Return to the House of Sour

Sunny spot at the bar, a glass of Nightfall, and no other immediate plans.

With the sun peeking out on Portland during a fairly mild Saturday, I made a return trip to the Cascade Barrel House. I'm pleased to see that business is still hopping over there. While there were maybe 6-8 people having drinks when I first arrived, the freaking world rolled in over the next hour and it was suddenly packed to the gills. Maybe I caught a lull, but the word is out and the people are coming. And that's great to see - this is a place that deserves to stick around.

The main reason for the trip was after I heard about their 'Tuesday Tapping' of Früit Loops. I nearly fell out of my chair reading the description: a blend of the Apricot and Noyeaux. Oh, and Razberry Wheat. And Frite Galois. AND Sang Noir. Who in the hell could come up with that and where do I get in line to give them a hug? That's mad scientist stuff, gang. And the result is an incredible sour mix - the nose is unlike any beer I've ever tried. Sweet aromatics and waves of fruit all over the place. I could definitely pick up on the Sang Noir bite, but the rest was sour fruit cocktail and I mean that in the best possible light. Complex, delicious - just another day at the office for Cascade. It's still on-tap as of this post. You should seriously consider getting some.

The author with Früit Loops. No, he's not sharing.

Even while getting some mixed reviews at the bar from other patrons, I had to try the other Straight-From-The-Cask offering: Chocolate Raspberry. Cascade describes this as the last keg of their Fresh Hop Porter (which was pretty tasty) and a new batch of Busta Nut Brown. Then they added in Raspberry Infused Triple (dug that a few weeks back) and Bourbonic Plague. While one guy said he thought the raspberry dominated everything, I didn't find that to be the case. It's there, yes, but I got more than enough cocoa and sour from the Plague to make this a pretty nifty little blend. It would be really good as a post-dinner beer - just a shame it's a one-shot deal that will likely never be seen again.

Also had a free sample (this is why you sit at the bar if you can) of the Sang Rouge (great, as always) since they overpoured a few tasters during the mad rush of people. And I couldn't leave without a touch of the Nightfall '10. For my money, it's the best of the lot that Cascade offers. That is admittedly splitting hairs between "really really good" and "really really really good", but the blackberry backbone simply adds to the sour in a way that my tastebuds are configured to enjoy.

You, sir or madam, definitely need to get to Cascade if you've yet to make the trip. Personally, I need to get back there for the 'standard' roster at some point, but the sour creations are always too good to pass up.

Hoptimum / Renewale

Quickly then - since my plans of long, thoughtful posts in January are clearly a pipe dream:

ReNEWale (Ninkasi) - a rare misstep by Ninkasi in their seasonal lineup, but a misstep nonetheless. Irish-style red ale, says the bottle, and it definitely starts that way with a hazy-looking amber beer and a faint mix of hop smells mixed with a few whiffs of hay. The taste is an early wash of bitter hop that rolls to more of the hay/straw flavor that I was picking up in the nose. Sort of an odd curveball to the taste pattern and one that I personally wasn't a huge fan of. It's drinkable and isn't a drainpour by any stretch, but I can't see myself making a second attempt with this beer unless I see glowing reviews elsewhere.

I seriously love that picture on the bottle.

Hoptimum (Sierra Nevada) - if you like hops, this one will float your boat. Just a large whiff of pine and citrus and everything good about double-IPAs right out of the gate. It's a good looking beer (orange/bronze with head retention) and up until halfway through the first sip, I was thinking this might be a new favorite. But the incredible sweetness and bite of the hops had a blindside punch of alcohol burn at the back end. While not entirely unpleasant, it can be jarring until you get used to it. I found that things mellowed and merged as the beer was allowed to warm up, so it might just be a different beer at cold temperatures. Regardless, while it's not quite the atom-bomb hop flavor of certain representatives of the style, Hoptimum is still easily packing more than enough to get the job done and is a recommended pickup if you see it.

Also, I hit the Cascade Barrel House on Saturday:

It's not that I was actually drinking liquid gold . . . but some of it was pretty damn close. More on that later.

New Samplings

As expected, I was housebound this weekend and, as hoped, I did manage to get out and pick up a few things that I hadn't tried yet for weekend consumption. Two were sampled over the weekend and I should get to the other two in the next few days.

