Brewed, bottled, cultured and sweetened

Widmer Rotator IPA Series: Falconer's IPA

2011-10-23T18:04:00.000-07:00

Second in the Widmer Rotator IPA series, the Falconer's IPA is a tribute to brewer Glen Falconer. Widmer's page on the beer (linked above) explains the tribute and the hop in detail - it's worth reading, just for background and to hear about the hop variety. Widmer also does a better job of describing the flavor than I, so I'll leave it at this: it's nice! Refreshing, fruity, slightly bitter.

Falconer's is every bit as good as X-114, and (to me) has a very similar feel. I wouldn't be surprised if the only change were the switch from X-114 to Falconer's Flight hops. (And honestly, that may be the whole point of the Rotator series, after all.) I'd like to do a comparison tasting between all four IPAs once they are out, but I'm afraid that aging will be a problem. Perhaps we could convince Widmer to release a four-pack of fresh-brewed X-114, Falconer's, IPA #3 and IPA #4 (as the bottle names them) when the last beer is released.

Ingredients

Malts: 2-Row Pale, Caramel 40L, Honey Malt
Bittering Hops: Alchemy
Aroma Hops: Falconer's Flight

Don't age your IPAs

2011-10-10T22:15:00.000-07:00

Finally! A post... about not drinking beer.

Actually, I just forgot about some single-hop IPAs in the fridge, and finally tried them tonight. The title and content today diverge from my norm because the beer pictured can't possibly have tasted as intended, so reviewing it as though it were authentic Mikkeller would be unjust to the brewers. Instead, I want to point out how similar these two distinct beers were, after sitting in my fridge for upwards of a full year.

I was interested in the Mikkeller beers because they have a line of single-hop, American-style IPAs, that cover most hops I'm aware of--It seemed like the perfect control/test situation to learn about specific hops: All the other factors (brewer, water, malts, recipe) were fixed, or at least as close as I can reasonably get. Unfortunately, I forgot that these need to be tasted pretty quickly.

The result was that the beers were entirely indistinguishable. While they hadn't gone bad, per-say, they were reduced to standard off-the-shelf bitter IPAs. Not anywhere near the depth of flavor that the hops (Centennial and Amarillo) could provide.

So, going into the holiday months: feel free to liberally stock up on winter ales, barley wines, stouts, and high-ABV porters, but don't get into a rut.

Drink enough to keep up the habit, lest you ruin a slew of perfectly good hoppy beers when summer comes back around again.

Ingredients

Irrelevant, after excessive aging.

Upright Brewing, Fatali Four

2011-04-18T19:41:00.001-07:00

Upright makes a basic Belgian Wheat ale called, enigmatically, Four. This is a batch of Four that they've turned into a chili beer. From the Upright Brewing site:

Fatali Four – A blend of barrel-aged Four that has fresh homegrown fatali chiles added for a couple months before bottling. It also incorporates light use of brettanomyces yeasts providing a contrasting earthy backdrop for the bright chile flavors. Cellar for up to three years.

The result is a clear golden (colored) ale with a reasonable bit of spice towards the end. The fatali spice hits you late, in the back of your throat, but it's not overwhelming (at least to my taste--for reference, Burnside Brewing's "Sweat Heat" is much spicier).

I'm enjoying this one more than the standard Four -- it's a good chili beer -- but I wouldn't go out of my way for it. However, if you seek out chili beer you should definitely find a bottle.

Ingredients

Yeast: brett + others
Malts: organic pale, wheat, organic munich, and unmalted rolled wheat
Hops: hallertauer mittelfrüh

Widmer Rotator IPA Series: X-114

2011-04-17T15:37:00.000-07:00

The past few years have seen Widmer really step up their game in the micro-brew market. The Portland beer scene has turned out some amazing brews and it seemed that Widmer, Bridgeport and Fat Tire were starting to pale in comparison. (Deschuttes seems to have stepped up early, with their Black Butte Anniversary series, the Dissident, and assorted experimental brews, like Red Chair.) I'm happy to say that Widmer has started releasing some very interesting beer; check out the Brothers Reserve series if you haven't tried it yet, but for now I'm working on X-114.

X-114 is interesting, @donsbot describes it as "X114 is pretty damn interesting. Papaya hops!?", and I have to agree. The papaya doesn't jump out at me (Don is much more attuned to flavors than I am), but it's there if you look for it. The IPA comes off as extremely smooth and very fruity. All in all, I'm calling this one delicious. It's clearly an IPA, so don't expect an Imperial Workhorse, but it avoids the excruciating bitterness of a mass-market IPA without the overwhelming ABV of micro-brewed Imperials.

Ingredients

Yeast: ???
Malts: ???
Hops: X-114 (Citra) an experimental hop, possibly others?

Russian River Concecration

2011-03-18T20:40:00.000-07:00

Another sampling from the Russian River sour beer series, this burgundy sour pours with no head (per most of their sour beers) and in a hue that belies the flavor. It tastes pretty much as expected: good grapefruity tang with a little bitterness. Russian River adds currants during the brewing process, but I'm not sure how or when. They don't come through in the taste so much as in a general feeling of fruit. (right, a 'feeling of fruit', my reviewing / tasting skills are showing here ;)

There's something fruity there, and I think the currants probably play a big part in the after taste, which is pretty pleasant.

Captured by Porches, Miskatonic Dark Rye

2011-01-05T19:36:00.000-08:00

Note: I found this short draft today, and figured I'd go ahead and post it, since it's better than nothing :) my apologies for the lack of detail. As I recall, we didn't like the beer much, but it would have helped immensely to know that it was a sour beer in advance.

Very, very heady, with a head that doesn't dissipate.

Surprisingly, this is a sour beer. It pours very dark and has a slightly spicy flavor. The rye comes out most strongly in the aroma, but the taste is a bit astringent, leaving your mouth feeling a bit dry.

I probably won't buy more Captured by Porches simply because they use flip-top bottles that are not marked/sealed in any way ($1 deposit on the bottle, by the way). That sketches me out just a little. A piece of tape over the top would do wonders.

Epic Ales Lyli

2010-12-26T17:45:00.000-08:00

This is one of two unusual beers that Dave brought down to Portland from Seattle, mostly I think, to confuddle me ;) (The second, an ale brewed with Spearmint, has yet to be opened.)

Lyli is a light-colored ale brewed with green tea & brown sugar. It pours light-gold (like a saison?), it has the look of a Belgian white. It also shares the same aromas and flavors of a lightly spiced Belgian beer, down to the malted wheat. It finishes off with a slight bitterness that gets me, just for a second, at the back of the tongue, but the aftertaste is almost identical to that of a strong green tea. The balance between flavors is really interesting, but it is over-all a lightly flavored beer -- this is clearly the wrong season to be drinking it, but it's not really meant to age either.

Ingredients

Malted Wheat
Malted Barley
Brown Sugar
Gunpowder green tea
Hops, Water, Yeast (no other details :( )

Bison Brewery Chocolate Stout

2010-12-16T19:43:00.000-08:00

I was honestly a little let down by this beer. The other Bison brewing beers I've tried really stand out for unique flavors, but this just falls short of the outstanding stouts from other brewers (Rogue, Pike, Southern Tier and Full Sail come to mind). The Bison beer is a tasty stout, but it lacks the body of the other options, and it's at about the same price ($2+ for a 12oz, I think).

It pours a dark, dark reddish brown without much head, and that dissipates quickly. The mouthfeel is surprisingly light and bubbly. While the beer goes down easy at 5% abv, the mouthfeel can't be called "smooth", which I think turned me off from the beer initially. It's a surprisingly refreshing stout, and by taste, I'd have called it a porter. The chocolate is present, but not overbearing.

