If you have never been to Pacific City, then get there now.  It is the perfect time of year for the Oregon Coast, where the crowds are thinner and the beach is just as beautiful.  Also try your hand at Tuna fishing through mid-September.  Located right on the beach – you can actually sit at tables with sand beneath your toes – the Pelican has amazing views of the ocean. The menu is typical pub food with some fresh seafood tossed in. The food is good, but the prices are a tad high, what can you expect, they are ON the beach. The Pelican has managed to find a balance between being a traditional dark-paneled pub and a family friendly restaurant without diminishing either.

Pelican Pub & Brewery
Pacific City, Oregon
(503) 965-7007

Beers Sampled:

• Surfer Summer Ale

  • The slight herbal fruity smell from this golden glacial hopped concoction make it on of the freshest summer ales I have ever tasted!  Here is the rundown:

  • Ingredients:

    • Golden Promise malt
      Wheat malt
      Torrefied wheat
      Glacier hops
      Pure local water
      Pure ale yeast

  • Specifications:

    • 12.5 degrees Plato
      Alcohol: 5.5% by volume
      Bitterness: 26 IBU
      Color: 8 SRM

• Saison du Pelican

  • Beautiful saison belgian style ale, with a sweet spicy twinge, think spicy citrus.  It aftertaste is especially nice, and its very drinkable.  Here is the rundown:

  • Ingredients:

    • Pale Ale malt
      Flaked Spelt
      Glacier hops
      Pure local water
      Belgian-type ale yeast

  • Specifications:

    • 13.2 degrees Plato
      Alcohol: 6.0% by volume
      Bitterness: 25 IBU
      Color: 8 SRM

• Doryman's Dark Ale

• Dark rich with malts and very balanced.  It can be a great compliment to the fish and chips available here.  I think this is a quintessential coastal beer, and you should not leave the Pelican without tasting it. 
• Ingredients:

• Pale Ale Malt
  White Wheat Malt
  Caramel Malt
  Chocolate Malt
  Mt. Hood Hops
  Cascade Hops
  Magnum Hops
  Pure Local Water
  Pure Ale Yeast

• Specifications:

  • 14 degrees Plato
    Alcohol: 5.8% by volume
    Bitterness: 42 IBU
    Color: 33 lovibond

Pros: good service, incredible views, you can wander in off of the beach for a beer, when the weather is good there is sandy play area for your kids that you can see from the outdoor tables.

Cons: prices are a little high

Go to their Fall Brewers Dinner on October 18th 2008

where Head Brewer Darron Welch and Executive Chef Pieter Vanden Hogen prepare another fabulous dinner event featuring the foods of Spain expertly paired with the award winning beers of the Pelican Pub & Brewery. Book Early as the dinners sell out well in advance.
$75 per person
Doors open at 6:30pm with Dinner at 7:00pm.  Call the Brewery for more details and tell them Brew Republic Sent You!

Had a chance to stop by the Full Sail Keg at the Oregon Brewers Festival and try their excellent pale bock.  It was smooth and malty, just like I wanted it to be.  It was one of my favorites of a festival overrun with IPA's.  So it happens that I was able to visit a few short days later the wonderful brewery in the scenic Columbia River Gorge.  Hood River is an amazing little town to begin with.  The view, the windsurfers, kiteborders, white water rafting(check out the white salmon just across the bridge.. great class 3-5) all make it a great place for a getaway. 

I was able to try their more excellent Doppel Bock, their LTD 01 Lager, their Summer Weizen, and of course the awesome LTD 02.  All were excellent as were the burgers we had to go along with them.  Really excellent service and some exquisite beers. 

I was recently able to sample this excellent IPA while visiting Glacier National Park in Montana.  I was at the infamous Charlie's Place in Babb, home to the Babb Music Festival.  The bar serves an excellent selection of Local Brews as well as about anything else you would want.  It almost makes me want to move to Montana, about as laid back as a bar can possibly get.  Anyway, on to this fantastic Single Malt IPA powerhouse from Blackfoot Brewing in Helena, Montana.  Here is the commercial description:

Just like Single Malt Scotch, our spring seasonal I.P.A. is brewed from 100% crisp Maris Otter floor-malted (made by hand!) barley - no specialty malts, no blending. This traditional India Pale Ale is heavily hopped with both Magnum and Cascade hops grown in the Pacific Northwest. Golden in color, refreshing to drink and full of hops, this beer is available from mid-February through mid-September

It is clean, crisp and a great beer for the summer months.  It does not leave a bad taste in your mouth and goes well with food.  The Aroma was good a clean as well as expected from the non blended ingredients.  You simply can not go wrong with this beer.  More pictures when I get the chance.  Brewrepublic rating: 8/10