in other words
april2
Another Round: More Words of Wisdom About Beer
By Scott Laird
Usually
we
stick to discussions
about beer in this
column, but in this
issue we accepted
an invitation to visit the Cornelius
Pass Roadhouse and ventured into
the sometimes mysterious world of
distilling.
Whether it’s brewing beer,
making wine, or distilling spirits, Oregon
is leading the way in micro enterprises
that are producing top quality and
often unique alcoholic beverages. The
McMenamins Cornelius Pass Roadhouse
(CPR) Distillery is no exception, where
distillers Bart Hance, who lives in
Columbia County in the hills of Yankton
outside St. Helens, and Arthur Price from
Beaverton, are practicing the centuries
old art of distilling.
Hance and Price are overseeing
the development of the McMenamins
second distillery project (the original
McMenamins distillery is located at
the Edgefield property in Troutdale)
and have been meticulously developing
recipes in the old granary barn built in
1855 and lovingly restored in 1998 on
the Imbrie Farm in Hillsboro. It is the
county’s oldest agricultural building,
built with all mortise, tenon and dowel,
(there is no metal holding it up) and
is listed on the National Registry of
Historic Buildings.
Hance, with long flowing grey
beard and pony tail, is the grand wizard
of the operation, a real life but more
fun loving, and younger version of
Potter’s Dumbledor. A twenty-six year
MIKE PIHL
LOGGING CO., INC
employee and former brewery manager
for McMenamins, Hance jumped
when offered the chance to expand
his horizons, dabble in the fine art of
operating a still, and create an additional
line of spirits for the company. Price, an
eager sorcerer’s apprentice, is an eight
year employee, a former bar and pub
worker, who had his eye on a brewer’s
position before this spot in the distillery
became available.
Together Hance and Price
have been experimenting, tasting, and
adjusting their recipes over the last three
years, establishing the current line of
five products, generating new ideas and
developing a reputation for turning out
some very fine spirits.
For those unfamiliar with the
distillation process, a tour of the
CPR Distillery is a fascinating and
enchanting experience. A natural host
and story teller, Hance, and the equally
agreeable Price, welcome visitors and
willingly shed light on their work
world, engaging visitors with tales
about the history of the property, the
processes they use and the products
they produce.
Mostly they make wheat based
whiskey, but they also produce gin,
a pinot noir brandy, and a hazelnut
liquor.
There are several other
varieties of brandy currently aging in
oak barrels and they are also hoping
to release some rum in the next year
or so.
Hance says he likes using
locally sourced ingredients when
possible. Gin is made from juniper
berries, but some of the other botanicals
that go into their recipe are sourced right
off the Imbrie Farm property. “That’s
about as local as it gets,” says Hance. “I
walk right out here and pick sage, mint,
yarrow, and rose petals to make our gin.”
One of the other unique things about
their gin is that they use Oregon Grape
in the recipe.
Free Estimates
Specializing in Private Timber
503-429-1470
cell 503.789.1268
fax 503.429.0252
mplogging@frontier.com
1984 mist drive, po box 321 vernonia, or 97064
2015
9
To make whiskey they use the
same malts that McMenamins brewers
use to make beer, and follow a similar
process to make a mash. “Whiskey is
essentially a beer before it’s distilled but
without hops,” explains Hance. Hance
Alambic Charentis pot still is both eye
catchingly beautiful, and as Hance
describes it, “rustic” and “primitive.”
According to Hance, hundreds
of years of trial and error led to the
shape and the design of the pot still.
says they separate the liquid from the
mash, double distill it, then age it in oak
barrels for three years to create their
signature line of whiskey called “Billy.”
Those whiskey barrels are 63
gallons, an unusual and larger sized
barrel that reduces the ratio of wood to
liquid. They are custom made by an
Oregon based cooper.
Although Hance and Price are
the conjurors of the potions, the real
magic at the CPR Distillery happens
in the caldron - the still itself. Built in
Cognac, France over 100 years ago it was
originally designed for making brandy.
The hand pounded copper, 160 gallon,
“Those shapes lead to the flavor profile
associated with Cognac brandy,” says
Hance.
The distillers say they can
control the amount of heat under the
pot still and control the amount of water
that goes in, but that’s about it. “All the
decisions that we make during a spirit
run are made by the distiller’s taste and
smell,” explains Price. “Our palates are
the most important piece of equipment
in the distillery,” adds Hance.
Price says there is a lot of
overlapping and sharing of resources
and knowledge within the various
continued on page 19
