Breakside Brewery's 2nd Anniversary Block Party

Breakside Brewery, the little NE brewpub that could, is celebrating its 2nd anniversary in big fashion with a huge party on Saturday, May 12, from 1pm until 7pm. The Block Party will feature live music, special release beers, and guest "celebrity" chefs on the outdoor grill, with an additional 8-10 beers on tap outside to augment what is on in the pub. Here is what you can expect, according to brewer Ben Edmunds:

Bourbon Barrel-Aged 1st Anniversary Wheat Wine: Last year, for our 1st anniversary, I brewed a strong wheat ale, a portion of which has now been aging in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels for 13 months. We released a very small amount for Lucky Lab's Barleywine fest, and this beer is tasting great. It will be a real treat.

Gin Barrel-Aged 2nd Anniversary Sour Golden: My brew to commemorate our 2nd anniversary is a barrel-aged version of our Summer Golden. The base beer (a slightly sour golden ale made with ginger and kaffir lime leaf) has been aging in an Old Tom Gin barrel with additional kaffir lime leaves and juniper berries.

Passionfruit Berlinerweisse: In what will become a Breakside tradition, our assistant brewer Sam Barber has also brewed his own anniversary beer. A 100% sour mashed Berlin-style wheat beer made with passionfruit. 

Bourbon Barrel-Aged Cherry Aztec: We regularly age our flagship strong beer, Aztec Ale, in bourbon barrels. For this batch, we've been aging it on Oregon cherries to create a layered, fruity, spicy dessert beer.

We'll also be releasing the final kegs of our Bourbon Barrel-Aged Tripel and our Gin Barrel IPA. Our regular lineup of beers will be available as well, and we expect to have a handful of seasonal beers still around, including the latest two beers in our Chef Collaboration series: Apizza Alt, a traditional altbier made with Brian Spangler of Apizza Scholls and Lincoln Kolsch, a Northwest take on a German-style kolsch brewed by Jenn Louis of Lincoln and Sunshine Tavern. 

The ticket package will be $15 for a commemorative tasting glass and 5 drink tickets for our outside tent. As a party plus, we'll be selling mixed six packs of all of the anniversary and barrel-aged beers for that day only. Additionally, we're getting special release 'birthday beers' from our friends at Upright, Burnside, Widmer Bros. and The Commons.  Live music will include Denver, the country/western/indie band who we collaborated with for this year's Malt Ball, and Catholic School, brewer Sam Barber's crunk folk duo. 

We're also excited that some of the chefs/restauranteurs with whom we've collaborated over the last year have agreed to man a grill in our beer tent, offering chalkboard specials throughout the day. Expect to see Rodney Muirhead (Podnah's Pit), Paul Kasten (Wildwood), Andy Arndt (Truss), Adam Robinson (The Bent Brick), and Yetta Vorobik (The Hop and Vine) behind the grill, as they celebrate with us. And just for good measure, the kitchen and restaurant will be running regular lunch and dinner service as well.

Also on Breakside's agenda:

We are excited to announce a beer dinner that we're having at Aviary (1733 NE Alberta) on Tuesday, May 15. The four-course meal will be limited to twenty tickets and will be held in the back room of the Aviary Bar. The cost is $45 per person plus gratuity. As always, these dinners are a great value--four courses, four beers and a chance to mingle with the brewers and chefs. We expect tickets to go fast; reservations can be made through the restaurant at 503-287-2400 Here is the menu:

First: Steak tartare with fried quail eggs and pickled cauliflower with Bourbon Barrel-Aged Tripel

Second: Steamed clams with, sugar snap peas, pig snout bacon, chile miso broth with "A Good Problem to Have" Summer Golden Ale with kaffir lime and ginger

Third: Crispy pig ear with Witbier

Fourth: Dark chocolate tart with coffee tahini ice cream, grapefruit with Passionfruit Berlinerweisse