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“A very hearty nourishing liquor… very suitable for porters and other working people. Hence it obtained the name porter.”
— John Feltham, English writer, 1802
By Michael Edwards
For the TODAY
Porter was both the name of an 18th Century London working man and the dark brown beer that fueled the brains and muscles of the Industrial Revolution. The typical laborer plying his trade on the docks of the Thames consumed 2,000 calories per day in porter alone. The porter was heavy enough to function not only as a stiff drink but as supper as well. Today, porter and its stronger cousin, the stout, aren’t consumed as a meal but they are still popular wintertime comfort beverages.
Some of the best dark beers in the country are found on tap and in the retail section of The Black Squid Beer House in Lincoln City, owned and operated by Sara and Andy Hill.
I sampled a pint of Wild Ride Brew’s Nut Crusher Peanut Butter Porter, finding it smooth with a hint of liquified Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, and Sunriver Brewing Company’s award winning Cocoa Cow Chocolate Milk Stout. If you are looking for a less meaty, lighter-colored beer, Black Squid has many options. A customer favorite is the Indian Pale Ale, or IPA, style.
Though they don’t serve food, the Calle food cart can be found right in front of the beer house most afternoons and evenings, serving assorted flavors of gourmet hot dogs, including vegan dogs. I paired a thick chocolate cake-flavored stout with the bacon-wrapped hot dog, which made for an affordable, filling and delicious dinner.
Sara and Andy spoke to me about the popularity of Pacific Northwest IPAs, and specifically about fresh hop IPAs. Hops are typically harvested, processed and dried in a kiln. Drying makes the hops storable but also dulls some of the plant’s floral aromas. Fresh hops are unkilned, so retain their fragrant aromas — making for a tasty IPA. Because of the close proximity to hop farms in the Yakima and Willamette valleys, Pacific Northwest breweries brew some of the freshest fresh hop IPAs in the nation.
Early fall visitors to the Black Squid have available to them some of the best fresh hop IPAs in the country if not the world.
Although the ephemeral fresh hop season is fading, Christmas is right around the corner. In December, Sara concocts a fruity and festive wassail.
“Wassailing is a medieval European winter tradition,” Sara said. “It involves drinking cider, singing, hanging toast on the bare limbs of the oldest apple tree in the orchard and pouring cider on the roots of the same old apple tree to ensure a good harvest in the coming year.”
There aren't any apple trees at The Black Squid but the music is always excellent and so are the ciders, so I can only imagine that a visit during the holiday season will be worth your while.
Does your dog love to socialize? Bring them into this very pet-friendly establishment. You can even join the wall of Polaroids of canine visitors and their people, right above the funky painting of the Chris Farley-looking guy sitting by his van washing his feet in the river. Especially now with the wildfires, COVID-19 and the often-unnerving political news, seeing dogs happily visiting their two-legged and four-legged friends in a cozy and friendly establishment over great drinks can’t help but elicit a smile.
Along with bringing exceptional adult beverages to the Central Oregon Coast, Sara and Andy put continuous elbow grease into keeping their business safe for customers to drink and socialize in the era of COVID-19. The couple also puts an emphasis on giving back to their community, through events like a recent Facebook fundraiser for Family Promise.
“The contest was called ‘Costumes of Halloweens Past,’” Sara said, “and we donated $3 for each photo posted of someone in a Halloween costume (past or present). We had about 75 participants, and so we rounded up to 100 of them, and are writing a check to Family Promise for $300!”
The Black Squid Beer House is located at 3001 SW Hwy. 101 in Lincoln City, and is open from 3 to 9 pm, Wednesday through Friday, Saturday from 1 to 9 pm and Sunday from 3 to 8 pm. For more information, go to www.blacksquidbeerhouse.com or call 541-614-0733.
The What’s on Tap section highlights Pacific Northwest beers and also shows the proprietors’ willingness to bring in novel flavors from around the globe. Aying, Germany, Oklahoma City and Pennsahken, New Jersey are represented on the Black Squid’s latest tap list, with new brews regularly being added.