The tiny city of Oakridge, apart from neighboring Westfir, is the only Oregon city completely surrounded by national forest. This fact, when combined with the hundreds of miles of trails and relatively steep terrain, make Oakridge an ideal mountain biking destination. Turns out, it’s not so bad for beer drinking either.
A few years ago a cozy English-style pub called Brewers Union Local 180 opened in Oakridge and began dealing in real ales—cask-conditioned beers that are served from the same container in which they are fermented. A fine real-ale example is the pub’s curiously named Black Wooly Jumper Dry Irish Stout. Like Guinness, the Black Wooly Jumper features a low alcohol content (4.1% ABV), which earned it an all-day-long sipability ranking (from me). Unlike its sweeter and boozier oatmeal and milk stout cousins, this dry stout was light but still tasted hardy.
Try all of five Brewers Union real ales, as well as scores of other area small-batch brews, from 2-9 pm Saturday (Aug. 3) at the Oakridge Keg & Cask Festival. For $15 beer enthusiasts get event entry, a pint glass, drink tokens and the satisfaction of knowing some of their money is going to support the Greater Oakridge Area Trail Stewards (GOATS).
This article appears in Aug 1-7, 2013.
MAKE LOCAL JOURNALISM HAPPEN
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
