Venti’s Cafe and Basement Bar

During the month of January 2010, 31 different draught beers were offered / purveyed by Venti’s Cafe.

Venti’s were open 29 days in December; so,
. . . 31 beer offered in 29 days.
More than a different beer for everyday Venti’s were open.

In comparison, 26 different beers were offered in the month of July, August, September 2009; 33 different beers, in October and December 2009; 28 different beers, in November 2009. [Of course, typically, six or seven of the eight beers run across the month boundary. And, as regular customers know, Ninkasi Brewing Co., Eugene - Tricerahops Double IPA is always on tap.]

Venti’s Cafe offers Pacific Northwest craft beer on eight draught taps. Four taps in the ground floor Cafe; four taps in the Basement Bar. Typically, each taps set is allocated to
01. a crisp, clean lagers [kölsch, pilsner, bock] or a golden, pale, or wit ales
02. an amber, black, brown, or red ale or a porter or a spice, stout, or winter ale; typically, malty
03. a traditional India Pale Ale
04. a double Alt, a double IPA, an Old Ale, an Imperial Pale Ale, a NW Red Ale, an Imperial Pilsner, an Imperial Stout, or a Strong ale

January’s 31 beer are listed just below, alphabetically ordered by brewery, with location. A second list follows with the beers categorized by type, grouped by beer style, and then ordered by increasing IBU.

__Venti’s January 2010 Craft Beers Purveyed Taplist__
nn. Brewery, Location - Beer Offered

1. 10 Barrel Brewing Co., Bend - Code 24 Pale Ale
2. Alameda Brewing Co., Portland - El Torero Organic [2X] IPA
3. Alameda Brewing Co., Portland - Papa Noel’s Old Ale
4. Bear Republic Brewing Co., Cloverdale, Calif. - El Oso Golden Lager
5. Bear Republic Brewing Co., Cloverdale, Calif. - Rebellion [2X] Red Ale
6. Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, NY - Abbey Ale
7. Calapooia Brewing Co., Albany - Simcoe Springs [2X] IPA
8. Caldera Brewing Co., Ashland - Pilsener Bier
9. Caldera Brewing Co., Ashland - [2X] IPA
10. Dogfish Head Brewery, Milton, Del. - 90 Minute [2X] IPA
11. Eel River Brewing Co., Fortuna, Calif. - Raven’s Eye Imperial Stout
12. Everybody, White Salmon, Wash. - Country Boy [2X] IPA
13. Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, Md. - Classic Pale Ale
14. Golden Valley Brewery, McMinnville - Red Thistle Ale
15. Klamath Basin Brewing Co., Klamath Falls - 8 Second Golden Ale
16. Lagunitas Brewing Co., Petaluma, Calif. - Cappuccino [Imperial] Stout
17. Lagunitas Brewing Co., Petaluma, Calif. - Pilsner
18. Mad River Brewing Co., Blue Lake, Calif. - Jamaica Red Ale
19. Mad River Brewing Co., Blue Lake, Calif. - Steelhead [2X] IPA
20. Ninkasi Brewing Co., Eugene - Tricerahops Double [2X] IPA
21. North Coast Brewing Co., Fort Bragg Calif. - Old Rasputin Imperial Stout
22. Oakshire Brewing Co., Eugene - Smoking Bagpipes Scotch Ale
23. Oakshire Brewing Co., Eugene - Very Ill Tempered Gnome
24. Oakshire Brewing Co., Eugene - Watershed [2X] IPA
25. Rogue Ales, Newport - Imperial Stout
26. Rogue Ales, Newport - Old Crustacean Barleywine
27. Russian River Brewing Co., Santa Rosa, Calif. - Consecration
28. Russian River Brewing Co., Santa Rosa, Calif. - Damnation Belgian Golden Ale
29. Stone Brewing Co., Escondido, Calif. - Double Bastard Strong Ale
30. Stone Brewing Co., Escondido, Calif. - [2X] IPA
31. Walking Man Brewing Co., Stevenson, Wash. - Knuckle Dragger Strong Pale Ale

