When I first got Atlanta Phish tickets I started thinking about SweetWater and some of the other Atlanta breweries. It was a day full of serendipity when I first e-mailed Doug. He just happened to be in Asheville! I just happened to have the afternoon free and could go meet him at Green Man (a.k.a. Dirty Jacks, The Short Bar). Perfect timing! We had a couple of their tasty libations and chatted about Oowee Products and SweetWater.
Doug had seen our awesome leather sleeves and said that he (and SweetWater’s head honcho) really liked them. As we discussed options our creative wheels started turning. We decided that the SweetWater tie-dye logo would look rockin’ on the metal badges we put on the leather sleeves. We got the order rolling and into production.
Last week, I packed up the car with the colorful, Oowee sleeves and my family and hit the road to Hot-lanta! I decided to make a house call to SweetWater and hand deliver the sleeves. This also gave me a chance to check out the largest brewery in the Southeast. On the afternoon before the Phish show I brought my hubby, sister and brother-in-law to the brewery for some tastings and a tour. It’s a incredible brewery! Doug was a great host! He greeted us and put a pause on his busy day to show us around and make sure we didn’t go thirsty. The space is really well done and it operates like a well oiled machine. I would suggest any beer lover to check it out when they are in Atlanta.
McMenamins is known for taking old Historic buildings and saving them from destruction. Most of the locations are restored Historic buildings.
I arrived in the Northwest with very little knowledge of McMenamins and what this company was and their impact on this area of the country. Almost instantly, I was told about the history of Mcmenamins and there many, many locations. I first visited the White Horse location just on the West side of the Willamette river. This is one of Portland’s oldest bars, it has served the dock workers since around the turn of the century. This was a very intimate place with a lot of character.
Edgefield
I do not know where to start! This is their flag ship location! Edgefield is also known as the The Multnomah County Poor Farm and is a full resort. This location is home to the McMenamins Brewery, Winery, Distillery, and also has two restaurants, a pool hall/bar and a full Hotel and a nine hole golf course. There is a saltwater pool and a full spa on location. They also have large outdoor concerts and music festivals at this location.
We are sooooo excited to be making leather sleeves for McMenamins!!
Stopped by the Laurelwood Public house and brewery to say hello to James and taste a few beers. We went to the Northeast location on Sandy blvd, one of their five locations in Portland. The brewpub had a welcoming feel and great roof top patio with a secret up stairs bar. The roof top was a great place to chillax with friends and enjoy one of their delicious red ales.
https://www.ooweeproducts.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/BIGGIE-RAT_pint.jpg869800OOWEEadminhttps://www.ooweeproducts.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Oowee-Products-Logo-180x180.pngOOWEEadmin2013-07-23 00:00:002018-09-12 09:25:15The World of McMenamins !
We visited the Lucky Labrador’s Hawthorne location which is their brewpub and one of the four locations in Portland. We met with Hanna who was very nice. She spent a bit of time in our awesome town of Asheville, NC and said she loved it! (Who doesn’t!)
We enjoyed the Super Dog IPA, the Bavarian Crystal Weizen, and the Stump Town Cask Porter.
We popped into Basecamp on a super hot Monday in July. It was happy hour all day. They sell their beer in aluminum bottles and growlers. They had a cool, modern and open atmosphere. The perfect place to chat about camping, mountain biking, climbing and outdoor activities. We met with Andrea and dropped off some hand crafted, American made can huggers. Outside we met Cindy and Dave who were tasting 10 different Basecamp beers. The India Pale Lager was a crowd favorite, with the NW Fest a close second.
Hood River Tuesday
On Tuesday, I made another trip out to Hood River to visit Full Sail Brewing, one of the regions largest breweries. It’s one of the few breweries that distributes all the way to the East coast. I enjoyed getting to see how big their operation is. Surprisingly, I drank no beer at their brewery, but had a good business meeting in their corporate office, showing off our custom made craft beer products. They placed their order this week! We are so stoked to represent FullSail!
