Beer Adventure: Eugene, Oregon. Aug. 1

Aug. 1:  Beer Adventure: Eugene, Oregon.

On my way up to the Oregon Coast with my kids, we needed a break during the drive. We stopped in Eugene to get some food, but it also seemed an opportune time to have a small sample of the local offerings. We first went to Voodoo Doughnuts to sample the Maple Bacon doughnut. Pure deliciousness! The others we tried were equally impressive. I don’t think I’ll ever be allowed to pass by Eugene without stopping again.

And the Voodoo Doughnuts is a very short walk from the Rogue Public House. The great thing about the modern brew pub is that so many of them offer great food and Rogue certainly lives up to this new trend. I had one of the best reubens I have ever had. But, being there also afforded me an opportunity to try a few samples with lunch.

At Rogue:

I tried:

False Start (Part of Track Town Ales Series) (Pub): Brown IPA. Slightly piney and earthy. Good burnt caramel sweetness and medium roasty flavor. Slight orange undercurrents. Lingering earthy bitter hoppiness. Overall medium hoppiness.

Honey Orange Wheat (Pub): Crisp and fizzy. Light and fizzy and crisp. Overall not as interesting as it sounds. Low hoppiness and little aftertaste. Thin yellow color. Somewhat hazy.

Porcini Scotch (Pub): Dark amber brown color. Strong and somewhat sweet. Hints of whiskey. Earthy and savory. Definitely a sipping beer. And definitely the most interesting selection.

Oregasmic (Pub): Cloudy amber color. Earthy hoppy bitterness. Slight bourbon flavor. Lingering bitterness, but good.

 

I have come to develop a tremendous respect for Rogue in the last couple of years. They have some solid standards, but also have a great amount of creativity. I could have spent a couple of days there with the variety of offerings that they had available.

Second Mini Beer Adventure: Ninkasi:

After lunch, we drove over to Ninkasi. It was partly to see the operation, but also to buy a t-shirt. I am a big fan of their standards, particularly their stout. I have not seen much in the way of experimentation from Ninkasi, but they do have a number of special seasonal releases. The tap room is decorated in a very modern way – lots of metal and straight lines. I would have assumed a more rustic décor, but it was a well done modern. And they have great beer.

I tried:

Sleigh’r 2011 (Pub): Christmas brown. Deep roasty maltiness. Definitely mellower than it was during winter, but very pleasant, smooth, sweet brown beer. (8/1/2012)

Nuptuale (Pub): NW Pale. Citrus and smooth. And more citrus. Very smooth finish (8/1/2012)

 

Since I had already had samples at Rogue and needed to drive, I only had very small samples at Ninkasi (2 oz each). I still would like to stop in town when Oakshire is open since I love their espresso stout and would love to try it on tap.

Beer Log, July 1-31, 2012

Beer Log: July 1-31:

July 1: Today’s Beer: Lagunitas’: Lucky XIII Alt.    Blonde, strong, and tasty. (July 2011). OK, I didn’t write about this one last year. I did try it sometime in July when I came across a bottle in Sebastopol.  The Lucky 13 is the summer release, which means that the 2012 WTF is soon to disappear. So, now that I have my trusty beer computer in front of me while sampling this year’s release, I can comment in somewhat greater detail. First off, the scent is alluring. Very sweet and floral. And a quick sip of the foam confirms this combination of flavors. The sweetness is akin to a light caramel flavor. While the malty sweetness is the first impression, it is followed quickly by the floral hoppiness. Nice one-two punch. After, there is a lingering pronounced bitter. The color is a golden honey blonde – very pretty. But with 8.8% ABV, it packs a punch.

