Frivolous Lawsuit of the Day

This is so stupid and wrong I don't even know what to say. Without seeing the actual text of the lawsuit it's tough to comment on the (lack of) logic here, but I gotta say I'm baffled that any lawyer would take this case.

Here's the text of the article for those who don't want to click the link:

MILWAUKEE - Just days after a Washington D.C. judge lost his job following the loss of a $54 million lawsuit over a pair of missing pants, a Milwaukee business is being sued in what legal observers describe as an equally frivolous case.

A Florida man, Olester Duncan, has named a handful of breweries including Milwaukee’s Lakefront Brewery seeking damages after he got knocked in the head with a can of Schlitz Malt Liquor.

Duncan claims he was reaching for a four-pack of the brew at an Albertson’s grocery store in Ocala, Florida, when one can came loose and hit him in the skull.

Although Lakefront Brewery is named as a defendant, there is no explanation in court documents why Mr. Duncan believes Lakefront is responsible.

“I don’t know what his injuries were,” said Lakefront’s attorney, Don Demet. “But maybe he got hit in the head and there were injuries to his thought process or something.”

TODAY’S TMJ4 placed numerous calls to Mr. Duncan’s attorney, Dennis L. Finch, but none of those calls was returned.

The president of Lakefront Brewery, Russ Klisch, said he was dumbfounded when the summons arrived.

“It just doesn’t seem possible that somebody could be hit on the head with a can of beer in Florida, and it wasn’t even your beer, and you could be sued,” Klisch exclaimed.

Though some legal observers are chuckling about the seemingly frivolous lawsuit, Duncan’s wife, Maria, is not laughing. The lawsuit claims she’s suffered “the loss of the value of her husband’s services, society, companionship and consortium by reason of his injuries.”

Klisch has liability insurance for his business and has turned the matter over to his insurance company’s legal team, but he remains frustrated by the inconvenience the matter is causing him.

“It cost me a lot of time so far,” Klisch said with a sigh. “I’ve had to talk to different lawyers, talk to our insurance company. When you are served with a summons it is a serious thing.”

Huh. I'll see if I can track down more information, but for now I don't know what to say...

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UPDATE Tuesday 12.04.07: I found a pdf of the lawsuit. Strangely, it lists Lakefront (and several other defendants) as a responsible party at the top of the brief, but doesn't give any further information as to why they are liable. Frivolous as it may be, I can understand why they would choose to sue Albertson's (location of the incident), Schlitz/Miller (the producer[s]), and CONE (the local distributor), but what the heck does Lakefront have to do with any of this?

New Arrivals for Friday 11.30.07

Today we received beer from Oregon, California, England, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, and Australia, plus an "ice cider" from France, making this one of the most international "New Arrival" posts in quite some time. I'm sure everyone is excited to go to the Holiday Ale Fest, so I'll keep the lead-in short and get straight to the brew...

Local Craft Beers:

Beer Valley - Owyhee Amber: Owyhee Amber Ale is an easy drinking amber beer for the masses. Brewed with 2-row barley, Munich, and crystal malts, this amber beer is a cleaner, crisper version of an ale reminiscent of an amber lager beer. Owyhee Amber is a true session beer as refreshing as a breath of air in the vast mountain range that it was named after.


Moylan's - White Christmas: Winter seems like an odd time to roll out a witbier, but I suspect this is one of those times when the brewers thought of a great name and then created a beer to go with it.Whatever the case may be, Moylan's Holiday offering is chock full of citrusy, spicy goodness, and the higher than average alcohol content gives it a bit more of a warming presence than a "normal" wit. Tasty and limited, so don't miss it.

From England:

Hook Norton - Double Stout: A smooth, full-bodied stout with a refreshing hoppy aftertaste. Brewed with proportions of black malt for color and toast flavor and brown malt for dryness. Based on a recipe over 100 years old, brewing was revived in 1996 after a break of 79 years. It's only 4.8% abv, so I'm not sure what the "double" refers to, but it seems like a tasty brew.