Before we get to that, those souls in PDX who continue to see Asheville, NC coming up as Beer City USA in the yearly online poll and begin with the wailing and gnashing of teeth are advised to check out Michael O'Connor's article on Brewpublic. I found the Bizzaro-world comparisons to be kind of funny (Barley's Taproom? . . . weird), but at least they've got a healthy looking amount of options in-town.

Now then:

Kingpin (Bridgeport) - this is a double-red ale, "triple hopped", and sporting 7.5% on the dial. This is an occasion where the name is completely at odds with the beer. I'm expecting Wilson Fisk levels of power and control with a moniker like this and instead, while perfectly acceptable, the result is not the bad-assery I had hoped for. There is some malty tang to the nose, but the beer is not at thick as the smell would have you believe. Hoppy taste on the front end with a crisp, slightly bitter finish. The flavor pattern in Kingpin changes a bit as it moves toward room temperatures. There's a touch of spice that comes in toward the back end, but nothing that changes things too crazily from the initial first sips. This is decent beer (the flavors do blend well) but this isn't one I'm going out of my way to locate since I feel there are other double-reds that are better. Believer from Ninkasi, for example.

CoCoNut Porter (Maui Brewing) - slight bit of a cheat here since I technically had a taste of this for the first time at the OBF last July. That was draft, however, and this - as all beers are from Maui Brewing - is canned. MB is a large proponent of canning, indicating the protection from light, the ease of recycling, and the "metallic taste is a fallacy" argument. Now, I know a few friends of mine who are beer drinkers that would sooner drink Bud from bottles than drink anything out of a can. I don't agree with this - in my opinion, provided that your method of delivery doesn't alter the flavor, beer out of a cloth-covered wooden bucket would be fine by me.

My impressions of this beer from the OBF were highly favorable and that continued with this off-tap version. It pours cola-colored with a tan head and an immediate dessert-like smell hits your nostrils. Vanilla and roasty notes and, yes, a strong whiff of coconut. It finds a good spot between thick and thin on the gravity and the wash of flavors is an excellent blend. Because the coconut is toasted, it works well with the ingredients that are similarly kissed by heat (coffee, malt) and finishes cleanly. There's the slightest bit of alcohol burn, but it's extremely faint. Only 5.7% here, so that was unexpected, but it still works out okay. Glad to see my initial impressions in July were not off-base (it was the 12th beer of the day or so - notes start getting muddled). If you're in the mood for a flavored porter, this is a pretty good call.

On deck for this week: Hoptimum (Sierra Nevada's whole-cone monster - hearing good things) and Renewale (Ninkasi's 'new every year' initial release - Irish style red this year).

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.

San Diego, Part II: Pizza Port

I know a running joke at the GABF is that there are so many medals and categories and the like, a guy could set his drink on a judging table, lean over to tie his shoes, and straighten up to find out he just took home a Bronze. Yes, lots of awards, lots of winners. But, let's be honest, Large Brewpub Of The Year is nothing to sneeze at. Rock Bottom has won it (this is the Rock Bottom of old, not the Rock Bottom of current, of course). Pelican won the Small category and then promptly won the Large back in '06. At minimum, it's not given to run-of-the-mill locations.

Which is why the fact that Pizza Port (Port Brewing) winning it back-to-back in the last two years should really say a lot.

Don't let the mass of high-chairs fool you - you are in for a treat.

While the Ocean Beach location was technically closer to the house, the Carlsbad spot actually won the official awards. Walking in, I could tell I was in for a treat. The tap list comprising of signs, the fact that the medals were all the way in the back by the restrooms, the forty(!!) taps staring me down, the easy-going nature of the place - it was all looking good the moment we strolled in off the street. Surfboards hang from the ceiling in the seating areas and a few of the brewing tanks are upfront near the door. We grabbed seats at the bar and scanned the list:

Decisions, decisions, decis--, oh, hey Hop Trip!