Next, I paid the 1 dollar toll to cross over the bridge into White Salmon to visit Everybody’s, Brewing which “everybody” recommended we visit. Christine was super nice and allowed me to stop in and steal a few minutes of her time. The brewery is located in downtown White Salmon on the main drag of town. Christine’s husband, Doug, is the brewer. He makes some deliciously drinkable beers! I enjoyed their seasonal Indian session ale, appropriately named Little Sister. It was a great summer beer with just the right amount of citrus twist. The food was an additional highlight. I ate a Cuban sandwich that was the best meal that I have had this trip!! This small brewery had 3 IPA’s on tap and is definitely a local up and coming favorite brewery. Christine tells me that they are getting ready to start canning their beer, so keep an eye out for Everybody’s brews in grocery store shelves soon.
This is a very family friendly place with nice atmosphere and outdoor seating. They have a small brew house and had five beers on tap when we visited. I enjoyed the Wondering Rye and sampled a few of there other flagship beers. Hootie, one of the managers, stopped by to fill our water glasses and commented on the nice leather beer sleeves. This sparked a conversation about Oowee Products. We connected with Hootie, a super cool ex-raft guide, through stories of Asheville, North Carolina and Panic shows. He also reminisced about time he spent rafting on Asheville’s French Broad River! Fire on the Mountain is a great place to drink a great craft beer and eat some hot chicken with friends and family.
The first thing you notice is the bike themed designs throughout, including Chris King’s headset components being used as tap handles. HUB has a very intelligent layout. It’s a clean, modern facility with a unique design. It’s a well thought out brewhouse that includes special touches such as children’s steps in the bathroom. The minute details in their brewery process make their craft beer extra tasty. All the employees seemed stoked to be there and took pride in their work. Jamie gave an awesome tour, explaining every process in detail. We saw the brew process from start to finish, including the canning system, which ex-rays each can and kicks out the defects. Anyone who is a cyclist is going to love HUB. It is obviously an epicenter of the bike culture in Portland.
After a failed attempt to visit Gigantic, we drove to the trendy Alberta neighborhood to visit Mash Tun Brewery. A small, hard to find, local spot which is somewhat hidden behind the very popular Pine Street Biscuits. We only had a chance to pop in for a few minutes, but they had a great stout. Definitely ask a local to point you in the direction of this cool spot, being that you cannot see it from the road and there is not a sign. Very cool outdoor patio and great vibe. Check it out!
This place is awesome! Hood River is located on the Columbia River and is an outdoor enthusiast’s dream. Hood River is home to some great craft breweries. It’s also famous for windsurfing, kite boarding, mountain/road biking, camping, and hiking.
My first stop was at Double Mountain Brewing,located in the beautiful downtown Hood River. The brewery is full of cyclists wearing bicycle shoes and jerseys and has a wonderful vibe and inviting atmosphere. David was nice enough to stop in the middle of his busy lunch hour to check out some Oowee leather sleeves. We chatted a little bit about making Double Mountain some unique handmade beer gifts. I was very impressed with all the beers that I tried. I enjoyed one of their delicious Dapper Dan nitro infused brown ale with a club sandwich for lunch. I would recommend Double Mountain to anyone visiting the Hood River area.
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Pfriem Brewing is just down the hill from Double Mountain. It’s located right on the beautiful Columbia River, overlooking a park full of families/kids playing on climbing walls and windsurfers getting ready to go out on the river. I meet with Stephanie who was kind enough to give me a few minutes of her time to show her some fine leather products. Pfriem Brewing has a bunch of really great beers on tap, including a super hoppy IPA that any hop-head would be eager to try. They are about to start bottling, so keep eye out for their IPA on you grocery store shelves.
(On left) Brent, Katie, and Baby Hugo
https://www.ooweeproducts.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/2013-07-05_15-32-04_817-1.jpg24483264OOWEEadminhttps://www.ooweeproducts.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Oowee-Products-Logo-180x180.pngOOWEEadmin2013-07-09 00:00:002018-09-12 09:25:15Good times in Hood River !!
