New Arrivals, Special Releases, and Lots of Events

After a big lull in new arrivals we've been deluged with stuff in the last couple of days. Some are seasonal things we've been expecting for a while, some are hotly anticipated special releases, and one is so limited that we've been forced to put a bottle limit on it.

We also have a bunch of fun events lined up for Oregon Craft Beer Month, so keep reading all the way to the end.

New American Craft Beers:

Full Sail Brewing - Black Session (or is it "Session Black?") - A little bolder, a little stronger, and a little darker, but still easy drinking enough that you can have several of them over the course of a session without burning out your palate or filling your gut.

Victory - Hop Wallop 22oz: The same great imperial IPA that you all know and love, now available in bombers so you can get walloped with friends. (why does that sound dirty?)

Laurelwood - Wry Pale Ale: The latest seasonal 22oz bottle from Chad Kennedy and crew is a bright, crisp pale ale accented with rye malt for a little earthy, spicy kick. This one's on deck for after work, so I'll update this post if it's particularly noteworthy.

Red Branch - Honey Red: The latest brew from this innovative Meadery/brewery is an Irish-style red ale with 25% honey to lend a little sweetness to the body.

Anderson Valley - Summer Solstice and Poleeko Gold in cans!: The same great Booneville beer, now in a more outdoor-friendly package so you can have Bahl Hornin! on the beach, river, or top of Mt. Hood.

Sierra Nevada - Kellerweis: If you pay any attention to the big beer geek websites you've probably aware of all the people practically freaking out over this seemingly simple, unpretentious brew. There's a good reason for it; underneath the "I want extreme" exterior, most beer geeks crave something easy drinking and flavorful on occasion, and there are few styles more delicious and refreshing than a well-crafted Hefe. Sierra Nevada's version is about as authentic as you can get without heading to Bavaria, and since it's brewed here in the States (instead of being shipped over from Germany) it's got a 6-8 week head start in the freshness department. This should be a staple in everyone's fridge (along with Black Session) for at least the duration of the summer.

Flying Dog - Woody Creek White: I haven't had this one yet, but one of our regular, wit-loving customers has given it his thumbs up. According to him there's a great spice presence without being over-done or soapy.

New Old Lompoc - Heaven's Helles: Lompoc's first foray into limited seasonal runs is their light, summery lager. It's got a heck of a lot more flavor than it's 4.5% abv would lead you to believe, but it's light-bodied enough that you can easily polish of a 22oz bottle and still have room for dinner.

21st Amendment - Brew Free or Die IPA and Hell or High Watermelon in cans!: These great additions to the canned craft cooler (which is growing rapidly), provide two more options for your outdoor or backyard adventures. As you may or may not know, the Hell or High Watermelon (formerly known as 21st Amendment Watermelon Wheat) has been the number one selling beer (by volume) at the OBF for several years in a row. This might have something to do with the blazing weather the last few years, or the dearth of lighter options in the trailers full of IPAs, or maybe people just really, really like watermelon. Whatever the case, you can rest easy knowing that when they run out at the festival you can pop in and grab a six pack.

Laughing Dog - Huckleberry Cream: The name pretty much sums it up. "Hucky Cream" is light, smooth, and full of dark, semi-sweet berry character.

Lagunitas - Lucky 13: Imperial Red? American Strong Ale? Whatever it is, it's good. Available for a limited time only.

Bison Brewing - Honey Basil: This pale golden brew is light, a little sweet, and has an interesting earthy/herbal basil note that springs up as the brew warms. Judging by the buzz on the blogosphere this was well received at the NAOBF last weekend, and the bottles have been flying out of the cooler ever since. I'm pretty sure this is a limited, seasonal brew, although it does have a different UPC code* than all the other Bison brews, so it could be a year-round offering. *One of these days I'll get around to writing a giant rant on why I despise overlapping UPC codes (I'm looking squarely at you, Rogue), but today is not that day.


We finally have a brewery from Missouri in our coolers that doesn't have AnhueserBusch (or InBev) on the label. I posted a sneak preview picture a month or two ago after I tried them at a distributor open house, so it's no real surprise that they're here, but I thought I'd mention it because lots of people have been waiting for them.

Boulevard - Sixth Glass Quadrupel: Big, dark, strong, and mysterious. Click here for an explanation of the name.

Boulevard - Long Strange Tripel: A little on the sweet side of the tripel spectrum, which should work to it's benefit if you plan on aging it, but it's plenty delicious right now.

Boulevard - Saison: A golden, effervescent Saison made with Amarillo hops, two-row pale malt, wheat, and a pinch of corn.

Boulevard - Double Wide IPA: A big ol' palate wrecker of an IPA, perfect for sipping while you wait out the tornados in your life...

BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE! (apologies to the late Billy Mays...)


New Imports:

Rodenbach and Rodenbach Grand Cru return! After an almost two year absence from our shelves, the classic Flemish sours are back. I was really, really hoping that the distributor would pull through and get a keg to us in time for Puckerfest, but bottles are better than nothing I suppose.

