PORTLAND, Ore. — Staying true to its namesake, this year’s Stumptown Tart ups the tart factor with the addition of Oregon cranberries paired with the popular blueberry from last year. Typically reserved for Thanksgiving feasts and brightly colored juice, this is the first time BridgePort has used this Oregon grown berry in a beer. Jeff Edgerton, brewmaster at BridgePort Brewing Company, explains the unusual choice:
“I loved the blueberries in last year’s Stumptown Tart and ever since it came out I’ve been thinking about what would pair well with blueberries again. We played with the tartness of cranberries against the mellow sweetness of the blueberries and the whole brewing staff is pretty pleased with how it turned out.
Trying out new fruit year to year challenges the brewing team and this year’s Stumptown Tart was no different.
“We were surprised about two things when it came to brewing this beer,” commented Edgerton. “The first was that once we combined the cranberries with the base beer, it actually mellowed out the bitter flavor that most of us associate with cranberries. The second was the color. We expected a bright red beer when in fact the skins of the cranberries hardly produced any color leaving the beer light red in color.”
BridgePort will host a Stumptown Tart release party Thursday, May 15 starting at 5:30 p.m. at the BridgePort Brewpub in Portland. Come be one of the first to try this year’s beloved Stumptown Tart. Bottle label model Bernie Dexter will also be there ready to pose with guests for photo opportunities and to personalize guests’ bottles with an autograph. For $1, guests can snag a smooch from the Stumptown Tart herself along with a picture in the kissing booth. All Donations will go to The American Cancer Society.
BridgePort’s Stumptown Tart Stats:
IBUs: 21 ABV: 7.8% Color: Soft Bluish-Purple OG: 17.0
Ingredients: Pilsner malt, white wheat malt, Belgian yeast, ale yeast, lager yeast, blueberries and cranberry puree.
Description: Brewed with two row pale malt and malted white wheat, the 2014 edition of this big Belgian-style ale features the crisp sweet and tart balance of Oregon blueberries and cranberries. The hazy brew is double fermented and only lightly filtered to retain the fresh fruit flavor.
About BridgePort Brewing Company
Celebrating 30 years in 2014, Oregon’s oldest craft brewery continues to evolve from a microbrewery to a regional leader committed to producing high quality craft ales. Lead by Brewmaster Jeff Edgerton, the team of BridgePort brewers prides itself on using hops from an hour away and clear glacial water from Mount Hood. The BridgePort family of ales includes IPA, the Hop Czar IPA Series, and Kingpin. BridgePort Brewery is located at 1313 N.W. Marshall St. For more information, call 503-241-7179 or visit www.bridgeportbrew.com.