Archive for December, 2015

2015 Beer Advent Calendar: Bad Santa from Pelican Brewery

Author: Jason Harris
December 19, 2015

Editor’s note: This is the twenty first beer in the Beer Advent Calendar 2015 series. Likewise, I’m going to be posting a beer review each day. Some will be Christmas or Winter ales and other selections will be beers I’ve been wanting to review for some time.

My favorite Oregon coast brewery is Pelican Brewery in Pacific City and Tillamook, Oregon. They are pretty isolated, geographically, and as a result, Pelican consistently produces beers that stand out in a crowded Pacific Northwest brewing scene.

Pelican Bad Santa

Today we look at Bad Santa, Pelican’s winter Cascade Dark Ale (CDA).

How does it taste?

Bad Santa pours very, very dark amber with 80% translucency. This beer is 7.5% ABV and 65 IBUs. The aroma of this beer is earthy and smells of toasted malt but also black licorice, brown sugar and piney, grassy hops.

The toasted malt taste is definitely present as you take your first sip. Then, mid-drink, the coffee, licorice and biscuit flavors kick in. After all that, the the dry hoppy profile announces itself to finish this classic Cascadian Dark Ale off.

This is a refreshing take on the black IPA style and features stout-like characteristics without the heaviness of all that gravity.

Should I buy it?

Yes. If you like dark IPAs or CDA beers, this will be an instant favorite.

Editor’s note: This is the twentieth beer in the Beer Advent Calendar 2015 series. Likewise, I’m going to be posting a beer review each day. Some will be Christmas or Winter ales and other selections will be beers I’ve been wanting to review for some time.

Today I’m keeping it local here in Salem, Oregon and featuring Attack Owl IPA from Vagabond Brewing. Founded by three good friends, Vagabond has been churning out amazing brews and built a fantastic taphouse in north Salem.

Attack Owl IPA is named after the owl that made news back in May 2015 in our city’s central Bush Park.

Attack Owl IPA

How does it taste?

Attack Owl IPA ours clear with a reddish yellow tint. The smell is of strong pine hoppyness that leaves a fantastic lacing on the glass.

When you taste the beer, you’re greeted with a strong heavy does of pine hops, but it doesn’t last long and then the malt sweetness kicks in. This is a very smooth IPA that has a citrus influence at the beginning and middle of the sip, but maintains a dry backside.

Overall, this is a fantastically balanced IPA that would appeal to lovers of strong ales, amber and IPA styles.

Should I buy it?

Yes. Heck Yes. Fill your growler and enjoy every drop.

Editor’s note: This is the nineteenth beer in the Beer Advent Calendar 2015 series. Likewise, I’m going to be posting a beer review each day. Some will be Christmas or Winter ales and other selections will be beers I’ve been wanting to review for some time.

Based in White Salmon, WA, Everybody’s Brewing churns out some amazing beers. I recently had Country Boy IPA while at Pine State Biscuits on NE Alberta in Portland.

Country Boy IPA

How does it taste?

The beer pours a clear reddish color with an orange hue. There’s some lacing on the glass left as you pour this beer out of the bottle.

The smells are very aromatic with caramel, white-breading malts and floral, citrusy hops. You also sense the pine smells that make this a perfect IPA for winter.

The beer taste moderately hopped and medium bodied. It’s a sweet beer but not a bitter sweet. Country Boy IPA is pleasant to your tongue, even if you’re an IPA expert.

Should I buy it?

Yes. Any questions? 🙂

2015 Advent Beer Calendar : Survival Stout By Hopworks

Author: Jason Harris
December 16, 2015

Editor’s note: This is the eigthteenth beer in the Beer Advent Calendar 2015 series. Likewise, I’m going to be posting a beer review each day. Some will be Christmas or Winter ales and other selections will be beers I’ve been wanting to review for some time.

I was recently at Hopworks Organic Brewery, also known as HUB, in Portland on SE Powell. The amazing brewpub has a fantastic atmosphere and for those of us with kids, it’s fantastic because it has two kid’s play areas, so the littles are happy and occupied while the adults can have a conversation.

Survival Stout

While I was at HUB, I tried Survival Stout. Here’s the description, from HUB’s website:

Beer of the Ancients! Barley, Wheat, Oats, Amaranth, Quinoa, Spelt and Kamut sustain the soul with nutrients cultivated through the millennia. Finished with 20 pounds of cold-pressed Stumptown Organic Holler Mountain coffee. Unlock the mystery entombed in darkness.