Rogue Brewing located in Newport, Oregon. There are two locations in Newport one on each side of the Yaquina Bay on the Oregon coast. Rogue is one the state’s oldest and most well known breweries, established in 1988. The brewery was original started in a basement in Ashland, Oregon and then moved up to a garage in Newport now know as the Rogue public house locate on the north side of the Yaquina River Bay. There is also production brewery directly across the bay. We first visited the production Brewery on the south side of the river where we meet with Brad, who was a supper nice guy, and enjoyed a few of Rogue’s delicious brews. They have a whoppin’ 40 BEERS ON TAP! Brad and I agreed that Oowee leather pint sleeves and leather beer huggers would be a great fit for the brewery. While I enjoyed all the beers I drank at Rogue the Beard Beer was one of my favorites. This beer was made from wide yeast found in the brewer’s beard. After a few beers with Brad we headed over to the Public house to eat some lunch with friends and taste some more beers. We ended up hanging out with Sawyer Mizer who is the Caption of the Mothership according to his business card. The beer, my delicious salmon sandwich and everyone we meet at Rogue were great!
We headed north up the Oregon Coast to find ourselves at one of the most beautiful places that I have ever visited. Not only where we looking at an amazing view of the Pacific Ocean, big sand dunes, and surfers catching waves, but we were also enjoying all of this from the patio of Pelican Pub & Brewery. I enjoyed the view while drinking a delicious, easy drinking and appropriately named Surfer’s Summer Ale that was on tap as there seasonal.
This brewery is family friendly! The owner, Tom, was super nice to chat with yesterday. Sasquatch Brewing Company is family owned and has a warm neighborhood feel. They have a great local crowd and have a delicious dry hopped IPA! They poured three pounds of Cascade hops into a batch of Woody after primary fermentation, and the result is a truly spectacular IPA! Stop in for a try next time your in the SW area of P-town.
https://www.ooweeproducts.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/2013-07-08_15-20-25_779.jpg24483264OOWEEadminhttps://www.ooweeproducts.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Oowee-Products-Logo-180x180.pngOOWEEadmin2013-07-09 00:00:002018-09-12 09:25:15Sasquatch Brewing Company
Celebrating Independence Day in the great state of Oregon! Oregon is home to about 167 craft breweries and is well known for delicious craft beer and great outdoor activities. I’m looking forward to spending 10 days drinking craft beer, riding bicycles, camping, sightseeing and visiting with new and old friends. My good friend, Sheri Baker was kind enough to escort me on this trip to Oregon and show me around her hometown of Portland. I am looking forward to spending some time with my childhood friend Michael Wimberly, Sheri, Claire and a few new friends for some Pacific coast camping this Fourth of July weekend. I intend to spread the Oowee product love all over the city of Portland and it surrounding areas.,and hope to introduce myself and my products to the Portland craft-beer scene. Wish me luck, I will keep you posted.
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I had a great time with the guys from Fairhope Brewing Company this weekend! I had a family reunion near Fairhope and we all ended up going to the Brewery to unwind. The Fairhope Brewery has a clean atmosphere and was a great place to have good conversations. They have a delicious Painted Black IPA and an Everyday Ale that is an easy drinker. I really enjoyed the Section Street Wheat I had there. It is a traditional wheat beer and goes down super smooth. Gotta give a shout out to Brian, Jim and Jimmy for greeting me with such a welcoming attitude.
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The Asheville Beer Week was a fabulous success for the 2nd year in a row. This past rollicking event was to celebrate all things beer. Our awesome city embraced and showcased breweries from all over. The week long events included tastings, dinner with beer pairings, beer education, and live music. We had so many delicious flavors to celebrate in such a short amount of time.
Brusin’ Ales did tons to help get this event together and kudos to all the volunteers that helped wrangle this event! Oowee Products was the official sponsor for the event so we crafted some limited edition “Asheville Beer Week 2013” leather pint sleeves.