Steenbrugge - Blonde, Witbier, Dubbel, Tripel: I haven't had any of these since they were available in 11.2oz bottles a few years ago, but if memory serves they're all well-crafted, clean versions of their respective styles. Not quite as complex or challenging as the Chimay's and Rochefort's of the world, but they're quite a bit less expensive so I guess you get what you pay for.

Casa Beer (Morocco): Casa (aka Cascablanca) is a typical "tropical lager" brewed for places with hot weather pretty much all year. There's not a lot going on, but if you're having a Moroccan/North African dinner party it'll make a great accompaniment.

Redstone Meadery - Nectar of the Hops: I haven't had a chance to try this yet, but if you can't wait until July 6th (when the founder of Redstone will be here) you can stop in and grab a bottle of this dry-hopped mead.


Special/Limited Releases:

North Coast - Barrel-aged Old Rasputin XXII: Tastes like you squeezed an evil dictator into a barrel and left him to stew for a few months. Or not. Limited to 2 bottles perperson due to extremely limited supply.

Stone - 13th Anniversary Ale: Supposedly their hoppiest beer to date, the 13th Anniversary brew pours a rich coppery color, throws hop aroma in your face like a walk through the Yakima Valley, and carries more bitterness than a Chicago Cubs fan...

Oregon Trail Bourbon Porter (batch 5): They didn't make very much of the OT Bourbon Porter this year, and I'm not sure how long it'll last, so grab it while you can.

Deschutes Black Butte XXI: Deschutes' 21st birthday present to us takes everything you know and love about Black Butte and cranks it up like only a rebellious 21 year old could. Partially aged in bourbon barrels to give it an added layer of complexity. Side note: I drank a bottle of BBXX a few nights ago and it's tasting delicious, so consider breaking out a bottle from last year and putting it side by side with this one for comparison.

Bridgeport - Stumptown Tart: I haven't had a chance to try this year's version yet, but I'm curious to see how it compares to last year's marionberry version. At 8+%abv it'll definitely be a night capper. Stop in on Thursday from 6-8pm and you can try a free sample for yourself along with the rest of their bottled line-up.


Events and Tastings


THURSDAY JULY 2 6-8PM. BRIDGEPORT TASTING & MEET THE BREWER. Sample the just released Stumptown Tart and the entire lineup from this 25 years running Portland craft brewer. One of the brewers will be on hand to guide you. This year's Stumptown Tart is a blend of wheat ale with 50% aged in wood and 50% ale infused with Oregon Sour Pie cherries.

TUESDAY JULY 7 6-8PM CANNED CRAFT BEER TASTING. In many ways the can is a better storage medium for beer than a bottle. The can doesn't leak at the cap, it completely blocks light, it's lightweight, etc. At long last when you choose cans you don't have to drink industrial generibrew. Now we have Caldera Amber, Pale Ale, & IPA, Oskar Blues Dales Pale Ale, Old Chub Scottish Ale, & Gordon Imperial Red Ale, Big Sky Moose Drool & Troutslayer, 21st Amendment Brew Free or Die IPA & Hell or High Watermelon, and New Belgium Fat Tire. Sample them all fresh from the can tonight!

WEDNESDAY JULY 8 6-8PM Redstone Mead Tasting. Restone Meadery Founder, David Myers, will be here offering samples of several varieties of his award winning mead, including the new Nectar of the Hops. We will also have Nectar of the Hops on draft in the Biercafe, I mean Meadcafe (well, briefly!)

JULY 10 - 16: 3RD ANNUAL PUCKERFEST--A celebration of Sour Beers. July 10-16 in the Belmont Station Biercafe. Featuring very special kegs from Cantillon, Russian River, The Bruery, Double Mountain, Cascade Brewing, New Belgium, Ommegang, Roots, Deschutes, and more!

FRIDAY JULY 10 6PM Puckerfest Opening night with Double Mountain. Brewer Matt Swihart. Matt will bring kegs of Devils Kriek (Sour beer with Bing Cherries) and Rainier Kriek (guess what cherries are in this one) and some of the cherries used in both so you can taste the cherries alongside the beer. BTW Matt also grew the cherries in his own orchards!

MONDAY JULY 13 6-8PM Cascade Brewing Night. Brewer Curtis Bain will offer some free tastes of several of Cascade's Northwest Sour Beers. Nightfall Blackberry Ale and "Barrel 323" (an un-blended Northwest Sour barrel aged for 14 months) will be on draft.

TUESDAY JULY 21 6-8PM. HEATER ALLEN TASTING & MEET THE BREWER.
Owner/brewer Rick Allen of this McMinnville, OR craft brewer will offer tastes of his wide range of German style beers. Plus we'll have Coastal Common, Pils, and a special surprise on draft.

FRIDAY JULY 24 (OBF Weekend) 3PM. Rogue Brewmaster John Maier will tap a keg of John John: Dead Guy Ale aged in a Rogue Dead Guy Whisky Barrel. We'll also have the superb Rogue Charlie on draft.



That's all for now! Enjoy the weather while it lasts, and don't forget to bring a 6pk of craft-brewed cans with you as you venture outside.