we’ve taken our love of our favorite bar to another level! for a couple years now, we’ve decided Lompoc makes the best beer in portland. their LSD is the best daily tap available in the city. that said, we barely ever even get the LSD because they consistently have 2-3 seasonal beers available, which are delicious. monster mash? munich 69? dark side porter? black dawn coffee stout? big bang red? ‘nuff said.
then, a couple of years ago they open the Sidebar. just around the corner from their 5Q location. which have i mentioned is only 7 blocks from my house? anyway, the sidebar is a tasting bar, where the tap list focuses on their seasonal brews and specialty batches aged or fermented in bourbon and wine barrels. a whole new level of awesomeness.
during the holidays and the holiday ale fest they released the Franc’ly Brewdolph. maybe the best beer i’ve ever had. and trust me, i’ve done my fair share of drinking. especially winter beers. every time this beer makes its appearance on their tap list, i show up to partake in a glass, or four (seriously, you can’t stop, it’s like that old pringles commercial). during one of these glorious occasions, we chatted with one of the brewers to discover that they’d be having a brewer’s dinner in january – each course paired with a delicious brew, some of which aren’t available on tap. those words sealed the deal.
highlights from the dinner:
favorite pairing: the bread pudding with creme anglaise and tavern rat caramel with the 1998 Old Tavern Rat barley wine. just outstanding in every way. barley wines that are too sweet are not my thing, and with the age, i thought it might swing that direction, but instead, this beer couldn’t have been balanced better. the complex and deep flavors made this a surprising favorite for me.
favorite beer: the bourbon-barrel aged Monster Mash. the monster mash is a great porter, but aged this way….mmmmmm….i think i might have asked for two or three refills. oopsy. the turnovers they were paired with were also delicious.
favorite dish: the duck. i have never had duck served cold. or smoked duck. i think this was the best way to eat duck. it was thinly shaved and served with apples, shallots and a LSD molasses sauce that just made this dish amazing.
favorite surprise: the port barrel-aged Brewdolph. who knew they aged this beer so many ways? this version was also quite tasty and enjoyable. but i am still in love with the Franc’ly.
added bonus: we walked away with a snuggie and a new hat!
taphandle 
Leave a comment