Beer # 181 - Jubel, Deschutes Brewing Company, Bend, Oregon

The Jubel 2010 - Once a decade beer! Fittingly at 10% - I was excited to give it a try - though I must say, I wish the beer was available more than just once every 10 years!!!
Let's pour!

It pours nearly opaque with a hefty head.

The aroma reveals malt with some sweetness and noticeable fig or raisin.

The Jubel is smooth with a full rounded body. Malt builds on the palate revealing fig and currant notes on the tongue. It finishes very smooth with a nice warming sensation. It has the presence of a well-aged port, but doesn't pack any sweetness with it.

It finishes fairly bold, but still drives a consistent smoothness through to the end. Assertive alcohol settles nicely - again reminiscent of a port. It is a smooth delicious sipper.
This is an excellent smooth beer offering up consistent flavorful palate pleasing sip after sip, pulling flavors from their excellent Jubelale. It is recommended that you buy one to enjoy now and cellar one for next year - a suggestion I will definitely take up!
Cheers!

Beer # 179 - Hop Pursuit, Full Sail Brewing, Hood River, Oregon

Hop pursuit - what a good idea! I spend most of my beer drinking in the pursuit of hops, so this is a natural one to try! It is Full Sail's Extra Pale Ale offering -
Let's pour!
It pours a golden hazy hue with a tight head.

The aroma is crisp hop, earthy with honey notes - slight coriander and orange peel are evident, as well.

The full body is crisp with hop arriving early and developing fast to dominate the palate. Aggressive bitterness jumps all over the tongue. It is refreshing and lively, finishing with citrus and spice.

The aftertaste let's the bitter citrus linger on the tongue with mild spiciness on the palate. Like spicy food, you want to take a moment between enjoying - but you also can't help continuing to enjoy! Not for the fein of heart or for those afraid of bitter beer face! An excellent beer! Not a session beer by any means, but it sure tastes good while listening to the baseball game on the radio - I won't lie!
Cheers!

Beer # 178 - Auld Battle Axe, Laurelwood Brewing, Portland, Oregon

Ahhh, Laurelwood - a consistent provider of delicious beers! We ventured over to the East Side to enjoy the Laurelwood Pizza Company and happened across the very last bottle of the Auld Battle Axe, a Scottish Style Ale. At 10% in a beautiful bottle, I was anxious to crack it open -
Let's pour!
It pours a deep brown with a thin head.

The aroma reveals big malt, which greets the nostrils with big vanilla and slight nut.

It has strong alcohol tones right away that build with the big malt presence in the full body. It is strong and aggressive with vanilla, but there is not too much sweetness, with nuttiness rounding the vanilla off. It is lively on the tongue. Oak and slight cherry sourness arrives in the finish, giving it a very dynamic arc.

The aftertaste is big and strong with malt and alcohol dominating, with subtle nuttiness, oak and slight cherry.

It is a full body, full flavor beer - Bold, strong and delicious! For being so big, it still provides dynamic flavors that keep the palate lively -
If you can find it, get it!
Cheers!

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!

Beer #171 - Topsail Bourbon Barrel Aged Horizontal Tasting - Portland, Oregon

This week brought a phenomenal beer tasting at Full Sail Brewery in Hood River and Portland, OR. I had a chance to enjoy the horizontal tasting for their seasonal release, Top Sail, a bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Porter. Not only was the Top Sail available, but Full Sail kegged off each of the three beers that are brewed for the blend that is Top Sail. The four beers offered in the tasting were: Maker's Mark Aged, Stranahan's Aged, Four Roses Aged and the blend of all three, Top Sail blend.
I started with the Maker's Mark Aged which offers up bold aromas of dried fruit, oak and vanilla. It has a full smooth body that emphasizes the vanilla and oak, but maintains a bold characteristic that keeps it from being too sweet. The aftertaste introduces dark chocolate flavors. It is very smooth, not sweet, not bitter, nicely balanced. Oak and chocolate covered fruit notes linger nicely on the palate, getting smoother and smoother as it is enjoyed.

