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.