Beer Log: Tonight's Beer: Jan. 25, 2013

Jan. 25: Tonight’s Beer: Hop Valley’s: Vanilla Infused Porter (VIP): This is a dark cola colored beer with a meringue head. Nice dark roasted flavor with a mild sour and subtle vanilla hint. Solid tasty porter. Not, Stone, but good. 5.9% ABV. 50 IBU.

Beer Adventure!: Pelican Brewing, Jan. 25, 2013

Jan 25: Beer Adventure! Pelican Brewing, Pacific City, OR. Sometime in Spring 2012 I read an article on Pacific City. Two things caught my eye. One, they had a brew pub that seemed to have a good reputation and had won a number of awards. Two, they had a Haystack Rock. This was a bit shocking to me. Having grown up going to Cannon Beach, OR, I knew that Haystack Rock was in Cannon Beach. Yet, here was this article declaring it to be in Pacific City. Surely there must be some mistake. Yet, no. Pacific City does in fact have a rock called Haystack and it looks remarkably like the one in Cannon. Though it is entirely surrounded by water, has an arch, and is . . . . taller. Damn. So, I resolved last summer to visit. I was unable to, but did try what bottles I could find from Pelican. All were tasty and impressive, thus deepening my resolve. So, as my mom and I headed south, we decided to take the coastal route and I decided that a late lunch in Pacific City was in order. Oh, my. What a setting! The restaurant is right on the beach. Down the beach is a massive sand dune and great hiking. The food was exceptional (had a most delicious oyster po’boy). I also ordered a flight and tried:

Kiwanda (Pub): Light color. Light floral and citrus flavor. Good summer beer.

MacPelican (Pub): Light caramel look and flavor. Willamette hops. Slightly sour flavor. Tasty Scottish style.

Silverspot IPA (Pub): Gold color. Floral hoppiness. Slight citrus flavor but ends with an earthy bitter. Dominated by the hops.

India Pelican Ale (Pub): Super hoppy! Starts floral and mildly citrus. Cascade and Centennial hops. Balanced with mild sweet maltiness.

Doryman’s Dark (Pub): Dark brown beer. Sweet with slight roasted flavor. Cascade and Mt. Hood hops.

Tsunami Stout (Pub): Black dark roasted flavor. Slight bourbon flavor with espresso hints. Very good stout

Netuscca ESB (Pub): Caramel copper color. Sweet with low hop presence. Sweet with a light citrus flavor.

Beer Log: Jan. 23-24, 2013

Jan. 23: Tonight’s Beer: Burnside Brewing’s: Sweet Heat: Brewed with Apricots and Scotch Bonnet Peppers. The beer is a cloudy orange-yellow with a lacey head. There is a strong scent of apricot and spicy peppers. The flavor is most definitely characterized by a peppery heat that is somewhat tempered by the sour from the apricot. The intent of the pepper and apricot combination is to evoke a Jamaican chutney. It is an intriguing beer that would have benefitted from a more subtle pepper. I realize that I have come to enjoy the heat from peppers in beer, but only if used sparingly. Those that use too much tend to taste too much like the juice from pickled jalapenos.  Wheat beer. 4.9% ABV. 9 IBU. I tried this one as the first of the selection I bought from Belmont Station in Portland. It is an amazing beer store and bar that boasts about 1,200 beers for sale. Overwhelming to say the least. So, I tried some that looked like good standards and others that looked unusual. This was probably the most unusual I saw.

 

Jan. 24: Tonight’s Beer: Rogue’s: Santa’s Private Reserve (2012): This year’s offering is copper gold with a sweet caramel maltiness and a straightforward bitterness. It also has a mild floral character and a hint of citrus. Very tasty. 65 IBU.

Tonight’s Second Beer: Laurelwood’s: Organic Portland Roast Espresso Stout: I am a sucker for a coffee stout, so this one was an automatic purchase for me. And oh, what a stout! It is dark and luscious with a limited head and a strong coffee flavor. It’s like an intense coffee candy – dark roasted and sweet. It has a great marriage between the burnt malts and roasted coffee flavors. One of the best coffee stouts I’ve yet had. Rivals Oakshire.