Next up, the Stranahan's Aged which has big notes of smoky oak. It has a stronger bolder body , with more assertive bourbon flavors. Oak and vanilla are strong on the tongue and it finishes bold with spiciness and strong alcohol. Very subtle chocolate in the aftertaste, which mostly maintains the oak and bourbon flavors, tending toward the sweeter side.

The Four Roses Aged aroma asserts more bourbon than the other two. Oak and alcohol are also apparent. It starts smooth with the bourbon flavors overtaking the palate. Smokiness and oak linger on the tongue like a nice bourbon! It finishes with strong bourbon flavors and chocolate in the very finish. It maintains a nice smoothness, even with some strong alcohol and bourbon characteristics.

And finally, the Top Sail Blend. It is very smooth, like the Maker's Mark aged. The aroma is sweet with bourbon flavors and oak combining nicely. It maintains a marked smoothness, combining the smoky flavors of the four roses with the alcohol and spiciness of the Stranahan's. Chocolate, bourbon, spice and oak all reveal themselves in the aftertaste. The beer maintains a balanced full-body.

It was an interesting tasting, and it allowed a really clear chance to see where the blend gets all of it's flavors. Admittedly, I enjoyed two more glasses of the Maker's Mark - hey, it was only available that one night! The Top Sail is available in 22oz bottles at 9.85% and 65 IBUs. It will age well, and I am looking forward to seeing how the individual flavors evolve as it ages.

Beer #170 - W'10, Pitch Black IPA, Widmer Brothers Brewing - Portland, Oregon

The new seasonal release from Widmer is the W'10 Pitch Black IPA. This style combines the hop bitterness typical of most IPA's with the backbone of darker ales. Let's pour!

With black malt and roasted barley, the beer pours a deep brown, nearly opaque with a tight head.

The aroma carries hop fragrance with evident malt tones. Chocolate and biscuit combine with tones of the roasted barley.

The ale begins with hop liveliness, mellowing on the tongue where the malt backbone becomes pronounced. It has a smooth body, almost creamy, as mild dark chocolate and toasted flavors develop. It finishes more aggressively as the hop delivers decent bitterness and freshness that keep the malt tones from dominating the palate.

As the bitterness subsides, citrus is evident in the clean aftertaste.

At 6.5% and with it's dark hue, the beer fits in perfectly with our grey winter. The hop delivers the much needed hope of summer!

Beer #169 - Highland Ambush Scotch Ale - Bridgeport Brewing Company, Portland, Oregon

Part of the always tasty Bridgeport Big Beer series, the Highland Ambush is 33% ale aged in oak bourbon and 67% ale. Wow, enough said. Let's pour. Now.

It pours a cloudy brown with a big head.

The aroma holds strong vanilla and sweet oak.

It starts smooth with distinct vanilla. The smoothness holds through the full body with oak and caramel malts. The ale develops some subtle backbone flavors of rich malt as it warms.It finishes bitter with alcohol tones and vanilla malt - the strong backbone and full body keeping it from being overly sweet.

The aftertaste is quite smooth with vanilla balanced with bitterness and alcohol tones.

Cheers!

Beer #166 - Hop-Head Imperial IPA, Bend Brewing Company - Bend, Oregon

Happy New Year and Happy 2010! My intuition is that this will be a great year, indeed! To start this year, indeed, this decade off right, I thought it good to start with the Hop-Head Imperial IPA from Bend Brewing Company. My beer goals this year are to keep the blog updated more frequently and to brew more! This started last weekend, when my friend Dustin and I brewed up a batch of "Santa's Dilemma Ale" a winter ale with ginger, honey, cinnamon and orange peel. It was my first time brewing a concentrate on the stove top indoors - I'm used to freezing outside while brewing. A few weeks and we'll know how it went.
The Hop-Head won a Bronze medal at the 2008 Great American Beer Festival. It's available in the 22oz bottles and on tap in the late fall at the brewpub.