How does it taste?

In a word: thick. I’ve had beer with coffee and I’ve liked those brews quite a bit.

Unfortunately, I didn’t care for this one. I normally like Hairbender coffee from Stumptown, but it doesn’t compliment this beer.

This beer pours super dark and the head is like that of a Guinness. You smell roasted, burnt coffee and perhaps tobacco. The smell is strong and not inviting.

This beer tastes burnt and overdone. It’s super dry and leaves too much thick malt on your palette.

Should I buy it?

No, skip this beer altogether.

Editor’s note: This is the seventeenth beer in the Beer Advent Calendar 2015 series. Likewise, I’m going to be posting a beer review each day. Some will be Christmas or Winter ales and other selections will be beers I’ve been wanting to review for some time.

Today we go to Breakside Brewery in Portland, Oregon and check out the pilsner. Yes, pilsner might not be your winter beer of choice, but for those wanting a light, easy drinking beer on a cold winter night, a pilsner might be a first choice.

Breakside Pilsner

Liquid Sunshine Pilsner comes in draft and in 22 oz bottles and is available year round.

How does it taste?

This highly carbonated lager pours into a pint glass with a clear-yellow color and two-inch crown of sticky white foam that dissipates quickly. Your nose will instantly pick up on the soup cracker light biscuity smell that’s supported by light scents of grass and floral overtones. The taste consist of slightly sweet lemon flavors, with a light kick of pilsner malt.

This beer can best be described as a tasty pilsner with a slight grassy herbal hop overtone. It’s refreshing and easy-going.

Should I buy it?

If you’re a fan of pilsners, this is a fun beer to have on hand to counter the super hoppy bitter taste of IPAs and thick winter beers you might be used to.

 

 

2015 Advent Beer Calendar: Festeroo by Hop Valley Brewing

Author: Jason Harris
December 14, 2015

Editor’s note: This is the sixteenth beer in the Beer Advent Calendar 2015 series. Likewise, I’m going to be posting a beer review each day. Some will be Christmas or Winter ales and other selections will be beers I’ve been wanting to review for some time.

There are some fantastic breweries in Eugene, Oregon as this southern Willamette Valley town has seen a boom in its brewing scene. Today we travel to Hop Valley Brewing and check out their winter warmer called Festeroo.

FesterooComing in at 6.8% and an IBU rating of 60, Festeroo is a limited edition winter ale that’s available in 22 oz bottles and on draft where you can find it.

How does it taste?

Festeroo pours a dark amber-brown color that’s transparent, but barely. There’s a little off-white/brown lacing on the glass and overall the beer has light carbonation. The smells you pick up on are of molasses malt and a bit of dark toast and biscuit. You also sense caramel and spices, making it perfect for the Christmas season.

When you sip the beer, you taste the clean and crisp amber-ale style beginning that’s hop-forward and smooth on the back end. You do pick up on that caramel malt and the piney, grassy hops. The beer finishes with a that piney, refreshing hop finish.

This beer starts well and ends perfect. If you’re an amber fan looking for a winter beer to try, this is the one for you.

Should I buy it?

Absolutely. Buy multiple 22 oz bottles so you can share while enjoying Christmas baking or watching your favorite Christmas movie.

Editor’s note: This is the fifteenth beer in the Beer Advent Calendar 2015 series. Likewise, I’m going to be posting a beer review each day. Some will be Christmas or Winter ales and other selections will be beers I’ve been wanting to review for some time.

One of my favorite vacation spots is Maui, Hawaii. For the last 5 years or so, it’s been fun to watch Maui Brewing company grow and prosper on the island.

CoCoNut PorTeROne of MBC’s flagship beers is CoCoNut Porter and this time of year, it’s a fun beer to take a look at because coconut anything is amazing in December and combined with a fantastic dark ale…yum!

How does it taste?

Coconut Porter pours super dark with a tan head that remains on the glass long after you pour the beer. The brew smells of cold-brew coffee, malty sweetness and a slight toasted coconut smell. One would expect the coconut scents to be stronger, but not with this ale. It’s subtle at best.

To your tongue, the beer tastes exactly how it smells. The roasted malt is the strongest flavor present with a slight coconut back-kick to the porter.  As one would expect, coffee notes and slight bitterness comes forward with this refreshing and Mounds-bar like taste. In fact, this beer tastes like a Mounds bar in a glass.