Venti’s eight draught taps could be denoted as:
Type01: Something Light
Type02: Something Dark and, typically, Malty; beer of Hue
Type03: Traditional American IPA
Type04a: Something Special / Strong and IPA; ie, Double / Imperial / 2X IPA
Type04b: Something Special / Strong and NOT IPA; ie, Imperial Pilsner / Imperial Stout / Strong Ale

_Type 01 [ 05 ]__
02 Golden Ale
01 Amber Lager
02 Pilsner Lager

_Type 02 [ 04 ]__
02 Amber Ale
02 Pale Ale

__Type 04a [ 09]__
09 2X IPA

__Type 04b [ 13 ]__
01 Barleywine
02 Belgian Strong Ale
01 NW [2X] Red Ale
04 Imperial Stout
05 Strong Ale

___Venti’s January 2010 Taplist By Type then Style and IBU with ABV__
__Type01: Something ‘Light’__
Klamath Basin Brewing Co. - 8 Second Golden Ale; Golden Ale; ~20 IBUs; ~5% ABV
Russian River Brewing Co. - Damnation; Golden Ale, Belgian Strong; 25 IBUs; 7.0% ABV
Bear Republic Brewing Co. - El Oso Golden Lager, Amber Lager*; 25 IBUs; 4.5% ABV
Caldera Brewing Co. - Pilsner; Pilsner; ~25 IBUs; 5.0% ABV
Lagunitas Brewing Co. - Pils; Pilsner Lager; 38 IBUs; 5.3% ABV

__Type02: ‘Dark’ and ‘Malty’; aka Beer of Hue__
Golden Valley Brewery - Red Thistle Ale; Amber Ale; 40 IBUs; 5.4% ABV
Mad River Brewing Co. - Jamaica Red Ale; Amber Ale; 42 IBUs; 6.8% ABV
Flying Dog Brewery - Classic Pale Ale; Pale Ale; 35 IBUs; 5.5% ABV
10 Barrel Brewing Co. - Code 24 Pale Ale; Pale Ale; 37 IBUs; 5.2% ABV

__Type04a: Something ‘Special’ and IPA: 2X IPA or Imperial Pale Ale__
Oakshire Brewing Co. - Watershed [2X] IPA; 2X IPA; 75 IBUs; 7.1% ABV
Stone Brewing Co. - [2X] IPA; 2X IPA; 77 IBUs; 6.9% ABV
Everybody’s Brewing Co. - Country Boy [2X] IPA; 2X IPA; 80 IBUs; 6.2% ABV
Calapooia Brewing Co. - Simcoe Springs [2X] IPA; 2X IPA; 85 IBUs; 6.8% ABV
Mad River Brewing Co. - Steelhead [2X] IPA; 2X IPA; 85 IBUs; 8.6% ABV
Alameda Brewing Co. - El Torero Organic [2X] IPA; 2X IPA; 88 IBUs; 7.1% ABV
Caldera Brewing Co., Ashland - [2X] IPA; 2x IPA, 94 IBUs; 6.1% ABV
Dogfish Head Brewery - 90 Minute IPA; 2X IPA; 90 IBUs; 9.0% ABV
Ninkasi Brewing Co. - Tricerahops Double [2X] IPA; 2X IPA; 100 IBUs; 8.8% ABV

