Beer Roundup

We've hit a point at my Actual Job where volume goes through the roof (175% increase - nearly triple what we normally do). Visits to anyplace other than my living room are not going to be common for the month of January. This is par for the course, but decompression in the evening can and will involve beer, so I can still review new things.

We'll start with one I mentioned a few posts back, the Widmer '11 / KGB Imperial Stout. I have been a strong advocate of the last few Reserve releases from the Brothers W. Last year's 'Pitch Black IPA' (cue every CDA-name lover twitching uncontrollably) was one of my favorite examples of the style and I probably bought more of it in January 2010 than any other beer. I can almost guess that W'11 is going to do the same thing. It's a very drinkable Russian Imp-Stout with toasty notes and only the slightest burn from the alcoholic content. And, by the way, FULL points to these guys for dropping a 9+ abv beer into six-packs. You normally see these in four-ways or in bombers, but snagging a six of this for under 8 bucks feels like theft. Recommended sampling, just be careful since that 9% sneaks up on you without warning.

Keeping on the dark side of the fence, Cafe Negro (Bridgeport) is another new release that recently hit the shelves. As previously noted, I am all kinds of down with a good coffee porter and I had some of this batch to go with our 'New Year's Breakfast For Dinner' party. The coffee notes have a great earthy/dirty quality that I look for in this style and there's a hop effect on the back end that had some bite to it. That was strange for a porter, but it worked okay with the flavors involved. If you like coffee in your beer, I'd advise picking some up.

My last 'new' beer in recent weeks was Billy the Mountain (Upright) and it's another "you will not find stuff like this elsewhere" kind of brew. This is not going to be for everyone and, truth be told, I'm not entirely sure it was my cup of tea. I'm uncertain if this was just the bottle I purchased or what, but there was nearly zero carbonation as I poured it into my glass. I've seen other reviews and write-ups talking about 'over carb'ing" so I have no baseline to run with here. But with the lack of fizz, the brett and the dark fruit in the nose, and the reddish coloring, this was a bit like drinking a tart wine. Dates/raisins and some of the oaky-ness from the aging are present, but I wasn't getting into it with quite the degree of enthusiasm which I had hoped. It's not bad stuff, but either I need to snag it on-tap at Upright or I need to try another bottle to see if my particular purchase was out of character.

I'm trying to find the time for a Hopworks run (new batch of Secession) this weekend, but energy levels are going to dictate what happens. Might just drag myself to John's or Belmont and keep working through 'new' stuff.

Upright Tasting Room

Barrels. Barrels everywhere.

Expectations can sometimes trip me up. In life, I tend to be a creature of status-quo with certain bedrock principles in place but, with regard to beer, I'm making major efforts this year to change that. I'm plunging headlong into styles and beers that I would've never glanced at 18 months ago and finding stuff I like and stuff I don't like. And I am discovering enjoyment in (insert noun here) being not at all what I expect and yet awesome at the same time. This is probably why Upright is fast becoming a favorite of mine - and I mean that in two different ways.

Let's start with the premises. I had never been on-site, so finding my way into the building and then locating the tasting room was a bit of an adventure. Fortunately, once inside, it was easy to follow the brewery smell and locate their lair. I was expecting tasting rooms that I had been in before. Not this place. Upright felt like a speakeasy crossed with a brewery operation in a basement - and I mean that in the best possible sense. Glasses of beer vs. pints, small bowls of snacks on the table, Monk on vinyl playing softly over the speakers, and beer quietly aging in barrels pretty much everywhere you look.

Sadly, you can't get growlers of the Late Harvest. Damn right, I asked.

On Saturday, I had rolled past the PSU Farmers Market and hit the Upright booth. I spoke to a guy behind the counter who I had assumed was just a normal worker at the Market (on a previous trip, the staff there were hires, not brewers) and he and I discussed Late Harvest and the next day's tasting. Then I saw him again yesterday and managed to speak for another 10 minutes and realized he was a brewer for Upright. And then, today, I hit the website and find out that the guy I was talking to the entire time was Alex Ganum, owner and head brewer. I now feel pretty stupid - but the conversation was enjoyable and one I'll touch on at a later time.

Now then - the beer. A reminder on Late Harvest:

Late Harvest is a Pinot Noir barrel-aged farmhouse-brown ale brewed with pomegranate seeds, grains of paradise and Tasmanian peppercorns, all of which produced a tart, complex and balanced beer. The aroma and flavor are both reminiscent of some Italian-style bitters with an herbal and spicy character while it maintains a rich grain profile by heavy use of caramel malts and rolled barley. Late Harvest was brewed August 11th 2009 and barrel-aged for over 8 months before yielding only 75 cases being cellared at the brewery until it’s release. 7% abv

Brown with reddish-hue to it, this is both pleasing to the eye and the tongue. I love brown ale and this had all the hallmarks of what I enjoy plus some added tart/sour notes from the Pinot barreling. I didn't quite pick up the pepper, but that bit of spice that I've had in Sam Adams Summer Ale (which also uses grains of paradise) is definitely around. Wholly awesome on-tap, but I'm told the bottle version is a bit different and am interested to see what the variables are.

My second glass was the Six-And-A-Quarter: 75% of Six blended with a 25% version of Seven aged in what Alex described as a very small bourbon barrel the size of a keg. There was so much going on in that beer that I had a hard time pinning anything down. It's got ridiculously good flavor from the rye ale and you can occasionally pick out a caramel wave, but my palate is not skilled in the separation needed to truly nail this down.

There was a table right behind me selling Four aged w/ Bing Cherries.

Rolled out after a bit with two bottles of the Harvest - one for sometime soon and one that is going into the Secret Beer Storage Area. I'll revisit it this time next year to see how it's aged.

What I Drank This Weekend

Doryman's Dark Ale (Pelican Bay Brewing): This is the brown ale offering from Pelican and one that I enjoy. Picked up a bomber of this on Friday and had it with dinner. Malty deliciousness, gets nuttier as it warms up over an hour.

Velvet Underground (Hopworks): This is a imperial version of their Velvet ESB with dark malt. Runs about 8.3%, thick and tasty - had this on-tap at the HUB brewery location while watching the first half of the US-Ghana match. The dark malt helps to bleed off the boozy taste of the beer and it was a serious mid-day treat.

Four (Upright Brewing): I'm learning to love this brewery. Upright does farmhouse ales but twists them slightly in American fashion. Their primary four beers in rotation are Four, Five, Six, and Seven - named for the amount of alcohol in the brew. Had this on-tap at the Laurelhurst Market - like a farmhouse hefe, lemon and wheat are dominant. Just like the others I've had (Six and Seven), this is great beer and I'm looking forward to having more from these guys.

Kolsch (Double Mountain Brewery): Had this to finish off dinner - on-tap at the Market. This style is great for summer - very light and drinkable. I don't think this is the greatest version I've had, but it was still another solid offering from Double Mountain. I continue to be happy whenever I order their beer.