Once again, Oregon gets a single foot in the door (blasphemy!) but they made it a good one (okay, put down the pitchforks). While it's unsurprising that Port's own beer is going to dominate the selection, I was admittedly raising my eyebrows at the lack of any OR material in-house. Maybe it's just a subconscious expectation from drinking a lot of local beer in the past few years, but it's odd to see a large taplist with nothing 'native', so to speak. I guess it's likely the same for any state with a rich brewing history - 90% of what's available will be made within the same borders. But no matter! I was here to sample beer from Pizza Port, so that's what I ordered:

• Sharkbite Red Ale - This is nicely hopped (Cascade and Centennial) with a great color to it. Very happy with the finish on this. I like my red ales to be aggressive closers and this had a crisp, bitter bite to the back end that worked well.
• California Honey Ale - Maltier than expected, but light and sweeter-than-normal like the name would suggest. It was nothing too earth-shattering.
• Night Rider - Now we're talking. Nearly black liquid, tobacco in the nose, and pleasantly thicker than I expected. It ticks off all the boxes for a well-made Imperial stout and the flavor didn't let me down. Put this on your "If I Ever Find It As An Option, I Should Get That" list.
• Cow Stout - This? I ordered a full pint of this. I am a sucker for a good milk stout and this did not disappoint in the slightest. Roasty malt flavor, little bit of coffee, and just the right amount of lactose sugar to sweeten the beer. Great example of the style and worth all the accolades it has received.

Were I perpetually in San Diego, I could easily see these locations being hangout spots and/or places I took out-of-towners for good beer. I'll put in another way: the Carlsbad location could be teleported straight to Portland as-is and it would have no problems fitting in and making a local name for itself. The beer and laid-back nature would work very well up here and anyplace that has Pliny on tap is probably doing something right.

If you are in the area, don't hesitate on a go-or-don't-go decision for Pizza Port locations. GO.

San Diego, Part I: Stone

Stone: points awarded for the signage.

I have to say, I've returned to home territory with a better appreciation of San Diego's beer scene. While I was only able to hit two locations with the limits on time (family, as much as they would believe otherwise, does outrank beer), both gave me an idea of what brewpub life is like down there. General conclusion: worth the trip.

First visit was to Stone Brewing up the road in Escondido. Stone is pretty familiar to beer drinkers, with their IPA, Bastard series, and Vertical runs near the top of the, "Yep, had that" list. They've grown anywhere between 20-30% every year, with the exception of '09. But even if the percentage of increase dips to single digits, they'll cross into the 100K-barrels-a-year territory in 2010. Their HQ is a combo of a bistro & beer garden attached to the brewery with a gift shop right in the front door.

The Garden, aka The Back Porch, aka The Only Place There Was Room

The brewery tour was heavily packed and looking at a 2-hour wait. We decided to opt out of that and hit the outside bar since the weather was pretty spectacular. My first glance at the beer list - 36 or so on tap, double that in bottle options - was to check and see how many Oregon beers were listed. This wasn't coming from a superiority angle; I honestly wanted to see what, if any, they had. Only one from Oregon was listed on draft, but they made it a good one: Fred! Always a plus to see HOTD as a selection.

Of the beers I tried, the best one wasn't even from Stone - Black Lightning Porter from Lighting Brewery out of Poway, CA. It's classified as a Baltic, but it was nothing like any Baltic porter I've every tried. Nothing in any description can account for the near-sour backbone to this stuff, but I really enjoyed the contrast. All the typical porter notes are there - tobacco, chocolate, etc - but it's almost like they used wild yeast (brett, maybe?) in an attempt to live dangerously. Great stuff.

Since I wasn't going to be able to visit Ballast Point during my trip, I made my second beer from their lineup: the Dorado Double IPA. Helluva nose on this - piney, definitely hoppy, definitely what you would expect. I found the back end of the beer to be bitter as it clears your tongue, but the flavor is a nice shot of pine and it's smooth all the way around. There are no sharp dividers on the open/middle/close - it transitions nicely with very little alcohol burn. That's kind of surprising for 9.6%, but it definitely was a good pick. BP will be on the list of visits during my next trip down that way.

The food was on the pricey side. This should not have been a surprise: they were advertising their New Year's party on billboards up front and - even with a nice lineup - tickets were $150 per person. Stone is well designed, but very California. The feel of the place was different than I expected. It's just . . . corporate? Maybe 'upscale' is what I'm looking for. I don't know, the attitude of the Bastard series is just on the opposite end of the spectrum from the bistro that serves it. Transplant it side-by-side with wineries in Napa and it would be right at home. Visit, enjoy good brew brewed six feet away from where you're drinking it, bask in the sunshine. But don't be surprised at 'duck tacos' on the menu with a $15 price tag and something from a Top Chef appetizer competition arriving at your table.

