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Lagunitas Brewing: "WTF" Jobless Recovery Ale

Lagunitas Brewing has another fine, and socially relevant, "Limited Release" ale at the store!
This one is the Wilco Tango Foxtrot Ale ("WTF" Ale) which is said to be "A Malty, Robust, Jobless Recovery Ale."

This is considered an "American Strong Ale"...But, it may be better described as a nice "Imperial Brown Ale."

The malty flavor is a very gentle hazelnut-chocolate and there is a distinct hoppy taste that balances well and appeals to my love of IPA's!  The carbonation is low and the flavor is overall full and lingers in a great way!

As for the name... "WTF" pretty much sums up my feelings about our current economic state....But, my advice is that even if you are jobless right now save up your change and buy a bottle of this complex, tasty and generally great ale!

The stats on this one are: ABV of 7.8%, an OG of 1.072 and an IBU of 64.20

St Peter's Organic English Ale

Today I decided to try St Peter's Brewery Organic English Ale. This is a really great English ale...great malt flavor with some nice hops. The taste lingers on the tongue in both a soft and subtle earthy malt and the taste of lemon rind and bitter hops. The ABV is 4.5%.

The brewery says: "Water is extracted from our own 300’ deep borehole and combined with Soil Association accredited light malted barley from Norfolk. Organic hops provide the distinctive palate. The yeast used is St. Peter’s own single strand variety. The result is a delicate, clean, crisp, lightly carbonated, traditional English Ale with a full ‘citrus hop’ aftertaste. This lovely beer won the Soil Association’s (organic certifying organization) top prize in 2002 and a silver medal in 2006."

This is a great ale and the fact that it is organic makes it even better and makes me start thinking about the NAOBF! (Is it Summer yet?)

My advice is buy this beer and give it a try soon!

Full Sail: "Bump in the Night" Dark Ale

Full Sail Brewing's lead brewer, Barney Brennan, came up with this wonderful Cascadian Dark Ale and the brewery brought it to life.

This ale is a "Brewmaster Reserve for 2011 and will only be available for a short while longer. It is scheduled to be around from January to March of 2011 only...so, seek this one out before it is too late!

Full Sail says...."The array of dark malts present a full bodied beer with notes of cocoa and slight roast. It has a big floral citrus hop flavor and bitterness, reminiscent of an IPA."  I have to agree with this...yet...there is something else. I am having a hard time putting my finger on it.
The finish seems to lift the taste buds to a totally different level rather then just linger. To me it is not so much a "big floral citrus hop flavor" (though that is there) as a slightly sour herbal taste..... Just my opinion.
If you have not tried this wonderful liquid make sure you do!

The stats on this one are an IBU of 65 and an ABV of 6.5%

Rogue: Juniper Pale Ale

This is an interesting Rogue beer....lower IBU then I  usually buy (IBU: 34). - But, this is a very good ale. It is brewed with whole juniper berries. Yet, the flavour is pretty mild and the malt is very balanced with an almost sharp dry finish.

Juniper Pale Ale isn't exactly a mystery beer infact the awards listed for this one are: 2010 World Beer Championships—Gold,  2010 Australian International Beer Awards—Bronze & 2010 US Beer Tasting Championships—PNW Champ!

The Ingredients Rogue provides are:
Crystal, Triumph, C-15 & Rogue Micro Barley Farm Dare & Risk Malts; Styrian Golding, Amarillo & Rogue Micro Hopyard Revolution Hops; Juniper Berries, Free Range Coastal Water & Pacman Yeast.
(That made me kind of dizzy reading the ingredients....just saying....)

It goes without saying...But, I will anyway....This is a great Beer!

Lagunitas Brewing: Olde Gnarly Wine

Lagunitas Brewing is always a favorite for me personally....Today I bought a bottle of "Olde Gnarly Wine".
The bottle's label says, "Making a mondo ultra mega super premium barleywine is a little like having a kid. The first part is fun and messy, it takes awhile to ferment, and then a whole lot longer to mature. It is expensive and takes up a lot of space. You worry about how it’ll grow up and whether or not you’ll still be friends. Eventually it stays out all night and comes home with its skirt on backwards. You know how it is. Usually we package our ales within 15 days of brewing. This is one we aged in the tanks for over a month."

Lagunitas describes it as a "...BarleyWine Style Ale is Dated and Built to Last. Flavors Evolve as Hop Bitterness Yields to Crazy Caramel and Rich Toffee Flavors."
It is indeed a fine brew....smooth...mildly sweet...and totally fantastic! I can't say enough good things about the barley wine!
It really needs to be experienced...either all fancy in a snifter or right from the bottle! - A++
The stats on this one are as follows....O.G. 1.096,  A.B.V. 10.6% and a respectable I.B.U. of 69.39!

Ninkasi: ReNewAle - Mason's Irish-Style Red Ale

Ninkasi Brewing in Eugene, Oregon has a Seasonal "Irish-Style Red Ale" appropriately called "ReNewAle"...
Ninkasi says it is "a New Year a New Beer! Each year Renewale will be something new and special to enjoy while winter runs its course.

For 2011 we brewed a delicious Irish-style red ale that’s smooth and refined with a hint of toasted malt and a clean finish. A great beer for a new year...!"
The IBU is 40 and the ABV is 5.2%.

This red avoids the usual over the top malt and sweetness that I have always found plagues the style...and, just as promised, has a crisp clean finish. It is a very drinkable beer...but, in my opinion lacks a uniqueness that I have come to expect from this fantastic brewery.
But, don't get me wrong...it is a really good addition and I think not only would this ale be good now...it would also, maybe more so, be a refreshing beer for a hot Summer afternoon.

