. Ale and Cider House Website (https://www.aleandcider.com/event-venue.html).

#14. Facebook Page Ale and Cider House (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1299189848202212&set=pb.100043336284735.-2207520000&type=3).

#15. Linked in ((13) Charlie Rose | LinkedIn)

#16. Courtesy of Charlie Rose

#17. Crunchbase.com (Rose Technical Graphics).

#18. Ale and Cider House Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/aleandciderhouse/photos/pb.100043336284735.-2207520000/2205293556449079/?type=3).

There’s No Prohibition — Visit the Nineteen 33 Taproom

Posted on February 4, 2017 by Thebeerchaser

The Nineteen 33 Taproom is a nice little bar in the historic Willamette section of West Linn, with an impressive selection of beers on tap, a nice menu including Happy Hour specials and live music once each week.

Now, you could also hit bars with the same name (or at least built around the “1933” title) in Bakersfield, Indianapolis, New Orleans, Dallas, Clearwater Florida, Ruleville Mississippi, Cantonville Maryland and even Utica New York.

Police raid at Elk Lake (albeit in Canada, you get the idea….)

So why do so many US bars adopt this moniker? It’s not their address. 1933 (December 15th specifically) is, however, a reference to an important year in US history, especially in the chronology of distilled spirits.

That’s because it was the year in which the 18th Amendment to the US Constitution – the legal basis for Prohibition adopted in 1919 – was repealed and replaced (those words have a new connotation…) by the 21st Amendment. The latter is the only one of twenty-seven to be ratified for the specific purpose of repealing another amendment. And most people think this grand social scheme was a failure including the infamous, Al Capone, who opined – probably while in prison…:

“Prohibition has made nothing but trouble.”

And Oregon was even more conservative than the rest of the country…….

“On November 3, 1914, the Temperance League won their victory—Oregon voters passed a state amendment prohibiting the sale, manufacture, or advertisement of alcohol in the state. On January 16, 1920, the 18th Amendment went into effect and the rest of the country joined Oregon in restless temperance.” (Portland Mercury 1/22/09)

Historic Gerbers 1933 in Utica

Probably, the most notable of the 1933 bars in the list of cities above is Utica’s Gerber’s 1933 Tavern, which:

“…. is an historic speak easy restored to its original luster. The tavern was vacant for nearly 40 years before it reopened in April 2013. We strive to operate the tavern as it would have been nearly a century ago. The building that houses Gerber’s has a rich and varied history. It’s been a Tobacco shop, produce store, café, fish fry, saloon and more.”

But back to the 1933 Taproom in West Linn. Owned by Vince and Lisa Strafford, who evidently also own two Portland pizza restaurants, it is in a non-descript block in which one almost doesn’t notice that it is a bar.

It has a nice dark and quiet interior – this is not a bar where you are going to see a jovial and raucous group of regulars, but just friends sitting at a few tables having one of their thirty-three beers and two ciders on tap, a glass of wine or some interesting craft cocktails.

You can also listen to tunes by local musicians each Thursday from 6:00 to 9:00.

Happy-hour is from 4:00 to 5:00 each week day, 2:00 to 5:00 on Saturdays and all day on Sunday.

They have some great happy-hour small plates and the best option appeared to be the 1/3 pound burger at $6 with a heaping batch of fries for another $2. You can also take a buck of your beer or glass of wine – beer ranges from $5 to $7 for a pint at regular pricing.

Signature burgers…

We missed happy hour and the food is a tad bit expensive, but of notable quality and presentation. Jamie Magnusson had an outstanding $12 Prohibition Burger (“local certiﬁed Angus beef, caramelized onions, aged cheddar, peppercorn dijonnaise, pancetta, tomato. Served with fries.”)

Ryan Keene had the Romano Burger – also $12 (“local certiﬁed Angus beef glazed with balsamic, basil, tomato, fresh mozzarella and roasted tomato aioli. Served with fries.”)

A lot of crab with the mac & cheese

My macaroni and cheese with white cheddar and crab for $14 was the best dish of its kind I had in 2016.

And we should talk about their beers because the selection is robust and the staff is both friendly and knowledgeable and more than willing to let you sample until you hit the one you want – an option missing in many bars these days.

Ryan, Madeline (a great server) and Jamie

“The waitress offered fantastic suggestions for the numerous local beers on draft. She knew every detail about each beer and offered to let us try multiple samples.” (Yelp 11/6/16)

On my second trip, my old friend and retired investment guru, Chet Dato, rode up to meet me on his Harley. When drinking beer, Chet is a stout fan (his favorite is Avery Brewing’s Tweak (16% ABV) and Uncle Jacob (17.1% ABV), both of which are not generally available in Oregon (and two pints of which would put you under the table…….!)

