Even people who have never been to Portland have heard of Powells Books, which covers an entire city block and has more than a million books. [There are also several satellite branches, but the Big Kahuna is downtown.] Michael Powell was inspired to become a bookseller when he found a first edition of Moby-Dick (first known as The Whale) in a box of books he’d purchased.To honor Powells 41st anniversary, a local brewery, Rogue Ales & Spirits, has brewed White Whale Ale, which they say is “infused with the sea-faring spirit of Moby-Dick.” Michael and Emily Powell took pages from a copy of the book and, along with Rogue Brewmaster John Maier, placed them into the brew kettle. You can get bottles on site, or purchase them at rogue.com. They call it "a beverage for anyone who has a thirst for books and artisan craft beer"
My husband, who is a bit of a beer snob (and Portland’s a good place to be one, with more than 40 breweries) kind of made a face at the idea, but I have a feeling the pages can really be tasted more with the mind than the tongue, which seems fitting.