From France:

Etienne DuPont - Ice Cider: As a true ice cider "Cidre de Givre" expresses with intensity the flavors of the apples from Domaine Etienne Dupont. It is derived from E. Dupont Cidre Bouche Brut 2005 by freezing it and then removing the frozen water.


From Australia:

Baron's - Black Wattle: I'm glad there was a little explanatory blurb hanging on the neck of the bottle, because I know the first thing people will ask is, "What the heck is a Wattle?" Simply put, it's the common name for the Acacia tree and the edible seeds they produce. According to the neck ring, it imparts a unique hazelnut/chocolate/coffee flavor to beverages. According to Wikipedia, it's an ingredient in Barq's Root Beer and Altoids peppermints, so I'm surprised I'd never heard of it before. I tried a sample last week, and it does indeed have a chocolaty, slightly nutty flavor, kind of like a lighter, less filling version of Rogue's Hazelnut Nectar. It's not going to blow you away, but hopefully it'll open your eyes to a new flavor sensation.

Baron's - Lager: The refreshing Barons Lager is brewed with Czech Saaz and NZ hops, Australian and German malts. We have selected the finest international ingredients to create the world class beer. Enjoy. Mmm...pale lager...


From Belgium:

De Dolle - Oerbier Special Reserva: Oerbier aged in Bordeaux casks. That sentence fragment either makes you very happy, or very confused. If you've never heard of De Dolle, find a beer geek and drag them in here. Trust me, they'll thank you.

La Rulles - Christmas Ale: A chestnut brown Belgian strong ale with spices, guaranteed to keep you warm on a chilly winter night.

Regenboog (aka "t Smisje") - Wostynje: This beer with Torhouts' mustard has been craft brewed with top-fermentation at Brewery De Regenboog. Ingredients are malts, hop, candi sugar, mustard seed, yeast and water.


From Italy:

Birraficio Montegioco - Quarta Runa: A belgian ale with "Volpedo Peaches" (well-known peaches from the town of Volpedo, near Montegioco) added during fermentation.

Birraficio Montegioco - Demon Hunter: Demon Hunter an intense beer with great complexity. It is of amber color with a persistent head. The nose has notes of chestnut trees, mature plums, grapes and caramel. The pepper compliments the light herb notes from the hops. The flavor starts with a taste of honey and finishes on a beautiful hop note. Demon Hunter is matured for 15 weeks. 8.5% abv

Birraficio Italiano - Fleurette: I don't much about this beer except for the list of unusual ingredients which include whole roses and violets, citrus bee honey, elderberries, and black pepper. Violets and black pepper?!?

Baladin -Wayan: Wayan is made of 17 different ingredients (barley, wheat, spelt, oats, rye, different types of hops and many different spices besides coriander. Teo calls it a "Saison" but it is certainly his personal definition of a saison. Aroma and palate are rather complex, ie it takes some time to find your way through it, so to speak. The different hops are barely noticeable. The balance and bitterness is by a high defree provided by those many spices some of which are very, very unusual in brewing. This quite unusual combination of spices and herbs greatly impacts the finish which again is very different from "regular" saison-style ales.

Baladin - Xyauyu: Brewing process: the wort is hyperconcentrated then boiled for two and a half hours followed by primary fermentation for 25 days in steel vessels. Then, after a sterile filtration (to eliminate primary yeast strains) the beer is transfered in a steel vessel with transparent membrane and a "oxygen hat". After several tastings from 6 to 24 months later (it depends on the oxidation velocity, very inconsistent!) the brewer decides when it's time to bottle in 50cl. champagne shape bottles with good quality cork. The production is very limited. That's an awful lot of big words which don't tell me a thing about the beer, so we'll have to try one and see what kind of effect the oxidation has on it.


