We’ve been having a great time with special events this month at The Calapooia Brewing Company! February 4th was the 13th Annual Greater Albany Rotary Club Crab Feed, which, if you’ve done the math, has been occurring in our space since before Mark and Laura took it over. Over 800 people came through our doors that day, doing their part to put a dent in the local Dungeness population. Then there was Valentine’s Day and  we put on a 4 course meal including Prime Rib and Steelhead and John Shipe played romantic songs. So what’s next? Well there is Fat Tuesday and it’s a leap year, so February is an extra day long. I’d say that’s cause for celebration.

In the mean time, there’s music. Lots and lots of good music. Thursday’s are a rotation of local bands that play the same numbered Thursday of every month, Rusty Hinges, Wild Hog in The Woods and Rough Jazz. Every once in a while we have a guest appearance by another local favorite for a little variety. Every Saturday is our music showcase where we are entertained by singer/songwriters, folk groups, rock bands, jazz ensembles and just about every other kind of musical entertainment you’ve heard of. Every other Friday, or so, is a special musical highlight night where I’ve booked someone very special, or else I’d already filled all my Saturdays and I just had to get this band in before next winter!

On Sundays, something very unique occurs at the ‘Pooia. Lots of places have a blues jam at their establishment, most often occurring on an off business day where local musicians can come jam together and the house doesn’t usually pay them. But what has been happening every Sunday at the ‘Pooia for the last 3 or 4 years is something notable indeed. The brains of the outfit is a fellow named Froggy, who’s been heading up this shindig since it’s inception not long after the opening of Calapooia Brewing. Joined in late 2007 by Dennis Monroe, the heart of the blues jam, a sort of alchemy began. With shredding guitarists, Derek Zane and Steven (who’s last name escapes me) as the core of the jam, a who’s who of Oregon (and now they’re coming from other states!) blues players make cameo appearances and bring fresh juice to an already dynamic compilation. This last Sunday, we enj0yed a phenomenon known as Diva Day, wherein spectacular female vocalists came and dazzled a packed pub. So if you’ve never been to a blues jam, you should come check it out. It never disappoints. They only occasionally take a Sunday off, so you might call the pub just to be sure.

On February 8th we hosted our first Science Pub, in which a chemist from the University of Oregon came and gave a presentation on nanotechnology. It was enlightening, fascinating and fun and we plan on making this a regular occurrence. Evidently, this Science Pub thing has been going on for some time in the United Kingdom and as our pub culture continues to evolve here in the states, I think we’ll see more of this. I am excited to bring this tradition here to Albany, Oregon and will post the date on our events calendar as soon as we’re set for the next one!

There are other things on the horizon for our big, little pub and we are excited for the year ahead. Check our music/events page for what’s happening this weekend and after and I’ll strive to bring you more information on what’s coming up. Have a great week and we look forward to seeing you here at the ‘Pooia!

Cheers!

Paulrus

We enjoyed another great year of hosting the Albany Crab Feed. Check out the images I got that afternoon, and if you have some to add, please email me at webmaster@calapooiabrewing.com

dc, webmaster

Crab Feed at Calapooia Brewing in Albany, Oregon.

Calapooia Brewing Stained Glass. Click for an HD widescreen wallpaper.

Pouring Pilsner at Calapooia Brewing

Calapooia Brewing Atrium Panoramic at Crab Feed 2010. Click for the Hi-Res version.

Delicious!

Beavers Basketball!

Here’s a little sneak peak at what’s coming for July:

• Friday the 10th @ 9pm, Arcweld with The Wobblies and Donnacepa(donna-seepa). Anytime Arcweld plays it’s an event! The Wobblies and Donnacepa are sure to drive us into those raucous rhythms for which this classic Corvallis band is famous! Check out more on our music and events page.
• Calapooia Brewing presents It’s Rally Time with the Corvallis Knights baseball team on Tuesday, July 21st. The exact details aren’t filled in completely yet, but here is what I do know: We’re not just presenting the game, we’re having a party at our brew pub before and after the game. And a chartered bus will make two trips from and two trips back before and after the game — and there will be a keg on the bus! Stay tuned for ticket information soon!
• Brews, Blues and BBQ combines the regular Blues Jam with Smokin B’s BBQ every Sunday throughout the summer! We’ve got baby back ribs, pulled pork, beef brisket, and all the sides and trimmings. Check out the Smokin B’s Facebook page!
• Guess who’s doing the beer garden at Riverfest again this year July 30, 31 and August 1st? We are of course, and I hear the garden has moved to a better spot for viewing the stage this year!

Enjoy summer with Calapooia Brewing!

dc, webmaster

I decided to experiment a bit without flash on the camera considering it was movie night and all. A flash is sure to make distract patrons from the movie I figured! Results are a bit mixed, but I’ll do better next time.

Many thanks to Cloud 9 for hosting us for movie night! As you can see in the pictures, it’s a beautiful spot and their menu is fantastic. Looking forward to the next movie night for sure!

And we don’t know who these folks are, but they appear to be mimicking the movie by downing some Calapooia Pilsner by the pitcher:

dc

I recently spoke with Mark and Laura about House Bill 2461 and the proposed increase in beer taxes. Here are the important points that we need you to know about this bill, which has the potential to severely damage the Oregon craft brewing industry:

- Supporters of the bill argue it will increase costs about 15 cents per glass of beer. But what isn’t being communicated is that the cost is levied against the producer of the beer, not the consumer, which effectively makes this an excise tax, not a sales tax. In fact, Laura said the tax per barrel is currently about $2.60 and would increase to about $49 on a barrel that currently costs $270 ($135 per keg) wholesale.