We kicked things off at the Mill Room for the VIP launch party. We enjoyed delectable treats from Mela, tunes, great folks, and of course, great beverages. The next day the Wedge hosted a event with Just Economics called “Just Brew It”. There was a fantastic turn out and lots of homebrew awards.
l am a self proclaimed, picky little bitch (PLB) about most things and beer is no exception. The Wicked Weed had some pretty deliciously, fruity Saisons and they all delivered a punch. Luckily, they serve some tasty items to nosh on to help maintain an upright position. My favorite Thirsty Monk event was the Allagash/NewBelgium tap takeover. This is where I found my love for New Belgium’s Trippel. Alagash’s Four was interesting and I’m not sure what to say about their Interlude beer. I think they were just using us as a tasting ground for that one. The Hops and Vines had some interesting tastings. My favorite was the Trappist 10, it scored 100% in Beer Advocate! http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/207/645 It’s a power player at 11.5%. It definitely passed my PLB test; I liked it so much that I bought a couple to cellar as well as to drink up during our spring Asheville evenings. I think I need to visit Brusin’ Ales to get more!
The Saturday events started at the RiverBend Malt House where the founders were giving a tour and describing the grains and all the nitty gritty of malt house life. Then, comes the long awaited Asheville Beer Festival! Although, I love the dark beers, I started with Saisons. I tend to enjoy the higher gravity beers more but in a festival one needs to maintain, so I sampled the lighter libations as well. I had some really great beers and some mediocre beers. The one stand out in my mind was Catawba Valley Brewing Company’s King Coconut Porter. Whoa! Toasty coconut, chocolate taste bud explosion in my mouth… Your mouth will love it too! Good stuff. We got to talk to the brewer and he definitely puts his loving care into making this beer. The last beer that left an impression on me was Wicked Weed’s Triple. It packs in some serious flavor! After the festival we jumped in a cab home and settled down in the back yard to enjoy the rest of the day in our beer bliss.
Oowee Products are Hand Stitched by adults on the autism spectrum.
Did you know that each day two North Carolina families have a child diagnosed with a form of autism. The incidence of autism is now 1 in 88 births and 1 in 43 for boys. We are so proud to be partnered with the Autism Society of North Carolina! Adults with autism are hired to hand stitch all of our Sleeves. They enjoy the job and are great at it because they are so meticulous. They also thrive well with routine. Stitching the leather koozies is a way for the Autism Society to employee autistic adults. This adds routine to their life in a healthy, controlled environment.
Autism Society of NC is holding an event on June 2nd with Asheville Zipline Canopy Adventures and Asheville Treetops Adventure Park. All proceeds raised by individual and team donations will go to the Autism Society of North Carolina to offer respite, increase advocacy and services, and to assist families in Western North Carolina!
Zipping for Autism, the first event of its kind in the country, had over 30 teams and raised
https://www.ooweeproducts.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Oowee-Products-Logo-180x180.png00OOWEEadminhttps://www.ooweeproducts.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Oowee-Products-Logo-180x180.pngOOWEEadmin2013-04-17 00:00:002018-09-12 09:25:15Partnered with the Autism Society
had seen our awesome leather sleeves and said that he (and SweetWater’s head honcho) really liked them. As we discussed options our creative wheels started turning. We decided that the SweetWater tie-dye logo would look rockin’ on the metal badges we put on the leather sleeves. We got the order rolling and into production.
hat each day two North Carolina families have a child diagnosed with a form of autism. The incidence of autism is now 1 in 88 births and 1 in 43 for boys. We are so proud to be partnered with the Autism Society of North Carolina! Adults with autism are hired to hand stitch all of our Sleeves. They enjoy the job and are great at it because they are so meticulous. They also thrive well with routine. Stitching the leather koozies is a way for the Autism Society to employee autistic adults. This adds routine to their life in a healthy, controlled environment.