New Arrivals and Event Notices

There's been a slow, steady trickle of new beers over the last few days, and a couple of exciting special releases, so I figured it was time for a new beer round-up. We've also added a couple fun events to the calendar; details on those follow the list of new beers.

New American Craft Brews:

• Deschutes Mirror Mirror Barleywine - Arguably one of Deschutes' first (and some would say best) forays into "extreme beer", the first batch of Mirror Mirror was released back in the spring of 2006. Clocking it at 11.5%abv (up from 10% last time) and aged in a variety of barrels, it has been an elusive, sought-after beast ever since it first hit the market, causing almost hyperbolic raves on the local BeerAdvocate and Ratebeer forums. Supplies are limited, so we've instituted a 6 bottle per person limit through Saturday. If there's any left on Sunday it'll be fair game. They state on their website that it will be "best after April 2010", so try and save a bottle or two and see how it evolves...
  
• Deschutes Red Chair IPA - The newest release in the 22oz Bond St. series is big on hop flavor and aroma, but low on the bitterness. It's perfect for those times when you want to satiate a hop craving without totally blowing out your palate for the rest of the day.
  
• Widmer 84/09 Double Alt - This imperialized version of the Brothers' original brew is big, bold, and yet still refined. They didn't make much, and it won't last long, so grab it while you can.
  
• Lagunitas 2009 Correction Ale - A pale hoppy beer from Lagunitas? Who'da thunk? Seriously though, this is a great little (big) beer. Pale, clean, and with a nice fruity hop note. Call it Hop Stoopid Light, call it a tweaked version of Kill Ugly Radio, but whatever you do, don't call it an Imperial IPA.
  
• Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy - This is Leinie's take on the beer/lemonade concoction known as a radler or shandy. In Germany this blend is especially favored by bikers (radler is German for Bicyclist) and other outdoor enthusiasts because if it's light refreshing character and lower alcohol content. The Leinenkugel's version is a 4.2% lightly filtered hefeweizen flavored with lemonade and "natural flavors." While not a true 50/50 blend of beer and lemonade it hits the mark pretty well and will make a nice light yard work beer.
  
• Boulder Sweaty Betty - Boulder summer offering is a pleasant, unfiltered wheat beer with a slight citrusy character and a smooth finish.
  
• Lost Coast Tangerine Wheat - This was one of Lost Coast's offerings at the 2009 Spring Beer and Wine Fest, so some of you may have had it on tap. I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but ratebeerian GodOfThunder describes it thusly, "The aroma is light and full of sweet tangerine fruitiness. The flavors are the same. Thin mouthfeel, light, refreshing, fruity and actually comforting. Reminds me of a tangerine mimosa. I like this a lot, and I am surprised. This would be great for a day at the beach. Nothing bad about it." Sounds good to me...
• Bison Single IPA (Willamette) - I can truly appreciate what Bison is trying to do with this series from an educational standpoint, but this is probably my least favorite of the single hop series thus far. Willamette hops have a very grassy, earthy, herbal aroma which usually works pretty well in understated British-style IPAs, but in this case I think the excessively grassy character is poorly suited to the Werst Coast-style base beer they've created. That said, I would still recommend that anyone with a passing interest in brewing try a bottle of this, if only to gain insight into the nuances of this classic American hop variety.
  
• Widmer Hefeweizen 5 Liter Minikegs - The same classic hefe that started the "American Wheat Beer" trend, now in a 5 liter "minikeg" that's perfect for barbeques, beach parties, or a long day of home brewing in the sunshine...
  

New Imports:

• Kostritzer Schwarzbier - This classic Schwarzbier dropped off of the distribution lists for a couple of years, but it's beack and just as delicious as always. If you've never ahd a Schwarz, this is a great into to the style. It's also a fun beer to hand someone when they give you the old "I don't drink those dark beers because they're too heavy" screed. Light on the palate, with just a hint of hops and roasty malt.
• Guinness 250th Anniversary - Speaking of schwarzbiers, Guinness has unveiled a new beer to commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the lease on their flagship brewery in St. James Gate. It's supposedly a "stout", but it's actually more of a brown ale/schwarzbier hybrid with a transparent brown hue and only the slightest hints of roasty malt character.
  
