I don't know about you, but the taplist at my fifth birthday party sucked. Not so for North Portland tavern Saraveza, home of the perfect pasty, the vintage fridges of vintage beer, and the whooping and hollering of Packers fans. Tomorrow is Saraveza's fifth birthday party, and it's a doozy. The taplist includes a special beer brewed by Breakside Brewing and Saraveza, Russian River's Pliny the Elder IIPA, and a handful of delicious vintaged kegs of US and import craft beer favorites. Plus:
9am - 2pm: Brunch (Bad Habit Room)
1pm: Free pasties while supplies last (Saraveza)
2:30 - 5:30pm: Vintage Cascade Dock Sale & Tasting: Including vintages of Apricot, Vine, Kriek, Sang Noir, Sang Royal, Sang Rouge, Vlad and Bourbonic. (Bad Habit Room)
2:30 - 5:30pm: Russian River “Consecration” vertical pouring (Bad Habit Room)
4pm: New Belgian “El Dorado” Firkin tapping (Saraveza)
10 pm: 5th Annual Consecration Toast led by Saraveza Beer Curator & General Manager, Erika Huston. Toast and yummy SugarPimp anniversary cake! (Saraveza)
Because I am a Fearless Investigative Journalist at heart, I asked Saraveza General Manager and Beer Curator Erika Huston to answer a few probing, soul-searching questions about Saraveza's five years in action:
Portland Mercury: What is the main difference between a five-year-old bar and a five-year-old child? Because I cannot tell them apart.
Erika Huston: A five-year-old bar is far less independent than a five-year-old child. A five-year-old child is really trying to learn to do things for themselves. A five-year-old bar still requires the constant attention and flexibility that is more consistent with rearing a toddler.
PM: What's the craziest thing that's happened in Saraveza's five years?
EH: Well, let's see. [Owner of Saraveza] Sarah and I put our heads together and came up with the following: we did have a for real 'bar fight' in here and it happened to be between two of Sarah's long time friends (no fights since then). The other two things are true "Packer" moments: 1. When the Pack won the Super Bowl in 2011, Sarah got up and danced on the bar. 2. We had Gilbert Brown aka "The Gravedigger" in Saraveza one night!
PM: What's the most mundane thing that's happened in Saraveza's five years?
EH: Well, we recently had our most mundane tweet ever. "Hamms is now on, replacing Hamms" actually went out to the public, which was good for a chuckle.*
PM: When I turned five, I think I got a coloring book. I know I was more excited about the boxes than the presents that came in them. What I'm saying is: I got you a box. This isn't a question, I just really hope you like it.
EH: Love it.
PM: The taplist for the birthday party features a lot of old favorites and new flavors. Are there any "white whale" beers you'd like to see on the 6th Anniversary taplist?
EH: My dream list would definitely include a special, one time collaborative beer from a favorite local brewery. One that we actually get to participate in the brewing of. You can ask Ben Edmunds of Breakside for a reference. We're all very hard workers and take orders well.**
*Fans of Saraveza know that the one tap not featuring a rotating selection of craft or import beer is dedicated to Hamms, which is served in a frosty mug. For real.
**Careful readers will note that Ms. Huston's last answer is actually a subtle plug for this year's anniversary beer, a lager brewed with Ben Edmunds of Breakside, featuring maple-smoked malts, smoked at Saraveza. Careful readers will also note that it sounds delicious.)
