Barley Mill Pub 30th Anniversary

The Barley Mill Pub (1629 SE Hawthorne, Portland) celebrated its 30th anniversary on Saturday, June 22, 2013. The pub was the first joint-venture of the brothers McMenamin, so we celebrated the property itself, as well as what that first foray has meant for the company at large.

Anniversary Lunch MuralIf you’ve been to the Barley Mill, you know that the place is festooned, adorned, bedecked and bejeweled with years and years of anniversary artwork. However, among the shining handcrafted gems (and some not-so-glittery efforts), hangs this mural by McMenamins artist Jenny Joyce.

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2013 Winter Scotch Dinners

Join fellow spirits imbibers at one of our popular Winter Scotch Dinners to hear about, smell, taste and enjoy this selection of scotches, all paired with a menu of courses to complement the flavors. Your host is the charming and edifying Stuart Ramsay.

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2011 Whiskey Widow Release

Concordia Brewery at the Kennedy School presents…
2011 Whiskey Widow  Release 

Tapping Friday, December 2, 2011
Boiler Room Bar (Kennedy School)

Brewers Matt Carter and Kevin Lee will be on hand to discuss the Whiskey Widow and any other of their beers.

 

Boiler RoomIntroducing the latest in the Concordia Barrel Series – Whiskey Widow began as our special Halloween ale Black Widow, a porter made for the first time 20 years ago at the Thompson Brewery in Salem, Ore., and made annually in house ever since. Black Widow is a strong, black, roast-flavored porter with subliminal notes of anise and chocolate in the finish, mostly due the licorice root added at the end of the kettle boil. 

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Zeus Café: Part IV – But What’s It Look Like?

photoIt’s finally happening! We’re open – our first historic hotel in downtown Portland. The true gem in this crown is the Zeus Café, open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with a late-night menu.

So what’s it look like? Like the pub down the street? Well… yes and no.

The first thing you might notice about the look of the place is the light flooding in through the windows. Bordered on one side by bustling Burnside St. and Stark on the other, the huge windows lend an open airiness to the place, perhaps a little different than your favorite dark-and-cozy neighborhood joint.

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Zeus Café: Part II – Can I Take Your Order?

This is the second installment in a series of blogs about our new Zeus Café at the Crystal Hotel, opening on May 3 in downtown Portland. Here, we take a look at what’s on the menus.


photoJust four more days ‘til Zeus Café is officially open to the public. As of this coming Tuesday, May 3, you can stroll in any time after 7 a.m. for a quick bite to eat or a leisurely multi-course meal. You can choose a booth by the window or sit at our open showcase kitchen to watch our kitchen staff at work. No need for reservations – just roll on by whenever you’re hungry or thirsty.

So, what will we be serving, you ask? Executive Chef Barry Rumsay and Chef de Cuisine Paul Arnold have put together a set of menus slightly different than what you expect from our pubs. For example, there’s nary a tater tot on the menu. Nor will you find a Captain Neon burger. But not to worry – we’ve got you covered.

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Zeus Café: Part I – At Your Service

ZeusWe’re just days away from flinging open the Crystal Hotel doors and letting the party out into the streets of Portland! Because a party it is, as evidenced by the sneak-peek preview bashes happening this week. Zeus Café has been bubbling over with happy guests sampling food, wine, cocktails and ales while a team of efficient servers tend to their every need.  

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2011 Devils Bit Whiskey

photoOnce a year, in honor of ye auld St. Pat, our distillers handcraft a special whiskey, available exclusively at Edgefield and Old St. Francis School and on just one day a year – that’s right, on St. Patrick’s Day.

A Little History…

So why “the Devils Bit”? It was named after a mountain in North Tipperary, Ireland. Legend has it that a small gap in the mountain is where the devil took a bite and spit out the rock.  That spit-out piece became the Rock of Cashel, which was the traditional seat of the kings of Munster in Ireland for several hundred years; most of the buildings that remain on the site date from the 1100s and 1200s. According to legend, Cashel is also the site of the conversion of the King of Munster by St. Patrick in the 5th century.

 

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