ART IN THE AGE OF MECHANICAL REPRODUCTION

Beer Cakes Philly and Collaborate Philly are joining forces to celebrate the local beer scene and give back to the community at the upcoming Philly Beergasm. The event, which will benefit Philabundance, will take place on Thursday, March 28, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Yards Brewing Company.

Poler Outdoor Stuff has announced the opening of their flagship brick and mortar store. Located at 1300 SW Burnside in the heart of Portland, the store sits close to the Ace Hotel, Stumptown Coffee and Powell’s City of Books. The Poler flagship retail space will feature a signature mix of Poler Stuff merchandise sold across all categories including Napsacks, bags, tees, tents, outerwear and beanies. Each month the store will have a pop up shop featuring a friendly brand. The first pop up will feature BAGGU bags and accessories, with more to follow. The store will also sell goods from: Juniper Ridge, Wood and Faulk, Stance and RAEN optics.

Poler’s new permanent home on 1300 SW Burnside offers “a modern shopping experience reflecting Poler’s ethos that everyone can and should enjoy the great outdoors.” The grand opening is this Saturday from 11-9 with drinks and snacks provided by Art in the Age, Justins, Tecate and Stumptown Cold Brew.

Poler Outdoor Stuff
1300 SW Burnside STE 300
Portland, OR 97214

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High Snobiety 03.16.13

I like to think of root beer as the gateway beverage into the big, bad world of booze.

Even though it’s a big leap from A&W to Fernet Branca, there’s definitely a connection between what makes a good root beer and what makes a good alcoholic beverage. If you like that interplay of bold, funky, bitter and a sweet flavors without any alcoholic content, then you just might like it even more when there’s some kick to it.

I liked the herb and root flavor combination in my root beer recipe enough to create a liqueur based on it. The funny thing is that it has more in common with an aperitif than it does with a soda, because the sugar is dialed back and the root-and-bark goodness can shine through.

What’s Available to Buy?

My favorite alcoholic root beer concoction available for purchase is Root, made by Philadelphia’s Art in the Age. It’s not a sweet liqueur, but more like an amaro with a root beer aroma. And at 80 proof, it has the alcohol content of a spirit.

There’s another root beer liqueur on the market called Blackmaker, as well as a variety of simple and sweet root beer schnapps brands which aren’t going to offer the same complexity of flavor.

Why DIY?

I adore Root, but I wanted to make something that’s a little different—with a lower alcohol content and more of a root beer flavor. While this DIY root beer liqueur is a wee bit sweeter than Root, it doesn’t veer into cloying syrup territory. Though it’s lighter and less alcoholic than Root, you can use it in the same way. Homemade root beer liqueur is a whole lot cheaper so I don’t get so precious about it. (Root beer liqueur granita floats for everyone!)

I used my own root beer recipe as inspiration, but the fun thing about this recipe is you can tweak it to taste like your ideal root beer. I like it earthy so I emphasized the “root” part, but you could also increase the vanilla, add wintergreen, or add more anise for a different experience. So if you like root beer and want an alcoholic version of your very own, go buy some bark and get crackin’.

Serious Eats, 3.15.13

If you’re in Portland Oregon be sure to swing by the store on Saturday to celebrate the grand opening with us. Big thanks to Lifetime Collective, Justin’s Peanut Butter, Tecate, Art In The Age and Baggu for sponsoring our grand opening party.

Poler, 3.15.13

Speckled & Drake is outfitted with duck-oriented novelties of every imaginable variety: taxidermied ducks, duck-hunting decoys, tiny wooden toy ducks clutching tiny wooden toy rifles, a Russian-doll-style trinket collection with shrinking ducks all in a row. Owner Justin Martinsen has a Brooklyn bar, too (it’s called duckduck), and the theme of both commemorates his old hairdo: “It flipped up in the back and looked like a duck’s ass.” Like his hair, Justin’s lounge is nostalgic-styled—it’s got ’60s-esque cubbies and vintage signs and slatted wood walls. S&D occupies the snug yet airy bi-level space on Capitol Hill’s Olive Way where the Living Room used to be.

What else: They have free Cheetos! Not the standard crunches, but the swollen variety whose forms resemble the spongy black snakes that spritz up from certain firework tablets. Justin hypothesizes that this is how Cheetos harvests the puffs—that, following ignition, “they form long tubes that are cut into segments.”

Happy hours: Daily 5–8 pm.

Happy-hour drink specials: $1 off most everything, from whiskey (including fancy-schmancy $11 Hudson Manhattan Rye, $7 Eagle Rare bourbon) to cocktails (the $9 Rootbeer Float has Art in the Age ROOT liqueur, Oola vodka, cream); also $3 wells, $2 off drafts from 5–6 pm (that means $1 Olympia!), and from 6–8 pm, $1 off selected drafts like Lagunitas Pils and Schooner Exact King Street Brown Ale.

Bonus: Sun–Wed 1 am–close, $1 off wells and drafts.

Happy-hour food special: $7 Rain Shadow Meats grilled sausage, with onions, peppers, and a side—potato salad, coleslaw, or baked beans.