Put
down that PBR!
Local
brewer defies trendy tastes.
BY
DOUGLAS FUCHS
But the greatest love, the love of all loves,
Even greater than that of a mother ...
Is the tender, passionate, undying love,
Of one beer-drunken slob for another.
— Irish Love Ballad
Remember beer? The carbonated beverage used to be
rather trendy. People stood in line to get into newly constructed
brew pubs, eager to taste the newest concoctions — India Pale
Ales, Milk Stouts and bizarre, not-very-popular brews such as Organic
Hemp Pepper Licorice Smoked Amber Lager.
 |
| High
Street's Head Brewer Lane Fricke |
What happened? Many theories abound, but most savvy
drunks believe that the revival of disco madness in the mid-'90s also
rejuvenated cheap, sugary cocktails — alchemical mixtures that
help young people wiggle their backsides to simple drum beats while
admiring the putrid smells and gleaming eyes of the opposite sex.
But that bummer didn't last long, thank gawd. The
new trend these days is to wait until dusk, purchase a half-case of
PBR, find a dimly lit parking lot, such as behind a dentist's office,
smoke "healthy" cigarettes and scream fervent appreciation into the
waning night while pissing on the expensive landscaped shrubbery.
Always avoid dentists' parking lots at night. Always.
As all real beer fans know, brew pubs are still open
in town, although fewer in number due to attrition. Oregon Fields
closed. Spencer's Brewery closed. Wild Duck Brewery closed. Eugene
City Brewery closed. But the grandfather of all Eugene/Springfield
brew pubs, the High Street Brewery, is still fermenting away, producing
keg after keg of really good beer.
The first brewery to open in Eugene since Prohibition,
High Street Brewery is an early breed of the McMenamins chain, a partnership
of two brothers who started opening brew pubs in the early 1980s in
order to raise funds for a winery. Their "Hippy Décor English-Style
Pub Houses" took off in Oregon, with McMenamins brew pubs now open
in every nook and cranny in the Pacific Northwest.
Located at 1243 High St. and housed in an old 1900s
house, High Street Brewery pumps out quality beer in the basement,
just like the old days, with hand-crafted brewing equipment that only
works for brewers who are really enthusiastic about brewing beer.
Luckily, High Street Head Brewer Lane Fricke loves
to brew beer in basements and has been producing great beer at High
Street Brewery for almost five years. "Everything I make pretty much
flies out the door," he said.
One of the most popular brews at High Street is Umpteen
IPA, a well-balanced, hoppy beer that imparts the combined flavors
of floral hops and malt sweetness typical in Pacific Northwest India
Pale Ales. "My IPA is perennial; people go crazy over the beer," Fricke
said. "Umpteen IPA is a reference to the fact that I have to make
it so often."
He's also required to brew and serve the popular core
beers including Terminator Stout, Hammerhead, Ruby, and Black Rabbit
Porter, all of which are available in any McMenamins pub. Brewers
can also create their own recipes, which allows for some delicious
signature beers. "Because we don't have the capacity to brew lagers,
I try to be as creative as possible when brewing ales," Fricke said.
He brews a number of his own creations, including
Dreamstate ESB, a superb Extra Special Bitter traditionally brewed
to be smooth, crisp and lightly hopped; and Heavy Hand Strong Ale,
a huge strong ale rich in malt, hops and alcohol heat.
Fricke started out as a home brewer to save money.
Anyone can brew five gallons of homebrew for a lot less than it costs
to purchase five gallons of beer in any store. As he began to brew
a variety of styles at home, his beer became popular with his friends
and he developed a reputation as a skilled home brewer.
He moved to Eugene and started hanging out with the
professional and home brewers in the area. After numerous applications
and a lot of home brew, Fricke got the job at High Street.
The interior at the pub features a small bar, a few
long tables and the coveted booths. People with pints of beer lurk
in the hallways with shifty eyes, ready to pounce on a booth as soon
as it becomes available. Outdoor seating in the back is just as popular,
with enough space to accommodate most crowds. Hidden behind the house
pub, the outdoor beer garden offers a great place to drink superb
beer, people watch and blow off essential responsibilities.
And so the trend continues, to a degree, with Fricke
down in the basement dodging kegs and producing some of the area's
best brews. "People are drinking the beer here; it's a cool place,"
he said.