From Switzerland:

BFM - La Dragonne: From the producers of Abbaye de Saint Bon Chien (one of the hottest beers at PIB '07) comes La Dragonne, a beer intended to be mulled. The following review from Ratebeer.com is for a warm sample. "Deep, dark amber ale with no head. The aroma is blend of anise, melted butter, cinnamon, clove, orange peel, cardamom and coriander. Smells a lot like spicy, hot apple cider. Sweet, spicy flavor. Boozy. Medium-bodied with no carbonation." Sounds tasty, and brings new meaning to the "winter warmer" style.

BFM - Cuvée du 7ème: The seventh anniversary brew from BFM. I don't know much about it, but it's garnered great reviews like this: " Cloudy amber, lively head. Tart and lemony with some caramel. Vinous with red berries, prunes and freshening acidity. Russian River-like tartness and complexity. A fantastic beer!" and this: "Very smooth and light mouthfeel. This is the second beer I've tasted from this brewer and they are definitely high on my radar now." And This: "Ok, this is the best beer I've ever had."
Even if it's only half as good as the Saint Bon Chien it'll still be better than 90% of the beer in the world, and less than 100 bottles were brought into Oregon, so don't delay!

A final quick note for all the hopheads: Moylan's Hopsickle and Green Flash West Coast IPA are back! They've been absent for a couple of months, but we finally have a fresh stack of both in the shop.

Have a great weekend and enjoy the fest safely!

Holiday Ale Fest Recommendations

Well, considering the fest started at 11am I'm a wee bit late, but for those of you who haven't made the trek down yet I'd like to offer a few thoughts on beers you really need to try. Extra special thanks to Preston Weesner (GM of the fest) for inviting me down for a preview tasting last night.

My Top 5 from last night:

Hair of the Dog - Jim II: Wow. Just wow. The story behind this brew is almost as great as the beer itself. Here's the low down from Alan Sprints (via Beervana):

"This year's Jim is a blend of Adam, Fred and Doggie Claws, all barrel aged for 6 weeks. Along with the base beers I have added about 10% of a German Pilsner (Spaten), a 9 liter bottle of Val Du Trippel, 1989 Thomas Hardy's--the year I met Jim--a 1991 Rodenbach Alexander that I bought from Jim, and a 1994 Maredsous 10 that Jim enjoyed drinking. I am drinking a glass now; I smell Plums, Almonds and Oak, the Beer is a deep copper color and the lace sticks to the sides of my glass. The beer has a strong hop backbone with notes of chocolate, wood and crusty bread, a firm mouth feel and a complex finish that continues to evolve after the Beer is gone. I am guessing it is 8% abv. I made 16 kegs for the festival this year, only four last year.

Some of you may remember the frenzy caused by last year's version of Jim, hopefully the increase in production will allow the beer to make it through a couple days of the festival before blowing. Cross your fingers, and make sure to hit this one early.

Scaldis - Noel: Unless I'm mistaken, they aren't having the spendy "Big Boy Bar" this year, which means you can score a full mug of this ridiculously delicious Belgian delight for only four tickets. Just for perspective, an 8.4oz bottle retails for just under $5, making this the best value under the tent. It's incredibly nuanced and delicate for a beer that comes in at 12-14% abv, so you'll want to quaff this one before you start hitting the hop monsters.

Speaking of hop monsters, Max's Fanno Creek has sent O'Holy Hops, an aged IPA that tastes like it's fresh out of the brite tanks. I haven't had too many of Max's beers, but this is easily the best thing I've ever had from the nascent Tigard brewery. This is off the charts hoppy. So hoppy that the finish is almost minty. I don't mean mint flavor, I'm talking about the cool, refreshing feeling that hits you after eating something minty. That might not makes sense, but try the beer and I think you'll understand.

Ft. George "North": Billed as a "red wheat wine", and brewed with 11 different malts, this is a hard brew to wrap your brain (and palate) around. It's sweet, wheaty, slightly boozy, and chewy. I was suffering a bit of palate fatigue by the time I got to try this one, so I can't offer any more tasting notes, but it's far enough off the beaten path that I'd suggest getting a sample first before you commit to a full mug of this nectar. Fans of extreme experimental beers should definitely give this one a shot.

