New Arrivals For Tuesday, 2.12.08

It's been a while since we've gotten enough new beers to justify writing one of these, and this is a great collection that runs the gamut from delicate and spicy to huge and bracing. Without further ado...


New Beers From America:

Rogue - Imperial Red: - The latest beer in Rogue's XS Series (in the ceramic bottles) is an imperial red ale. Rogue was kind enough to put me on the guest list for their release party last Thursday, but unfortunately I was feeling under the weather and couldn't make it, so now I'll have to buy a bottle. Knowing Rogue, I'd expect a big caramelly malt backbone supporting a huge hop charge. Stay tuned to more...

Brideport - Barrel-Aged Old Knucklehead: For the twelfth bottling of the venerated Old Knucklehead, Bridgeport decided to take it up a notch and age it for several months in Jack Daniels barrels. Aging in Kentucky whiskey barrels adds some subtle notes of vanilla and wood, with a nice healthy dose of alcohol underneath. With barrel aging rapidly becoming "the thing" for 2008 it was only a matter of time before Bridgeport did something like this, and I'm glad they pulled it off so well. It seems like the sleeping beast has finally woken up...

Bayern Mini Kegs: Bayern is "rolling out the barrel" with their new 5 liter mini-kegs. The first two to arrive are the Dancing Trout Kristallweizen and their crisp, delicious Pilsner. The only drawback to these (and minikegs in general) is that they allow oxygen to enter the unit as you dispense the beer, so you'll lose some carbonation and a little flavor if you try to save them for more than 24 hours after tapping. That being said, these are great for smaller gatherings, camp outs, or any other time when you can consume the 10 pints in one session.

Stone - Old Guardian Barleywine: Stone's annual releases are always hot (some in more ways than one), and the "OG" is no exception. Strong, boozy, hoppy, and oh so warming in the belly, this is the beer to have when you're only having one. Actually, you could split a bottle between two people and still find yourself with rosy cheeks and an improved outlook on life. We've also got the Guardian on tap in the BierCafe right now, so feel free to stop over there first and get a glass to sip on while you shop for more.

Sierra Nevada - Bigfoot: I probably should have elaborated a bit on Friday (the post looks kind of snarky now that I re-read it), but if you don't already know and love Bigfoot you're probably living in a cafe somewhere in Afghanistan and not reading this blog anyway. Anyhow, this is one of those rare seasonals that people come asking for long after we've run out, so this year we loaded up on as much as they'd sell us

New Beers From Belgium:

Fantome - Noel: Just in time for Christmas! Seriously though, it's always nice to get soomething from one of the funkiest little breweries in Belgium, and this is no exception. You never know what's going to be inside one of these, but if my memory serves correctly the Noel tends towards the darker, sweeter end of the Fantome spectrum. They probably taste good right now, but true lovers of Fantome will know to hold on to this for at least a few months in order to let the house funk develop.


Drie Fontenien - Beersel Lager: This gorgeous unfiltered lager is apparently bursting with lovely citrusy hop flavors and has just a bit of a tang to the finish. This is a collaborative effort between Armand Debelder and Frank Boon (brewed at the excellent De Proef brewery), and I must say I'm extremely curious to see what two of the best brewers in the lambic world are capable of when they go outside their comfort zone.


De Graal - Blonde: This is the first time anything from this brewery has been imported to Oregon, so none of us have had a chance to try them yet. Once our crack team of beer tasters has had a chance to work through them I'll post our findings, but for now feel free to click on the links and see what the Ratebeer collective has to say about them.

De Graal - Tripel: Spicy, golden, you know the deal.

De Graal - Dubbel: Dark, malty, and probably delicious.

De Graal - Triverius: If anyone knows the origin of the name I'd be happy to hear it. I can't find anything online other than references to this beer, and it seems an unusual choice of name for what is presumably a standard witbier...

De Graal - Speciale: This one falls in the catch-all category of "Belgian Strong Ale" but the ratings seem to indicate that it's more of a brown ale.

De Graal - Gember: On a side note, this is probably the one I'm most curious to try. I'm a big fan of spicy ginger root, as well as Belgian beer, so this will probably be the first one I take home for evaluation.


New Beers From Germany:

Kapuziner - Schwarz-Weizen: A cross between a black lager and a hefeweizen, which I guess makes it a dunkelweizen. I'm envisioning some roasty malt character and an effervescent finish with notes of fruit and spices. Anyone who's been lamenting the recent loss of Weihenstephan Dark and Erdinger Dark in the Oregon market should definitely give this one a try.


New Beers From the Czech Republic:

LEV - Lion Lager: This tasty Bohemian pilsner was one of my favorite lawnmower beers when I started at the store 3+ years ago, and it's nice to see the whole line return after almost 2 years off the market. Perhaps the best thing about this brewery is that the exchange rate still works in our favor and allows us to carry a quality beer like this for under $3 per pint size bottle.

LEV - Black Lion: A classic Eastern European style dark lager. Sweet malts and coffee flavors intermingle on the way to an off-dry, lightly hopped finish. Yummy!

LEV - Lion Pale Double Bock: Nothing complicated about this one, just a good clean lager ramped up in ABV to give you slightly more bang for the buck. Clean, grainy malts and a grassy hop finish precede a nice little warming sensation that will probably hit around mid-bottle.