Happy New Year

As I sit sipping the new Widmer '11 (KGB - Russian Imperial Stout . . . full review later, doing a very good job of masking the 9+ abv, for what it's worth), I'm currently thinking back over the good beer I've had this year and the fun I'm having finding new locations, new creations, and new discoveries. Definitely been an enjoyable year in terms of what I got to drink.

Last year's 'First Beer Of The New Year' went to Elysian and their Dragonstooth Stout. This year, I'm pulling out my bottle of Jubelale 2010 and breaking it open for my toasting glass for midnight. This is their once-a-decade creation (granted, only done a couple of times thus far) of a double version of Jubelale aged in pinot. It's a month away from the "best after" date on the bottle, but I'm willing to take a risk.

I'll have the San Diego visits up over the weekend. For now, please have a safe and fantabulous New Year.

Merry Christmas!

I've finally hit a break in my schedule and here are the plans for the next few days:

• Holiday party this evening in the neighborhood - this is usually the event that I pull out a fun bottle of beer that 1) I've never tried and 2) I've had on hold until this point on the calendar. Today's selection will be Pelican's 2008 Le Pelican Brun and I'm fairly confident some others will be brining other good things to try.

• My wife and I are flying out tomorrow toward Coronado to see some of my family for a few days. There have been indications that several brewing visits are on the agenda - including a potential run to Pizza Port in Ocean Beach (Pizza Port has been taking home repeated GABF medals for small brewpubs over the last few years).

Santa greatly enjoyed the Bump In The Night (Full Sail) that I put out for him.

Part of the reason that some people are turned off by the flavor of Cascadian Dark Ales is the sharp contrast between the hoppy bite and the dark malt. It's something that appeals to me, I'll admit, but I can completely understand where the other side of the fence is coming from. Full Sail did a very, very good job at the blend of the two poles and the reception for this has been across-the-board positive. I still think the Widmer '10 was the best CDA I had this year, but this and Hop In The Dark (Deschutes) are both ones that you are recommended to try.

Hopefully Santa hooked you all with enjoyable beverages to sample this Holiday season. More as I'm travelling in Southern California next week.

Oh, right. Work.

The actual job that pays me money is cramping my blogging style at the start of this week. I'll try to have some thoughts on Hopworks' two versions of Noggin Floggin (the '09 and '10) later this week.

But if you ever thought about hitting the Barrel House and have yet to do so, the two cask beers they are now serving are incredible: the NW Sour Red is reportedly the backbone to a large number of their creations and it's a treat-and-a-half. But the Raspberry Infused Tripel was so in my wheelhouse (a favorite fruit, perfect mix of sweet/sour, eye-popping color) that I had a hard time believing this was beer. Sheer delight in a glass - if this is the only time they're going to have this available, you need to get a move on. Big time high-fives to Cascade for this one, WOW.

Wired Tournament into the FInals

Ninkasi's Believer Double Red has made it to the finals of Wired's 'October Madness' bracket. It will take on Full Boar Scotch Ale from Devil's Canyon.

I've been occasionally following along with this tournament and, as with all head-to-head competitions, there have been both defeats and wins met with cries of "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaa?" I was happy they matched up two-per-brewery in the first round, but am still confuzzled over how Kellerweis took out Black Butte Porter in the second. Weirdness.

Anyway, fun to look over, but not anything to go nuts over or to anoint the winner with praise. Unless Believer wins. Then it's plenty of "OREGON! WOOOOO!!" in the comment section.

Inglorious? Not quite.

Bad spelling. Strong beer.

Ah, Arrogant Bastard. Stone's unapologetic strong ale with a name that fits better than most. I suppose Obnoxious Twit, Condescending Jerk, and Inconsiderate Dick were all taken, but it's still pretty well identified. They've done the occasional variant (Oaked and Double), but today, we're trying the just-recently-released blend of all three: Lucky Bastard.

Finding info on this beer is difficult, least of which because Stone likes to get cute and attach "CLASSIFIED" to the basic stats, publishing the alcohol amount and that's about it. So we can't target the hop variety, the IBU's, the gravity, or even the type of blending that went on. I've poked around and online searches have done nothing to help. Minus the 8.5%, the bottle itself has a typewriter-esque rant on the back with intentional misspellings everywhere. I would've appreciated a bit more info to go on.

It's definitely from Stone: hop smells galore, predominantly citrus with a pungent, almost musty-scent. There is the occasional whiff of sweetness, but you only start picking that up as the beer warms in the glass. It's a beautiful shade of red, this stuff - the color completely matches what the devil on the front would be sipping.

