Three More Certified Honest In VA, WA, and OR

Our first certification is also the first in the Old Dominion--Virginia. Pizzeria Orso is obviously a smidge beyond commuting range from Oregon, but the Washington Post gives their pizza a rave: "MacQuaid's Neapolitan crusts are thin, pliant, a tad sour, beautifully charred -- and served unsliced, so the dough can continue to cook after it leaves the fire."

Of course, our principle concern here is beer, and I'm mighty impressed to see that you can get Full Sail Session there (in bottles). To pour into your honest pint are two offerings from Left Hand as well as a Firestone Walker. Sounds like a great place to stop for a slice and a pint, so do it if you're closer than me:




Pizzeria Orso
Certified Purveyor of an Honest Pint
400 South Maple Avenue
Falls Church, VA 22046
(703) 226-3460





Next we fly to Kent, Washington and Airways Brewing, a newly-opened half-barrel nanobrewery. (Even among nanos, that's small.) What I know about Airways is limited to that Beer Blotter post I linked to, and the fact that the Yelpsters love it (except the one guy who was inexplicably displeased by the decor). Oh, and one more, very important thing: they do cask beer. Apparently it's convenient if you're cruising down I-5, so check it out.


Airways Brewing
Certified Purveyor of an Honest Pint
6644 S 196th T-100
Kent WA 98032
(253) 200-1707



Our final stop is that amazing mecca of good beer, that metropolis of 21,000 with three breweries, the nation's premier yeast producer, and now, a rockin' new bottle shop called Volcanic. Like bottle shops in Portland, they also serve draft beer and host meet-the-brewers events. Based on their Facebook page, it looks like the beers are the usual exceptional line-up you'd expect in a Beervana bottle shop. Stop by:


Volcanic Bottle Shoppe
Certified Purveyor of an Honest Pint
1410 12th St.
Hood River, OR 97031
(541) 436-1226

Another entrant from San Diego--one of "America's Finest (Brewing) Cities". Today's newest certified purveyor is Hess Brewing, a nanobrewery that opened just this July. I can't speak to the quality of their beer, but the Yelpsters love them. I love that they have cool proprietary honest pints. So if you're in San Diego definitely stop in for a tipple.



Hess Brewing Company

Certified Purveyors of an Honest Pint

7955 Silverton Ave #1201

San Diego, CA 92126
619.887.6453

I'm slowly backfilling the honest pints in Portland, taking them from provisional to certified, and here's one of my favorite places in the city, the County Cork. I used to live just around the block and up from the pub, and I spent many a fine hour there. Since they opened, they've always had Elysian ESB on tap--one of my favorite beers. They have Beamish during those moments it has distribution (not often), and it's the place I learned to pronounce Smithwick's properply. (Smitticks.) I still make it over, as the photo attests, when I can. You should, too.



County Cork Public House
Certified Purveyor of an Honest Pint
1329 NE Fremont
Portland, OR 97212
503.284-4805

Honest Pints on Bainbridge and in Chattanooga, TN

I have gotten behind on my Honest Pint certifications, so without further ado, here are three places. The Terminal Brewhouse is our first in Tennessee. As you can see, they serve beer in imperial pints, and get this: the regular price for one of these is just four bucks. Maybe beer is just less expensive in the Volunteer State. Stop in for a dunkelweizen if you're in the area.



The Terminal Brewhouse
Certified Purveyors of an Honest Pint
6 East 14th Street
Chattanooga, TN
website




The next two places are owned by the same folks and are situated on beautiful Bainbridge Island and appear to be located just a block away from each other. Pick your pleasure:




Harbour Public House
Certified Purveyors of an Honest Pint
231 Parfitt Way SW
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
206-842-0969
website








Pegasus Coffee House
Certified Purveyors of an Honest Pint
131 Parfitt Way SW
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
206-842-6725
website

Honest Pints in Olympia, Washington

This is a pretty shocking fact, but true: the Project had as of this morning not certified a pub in the Evergreen State. Fortunately we now rectify this terrible oversight. In Olympia, the three-month-old Skep And Skein Tavern joins the certified club.