2009 Holiday Ale Festival PDX

It is hard to believe but, it is time for that great Winter tradition...the Portland Holiday Ale Festival in Pioneer Square!
The festival is December 2nd to the 6th
and is open 2-10PM on December 2nd, 11AM-10PM December 3rd to the 5th and 11AM-7PM December 6th.

For those of you who have never been, the event is held in a huge tent and there is no worry if Jack Frost is nippinig at your nose in the rest of the world outside the tents have a fine heating system.
The website sums up the festival being "more than 50 potent winter ales...all of which are created specifically to bring warmth and cheer to the holiday season. (Not)beers you'll find in the supermarket - brewers have put together special recipes just for the Holiday Ale Festival. From Belgians and Barleywines to Porters and Stouts, these beers are rich, robust and full of complex flavors."

My best advice is to show up early! This is a BIG event in a place that is rather too small for a place like Portland. Things get very-very busy as the evening pushes on. Showing up early will insure your chances of trying a number of great beers without the long lines.

The beer list is a massive one and can be checked out fully by clicking here.
But, some of the high points should come from such brewers as Astoria, Oregon's Fort George Brewery & Public House with their "North III" a brew described as being a Belgian Tripel and being "brewed strong, bold and sweet with honey malt and maple syrup, then fermented with our jolliest Belgian yeast, this beer then rests in the bright tank with 60 pounds of finely chopped sugar plums...onyx in hue with hints of oak and spice..."
Other great beers should be Portland's own Hopworks Urban Brewery with their "Kronan the Barbarian" (and not just because it reminds me of a co-worker known by the same name). This beer is said to be a "Baltic Porter" with a "frothy tan head and rich malty aroma with notes of chocolate, caramel, dark fruit and toasted marshmallow. As its garnet color mesmerizes, the rich flavors engulf the senses.... made with bottom fermenting lager yeast."
And last... but, I am certain not least, Hillsboro's Vertigo Brewing with their "Arctic Blast".  This fine selection, from a relative newcomer, is a "Robust Vanilla Porter" and is described as being a "Briess Pale malt balanced with Roast, Dark, Crystal and Munich malts (that) allow for the perfect mix of malted barley for this Robust Porter with Madagascar vanilla bean. Lightly hopped to allow a slight roast, dominant chocolate and vanilla bean character to come through, this beer borders on the low end of the IBU scale and the high side for Original Gravity."

There will also be a variety of "Limited Release" kegs...usually single kegs...that will pop up on a schedule of sorts.

Not only is this just a fun annual tradition but, the festival also supports charity with the Children's Cancer Association! So, remember to support them by checking your coat or having a hand-crafted Crater Lake Rootbeer to help raise funds!!

Cheers!

-William

Eel River Brewing: Organic Brew

I normally try and focus on the small very local brewers but, there are times when the brewery that has grown still retains its integrity.

Eel River Brewing is located in Fortuna, CA and is the first Certified Organic brewery in the country and they take that very seriously! However, they aren't all work and no play which is proven out by their motto "Be natural; drink naked."
They have won medals in competition dating back to 1996.

Eel River Brewing are regulars at brewers fests here in Portland with a variety of great beer and they are also available at many stores bottled these days.
One beer that was featured at the North American Organic Brewer's Fest in 2009 was the Acai Berry Wheat. This is a light refreshing beer and only 4% alcohol by volume and a gravity of 10.0 P.

The brewer describes it as "A light-bodied wheat ale brewed with organic acai berries from Brazil, and a flavorful mix of four other organic berries. Acai berries boast high antioxidant properties too, so drink on!"

According to WebMD "the acai berry is an inch-long reddish, purple fruit. It comes from the acai palm tree (Euterpe oleracea), which is native to Central and South America. It is a relative of the blueberry, cranberry, and other dark purple fruits...

Acai contains several substances called anthocyanins and flavonoids. Anthocyanins and flavonoids are powerful antioxidants that help defend the body against life's stressors. They also play a role in the body's cell protection system. Free radicals are harmful byproducts produced by the body. Eating a diet rich in antioxidants may interfere with aging and the disease process by neutralizing free radicals.  By lessening the destructive power of free radicals, antioxidants may help reduce the risk of some diseases, such as heart disease and cancer."

I finally found this ale in 22 oz. bottles here in the Portland area at the Beaverton Fred Meyer. They have a newly remodeled and expanded selection of micro-brew. It was very impressive for a main stream store. So, credit where credit is due!

The Acai Wheat is a really nice brew for guests this holiday season who maybe aren't into the heavy stouts or the hoppy IPA...or even for a hop lover who just wants a light refreshing beer as a change of pace!

- William

Lagunitas Brewing....Limited Release!

Now, I know....Lagunitas is getting bigger and bigger and is now available far and wide bottled but, it is a consistently fantastic brew!

Lagunitas Brewing, located in Petaluma, CA, has a great IPA that is made with 43 different hops and 65 various malts that they say "will likely float your boat, whatever planet you're on!" They are right!
However, they have some other fine offerings that are readily available. The "Hop Stoopid Ale" is a nice brew and is described as, "So Hoppy that it threatens to remove the enamel from one's teeth."

On the "Limited Release" side of things the "Little Sumpin' Extra Ale" is a good one. It has an I.B.U. of 72.51, an O.G. of 1.082 and an alcohol content of 8.74%. It does have a little sumpin' extra!

It has a nice balance of big hop flavor, malt and has an almost mildly floral finish. (A manly floral finish....don't worry!)

This is one I would recommend you try before it goes away!

- William