• Saison 1900 - This is a pretty nice little saison. A little "bubblegummy" yeast character sets it apart from some of the others in the style, but it's pretty light and easy drinking. At roughly 5%abv it's a bit easier on the liver than some of the stronger saisons as well.
  
• Three Horses Lager - Canned beer from Madagascar. Again, it's probably a typical tropical yellow beer, but how often do you see beer from Madagascar?
  
• Saigon Lager - I haven't had this one yet, but I assume it's a typical hot weather lager. It does add one more country to the list, and we've already had a few customers snatch some up to fit their Vietnamese dinner plans.
• Rialto Lager -Tropical lager from El Salvador. It's got a cool looking silk-screened bottle with Incan ruins on it, but there's not much going on inside.
• Sam Smiths Organic Fruit Ales - We received three new "organic hand-crafted fruit ales" from the venerable British brewer today: Strawberry, Raspberry, and Cherry. I haven't had a chance to try any of them yet, but Sam Smiths is known for high quality brew, and I wouldn't expect them to put these out unless they were solid.
  

Events and Stuff:

Monday May 4th 6-9pm: Trade Route Tasting/Meet The Brewer: Join Chris Castillo as he offers samples of Dragon King Lager, Mango Wiezen, Ginger Pale Ale, Panden Brown Ale, and the Brand new Infidel Kaffir Lime IPA. Choice Trade Route Draft in the Biercafe.

Wednesday May 13th 6-9pm: Barley Browns Tasting/Meet the Brewer. If you've ever been out to Baker City you know how great their beer is. Brewer Shawn Kelso will bring us some very special drafts for this big night in the Biercafe: WFOIPA, Tank Slapper Double IPA, 18 Month Aged Double Whiskey Malt Ale, and Armstrong Double Golden. Barley Browns beer on special in the Biercafe all day.


Off Site Events:

May 1 and 2: Portland Cheers to Belgian Beers at the West Side Lucky Lab. Full beer list and details are available at the Oregon Brewers Guild site.

Saturday May 9th 2-6pm: Fredfest 2009 takes place at the Hair of the Dog brewery. Join 250 of Portland's beer community in celebrating Fred Eckhardt's birthday. Details and tickets available at the Fred Fest site.

That's all for now. Have a safe and happy weekend!

New Arrivals and Upcoming Events

As of 6pm (Friday 2/6) we still had a few bottles of Full Sail Black Gold left, but I doubt it'll be here tomorrow so don't delay if you're planning on coming in for some. The Black Gold may have garnered all the hype this week, but it's far from the only good beer to arrive in the last few days.

New Arrivals:

Lagunitas - Cruising With Ruben and the Jets: You may remember this beer from the Holiday Ale Fest. Then again, if you had more than a few samples of the potent libations present at the fest you might not remember much of anything. In any case, it's an imperial stout with cacao and white peppercorns. I had one yesterday and didn't get much chocolate other than the "bitter chocolate" malt character typical in most stouts, but the white pepper added a nice little zing to the finish. This is also the last beer in the Zappa series, so if you're collecting them all you won't want to miss the final entry in the collection.

Wolaver's - Pat Leavy's All American Ale: This well balanced pale is the first in a series of beers from Wolavers that seeks to focus attention on the farmers who provide them with raw materials. Pat Leavy is a hop grower from Aurora who's been working with Wolavers to produce organic hops that are otherwise unavailable or to costly to ship from over seas.

Heater Allen - Abzug: I haven't had a chance to drink this one yet, but Rick Allen describes it as "A low-alcohol (3.8%abv) Vienna lager packed with oodles of flavor." A good analogue would probably be the low abv "table beers" brewed for consumption by monks and farm workers in Belgium.

Aspall - Perronelle's Blush Cider: (commercial description) A twist on the classic Kir Royale – champagne and crème de cassis replaced by cider and a hint of blackberry juice. Named after Perronelle Chevallier‐Guild and her rosy red cheeks. Perronelle is the grandmother of Barry & Henry Chevallier‐Guild, the eighth generation family management of Aspall. Perronelle was a founding member of the UK Soil Association and was also known to pole‐vault across the moat that surrounds the family home. The color is deep blush suggestive of dark summer fruit, with a rich appearance. There is a subtle blackberry aroma with a hint of traditional cider apple. Deceptively smooth with a silky but refreshing palate, Blush offers a perfect blend of sweetness and acidity. It has a lovely mouth feel and a lingering aftertaste of berries.

