Pub #25 -- Backwoods Brewing Company, Portland, November 16

Joining our friends Heather and Mark for another play (Macbeth, #27), we also convinced them to join us for another brewpub visit, meaning that they're now neck and neck with Vicki and Mike and my mom and brother's family for the second-most brewpub visits with us during the 50 in 50 effort, after Ben and Jim and Kathy Wert, who took us to three in Toronto over two days (!).

Backwoods Brewing was a little place we found in the Pearl District, previously unknown to us, but only a few blocks away from the Armory (Portland Center Stage), Deschutes Brewery (where we tried to go first, but was way too crowded), Rogue Brewery, and many others in this upscale commercial center of NW Portland.

Having already eaten a big Lebanese lunch and needing to get me back to Corvallis to see Next to Normal (for the second time!), we only had beers, but they were quite impressive.  I got the Pecan Pie Porter and C got the Dreamsicle, actually made with some Sunny Delight!  Backwoods definitely held its own, amidst the Big Boys in the Portland craft brew landscape.  Well done!

This marks the halfway point for brewpubs, putting us a little behind the plays, but also just within the 6-month range.  I imagine we'll be okay for making 50.  :-)

Play #27 -- Macbeth, Portland Center Stage, November 16

The Scottish play, performed as I've never seen it before: a trio of women actors, playing all the roles.  It was a bold choice that mostly worked pretty well, although as C said, it might not be the best version for someone's first time at Macbeth.  It wasn't always super clear who was being portrayed by whom, especially with the smaller roles.  Still, as discussed at the talkback after the show, having women play these visceral, violent scenes gave it a different sort of impact.

https://www.pcs.org/macbeth

Pub #24 -- The Horn Public House & Brewery, Depoe Bay, Ore., November 8

Opened in 2016 in the building that housed the noted Spouting Horn restaurant (est. 1927), The Horn Public House & Brewery did its part to enhance Depoe Bay's coastal allure by opening the town's first brewery, the Depoe Bay Brewing Company.

Boasting some of the finest views in a brewery (sit upstairs, overlooking the ocean), this is a comfortable, spacious, attractive place for some seafood and beer.  Given that it's right on the way to Drift Creek Camp, where we go a few times a year, at least, it's a handy stopover.

Pub #23 -- Block 15, Corvallis, November 3

Block 15 Brewing Co. is, in our opinion, Corvallis's flagship brewpub, and our all-time favorite. Soon after Block 15 opened, in October 2008, folks from our congregation who value a locally-crafted ale started to gather for Friday happy hour (or Hoppy Mennonite Hour, or a number of other names that didn't stick).  Inspired by Bob Bontrager, a wonderful man who left this mortal plane way too soon, we still gather occasionally, although not with as much regularity as we did 10 years ago. Still, the memory of those early years, stuffed into corners in Block 15's upstairs loft, with big wooden beams running this way and that, yelling at each other to be heard over the din of an overfull, happy restaurant, are some of my fondest in Corvallis.

Block 15 has many great beers that we love, including Dark Matter (their chocolate porter), Love Potion #9 (raspberry porter), and many, many creative Belgians and fruit-forward ales.  (They also specialize in IPAs, and usually have way too many on tap (for my taste), which makes other people happy, I guess.)

A few years ago (2015?), B15 opened a Southtown Tap Room along with their much-expanded brewery.  Those first few years were wonderful, since its newness kept it slightly under the radar.  Sitting on the patio, gazing across open fields to the silhouette of Marys Peak, fine ale in hand -- what could be better?  Now that it's no longer a secret, it can be tricky to get a table outside, but it's still a fun place to go.

On this Sunday afternoon in November, I got the Framboise White, a raspberry wild ale matured in oak barrels, and C got the Bourbon Pumpkin Pie.

Play #26 -- Next to Normal, Majestic Theatre, November 2 (and 16)

Next to Normal is a 2008 rock musical about clinical depression.  What could possibly be better??

If you haven't seen it, you might wonder why you'd want to see a show about a middle-aged mother with depression and the effects that ripple out through her family.  But if you have seen it, you'll know it's a wonderful, funny, heartbreaking, painful, raucous, and, at its core, sensitive and loving musical trip through real life, with all its warts, bumps, and bruises.  This show always makes me cry, even after my third viewing.

Our first time at Next to Normal was in 2011 when we took our niece Bethany on a road trip to Seattle to see the Broadway touring version.  I had no idea what was coming (other than a musical about depression -- how fun!), and was blown away by the power of the raw emotions and the high-energy music.  I remained stuck in my seat during intermission, sitting in stunned silence, wiping away the tears from the intense first act.  Blew. Me. Away.

After seeing such a professional-level performance of the show, I was a little concerned that a community theater version might not live up to the memory.  However, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the Majestic performers.  I saw the Majestic show twice, both because I like it so much and because I wanted to see the other pair of leads perform (the mother and father roles were dual-cast). They all did great, with subtle differences that made me happy I saw both versions.  Well done, Majestic!