Perhaps a good beer for a rainy 73-degree day in April. Just don't go into it expecting an oak/bourbon-infused sipper of beer-syrup, and you'll probably be pretty happy :).

Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Wild

2010-12-11T18:18:00.000-08:00

"Another big-sister to Little Sumpin' Sumpin'", this seasonal pours a clear golden color with a finger of slowly-dissipating head.

It's brewed with a wild strain of yeast, and shares some characteristics with Hair of the Dog Matt (if I'm remembering Matt correctly), but I'm still having a hard time nailing down a good description of the taste. It's quite sweet, with a bit of a tangy/bitter flavor, that all hits the back of my tongue. The mouthfeel is great -- very airy, so much so that it almost feels like drinking a pint of head.

Ingredients

Yeast: Westmalle
Malts: Malted wheat
Hops: ???

Abita Andygator

2010-11-14T15:07:00.000-08:00

I was pleasantly surprised to find Abita brewing when I got to New Orleans in November. Based on the Abita beer I've tried (pecan harvest, restoration, and andygator), Abita seems to be much in line with the micro breweries of the pacific NW. I have been chuckling about the warnings regarding the ABV of Andygator though:

"Because of the high alcohol content, be cautious---sip it for the most enjoyment."

At 8%, it's no more concerning than a typical NW IPA or stout.

Anygator pours with a thick enthusiastic head, and I feel like the flavor changed substantially as it warmed. Initially a bit fizzy with mostly a bitter hop bite, the bitterness seemed to mellow out (or I just got used to it) and more of a malty sweetness started to dominate the beer. I haven't tried many dopplebocks, but this one struck me as more like a pale ale than anything else.

Ingredients

Yeast: German lager yeast
Malts: pale malt
Hops: German Perle hops

Bridgeport Hop Harvest Ale

2010-11-08T20:40:00.000-08:00

"From the field to the tank in one hour."

2010 update:

Reading my old post about this beer (below), it became immediately obvious that my appreciation for IPA has increased exponentially. I think the 2010 version pours lighter than the 2009, with less red tones, and has a nice, light, hop-y aroma. I definitely get some citrus flavors in the beer that tail off into a satisfying bitter after after taste.

Revisiting this beer (and a few others on here) has made it clear how well this blog is working for me. I've found it very interesting how my tastes are changing, different flavors are becoming more apparent, and I am much better at selecting a beer that I will enjoy. I hope anyone else reading is getting something out of the blog too :)

2009 version:

The golden / red ale has a light, fresh aroma that I find a bit difficult to describe. Overall, this beer has me a little at a loss for descriptors. It has the flavor of many hoppy, bitter beers I've had in the past, but it doesn't bring the same face-clenching discomfort. The flavor is reminiscent of a really bitter, bad, aftertaste, but in a good way.

I quite like the beer, which is an imperial ale based on the Blue Heron (according to this blog).

Ingredients

Malts: Pale, Chocolate and Carmel Malts.
Bittering Hops: Oregon Cluster Hops
Aroma / flavor Hops:fresh cone Centennial hops

Sierra Nevada Kellerweis

2010-10-18T20:08:00.000-07:00

I had no idea that Sierra Nevada brewed any wheat beers when I happened upon this lone bottle on the shelf at John's Market. Naturally, I had to see what the hop-fiends at the California brewery could do with a wheat beer. The bottle suggests using the bottom third of the content to swish up the precipitate, which I did a mighty shoddy job of, so I suspect that it's supposed to be a bit more cloudy than the pour I'm talking about. So it goes.

The first shock came with the intense (for a beer) aroma and taste of banana. And.... that's about it for shockers, really. The beer goes down easy (4.8% abv), it's quite refreshing and has a bit of a fresh citrus-y taste common with wheat beers. Given the flavor and aroma, it's probably a bit on the cloudy side--it looks more like a northwest heffewisen, but tastes / smells somewhat like a Belgian-style wit.

Ingredients

Yeast: Ale Yeast
Malts: Two-row Pale, Wheat, Munich
Bittering Hops: Perle or Sterling

Russian River Damnation

2010-09-19T19:08:00.000-07:00

A very yeasty sour. I believe this is the cheapest of the Russian River sour offerings, and it's correspondingly less impressive than the supplication. It pours a moderate golden color with a fine head fed by a steady stream of bubbles. The mouthfeel is as expected, given the way it pours, quite tingly and reminiscent of champagne.

2000/2010 Chimay Blue Vertical

2010-09-18T21:24:00.000-07:00

We compared a 10-year old magnum (1.5L) of Chimay Grande Réserve (Blue) with a 750ml bottle of 2010 to see how the beer ages. The Trappist brewery suggests aging this beer for at least a few years, and notes that:

Magnum Grande Réserve may be conserved in dark conditions for several years. This is how the beer acquires a light and pleasant taste of port.

The beer did pick up some aspects of port: it lost a great deal of the carbonation that was present in the 2010, and the older beer tasted smoother and sweeter. The only knock against the aged bottle is that it wasn't as refreshing as the bubbly 750ml of 2010.

(The 2000 (aged) Chimay is pictured on the left in both pictures.)

When it was all said and done: I'm glad I found and saved the Chimay Magnum -- both because it turned into quite a good beer, but also to see first-hand how much of a difference a decade of aging brings about to a beer. I don't plan to age another magnum of Chimay, but I am looking forward to the bottles of other ales I am cellaring.

Mactarnahan's Lip Stinger

2010-09-13T18:31:00.000-07:00

One of the first MacTarnahan's beers I've tried, Lip Stinger drew me in with the promise of a tart sour with the bite of peppercorns. It didn't exactly dissapoint, but I don't think the funkyness of the farmhouse ale doesn't quite mesh with the pepper as well as it could. I also tend to think everything could use more pepper, so take this all with a grain of salt ;).

I've come to find that my nose pretty much sucks, but I think there's a bit of yeast to the scent, and the afore-mentioned funkiness runs throughout the beer. It'll probably be a bit of a turn-off if you aren't into sours, but it's not nearly as strong as many, and tails off towards the end to be replaced with a bit of a spicy/bitter aftertaste and burps like a lagger.

Overall, it's a very light, refreshing beer. The low alcohol (4.8% abv) is a welcome change from the 9-13% IPAs that have been flooding the northwest during the summer (and similarly strong stouts in the winter).

Ingredients

\Malts: 2 row, pilsen, wheat Hops: Mt. Hood, Saaz

Southern Tier Iniquity Imperial Black Ale

2010-07-24T17:24:00.000-07:00

I think this is Southern Tier's try for a black IPA--but don't stop reading if you're into malts. Iniquity is well worth the $6 to try it out -- most Southern Tier bombers come in at significantly more.

My first impression with this beer is that it's black, like Guinness-black, or Black-Butte XXI black (well, in comparison to other blackened ales -- hold it up to the light and you get some deep reds). It pours like runny pitch with a slight head that dissipates gradually. The nose is a bit boozy, and some of that comes through in the flavor. Regarding flavor, there is a lot of malt going on in here: a bit to excess if you're an IPA purist, and I think it's in many respects more like a brown as a result.

There are still hop flavors in there, but I'm not well attuned to describe them, for me, the result is a good, malty beer with enough hops to offset the sweetness of a more common brown and to add dimension with fruity and spicy flavors.

Let's hope they find some bourbon barrels to age this in for 6-8 months -- I think it would be fantastic.