Anchor - Bock: (commercial description) Bock beer, released in celebration of the arrival of spring, is an ancient and mysterious part of the brewing tradition. Over time, the term "bock" has come to mean a beer darker and stronger than the brewery's regular brew. This is the first time we have brewed a bock at Anchor Brewing Co., and we hope you will find it to be a rich and flavorful addition to our offerings. San Francisco's Anchor Bock Beer is virtually handmade by the brewers of Anchor Steam® Beer, in one of the most traditional small breweries in the world. It is brewed from a complex blend of the finest barley malts, wheat malts, and fresh whole hops.

New Belgium - Lips of Faith Dark Kriek: I think this one has potential, but it feels like it's not quite done yet. It's beautiful to behold; a dark garnet body, wispy head, and good lacing down the glass. It smells delicious too, but after that things start going south. It's too sweet for a kriek, at least compared to any traditional example, which lead one person who sampled from my bottle to refer to it as "unfermented cherry juice aged in a barrel." I'm not sure if it's bottle conditioned (there wasn't any visible yeast in the bottle) or whether a few months of age would help, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to try. It will most likely appeal to folks who love sweet, fruity drinks like the Lindeman's line of lambics, but people who want something tart, sour, and woody should look elsewhere.

New Belgium - Mighty Arrow Pale Ale:

Pyramid - Rollick: (commercial description) Smooth malty character balanced with a gracious quantity of hops make this copper-colored offering the perfect beer to celebrate your first rollicking spring adventure.

Erie Brewing - Drake's Crude Oatmeal Stout:

Buffalo Bill's - Blueberry Oatmeal Stout: I was skeptical, and I'm still not going to buy it regularly, but I've got to admit that this is a lot better than I expected it to be. The blueberry flavor tastes more natural than synthetic, and the 7.5% abv is well hidden in the roasty, fruity body

St Louis - Gueuze Fond Tradition:

Deschutes - Hop Henge Experimental IPA: I'm not sure what they're experimenting with, but it's tasty. A sweet "hop candy" body acts as a vessel for floral, earthy, citrusy goodness. The finish is sticky with resiny hops, but surprisingly it doesn't come across as cloying. One unsubstantiated claim I read on BeerAdvocate was that the beer was spiked with brettanomyces before bottling, but an IPA seems like an odd choice for such an experiment. You'd also expect Deschutes to mention something about that on the bottle in order to alert people to the fact that the beer will get funky and musty if left to age, otherwise they run the risk of angering and confusing people who pop one open and expect a hoppy delight.

Southern Oregon Brewing - Pale Ale: description coming soon...

Southern Oregon Brewing - Gold Ale: description coming soon...

Southern Oregon Brewing - Porter: description coming soon...

Sierra Nevada - Torpedo Extra IPA: At 7.2% it's slightly bigger than a regular IPA, but smaller than an imperial IPA, hence "extra" IPA. It's almost like a cross between their Pale Ale and Celebration; hugely floral and bitter, but light-bodied and easy drinking. It's been out-selling just about everything in the store since it came in, and shows no signs of slowing down. I'm curious to see where the sales will level out at, and whether or not they can keep up with demand.

Sierra Nevada - Bigfoot Barleywine: After 20+ years in production this beer needs no introduction, but I figured I'd mention it for the sake of those who haven't been in lately.

Panty Dropper Ale: You've probably seen tap handles for the Panty Dropper around town, or perhaps at the Spring Beer and Wine Fest. It's a solid pale ale, and now that there are bottles (with a provacative image) to accompany the name I'm sure you'll be hearing about it more often. I'm pretty sure we're the only place east of the river that has this in bottles, so stop on by and get some panty dropping goodness!

Laughing Dog - Alpha Dog: An imperial IPA with bite! This debuted at our Laughing Dog tasting last month, and when I tried it there it was enough to make my shiver. It's been a long time since I drank something that was so bitterly hoppy that it made the sides of my mouth pucker. At that point all I could say was, "Whoa!" I'll try a bottle this weekend and see if the experience translates to the bottled product.


Returning Favorites:

Mikkeller - Beer Geek Breakfast: Imperial oatmeal stout with coffee. Mmm...coffee and oatmeal. If someone could figure out a way to get bacon flavor into the mix it might be the perfect breakfast food.

