New Arrivals For Friday May 2, 2008

Mmm...Beer. The weather looks promising, and the coolers are full. We've got plenty of lighter summer offerings in stock, and if you feel like bucking the weather trend we've got a couple heavy-hitting dark beers for you to consider as well. Here's the newest offerings, roughly order from lightest to darkest.

NEW BEER!

Boulder - Sweaty Betty: Boulder's summer seasonal is often overlooked, but if you're a fan of Widmer (or Pyamid) Hefeweizen it's definitely worth a try. Light citrusy hop notes rise up and accentuate the hazy, smooth beer.

Cascade Lakes Pine Marten Pale: The Pine Marten isn't seasonal, but after changing distributors a few months ago we've finally got it back in PDX. It's chock full of piney hops riding a wave of bready, slightly toasty malt. Imagine walking the hills west of Redmond in the spring, while nibbling on a fresh baguette. Yeah. That sounds good.

Alesmith - IPA: This rare treat only makes a couple appearances per year in Portland, so it's always worth mentioning it when it comes in. I drank one last night and I remembered why I love it so much; the hops practically leaped out of the bottle before I could even pour the thing. Smooth and aromatic with a dry, clean finish, this is a great example of how San Diego does IPA. We only got a couple cases, so come and grab one before I drink it all.

Golden Valley - Geist Bock: Geist is German for ghost, and Golden Valley's tribute to the pale bock style is a deliciously unusual choice for a summer seasonal. It's strong like a doppelbock, but pale as a helles, and finishes clean and smooth like a lager should.

Deschutes - Hop Henge: Given the recent hop shortage, I'm glad to see Deschutes hasn't skimped on the hops, or scratched this recipe entirely. It's huge, but balanced. So balanced in fact that the only real complaints you'll see in theratings is that it doesn't taste "imperial enough", meaning it doesn't tear your palate apart with hops or fusel alcohol flavors. Any beer that's pushing 10% and manages to drink like it's 7% is OK in my book.

Brasserie Huyghe - Delirium Noel: I'm not sure what the hold up on this was, or why we didn't get any before Christmas, but better late than never. The Noel falls roughly in between the Delirium Tremens and Nocturnum. It pours dark amber with a big fluffy head, and is loaded with everything you love about Belgian Christmas beers; dark fruit, spices, and yeasty bread flavors wash over your tongue in an ever-changing medley of tastiness. This brew also cellars well, and it may not arrive in time for Christmas this year, so you may want to consider buying a couple to stash for a special holiday meal.

Hale's - Pikop Andropov Imperial Stout: At "only" 7.5% this is on the lighter end of the imperial stout spectrum, but that just means you can drink more of it. The dark (inky) black body releases dark fruit flavors and aromas of coffee and bitter chocolate. The finish lingers forever and leaves you with roasted coffee and hop bitterness. Pikop one today.

Alesmith - Speedway Stout: There's really nothing I can say about Speedway that hasn't already been said. If the name is familiar to you, you know how incredible it is. If the name means nothing I'd suggest clicking the link and reading all the rave reviews (over 900 to date!) that are posted on ratebeer.

Alesmith - Decadence 2007 Imperial Porter: I'll have to let the fine reviewers at ratebeer describe this one because I ahven't had a chance to try it yet. We were only able to get 24 bottles, and we like to "spread the love", so we kindly ask that you limit yourself to one bottle per person, per visit.


I think that's it for today, and there's no event notices to mention, other than the grand opening of a new brewpub downtown, but I'm sure you've already heard about that. Have a good weekend, and enjoy the sunshine while you can!