The other day we paid a visit to the recently opened tasting room at Logsdon Farmhouse Ales. The brewery has been making outstanding beers for over two years now, but the tasting room at the farm outside Hood River, OR just opened two weeks ago.
Since it first opened in 2011, Logsdon Farmhouse Ales has been earning impressive accolades. I mean that quite literally. The brewery released its very first beer at Portland’s Cheers to Belgian Beers Festival in April 2011 and took home the Peoples’ Choice Award. Since then, Logsdon Farmhouse Ales picked up a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival for its Seizoen Bretta and a gold medal at the World Beer Cup for its Peche ‘n’ Brett. Rest assured, there will be more.
Logsdon Farmhouse Ales is a collaborative effort between Dave Logsdon and his partners, Chuck Porter and John Plutshack. Actually, Logsdon Farmhouse Ales operates as a cooperative with a handful of other people involved as well. Operating the farm, brewery and business is a collaborative effort. The brewery sits in the shadow of Mount Hood on farmland that Dave Logsdon has owned for two decades.
Navigating from Past to Present
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We typed in the address and let the iPhone navigate us away from the highway and up small, winding country roads. The magic of GPS delivered us to an intersection that was not well marked, if it was marked at all. Placing our faith in the seemingly certain voice of an electronic device, we ventured beyond a Road Closed sign and turned left up a long gravel driveway, headed towards a large red barn. We were not at all as certain as Siri, fearing an angry and armed farmer might greet us.
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As we reached the top of the driveway, I noticed the image of a rooster in one of the barn’s windows and breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that we were going to be safe. This particular rooster is homage to Wallonia, the southern region of Belgium that produces some of the finest fermented beverages on earth. Wallonia’s flag, and coat of arms, features a rooster. If you’re looking for a farmhouse brewery, look for the rooster.
We parked the car and Dave Logsdon came out to greet us. I am a craft beer oldster and a recovering homebrewer, so Dave is something of a rock star to me. Not only was he one of the founders (original brewer) at Full Sail Brewing way back in the 80s, but in 1986 he started a company called Wyeast Laboratories. You homebrewers these days have no idea the pain and suffering homebrew dinosaurs like me endured back in the Mesozoic era. We relied on crappy dry yeast that either would or would not fire at its own crappy whim. Then a giant meteorite struck the earth and brought with it the glory of the Wyeast Smack Pack. Today, Wyeast Laboratories is an important part of the craft beer industry, providing the yeast that sparks most of our favorite brews. But Dave is modest and doesn’t harp on his impressive past, so neither shall I. Instead, Logsdon lets the beer do the talking.
A Passion for Detail and the Magic of Manure
As we toured the brewery, Dave told us (perhaps unknowingly) about his philosophy. To make great beer, you need to pay extremely close attention to even the tiniest detail. As much as beer is the sum of its parts, or ingredients, it is the product of a process. As Dave describes each part of the process, he explains why it is important. It is no accident, for instance, why Logsdon uses only whole cone hops and not pellets. Visit the brewery and let Dave tell you why. He believes that each tiny detail in product and process adds up to the sum total of a great beer.
Away from all that, Dave appreciates what he described as the symbiosis of farmhouse brewing. When they fire up the brew kettle, the cattle get excited. The brewery feeds the spent grain to the farm’s cattle (Scottish Highlanders) who magically transform it into fertilizer. Dave tell us that they also compost the hops. It is all used to nourish and fertilize stuff that eventually will find its way into the beer. For instance, the fruit from the cherry trees that Dave imported from Belgium that will provide the exact right kind of tartness to the Cerasus–Logsdon’s kriek beer, a barrel-aged Flanders style red ale with two pounds of fruit per one gallon of beer. For now, they rely on cherries from other sources until the trees reach fruit-bearing age.
As one might expect, Logsdon Farmhouse Ales focuses on brewing in the Belgian tradition. The word Farmhouse in the name gives it away. The beer is available primarily in bottles but some kegged product does make it out into the market. They distribute up and down the west coast and to a small handful of other states as well. Look for it at bottleshops and better beer retailers. If your lucky, you might find it on tap around the Seattle area. Keep your eyes peeled.
The End Product
Many of you know this already, but the beer is amazing. It leaves me speechless. My mouth waters just sitting here writing about it. This is real farmhouse ale; it feels connected to the land. It is the product of painstaking attention to detail, pure passion, and a symbiosis with the surrounding environment.
Oh yes, dear beer lover, there will be barrels. And they will spawn mother-beautiful barrel-aged beers.
Logsdon Farmhouse Ales is a beautiful place making beautiful beers with a tasting room that is now open to the public. The tasting room and brewery are located in the Hood River Valley along the Fruit Loop—an undefined path along bucolic byways that crisscross and meander around the valley. This agricultural region is replete with orchards, farms, vineyards, wineries, and small communities. On top of all that, there are two breweries. A few miles up the road from Logsdon Farmhouse Ales, in the charming burg of Parkdale, you will find Solera Brewing, which is a great place to grab a meal and a brew after you’ve concluded your tasting adventure at Logsdon Family Ales.
Logsdon Farmhouse Ales
4785 Booth Hill Rd.
Hood River, Oregon 97031
541-490-9161
Hours:
Fridays and Saturdays, Noon until 4:00
Here’s a link to the map, but let me give you directions as well.
From Interstate 84, or downtown Hood River, head south on Highway 35 for approximately 10 miles. Turn left on Neal Creek Road. Follow Neal Creek Road for about three-quarters of a mile to the intersection with Booth Hill Road. Continue straight through the intersection and you are there. Just past the pond on your left, turn left up the driveway. Big red barn.
Logsdon Farmhouse Ale on Facebook
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