Victory - Old Horizontal: Victory's barleywine is always a welcome addition to the line-up. It's a little hot now, but a few months in the cellar will cure that.

Victory - Hop Wallop: One of the hoppiest beers on the east coast finds it's way back to our side of the country. If I remember correctly it's kind of thin bodied, but delicious.

Fuller's - London Porter: Classic London porter, now in 16oz cans!


Upcoming events:

THURSDAY FEB. 12 6-8PM IMPORT TASTING. Acclaimed Importers Merchant Du Vin will offer up tastes of Samuel Smith's Winter Welcome Ale, Samuel Smith's Organic Cider, Lindemans Framboise, Lindemans Pomme Lambic, Pinkus Jubilate & Westmalle Trappist Tripel. Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock on draft.

TUESDAY FEB. 17 6-8PM FISH TALE ALES TASTING & Anniversary Ale Release. Your chance to score a few bottles of this year's very limited Fish Tale Anniversary Ale (also known as Ten Squared). Plus taste the full line of Fish Tale Ales: Fish Organic IPA, Organic Wild Salmon Pale Ale, Organic Amber, Detonator Doppelbock, & Old Woody. A rare keg of Ten Squared on Draft.

THURSDAY FEB 19 6-8PM, SIERRA NEVADA TASTING. Taste 2009 Bigfoot, Torpedo IPA, ESB, & Porter. Bigfoot and ESB on draft in the Biercafe.

WEDNESDAY FEB. 25 5-7pm FIRESTONE WALKER & NECTAR ALE TASTING. Taste the Union Jack IPA, Humboldt Hemp Ale, DBA, and Pale 31. Plus Nectar Ales IPA & Red Nectar. Hemp Ale on Draft.

I think that's all for now, so have a great weekend!

Recent Arrivals and Random Notes

We haven't had enough new arrivals on any given day to justify a full post, but I think we've received enough in the last 10 days to make it worth your time reading.

Many of you have been asking for the Laughing Buddha Beers, and it appears as though the brewery has been listening. We recently received our first shipment of beer from the Asian-inspired brewery, all of which are well-crafted and fairly unique. The initial line up contains 5 brews that run the gamut from light and crisp to dark and full-bodied:

• Purple Yam Porter - This is probably my favorite of the bunch. There's a hint of hint of candied yam flavor, but the thing that sticks with you is the subtle vanilla notes that linger on the palate after each sip. All the folks that keep asking for beers with vanilla in them owe it to themselves to give the Purple Yam a try.
  
• Ginger Pale Ale - A light-bodied, spicy pale ale with a ton of ginger zing. This beer is the perfect counterpoint to spicy dishes, or anything with wasabi in it.
  
• Mango Weizen - The whole "American wheat beer with fruit" thing has almost become a cliche; it seems like every brewpub has some mediocre example on hand to appeal to the non-beer drinking crowd. Thankfully, the LB Mango Weizen is a heck of a lot better than the insipid versions you so often find. The mango character is noticeable without being overwhelming, and the underlying beer is solidly constructed. If they brought this to the OBF I could see it giving 21st Amendment's Watermelon Wheat a run for the money.
  
• Dragon King Lager - This Asian-style lager is brewed with Saaz hops and crystal malts (no mention of rice) for that "Premium Lager" flavor. Added bonus: It's a heck of a lot fresher than the actual Asian stuff
• Pandan Brown Ale - To the best my knowledge I've never had anything with Pandan leaves in it before, so I wasn't not sure what to look for in terms of flavor, but I'll go out on a limb and assume it was the slightly sweet/nutty character. Combined with the slightly roasty malt character it makes for a wonderfully drinkable brown ale.
  

Other Recent Arrivals:

• Full Sail - Slipknot Imperial IPA
• Alaskan Brewing - Barleywine
• Nogne O - Dark Horizon (2nd Edition)
• Oskar Blues - Dale's Pale Ale
• Oskar Blues - Old Chub
• Oskar Blues - Gordon
• Cascade Brewing - Apricot

Coming (Very) Soon:

• Sierra Nevada - Bigfoot Barleywine
• Sierra Nevada - Torpedo Extra IPA
• Cascade Lakes - IPA

Last but not least, Fuller's London Pride, Porter, ESB, and Vintage Ale are back after a long absence!