Ingredients

Yeast: ???
Malts: 2-row pale malt, debittered black malt
Kettle Hops: chinook, cascade
Hop back: willamette
Dry Hops: cascade, centenntial

Rogue White Crane Bitter

2010-07-13T21:06:00.000-07:00

I haven't had enough bitter beers to really speak to the flavors well--I have had enough to know that the name is usually undeserved--and years of fear of bitterness just held me back from a type of beer I've generally found very enjoyable.

White Crane pours with a bit of soft, creamy head that stays, and laces the glass on the way down--It's amazingly smooth looking--imagine the top of a fresh-made cappuccino and you'll know pretty much what it looks like. It also seems that the persistent head has a play in the mouthfeel of this bitter as well (in a very good way). White Crane ends slightly bitter, but not in the same way as, say, a heavily hopped simcoe IPA.

Rogue has a lot of mediocre beers, and I was quite skeptical of this one--the Japenese lettering on this bottle didn't scream quality (particularly coming from a local Oregon brewery, and given the last rogue beer like this--the buckwheat ale). White Crane really beat my expectations, however.

(Rogue doesn't list this, or the buckwheat ale, on their site, so I don't have the ingredient list, which is a real shame.)

Bridgeport 2010 Stumtown Tart

2010-07-03T19:26:00.000-07:00

Bridgeport Brewing has been making a Stumptown Tart for a few years now, but based on comments at Baileys Taproom, this is the first year that it's actually taken off (for good reason, if the Bailey's tap master is to be believed).

Stumptown Tart is a sour/lambic (I'm still a bit fuzzy on the details, and the distinction) that is made by combining a 1/1 ratio of oak-aged (pale?) ale with ale brewed with raspberries. The raspberries come through strong, contributing to the aroma primarily (I don't get a lot of scent out of most sour beers anyway, but that's just me), but it also has a good bit of berry flavor. I'm particularly surprised at how good the raspberries taste--it seems like they really used high-quality, very ripe, fruit in the brewing process. In contrast, one of the only other raspberry beers I've tried (by Great Divide) has a very "musty" flavor and aroma).

I think this is a great beveridge, but it's hard to think of it as a beer, since there aren't a lot of hop / malt flavors left.

Cheese Making

2010-06-05T23:48:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I bought, the book "Home Cheese Making" by Ricki Carroll. My first "project" will be to make a 30-minute Mozzarella.

Looks like I have most of the ingredients. Things I still need to get:

lipase powder
cheese salt
citric acid
milk thermometer (long thermometer that is going to be accurate at 90 degrees to 200 degrees)
tall pot for heating milk
large slotted spoon
either heavy rubber gloves OR 2 quart microwaveable bowl
unpasteurized or barely pasteurized milk

I already have the rennet. I don't need it for this recipe, but I also want to acquire some butter muslin. It's like a cheese cloth but a much finer weave. The lipase powder is optional and the book recommends skipping it on the first try. It's interesting that the microwave is optional assuming you have thick enough gloves. That's because you need to heat it more and kneed it by hand if you're not using the microwave. I'm going to get the microwaveable bowl just in case, but I'm hoping to NOT use my microwave.

I thought I had a thermometer that would work but I can't find it right now.

I'm not really sure where to get some of these items like cheese salt and butter muslin. I expect New Seasons will have much of it though. I can order butter muslin and some of the less common items from urban cheese craft, so I might do that and save the recipes that call for it till after that stuff arrives.

Rogue 1st Growth Wet Hop Ale

2010-05-09T18:37:00.000-07:00

This is likely to be the best beer / buck deal I've ever run across -- although I've only seen the beer once, it was only $18 for a case of bombers at a Rogue Garage Sale around last Thanksgiving. While I've enjoyed the beer, it's a bit odd. It isn't very bitter at all for an IPA at 40 IBU, but it is clearly an IPA. I've had some trouble finding this beer on-line, and I'm starting to suspect that the case I found was on clearance because of a mis-labeling. I've found mention of the Chatoe Rogue Wet Hop Ale, but no results have come up for the Rogue Farms label I have.

The beer pours a medium amber colored brew with a healthy amount of head, and it actually looks quite a lot like the Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Fresh Hop Ale. Both beers are substantially darker than your average IPA. I don't think the Rogue Wet Hop doesn't have quite the punch of the Sierra Nevada series, but it is still quite delicious.

Ingredients

Yeast: Top fermenting packman yeast
Malts: 2-row and Munich malts
Hops: Independent and Revolution hops (from the Rogue Hop Farm in Independence, OR.)

Bison Brewery Honey Basil

2010-04-27T20:00:00.000-07:00

This turned up at New Seasons a few weeks ago, and I couldn't turn it down. Bison Brewery makes a whole line of organic beer. The Honey Basil pours golden brow, and in my experience, with very little head -- there was just a little lacing at first, and that dissipated pretty quickly.

The honey and basil are present, but they are fairly subtle, although the basil is strong enough that I don't think I'd want more than a pint or two at a time. Overall, I'm pretty happy with this beer. It's a bit tangy from carbonation at first, but otherwise goes down smooth.

Ingredients

Yeast: Water yeast (so says the bottle, and "water" is clearly not listed)
Malts: organic malt (of some sort...)
Hops: unknown

Ayinger Ur-Weisse

2010-04-24T17:23:00.000-07:00

Nice aroma of yeast, wheat and banana. This dunkelweizen is a bit darker than a NW Heffeweizen (compared to Widmer's Heff. for example). To me, the ur-weisse tastes pretty smooth with a bit of a citrus towards the end. The carbonation plays a pretty big role, and it tastes like a laggered beer to me.

As is the case with most beer brewed according to the "Reinheitsgebot" (the German beer purity laws), I'm amazed with the amount of flavor in this beer.

Dogfish Head 90-Minute Imperial IPA

2010-04-19T23:00:00.000-07:00

(minor scheduling note.. I wrote this up back in August and just realized that I did have a picture and text all ready to go up today.

Dogfish Head's 90 Minute IPA (the 'imperial' part is often dropped from the name) is apparently the first continually-hopped beer.... ever? So they claim, anyway. I've yet to learn much about different approaches to adding hops, but this seems to blur the line between bittering (?) hops and aroma hops.

The beer itself doesn't have a lot of aroma, but it has a hell of a lot of hops. As you would expect, malts take a lesser role, but they do come through, balancing the bitterness (90 ibus, by the way, and 9% abv).

Many IPAs have a gnarly aftertaste that I'm really not fond of, but that's very minimal and the beer goes down very, very easily. Maybe I've been drinking bombers too much lately, but I didn't want this one to end ;).

Ingredients

Yeast: ???
Malts: English Two-row Barley
Hops: ???

Upright Brewing, Four

2010-03-23T21:14:00.000-07:00

No. 4 is a slightly tart (from a sour mash) wheat beer with a lot of citrus. It's very refreshing, but pours with a ridiculous amount of head. (I opened the bottle straight from the fridge, poured to the side of the glass, and still ended up with almost a full pint of foam!)

Upright Brewing is a Portland-based brewery that seems to have taken after Hair of the Dog in naming their brews in completely irrelevant ways. However, they do post the malts / hops used to brew each beer on their site, so I can live with the naming :).

Ingredients

Yeast: ??
Malts: organic pale, wheat, organic munich, and unmalted rolled wheat
Hops: hallertauer mittelfrüh

Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye

2010-03-15T22:24:00.000-07:00

Hop Rod pours with a thick head that's slow to settle down to beautiful red ale with plenty of flavor.