Golden Valley - Oaked Tannenbomb: I was looking forward to this one, and even though it didn't taste anything like what I was expecting, I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. The delicious roasty malt base is still there, but some of the hop presence was exchanged for a bit of oaky goodness. Seems like a good trade to me.

Stay tuned for more as we have a chance to sample them. Also be sure to check back tomorrow for a list of truly exciting new beers.

Quick Note: Abyss Release Date

I just received word from my Deschutes rep that the "Official Release" date for the new batch of The Abyss will be January 14, 2008, and not in December as previously reported. Not surprisingly, I've been told to expect a price increase as well. No word yet on how much of an increase, but I wouldn't be shocked to see it retailing for closer to $10 per bottle this year. Even at that price it's an amazing value for one of the world's best Imperial Stouts.

In other Deschutes news, the next beer in the Bond St. Series will be the new Green Lakes Organic Amber. Deschutes Founder Gary Fish describes it as "a classic amber ale using caramel and Munich malts for a nice color and six different varieties of hops. The reddish colored brew has a nicely balanced taste with a distinctive but restrained hop profile that includes Salmon-Safe certified Sterling hops."

More on Green Lakes on John Foyston's excellent blog.

In even more exciting news, keep your eyes peeled for Dissident, a Flemish Sour Red/Brown ale, scheduled to be released at some point after The Abyss. People will be freaking out over The Abyss, but I have a feeling Dissident is going to be the one to stock up on. I may be wrong, but I have a strong feeling that the crew in Bend is going to blow people's minds (and palates) with this one.

EDIT: I just received "real" pricing info from the distributor. Pricing is always somewhat variable once it hits the distributors in different states, but based on what I was quoted you can expect the beer to retail for $10-12 per bottle.

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!

New Arrivals For Friday 11.09.07

Just when you think the flood of new beers is going to subside, the Shelton Brothers unleash another torrent of tasty treats. Throw in some new regional craft beers and gift packs and you've got one big pile of new beer. Without further ado:

New U.S. craft brews:

Stone - Double Bastard 3 liter bottles: Same bastard, bigger bottle...are you worthy?

Lazy Boy - Mistletoe Bliss: The second beer from Lazy Boy to arrive in Oregon is their winter offering, Mistletoe Bliss. It's described as a brown ale on steroids, kissed with hints of cinnamon, spice and oranges to warm those cold winter nights.

Hale's - Wee Heavy: Hale's current seasonal is malty and warming, with a lingering hint of lip-smacking stickyness. Caramel, wood, and a touch of peaty smoke round out the flavor profile. Great sipper for cold nights.

Dogfish Head - Olde School Barleywine: Leave it to Dogfish Head to take an already extreme style and crank it up a notch. At 15% abv, the Old School is pushing the limits of alcohol, even for a barleywine. If memory serves, it can be pretty hot when fresh, but let it age for a year or two and it melds nicely like a potent, alcoholic stew.


New Italian Beers:

Birrificio Italiano - Scires: Commercial Description: Brewed by way of single step infusion. Bottom fermenting yeast is added to induce fermentation at 10°C (48°F). When attenuation reaches 50 %, it is blended with a combination of old and young sour beer that were fermented with lactic acid bacteria, wild yeast and black sweet cherries. The fermentation continues and the natural sugars from the malt and cherries are converted to alcohol. At the end of primay fermentation, fresh beer wort and top fermenting Saccharomyces Cerevisiae yeast are added. The beer is then bottled and sent to refermentation in a cold room at around 7°C (42°F). The refermentation lasts about 4 months. Translation: Fruity, sour, and pretty limited with only 16 bottles available.


New Swedish Beers:

NOTE: There's very little information available on these beers except the stuff on their website. If anyone speaks Swedish and wants to fill us in on Nils Oscar or Oppigards please do, otherwise we'll make do with some tasting notes from ratebeer.com.

