The Rock in Vancouver, WA

Dan trying the Sledgehammer from The Rock Woodfired Pizza in Vancouver, Wash.

Greg and I decided to form this blog so we can cover two very important beer regions in the United States – the Midwest and the Pacific Northwest. Since I live in Chicago, I will primarily cover the Midwest and Greg will primarily cover the Pacific Northwest.

At the end of my visit out there, we ate pizza at The Rock Woodfired Pizza in Vancouver, Wash., just outside of Portland, Ore. The IPA I tried – called the Sledge Hammer – had a good bite to its hop flavor countered with a crisp, clean finish.

It is not our intention to throw out a ton of verbs and descriptions of the beers we try, we’ll just post places we think are worth checking out if you’re in the area, and this one certainly fits the bill.

We hope you enjoy and please check out this link for a brief video.

Deschutes Brewery – Portland, OR

Greg and I had a chance to enjoy the Cascade Ale and Inversion IPA at the Deschutes Brewery in Portland, OR this weekend.

The Cascade Ale and Inversion IPA from Deschutes Brewery in Portland, OR. Photo: Greg Dawson

Here’s a quick overview of the two selections:

Cascade Ale
Light, crisp and refreshing with generous herbal hops and just a hint of caramel malt.
IBU’s 28 | Alcohol by Vol. 4.5%

Inversion IPA
Like its name suggests, Inversion IPA defies the ordinary, with layers of soft caramel notes and generous amounts of our favorite Northwest hops, for a bright, sunny citrus finish.
IBU’s 80 | Alcohol by Vol. 6.8%