I like Rye ales -- the grain gives beer a nice spicy aspect that goes well with lots of hops, but I don't find it out of place with the sweeter malts either. I think the ruby red hop-rod strikes a good balance, although it finishes a bit bitter (not that that's out of place for an IPA, just sayin' :).

All in all, I'd drink it again -- especially since it comes in 12oz bottles (which also appear to be cheaper / volume than the bombers).

Ingredients

Yeast:
Malts: 18% rye
Bittering Hops:
Finishing Hops:

Russian River Supplication

2010-03-14T21:41:00.000-07:00

Supplication is a brown ale that's been barrel aged in pino noir bottles with various yeasts added (or acquired from the barrel -- probably both). It pours with a bit of head, and comes out remarkably dark for the light flavor. Added cherries bring (or add to..) the floury but tart taste.

I was rather surprised that supplication wasn't smoother. It reminds me a fair bit of Cuvee Renee -- both are more like a tart champagne than a beer on your tongue. I think there's a lot more to Supplication than there is to the Cuvee, though.

I think this is a great beer if you know what you're getting into (I did), but if you don't like sours, find something else. If you're interested in sours, I'd suggest starting with something milder -- an aged Allagash Interlude, if you can find one, is a great place to begin :).

Ingredients

Yeast: Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus, Pediococcus
Malts: ??
Bittering Hops: ??
Finishing Hops: ??

Rogue Buckwheat Ale

2010-02-16T21:36:00.000-08:00

A light colored (and flavored) ale, presumably brewed with buckwheat instead of standard grains. I might be able to tell a difference in a side-by-side, but I'm at a loss to name the differences with just this one beer around. It's refreshing, and I'd drink it again, but I'm not seeking it out.

I found it at Uwajimaya, and I was intrigued by the bottle -- which is almost entirely devoid of English. (despite the 'product of USA'.) It looks like this might just be a re-bottled Morimoto Soba Ale, which seems fairly likely.

(Rogue's site seems to be down at the moment, so I can't get ingredients)

New Belgium Ranger India Pale Ale

2010-02-11T20:12:00.000-08:00

I think my (new-found) appreciation for IPAs boils down to simcoe hops. The Ranger ale has a dose of the piny flavors found in Sierra Nevada's Wet Hop Ale and Russian River's Pliny the Elder. The Ranger ale doesn't have nearly the degree of flavor of those two, but it's also not a double or a wet-hop. (and at ~$7 / 6-pack, you're getting a damned good deal)

The Ranger has a good piny aroma that leads right into more of the same on your first sip, and finishes just a little bitter.

Ingredients

Hops: Simcoe, Cascade, Chinook

North Coast Brewing Old Rasputin

2009-11-13T22:17:00.000-08:00

A straight-up good full-bodied stout.

Old Rasputin's pitch-black manifestation doesn't carry much of a scent -- in contrast to many great stouts I've had recently, this one isn't riding on the laurels of bourbon or oak aging, demonstrating that a flavorful brew is possible without the complexities of barrel-aging.

Old Rasputin comes off smoother than the Rogue XS Imperial Stout, but not as watered down as the O'Hara. It's probably easier to pair than the stronger / flavored stouts, but it still has enough going on to stand on its own.

2007 Raven's Wood Vinter's Blend Merlot

2009-11-01T15:14:00.000-08:00

I've tried a few Raven's Wood wines in the past, and noted that the winery only actually makes their own Zinfandel. I can only assume that this merlot is blended from various other wines that the Raven's Wood vinter found at a good price.

Following along with the Raven's Wood mantra, this is no wimpy merlot. (Not that I have much experience with merlot, mind you.) I'd actually guess that there is a good portion of zinf. in this blend, given the "spicier" taste. It's fruiter than the other Zinf. or Syrah I've had, but more interesting than, say, Badger Mountain's Merlot (which came off a lot like grape juice).

Stone 13th Anniversary Ale

2009-10-16T22:25:00.000-07:00

Stone's first Imperial/double red ale is pretty good. It's very hoppy, and ends just a little on the bitter side (mostly in the back of your throat though, so it seems less intense than, say, the Chico Estate, which sort of sears your tongue after you swallow). The hops are balanced by a healthy dose of malts that lend a richness to the aroma and toffee / chocolate notes to the flavor. I think the strength of the malts turn what would otherwise be a bland, bitter, IPA into a rich experience.

Ingredients

Malts: Pale malt, a blend of various crystal and amber malts, and a touch of chocolate malt
Hops: Lots of Chinook, dry-hop is a blend of Simcoe and Centennial

Russian River Pliny the Elder

2009-10-12T00:39:00.000-07:00

The plain green and red label on this oddly sized bottle belie the surprisingly delicious content. I do believe this has become my favorite IPA--the aroma is a bit light, but fill your gullet with a swallow and you'll be rewarded with the fresh piny flavor of (simcoe?) hops, followed by a clean finish with very little bitterness.

Southern Tier: Pumking

2009-10-10T09:58:00.000-07:00

Easily the best pumpkin beer I've had to date, this spiced brew starts off with the clearly identifiable scent of pumpkin pie spices without overpowering your nose. The taste is also well balanced between the spice, the hops, the pumpkin, and enough sweetness to smooth the rough edges from so many flavors.

It's a bit on the sweet side for a general drinking beer, but really, it's a pumpkin ale, so you're probably not sucking one down alongside a foot-long and a pile of fries anyway. I highly recommend it as an after-dinner/desert beer, but don't be confused: it's not nearly as sweet or cloying as many gimmicky brews.

Southern Tier seems to be a pretty sound bet if you're looking for a good new beer to try--they continue to impress. (Image credit of Southern Tier Brewing. I'll post an Ale shot next time I have a bottle.)

Cypress Grove Truffle Tremor

2009-09-26T21:36:00.000-07:00

This is another Chevre from Cypress Grove, and it shares a lot of similarities with the Humboldt Fog by the same maker. The texture is nearly identical, and they appear pretty similar. The biggest notable difference is that this cheese doesn't have a vein of ash like the Humboldt. Instead, the cheese is speckled with bits of truffles.

I haven't had the humboldt in a while, but it almost seems that the same basic cheese was used in both of these products, and they were simply treated differently. I have a hard time telling without a side-by-side comparison though.

I like this cheese, but it is a "flavored" cheese, due to the truffles (which are a nice addition, but interfere with the texture a little).

Sierra Nevada 2009 Chico Estate Harvest Ale

2009-09-25T23:39:00.000-07:00

The third installment of Sierra Nevada's Harvest Ale series, and possibly the hopiest. It's hoppy in a bitter way though. While the beer is very refreshing, you really don't want to stop drinking--there's not a lot to enjoy in the bitter aftertaste.

Aside from the bitter tail end, it's a fantastically hopy beer. It poured with a heavy head (as you can see) but doesn't have much aroma. The bite really is in the hops on this one. It saddens me to say it, but I'm not really a fan -- I may come around (I have a couple more to work on) but the bitter-beer-face after really kills it for me.

Ingredients

Hops: Cascade, Centennial and Chinook

Pan-roasted Sumatra - First attempt.

2009-08-29T11:30:00.000-07:00

I've been hungry for home-brewed coffee, but the only beans in the house were some green sumatra beans a friend gave me a few months back (thanks Ulf!). Undaunted, I whipped out a stainless skillet and roasted about 100g.

Ulf and I had roasted some of these beans a while back, and it turned out fairly well, but I couldn't remember much of the details, so a quick google brought up these instructions, and I got to work.