It pours a golden honey with a decent sized head.

The aroma holds big flowery hops with citrus and earthy tones.

Flower notes give way to an earthy smooth body. Honey smoothness on the tongue also holds citrus tones. Earthy bitterness and alcohol tones arrive late on the back of the tongue.

The aftertaste bounces bitterness around the mouth, but it is cut short by a velvety body - smoothing out with a slight vanilla at the very end.

A great way to kick the year off!

Happy drinking -

Beer #165 - Vesuvius Belgian Style Golden Ale, Full Sail Brewery, Hood River Oregon

November represents the last month that Vesuvius is available, so don't delay! Brewed up the river from us in Hood River, this Belgian Style Golden Ale is available in the 1pt. 6 fluid ounce bottles with 8.2% - Let's give it a try!

It pours a cloudy straw with a tight head.

The aroma holds white pepper, yeast and coriander.

The medium/full body introduces yeast flavors with white pepper and slight coriander. THe yeast spice continues to expand on the palate finishes with a mild earthy hop.

Mild yeast notes linger on the tongue. It finishes fairly clean, crisp and refreshing.

A great introductory example into the wonderful world of Belgian style ales, it does go well with these fall days. As I said, it is only available for a short time more, so enjoy soon!

Cheers!

Cheers!

Beer # 161 - The Abyss 2009 & 2008 Deschutes Brewery, Bend Oregon

This month marked the arrival of Deschutes' Reserve imperial stout. It is a limited release, so don't delay to give it a try. At 11% & 65 IBU's, it packs a punch, as well it should. At their Portland Brew House location, they offer samples of the 2008 release as well. Let's travel back in time, then return to the present release. Come follow me into the Abyss!

The Abyss - 2008
It pours opaque with a light-tawny head.

The aroma holds strong alcohol tones and malt with mild sweetness.

The full body delivers a robust roast malt flavor. The intense flavors seem surprisingly balanced. Biscuit, hop freshness and licorice all unfold on the tongue. Molasses also makes an appearance and lasts through the full finish.

The aftertaste holds the roast malt and molasses sticky on the palate, but is very smooth and gets smoother as you drink.

The Abyss 2009
It pours opaque with a dark tawny head.

The aroma is malt with sweetness. The roast tones are there, as well but a little lighter than expected. Lighter, it seems, than the 2008.

The full body presents BIG malt packed with licorice, roast, oak and bitter chocolate tones. There is a lot there and it evolves as it is enjoyed. It holds a dominating presence over the palate. These flavors last through the finish where the licorice and roast tones take it to the aftertaste.

It finishes relatively clean for such a big sticky thick beer. A hop freshness arrives late and helps the palate from being too dominated. Malt roast and sticky molasses linger on the palate delivering a robust dominating presence without being overly sticky and coating the taste buds. It has more alcohol presence and gets more complex as you drink it.

The Abyss does not hold back. There are many flavors hiding in it's opaque mysteriousness. As it evolves over enjoying, you'll only know the true virtues of the beer when you reach the bottom of the Abyss!

Cheers!

Beer #155 - Wit, Oregon Trail Ales, Corvallis Oregon

A new brewery for me! I was in Corvallis not so long ago and was able to try the Wit from Oregon Trail Ales. Now, I did have a mild cold, so my tasting was not as accurate as usual, but I still wanted to share.

It pours a brilliant orange/straw.

The aroma is slight spice with orange and coriander.

It is smooth, but a offers a nice bite with the spice in the body. There is plenty of coriander and orange, white pepper was not as noticeable, but again, a general spice was present.

The aftertaste held orange peel and coriander on the palate, but reset quickly.

A crisp, but smooth offering, it went well with the huge sandwich I enjoyed...

Cheers!

Beer # 154 - Hop Pale Pale, Laurelwood Brewery, Portland Oregon AND Others from the Hood River Hops Fest 2009!