Beer Adventure: Belmont Station, Portland, OR, Jan. 23, 2013

Jan 23: Beer Adventure: I volunteered to help my mom drive her car from Oregon down to California. This proved a great opportunity to do something nice while also pursuing self interest. Win-win. Any time I get to go up to Oregon means trying new beers that I do not have access to in California. While I intended to hit one of Portland’s breweries, I had to take a later flight and my friends that I was going to stay with were unable to take me out. However, my friend Brad introduced me to the best beer market I’ve ever been to: Belmont Station. They have about 1,200 beers. I stuck with the selections from the northwest, but they had an impressive array of microbrews from around the country and around the world. They even had a few Pliny the Elders (limit 1 per customer). I was . . . overwhelmed. After a long recovery, I selected 3 beers to try. Laurelwood’s Organic Coffee Stout, Burnside’s Sweet Heat, and Laurelwood’s CDA. After leaving, I kept thinking about the place. The next morning after breakfast, my mom picked me up and I had her drive back to Belmont. I had to share. Someone else I knew had to witness this. While there I talked to one of the patrons who pointed out several things I should try and let me know that singles from any 6-pack were fair game. This added new possibilities. So, I loaded up. I also got a t-shirt. Generally I try to limit my beer t-shirts to breweries, but this was a worthy exception. But, one of the other glorious aspects of Belmont is that they also have a bar with 16 taps. It is probably for the best that I don’t live in Portland. But, this will now be a mandatory stop for my visits.

Beer Log: Jan. 16-21, 2013

Jan. 16: Tonight’s Beer: Bridgeport’s: Stump Town Tart 2012: Brewed with Strawberry, Raspberry, and Marionberry. This year’s offering has a mix of berries and is more of a classic beer color – the 2010 Raspberry was a red color. The brewpub didn’t have it on tap since it would have corrupted the supply hoses. This one is a golden-orange-copper color. The head is lacey and disappeared quickly. The aroma is very berry. It isn’t as overtly sweet as the 2010 and has more tartness to it. Very pleasant fruity beer done in a Belgian style. As it warms, the individual berry influenced come through more. Oddly enough, you can really taste the Marionberry. Now I want some Marionberry pancakes. 7.8% ABV.

 

Jan. 21: Tonight’s Beer: Snowshoe Brewing’s: Grizzly Brown Ale: Before a few days ago, I’d never heard of Showshoe. But, my son was scheduled to go on a camping trip to the foothills above Stockton so I looked to see if there were any breweries in the area. Since I knew the chances of going to a brewery while on a Boy Scout function were zero, I looked at a local store and found two varieties. This is the one I chose to try first. The beer is a very dark brown, closer to a porter than many browns. The head is medium-thick and light tan and smells of coffee. There is a slight tartness, akin to what you’d expect from a porter rather than the initial sweet caramel that most browns display. I find it to be a bit smoky and coffee like, and the sweetness does show up after all. There is a slight metallic flavor as well. Overall, a decent beer, though one I wouldn’t go out of my way to find. But if in the area, it is worth a try. Perhaps it’s better on tap. No information on ABV

Beer Log: Jan. 1-15, 2013

Beer Log: Dec. 16-31, 2012

Dec. 16: Tonight’s Beer: New Belgium’s: Fat Tire Amber: This is the flagship beer for New Belgium, the one that is most likely to be found on tap or in bottles in more places than any of their other varieties. While it is supposed to be an amber, it is about the color of may pale ales – sort of an orange-hued amber honey color. It has a thick foamy head and pleasant sweet aroma. The flavor is mildly hopped with a crisp citrus sweetness. The malts are well balanced and provide a very lightly toasted flavor sort of like a burnt caramel. Good drinkable, serviceable beer, though most of the rest of their collection is more interesting. 5.2% ABV.

Dec. 17: Tonight’s Beer: Stone’s: Lucky Basartd: OK, before even discussing the beer, one of the things I love about the packaging is the writing on this one. The descriptions of the beer always are entertaining reading, but this one more than most. The reason is the use of a technique that preserves the first and last letters of a word and messes with the order of others. Yet, the words are still  readable. Not only is the label in this style, the narrative on the back is as well. Oh, the good people at Stone. The crazy thing is I didn’t notice at first. It wasn’t until the second paragraph that it struck me. The beer is a blend of Arrogant Bastard, Oaked Arrogant Bastard, and Double Bastard. It has a deep brown-amber hue and thick creamy head. The aroma is fruity hops, more toward the cherry-berry side than citrus. The flavor is deep and earthy with burnt caramel and deep bitter hoppiness. The aftertaste keeps the bitter going – relentlessly clinging to every crevice of the palate, and only reluctantly yielding. But every sip brings reinforcement and the waves of bitter keep washing over the tongue. 8.5% ABV

Dec. 18: Tonight’s Beer: New Belgium’s: Snow Day 2012: I had the 2011 last year, but never had a chance to write about it. So, now, with a new batch in hand, let the ruminating begin! It boasts the use of Styrian Goldings, Centennial, and Cascade hops along with a Midnight Wheat syrup. It has an invitingly dark complexion just a shade lighter than a porter. The head is thick, foamy, and light tan. With the first sip there is a tasty burnt sugar maltiness along with a roasted coffee flavor and a sharp bitterness. Very good combination this year.