The taste is a front-end shove from the alcohol. I admit to some surprise - with my taste buds, I tend to pick up heavy alcohol toward the finish of the beer, not the start. But this is the reverse: malty burn to start, but like a wave receding into the ocean, the burn fades and leaves an incredible amount of hoppy oils on your tongue. Excellent finish on this for an ale. Try it, but pack food along for the ride. It does a good number on cutting out the flash of booze and leaving the rest of the flavor.

A Bud By Any Other Name . . .

In a conversation with a co-worker, the topic turned to beer (shocking, I know) and the changes to his drinking habits since he arrived in Oregon. He brought up the idea that his 'fallback option' at bars completely evolved since he had been used to "Bud, Bud Light, Coors, something else" as his draft options from college on up. The first available non-macro was now his baseline when only a few years ago, his options were purely macro-brewed lager.

I remember having the same kind of thought when I touched on the Fat Tire stranglehold in Orange County, but as we kept talking, he termed Mirror Pond Pale Ale as 'the Budweiser of Oregon' since it was now his 'All-Things-Being-Equal-I'll-Have-That' pick with a given draft list. I liked that terminology - what IS the Budweiser of Oregon?

Because, if we could take the stigma out of Budweiser for just a second, you need:

• A near-ubiquitous run in the immediate market (we're talking bars and non-official drinking locations like bowling alleys and restaurants, not brewpubs)
• Immediate name-recognition by beer lovers and neophytes alike
• You can have several without issue (abv and flavor both allow for that)
• It's not a beer that divides opinion - ordering a pitcher for the table would work out fine

Frankly, you'd be hard-pressed to find something better that Mirror Pond to fit the bill. Is there another one I'm missing? Or a different fallback option that you gravitate toward?

Abyss Flight

On Wednesday, I visited Deschutes (Portland) and picked up a few bottles of The Abyss '10. Much different than The Dissident release: there were people there, sure, but not everyone coming in the door was there because of the new release (unlike a few weeks back where patrons entered and made a beeline for the stock). Most of humanity in the bar-area, however, was either drinking a snifter or jumping on what I ended up having: the Abyss Vertical Tasting.

For twenty bucks (still ongoing as of today), you can snag a flight of 4 oz. tasters of 2010, 2010 on Nitro, 2009, 2008, and 2007. If you plan on going this route, get some water and go slow. I ran into a bit of a time crunch and flavors/opinions started to run together, so don't be me. It's an enjoyable run through the versions of the beer and, based on my feelings and asking opinions both in front of and behind the bar, here's how it shakes out.

1. 2008 - one of these things is not like the other / one of these things just doesn't . . . well, wait, it definitely belongs, but this is the black sheep of the set. Less bourbon in the smell but definitely there in the taste, this is also packing a nice, dry, bitter-edge to the back end. It was the go-to for snifters while I was there and people who had the vertical were pointing to it and nodding.
2. 2007 - much stronger nose - probably the best of the bunch, much more flavor with the alcohol dialed down. Slightly bitter back-end, but not like the '08. Really enjoying the evolution on this.
3. 2010 (Nitro) - with the carbonation sucked out, this is more creamy, more flavorful, and sweeter than the stock version. The sugary-nature/caramel-flavors of the bourbon is firmly in command here. The beer is definitely less 'green' with this variant.
4. 2009 - second strongest nose of the bunch, almost as strong as the '07. It's coming along well, but I caught a bit more alcohol burn than I was expecting. Nothing that kills the beer, however. This is still a good mix.
5. 2010 - Good, but young. Strong on the booze, but power in the flavors. I was getting a weird BBQ-scent vibe, but I think it was the combo of catching some smoke and sweet at the same time. I truly don't think they are adding KC Masterpiece to the process.
   

It's not looking like I'll be able to make it down to the Holiday-Ale Fest, which is a bummer, but I'm not torn up too badly about it. I'm hearing reports of great options, but also with logistical drawbacks ($25 entry? Lose the mug, wristband, or wash your handstamp and it's a full re-buy? So multi-day attendees have to wear the wristband for days?) and there's just too much on the plate this weekend to make it down. Especially when you consider the swell of people on the Friday/Saturday/Sunday of festivals instead of the "calm" earlier in the week. Hopefully some of the offerings will wander over to local taprooms later in the month.

