So I got e-mail from the Skamania Lodge out in Stevenson WA. It was for a celebration of beer weekend and they wanted to see if I would like to come out and check it out. I was like not really into the whole idea and at first was like what can be out there. We got some awesome events out in Portland or in Seattle I can hit. But with a little prying from my family I decided to go and check it out. Holy cow that was one hell of a great time. They pull out the stops and the entire weekend was a blast.
First is out of the gate for my attending was hitting the beer festival. Picture this you have the backdrop of the Hood River gorge behind you as you are on the well manicured lawn drinking beer with fellow beer geeks and having a blast talking to the brewers or brewery reps. 10 totally awesome regional breweries from the local Walking Man to Fish Brewing my local are there. Then I was able to also try some great beers from Full Sail, Deschutes and Ninaski. I have been to a ton of places this summer and for me to find 4 brewers there that I had never had was a treat into itself. Solera Brewing brand brewery to the Hood River area. They where pouring some great brews. Then add pFriem Brewing they had just opened there 15 barrel place and wow they have some great Belgian treats. Yes I said it “Great Belgian treats”. Maybe I will finally go to the Belgian side and enjoy them all. Next a brand new place called Backwoods brewing and in the same small town Acadian Farms Brewing. They are both from Carson WA which is about 10 miles from the lodge itself. These two places are turning this once logging town into a destination for beer. I got to try some very tasty brews from each place.
Now to finish the night there was Brewers Dinner every item made was made with beer from the event. We had quite the dinner and the service was super. The meal was excellent and I was bowled over with all the different foods to choose from. It was hard to pick and try it all. Here is a sample of what they had on the menu.
Oktoberfest Dinner Buffet, featuring hearty autumn dishes crafted from regional ingredients. The menu includes:
- Cheesy ale soup
- Beer cider brined pork loin stuffed with cherries and toasted hazelnuts
- Beer bacon cheddar dumplings with chicken
- Red wine braised beef with caramelized onions
- Braised leeks with Penn Cove mussels
The next morning as WineMom and SodaKid where accompanying me they were ready for brunch and we hit a brunch that was to die for. Crab, shrimp, Infused vodka – Bloody Mary bar, waffle station and then add the eggs benedict we where in heaven. Champagne mimosas made WineMom happy and the Bloody-Mary’s where tasty. More omelets than one could count and just a few more shrimp and BrewDad had made up his mind this is an event not to be missed. Skamania Lodge pulled out a super weekend and the beer event was off the hook. Next year we will be back and give this Skamania Lodge Beer event – A huge thumbs up. One not to be missed the service and staff is off the hook awesome and very polite. The Celebration of Beer Weekend will be on my radar from now on.