__Type04b: Something ‘Special’; but NOT IPA: Imperial Pilsner / Imperial Stout / big NW [2X] Red Ales__
Rogue Ales - Old Crustacean Barleywine; Barleywine; 100 IBUs; 10% ABV
Brewery Ommegang - Abbey Ale; Belgian Strong Ale, Dubbel; ~25 IBUs; 8.5% ABV
Russian River Brewing Co. - Consecration; Belgian Strong Ale, Dark; 25 IBUs; 10% ABV
Bear Republic Brewing Co. - Rebellion [2X] Red Ale; NW [2X] Red Ale; 55 IBUs; 6.4% ABV
Lagunitas Brewing Co. - Cappuccino [Imperial] Stout; Imperial Stout; 30 IBUs; 9.2% ABV
Eel River Brewing Co. - Raven’s Eye Imperial Stout; Imperial Stout; ~45 IBUs; 9.5% ABV
North Coast Brewing Co. - Old Rasputin Imperial Stout; Imperial Stout; 75 IBUs; 9.0% ABV
Rogue Ales - Imperial Stout; Imperial Stout; 88 IBUs; 11% ABV
Oakshire Brewing Co. - Smoking Bagpipes Scotch Ale; Strong Ale, Scottish; ~35 IBUs; 7.0% ABV
Alameda Brewing Co. - Papa Noel’s Old Ale; Strong Ale; 40 IBUs; 8.5% ABV
Walking Man Brewing Co., Knuckle Dragger Strong Pale Ale, Strong Ale, Pale, 100 IBUs; 6.5% ABV
Oakshire Brewing Co. - Very Ill Tempered Gnome; Strong Ale; 100 IBUs; 9.5% ABV
Stone Brewing Co. - Double Bastard Strong Ale, Strong Ale; >100 IBUs; 10.5% ABV

:jbx 03 Feb 2010
:jbx 04 Feb 2010; in response to inquiry, Kristen of Bear Republic Brewing Co., reports:
1. In 2008 [El Oso] won at GABF in the American-Style Amber Lager category
2. It is fermented like a California Common [Beer]
3. GABF doesn’t have a category for the California Common [Beer].
FINAL RULING:
Somewhere between a Vienna Lager and a California Common [Beer].
Note: Anchor ‘Steam Beer’ is the exemplary California Common Beer; Anchor trademarked the name Steam Beer so other must call their brew: California Common Beer.

Venti’s welcomes Jami Moffett as our February artist in the basement. Do yourselves a favor and make a special visit to our basement to check our her installation of collages. Jami’s eclectic mixed media collages defy description but are always playful, incorporating found items (like old board games) and vintage photos, jewelry and graphicy color.
Jami and I met during an Emerge party. I was drawn to her in a crowd… I seem to be among crowds frequently. This Emerge party was at the Keizer Art Association and was full of vibe and attitude. Some of my favorite people were there and it was also the first time I met DJ Timmy, Jonathan Boys and Laura Fidler. It was an exciting event, and after meeting Jami I knew Venti’s needed her. When? How?
Thankfully, over the months Jami has patiently worked with me on coordinating this show.
Come meet Jami and buy some art on Saturday, Feb. 6 from 7-9 in the basement.
For more info on Jami, check out her extensively cool web site.

Longtime customer, cyclist and friend, Paul Lopez, is the winner of the Venti’s 14 Years of Awesomeness $20 Gift Certificate. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all who participated and shared their memories.
We had such a tough time deciding who won that Dino chose at random and then decided to give everyone who submitted a memory a gift certificate for an entree of their choice.

We couldn’t do this without your support! Thanks again for making these 14 years so memorable for us!
Peace.

BTW, Paul Lopez blogs up a storm at PacificPedaling.com. Check it out. There’s an amazing photo of him and his crew dressed in DEVO outfits during a bike race! Awesomeness!

During the month of December 2009, 33 different draught beers were offered / purveyed by Venti’s Cafe.

Venti’s were open 26 days in December; so,
. . . 33 beer offered in 26 days.
More than a different beer for everyday Venti’s were open.

In comparison, 26 different beers were offered in the month of July, August, September 2009; 33 different beers, in October 2009; 28 different beers, in November. . [Of course, typically, six or seven of the eight beers run across the month boundary. And, as regular customers know, Ninkasi Brewing Co., Eugene - Tricerahops Double IPA is always on tap.]