Honestly, I’d like to see more coconut influence in a beer with the namesake.

Should I buy it?

This is a beer you should pass on.

If you’re in the MBC taproom in Napili, yes buy a small glass to experience it, otherwise skip this beer.

Editor’s note: This is the fourteenth in the Beer Advent Calendar 2015 series. Likewise, I’m going to be posting a beer review each day. Some will be Christmas or Winter ales and other selections will be beers I’ve been wanting to review for some time.

For today’s beer review, let’s travel to Bend, Oregon and check out Obsidian Stout from Deschutes Brewing. I’m a huge fan of dark beers, which is why I love this time of year where they’re back ‘in style’. I use quotes because in my opinion, dark ales are always in style.

Obsidian Stout

Obsidian Stout is available year round from Deschutes and comes in at 6.3% ABV and a pretty hefty 55 IBUs.

How does it taste?

This beer pours as black as night, as a stout should. Obsidian gives off a smell of roasted malt, dark roasted coffee and a bit of molasses. It’s a treat to the nose.

When you sip it, you sense a slight sweet start and then the roasted toffee taste comes out followed by an caramel aftertaste.

This beer looks thick, feeling and maybe puts some people off. But don’t let this stout deter you – it’s super drinkable and ultimately satisfying. This beer pulls off being flavorful and robust, but incredibly smooth and soothing at the same time.

Should I buy it?

Yes. Get the 6-pack. You won’t be sorry, so long as you like dark beer.

 

Editor’s note: This is the thirteenth in the Beer Advent Calendar 2015 series. Likewise, I’m going to be posting a beer review each day. Some will be Christmas or Winter ales and other selections will be beers I’ve been wanting to review for some time.

Abominable Winter AleHopworks Urban Brewery, located in Portland, Oregon, has never produced a beer that this beer snob hasn’t liked. I’ve tried 7 beers over the years from HUB and they’ve all been excellent. Their taproom on Powell in Portland is fun and features great food to go along with their exceptional beer.

Today we look at Abominable Winter Ale. This brew is only available in the fall and winter months and is organic (along with all of HUB’s beers). Abominable comes it a 7.3% ABV and is slightly bitter at 70 IBUs.

How does it taste?

Abominable Winter Ale has a similar taste profile to Ninkasi’s Sliegh’r, which I spotlighted yesterday. This beer has a toasty, hempy influenced smell to it. As you pour the dark red ale you see a tall, ivory colored head. The head sticks around in the glass for a long time post-pour from the 22 oz bomber.

It’s medium bodied as you first drink it and you sense the citrus and grapefruit incensed hoppy taste. You also pick up on the herbal and complex spices too. At times this beer tastes like a hoppy red ale and others like a dark winter beer. The malty sweetness finished off this beer. It’s strong flavored but not super bitter. The three malts really make for a killer finish.

Should I buy it?

Absolutely. This winter ale is one of Portland’s best.

 

2015 Advent Beer Calendar: Sleigh’r from Ninkasi

Author: Jason Harris
December 10, 2015

Editor’s note: This is the twelfth in the Beer Advent Calendar 2015 series. Likewise, I’m going to be posting a beer review each day. Some will be Christmas or Winter ales and other selections will be beers I’ve been wanting to review for some time.

SlieghrFor today’s post, let’s go back to a proper winter warmer/Christmas beer and look at Sleigh’r from Ninkasi Brewing. Sligh’r is a malty beer that, according to Ninkasi, will keep winter at bay.

An alt ale, Sleigh’r ferments will ale yeast at colder, lagering temperatures, meaning this beer is more crisp and lager-like flavor. Coming in at 50 IBUs and 7.2% ABV, Sleigh’r is a strong beer that demands to be sipped on a cold winter day.

How does it taste?

When you pour Sleigh’r, you see its dark complexion that can’t been seen through. It has a deep, dark red tint and gives a little bit of lacing from a light 1″ head left on the top of the glass.

At first sip, you pick up on what can be described as dark chocolate, dark brown bread and a slight nutty foretaste. You then pick up on the hoppy sweetness (remember, this beer is 50 IBUs) and the caramel malts. The hops you sense are a little grassy and herbal and are formulated to complement the nutty malt taste from before.

This beer is so well balanced and is pulled together perfectly.

Should I buy it?

Absolutely. Sleigh’r is worth the price of admission and should be shared with friends and family this holiday season!