Auction Hammered

BY EZRA JOHNSON-GREENOUGH

Grote Dorst Gueuze is one of the rarest and most expensive beers in the world. A blend of 11 lambics from four different years and seven European breweries, only 15 magnums of this beer were made, and one is expected to fetch as much as $4,000 at auction Saturday at Brews for New Avenues in Portland.

The event, in its fourth year, is the world's largest rare beer auction. Organizers hope to raise about $50,000 for homeless and at-risk youth, much of it from the sale of dozens of rare bottles and vintage collections, including a Cantillon Pineau d'Aunis, which is expected to go for as much as $2,000. There is no telling how much a collection of beers from Vermont's Hill Farmstead Brewery—often called the best brewery in the world—will go for. Local beer-geek favorites like a 7-year-old Hair of the Dog Cherry Adam will seem affordable at probably less than $100.

But because this is Portland, and not New York or London, the event bridges the gap between beer's working-class history and the premium price tag. For a $10 general-admission ticket, you get to rub elbows with beer-world celebrities, not to mention gain access to taps such as Base Camp Brewing's Scotch Ale aged on bourbon- and scotch-soaked oak chips, brewed exclusively for the event.

You can also test your luck with a $10 mystery bottle from the 500-strong "Wall of Beer," which may score you a rare beer from Tillamook's De Garde Brewing or California's the Bruery, both of which donated bottles to the cause.

With all funds going to homeless and at-risk children, you might not feel so bad about your gluttonous imbibing.

The event was started by the nonprofit's ambassador board, whose goal is to get a younger generation of leaders involved.

"We were thinking, 'What could we be doing that would attract young people to the mission, that was accessible and could generate awareness as well as revenue?'" says organizer Jessica Elkan. "Our board of directors is involved in a classic wine auction, so could we do that with beer?"

Two members of the ambassador board—Jeremy Herrig and James Bruce—got their friends to donate rare bottles, and a third member, Don Lowman, moved to Europe and started making connections with brewers there. The next thing they knew, they were pouring a keg of Cantillon Iris and a one-off, barrel-aged nectarine saison by Upright.

Regular ticket holders can grab a pint of Boneyard's Hop Venom Double IPA to wash down a Koi Fusion kimchi dog while listening to a Talking Heads tribute band called Life During Wartime. Or just chill out with a chocolate stout ice-cream float while watching live college football.

GO: Brews for New Avenues is at the Leftbank Annex, 101 N Weidler St., on Saturday, Sept. 12. 5 pm. $10 general admission includes commemorative glass, drink ticket and raffle ticket. For more information, see brewsfornewavenues.org.

Willamette Week