It's a weekly tradition of ours. Actually, it's more of an institution. What better way to cap a week's worth of work than to pop a couple cold ones and clink bottles with your fellow laborers? It started off about a year ago when we moved into our current space at the Leftbank Building. One of the selling points was the proximity of Upright Brewing, co-occupying the basement with us. Half smells like hops and half like leather. It's a beautiful aroma. But I digress...
Beer Fridays started off as a couple of growlers from down the hall. Don't get me wrong, it's some of my favorite beer here in Portland but only having a few options every week makes for a little bit of Engleberg Pils and Saison fatigue. So about a month ago we dragged an old 7up bottle machine down to the workshop, recharged the Freon, and stocked the beast with nice little selection of brews. This week happens to feature Ninkasi IPA, Henry's Blue Boar, Rogue Dead Guy, Highlife, Hoegaarden, Victoria and Deschutes Red Chair NW IPA.
Here's a handy tip for locals: Beer Fridays isn't an exclusive club for TG folks. It's also an informal open house of sorts and every week brings a few different faces into our workshop. Give one of us a shout and we'll certainly relay the secret password and handshake. And don't let the sign fool you, the $2 price tag only applies to people dense enough to keep dropping quarters into the slot.