Nil Oscar - India Pale Ale: This quote from Ompher, one of the top reviewers at Ratebeer: Hazy pale amber. Fruity nose with notes of something that reminds me of juniper/smoke. Richly hoppy, grassy and orangey. Complex flavourwise with wonderfully soft mouthfeel. Firm, yet loght bodied with notes of bread and cookies. Lingering bitter finish. Well balanced and excellently crafted.

Nils Oscar - Barleywine: Another quote from Ompher: Red-brown. Thick. Big maltiness. Complex, with very nice hop profile. This beer need some time to mature. When sampled fresh it is overly sweet, but after a year or so it has dried out and becomes a well balanced hop dominated barley wine.

Nils Oscar - Imperial Stout: One more quote from Ompher: Black. Chewy, full bodied. Complex with salty licquorice aroma. Nice bitterness.

Oppigards - Winter Ale: No commercial description, so here's a quote from Josh Oakes, editor and cheif of Ratebeer: Bright dark chestnut colour. Aroma is toffeeish, slightly hazelnutty, with earthy & brown sugary accents. Rich, earthy, woody, nutty body with toffeeish overtones and a slight hint of diacetyl. Toasty, sweet, "peculier" finish."


New British Beers:

Ridgeway - Criminally Bad Elf: Dark toffee and caramel flavors do time with an oaky astringency and a good dose of alcohol burn. Be careful with this one. At 10.5% it might make you do something stupid and end up like the little guy on the label.

Ridgeway - Insanely Bad Elf: The newest, biggest, baddest elf on the block is certifiably insane! It comes in at 11.2%abv and is billed as an imperial red ale. I can't find anything online about this brew, even on the importer's website, so you'll have to stop in and try one for yourself.

Ridgeway - Reindeer's Revolt: This is another brand spankin new beer from the folks at Ridgeway, and another one that I can't find any info on, so come on in and try it for yourself!


New French Beer:

La Choulette - Noel: I have fond memories of this one, but the intricacies of the flavor are lost in the dusty corners of my mind, so we'll just see what the brewers have to say. Stronger, fuller flavored version of the classic bière de garde. The New York Times just anointed this beer the ultimate bière de garde, and rightly so. It’s a rich, rare treat from one of France’s old guard craft breweries. I'm not sure when this quote was written, and I can't find anything in the Times that mentions it, so you'll have to take their word for it.


New Belgian Beer:

Pater Lieven - Kerst Pater: Here's another quote from Ompher to tide you over until you can taste it for yourself: Dark ruby, no head. Aroma of black currant. Sweet and malty with a hint of balsamic acidity as well as black cherries and raspberries. Roasty with notes of licorice. Salty finish. Complex and very good!

St. Bernardus - Christmas Ale: From the brewers: St. Bernardus Christmas Ale is the youngest descendant in the illustrious family of delicious Abbey Ales by Brewery St. Bernardus. This speciality beer of 10% alc. vol. is characterized by its deep dark colour, with a creamy, thick head and a full, almost velvety taste with a fruity nose. It's a seasonal ale, brewed annualy for the holiday season. The long winter nights are perfect moments to savour this ale with or without friends and to enjoy its unique, complex taste and after-taste.

Val-Dieu - Winter Ale: Apparently this is an identical recipe to the Val-Dieu Grand Cru. I'm not sure why anyone would distribute the same beer (to the same region) under two different names, but the Grand Cru is excellent

Christmas in Belgium Gift Box: This gorgeous box includes one bottle each of: De Ranke Pere Noel, Zinnebir Xmas, Serafijn Christmas Angel, Kerkom Winterkoninske, and Slapmutske Christmas. Some of these beers (like the Serafijn) are only available in this package, so grab one or two while you can.

St. Bernardus Gift Box: This popular gift set includes one bottle each of St. Bernardus Pater 6, Prior 8, Abt 12, Tripel, and a St. Bernardus Chalice to enjoy them from. It's priced similarly to what a 4 pack of bottles would cost, so essentially you get the glass for free!

