431. Laurelwood Workhorse IPA

Today marked our annual pilgrimage to Bottleworks; while we were there, we enjoyed an Upright Brewing Seven, which was a glass of 3711 delicious goodness. That’s right, I’m making beer yeast jokes. It’s for your own good, really. Some day you’ll understand. We also tried Big Time’s Baltic Porter. All while perusing the lovely options available to us at Bottleworks. Sheer deliciousness. Today’s selection is from Laurelwood Brewing Company, which has several lovely locations in downtown Portland; it is our second beer from them—the last one was Prevale IPA.

Workhorse IPA pours a delicate copper with a minimal white head; the nose is caramel sweetness and breadiness combined with spicy resin hop aroma, although there is something bright to the nose as well. Flavors pretty much follow the nose—we’ve got some caramel and breadiness in the front before giving way to bitterness in the middle; there is spicy pine and resin hop flavors in the middle as well, leading into the lingering bitter finish. While there is a slight amount of hop grassiness in the finish, overall Workhorse finishes rather clean. The body is medium with a medium to light carbonation that helps accentuate some of the chewiness in the mouthfeel. Workhorse is well-balanced between malt and hops; you could almost say that it falls to the malt side, but the hops do balance out the body, even with the chewy maltiness. Elli likes Hop Monkey IPA (also by Laurelwood) more than Workhorse IPA; I’m torn, as both have their own strengths despite their differences. In other words, both are winners. Moral of the story: Laurelwood rocks.

From the Laurelwood website: “Our biggest seller in the pubs, this is an extremely well balanced yet super flavorful IPA brewed in the West Coast style. The over-the-top aroma comes from a heavy handed dose of hops in the kettle, hop back and 2 separate dry-hop additions. A slightly sweet finish helps balance the hop bitterness and creates an ale that is both big on flavor yet remains quite drinkable.”

ABV: 7.5%
IBU: 80

Malt: Great Western 2-row, Great Western C 40, & Briess Carapils

Hops: Simcoe, Amarillo, Cascade, & Columbus

(11/22/2010)

430. Caldera Hopportunity Knocks

Thanksgiving week means travel, food, and beer. And while it doesn’t always follow in that order, today it did. Since we were headed to Seattle for the illustrious event, that 6 a.m. flight got everything off on the right foot. And by right, I mean terrible. But all was uphill after that—right off the plane, we headed to Central Market to stock up on food, and, more importantly, beer. Today’s beer was recommended by a random stranger who saw us reading the back of the bottle and said “That beer rules. I’m grabbing one for myself.” Who can say no to that? After all, when Hopportunity Knocks, we’re listening. Caldera Brewing Company is located in Ashland, OR. This beer is part of Caldera’s Kettle Series, which is a limited small batch series of seasonal releases.

Hopportunity Knocks pours a rich hazy dark caramel; there’s a bit of copper to it as well, via the browns in the caramel, but it is more caramel than copper. The head is creamy, eggshell, and generously laces the glass. Aromas are an abundant caramel mixed with hops—the nose alone tells me we are back in the Northwest—we’ve got bread and caramel malt with some creaminess mixed with pine and resin hop aromas. I’d say the nose has almost a chewy component to it, but that would seem slightly oxymoronic. Flavors start dry and bready, but also with a fair amount of caramel flavor, although not as much as the nose might suggest; caramel sweetness and hop bitterness come into play in the middle—big hop bitterness—although some of the sweetness is mitigated by the drying character of the hop bitterness. The finish is spicy and dry biscuit with a lingering bitterness that is lightly chalky. Hopportunity Knocks has a creamy rounded mouthfeel; sure, there is big bitterness, but as a whole it is very drinkable. The carbonation is medium with a fairly creamy component to it. Delicious, and very Northwest. When we first started drinking it, the slight hop sourness in the finish was the tip-off that Centennial hops made up a good portion (if not all) of the hop bill—it reminded me of Bell’s Two Hearted—but as the beer warmeth, the richer malt and creaminess in the carbonation cover this over a bit. Nonetheless, a solid beer. It’s good to be home.

From the bottle: “When hopportunity knock, answer it. This ale is Caldera’s rendition of answering the Pacific Northwest calling for a @#!& pile of Centennial hops with a big beer to back it up. Don’t get left out in the cold, open up and fill the void within you...If ever in Ashland, Oregon, come by and check out the Caldera Tap House, located at 31 Water Street.”

ABV: 6.8%

(11/21/2010)

429. Founders Newaygo County Cherry

Nothing says holiday cheer like fancy beer. And Founders is just the brewery to make that holiday cheer even more special. We had this beer on tap at South Park Tavern as part of their Barrel Aged Beer Fest. Previously from Founders we’ve tried Devil Dancer, Pale Ale, KBS (as a bonus beer), Centennial IPA, Black Biscuit, Harvest Ale and Breakfast Stout.