 

July 5: Today’s Beer: Stone’s: Ruination 10^th Anniversary: (Ruining Palates for ten years) This is a high alcohol (10.8% ABV) version of the Ruination, with more types of hops than the normal version. Deep golden honey colored beer with limited carbonation. It does have a nice foamy head that gives off a distinct wave of bitter that infiltrates the sinuses. Extraordinarily bitter. The first wave of bitter hits, followed by another, and yet another. Not for the faint of heart or the novice beer drinker.  Compared to any other beer, Ruination 10 es mas macho. The overwhelming biter hides the alcohol nicely – it sneaks up on you. After a few more sips, it is easier to find the malts, which also have been hiding – no doubt quivering in the corner up until now, terrified by the mass of hops. But, the malts also have a place. They provide a very subtle sweetness that supports the bitter. The only detracting factor is that there is also a hint of the burnt rubber taste that I noticed in the Escondidian 15. But, it’s not as present as it was in the E-15, so I can get past it. But, of their recent special releases, I probably prefer the Imperial Russian or the Old Guardian.

 

July 7: Today’s Beer: Triple Voodoo’s: Grand Cru: Gotta say, I’m kind of excited about this one. It is the first I’ve tried from Triple Voodoo. They are a contract brewer that works at the Devil’s Canyon Brewery site in Belmont. So, not only is it a new brewery for me to try, but I’ve loved everything I’ve tried from Devil’s Canyon, and I’m thinking that some of their magic must carry over to others who share their space. Right? The description also is intriguing. It is brewed with Belgian malts and hops, but also incorporates Agave nectar, coriander, and orange peel. How could you read that and not want to try it? So, the pour revealed a light amber color with medium carbonation and head. The foam smelled enticingly sweet and fruity and offered a hint of the beer’s character. For those accustomed to the hoppier beers, this one opens with the malts. The hops are there, but as support, not as the star. There is a distinct sweet, fruity flavor, not quite banana, but that type of sweet. There is also a nice citrus presence. Overall, it seems to have a nice amber simplicity, but the flavor is subtly complex. You would never suspect that it is a 9% ABV. It could pass for a sub 5%, so it is sneaky strong. Good one to enjoy on a hot day. While you could drink it quickly, slowly sipping helps to reveal some of the beer’s subtlety. So, don’t rush this one, even though it is tasty enough and friendly enough to put down quickly. I’m quite delighted that my own internal hype did not over promote. Triple Voodoo is a welcome addition to the local beer scene. Now to find it somewhere on tap.

 

July 8: Today’s Beer: Lagunitas’: Maximus IPA: A higher octane version of their IPA. More hops, more alcohol, just  . . . more. Nice medium carbonation and frothy head with a pleasant floral –citrus aroma. Not as much of the grapefruit flavor as their standard IPA, but still a nice citrus taste. There is almost an apricot undertone as well. Beautiful orange-amber color. Not as distinct as many of their beers, but still very tasty. There is also a deeper bitter finish than in many of their beers. 8.6% ABV.  72.41 IBU.

 

July 16: Today’s Beer: Rogue’s: Dad’s Little Helper: Black IPA. Brewed for Father’s Day. Where was this one on Father’s Day? I would have loved to have had it then! Oh well, better late than never. Love the bottle with the Rogue guy wearing three ties. Very dark color, almost like a porter in its color. Very dark, but still lets some light through. Very deep bitter aroma with a hint of a deeply toasted malt. The flavor is like a bitter porter. Among the Black IPA family, most have a hint of the darkly toasted malt, but in this one it is more distinct than in many others (I recently had a 21^st Amendment Back in Black, so I’m using that as my reference point here). There is also a hint of the kind of sourness that you generally get with a porter. The key difference here is how heavily hopped it is compared to a porter. Maybe it should be a India Porter Ale. Not much carbonation and the head was not very substantial. This is a very good, very distinct beer. 70 IBU. Wow. I realize that I haven’t tried something new for over a week! Just relying on old standards. Not a bad thing to do, but there are so many new beers showing up almost daily, it seems almost irresponsible to be so limited. Mostly bitter, earthy hops, but there is also a nice piney flavor as well.