Nietzsche Says Good Morning

Music? Check:

Picture? Check:

Info? Check:

In a little over an hour, the Deschutes' Portland location will have the 2010 version of The Abyss ready for sale. They will also be serving up: 2010 Abyss, 2009 Abyss, 2008 Abyss, 2007 Abyss AND 2010 Abyss on Nitro.

Now, it's not going to be as thin on the ground as The Dissident - Deschutes usually comes correct with a good amount of The Abyss available for purchase. But if there's any yearly-offering I try to drag people to try, this is it. And with this kind of roll-out, there are some incredibly sexy options of vertical tastings, vintage samplings, and there appears to be a gift pack that you'll want to pass along to Santa with a note reading "THIS" in large letters.

It's going to be a good day.

Sierra Nevada XXX Anniversary - Part IV

The Michigan v. Ohio State game is one that I usually watch with a Buckeye fan - it's either my friend on the East Coast or my friend on the West Coast. This year, neither of them were able to work out the logistics, so I invited a friend from work over for the game. It turned out to be a bad day for football (was not expecting a 30 point shellacking - ugh) but a good day for beer. My work-buddy brought a six-pack of Sierra Nevada Celebration and I just happened to have a bottle of SN's fourth release of their 30th Anniversary beers - the Grand Cru. As Celebration is one of the blended beers in this release, it was a good chance to have a side-by-side comparison.

Grand Cru, by SN's description, is a marriage of our three most acclaimed ales: Oak-aged Bigfoot, Celebration Ale, and fresh Pale Ale blended together and generously dry-hopped.

The pour contained a sizable head that stuck around for quite a bit, leading to a lot of lacing. A dark red/heading-toward-brown color, it's got a little cloudiness to the liquid, but we're not talking unfiltered beer here. Picked up some strong hops in the nose - pine - and some malts and spices, but the hops were dominant. Oak kicked in about halfway through the bottle, but it was more of an addition to the scent vs. a complete reworking just because it climbed to room temp.

Sharp, pine-like hoppiness on the front end (this is the Celebration saying hello), little bit of caramel sweetness from the Bigfoot. And then your hair is blown back by dry-hop finish. Very bitter rush as the beer passes by with a hoppy aftertaste. You get some additional spice and some sweetness as the beer warms, but on the whole, this feels like the marrying of a red and an ESB. For my taste preferences, this is quite good. It's a solid blend, but I feel that the Celebration and Bigfoot are clearly in the driver's seat - if the Pale brought anything to the party, I wasn't immediately picking it up. Oh, and the alcohol isn't hidden - the 9.2% causes the occasional flash of heat, but it works decently with the rest of the flavors involved.

Of Sierra's four, 30th Anniversary releases this year, this would easily clock in as the second best offering (in order: the Stout, the Grand Cru, the Bock, and then the Barleywine) and it's definitely worth a try.

One Year Later: Black Butte XXI

Along with turkey and potatoes and a minor food coma and a 5+ hour return leg to Portland, I cut the wax on a bottle of Black Butte XXI. From my notes/impressions when it was green: bit of an alcohol burn, bourbon/sweet smell up front, malty flashes of dark chocolate and espresso. Pleasantly thick.

Now? Well, the alcohol has completely died off and, if it's still packing a north-of-10% abv, you cannot tell without letting it get close to room temperature. Even then, the alcohol is all at the back-end of the beer. Thinned-out a bit, but looking very dark with the occasional brown highlights and a moderate head that doesn't stick around for too long. The nose is predominantly sharp on the bourbon barrel character with some malt and a couple of wisps of coffee grounds. I passed the beer to a few others and they all agreed that the sweetness from the bourbon was the first thing to hit their nose. I figured that would be the first identifiable flavor with such a big headstart.

Could not have been more wrong. As far as the BB XXI is concerned, this is a convincing TKO in the year-long bottle-battle between these flavors: Coffee is your undisputed champ in this fight by a mile. This beer turned into a coffee porter, first and foremost, more than anything else. The front end is filthy with espresso flavors before giving way to some of the other ones like toffee and dark chocolate in the back half. Warming it up lets more of the bourbon out to play, but it's all secondary to the coffee. Hell, with this kind of bomb, the turkey was almost secondary to the coffee. Honestly never saw that one coming, but it was a more-than-pleasant surprise for someone who digs espresso-manipulated beer.

Happy Thanksgiving

It's a day early, but I'll be on the road to my hometown in the next few hours and wanted to wish everyone a good holiday. Safe travels to anyone heading out the door.