Dec. 19: Tonight’s Beer: Stone’s: Oaked Arrogant Bastard: And thus inspired by the Lucky Bastard, I have now secured for myself an Oaked Arrogant Bastard. It had the familiar dark brown-amber color and thick creamy head. The aroma is floral with a hint of pine. The initial taste is sweet burnt caramel and floral – and then comes the bitter. Creeping in and taking over. But, there is also a blunting of the beer’s sharp edges, perhaps the influence of the oaked chips with which the beer is aged. In some barrel aged beers it is easier to pick up on the wood’s influence. Less so here. Perhaps at some point I’ll put a regular and an oaked Arrogant Bastard side by side to try to discern the oak influence. 7.2% ABV

Dec. 20: Tonight’s Beer: Stone’s: Vertical Epic 12-12-12: The end of the line. Sadly I came to the Vertical Epic series pretty late in the game with 10-10-10, which was a very tasty quasi-sour. I wish I’d gotten more of it. The 11-11-11 was good, but less distinct, and in fact is still available in stores. I still have a bottle of it around. This one is going to be a great one to keep. It has a wonderful complexity and should age well. It is inspired by dark Belgian abbey beers and is brewed with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, clove, sweet orange peel, and rose hip. The foam is thick and creamy and dark tan. The scent is like a well spiced Christmas beer, kind of like Anchor’s. It is wonderfully sweet and fruity, something in the dried fruit family, somewhat like raison. The beer’s description lists it as more dry than sweet, but I don’t agree. It may finish dry, but starts sweet. The malts are very dark and slightly smoky with a burnt caramel flavor, which blends well with the spiciness. The cinnamon is the most prominent flavor, but the nutmeg, clove and allspice all come through as well – especially the clove. Usually I hate the flavor of clove, but it is subtle enough here to contribute to the flavor without becoming annoying. Strong at 9%ABV and in spite of the generally well balanced character, the alcohol does creep through. Overall excellent beer. I need to get a few more to age.

Dec. 22: Tonight’s Beer: Firestone Walker’s: Firestone 16: Their annual release. Always cause for celebration – these are some of the most magnificent beers around. The 16 is a deep rosy brown color with limited carbonation. It has a sweet bourbon scent. The flavor is rich and complex. It has a subtle sour cherry flavor, with bourbon elements and a hint of licorice. Merry Christmas, indeed.

Dec. 25: (Christmas): Tonight’s Beer: Schmaltz Brewing (He’Brew): Jewbelation Fifteen: This is their 15^th Anniversary ale, which boasts 15 malts, 15 hops varieties, and 15% ABV. That last one sounds a bit intimidating, but onward I soldier! I wanted to try something unusually provocative on Christmas, so this is the selection of the day. This is a lovely, dark, thick beer with a thick foamy head. The aroma is deep and roasted with a bit of a coffee scent and a hint of licorice. The first sip brings in a deeply sweet flavor. This is very much a barley wine, and the dense sweetness masks the alcohol well. While the alcohol hides from the tongue, the throat is keenly aware of the high ABV. The dark sweetness spreads warmly across the palate to the sides of the tongue and the effect is that it is hard not to smile while sipping. Odd sensation, really. The hops are a relatively minimal presence. The malts simply overpower all. Yet even there no single characteristic dominates outside the molasses sweetness. There is a hint of the coffee and licorice, but the dominant flavor is blackstrap molasses. Did I mention the 15% ABV? It does bear repeating. This is a good beer for a long cold night and a thick warm blanket huddled on the couch watching some film noir. Suddenly I’m in the mood for a Bogart film. I wonder if The Maltese Falcon is on . . .

