Believer Double Red Ale, Ninkasi Brewing Company, Eugene Oregon

Now, let me prep by saying I usually don't enjoy reds, but as mentioned before, put double in front of it and you've got me!

It pours deep and dark with a big tight head.

The aroma is sweet with caramel malt and mild vanilla. Hops are aplenty and there is a slight pine aroma as well.

It has a full smooth body. A slight sourness (that's meant in the best possible way) builds in the body, but it finishes creamy just as the hop bitterness builds. That vague pine is buried it deep, it took me a while to identify what it was I was tasting and that is the best way to describe it. For a double, the beer is fairly dynamic offering up sour, bitter, pine and ultimately sweet then bitter tones.

The aftertaste is bitter with bold malt character.

Quite a beer and I continue to be impressed by Ninkasi's line-up. So far I've enjoyed every beer I've had from them and look forward to continue trying their beers. Look for the double red in the 22oz bottles.

6.9% with 60 IBUs and I'm a believer!!!

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!

Olde School Barleywine, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton Delaware

Don't let anyone tell you that there is a wrong time for Barleywine. Yes, they are good in the cool depths of winter, but they are also equally good on a late spring eve. A storm just passed through Portland and I think it's a good time to crack open a beer I've had on standby for about six or seven months now. Let's give the Olde School a try....
It pours a deep amber hue

The aroma is brown sugar and molasses.

It is a viscous beer - thick with sugars. The molasses and brown sugar jump up right away. A burnt caramel flavor kicks in with subtlety in the body (which is full, quite full). The finish curves away from being too sweet - the 15% becomes apparent and the beer finishes heavy with oak and bitterness (85 IBUs).

The aftertaste is a mix of molasses and oak, a little chewy - like a cigar or cognac, it settles nicely on the palate despite it's bold flavor.

HIGHLY recommended, especially after a little aging. Give it a try anytime, any season. Available a certain times of the year in the 12oz bottles -

Cheers!

Oaked Arrogant Bastard, Stone Brewing Company, Escondido California

It's been a long while! A few trips have led me to Colorado, New Mexico, California, BC and Alaska...Where many great beers have been had! I will get back on the blogging wagon and post some of these soon! For now, it's good to be back in Portland, the land of beer. I will continue sampling some new beers as I post some of the delicious beers from my trips...

For now here's an old favorite of mine...At 7.2% and available year round in the 12oz bottles, there is never a bad time for a bastard...

It pours a deep copper with a thin head.

The aroma is big oak with vanilla sweetness. Roasty malt is evident as well.

It has a big full body although it starts mellow. The flavors develop quickly in the body, the roasty malt and oak combine giving it a lot of character. There isn't the sweetness that is evident in the aroma.

The aftertaste is bitterness and oak which lingers nicely.

A good experiment is to get a regular Bastard and an Oak Bastard, line 'em up and try 'em!

Cheers!

Shiner Bock, Spoetzl Brewing, Shiner Texas

I'm on a road trip right now - trying some exciting beers to blog about when I return. This is a post I had drafted to post...

Sometimes it's nice to keep it simple. It was a hot hot afternoon in Napa some years ago. My wife and I had our belly full of wine from a day's worth of tasting. A Texan at the Bed and Breakfast we were staying was leaving that day. He had a six pack of Shiner and wanted to leave it behind. Into my welcome arms did those bottles safely fall and that was my first experience of Shiner. After the wine and sitting out on the porch in the heat....

It pours a dark copper with a medium head.

The aroma is malt with a slight bitterness and a slight yeast.

It is light and crisp but with a nice malt body that has character. It isn't a delicate beer, but it is subtle.

The aftertaste is mild malt and the palate resets quickly.

This is a great bbq beer and I highly recommend it for the festivities coming up this summer season -

Cheers!

Blue Dot Double IPA, Hair of the Dog Brewing Company, Portland Oregon

7%, 22oz bottle, Double IPA...I'm in!
Firstly, notice the glassware - it's from the Spring Beer and Wine Fest I attended last Friday here in Portland. I had some delicious beers here including two great ones from Walking Man Brewery and a white ale from Fort George which was excellent (plus I had a chance to talk with one of the brewers there - thanks for the hat!). More about these two brewery's when I continue to visit them throughout this blog...For now let's go back to our beer d'jour.

It pours an unfiltered straw color with a big foamy head.

The aroma is BIG BIG earthy and floral hop with a slight straw flavor. Yeast tones also permeate.

Big hop jumps up right away. The yeast tones develop in the full body. It starts nice and crisp, but turns creamy towards the finish. There is a slight citrus flavor and some honey tones, as well.

The aftertaste is straight up hop with a slight straw flavor, as well.

Okay, I know Double IPA's aren't necessarily the most dynamic beers, but they can be enjoyed for their robust character and I that's exactly why I like them!

Cheers!

Belgian Style Tripel Ale, Stone Brewing Company (& Collaborators), Escondido California

The Belgian Tripel Ale raised to new heights with a collaboration between 3 breweries - Stone, Alesmith (San Diego) and Mikkeller (Denmark). At 9.5% it is available - for a limited time in the 12oz bottles. I picked mine up at Belmont Station a bit ago. Act now, because I'm sure it wont be around long...

It pours a bright amber with a thin head.

The aroma is white pepper, orange peel, citrus and yeast.

There is big yeast right up front. In the medium body, the citrus and white pepper build. It's a complex beer with a lot of tones that appear throughout the beer. Some are subtle like the coriander that drift around the palate - others are stronger like the citrus tones.

The aftertaste is just as complex as the body. Coriander and white pepper are evident with the yeast. It finishes bitter and viscous.

An excellent beer! Cheers!