Beer #153 - Coal Porter, Atlantic Brewing Company, Bar Harbor Maine

You gotta love it when you can match your glassware to your beer! Our next beer, a porter, comes from the East Coast - Bar Harbor, where a dark drink is necessary on those stormy coastal nights! Let's give it a try!

It pours opaque with a thin tight head.

The aroma is nut malt with mild chocolate tones. There is a very mild sweetness.

The initial taste is nut malt, but the chocolate tones quickly take over. It has a medium body and is fairly rich, though it finishes fairly clean. Vanilla builds while drinking, but the bitterness from hops and the nuttiness of the malt keep it from gaining too much sweetness.

The aftertaste is mildly hoppy, but mostly malt and vanilla - the palate clears quickly.

It's hard to get ahold of, but a nice porter to enjoy if you get it...and you gotta love the name!

Cheers!

Alleycat Amber Ale, Lost Coast Brewery & Cafe, Eureka California

A brewery that I do not have too often is the Lost Coast Brewery. Their beers are available with decent distribution throughout the west coast. Let's give their amber ale a try...

It pours a brilliant amber/copper with a decent sized tight head.

The aroma is dominated by caramel malt with a fair amount of sweetness.

The medium body holds caramel malt on the tongue. Mild hop bitterness is apparent in the body, as well. The sweetness arrives at the end, but does not dominate the beer. It is crisp on the tongue, but finishes smooth.

The aftertaste is caramel with hop bitterness winning out over the sweetness. A lingering biscuity malt leaves a nice flavor on the breath.

Though I am not the biggest fan of ambers, this one hold some interesting character without becoming too sweet or falling into blandness.

Cheers!

Beer #152 - Wry Pale Ale, Laurelwood Brewing, Portland Oregon

The Laurelwood Brewing Company serves up certified organic ales at 3 public houses/resaturants around Portland. Select ales are also available at a variety of stores in 22oz bottles. One of their recent seasonal offerings is the Rye Pale Ale. An interesting hybrid of Pale Ale with Rye Malt. Let's give it a try!

It pours a brilliant straw color with a medium-sized tight head.

The aroma is bright hop with mild citrus tones.

The medium body introduces straw and citrus tones right off. There is substantial bitterness on the tongue, but it does not dominate the palate. A rounded malt backbone is evident on the back of the tongue, curbing the hop and balancing the flavor. Citrus tones reveal subtle grapefruit and orange layers.

The aftertaste holds tones of grapefruit citrus which initially dominates, then fades to a mild bitterness that leaves a freshness in the mouth.

A refreshing beer with plenty of substance and a unique spin with the addition of the rye malt. It is a good sipper on these last hot days of summer, but also will pair easily with many dishes.

Cheers!

Beer #151 - Old Stock 2008, North Coast Brewing Company, Fort Bragg, California

Well, I may not have waited long enough, but I couldn't resist cracking open my Old Stock...

Pours a thick caramel/copper color.

The aroma is sweet malt, with a mild nuttiness. Hop is largely apparent after the sweetness.

The full body has large notes of caramel and thick sticky malt. Mild hop develops at the end of the body and though the bitterness is mild, it is present. It ends with bitterness, sweet and alcohol

The aftertaste is all alcohol, malt and caramel. It finishes relatively smooth for such a strong ale - it has a velvety character that pulls the chewy malt out from being too thick.

Available in 12oz bottles with 12.5%.

Cheers!

#150, Zon, Boulevard Brewing Company, Kansas City Missouri

Our next beer comes from a brewery that is definitely on my top find list for last year and has began to become increasingly available out here in the Northwest.

The beer pours a cloudy unfiltered straw color with a thin head.

The aroma is white pepper, wheat, citrus (mostly orange) and coriander.

The medium body is crisp and refreshing. Subtle white pepper and spice greet the tongue. It finishes with orange and coriander

The aftertaste is subtle with slight wheat and citrus. It is quite fresh and refreshing! A great summer beer!

Zon is apparently Flemish for sun, so enjoy while these summer days are still here!

Cheers!

#149, Latona, Rogue Ales, Newport Oregon

Apparently with only two ingredients: Special Aromatic malt and Rainier hops, Latona Ale is a delicious addition to Rogues expansive list of ales.

It pours a cloudy brilliant amber.

The aroma is very subtle - slight sweetness and slight hop.

The hop builds in the body. The sweetness is curved by the bitterness that arrives in the medium body and at the back of the tongue. Honey and earthy bright hop at the end. It is smooth and refreshing.

The aftertaste is bitter and hoppy and very fresh.

Cheers!

#148, Chatoe Wet-Hopped Ale, Rogue Ales, Newport Oregon

The newly released Chatoe Wet-Hopped Ale!!! Need I say more?

It pours a hazy red color with a white foamy head.

The aroma is slight with light hop and mild sweetness.

The taste is hoppy with a medium body. It has a pleasant bitterness on the tongue and is very very smooth.

The aftertaste is slightly bitter with nice earthy tones to the hop.

It is a rather simple beer with delicious hop tones. Smooth and easy to drink and pair with food.

Cheers!

#147, Invasive Species IPA, Captured by Porches Brewing Company, St. Helens Oregon

Our next beer comes from the tiny Captured by Porches Brewing Company in tiny St. Helens - just west of Portland, Oregon. I caught up with the brewer at the Green Dragon here in Portland and sampled the Invasive Species IPA.

It pours a thick unfiltered copper.

The aroma is heavy floral hop with mild citrus.

It has a medium body that is very smooth. It starts flowery, and the hop builds on the tongue with big citrus (orange/grapefruit) tones. The bitterness is not overwhelming but builds in the finish. The strong citrus tones resonate.

The aftertaste is big orange/citrus on the palate with dominating bitterness. It has a slight sour finish and as that dissipates, there is a slight pine flavor.

Available around Portland and St. Helens, Oregon

#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!