Book 'em, Danno

Last night's Cluster F#ck release party at Velo Cult turned into virtual surf party. The only things missing were the beach, the waves and the surfboards. They were replaced by bikes and beer, which isn't half bad. By the time the Church of Surf hit the final notes of Hawaii Five-O, it was clear a fine time had been had by all...or most.

Hats off to Velo Cult and Double Mountain for putting on this great shindig, which attracted a good crowd despite a power outage in the area before it got underway. When I got there around 6:30, there was a group of folks augured in at the bar testing the beers. Someone has to do it.

Double Mountain released its Single Hop IPA, Cluster F#ck, at the party. Everyone I talked to tried it and most apparently liked it. To me, it didn't have the depth of character I expect in a special release beer. Good, not great, is my take. Double Mountain's IRA and Kolsch are better beers by far, and both were available, along with others.

Entertainment was provided by The Church of Surf, a Portland-based group that plays surf-oriented music in the vein of Dick Dale. Their style is a little more laid back and not nearly as edgy as Dale's, although they can crank it up pretty good at times. They played from a catalog of mostly recognizable surf tunes that seemed a perfect fit for the space, the crowd and the evening.

Not likely to be forgotten were the efforts of the Chakra Surf Dancers, who front the band and do a good job keeping the crowd engaged. If you aren't that into the music, there's always the dance moves to keep you interested. Women in the audience enjoyed the Dancers as much as the men, so boo-hoo.

This was a nice change from your typical beer release party. Far too often, these parties are nothing more than cheesy posters and social media posts. You arrive and discover there's really nothing happening, no beef at all. Not so at Velo Cult last night. Nice job, folks!

Surf's Up at Double Mountain Cluster F#ck Release

In this season of event overload, making choices about where to go any day or night of the week can be a dicey business. But not all beer-related events are created equal and next week's Double Mountain Cluster F#ck release party is one of them. Not to be missed.

This is happening Thursday, June 13, at Velo Cult in the Hollywood District. If you don't know about Velo Cult, this is your chance to get acquainted. They are a combination bike shop, tap room and meeting place. I posted about them before, not long after they opened a year ago. Today, the place is a beehive of activity, with ongoing events and a great tap list. Bikes and beer are great companions in Portland and Velo Cult is becoming a destination.

Double Mountain, which recently announced a parting of ways between the co-founders Matt Swihart and Charlie Devereux, is releasing a single hop IPA as the featured part of Cluster F#ck. I'm not a huge fan of single hop IPAs, but I'm happy to give this one a try. There will also be other Double Mountain beers available and these are some of the best beers in Oregon. 

Velo Cult fisheye

To provide some ambiance for the beer, Double Mountain and Velo Cult are bringing in the Church of Surf and Chakra Surf Dancers. One of the bike mechanics described Church of Surf as a Dick Dale-type outfit. Sure enough, YouTube videos concur. For anyone remotely interested in Dick Dale-inspired surf music, the Church of Surf and Chakra Dancers are going to be a treat.

If you're concerned about Velo Cult being too small for an event with music, don't be. The space is quite large. They have an existing stage and lighting setup. The Church of Surf is going to be a perfect fit for the space. Of course, if you aren't into surf rock, this may not be the event for you. Oh well.

Festivities kick off at 6:00 p.m. Don't be late. 

Velo Cult takes Bikes and Brews in a New Direction

Every now and then you run across something that makes so much sense you wonder why you haven't seen it before. The recently opened Velo Cult in the Hollywood District (across the street from the Moon and Sixpence) is that kind of concept.

Velo Cult is a bike shop that serves up a nice selection of craft beer in a comfortable setting. The roomy space on 42nd Avenue will also host regular special events that include live music, movies, race viewings, dinners, meetings and more. Obviously, a variety of rides will start and end here.

Owner Sky Boyer started Velo Cult more than five years ago. But not in Portland. The business was born in San Diego. And it did well. But at some point Boyer and his employees reckoned Portland was where they wanted and needed to be.

"From a cultural and ideological standpoint, Portland is just a better fit for us," Boyer says. "Nothing against San Diego, which is a great city."

So they shut down the San Diego operation and moved. Challenges remained. When his employees arrived in Portland in early January, Boyer had still not been able to find a suitable venue for the store.

"Finding the right space was a challenge," he recalls. "I had spent plenty of time looking and nothing was quite right. Right after my people arrived here, I found this place. I signed a lease virtually on the spot and we started making it ready for business."

That took several months and a massive amount of work. The space previously housed an antique museum with countless display areas. All that had to be removed. There were issues with layers of floor material that had to be torn up. The lighting had to be changed. And so on.

During the demolition and construction, Boyer's vision of what the store should be changed slightly. The amount of space (5,000 sq ft) gave him a lot of flexibility in terms of how to organize things. The bar area, in particular, became a sort of pivot point.

"We had always planned to serve beer," Boyer says. "We served beer in San Diego. But it was small scale. During the construction here, we all realized the bar area could be large and comfortable without taking anything away from the store. In fact, it probably adds to to appeal."

From a retail standpoint, the arrangement is odd. Velo Cult carries a selection of bikes, apparel and related accessories. Those items occupy the rear of the store. Up front, there's the bar and a large table covered with literature. It screams out: Have a beer or a coffee! Sit a spell and relax!

The scoop with the beer is simple: Boyer will soon have three rotating taps to go with a nice selection of cans and bottles. He plans to keep different beers rolling through those taps. What's the holdup? He's waiting on a permit that will allow him to install a sink. No draft beer until that happens...probably a few weeks.

Food is also on the agenda. Boyer plans to offer a line of tamales with authentic seasonings and sauces, leaning heavily on the San Diego connection.

It's evident in my mind that Hopworks is Portland's champion of combining cycling and good beer. They are decidedly a brewery/pub with a strong cycling connection. Velo Cult is taking that concept in a slightly different direction by combining a bike shop with small scale pub.

The idea has Portland written all over it.