Venti’s Cafe offers Pacific Northwest craft beer on eight draught taps. Four taps in the ground floor Cafe; four taps in the Basement Bar. Typically, each taps set is allocated to
01. a crisp, clean lagers [kölsch, pilsner, bock] or a golden, pale, or wit ales
02. an amber, black, brown, or red ale or a porter or a spice, stout ale, or winter ale; typically, malty
03. a traditional India Pale Ale
04. a double Alt, a double IPA, an Old Ale, ,an Imperial Pale Ale, a NW Red Ale, an Imperial Pilsner, an Imperial Stout, or a Strong ale

December’s 33 beer are listed just below, alphabetically ordered by brewery, with location. A second list followswith the beers categorized by type, grouped by beer style, and then ordered by increasing IBU.

__Venti’s December 2009 Craft Beers Purveyed Taplist__
nn. Brewery, Location–Beer Offered

1. Alameda Brewing Co., Portland - Papa Noel’s Old Ale
2. Bear Republic Brewery, Cloverdale, Calif. - Big Bear [2X] Stout
3. Bear Republic Brewery, Cloverdale, Calif. - Ken and John [2X] IPA
4. Bear Republic Brewery, Cloverdale, Calif. - Rebellion [2X] Red Ale
5. Bear Republic Brewery, Cloverdale, Calif. - Racer XX IPA
6. Blue Frog, Fairfield, Calif. - Blonde Frog Ale
7. Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, NY - Abbey Ale
8. Caldera Brewing Co., Ashland - Pilsener Bier
9. Cascade Brewing Co., Portland - Defroster Winter Ale
10. Diamond Knot Brewing Co., Mukilteo, Wash. - Industrial [2X] IPA
11. Elysian Brewing Co., Seattle, Wash. - ‘The Immortal’ IPA
12. Golden Valley Brewery, McMinnville.  - Red Thistle - Amber ESB
13. Green Flash Brewing Co.,, Vista, Calif. - West Coast [2X] IPA
14. Klamath Basin Brewing Co., Klamath Falls - 8 Second Golden Ale
15. Lagunitas Brewing Co., Petaluma, Calif. - Pilsner
16. Laughing Dog Brewing Co., Ponderay, ID. - Cold Nose Winter Ale
17. Leavenworth Biers Brewery, Seattle, Wash. - Friesian Pilsener
18. Lost Coast Brewery, Eureka, Calif. - 8 Ball Stout
19. Lost Coast Brewery, Eureka, Calif. - Old Ale
20. New Old Lompoc Brewery Portland - C-Son’s Greetings Imperial Winter Ale
21. Ninkasi Brewing Co., Eugene - Tricerahops Double [2X] IPA
22. North Coast Brewing Co., Fort Bragg Calif. - Scrimshaw Pilsener
23. Oakshire Brewing Co., Eugene - Perfect Storm Imperial IPA
24. Oakshire Brewing Co., Eugene - Very Ill Tempered Gnome
25. Rogue Ales, Newport - Imperial Stout
26. Russian River Brewing Co., Santa Rosa, Calif. - Consecration
27. Russian River Brewing Co., Santa Rosa, Calif. - Damnation
28. Russian River Brewing Co., Santa Rosa, Calif. - Pliny The Elder
29. Stone Brewing Co., Escondido, Calif. - [2X] IPA
30. Southern Oregon Brewing Co., Medford - SOB Porter Ale
31. Southern Oregon Brewing Co., Medford - Son of Santa Imperial Red
32. 10 Barrel Brewing Co., Bend - Apocalypse IPA
33. 10 Barrel Brewing Co., Bend - Pray for Snow [Strong Winter] Ale

Venti’s eight draught taps could be denoted as:
Type01: Something Light
Type02: Something Dark and, typically, Malty; beer of Hue
Type03: Traditional American IPA
Type04a: Something Special / Strong and IPA; ie, Double / Imperial / 2X IPA
Type04b: Something Special / Strong and NOT IPA; ie, Imperial Pilsner / Imperial Stout / Strong Ale