With over 31 fresh hop beers (though over 50 beers available to sample) the 2009 Hood River Hops Fest premiered some excellent examples of fresh hop beer styles. Ranging from Pales Ales to Red Ales, Amber and Wheat to Imperial IPA, Octoberfest to Farmhouse style and even a Hemp ale - the 27 breweries involved gave a well-rounded showing of ales and lagers. Their one similarity - the fresh hop! A glorious occasion to come together!
I sampled 15 beers and was impressed with the range and varieties available. This was a perfect time to sample the differences in aroma, taste, body and finish of different hops - Amaillo, Chinook, Crystal...you name it. If you want to line up a taste test of hops, this is your place. There will be a Fresh Hop Tastival in Portland on October 10th and in Eugene on October 17th, check www.oregonbeer.org for details... There were many beers to try, but I managed to scratch down a few brief notes on each of my samples...

-One of my favorites from this year was the Hop Pale Pale from Laurelwood, a brewery that continues to impress. It pours a cloudy amber. A good way to introduce yourself to the Amarillo hop, the aroma is all hop. The bitter full body has a rounded finish that lingers nicely, giving you great breath!

-Ninkasi, my favorite brew-find of 2008! brought their Nugg E. Fresh Wet Hop Ale - a red ale featuring Crystal hops. It had darker characteristics in both color and flavor, with a fuller body and not quite as crisp as some of the others I sampled. The hop was very soft and though it was a red, there was no real sweetness present. I thought it a great beer and if I had more tokens, I would have returned!

-Pelican Brewery, an all-time favorite of mine (with a picturesque brewpub in Pacific City) presented their Elemental Ale - which displayed the virtues of the Sterling hop in this strong pale. It was crisp, but the hop seemed to soften the crispness, rounding out the body. Sterling isn't as floral-y as other hops and tends to a more earthy balanced flavor.

-Walking Man Brewery, up the river in Stevenson, Washington - just a skip across the Bridge of the Gods, featured two beers, their Hoptoberfest, an Octoberfest Lager and the Holalong IPA. At 6.9% this big IPA held bold flowery hop that lasted well through the finish. You will walk away with the virtues of the Chinkook hop still on your palate. It is crisp and delicious, a good complement to these fall days! The Hoptoberfest held it's own with imported German malts and hops. Rich and malty, it tended toward the sweeter side with a coppery finish. Another welcome compliment to fall.

-Three Creeks Brewery from Sisters, Oregon, presented their Santiam Hop Harvest, which I kick myself for not trying. It is a Farmhouse Ale with Santiam fresh hops. Their other beer was the Desperado Imperial IPA, which I did sample. It has a nice full rounded body with big hops, but not overly bitter or flowery. It did seem to have an excess of CO2, but it's nice lingering finish helped forgive it...

-Eliot Glacier, from Parkdale, Oregon, sampled their Belgian Espresso Stout and their Gnarl Ridge Double Dry Hopped IPA. The Stout was in the dubbel tradition of ales and held big noteso of chocolate, espresso and yeast. Almost a brown ale in character until the yeast settles in on the palate giving it a unique tang. It has a nice full body with a lingering sweetness after the yeast spice. The Gnarl Ridge shifted gears drastically, offering up big earthy hop and a nice full finish.

-Double Mountain, from right there in Hood River, offfered up the Dapper Dan, a mild brown ale and the one I tried, the Killer Green Fresh Hop IPA which kicked it up a gear with Brewer's Gold hops. A big full body with a nice long hop finish that dominates the palate.

-Hopworks Brewery from here in Portland made an appearance with their 7-Grain Survival Stout and the Sodbuster's Pale Ale. The Sodbuster's featured Crystal hops. A little thin, it offers up an interesting sweetness that curbed the bitterness, resetting the palate quickly.

