REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN FOR 5B 2013: BELIEVERS IN BETTER BEER, BITES AND BLOGGING CONFERENCE

Info from hoperatives.com

Attention bloggers! Registration is now open for the 5B: Believers in Better Beer, Bites and Blogging Conference to be held Saturday, February 16, 2013 at the Cincinnati Convention Center.

For more information and to begin the application process, go to http://www.hoperatives.com/?page_id=9709 and follow the instructions there.

If you are interested in submitting a panel proposal for 5B 2013, the deadline to submit is January 1, 2013.

Go to http://www.hoperatives.com/?page_id=11831 to submit your proposals. Cheers and here’s to better beer! (And bites and blogging!)

Pints for Prostates Portland Pale Ale Invitational Celebrates America’s Favorite Beer Style

PORTLAND, OREGON – The inaugural Pints for Prostates Portland Pale Ale Invitational will be held on July 25 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland, Ore. The event celebrates the allure, complexity and flavors of pale ale.

The tasting event features pale ales from a dozen Oregon breweries and a dozen breweries from around the globe. Presented by Beer West magazine in conjunction with the Oregon Brewers Festival, the event benefits the Pints for Prostates campaign.

“We are bringing together a collection of great pale ales in a city where pale ales are truly appreciated, all to raise awareness about an important men’s health issue,” said Rick Lyke, a drinks journalist and prostate cancer survivor. Lyke founded Pints for Prostates in 2008 after successful prostate cancer surgery. “Our goal is to reach men through the universal language of beer with a message about the importance of early detection.”

Tickets for the Portland Pale Ale Invitational are $30 and will be available online starting on March 1 at http://www.pintsforprostates.org . All net proceeds support the mission of the Pints for Prostates campaign.

“We are excited about the brewers that have agreed to take part and the world class pale ales they will be pouring. Beer fans will get the chance to try a wide variety of pale ale styles in a single session,” said Megan Flynn, publisher and editor-in-chief of Beer West magazine.  “Pale ales have become America’s favorite type of craft beer. This event salutes the passion brewers and beer drinkers have for pale ale.”

The 24 participating breweries include: BridgePort Brewing, Portland, Ore.; Caldera Brewing, Ashland, Ore.; Cascade Brewing, Portland, Ore.; Deschutes Brewery, Bend, Ore.; Fire Mountain Brew House,  Carlton, Ore.; Firestone Walker Brewing, Paso Robles, Calif.; Full Sail Brewing, Hood River, Ore.; Lompoc Brewing, Portland, Ore.; MacTarnahan's Brewing, Portland, Ore.; Moa Brewing, Marlborough, New Zealand; New Holland Brewing, Holland, Mich.; Ninkasi Brewing, Eugene, Ore.; NoDa Brewing, Charlotte, N.C.; Odell Brewing, Fort Collins, Colo.; Oregon Brew Crew, homebrewers from Portland, Ore.;  Rogue Ales, Newport, Ore.; Sierra Nevada Brewing, Chico, Calif.; Silver City Brewery, Bremerton, Wash.; Snake River Brewery, Jackson Hole, Wyo.; Southern Oregon Brewing, Medford, Ore.; Stone Brewing, Escondido, Calif.; Tree Brewing, Kelowna, British Columbia; 21st Amendment Brewery, San Francisco, Calif.; and Wells & Young’s,  Bedford, United Kingdom.

“This year marks the 25^th annual Oregon Brewers Festival so we are proud to be able to help support Pints for Prostates by making our venue available for the Portland Pale Ale Invitational on the eve of our silver anniversary,” said Art Larrance, one of the founders of the Oregon Brewers Festival.  “The Oregon Brewers Festival is already one of the world’s biggest beer events and the Portland Pale Ale Invitational is another reason for people to visit and enjoy great craft beer.”

Judges at the Great American Beer Festival award medals in seven different pale ale categories. Pale ale categories attract the most entries and are the hottest contested.

“Men are 33 percent more likely to develop prostate cancer than women are to have breast cancer, yet few men know about the critical importance of early detection,” Lyke said. “The support of Beer West magazine, the Oregon Brewers Festival and the two dozen great craft brewers donating beer for the event will help us reach an audience that needs to hear our message.”

