“‘Portlandia’ is real... It’s actually documentary,” we’ve said many times. Why? Portland, and much of Oregon, is just one of those funny places where things are done... differently. Like rural Vermont, or Amish country, it’s one of those places where doing things by hand, however oddly, carries with it inestimable rewards of edification, not to mention comic material for the likes of brilliant comedians. But seriously: Doing things from scratch—like brewing your own beer—isn’t something to make fun of, really, unless you’re simply too “busy” to consider it, in which case, good luck with that, Stressface. Because it is cool. It is fun. It is economical. You’ll feel better. Trust us on that.

Best of all, the fun, delicious, useful things you make ought to resonate in your life for years, unless your human spirit has been stolen by computers. So, don’t let it happen. What are your summer and fall plans? Why not learn how to do something completely awesome, while drinking fresh local beer in Oregon’s verdant Willamette Valley? Rogue Brewing Co. has a series of inexpensive Sunday afternoon classes coming up out on “Chatoe Rogue”, their idyllic little hop farm out in the hop farming community of Independence, a solid hour south of Portland. There they grow their own hops, barley, pumpkins, chickens, rye, and honeybees for their beers and spirits. You’ll learn—literally—how the sausage is made. What’s not to like?

• July 21st: Composting and Worm Farms
• August 11th: Sausage Making
• September 14th: Soap Making
• October 27th: Cider Making
• November 10th: Smoking Food
• December 15th: Cooking with Rogue Beer

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