Upcoming Events:

Imperial Stout Week in the Biercafe!

Each afternoon we'll tap a new limited edition Imperial Stout (or two). (many of the descriptions that follow are based on commercial descriptions from the brewery).


MONDAY JAN 26:
STRUISSE BLACK ALBERT - Brewed and crafted in Belgium with 100% Belgian ingredients. Aroma of bitter-sweet chocolate, fresh torrified coffee beans, barley, candy sugar, complex fruits, and floral hops. The after-taste is well balanced and shows a panorama of extreme sensations like chocolate and coffee bitters, a plum cake richness that covers the palate, and a crisp impression of hop bitters that brings elegance and freshness into this massive brew. 13% ABV Rated 100 on Rate Beer!

LAURELWOOD MOOSE & SQUIRREL - Dark as night, thick and rich. Big roast and coffee flavors dominate this beer. 8% ABV 55 IBUs O.G. 20º Plato

TUESDAY JAN 27:
ELLEZELLOISE HERCULE STOUT - Belgian Stout lagered for ten days in German oak casks. Very malty, but dry, with a hint of sweetness in the finish, and balanced hopping. It has a very distinctive and intoxicating spicy aroma of fresh spruce. This unique house character probably derives from the strains of yeast used by the brewery – and possibly from the fermentation in oak. Named for legendary detective Hercule Poirot. 9%ABV. Rated 98 on Rate Beer.

LAUGHING DOG DOGFATHER - 7 different malts and 4 hops give this big stout a complex flavor profile. Over 11 months in the making with a portion barrel aged. 11% ABV 71 IBU. Rated 98 on Rate Beer

WEDNESDAY JAN 28:
DESCHUTES ABYSS - You already know all about this beer. You just want more. 11%ABV.

VICTORY STORM KING - With a huge, Pacific Northwest hop aroma & character upfront, Storm King subsides into massive, roast malt complexity. Rich, substantial & complex. 9%ABV


Last Minute Cascade Lakes Tasting and Release Party:

Be the first to taste & buy this fine IPA from Cascade Lakes Brewing in Redmond, OR. Owning Partner Rick Orazetti will be on hand to offer samples of the IPA & Monkey Face Porter and give you the lowdown on the brews. Plus Skookum Creek Strong Ale on draught!

That's all for now, but if you catch this post in the next hour we're having an Alaskan Brewing tasting until 8pm. We'll be pouring samples of their full bottle line-up as well as serving 2007 and 2008 Smoked Porter, Barleywine, and White Ale on draught in the Biercafe.

Craft Beer Month Preview

A month of beer drinking, liver straining, palate bending fun is almost upon us. In addition to the NAOBF this weekend , there are over 120 beery happenings scheduled for the Month of July.

Roll Out the Barrels!

We'll be kicking things off one day early with 5 oak or barrel-aged beers going on tap at 5pm, Monday June 30th. 3 of the 5 beers are from Oregon, so I guess you could call it an Oregon beer event, but we'd prefer to think of it as the pay off for waiting several months for our new walk-in and draught system to be installed. Click here for more details...

Oregon Craft Beer Month Begins!

The festivities begin in earnest on Tuesday July 1 at the Horse Brass Pub. The folks at the Brass have searched high and low for the best that Oregon has to offer, including several rarities like Oak Aged Jubel and Bridgeport Hop Harvest.

Here's the details and a partial list of beers. Knowing Don, I'm sure he'll have a couple other surprises up his sleeve.

Tuesday, July 1st at 5:00 p.m.
Horse Brass Pub
4520 SE Belmont
Portland, OR 97215

• Bridgeport Brewing Co. 2007 - Hop Harvest Fresh Hop IPA
• Deschutes Brewery - Oak Aged Jubel
• Double Mountain Brewery and Taproom - Molten Lava Double IPA
• Eugene City Brewery - Track Town IPA
• Full Sail Brewing Co. - 2007 Vesuvius
• Hopworks Urban Brewery - Washoe Weizen
• Laurelwood Brewing Co. - Belgian NW Red Infrared
• Lompoc Brewing Co. - 2007 C-Son’s Greetings
• Mia & Pia’s - Whiskey Barrel Aged Barley Wine
• Mt. Hood Brewing - Wee Heavy - Cask
• Ninkasi Brewing Co. - Tricerahops - Dry Hopped in Keg - Cask
• Rock Bottom Brewery - Kolsch 55
• Rogue Ales - Imperial YSB
• Terminal Gravity Brewery - Tripel

Also on Tuesday July 1:

Rogue Ales kicks off the month by tapping a firkin of Latona Ale, the newest John's Locker Stock release. The Latona is a hazy, unfiltered amber ale brewed with a variety of specialty malts and hops for a delicious, complex flavor. The firkin gets tapped at 5pm, so you might want to head down there before going to the Brass.