Skep and Skein Tavern and Meadery
Certified Purveyor of an Honest Pint
2106 Harrison Ave NW B 14
Olympia, WA 98502

Since it's so new, there's not a lot of info, but Dave Ross sends along some details:

We opened on April 23rd of this year and are located on Olympia's "Westside" which is on the hill above downtown. We have 16 tap handles of which 14 are rotating regularly. We are trying to carry beers that are not always readily available in Olympia, which has been a lot of fun. We are also a bonded and licensed meadery with our own meads on draft scheduled for sometime this fall. In the mean time we have been selling Redstone Mead from the bottle and these have been well received.

So next time you're zipping up (or down) I-5, stop in for a pint--an honest pint. And tell us what you think. Good luck, Dave, may the place prosper--

One of the quandaries of the Honest Pint Projects resides in the type of serving vessels available to publicans. One question I regularly get asked is, "but if the HHP requires 16 fluid ounces for certification, doesn't that mean imperial pints?" Actually, no. Behold Astoria's Fort George Brewing, and their stylish Mason jars. A pour to the neck offers exactly 16 ounces, and leaves a half inch for head. Perfecto!


Fort George Brewery and Public House
Certified Purveyors of Honest Pints
1483 Duane Street
Astoria, OR 97103
503-325-PINT


As readers of the Beervana blog know, there are many other reasons to visit Fort George, as well--great food and beer. (Try the albacore sandwich and have an honest pint of Vortex. Heaven!) So consider this just the cherry on top.

Honest Pints in Silverton, Oregon

Seven Brides brewery down in beautiful Silverton, Oregon recently opened a tap room. And guess what kind of glassware they bought. Honest pints! They actually have two different kinds of glasses, both honest. A fan of the place, Shane C, sent these photos, along with this comment: "By the way, when feel the need to get out of the city, take a hike at Silver Falls, or visit the Oregon Gardens, visit Silverton and head to the Seven Brides Taproom for some great beers and great food."


Seven Brides Tap Room
Certified Purveyor of an Honest Pint
990 N. First Street
Silverton, Oregon 97381
website



I can't speak for the food, but the beer I've had (sadly limited) was indeed tasty. And he's totally right about the region--it's incredibly nice down there. Silver Falls is one of Oregon's less-exalted gems and makes a great day trip. Now you can finish it off with an honest pint. Cheers to Seven Brides--

Oklahoma City News Reports on Honest Pints

In a wonderful story from Oklahoma City's News Channel 4, we learn of two crusading women, Cris Tindell and Cheryl Semon, who are out to certify an honest pint. Check out their t-shirts! By the way, if Cris and Cheryl see this--drop us a line and we'll update the website!

Finally Certified: Deschutes Brewery

Deschutes Brewery has long been a paragon of honest pints. When we launched the project, we put out a call for a hi-res photo of an honest pint to use in the logo, and Deschutes was kind enough to send us a pic of Black Butte Porter. So it gives us great pleasure to finally officially certify both their Portland and Bend pubs. Since sending us this photo, Deschutes has changed their glassware, going from generic imperials to their current embossed Rastal glasses, which sport the gold standard of honest pint transparency, an etched line so the customer can see if she's getting short-poured or not (see out-of-focus photo at the end of the post).


Deschutes Brewery
Certified Purveyor of an Honest Pint
1044 Bond Street
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 382-9242

Deschutes Portland Pub
210 NW 11th Avenue
Portland, OR 97209
(503) 296-4906

I don't think anyone in the world needs my encouragement to visit the brewery. Like Widmer, Deschutes always has a few pub-only specials, and at least one is usually exceptional. The beer in the certification photo is a pilsner, 5.5%, 37 IBUs, lovely hop character and a totally delightful beer. I regret we don't have more freshly-brewed pilsners on tap around Beervana. They also are pouring their new CDA as well as a silky cream ale. Plus, of course, a couple cask taps, which is reason enough to go.

Once again, thanks much for the photo guys, and sorry it took so long to get you certified. Cheers!

After launching the Honest Pint Project, a few Portland pubs heard the call and spent the money to switch over their glassware. The Raccoon Lodge was first, and it gives us great pleasure to now officially certify them as Purveyors of Honest Pints.