Dec. 27: Tonight’s Beer: Mikkeller’s: Spontankrkriek: I have wanted to try something from Mikkeller for quite some time but haven’t gotten around to it. He is an itinerant brewer who has a very good reputation and cult-like following. I was given this bottle as part of a Christmas present and was very excited to try it. This particular variety is and ale brewed with cherries and aged in wine barrels. It does not say whether red or white, but in either event, aged in wine barrels. The beer has a reddish color – cloudy, hazy and somewhat orange. There is virtually no head. What there was disappeared very quickly. The aroma is tart and sweet and reminiscent of wine – very much the scent of a sour. Though, I’m not certain whether any of the brettanomyces yeast was used, so it may not technically be a sour, but certainly has that kind of character. The flavor is very tart and somewhat dry. It is somewhat like a sparkling wine, but with a deeper tart-bitter flavor; the tartness morphs into more of a subtle bitter as the flavor recedes.  7.7% ABV

Second Beer: Perfect Crime’s: Smoking Gun: This is a smoked stout out of Belgium. I have become a big fan of smoked dark beer since coming across Stone’s Smoked Porter. This one has the classic blackness with a thick, creamy tan head that one expects with a quality stout. It has a sweet, roasted scent, though very subtle on the nose. The flavor is intriguing. It has a fruity sweetness – something in the cherry family – mildly sour with a hint of bourbon. It has a flavor and character of a beer that was aged in bourbon barrels, though there isn’t the oaky flavor that accompanies the barrel aged beers. The roasted flavor is subtle, but has an espresso essence. The smoky flavor is very subtle and is overpowered by the bourbon flavor. Yet it adds another layer of complexity, and is most welcome. I got this as part of my Christmas present this year – excellent selection – Thanks, Andrew! 10% ABV

Dec. 28: Tonight’s Beer: Devil’s Canyon’s: Full Boar Scotch Ale – Bourbon Barrel Aged (#1787/2500): Dark brown color, like a porter. It has a thick foamy head that looks like a light tan meringue. The scent is oddly tart with a hint of blue cheese. Very unlike the normal Full Boar. The first taste is sour. This is unexpected. I usually don’t bother reading what other people write since I don’t want to be influenced, but with this one I stopped writing after reflecting on the fact that this is a sour and wasn’t intended to be. I checked out a few review on ratebeer and found others make the same observation. While I can enjoy it as a sour and it is pleasantly tart, I am very disappointed in Devil’s Canyon for allowing this. Something was clearly wrong at quality control. There is none of the caramel smokiness and no hint of the bourbon aging. So, what I was looking for in this beer when I bought it is simply not there. 9.4% ABV.

Dec. 29: Tonight’s Beer: Brouweij De Molen’s: Tsarina Esra (Imperial Porter): Another part of Christmas 2012! I like the simplicity of the label – the front label is all text and could be the back label of most beers. It pours dark black with a short head. It has a dark roasted aroma. The flavor as the first sip hits is wonderfully dark roasted coffee with a hint of black licorice. There also is a very subtle bitter tartness like sour cherry. This is wonderfully complex, layered and delicious. Excellent beer. Though I think my favorite element is a comment on the label that suggests that beer be consumed within 25 years. It also lists the ingredients, which I also like. The key malts and hops are: pils malt, munich malt, chocolate malt, cara barley malt, sladek and premiant hops. And no hint of alcohol flavor despite the robust 11% ABV.

Tonight’s Second Beer: Brouwerji Troch’s: Hopdraeck: This is another part of the Christmas package 2012! So much to like about Christmas! The pour sets up a cloudy golden honey color with a thick foamy head. The aroma is floral and citrus – like a lemon rose. It has a light, crisp, fruity flavor with a pleasant, subtle sweetness, with a hint of tart. Excellence! While I do firmly believe that this is the Golden Age of American beer, it’s good to see that the Belgians are unwilling to cede the crown of the greatest beer country on the planet without a fight. This is referred to on the bottle as a “Draeckenier Ale, dry-hopped with Citra”. 7.5% ABV

Dec. 31: New Year’s Eve: Tonight’s Beer: Speakeasy’s: Butchertown Black Ale: So, my last beer for 2012. It’s been a good year of beer drinking. This one looks to be a black IPA from the description on the bottle – a heavily hopped black ale. It pours nice and dark, about the color of a porter. There is very little head and what is there disappears pretty quickly. The aroma has a deeply roasted character with a hint of sweetness. Good burnt malt with a hint of espresso flavor that matches well with the bitterness of the hops. The hops are deeply bitter – a straight-up bitter rather than the floral or citrus of other hops. Very good dark, highly hopped beer (Cascadian Dark? Black IPA? – no really good name yet, so Black IPA will probably stick). 8.2% ABV.