#146, Tsunami Stout, Pelican Brewery, Pacific City Oregon

This is the only way I'd ever want to experience a Tsunami...

It pours opaque with a big caramel colored head.

The aroma holds tones of vanilla and caramel.

It has a thick full body, but not too heavy or sticky on the palate. Vanilla and caramel malt appear on the tongue and there is slight bitterness on the sides on the tongue which keeps it lively and not too sticky.

The aftertaste is mild chocolate with vanilla. The hop bitterness keeps the sweetness from dominating. The nice rich malt fades fairly quickly on the palate.

A great stout that is balanced and easy to drink. It is very smooth and surprisingly clean on the the finish!

Cheers!

Surfer Summer Ale, Pelican Brewing Company, Pacific City Oregon

A brief break from my Christmas in July beers...Lets have a true taste of summer. I've posted many enthusiastic posts about the Pelican brewery, so let's see how their summer seasonal holds up....

It pours a golden hue with a tight head.

The aroma is dominated by hop and white pepper with citrus zest and coriander.

It is a crisp beer with mild hop with very subtle spice in the body - mostly white pepper and coriander. There is also honey and mild citrus on the finish.

The aftertaste fishes very clean with hop freshness on the palate.

Flavorful more in the aroma than the taste, the ale is a light crisp warm weather beer that still offers some very nice flavors of summer! Great for a picnic!

Cheers!

La Fleur Amere, Pelican Brewery, Pacific City Oregon

This weekend I had the fortune of coming across the 2009 Brewer's Summer Games at the beautiful Pelican Brewery. This was my first beer festival on the beach and it really is as good as it seems...One of the best beers I had was the La Fleur Amere (The Bitter Flower) brewed right there at the Pelican Brewery. It is a Belgium yeast based English IPA - Nice!

It pours copper with a tight head.

The aroma has a slight sourness but with nice flowery notes.

It is bitter and the yeast is right up front. Dry-hopped, it the bitterness develops in the body. It is balanced, but with some bold taste that has a lot of character.

The aftertaste is mildly tart, and dry with yeast.

I'd recommend trying this one, but it is hard to find! They had it at the brewery, but only available for take-away in a growler.

Other notable beers I enjoyed: Lompoc Bald Guy Ale, Vaporizer IPA from Double Mountain, Oatmeal Pale from Fort George and Silver City Whoop Pass Double IPA -

Cheers!

Stormwatcher's Winterfest 2008, Pelican Pub and Eatery, Pacific City Oregon

Our next brew comes from the stunningly beautiful Pelican Pub and Eatery in Pacific City, Oregon. We took our good friends from Atlanta here last week and wowed them with the location (on the beach!) and delicious brews. I sampled the Stormwatcher's Winterfest. It is a big 13% beer with 31 IBU's.

The Stormwatcher's Winterfest is Pelican Brewery's Barleywine-style ale offering.

It pours a cloudy redish color, but is nearly opaque.

The aroma is sweet malt and toffee.

It has a full sticky body, sweet with tofee notes on the tongue. It is bisquity at athe finish. Floral hops accentuate the body and it is sugary with wtrong alchohol tones.

The aftertaste is sticky on the palate with sweetness that fades quickly. Hop and toffee linger, but it has a remarkably clean finish.

Again, it is perfect for the cold winter nights, but the clean finish makes it a beer that can be enjoyed year-round.

Available on tap and in 22 oz bottles.

Cheers!

Pelican Heiferweizen, Pelican Brewery

Now we venture into new territory with the Pelican Brewery Heiferweizen. I've raved in an earlier blog about their brewery in Pacific City and this is a bottle I brought home from that trip.

It pours a golden hue without much head. It is foggy and unfiltered.

Smell is interesting. It has a decidedly yeasty smell and there is white pepper and citrus in there as well.

The taste is very balanced but with some distinct accents of coriander and orange. As with other hef's, I taste dry banana. It is mildly spicy with a dry finish.

The aftertaste is clean and dry. It is a thirst quencher and I recommend it as a nice afternoon beer, as I enjoyed it. Laying on the hammock watching the foot traffic of 23rd Place roll by.

Thanks to Carly for writing in! I will remember to recommend where one can find these tasty brews. There were a few 22 oz bottles left at the brewery when I was there, but their website announces it will "Be Back Next Summer". The only Pelican beers I've seen in grocery stores around here, so far, has been their IPA.

Cheers!

Pelican Brewery, IPA

It was a beautiful weekend on the Oregon Coast and made for the perfect time to be at the Pelican Brewery. The Brewpub is situated on the beach at Pacific City. If you haven't been there and are remotely close - Go! If your not remotely close - Go! You won't regret it.

So back to beer - to reiterate, I will start basic and together we will educate ourselves to a higher level of beer tasting.

My first beer is the Pelican IPA (India Pelican Ale). This is one of my favorite IPA's, ever. In true My Year In Beer fashion, I made notes about the beer on my beer coaster - had my wife try the beer - made notes from her, then...left the coaster right there on the table when we left to go walk along the beach. So, memories....

It has a hoppy aroma - but not overwhelming. I was a little surprised There wasn't more. The initial taste is hoppy though - Cascade hops are used and the taste is not overly flowery or spicy. It strikes a good balance with the bitterness. I'd say it has a full body - but what the hell does that mean?! I guess it helps describe the balance of flavor and bitterness while not disappearing too soon. The aftertaste leaves a little bitterness in the back of the jaw and a nice flavor in the mouth. We enjoyed the seafood quesadillas which were an excellent paring, in my taste, with the beer. The slight spiciness of the meal was enhanced, then controlled by the beer. It's own citrus spiciness wins out and refreshes the palate. That's the best I can do off of memory.... Next time, I'll bring a notebook instead of using the coaster...