Portland Distillery and Public House
1339 NW Flanders St., Portland
503-222-5910
www.rogue.com

Friday July 4th:

If you're heading to the northern section of the Oregon coast next weekend consider stopping by Astoria for some tasty beer and exploding things. Fort George Brewery will be hosting a 4th of July Parking Lot Party. "Join us as we celebrate the Nation's birthday! The city of Astoria puts on a display of fireworks on the waterfront which will be visible from our parking lot celebration!" The party starts at 6pm and runs until after the fireworks display.

Fort George Brewery and Public House
1483 Duane St., Astoria
503-325-PINT
www.fortgeorgebrewery.com


I think that's enough for today. For a huge (almost complete) list of Craft Beer Month events, pop on over to John Foyston's Oregonian blog. Tune in Monday for more highlights!

Last, but not least, we got our allotment of Deschutes Black Butte XX. It's going fast, even in this heat.

Roll Out The Barrels on Monday June 30th!

We've finally gotten the new walk-in finished, the system is dialed in, and we've got 16 glistening new Perlick taps just waiting to dispense some delicious beer. If you read the previous post you may recall that I said 12 taps, and maybe you're wondering where the four extra taps came from. It's simple; taps 1-12 will be filled with interesting, eclectic, rotating beers all year, and the other 4 are set aside for future growth and special events like the one you're reading about.

Anyway, enough jibba jabba; here's the details:

Join us Monday June 30th as we celebrate the Grand Opening (grand tapping?) of our new draught system. We'll have at least 5 oak or barrel aged beers on tap and perhaps some other surprises too! The event kicks off at 5pm, and the kegs will run until they're gone.

The Beers:

Ft. George Bourbon-aged Cavatica Stout: This was the centerpiece of Ft. George's Stout Month back in February, and we're happy we squirreled away a keg. It's rich, full bodied, and leaves a long trail of vanilla, bourbon, and oaky tannins as it glides across your palate and down the hatch.

They describe it as "an immense, bold, black as night, American-style beauty; there's nothing dry or Irish about it. The name reflects the brewer's affinity for arachnia. Be forewarned: this beer WILL stain your clothes."

Ft George Bourbon-aged Illuminator Doppelbock: A couple kegs of Illuminator have popped up around town, but this is quite the rarity. I've haven't had a chance to try it yet, so I called Chris Nemlowill (brewer/owner) yesterday to get a little more info. It was brewed last fall and modeled after the classic German beers that created and defined the style; Salvator, Celebrator, Optimator, but adds an extra dose of hops to help brace all the malt. Chris took it one step further and gave it the barrel treatment for several months and basically ignored it until spring.

He wanted the bourbon to integrate rahter than overwhelm the beer, so he used barrels that had previously held a batch of Cavatica, hoping that the first beer would have absorbed the bulk of the sweet brown liquor. However, after 6 months in the barrel he discovered that the Illuminator had become a bourbony beast of it's own, so it was blended with the remainder of the batch that had been resting quietly in stainless kegs all winter. The result: a malt-lovers dream come true. Waves of caramelly, fruity malts carry the subdued bourbon essence across the tongue, and a solid blast of hoppy bitterness keeps all the sugar in check.

Stone Oaked Bastard: This is the only beer that hasn't actually spent time in a barrel, but it's so good that we'll forgive Stone for simply using oak chips instead. Becoming a year-round bottled product hasn't dampened people's enthusiasm for the arrogant brew, but kegs of OAB are still a rare treat and we're happy to have one here to help us celebrate summer with our new system. On most days this would be a heavy hitter, but at only 7.2%abv, this will probably be the most "sessionable" beer in the line-up.