First off, I found out that my IR thermometer doesn't work well at all for shiny surfaces. After reporting ~150f, I tossed in the beans, and promptly scorched a good third while they shot up to 300+ degrees. After dropping the heat, grabbing a spoon, and stirring like crazy (which I kept up for the duration), they began to develop color a bit more uniformly. I roasted for 9-10 minutes on medium heat, getting the beans to about 370. I think the majority of the beans hit first crack, and some probably made second crack, but I'm not sure. There are two distinct volumes to the cracks, some are much louder than others--I have no idea if that's based on first vs. second crack, or if some beans just crack louder than others.

Afraid of creating charcoal, I pulled them out and tossed them in a colander outside to blow off chaff and cool them down.

After cooling, they got a trip through the burr grinder. The coarse result looked to have a bit of chaff still (much lighter, brighter bits) but it all went into the press anyway. (about 45g of ground beans--all I need for a pot).

A standard 4-minute brew with ~200 degree water produced a very light pot. The coffee ended up with pretty strong grassy notes but with a refreshing aftertaste. Despite my concerns, it was clearly not over-roasted, so next time I'm definitely going a bit longer--probably 11-13 minutes. I think there's a lot of flavor still in these beans that didn't make it out in the final brew.

Southern Tier (imperial) Gemini

2009-08-01T21:31:00.001-07:00

Tongue-coating deliciousness :)

A hoppy blend of two other IPAs (Unearthly and Unfiltered Hoppe), this beer tingles the tastebuds a bit on the way down, but finishes with only a slightly bitter hoppy bite. Gemini is possibly the maltiest IPA I've had, with a somewhat sweet flavor, and what seems like fairly high carbs. The nose on this one is mild, smooth hops backed with malty tones.

I'm going to try recording the hops / malts in beers when possible, to see if there is any correlation with what I like, so here's the deets on Gemini:

Malts:2-row pale malt, malted white wheat, cara-pils-malt, red wheat
Kettle hops: columbus, chinook and cascade
Aroma hops: amarillo
Hop back: styrian golding
Dry hops: amarillo, cascade, centenial, chinook and columbus

Victory Sunrise Weissbier

2009-07-30T21:17:00.000-07:00

It's... It's a wheat beer!

....

Really, that's about all there is to say on this one. Light, fairly clear wheat beer. Not a lot of hops, lightly spiced, citrus notes, nice aroma, but nothing special.

Malts: 2 row German barley and wheat malt
Hops: German and Czech whole flowers
Yeast: imported, of German origin

Widmer Drifter Pale Ale

2009-07-19T14:54:00.000-07:00

This pale ale seems a little bit malty to me, but I could be making that up. There's not a lot of nose, but what there is is hopy. Drifter is an easy-drinking ale with a slightly bitter after taste, but the hops are reminiscent of the NW Harvest Ale from Sierra Nevada--the flavor is no where near that intense though, I have to be paying attention. That's not something I expect to do when snarfing down Drifter though -- it'd be a great accompaniment to something more interesting (say, a bbq?) but it doesn't have the character to stand out on its own.

Malts: pale, caramel 20L, caravienne 20L, caramel 80L, carapils
Bittering hops: Alchemy
Aroma hops: summit, nelson sauvin
Dry hopped: summit, nelson sauvin

Stone 08.08.2008 Vertical Epic Ale

2009-07-11T16:40:00.000-07:00

Stone set out to complete a marketing gimmick like none other: starting on 02.02.2002, they began by releasing the first of ten Epic Ales. Each year, on consecutive months, they are releasing a new epic ale--up until 12.12.2012, the date you are supposed to have a vertical tasting of the series. I happened to come across a couple bottles of the '08 epic ale at Beer Authority today (a real rarity! I haven't seen one in a store since the release date last year), so I had an extra to try a bit early :).

The '08 is a light belgian-inspired ale that's been hopped very generously. It's light golden in color, with flavors of fruit and spice, and only a slightly bitter aftertaste (oh good god, it's so much better than that Victory Pils). There's not a lot of aroma on this one, but it does smell so slightly of hops. Either that, or my sniffer is just broke--fair chance. (It sure seems like it should have a hoppy / fruity aroma... maybe in four years...)

All in all, a good beer, and I'm looking forward to the aged version in December of 2012. There's a lot of beer out there though, so don't stress if you haven't found a bottle or two for the cellar. Stone has also release the recipes for each Epic on-line, so you can always brew a batch: http://www.stonebrew.com/epic/

Yeast: White Labs WLP 570 (Belgian Golden Ale Yeast)
Malts: Pale Malt
Hops: Amarillo, Simcoe

Rogue's Kells Irish Style Lager

2009-07-08T22:09:00.000-07:00

A pretty flavorful easy-drinking lager. I don't drink that many lagers, but this one seems hoppier than most, in a good way. It's pretty refreshing, but still seems like a relatively simple light beer.

Yeast: Czech Pils Yeast
Malts: Great Western Pale, Crystal -15, Wheat & Acidulated Malts.
Hops: Sterling.

Ninkasi Radiant Summer Ale

2009-07-07T20:02:00.000-07:00

A light brown, slightly cloudy ale. It has some fruity flavors but finishes on a bit of a bitter note. It's not nearly as off-putting as the Victory Prima Pils, but the aftertaste is fairly unplesant, even compared to many IPAs. Despite all that, it is a refreshing beer, and was a pleasant accompaniment to a slab of salmon & a bite of St. Andre Triple Creme on a hot day.

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout

2009-07-06T21:44:00.000-07:00

After a point, beer just can't get any darker.

Lacking any hues to create intensity in beer, the flavors have gone up. Barrel aged, oak aged, aged in Cabernet barrels, and now the Bourbon Barrel aged stouts are finding their way onto the table in thankfully small bottles.

The bourbon county brand stout is really a bit overbearing, in my opinion. Bourbon overpowers the flavors of the beer itself, and leaves a bit of a raw alcohol taste. (and at 13%, it's not to surprising). It's definitely a flavorful beer, and an interesting taste, but it's clearly a sipper.

Victory Prima Pilsner

2009-07-05T19:44:00.000-07:00

A very bitter pilsner with the slight aroma of hops. Horrible aftertaste, and the impressive hue of Bud.

Malts: 2 row German pilsner malt
Hops: German and Czech whole flowers

DogFish Head Aprihop

2009-07-04T20:21:00.000-07:00

This seasonal IPA has the natural fruity taste of apricots, without the false syrupy overtones so common to fruit beer. I'd like to compare this one with the Pyramid Apricot Ale--since the hops are somewhat drowned out by the apricot in the DogFish, it doesn't seem like much on an IPA, in my opinion. A great beer none the less, but it could be hoppier, and the Pyramid offering is distinctly cheaper.

Saint Andre Triple Creme

2009-07-04T18:48:00.000-07:00

A very high fat brie-like cheese (I'm not sure it's technically a brie. I haven't found a lot of info on this cheese.) When cold, Jocelyn and I wondered if it were a goat cheese, given the crumbly texture and flavor, but it is made with cows milk. To me, it has a bit of a cheddar-like taste, and is ever so slightly grainy, and spreads a bit like cold butter.

Sierra Nevada 2009 Southern Hemisphere Harvest Wet Hop Ale

2009-06-19T21:22:00.000-07:00

Once again, careful of the 'stash. This was a fun beer -- I had the '08 NW Wet hop ale recetly enough that I still remember the intense piny flavor. (More so than Pliny the Elder, even, although I haven't had those back-to-back.) In any case, there is a drastic difference in taste between this beer--the '09 southern hemisphere--and the '08.