Chet telling stories to a captivated Kevin……

So after talking to our amiable and helpful bartender, Kevin, he decided on the Top O’ the Feckin Morning from nearby Feckin Brewing in Oregon City. He thought it was a very good stout although at 8.5%, pretty tame in comparison with the Avery brews.

Nineteen 33’s diverse tap list allowed me to try a Sun River Brewing Vicious Mosquito IPA, (7% ABV and 70 IBU)which since I was current on my inoculations, I did without reservation. (“This hop attack is coming at you like the vicious mosquitos at our nearby Cascade Mountains.”)

By the way, Chet’s bike is a Harley Davidson 2001 FatBoy, which he points out is the bike that Arnold Schwarzenegger rode in Terminator 2.

He and his wife average about 15,000 miles a year (national average is 3,000) and have ridden as far east as Detroit Michigan and south to Tombstone and all the states in-between.

Chet and wife on road trip

And you will see why from the photo below, Chet reminds me of one of the other quality biker guys I met while Beerchasing – this one in Lincoln City at the Old Oregon Saloon.

————–

On that summer day in 2014 when he walked in after his bike trip up from San Francisco, the Old O bartender told me that Irish Mike McKenna is the bar’s “Local Ambassador.” For the full story, which is kind of amusing, see the post below:

Irish Mike and Thebeerchaser at the Old O

https://thebeerchaser.com/2014/09/23/thebeerchaser-does-the-central-oregon-coast-part-i/

The Nineteen 33 Taproom scores very well in social media reviews. For example, this excerpt from a very long, but well written Yelp review on 9/6/16:

“Do not go to the Nineteen 33 Taproom. Seriously, I want this place all to myself. Comofortable old English style taproom with a bit of whimsy. A class act bartender that was down to earth, professional and could make a mean dirty martini.

The small menu leaves you wanting to order everything off of it. The person who designed the menu loves food with a passion. It is a wisp of Italian, southern comfort and an obvious fetish for tasty treasures from the sea. I did not hesitate on the prices once I tasted the food….The food was excellent.

There is a secret to this taproom. Everything seems perfectly placed, the food seems perfectly prepared, the staff seems perfectly charming, the beer seems perfectly organized and this taproom is now perfectly my number one destination in West Linn.”

————————

One notable exception to the positive reviews was from this curmudgeon from Oregon City. And I will quote part of his 2/6/16 review only to demonstrate that some people appear to have no sense of perspective when they get on the internet. (As you read this, keep in mind that this same guy, gave only one or two stars – out of five – to six of the last nine Yelp reviews he auhored):

Out of context????

“Then I started picking up on things. If you are going to go for a 30’s theme, how about some consistency? I think the digital boards take away from the look. The theme they use for these boards make them nearly worthless anyhow. Very basic. If you are going to use digital boards…..use the system everyone else seems to have. It is interactive and friendly on the eyes. (Note: Their system was fine and helpful in selecting a beer.)

Now, another ‘Why?’ If you are a ‘Taproom’ why do you have liquor? I can understand a couple types of wine on hand. But a basic bar is just confusing. You don’t have a taproom, you have a bar. (Note: “Confusing” – Are you kidding me???)

Then the music keeps changing over to different genres, or categories. Adult contemporary, 90’s? and some other basic non-offensive channels. But again, it is digital. Maybe I am too stuck on the decor/theme aspect, but it was just segmented and awkward. Then to top it off, a Kramer poster in the restroom. Not a painting, but a framed Seinfeld poster. (Note: Perhaps this guy needs to have a serious face-to-face chat with Chet or Irish Mike to gain some perspective.”)

Now people are entitled to their own opinions, but in light of that absurd, fastidious diatribe, I’ll end this post with what I consider a more valid description from a Nineteen 33 “regular.”

“We have gone to Nineteen 33 more than a dozen times, Food is always great and drinks are prefect, service is a 10+. We go here once a week and have never been disappointed. Great tap selection too.” (Yelp 6/5/16)

There’s no Prohibition to stop you. Visit Nineteen 33 soon and tell them Thebeerchaser sent you — and try not to be disappointed with the Seinfeld poster. It was placed there in honor of Art Vandely…

Nineteen 33 Taproom 1873 Willamette Falls Drive West Linn

Thebeerchaser

Bars, Breweries and Watering Holes – An Exploration

Tag Archives: Nineteen 33 Taproom West Linn

Hail to the Ale (and Cider House)

There’s No Prohibition — Visit the Nineteen 33 Taproom