_Type 01 [ 07 ]__
03 Golden Ale
04 Pilsner Lager

_Type 02 [ 05 ]__
01 Amber Ale
01 Porter
01 Stout
02 Winter Ale

_Type 03 [ 02 ]__
02 India Pale Ale

__Type 04a [ 09 ]__
09 2X IPA

__Type 04b [ 10 ]__
01 Dark Ale, Belgian
01 Dubble Ale, Belgian
02 NW [2X] Red Ale
02 Imperial Stout
04 Strong Ale

___Venti’s December 2009 Taplist By Type then Style and IBU with ABV__
__Type01: Something ‘Light’__
Blue Frog Grog & Grill - Blonde Frog Ale; Golden Ale; 15 IBUs; 6% ABV
Klamath Basin Brewing Co. - 8 Second Golden Ale; Golden Ale; ~20 IBUs; ~5% ABV
Russian River Brewing Co. - Damnation; Golden Ale, Belgian Strong; 25 IBUs; 7.0% ABV
North Coast Brewing Co. - Scrimshaw Pilsener; Pilsner Lager; 22 IBUs; 4.4% ABV
Caldera Brewing Co. - Pilsener Bier; Pilsener Lager; ~25 IBUs; 5.0% ABV
Lagunitas Brewing Co. - Pils; Pilsner Lager; 38 IBUs; 5.3% ABV
Leavenworth Biers Brewery - Friesian Pilsener; Pilsener Lager; 40 IBUs; 4.4% ABV

__Type02: ‘Dark’ and ‘Malty’; aka Beer of Hue__
Golden Valley Brewing Co. - Red Thistle, Amber Ale; 40 IBUs; 5.4% ABV
Southern Oregon Brewing - SOB Porter; Porter; 30 IBUs; 7.5% ABV
Lost Coast Brewery - 8 Ball Stout; Stout; ~55 IBUs; 5.5% ABU
Cascade Brewing Co. - Defroster Winter Ale; Winter Ale; ~25 IBUs; 6% ABV
Laughing Dog Brewing Co. - Cold Nose Winter Ale; Winter Ale; ~45 IBUs; 6.9% ABV

__Type03: Something ‘IPA’__
Elysian Brewing Co. - ‘The Immortal’ IPA; IPA; 42 IBUs; 6.3% ABV
10 Barrel Brewing Co - Apocalypse IPA; IPA; 65 IBUs; 6.5% ABV

__Type04a: Something ‘Special’ and IPA: 2X IPA or Imperial Pale Ale__
Bear Republic Brewery - Racer XX IPA; 2X IPA; 72 IBUs; 8.9% ABV
Stone Brewing Co. - [2X] IPA; 2X IPA; 77 IBUs; 6.9% ABV
Diamond Knot Brewing Co. - Industrial [2X] IPA; 2X IPA; 80 IBUs; 8.0 %ABV
Green Flash - West Coast [2X] IPA; 2X IPA; 95 IBUs; 7.0% ABV
Russian River Brewing Co. - Pliny The Elder; 2X IPA; 100 IBUs; 8% ABV
Ninkasi Brewing Co. - Tricerahops Double [2X] IPA; 2X IPA; 100 IBUs; 8.8% ABV
Oakshire Brewing Co. - Perfect Storm Imperial IPA; 2X IPA; 100+ IBUs; 10% ABV
Bear Republic Brewery - Ken and John [2X] IPA; 2X IPA; 110 IBUs; 8.7% ABV
New Old Lompoc Brewery - C-Son’s Greetings Imperial Winter [Pale] Ale; Imperial Pale Ale; ~100 IBUs; 8.5% ABV