Newaygo County Cherry is Cerise that has been aged in a bourbon barrel. And let’s just say that the bourbon and oak comes through on this one. The body is a clear pale reddish tan color, with a slight spritzy head that is creamy (which could also be from the oak). Flavors are equal parts cherry, vanilla oak creaminess (or, in other words, American oak), and bourbon, which also describes the nose (although the body has a much better balance between the three than does the nose). Basically, it tastes pretty much like an alcoholic seltzer, although I do mean that in the best possible way. The strength is the simultaneous subtlety and complexity of the cherry flavor, particularly in relation to the oak and bourbon; I’d like a chance to drink this in conjunction with Cerise to better compare the two, although something tells me that won’t be happening anytime in the near future.

ABV: 7.0%

(11/20/2010)

428. The Bruery 3 French Hens

The latest entrant into the Bruery’s timeless “Twelve Beers of Christmas” series. While not as long running (or as numerically savvy) as the Stone Vertical Epic series, the Belgian does speak more to, well, at least me. Elli is on the fence on this one. This beer also allows us (or at least me) to renew our love affair with the Bruery (after all, I’ve gone so far as to spike one of my own beers with their yeast): I’ve got an Autumn Maple and Coton waiting for me in the basement, but the rest of their beers are a wee bit more difficult to procure. We have, however, tried Saison de Lente, Rugbrød, Hottenroth, Orchard White and Saison Rue, so all is not lost. But I’d like this to be a much bigger listing of beers. Maybe in January when I’m in Los Angeles...

Described on the label as “75% Belgian-style dark ale & 25% Ale aged in French Oak barrels,” 3 French Hens pours a hazy burnt umber with a creamy tan head that reduces to a ring—albeit a healthy ring—after a couple of minutes. The nose is fruity and slightly vinous; the fruitiness bears a strong resemblance to Belgian yeast esters, while the vinous aroma carries rich dark malt. There is also a bit of oaky creaminess in the back behind the other aromas; when freshly swirled in the glass, a bit of creamy, candy juiciness comes out—another classic Belgian aroma—although it is covered over again rather quickly. The front is a mixture of dark malt sweetness and slight roastiness that is slightly discordant with the oakiness of the middle. I know, I know, this beer is designed to be aged for another nine years, which will give 3 French Hens plenty of time for such flavors to marry. But I’m just sayin’. The middle also has some brown sugar and molasses that helps smooth the path to the finish (these flavors creep a bit into the front as well as the beer warms), which is creamy, dry, and slightly spicy. There is no real perceptible alcohol flavor, but there is some warmth in the mouthfeel. 3 French Hens is medium bodied with a creamy, slightly chewy mouthfeel. The carbonation is subdued; it helps balance the beer, although there is a bit of a bright bite in the turn to the finish. There is also something slightly sharp about the beer that factors in as an intangible—it is not so much in the mouthfeel, rather it is apprehended holistically—sharp and not fully rounded. This, too, could be a product of the beer’s intended trajectory: it is not so much young (since it is certainly drinkable) as it is a bit inharmonious on the palate. And, being that this is the “third verse” of the saga, that term strikes us as particularly appropriate. We did buy a couple more to salt away; after all, harmony comes with practice and patience.

From the bottle: “The third verse of our ‘Twelve Beers of Christmas’ saga incorporates vinous and oaky notes into a bold and spicy dark ale. Happy Holidays! 3 French Hens is suitable for aging up to nine years (soon after the release of ‘Twelve Drummers Drumming’) when cellared properly. Best stored and cellared around 55° F (13° C) in a dark place. Ideal serving temperature is 50° F (10° C). Please pour carefully, leaving the yeast sediment behind in the bottle. Best served in a tulip or wine glass.”

From the Bruery website: “Three French Hens is the third in the 12 Days/Years of Christmas Series. We again drew some inspiration from the name and decided that at least a portion of this beer had to be aged in French oak barrels. What we came out with is a bold and spicy Belgian Dark Strong Ale, 25% aged in oak. This beer is designed to take the journey through time until 12 Drummers Drumming, but is a delightful holiday treat right off the shelf.”

ABV: 10%
IBU: 22.5

And for all you crazy homebrewing fools out there, chiggety-check out the Bruery’s Batch 300 Homebrew Contest. Ah, so so dreamy...

(11/17/2010)

427. Skinny Dave Williamson Barleywine

The latest homebrew to grace my presence; this beer is based upon the Big 10/20 recipe that Dave found on the Brewers Association website. Dave gave this beer to me on National Homebrew Day (May 1) when we brewed a Dunkelweizen on his system, and I dutifully stuck it in my basement. When I came across it the other day while rooting around in the cellar, I decided it was time to pull the trigger on this bad boy. So here we go.

Pure beefcake...

Skinny Dave Barleywine pours a slightly hazy rich caramel copper with a creamy rich tan head; while it has a brilliant and active carbonation made up of very tiny bubbles, the carbonation is very light on the palate. It does, however, look awesome in the glass. The nose is equal parts creamy and rich malty caramel; as it warms, the creaminess comes to the forefront, although the rich malt is still present. Flavors start with balanced caramel malt sweetness, moving into a creamy softer middle, and finishing dry and sweet on the tongue. There is no alcohol or stickiness—just a nice even clean malt flavor across the palate. This beer has had time for the alcohol and flavor to marry together—there is an ever so slight warmth that develops in the back of my throat, but that is it. The mouthfeel is smooth and balanced; there is a slight carbonation bite in the final third, but it mostly helps to put the dry finish on the beer. While good as is, the malt character still needs further time to develop complexity and depth, although the creamy sweetness in the front and middle is delicious. This beer is on its way to someplace better; I’ve cracked it after the first stage of marrying and coordinating flavors, but prior to the second stage of the full development of complexity that comes with age. But it was such a delicious learning curve.