The southern hemisphere brew is good, but it isn't as distinctive as the other wet hop made in the fall / winter. The shipping times (from New Zeland to the California brewery) are longer (~1 week), and this wet hop does involve a drying process. I can only surmise that this takes some of the 'wet hop' characteristics out of the beer, and leaves it tasting more like a traditional ale.

Edit (5/9/2010): I had the opportunity to try this beer again, on draught at Bailey's this time (and probably a different batch), and I found it much more enjoyable than I'd remembered. I expect that my tastes have evolved, and now I like the bitter aspects of hops more.

Yeast: Ale Yeast
Malts: Pale and Caramel malts.
Bittering Hops: Pacific Halertau
Finishing Hops: New Zealand Motueka & New Zealand Southern Cross

Great Divide Wild Raspberry Ale

2009-05-19T19:15:00.000-07:00

A ruby red ale akin to Pyramid's Apricot Ale, but flavored with raspberries. There is something slightly musty about raspberries that I like in the actual fruit, but it comes through a bit too much in the beer for my tastes. That said, it is one of the better fruit beers I've tried -- the flavors are authentic, the fruit isn't overwhelming, and it is not particularly sweet.

Lindemans Gueuze Cuvée René

2009-04-26T22:58:00.000-07:00

Lindemans, maker of fruity Lambics found everywhere also makes a sour beer, the Gueuze (Goo-za) Cuvée René.

This is the first "sour beer" I've tried, and it is much more like a champagne than it's description may lead you to believe (In fact, I think the taste is best characterized as "champagne, but sour instead of sweet"). The wheat-based origins aren't particularly evident to my untrained palate, but it does have the same light coloring and dissipating head of many light Belgian wheat beers I've tried.

In the end, I'm game for trying more sour beers, but mostly for the experience. I think the Cuvée René could be used in interesting ways -- possibly as a semi-sour sorbet to off-set sweet deserts, and it probably pairs well with strong / sweet cheeses.

On a side note: the cork was surprisingly short -- I drove the corkscrew straight through when opening, so keep that in mind if you pop a bottle :)

Bear Republic Red Rocket Ale

2009-04-10T20:01:00.000-07:00

This is a brick-red, verging on maroon, Scotish ale that's packed with hoppy notes but finishes off with a mix of malts and bitter hops (to my taste, anyway). It's a bit to bitter for me, and the aftertaste is not as enjoyable as some others (such as the Sierra Nevada Wet Hop Ale).

Malts: 5 grains, Caramel malts are: Belgian Caravienne and Hugh Bairds Crystal malts.
Hops: Centennial and Cascade (bittering and aroma)

Allagash White

2009-03-31T21:01:00.000-07:00

This is a Belgian wheat beer brewed by Allagash in Portland, Maine. The beer is slightly cloudy without being as dense looking as a local Heffewizen (eg: Widmer), and it definitely has more spice and citrus notes than the wheat offerings from Widmer or Pyramid. It's fairly similar to a Blue Moon, but... spicier.

A good light beer, but the taste can be a bit cloying.

Sierra Nevada 2008 Harvest Wet Hop Ale

2009-03-27T21:20:00.000-07:00

Careful with this one or you'll end up with a Sierra Nevada 'stash--the head is thick enough to cling to anything as you suck down the piny ale. This is a "wet hop" ale, meaning that it is made with very fresh hops (picked the night before they go into the kettle, according to the oddly-sized 24oz bottle).

I'm just getting used to beers with heavy hop flavors, and this one definitely fits that bill; however, it's struck a chord with me. It's very refreshing, and the taste seems well suited to the Pacific Northwest. (Given that the hops are grown in Washington, and brewed in Chico, that may not be too surprising. :)

Yeast: Top-fermenting Ale Yeast
Malts: Two-row pale and Caramel malts.
Bittering Hops: Centennial
Finishing Hops: Cascade & Centennial

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier (Smoke Beer)

2009-03-22T20:54:00.000-07:00

This Marzen is a deep red / brown beer with a unique--and extremely strong--smokey flavor. Given the German Beer Purity Laws, which restrict the ingredients of beer to water, hops, barley and yeast, it's quite a surprise to have such a distinctive flavor come out in a beer.

Aecht Schlenkerla is one of two German breweries that still produce a smoke beer (Rauchbier). They do so by roasting the malt over an open flame to impart the taste of the smoke to the ingredients prior to brewing.

I can't say I'd be wild to try this one again -- although I *am* curious how it would go alongside a rack of ribs, or a slab of fresh gouda. It's definitely a beer you should try if you've never had a smoke beer before, though.

2008 O'Hara's Celebration Stout

2009-03-14T22:21:00.000-07:00

A middle-of-the-road Irish stout, this one edges out the St. Peter's, but not by a whole lot. It was a great beer to ramp-up to the stronger tasters of our first monthly beer club, and it would probably also be a good accompaniment to a hearty red meat meal.

A fine beer, but I'm not going to go to great lengths to find it again.

Delice De Bourgogne

2009-03-13T22:50:00.000-07:00

This is the only cheese I've ever seen that was ... "saggier"... than Fromager D'Affinois. It might even be cremier, but that would be a great feat indeed. The richness of this creamy cheese is not overpowering, but sufficient to provide body that balances well with a lingering tangness that turns this cheese, with it's "whipped butter" consistency, into something lightening on the tongue without sacrificing flavor.

I didn't get a picture of this one, and it's not particularly photogenic, but the wikipedia page has an image that should help find it in the stores.

St. Peter's Old-Style Porter

2009-03-12T22:14:00.000-07:00

The "MGD" of classic Porter (Steve's words ;).

St. Peter's Porter is probably a great beer with food, but it pales in comparison to the richness found in some of the porters we've tried. It does have a strong lead over the Ichigo Stout however, and I'd be more than happy to wash down a good steak with a pint of St. Peters.

The porter is a bit watery, but that could be because I've been drinking stouts and barley wines lately. Still, compared to my general baseline (canned Guinnes with a c02 widget), the St. Peter is still lacking in body.

Rollingstone Anise Lavender Goat cheese

2009-03-11T22:35:00.000-07:00

This is a chevre that has been flavored with lavender and anise. The cheese is a fluffy white chevre that spreads easily and melts gradually in your mouth, spreading the taste and scent of the herbal additions gradually through your senses. As far as cheese goes, eating this one is a great experience ;). It is a very soothing cheese with a refreshing flavor, and the texture of a standard creme cheese.

Lavender is the predominant flavor, and the anice comes in at the tail end of the bite, almost as an aftertaste.

Southern Tier Imperial Chocolat Stout

2009-03-10T21:24:00.000-07:00

A fantastic stout with extremely strong chocolate flavor underlined by the rich malts of the stout. I think chocolate stouts are a great way to finish a night, and this is no exception. Its solid chocolate tones would probably wreak havok on any subsequent drinks (although, I bet this would pair wonderfully with a framboise lambic...)

2008 Allagash Burbon-aged Curieux

2009-03-09T21:49:00.000-07:00

"Ale aged in oak bourbon barrels" is the sub-heading on the 750ml bottle of this fantastic light beer. I really hope to find this beer again, but given the bottling quantities (530 cases, total) it's going to be difficult. There are so many flavors going on (and I've tried so many different things tonight) that I can't begin to pen an adequate description of this beer. Suffice to say that it is quite amazing, and you should expect to devote a lot of attention to each sip, as quantities are limited, and your taste buds will be initially overwhelmed.

The Curieux is a triple ale brewed in New England by Allagash brewery. There are three beers in their barrel-age series: Curieux, Odessy, and Musette.