- Consider that the price of a keg will have to increase accordingly to accommodate the higher cost, distributors, bars, and retailers will all be increasing price as well. By the time the increases reach the consumer, the cost of that glass of beer has actually increased as much as $1 to $1.50! This domino effect continues as beer sales decline and other costs increase unrelated to beer to make up for the lost revenue. As consumers react to the increase by buying less beer, entire businesses related to those supporting the sale of beer are affected.

-The tax unfairly targets only beer producers in Oregon to support funding for alcohol and substance abuse. A more acceptable solution would tax producers of wine and spirits as well.

As Mark said later, “If it were really only 15 cents per glass, I’d be in support of it too. But it’s a badly publicized misconception that must be corrected before Oregon’s craft brewing industry is devastated.”

Here is what others are saying about the increases:

From an OPB article titled Brewers Can’t Bear Beer Tax Proposal:

Right now, Ettinger [owner of Hopworks Urban Brewery in Portland] says the tax equals about five percent of the cost of producing it.

He says the new tax proposal would send that through the roof.

Christian Ettinger: “It would represent the single highest cost to us as a beer producer. Higher than labor, higher than the cost of ingredients. It’s significantly higher and would really impede our ability to grow in this state.”

From the Gazette Times article, Tax would flatten Oregon microbreweries:

Whenever someone proposes to increase the taxes on something by 1,900 percent, expect to see words such as “safety” and “health” welded to the idea. Otherwise, it would obviously strike the public as outrageously greedy.

From KGW’s Website, Beer lovers line up against hefty tax at Salem hearing:

“We could see a $2.50 to $4 a six-pack (price) increase,” said Kurt Widmer of Widmer Brewing Co., one of the state’s largest microbrewers. “Beer drinkers, whether you want to argue the math or not, will pay an increased amount at a time they are all suffering as we are.”

Laurelwood Public House & Brewing Co. owner Mike De Falb said it was unfair that wineries and liquor distillers did not face a higher tax. He also said the tax should exempt smaller breweries like his own, as previous versions of the legislation have done.

If you would like to keep up with news about HR 2461 from a craft brewery perspective, check out Beervana, Brewpublic, and the Oregon Brewers Guild websites.

To tell your legislators that you oppose an increase in beer taxes, the Oregon Brewers Guild suggests the following actions:

1. Write your legislator – This may sound like something you’d hear from your grandmother, but nothing has a stronger impact on legislators than getting a good old-fashioned piece of snail mail. Take a peek at our template letter then customize and send your own version. You can find your legislator at http://www.leg.state.or.us/findlegsltr/ and a list of Revenue committee members at http://tinyurl.com/crw2gj.

2. Get social – The Oregon Brewers Guild has created several social networking applications devoted to connecting consumers opposed to House Bill 2461. These groups are a vital online community and help spread the word when news and events happen. We’re on Facebook (http://tinyurl.com/d6×6sn) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/NoNewORBeerTax). Sign up. Tell your friends.

3. Sign the petition – The Oregon Brewers Guild is collecting signatures for an electronic petition against HB 2461. This might seem self explanatory, but the more signatures we’re able to collect, the bigger the impact on legislators. You can sign it here http://bit.ly/8rB0Y. After you’ve signed it, you can generate additional support by sending a link to your friends and posting the URL on websites and/or forums.

Thank you for taking the time to hear the truth about this house bill. Sincerely,

Calapooia Brewing

I confess: I’ve taken more shots this month than I’ve had time to update the site! But before much more time passes I wanted to share pictures I’ve taken for Calapooia Brewing in the past couple of weeks.

Mark took me on a tour of the brewery highlighting the newly installed brew equipment. As you can tell, he’s passionate about his craft!

Here’s the new rig that will be able to transport more precious ‘Pooya nectar to your local watering hole

And here’s a couple quick pics from the Oregon Garden Brewfest last weekend

First picture is of Mark, Paul, and I. Next picture is a friend of ours, Alicia, who wanted to be pouring for us but pulled the Roots assignment instead. And finally that wonderful sausage!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures and hope to see you at our brewery and pub in Albany soon!

dc

Calapooia Brewing is returning to the KLCC MicroBrew Festival this Friday and Saturday. Calapooia Brewing will be pouring rIPArian, Chili, Old Lick Spigot Barley Wine, and ESB from 5-11pm both days.

Here are the details from the KLCC website:

FEBRUARY 6 – 7, 2009
Friday & Saturday
5-11 pm

Lane Events Center
Exhibit Hall
796 W 13th, Eugene OR [get directions]

A microbrew tasting event to benefit KLCC 89.7 FM.
Thank you for helping us keep the FUN in fundraising!

$15 admission
Includes souvenir glass plus 2 beer tastings!
Additional tastings $1 each.

Come down and join us, and tell your friends in Eugene to stop by for a taste of the Albany’s only Microbrewery, Calapooia Brewing!

dc, webmaster

XENAT-RA is coming back to Calapooia Brewing on Saturday, February 21. Check out their unique Funky Jazz/hip-hop/dub reggae fusion sound on the Official XENAT-RA MySpace page.

If you missed their last show at the ‘pooia, here’s some photos from the show:

See you at the show in a month,

dc, webmaster

I had the pleasure of attending the Oregon Garden Brewfest last Saturday and met up with the ‘Pooia family, as well as our good friends Nick and Julie. A really nice event and the first good motorcycle ride of the new year with beautiful 65+ weather.

Check out the booth and our rides:

Keep an eye on the website May 19th for a template change and great new pages. Please feel free to leave suggestions for improvement in the comments! Until then, stop by the brewery for the latest Calapooia Brewing microbrew, “Hop Crisis”, and enjoy spring now that it’s finally here!

dc, webmaster

{somehow I missed publishing this about the same time last year, so I’m dropping it in now! dc 4.20.09}