Allagash Curieux: This is another special treat. Bottles of Curieux only come out once or twice a year, and this is the first time any kegs have made it this far from Maine. Curieux started out as Allagash's deliciously complex Tripel, and 8 weeks in a Jim Beam barrel added several more factors to the equation. Spices, wood, bourbon, caramel, fruity yeast esters; this brew will have you scratching your head as you pull flavor after flavor out of the glass. If you're hoping to try this one I'd suggest getting here as close to 3pm as possible. We only received a 5 gallon keg, so this will be the first keg to blow on Monday.

BJ's (Portland) Whiskey Barrel Stout: We're still a bit upset about BJ's corporate and their decision to cease brewing in PDX, but hopefully this beer will leave us with a fond memory of the place. Fresh, "unwashed" whiskey barrels are used to age this beast, so this will be the most intensely boozy brew of the bunch. If you like your whiskey with a beer back, this is the one to reach for. To the best of my knowledge, this is the last keg of Whiskey Stout in existence, so enjoy it while you can.

To recap (feel free to cut, paste, and copy):

Who: You, me, and as many other beer lovers as we can squeeze into the cafe.
What: 5 deliciously potent examples of brewing excellence, aged to perfection.
When: Monday, June 30th, from 5 to 11pm
Where: The BierCafe @ Belmont Station - 4500 SE Stark St PDX, OR 97215
Why: Because we've been waiting a long time for the new taps.
How Much: Free (as always) to get in, beer prices will vary.

Cheer, and enjoy the long-awaited sunshine!

New Arrivals For Tuesday April 22, 2008

This is perhaps the slowest time of year for new beers. Other than a trickle of summer seasonals from the bigger craft brewers, there's not much of interest being released. In the meantime I've been exploring the wonderful world of sake. Look for our selection (now hovering around 25 hand-selected varieties) to expand as we continue our never-ending quest to bring you the finest libations we can.

New Beers:

Malheur Brut Reserve - This strong golden ale undergoes "methode champenoise" to produce a high level of carbonation and a dense head of tiny bubbles. Aromas of citrus fruit, light floral notes, and nutty malt lead into a cleanly malty, effervescent body before coalescing in a long, dry finish.

Lagunitas Lucky 13 - Brewed to celebrate their 13th anniversary, the Lucky 13 is is hoppy, red, and delicious. C'mon, it's Lagunitas, what more do you need to know?

HeBrew Rejewvenator - HeBrew has declared this "The Year of the Fig", and to celebrate the occasion they've released the Rejewvenator, and dark malty brew loaded with fig juice.

Alaskan Summer - Alaskan Summer Ale balances a softly malted palate with the clean freshness of Hallertauer hops. In the tradition of the style, neither overpowers the other. Both hops and malt come together to refresh and renew the palate. The straw-gold color and easy drinkability are an enjoyable way to celebrate summer.


New Sakes:

Zen Tokubetsu Junmai - As the name implies, Zen is balanced. Clean and smooth with notes of peaches and rice milk. Just dry enough to encourage you to take another sip or two.

Itami Onigoroshi - This is about as dry as sake gets. Subtle fruit and floral notes linger on the palate for several minutes after each sip.

Yuri Masamune - This off-dry sake starts with aromas of alcohol and flowers. The fruity, off-dry flavors blend into a woodsy, earthy finish. Great value for the price.

Momokawa Sake Sampler - This is a great way to introduce yourself (or your friends) to the wonderful world of sake. One bottle each of Momokawa Silver (off-dry junmai), Momokawa Diamond (dry junmai), Momokawa Pearl (genshu nigori), and Moonstone Plum (fruit-infused sake) are included in the set. Grab some sashimi and expand your horizons with Japan's ancient beverage.

Not really new, but worth mentioning: The Greene King Abbott Ale and Wexford Cream Ale have finally returned. Many customers lamented the loss of these two pub cans when they disappeared from our shelves a few months ago, but they've finally found their way back into our coolers.

Upcoming releases to watch out for: Stumptown Tart, Bridgeport's first fruit beer, is a Belgian-style ale infused with tons (literally) of Oregon Marionberries. Look for it to hit the shelves late this week. The next 22oz special release from Laurelwood is also due in this Friday, and this is likely to be the fastest-selling one thus far because it's their incredibly delicious Green Elephant IPA. They're only bottling a couple hundred cases, so snag it while you can.

I think that's it for today, but don't forget about our toast to Vasili happening tomorrow night!