2006 Raven's Wood Zinfandel (Vinters Blend)

2009-03-08T19:24:00.000-07:00

This dirt-cheap red wine ($7 @ Safeway) has a spicy flavor with a slightly bitter aftertaste. The wine numbs the tip of the tongue a bit, but (thankfully) doesn't have the hard edge that would finish off the slap-in-the-face you might expect by reading this far. I'd love to compare with the 2006 Genesis Syrah, since they seem very similar (at least based on my faint recollection of that wine, and my comments).

Spicy, slightly numbing, light on the wallet, with solid flavor and an easily recognized label to boot.

Raven's Wood is a California winery that apparently makes only Zinfandel, and proudly touts: "We will make no wimpy wines!".

The Vinter's Blend version of Raven's Wood wines doesn't necessarily contain wine vinted entirely by Raven's Wood, and likely explains the pricetag. I think Jason and I tried the 2005 old-vine Zin. from this vinter, and thought it was great, but I don't recall how it tasted. There are a couple other series of wines from Raven's Wood -- I'll be keeping an eye out for the Designates series.

He'brew Pomegranate Ale

2009-03-05T20:38:00.000-08:00

I've often seen He'Brew beers around -- the gaudy label and name have always made me suspect of the actual beer, but I finally bit the bullet and tried this ale. The beer is brewed with pomegranate juice, but I'm not sure when, or how much.

The hops come through clearly, making this more like an IPA than a fruit beer (thank god... Henry's Cherry Wheat: take note), however, the pomegranate is a bit overpowered. The fruit comes through in the aftertaste a bit, and probably cuts some of the sharpness of the hops, but other than that, I don't think it contributes much.

He'Brew is a brewery based in San Fransisco, but this beer was brewed and bottled in New York.

Pike XXXXX Stout

2009-02-21T23:56:00.000-08:00

Malty and chocolaty, Pike's stout reminds me of Rogue's Hazelnut Brown in many ways. Both are very easy to drink, quite smooth, and rich in flavor. The stout has a nice thick head that does dissipate on it's own (as opposed to, say, a Guinness), and there is a very slight aroma and taste of hops -- just enough to give the beer an edge that helps balance the rich malt.

I couldn't help but polish off about half this bomber as a chocolate float with a couple scoops of our homemade dark chocolate ice cream.

Paulaner Oktoberfest maerzen (amber)

2009-02-20T19:24:00.000-08:00

This is an imported amber from Germany. It has the distinctive
aftertaste of a german beer but with a mild amber flavor.

Echigo Stout

2009-02-19T19:40:00.000-08:00

For all that this beer has in dark, malty coloring, it lacks in flavor. It doesn't have the bite I've come to expect from a stout, making it the easiest drinking beer of the type I've encountered. Considering it's one of the more expensive beers I've tried lately, (330ml, under 12oz. running over $3), I can't recommend it.

The easy drinking nature, and the absence of information on the bottle have left me somewhat curious about how this one was brewed, since it's so much different from other stouts I've had. It does remind me of other mellower beers though. Aspects of the flavor make me think of Guinness, but with higher bitterness, and a much less silky texture (I'm probably going to eat my words the next time I have a Guinness -- I may be back to edit this later.)

2006 Bogle Chardonnay

2009-02-16T20:00:00.000-08:00

Vinted by the Bogle Winery in Clarksburg, CA, this white wine almost qualifies as local, but it'd be a bit of a stretch to visit the vineyard. The slightly-dry, slightly-sweet white has a cleansing aftertaste with just a bit of spice, but generally the only characteristics that came through for me were those of ..... wine. Somewhat underwhelming.

Pike XXXXX Stout Gellato Float (The Chocofest)

2009-02-15T20:00:00.000-08:00

Pike Brewery hosted Foreplay before the big day on the Thursday before Valentines day. The event focused on wine, spirits, beer and chocolate from various northwest sources. Some highlights:

The Pike XXXXX Stout float

Made with Chocolate Gelato from Gelatiamo, this quasi-desert was a clear stand out. I generally prefer treats that verge on the savory side of things, so ice cream and gelato haven't played a huge part in my desert experiences, but this really hit the balance between the sharper malty stout and the silky smooth chocolate gelato. The two ingredients balance each other very well. I'd like to try this combo with the Hazelnut Brown the next time I have a surplus of that to see how it pairs with a lighter ice cream (possibly a vanilla).

Badger Mountain NSA Port

Badger Mountain makes a series of organic, no sulfites added (NSA) wines, and two of the collection were available for sampling at the chocofest, a merlot and a port. I haven't had many merlot, and sample sizes were small, so I'll only go so far as to say it was watery, but that isn't too surprising given the richness of the other foods around. The Badger Mountain port, however, was fantastic. Much less syrupy than other ports I've tried, this was clearly a desert wine, but it had more character than any other fortified wine I've tried (not that that is saying much, mind you). To top it all off, Badger Mountain wines are all under $20 / bottle.

Claudio Corallo Chocolate

Claudio Corallo Chocolates were present, with a selection of very high percentage chocolates, ranging from 100% coaco down to 70%. The quality of the chocolate was very clear after tasting a bit of the 100% -- even with no sugar at all, the coaco was fairly enjoyable (although, the slightly sweetened chocolate was clearly more fun).

Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar

2009-02-14T20:09:00.000-08:00

Rogue's Hazelnut Brown is the first Rogue beer that I really went for. (I actually ended up buying a case of 22's after a 4-oz taste, but that wasn't entirely intentional...)

The beer was greatly inspired by a homebrewer at an Oregon homebrew festival who added hazelnuts to distinguish his brown from the competition. The nutty flavor worked, and it comes through clearly in this dark-brown beer. I also get some hints of chocolate and coffee in the aftertaste.

Malts: Harrington, Klages, Munich, Hugh Baird Brown, Carastan 13-17, Crystal 70-80, Crystal 135-165 & Beeston Chocolate.

Yeast: Rogue's Pacman Yeast
Malts: Harrington, Klages, Munich, Hugh Baird Brown, Carastan 13-17, Crystal 70-80, Crystal 135-165 & Beeston Chocolate.
Hops: Perle and Sterling.

Fromager d'Affinois double-creme brie

2009-02-13T20:35:00.000-08:00

~$14 / lbs. at Whole Foods.

The fromager d'Affinois is extremely creamy, and very soft. Technically, it isn't a brie, but it's close enough as far as I'm concerned. It bulges from beneath the tender rind like a stuffed belly emerges after Thanksgiving dinner. Rind aside, the cheese spreads like a...spread, and melts in moments on toasted bread.

Compared to the cheeses I've had recently, (Humboldt Fog and Smoked Blue) this is very delicate, but that's not saying much. I wouldn't put this one up against a stout / barleywine and expect much competition, but the contrast may be nice. It's also a relatively cheap cheese, with the emphasis on texture, so there may be more pairings than I'm giving it credit for. I suggest trying it at different temperatures, at least melted and not, to get the full range of textures / flavors.

Janet Fletcher, at SFGate, has a good review of this French cheese.

Rainier Ridge

2009-02-12T21:19:00.000-08:00

This cab was surprisingly lackluster to my taste buds. I thought it
was sour instead of dry or fruity. I wouldn't recomend this wine.

Heater Allen -- Coastal Common Beer

2009-02-11T17:26:00.000-08:00

This beer is definitely a keeper. It has a very nice light scent and a flavor to match. There is a surprising hoppy bite at the end of each drink, but it's very short lived and only adds to the glory of the beer. The brewery is out of McMinnville, Oregon. I think a trip to the brewery is definitely in order.

The beer was purchased at New Seasons, though the Heater Allen website indicates that they are not sold at all New Seasons locations.