 

July 18: Today’s Beer: Knee Deep Brewing’s: Tanilla: Described as a Porter brewed with Vanilla Beans and “natural flavor”. Don’t know what the “natural flavor” is here. This is the first I’ve seen of any Knee Deep offerings. Picked this one up in a Raley’s in El Dorado Hills on the way back from a camping trip. The description intrigued me since I love a good porter to begin with and it’s fun to see what types of sub-varieties that can be created. The pour was dark brown, almost like a cola. The scent has a strong vanilla presence, but also a hint of a deeply roasted coffee. Limited head, but it too had a strong vanilla-espresso flavor. The head also had a bit of a metallic flavor, which made me a bit anxious, but the beer itself did not have the metallic taste. Holding the glass up to the light, very little light gets through. The first sip opens with vanilla up front, followed quickly by a dark burnt roasted flavor that gives way to a deep espresso that lingers on the palate. Yum! I approve. Not too strong at 6.3% ABV and limited hoppy bitterness at 30 IBU

 

July 22: : Today’s Beer: Full Sail’s: Black Gold Imperial Stout: Limited release high-octane stout aged 11 months in bourbon barrels. Brewmaster Reserve 2011. This is a sipping beer. At 11.4% ABV, it definitely kicks ass. OK, I’m getting ahead of myself. The pour was thick and deep black. No light can get through, because, you know, the deep, deep blackness. Very little foam to this one, in fact, no head to speak of. Oh, the aroma. So seductive. You can smell the bourbon barrel influence coming through, but also a hint of soy sauce. There is also a sweet vanilla undertone in the scent. The taste is wonderfully layered and complex. It hits with a tart sensation, followed by a distinct bourbon-alcohol character that mellows into a vanilla and settles on a deeply roasted espresso. Very satisfying. Obviously, this is a sipping beer, so no chugging. That would end badly, so no cheating. As with many of the darker beers, especially the barrel aged ones, it also benefits with warming to near room temperature. As it warms, more of the oaky, bourbon flavor comes through and the espresso mellows and lingers. Goo d beer for a special occasion.

 

July 23: Today’s Beer: Bison Brewing’s: Organic Chocolate Stout: Brewed with cocoa. I like chocolate stouts. They can be quite tasty. I wanted so very much to like this. I went to Bison in its early years and enjoyed a beer there (it was quite a long time ago, so I don’t remember what I had). It is relatively local, and a small operation. It is a style I generally quite like. All the stars seemed to be aligning for me to love this beer! And it has a very cool bison on the logo. What’s not to like? Turns out the beer itself. Sigh. It is nice and dark; no light penetrates. That part was good. And it had a nice frothy tan head. Also a plus. But the first taste of the foam revealed something amiss. There was an odd flavor. Not quite burnt rubber, but something along those lines, and quite unpleasant. A taste of the beer supported the first impression. There is an odd taste. Almost like the beer was conditioned inside of a car tire. There also was a strong metallic flavor as well. Overall, not pleasant. The only saving grace was the aftertaste. Once the beer has left the mouth, it leaves a hint of a nicely roasted dark malt. I’m sure I’ll try something else, but most likely won’t be in any rush. Sorry Bison.

 

July 27: Today’s Beer: Green Flash’s: Double Stout: Black Ale: Very thick and dark pour, with a nice thick tan head. The foam had a nice burnt malt flavor with a hint of sourness and a slight blue cheese note. I know it sounds odd, but it is there. Blue Cheese. I’m serious. I generally don’t like blue cheese, but the hint here is somewhat intriguing – it adds an unusual layer and recedes quickly.  Very tasty stout. Smooth and deeply roasted. It doesn’t have the deep espresso flavor that some stouts do, but there is a hint of it in the aftertaste. At a sneaky 8.9% it creeps up on you quickly.

 

July 31: Today’s Beer: Mt. Shasta Brewing’s: Weed Lemurian Golden Lager: New small brewery to try! Stopped in a gas station in Dunsmuir and came across a couple of offerings from them. This one is named for mythical peoples that live in the Shasta area, so a little local lore, as well as a fine beer. Made with Noble hops and German malts, it owes much of its inspiration to German lagers. It has a nice golden color, and is moderately carbonated. The first taste is classic lager – crisp, bright, and citrusy. But as it clears the throat, a nice, roasty aftertaste settles in. Excellent use of and balance of malts. Very tasty.