Brew-wise, the plan is to hit Flyers when we get up to Oak Harbor. I've heard good things about their beer and would like to obtain live, self-confirmation of the praise. And for my Thanksgiving meal, I'm breaking into the Black Butte XXI that I held off on about a week ago. Very interested to see what a year in the bottle has wrought.

Looking ahead to the weekend, the Beer Fridge stands empty and needs restocking. A trip to either John's or Belmont is extremely likely for Saturday with an eye toward the winter selections that have been rolling out. Maybe a side run to the Barrel house if I end up crossing the river. After the UM-OSU game, I might need cheering up with good beer.

Weekend in Review: November 19-21

Let's open with a tweet from Deschutes on Friday:

40 cases of The Dissident sold out in 2.5 hours at the Portland pub today.

Color me unshocked. I arrived about an hour after they opened and saw the sizable dent in the available stock. Passed three guys on the sidewalk with half-cases and zen-like expressions and another four people walked in to buy their bottles while I was there. You just got the feeling that a post-work trip would've been fruitless. I felt happy to grab my three bottles and a shirt when I did. Timing is everything, etc, etc. I caught Angelo (and Tyffany, should have at least said hello but I blanked on her name from the site) from Brewpublic at the bar and chatted a bit on the beer itself. I obtain a lot of my beer-in-Portland knowledge from that site and I was a little surprised that he remembered my face from the party for the website a few weeks ago. Our opinions of the beer were fairly in sync and he let me try a pull of the tulip glass he was working on. He had also already tried the other beers in my weekend plans (quell surprise) and had some initial suggestions on what to expect.

As for The Dissident, it landed right about where my flavor preference wanted it to be. I cracked open one bottle after putting the other two in storage and will stand by my first impression. Malt, cherry, almost a hint of a cinnamon flavor, yes - but the brettanomyces are large and in charge from start to finish. My one sample of the '08 variety was so long ago (and before I started to really pay attention) that I cannot compare the two with any major accuracy, but my memory says there is more bite to the 2010 vs. the 2008. If you got your hands on some, high-fives all around - get those bottles under lock and key. If you missed it, the Bend location reportedly still has it in stock. I suggest a road trip.

Saturday, I hit Hopworks to try the two beers with their estate-grown San Juan hops. Angelo said I would probably like the dark lager more than the double-IPA and damned if he wasn't right. Pig War (the IIPA), while pleasant, is not much different from other offerings. It held the 'sweet' note that I associate with Hopworks beer and built a hoppy pile on top of it. I didn't find myself picking up huge differences in the hop variety used for this brew, but that's not a complaint. Decent, but they've done better work.

Better work like Dark Helmet. Wow. This is a black lager with a thin body and miles of dirty/dark taste to it. If told that they dumped six cartons of Marlboros in the tank during the brewing process, I would likely buy that story. There is a monster vein of tobacco running through this beer and it's one that gets you sitting up and taking notice. I got a touch of chocolate off the malt, but that's at something like '2' while the tobacco is at '9'. At 5.0% abv, this is an easy-drinking lager with a hell of a flavor profile - one that I can't immediately tie to another beer I've tried. Good stuff.

Dissident 2010

My god . . . it's full of Brett.

The Next Two Days

Item 1: The Dissident, The Dissident is here.

(note to self: get Vs. on the iPod for the drive in tomorrow)

Deschutes is dropping the 2010 version at both the Bend and Portland brewpubs at 11am sharp. The word is "no more than six bottles a person" and considering my horrible, horrible plan in 2008 ("of COURSE I'll be able to find them in a few weeks"), your author will be at the doors in the first hour of business to carve his share from the existing supply. A Brett-backed brown ale (Flanders-style) aged with cherries in wine casks for 18 months, if this is anything like the '08, it's going to be gloriousness in a glass. Can't wait to try it.

Item 2: Hopworks has two new beers on-tap and both are made from hops grown on San Juan island. This hits home for me: I grew up in the same area on Whidbey Island and I'm all about trying some creations with 'local' ingredients. The two beers are a black lager and an imperial IPA, so I definitely won't be confusing the two at all. I'll be heading into HUB on Saturday for a few tastes of both and I suspect I'll end up bringing some home with me.

As always: it's good to live here. And I say that even while looking at the darkened clouds and torrents of rain falling to the ground.