About Pints for Prostates

Pints for Prostates is a 501(c)3 a campaign that reaches men through the universal language of beer to encourage them to take charge of their health. The group was founded by prostate cancer survivor and beer writer Rick Lyke in 2008. The grassroots effort raises awareness among men about the importance of regular health screenings and PSA testing by making appearances at beer festivals, social networking and pro bono advertising. According to the National Cancer Institute, 240,890 new prostate cancer cases were diagnosed in the U.S. in 2011. More information is available at www.pintsforprostates.org. Pints for Prostates also has a presence on Facebook and Twitter (@pints4prostates).

About Beer West Magazine

Founded in 2007, Beer Northwest has grown to become the leading beer culture and lifestyle magazine in the Northwest. In January 2011, the magazine expanded into California and became Beer West. The magazine covers the thriving West Coast beer market and is the only regional publication of its kind. Beer West has more than doubled its circulation and visibility in the past year, with a focused readership of 80,000 beer and food enthusiasts. Beer West is a celebration of the unique Western beer-loving life.

About the Oregon Brewers Festival

The Oregon Brewers Festival is one of the nation's longest running and best loved craft beer festivals. Situated on the west bank of the Willamette River, with towering Mt. Hood as a backdrop, it is the ideal venue for anyone who loves craft beer. With a laid back attitude and scores of award-winning beers, the festival reflects the essence of the city of Portland, and is the crowning jewel of Oregon Craft Beer Month. The OBF was at the forefront of exposing craft beers to the public. A total of 84 craft breweries from all parts of the nation will serve more than 30 beer styles to nearly 80,000 beer lovers from around the world. Another 50 specialty beers will be available for tastes in the Buzz Tent.

5B: Blogging Conference

I had the opportunity this past weekend to take part in the 5B Blogging Conference, put on by Tom and Carla from Hoperatives in conjunction with the Cincinnati Winter Beer Festival. We were able to get a discounted price on both nights of admission as well as take part in the conference.

They had about 45 local and regional bloggers participate in a full day of sessions on Beer, Food and General blogging. I stayed with the beer track, but heard some great things about the other sessions.

Elle, from Zephyr Adventures, and Tamre, from Girls Pint Out, gave us the run down on the upcoming 2012 Beer Bloggers Conference in Indianapolis this summer.

The next session we talked with Joshua Bernstein, author of the book Brewed Awakening: Behind the Beers and Brewers Leading the World’s Craft Brewing Revolution; and Gordon Strong, author of the book Brewing Better Beer: Master Lessons for Advanced Homebrewers.

The afternoon track started with Greg Hardman, from Christian Moerlein. Greg gave us the history of the Christian Moerlein brewing company and where they are going in the future (future post about this and the Lager House when it opens in a few weeks).

In another session we met with the collaborative brewers of the Cincinnati Beer Week Barleywine. The guys from Rivertown, Mt. Carmel and Rock Bottom gave us the run down for their whole brewing collaboration: Problems, beer type and brew process.

All in all, everyone (bloggers and session presenters) were very excited to be apart of the event. The presenters were really open and receptive to our questions. I was able to network with some really great beer blogging folks and am excited to meet up with them again in the future.

Cincinnati Bloggers Conference

Don't forget to register for the 5B: Blogging Conference in conjunction with Cincinnati Beer Fest, February 11, 2012. Check out this link at Hoperatives for more info!

The 5B: Believers in Better Beer, Bites and Blogging Conference is just over a month away. To be held Saturday, February 11, 2012, 5B is a one-day blogging conference featuring sessions on beer blogging, food blogging and blogging in general and is hosted by Hoperatives in conjunction with Cincy Winter Beerfest.

Happy Drinking!

24th Annual Oregon Brewers Festival

I'm excited to say that Cathy and I will be visiting the beautiful city of Portland the last weekend of July. This happens to coincide with Oregon Craft Beer Month (every July) and the Oregon Brewers Festival (always the last full weekend in July). This festival is especially exciting for me because I haven't had much chance at tasting Oregon / West Coast beers (other than the big boys -- Rogue, Sierra, Stone).

Look for some pictures and a write up, when we return. Follow me on twitter (@adamsonnett) or Untappd (adamsonnett) to see what I am drinking at the fest.

Happy Drinking!