Whew! Now I have to figure out which one to drink first. Have a great weekend, and don't forget about the Hair of the Dog dock sale tomorrow.

H.O.T.D. Fred #1 on eBay

Are looking for the ultimate present for the Oregon beer lover on your gift list? I really don't think you could top this: a full, unopened, autographed case of Hair of the Dog Fred, Batch #1. The starting bid is a reasonable $850 + shipping, which works out to roughly $35 per bottle. Considering that somebody paid $40 for a single bottle last year during our little Katrina Relief auction, $35 a bottle for an unopened (did I mention autographed?) case isn't too bad.

Dangerous Toys

Dangerously fun, anyway...

I don't recall who pointed this auction out to me, but this is quite possibly the perfect marriage of technology and beer. The Gamerator plays over 180 retro arcade games while dispensing your favorite draught beer from the built in tap handle.

It's probably best that I don't have room for one of these, it's hard enough to find the motivation to leave the house in the winter, and this thing would turn me into a total hermit. Or a drunken (video game) master. Hmm, on second thought, maybe I DO need one!

New Arrivals For Tuesday 11.06.07

Todays' delivery brings us some of the most sought after beer of the season, so let's not waste time on idle chit chat...

Anchor - Our Special Ale 2007 (aka Anchor Christmas): This one's a mystery every year, but thankfully the rep brought a sample bottle the other day (Thanks, Brady!), so we got to try it before bringing it in. This year's recipe has less of the nutmeg/clove combo and features more earthy, spruce needle flavors. Quite tasty now, and it seems like it will be a tasty vintage to lay down for a few months or more. Available in 12oz bottles, 1.5ltr magnums, and draft for a limited time.


Stone - Double Bastard: Ye shall know the Bastard, and the Bastard shall set you free! If you've never heard of Double Bastard, or the "regular" Arrogant Bastard, then this beer probably isn't for you. Clocking in at 10% abv it isn't quite double the arrogance, but it's enough to knock you down a peg or two if you're not careful. Available for a VERY limited time in 22oz bottle and 3 ltr Jeroboams.


Lagunitas - Cappuccino Stout: This welcome addition to the holiday beer calendar is brewed with Sebastapol Coffee. Big buzz, small price. What more could you ask for?


Mad River - John Barleycorn: One of my favorite barleywines, and reasonably priced too. Best of all, it's organic, so you can feel good about saving the planet while drinking it.


Beer Valley - Pigskin Pale Ale: Brand new, we'll let you know as soon as we've tried it.


Beer Valley - Highway to Ale: Also brand new. Check back soon for an update.


That's it for now. If you happen to read this in the next couple hours be sure and pop in for the first in our series of Winter Beer Tastings. Tonight's tasting includes Deschutes Jubelale, Big Sky Powderhound, Lost Coast Winterbraun, Golden Valley Tannenbomb, New Belgium 2 Below, Pyramid Snow Cap, Sam Smiths Winter Welcome Vintage 2006, and the new St. Peter's Winter Ale. As usual, we'll have sale prices on the tasting beers throughout the evening.

Heater-Allen Brewing in McMinnville

I've been hearing rumblings about this place for a while now, and Jeff's post on Beervana jogged my memory and reminded me I need to call them. After getting of the phone with the Rick Allen, the affable owner and brewer for Heater-Allen, I have some good news and some bad news.

The good news is that he seems to be producing some great lagers and has been selling the beer almost as fast as he can brew it. The bad news, at least for us, is that he doesn't have enough suds to support a market like Portland. On a brighter note, I was told they have plans to upgrade from their current 20 gallon (not barrels, gallons) system to a "real" 7bbl system in the next few months. This should allow them to support Portland and possibly other areas as well.

I'll do my best to bring in the beers as soon as they can supply them, but in the meantime you'll have to take a voyage to McMinnville and buy them directly from the source. Just be sure to call first as availablility is extremely limited.

Many people lament the lack of lagers in our beery landscape, especially since the demise of Saxer, so these guys will definitely be a welcome addition to the scene.