Beer # 175 - Isarweizen, Heater Allen Brewing Company, McMinnville, Oregon

Heater Allen is a small artisan brewery in McMinnville, Oregon - it may be small, but they have a nice selection of German-style beers with growing distribution. This was my first of their ales and I am excited to have more! Let's pour!

It pours cloudy & golden with a thin loose head.

The aroma reveals big wheat with spicy yeast and clove.

The medium body is refreshing with spice, clove and white pepper on the palate. It finishes crisp and flavorful with low carbonation. It is an excellent example of the hefeweizen style with banana and nutmeg flavors building throughout.

The aftertaste holds the yeast and clove, though the palate refreshes quickly, making this beer quite drinkable. It will be released again here in May, a perfect warm weather time to enjoy the beer!

Cheers!

Extra Special Golden, Terminal Gravity Brewing, Enterprise Oregon

A new one for me. The ESG is described as an American Lager with a kick - Let's give it a try....

It pours a bright straw color with a medium head.

The aroma is all lager, lots of straw hopness with some mild citrus and orange peel.

It has a light/medium body, bigger than I was expecting. It is fairly creamy, as well. The crispness arrives at the end. Light hop and citrus builds in the body. Over all, very drinkable and indeed more dynamic than a "typical" American lager.

The aftertaste is clean, slightly "beery". It is a refresher and the palate resets fairly quickly.

A good hot afternoon beer. It does offer more kick and dynamic flavor than one would sometimes expect from a lager. Definitely one to try this summer. Available in 12oz bottles -

Cheers!

Tannen Bomb, Golden Valley Brewery, McMinnville Oregon

Our next beer comes from the Golden Valley Brewery here in Oregon. This is my first beer from this brewery.

It pours a deep brown.

The smell is strong malt with some sweetness.

The taste is very sweet. It is a medium body, lighter than I was expecting from the aroma. It is balanced fairly well with the hop. It is a little bitter.

The aftertaste leaves a little sweetness lingering.

The malt is balanced with Chinook, Liberty and Fuggles Hops. It is dry-hopped with Kent Goldings. The hop blend is strong enough to balance the malt heaviness, but the sweetness seems to dominate the beer's more subtle potential.

It is 8.0% with 50 IBU's.

It is available in 12 oz. bottles - I picked mine up from, of course, Belmont Station. My knowledge in the brewery is limited, so I am not sure what their distribution is like.