The second best part of this beer was the price. It was less than $5.00 for the 22oz bottle. There was one other beer from the same brewery, my next trip to that store will definitely result in at least one more bottle of each.

The 'ol Bawdy experience.

2009-02-10T20:03:00.000-08:00

Dave managed to finagle reservations at the Pike Brewery Old Bawdy vertical tasting last Sunday. The stiff barleywine of the brewery, Old Bawdy ages very well, and the flavor develops differently depending on the recipe, bottling/kegging conditions, and age. The vertical tasting was the last opportunity to try the different incarnations of Old Bawdy that have been brewed over the years.

Pike found a quarter-barrel of the 1994 Bawdy in a closet somewhere, so the tasting started with that 15-year old brew, and followed up with 1996, 1997. Pike didn't brew barleywine for the ensuing 9 years, and picked up with a new recipe (and a different brewmaster) in 2006, so the tasting followed suit, rounding out the 6 tastes with 2006, 2007 and 2008 brews. I started old and worked up to the '08, since that seemed the best way to appreciate the aged beer. It's all ~10% alcohol, so judgment goes fast ;).

The 1994 was the lightest of the 6, and it was the most mildly flavored as well. It was very little like the other barleywines I've had, and stood out from the other Bawdy's as well. The 1994 went down easy, and it's a shame that it's gone.

The 1996 and 1997 were more similar, and had both oxidized a fair bit (as I found out later) giving them a distinctive "raisiny" flavor. They were a lot more syrupy than the 1994, and the 1997 struck me as being a bit lighter than the '96, possibly a bit more raisiny/fruity. (I think the '97 was being poured from bottles, vs. kegs, so it may have oxidized more.)

The 2006 was "...a great double-IPA during the first 3 months..." and that character came through clearly in the aged version, although it's clearly a barleywine now. This was the hoppy-est of the tastes, and not particularly our favorite. (I did pickup four 12-oz bottles, and need to wax-dip the caps. They should last until 2012-2015 in that condition. Sadly, no 22's were available of the 2006.)

2007 and 2008 were similar to the 2006, but progressively less hoppy, and that's about where my note-taking took a nose dive, and "sampling" $5 schooners (served in *ahem* tulip glasses --Jer) took priority. Once the reservations were filled, and 4pm rolled around, the brewery started selling all the years (in snifters), so we loaded up on a our favorites and stumbled home when we were done.

Smokey Blue

2009-02-05T21:57:00.000-08:00

Blue cheese from the Rogue Creamery

Rogue Creamery’s “Oregon Blue” is the first blue cheese made on the West Coast, so we thought it only fitting that it be the first blue ever smoked.

The texture of this blue was a bit on the slimy side when it came out of the Whole Foods syran wrapping, but that was quickly remedied by wrapping it in wax paper instead (if it was really an issue... it seemed like a bad thing to me). It is a wetter blue than many that I've had, and it doesn't crumble as well as some. The cheese is growing on me though, as Blue's tend to ;), it also went reasonably well with the Rogue Imperial Stout.

At first I didn't notice the smoky aspects, but that is becoming more apparent the more I have. It's not so strong as to be inedible alone, and it went reasonably well with chopped fresh asparagus and tomato, tossed with a bit of garlic salt and a healthy dose of olive oil. I'm not sure the smoking really added anything that was otherwise missing from this cheese, but hey, I don't have another blue to compare with. In the end, I think there are better blues, but this one isn't bad.

Grieskirchner Weisse

2009-02-05T21:41:00.000-08:00

Water, wheat malt, barley malt, yeast, hops. Taste of citrus, light, refreshing. A slightly cloudy wheat beer without the cloying pucker common in Belgian whites. We broke the string of local brews with this bottle, but this Austrian (so says the bottle) beer does make for a fine companion to a good slice of homemade pizza. The lighter beverage balances a heavier food pretty well in my opinion, but it would probably be best served outdoors on a scorching August afternoon.

Grieskirchner is an Austrian beer (I miss-read the label when posting initially! -- Thanks Notg!).

2006 Rogue Imperial Stout

2009-02-03T21:31:00.000-08:00

Rogue Brewery, located in Newport OR, produces a bevy of occasionally gimmicky beers, but they are reliably rich flavored and quite distinguished. This 2006 Imperial Stout is no exception. At 22-proof, it's a pretty stiff beer that holds its own against the likes of Stone Ale's Arrogant Bastard and Double Bastard, and provides intensity of flavor to match.

The pitch-black brew attacks the front of the tongue with strong malty flavors, and has me thinking of Old Crustacean, Rogue's Imperial Barleywine. This is not a "smooth" beer ;) According to the Rogue brewery description, it has "...a very high alcohol content intended to preserve it during long trips and to provide a more bracing drink against cold climates." Bracing indeed, but also quite enjoyable in measured quantities on a cold night.

Yeast: Rogue's Pacman Yeast
Malts: Great Western, Harrington & Klages, Hugh Baird XLT-80, Black, Munich, Chocolate and rolled oats.
Hops: Willamette, Cascade and Chinook.

Sky River Dry Mead

2009-02-03T10:42:00.001-08:00

The Sky River meadery was highly recommended by my downstairs neighbor (Thom Coburn) so I found a bottle at Whole Foods (~$16). They stocked sweet and dry versions -- since I generally avoid sweet wines, I chose the dry. At some point I'll probably try the sweet, however, I think it may be a bit overbearing. This bottle (the dry) was very easy to drink, with little to no "puckering" that I expected of a dry wine. Overall, I found the mead to be very refreshing, and I'm looking forward to trying other types of mead.

Sky River Brewing is located in Stevens Pass, just a couple hours north of Seattle, WA.

Humboldt Fog

2009-02-02T21:28:00.001-08:00

This is a very nice chevre made by Cypress Grove. It is a mild goat chevre with a bit of a tart flavor. The blue/gray streak is not mold that is actually ash. This cheese goes very well on warm bread where it gets a bit melty. In the center near the ash the cheese is the dryest and hardest. At the edges it is very smooth and spreadable.

This chunk was about $3.50 at New Seasons.

2007 Covey Run Gewurztraminer

2009-02-01T21:41:00.000-08:00

I don't recall how much this one cost (almost certainly < $30, just because I almost never spend more than that on a bottle of wine). It was much too sweet for my tastes, and I ended up tossing most of the bottle -- granted, I was the only one drinking it.

This wine was tasty, but didn't hit on my preferences at the time anyway. I'd try it again to see if things change. It's also likely that Gewurztraminer is just like that and I didn't know what to expect.

This is a wine from the Covey Run Quail Series, and the winery is from Washington.

2006 Two-Vine Cab

2009-02-01T21:22:00.001-08:00

Relatively cheap (about $6) but a very nice cab for the price. It does contain sulfites. It has a nice fruity quality in addition to the typical dryness of a cabernet. This particular bottle comes from Washington, making it a nice local wine at a reasonable price, which is true of most of the Columbia-Crest wines.

2006 Genesis Syrah

2009-02-01T20:50:00.000-08:00

Cost: ~$15 at Safeway

Genesis is created by Hogue Cellars, and there are a number of Genesis wines available. Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a Riesling. Hogue is a Washington-state based wine cellar, so at least for us, it is local.

A wine I'd drink again, but given the variety I'm not certain I'll have the chance ;). I'd say it has a "sharp" flavor, maybe slightly tart (?), slightly dry. As far as I know, this is the first Syrah I've tried, so I don't have much to base it on. I'll try to compare to the 2004 Columbia Crest Shiraz that appeared on my counter at some point....