__Type04b: Something ‘Special’; but NOT IPA: Imperial Pilsner / Imperial Stout / big NW [2X] Red Ales__
Russian River Brewing Co.- Consecration; Belgian Dark Ale; 25 IBUs; 10% ABV
Brewery Ommegang - Abbey Ale; Belgian Dubbel Ale; ~25 IBUs; 8.5% ABV
Bear Republic Brewery - Rebellion [2X] Red Ale; NW [2X] Red Ale; 55 IBUs; 6.4% ABV
Southern Oregon Brewing Co. - Son of Santa Imperial Red; NW [2X] Red Ale; 110 IBUs; 9% ABV
Lost Coast Brewery - Old Ale; Strong Ale; 30 IBUs; 8% ABV
Alameda Brewing Co. - Papa Noel’s Old Ale - Strong Ale; 40 IBUs; 8.5% ABV
10 Barrel Brewing Co. - Pray for Snow; Strong Ale; 37 IBUs; 7.6% ABV
Oakshire Brewing Co. - Very Ill Tempered Gnome; Strong Ale; 100 IBUs; 9.5% ABV
Bear Republic Brewery - Big Bear [2X] Stout; Imperial Stout; 68 IBUs; 8.1% ABV
Rogue Ales - Imperial Stout; Imperial Stout; 88 IBUs; 9% ABV

:jbx, 21 Dec 2010

If you don’t know Ryan Rogers you are really missing out. He is one of Salem’s young movers and shakers— a Renaissance man (yes, I used that term), he is an artist and photographer, community organizer and man about town (ahem).

Ryan is our January artist, with photos upstairs and in the basement — color, black and white, some on shimmery photopaper, all thoughtful and provocative.

Ryan is busy. He has ideas and makes them happen. Between Culture Shock Community Project and the Cherry City Derby Girls, he has countless commitments and even more friends. Oh, and just give him a minute to tell you his vision. The man has plans. I knew of Ryan years before we actually met. Both of us have a connection to the photography book “A Day in the Life of Salem” by Diane Beals (2006). Ryan was still at Willamette, shaking it up over there but I remember seeing an ad for a Friday afternoon meetup at Bush Park and thought that that was a great idea. His portrait in Diane’s book is Ryan dressed in a fluffy rooster costume, holding the head under his arm. It makes me smile. And knowing him today, it doesn’t surprise me that he strutted through downtown Salem in a rooster costume. I’ve since seen Ryan in my turquoise ruffle butt panties, the ubiquitous werewolf hat, zombie makeup, and as Boss Shock, president of CCDG.

I include this information because I know Ryan to be very human. I mean that in the best of all ways. He is passionate, creative, loving, spontaneous, hopeful and devoted in the extreme. All or nothing, man. I think his photography bridges the extremes and shows those glorious moments of life that we might not celebrate but we are so glad they were forever captured. Candid on all the levels. And if they aren’t candid, they look as though they are. That’s thoughtful photography from a thoughtful person.

Ryan heads up the Culture Shock Community Project, which strives to unite the creative culture in Salem and elsewhere. (and through Culture Shock, Ryan organizes and promotes like a madman and has a team of amazing creatives at the ready to see a project through). If you want to get involved or just want some info, check out Lock, Stock & Culture Shock coming up on Monday, January 25, 2010, 7-8:30 at the Grand Theatre. This free event is a town hall style opportunity to mix, mingle, and get sparked up about Salem’s creative culture. All ages. (Doors open at 6 for pre-event entertainment).

Finally, please join us at Venti’s for Ryan’s artist reception on Friday, Jan. 29 from 9-close. Come celebrate with Ryan and buy a piece of art or two. [It'll also be a derby dance party, so you can come shake your groove thing with Salem's own CCDG.]

Learn more about Ryan, his art and Culture Shock below:

http://www.myspace.com/ravflight

http://raven-flight.deviantart.com

http://www.myspace.com/salemcultureshock

http://www.facebook.com/salemcultureshock

http://www.cherrycityderbygirls.com

It's not the greatest picture in the world but it's funny as hell

Leslie here. Not sure if I am introducing our new Bar Manager appropriately with this blog entry as he deserves so much more than an entry led off by a photo of me and Dino. It is appropriate since our new Bar Manager, Nick Lopez, is a fantastic photographer and this is a photo from a shoot we did with him yesterday.
He is inspired and works quickly, that Nick is, and no doubt we will see so much more of his enthusiasm, laid back cool and warm humor behind the Basement Bar.
Not so long ago, Nick interviewed with Dino for Bar Manager. Dino interviewed quite a few highly qualified applicants and the decision came down to Nick or Thane. Dino hired Thane and Thane took the bar to a whole new level, with his bar and restaurant knowledge, bar and restaurant connections and, most notably, his exuberant demeanor. Sadly, Thane is rolling out of Salem, Portland-bound. He will be greatly missed, but we are ever-so-grateful for what he brought to Venti’s, and to Salem. Salem needs more Thanes.
In the time Thane was rockin’ Venti’s, Nick opened a photography studio in an amazing location and has since taught some digital photography classes and studied with some Pacific NW notables in the field of photography. He is highly sought after as a photographer but also brings the stability of (essentially) a home-grown Salem resident — a business owner, entrepreneur, volunteer, father of three, sports fan and visionary (if I can use that term). Nick has ideas and makes them happen. He is one of those people making Salem more live-able by investing himself and his ideas into this town we have all landed in.

I have been friends with Nick for about a year and follow his exploits on Facebook and Twitter (he also blogs). So when Nick texted me the other day to ask if I would be willing to come over to his kick ass studio for a photo shoot I was all over it. It goes w/o saying (but I’m going to say it anyway) I am a middle child of three kids. The stereotype of a middle child, needless to say: attention-seeking, curious, observant, boisterous. I have done photo shoots for derby mostly, but in all other realms of my life I am not known to be shy — or modest (The Cherry City Derby Girls shoots w/ Nick and Will Bragg and my uncle Steve Schoff have been some of my funnest memories of my derby experience). I asked Nick if Dino was invited, which of course he was. So the funny part of this to me is I know Dino as very outgoing, spirited, personable and never thought that he would have struggled with the energy of a photo shoot. I wouldn’t have expected it in a million years, honestly, but in retrospect, I should not have been surprised that Dino was reserved. There is no getting around it. This experience was out of his comfort zone. So I’m the middle child, Dino is the youngest of 11. Yes, eleven. He has really funny stories about this family dynamic and I would have thought that this youngest child thing would have sent Dino bouncing off the walls at a photo shoot. We had a great time, though. Nick described his vision of this project to us (BW treatment, digital, stark white background) then he stood back and shot, offering ideas and suggestions. It really was a privilege to visit Nick’s studio. And I’m pretty much always open to a camera roving around us as Dino and I posed, hugged, squeezed, spanked, danced and laughed. It was just fun.

I squealed when I got this sequence shot from Nick this morning. I squealed then emailed it to my dad and a few others. I love that it’s a sequence, that there is movement and expression and joy. Dino and I dance a lot together, so this is just a lovely peek into our world. And our world now includes Nick in all his capacities. I look forward to getting to know him a bit more and to see what he can harness at the Basement Bar.

This week marks our 14 year anniversary. Holy smokes. That’s a lot of chicken teriyaki and rice. It all started January 1, 1996 at the Reed Opera House. Dino and his brother Mike opened up Venti’s Bento in an old ice cream cafe, serving skewered chicken over rice — then came veggies, then came beef. It has blossomed into Venti’s, a full-service gastropub in the heart of downtown Salem, OR.
The brothers rocked it together until Dino bought Mike’s share in 2001. Venti’s had already outgrown the Reed, especially after adding beer taps to the cozy confines of the 800 sq ft shop.
After a long, arduous search, we skipped across the street in July of 2008 into our wonderful new location, expanding the menu and beer selection (as well as adding a full basement bar), Venti’s has become the place to be in Salem.
Thanks for your continued support. We couldn’t have done this without you. Literally: Our customers and staff helped move us in 2008!

We would like to invite you to share your favorite Venti’s story with us as a comment on the blog. We’ll gift one of you with a $20 gift certificate, which we’ll select on January 27th.

revised 31 Dec 2009 to add Brewery Ommegang - Abbey Ale
revised 01 Jan 2010 to add Consecration to the list of Russian River’s beers

Venti’s Cafe and Basement Beer offered draught beer from 51 different breweries during the six month period from July through December 2009.