Raccoon Lodge Brewpub
Certified Purveyor of an Honest Pint
7424 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway
Portland, OR 97225
503.296.0110



That picture doesn't do it justice, but the elixir in the glass is indeed the Kriek--but don't bother trying to get a pint of it. That was a server misfire, and one of the luckier moments of my pub-going career. You can get a goblet of the Kriek, though, or a pint of any of Ron Gansberg's other beer. The west side isn't exactly festooned with joints serving honest pints, nor pints of great beer, so this should definitely be a go-to watering hole for those out past the hills.
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Honest Pints in Burbank

A guy named Tony Yanow is opening a new pub in Burbank that sounds like it was transported directly from Southeast Portland. Great beer, great food, sustainable, and vegan-friendly. (The vegan sausages are even imported from the NW!) The planned opening is April 4.

Tony did the measuring backward, and he will send me one from an obvious place in the pub once the pub is open, so for now the two photos I have are provisional. But he wanted to promote honest pints for his opening, and so we're bending the rules a bit to get him certified before the place opens. If you're down in Southern California, stop in and have a pint. Looks like a cool place.

Tony's Darts Away
Certified Purveyor of and Honest Pint
1710 W. Magnolia Blvd
Burbank, CA 91506
818-253-1710
website

Certified: Original Gravity in Milan, MI

Our man-on-the-scene in Michigan, BB, continues to do yeoman's work in certifying honest pints. Today's Sunday edition features Original Gravity Brewing. Located in Milan, which looks to be about equidistant from Detroit (to the east) and Toledo (to the south)--or, for locals, just nine miles south of Ypsilanti. Founded in 2008, they are already receiving good reviews (4 1/2 stars from Yelp, A- from BeerAdvocate) and serve a range of mostly British-style ales (plus a couple of experimental brews.) If you're nearby, stop in and have an honest pint!

Original Gravity Brewing
Certified Purveyor of an Honest Pint
440 County St.
Milan, MI 48160
(734) 439-7490
Facebook page

Michiganders, I think it's time to consider an Honest Pint pub crawl--

Certified: Arbor Brewing in Ann Arbor, MI

Well this is MIGHTY cool: a good beer guy in Michigan has taken it upon himself to start certifying places who serve honest pints--thanks, BB! Today's entry is Arbor Brewing from Ann Arbor, Michigan. Once again, Yelp and BeerAdvocate tell me that they're great. (Hypothesis: those places that care enough to proudly serve their beers in honest pints tend to be highly correlated with good beer.)

Arbor Brewing Company
Certified Purveyors of an Honest Pint

114 E. Washington St.

Ann Arbor, MI 48104

Midwesterners, go give them your business--

Honest Pints in Michigan

Liberty Street Brewing
Certified Purveyor of an Honest Pint
149 W. Liberty Street
Plymouth, MI 48170

It is a fine day when I wake up to a new certification photo in my inbox. It is even finer when that photo depicts a pub in a heretofore uncertified state. Today is a very fine day.

Liberty Street Brewing was founded just 18 months ago in Plymouth, Michigan, just west of Detroit. In that short time, they've served notice that they want to purvey not only honest pints, but exceptional ones. The raters on Yelp (four and a half stars) and BeerAdvocate (A rating) rave about the place. Here's head brewery and owner Joe Walters talking about his orientation to honest pints:

We are firm believers in a "pint being a pound - the world around", I did not want to serve a 16 ounce pint glass that would only hold a pint if there was surface tension and no head. I have recieved comments from colleagues telling me to reduce my pour, but even when changing glassware this past month, I chose to keep with the Honest Pint pour, using a 20 ounce pub glass. By the way, our half pints are 10 ounces.

That's effectively a verbatim rationale for our criteria for an honest pint. Thanks and congrats, Joe!

Widmer Gasthaus Introduces Honest Pints

I am most pleased to announce the newest addition to our official list of Certified Purveyors of Honest Pints: the Widmer Gasthaus. The brothers have completely changed their glassware and now use an imperial pint with an etched line indicating the 16-ounce level. It's really cool to see breweries using the Honest Pint Project as an opportunity to introduce new proprietary glassware. The Widmer version is the graceful Irish-style glass and of course features their logo. (You can buy the honest pint glass at the pub.)



Widmer Gasthaus
Certified Purveyor of an Honest Pint
955 North Russell Street
(503) 281-3333
Website



Most of the folks around Portland are well aware of the Gasthaus, its nice German-inflected menu, and the specialty beers (including Collaborator brews) only available there on-tap. Now there's another reason to give them your business--honest pints.