-Upright Brewing had their Upright Four Farmhouse Ale and the Fresh Hop of Bel Air. With a name like that, I couldn't refuse. It is a Saison with Liberty hops. Citrus notes combined with the yeast to deliver a uniquely tasty beer. White pepper and spice on the back of the tongue, finishing with the citrus tones.

-Big Horse Brewing from Hood River appeared with their The Strange, a Hemp Ale and Vernon the Rabbit Slayer. Again, I'm a sucker for names. Vernon is an Imperial IPA with Simcoe hops. It is big with earthy hop and a malt backbone. There is bitterness-a-plenty and it dominates the palate with Simcoe.

-Amnesia had both their Copacetic IPA and their Fresh Hoppalata Pale Ale, which features Liberty hops. It packs a punch with an earthy big body and a nice lingering finish.

-Astoria offered up their Bitter Bitch Double IPA and the Hoptimus Prime 2.0 Pale Ale. Featuring Simcoe and Cascade, the Hoptimus offered up the earthy Simcoe flavor with a nice pine, as well. The Cascade hops helped to make an interesting and unique finish on the beer that lingers for awhile on the palate.

-One of the first Fresh Hop Beers I ever tried years ago was the Hop Trip from Deschutes. This Pale Ale with Crystal hops was my introduction to the Fresh Hop style and I finished the festival with this beer in honor of it's place in my personal beer history. My palate was quite useless at this point to commit to a proper tasting, so I will leave it at this: a great beer!

I hope you will have a chance to introduce yourself to some of these fine Lagers and Ales - some are available in stores, others at the breweries and of course, at the upcoming Fresh Hop Fests. It's a short harvest season, so don't delay!

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!

#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!

Morimoto Soba, Rogue Ales, Newport Oregon

On yet another recent trip to the coast (and therefore, to Rogue Ales) I enjoyed their Morimoto Soba Ale - made from buckwheat (Soba) which is of the rhubarb family (not wheat). Interesting, but not as interesting as the taste! Let's give it a try....

It pours copper with a thin head.

The aroma has an interesting caramel essence, but not sweet. It is also slightly nutty.

The taste is delicate, but holds it's own. It is almost cask-like with it's smooth velvety medium/light body. Honey is apparent up front, but a nutty flavor arrives on the tongue. There is slight caramel (again not sweet) in the finish.

The aftertaste is sweet and slightly bitter. It is very smooth -

This beer is definitely hard to pin down - it's refreshing and unique, but the unique quality doesn't overpower, it's a nice clean beer to enjoy anytime -

Cheers!

Glen, Rogue Ales, Newport Oregon

And we're back...On a recent adventure to the coast, we dropped by the Rogue Brewpub in Newport, Oregon. It was a hot day, but the Glen from Rogue hit the spot - both cold and refreshing.

It pours a honey hue with a medium head.

The aroma is mild hop, but not overly flowery. The hop is curbed by the malt aroma that arrives a little later.

It is hoppy, but smooth. There isn't much bitterness in the body, which is medium/full and velvety. Bitterness does arrive in the finish with a malt presence which gives it body.

The aftertaste is bitterness with malt that weighs on the palate keeping the hop from dominating the finish.

Cheers!

Sinister, 10 Barrel Brewing Company, Bend Oregon

On a recent stop to pick up a Flying Pie Pizza, I had the chance to enjoy the Sinister (Black Ale) from 10 Barrel while I waited. A great way to spend a few minutes while waiting for a pizza -

It pours opaque with a small head.

The aroma is mild, but sweet malt is detectable with some mild hop.

Mild chocolate malt with a little sweetness greets the taste buds. It has a rich body with lots of character. Not overly heavy, it is an easy beer to enjoy by itself. It finishes clean with brown sugar and caramel malt at the end. From their website, I learned they use German de-husked black malt. It is also mentioned that this malt is free of astringency, which helps keep the beer from being overly heavy or sticky on the palate.

The aftertaste is mild richness with caramel and brown sugar. It finishes remarkably clean...

Cheers!