New Arrivals For Tuesday 11.13.07

We've already run out of cooler space, and if new things keep rolling in at this pace we'll completely run out of shelf space by the end of the year. I guess I shouldn't complain about all this great beer, but what's a beer geek to do when faced with a dilemma like this? Drink more beer, of course!*

Today's load brings us a handful of truly new beers as well as a handful of returning favorites, so lets dig into the stack and see what we've got.

New American Beers:

Spire - Dark and Dry Cider: This baby is so new it doesn't even have an entry in the Ratebeer.com database yet. This cider is crafted with brown sugar and molasses to make it darker and drier, while still being a sessionable 5% ABV. In the realm of inexpensive cider, Spire's "regular" variety is one of the driest examples we have access to, and given that the extra sugar should have completely fermented out I'd expect this recipe to be even drier. The brewery website describes it thusly, "The crisp flavor of this amber colored cider is like biting into a fresh apple. The tartness is pleasingly balanced by a hint of molasses and brown sugar in the finish that makes this an enjoyable draft cider that beckons to both cider and beer drinkers alike."

Dogfish Head - ApriHop: If memory serves, this brew is essentially a special batch of 90 minute IPA fermented with apricots and carries a nice blast of juicy fruit flavors and a lingering trail of citric/hoppy bitterness. Yummy stuff, and only available for a limited time.

Dogfish Head - Raison d'Extra: - This beer reminds me of a cheesy old joke from my "angry 14 year old" phase: "Where do heavy metal guitarists sleep when they're camping?" INTENSE!

Put another way, this beer is to Raison d'Etre as 120 minute IPA is to 60 minute IPA. Its 18+% abv, brings on a huge mouthful of sugar and fruit, and leaves a lingering stickiness on the palate. Tasty stuff if you're into that sort of thing, and judging by the sales of high-octane Dogfish Head brews, there's a lot of sadomasochistic people in Portland. Surprising, huh?

Hair of the Dog - Doggie Claws 2007: Alan's gift to Portland is always a hot seller, and given the line of people at the dock sale last week I'm amazed there's any left for retail sale. We only received 10 cases, and I wouldn't bet on getting any more, so if you missed the sale I'd suggest snagging some of this A.S.A.P. BTW, ignore the most recent ratebeer review. Unless the rater (from Texas) was in Oregon over the weekend there's no way he could have received this bottle in the mail already, especially considering Veteran's Day and the lack of mail service on Monday. Beside that, I've looked at the current batch (its been teasing me all day) and it doesn't appear to be the murky, evil mess that he describes. On the other hand, I had several bottles of 2006 that were exactly as he described them; flat and muddy. Your mileage may vary...

New Belgium - Frambozen: Consumed fresh this is a solid, if unspectacular, raspberry brown ale. Throw them into the cellar for a year or so and it picks up a nice little tinge of funk that brings the whole thing together and makes it almost seem Belgian. I was told by a New Belgium sales guy that many of their seasonal beers have a small percentage of La Folie blended into them to add a little touch of "terroir" as it were. Assuming the beer isn't pasteurized that would also explain the sour/tart character that develops over time. Granted, I've never toured the brewery, and reps are notorious for giving out specious information, but it seems like a logical explanation for the beer souring in a good way as opposed to just oxidizing and going stale. If anyone can shed any light on the subject I'd be glad to hear it, please use the comment section to enlighten us.

Elysian - BiFrost: This fits into the Tannenbomb/Double Bastard style of winter ales; no spices, just a lot more malt and some extra hops to create a bracing, warming beer featuring some dark fruit and alcohol flavors with a spicy hop finish. For what it's worth, we still have a case or two of their Jasmine IPA and a few bottles of the Night Owl pumpkin beer as well. All three are delicious and reasonably priced.

Midnight Sun - La Maitresse du Moine: This Belgian-style abbey dubbel was one of the highlights of a recent "strong ale" tasting, and I'm glad to see some of it here in Oregon. Dark, and smooth with flavors of plums, chocolate, and toffee wrapped up in a silky smooth package. Highly recommended.

Lost Coast - Raspberry Brown: this one's brand new to us, so I'll let the brewer describe it: "Brown Ale with natural raspberry flavor. A chocolate Brown Ale with the essence of ripe red raspberries, made with malted barley, chocolate and caramel malts, hops, and natural raspberry flavor."

Boulder - Never Summer: I can't recall the specifics on this one, but I recall it having a distinct and unusual spice character to it that I couldn't nail down. Boulder says: "Never Summer Ale is a bold new look at winter beers: gutsy, full-bodied and an aggressive fusion of secret spices. Like the first run of the day, this ale is deep and clean, crisp and drinkable, perfectly blended for a smooth ride...through the Looking Glass. Grains: British Dark Caramel Malt, U.S. 2-row Barley. Hops: Nugget, Willamette, Cascade and Top-Secret Brewmaster's Spice." Mmm, top secret spices...


New Belgian Beer:

Affligem - Noel: This under-rated Belgian delight is one of my favorite "dinner beers." It's dark, but not as opaque as a dubbel. It's smooth and spicy, but not as much as a tripel. One word of advice; open this one over the sink. Each bottle is a living science project, and sometimes things get out of hand with explosive results. Don't let that dissuade you from buying some, just take my advice and open it carefully.


New Polish Beer:

Okocim - Porter: There were many sad faces at Belmont Station when this dropped off the market last year. Promises were made, people were pestered, and it's finally returned. This 8% baltic porter is one of the best values in the beer world. As one ratebeerian put it, this $3 bottle tastes better than many things that are three times the price.


New German Beer:

Weltenburger - Wintertraum: Since they generally eschew spices and other adjuncts, the Germans generally have underwhelming "winter" seasonals, if they even bother to brew something. Wintertraum is a wonderful Vienna-style lager chock full of caramel and biscuit malt flavors and balanced by just the right touch of clean, hoppy bitterness in the finish. You should definitely try it because it's a tasty beer in a rather under-represented style, but don't expect it to be full of crazy spices or anything...

I think that about does it for today. Feel free to call us at 503.232.8538 if you have any questions about new releases or other beer-related queries.

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*Belmont Station encourages responsible consumption of alcohol. Know your limits, and for the love of Hathor please don't drink and drive!