Aside from putting a face to the name (often we only start by seeing fellow geeks on the Twitters), we hope this will help you to recognize a fellow beer geek, and make sure to say 'Hullo.' Here, we meet Chris!
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| pdxbeergeek Chris aka DrSci |
Hometown: Vancouver, WA
Favorite Beer:
Wow. I don’t know if I can pick just one. My go-to beers are my own homebrew. My favorite styles are IPAs and stouts for commercial beers. I enjoy the strong flavors of IPAs like Ruination from Stone and actually find Guinness to be watery.
Favorite Beer Haunt:
Beermongers, Plews, Saraveza….etc. There are a lot of others, but these would be my top 3.
What was the first craft brew you ever tried? What did you think?
Late 80s, early 90s, when I was in grad-school. It would have been a McMenamins beer from their (at the time) new brewpub in Corvallis. I remember thinking it wasn’t the usual beer I was used to drinking in college.
Do you homebrew? If yes, favorite homebrew to date:
Yes, I’ve been brewing with a friend for over a year and a half…We are probably pushing about 30 batches by now. The only recipe we have repeated has been our imperial chocolate stout (4 times). Amazing stuff. My favorite from the last year would be a hoppy red ale that we call Cardinal Sin. Most of our beers are named after birds. (My buddy is really into birding)
How’d you hear about the pdxbeergeeks?
Twitter and a few exchanges with people in the group.
What does being a beer geek mean to you?
That I will drive 15-20 miles just to go to a Meet the Brewer event in PDX. I won’t be out of place in my SNOB tshirt, or sipping slowly from the glass and raising the glass to enjoy the smells and looks of the beer. I usually won’t be the only one taking notes. I can talk with others about the brewing process and will be understood. I will notice characteristics of a beer and, yes, think about swiping ideas for a future brewing project.
If you could change one thing about beer culture in the US, what would it be?
I think there are a lot of people out there that can’t get past the big brewers…it’s not Bud, it’s not beer. I have 2 in-laws who fit this description. I do like that we are starting to get more regional craft beers in places like Safeway. It’s a small change, but it’s a start. Educating people about the beer making process and the styles would go a long way in improving the impression of craft beer….
What do you love about Portland’s Craft Beer scene?
The variety of places and events that are out there. I enjoy the festivals, but these are getting too crowded as the years go by. Too many people there to get wasted and not really enjoy the opportunity they have to try beers from outside their region. As I mentioned before, I will regularly drive across from Vancouver to visit places such as Saraveza, Beermongers, Belmont Station, Plews, etc. just to go to a Meet the Brewer event, or to be there for a special tapping of a rare beer. My wife is a saint to put up with me.
Where can we find you on the web?
on twitter: DrSci
and facebook: DocScience
We'll be featuring different Beer Geeks through the blog, so if you're a #pdxbeergeek and you're interested in being featured, let us know!