The source breweries are comprised of
o 26 Oregon breweries
o 13 California breweries
o 04 Washington breweries
o 01 Colorado
o 01 Delaware
o 01 Idaho
o 01 Maine
o 01 Nevada
o 01 New York
o 01 England [Fuller Smith & Turner Brewery]
o 01 Germany [Brauerei Aying]

The locations of the 49 domestic breweries were plotted using Maps.Google’s ‘My Maps’ functionality.

‘Screen-capture’ images and hyperlinks to the Maps.Google’s _My Maps are provided below. The breweries’ address and the name of the associated beer and the date they were purveyed can be fetched by ‘clicking’ the location icon and/or from the list in the left hand panel. See notes

Figure 01_US Breweries Sources of Venti’s Cafe Draught Beer, 2009 Q3-Q4

Figure 02_PNW and So. Calif. Breweries Sources of Venti’s Cafe Draught Beer, 2009 Q3-Q4

Note01: These maps are ‘private’ [versus 'public'], at this time They will not be found by search
Note02: The look of the Maps.Google’s _My Maps display is influenced by the monitor display resolution. The maps are properly centered and scaled on a 1280×800 pixel displayed.
Note03: The data will be provided in tabular form in future.

27 Dec 2009 :jbx
31 Dec 2009 :jbx
01 Jan 2010 :jbx

Everyone loves an underdog. See below from our friend Jordan Blake:

Tis the season for the reason, as rhythms flow from full to renewal. Now is the time to be one, and to just be, so that we remember to be a part of the process from here on out. The day and night of Saturday, December 12th, 2009, you are invited to my campaign kick-off event. Details are below.

LIGHTS OUT! BLAKE 4 MAYOR KO EVENT

Date: 12.12.09

Location: Downtown Salem

From 1-7pm, at the Coffee House Café (135 Liberty Street Northeast), we will be localizing a space in the backroom of the café with music, art, video, spoken word, and we will be warm and chill, ya dig! You are invited to come and participate, put some art up, write up your story and vision, meet up and share space.

From 9p-2m, at Venti’s (325 Court Street Northeast), we will be arriving as funksters to party like the conscious one, hitting the future groove two step, dub, house, techno, breaks and hip hop style! We will be late night movers and shakers as the following dj’s play both up and down stairs like musical chairs! Dj’s Subdrive, Budda Fingaz, Pharo, Git Down, Timmy and Tronic.

Between the events, we get to check out the festival of lights parade going through downtown Salem. This is going to be massive!

Please give my regards to family and friends that are living and those that have gone on. Remember that we all live in the garden of souls!

For those that can’t make it on the 12th, that’s okay. Hopefully you can check out future Blake 4 Mayor / Hyve events. There are few planned for 2010.

For more info, visit Jordan’s myspace page and read his Blake 4 Mayor post.

At the following link you will find the most recent episode of living culture, which Jordan is in. www.livingcultureonline.com

Email Blake 4 Mayor w/ Qs.

Perception is a huge part of life for any individual. Plato, of course, talked about the Theory of Forms, where our senses influence how we perceive the world around us and therefore our Reality. Salem looks industrial and cold in Jake Horton’s reality, photography that shows geometric shapes of buildings cut through with steel cables, lifeless streets and bare trees. Some of Jake’s large format prints are mounted in salvaged window frames, glass panes intact, adding to the finish of the pieces but also humanizing these landscapes.

See for yourself.

In collaboration with Tim Myles, the Neanderthal Production salemore. by Jake Horton will appear at Venti’s through December. Friday, Dec. 11 kicks off the show with an appearance by local musician/chanteuse Jewelia Owens (8:30p in the Basement).

Neanderthal Production put together a beautiful booklet which accompanies the salemore. show. Please leaf through a copy when you stop in. (The booklet advertises print services, for some DIY printing, mounting and lamination needs call 503-838-4286 for more info.)

An interesting side note, Jake is also one of Venti’s hard-working and quick-witted cooks. But, of course, he is multidimensional in his talents: Jake is an artist and vintage car enthusiast, among other things.