OG: 1.098
FG: 1.016
Malt: mostly 2-row with some crystal
Yeast: WLP002 to 1.034; champagne yeast in secondary to 1.016
Brewed: Easter weekend, 2009
Bottled: June 1, 2009

(11/16/2010)

426. Left Hand/Terrapin Oxymoron

Ah, the collaboration: creating excitement and giddiness in beer nerds coast to coast. And who doesn’t love the collabo? While I could go with the all-purpose bad guy (that would be Nazis), I’m tempted to create a more appropriate nemesis for the blog. The Amish seem a good choice, what with their hatred of technology and all (although they do love bicycles, so that does give them some bonus points), but that also seems more like beating up your little brother—far too easy. So we’ll just call my search for a new nemesis the latest of my long line of failed contests. You got an idea for an appropriate nemesis besides, well, apathy? Here’s to letting me know. Previous beers from Left Hand include 400 Pound Monkey, Fade to Black and Milk Stout, while our previous beers from Terrapin include Hopsecutioner IPA, Wake ’N’ Bake (which was a bonus beer), and Rye Pale Ale.

Oxymoron pours an orange-ish caramel with a creamy eggshell head that reduces to a thin covering after a minute or so; the nose is a creamy caramel breadiness with a touch of hop spiciness and resin rounding out the aroma. As it warms, a more prevalent lager graininess emerges. Flavors begin with caramel before shifting to an accentuated creamy lager-esque character in the front; the middle has sweetness and a decent amount of bitterness, but less specific hop flavor—there is again some spiciness and resin that almost coalesces into evergreen, but not quite. There is some tacky biscuit dryness that returns in the finish, and a pleasant lingering bitterness that has a bit of the traditional lager bite to it. Oxymoron has a medium to medium heavy body with a chewy clean mouthfeel that is also slightly sticky; the carbonation is medium with some dryness from the hops as well as some creaminess on the back of the mouth. An interesting beer, but one that strikes us a bit too much between styles—it’s not quite an IPA, but not really a lager either. While we laud the experimentation—and the collaboration—the beer is more one-hit wonder than longstanding fan favorite.

From the bottle: “Sometime around midnight in a city nobody can agree on, the idea for Left Hand and Terrapin to brew a collaboration beer was born. Oxymoron is the third in a series of one-time releases between our two breweries. A combination of contradictions embodied in liquid form, Oxymoron is an American-style IPA brewed with three German malts, six German hop varieties, and a lager yeast strain. Obnoxious yet reserved, elevated yet modest, it's the embodiment of blending two brewing philosophies together in order to achieve singularity. Consider it an expression of cruel kindness.”

ABV: 7.2%
IBU: 65
Style: Teutonic India Pale Ale
Malts: Weyermann Pale Ale, Munich I, & CaraAmber
Hops: Magnum, Northern Brewer, Perle, Tradition, Spalter Select, & Hersbrucker
Dry Hops: Tradition, Spalter Select, & Hersbrucker

(11/15/2010)

425. Dogfish Head Raison d’Extra

Today’s drinking pleasure was made possible by the kindness of Casey McAdams and Dave Williamson—Casey brought the Dogfish Head, and Dave the Russian River. Since we’ve already had Blind Pig and Consecration as part of our previous shenanigans, a careful process of elimination reveals that Raison d’Extra gets the nod for beer o’ the day. Such a delicious dilemma... Today’s drinking was part of the 3rd Annual Tomtoberfest celebration, which is just about as egregious and self-referential as it sounds. I did brew the rest of the beer involved, so I feel perfectly fine with the level of hubris expressed in the day’s designation. Previously sampled beers from Dogfish Head include the Dogfish Head/Victory/Stone Saison du Buff collabo, Immort Ale 2009, Chicory Stout, Theobroma, 120 Minute IPA, Festina Peche, Squall IPA, Burton Baton Oak Aged Imperial IPA, and Sah’tea—making ten all told.

Raison d’Extra pours a thick, rich walnut with a rich, dark fruit nose—those raisins are still doing good work, even all these years later. As well, the age on this bottle has allowed a wonderful marrying of flavors and components—I wouldn’t have guessed it was an 18% ABV beer from the smoothness and richness of fruit and malt dancing across my palate. I’d love to regale you with more detailed notes, but, well, I was consuming this in the middle of Tomtoberfest, which meant that note-taking really wasn’t an option. Rest assured that I did enjoy this beer with the appropriate level of care and concern.

Remains of the day...

From the Dogfish Head website: “A bigger, bolder version of our Raison d’Etre. This is a bulbous, brown ale brewed with a bunch of malt, brown sugar and raisins.”

ABV: 18.0%
IBU: 40
Bottled: 3/15/2007

(11/13/2010)