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 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!

New Arrivals For Friday 12.28.07

I hope everyone had a good holiday, I know I did. As far as the store is concerned, we're still running in high gear in anticipation of a busy New Years Weekend. We still have 40+ kegs in stock that aren't spoken for, so give us a call if you need to grab something at the last minute. At this point we may not have the exact brand you're looking for, but we should be able to find something you'll enjoy drinking. Give us a call at 503.232.8538 and we'll let you know what's still available.

Chateau Napoleon Brut: This California "Champagne" is perfect for New Years Eve toasts. It's reasonably priced at under 10 dollars a bottle, it's pleasantly dry and effervescent, and did I mention it's under 10 dollars a bottle. I figure anyone who loves wine the way we love beer has probably already got something special for NYE, but if you need some inexpensive bubbly I highly recommend a bottle or two of this.

Deschutes - Green Lake Organic Ale: I haven't had a chance to try this yet, but here's what it says on the side of the bottle. "The idea for our Green Lakes Ale evolved quite organically. Made with five types of 100% ORGANIC malted barley and balanced with Crystal and Salmon-Safe Sterling hops, this auspicious amber ale is as easy to drink as it is on Mother Earth. So when you drink a Green Lakes Organic Ale, every day becomes Earth Day."

Boulder - Obovoid Empirical Stout: I had a small sample of this, and it this point I'm not quite sure what to make of it. In a way it seems like the brewers were trying to do too many things at once; there's some creamy mouthfeel from the oats, some astringency and "woodiness" from the oak chips, and an almost painfully dry finish. Kind of schizophrenic and confusing, but maybe I'll warm up to it once I've had a chance to enjoy a larger sample and see how it evolves once it's had a chance to breathe. It's gotten pretty positive reviews, so maybe my taste buds are just out of whack today.

I think that's it for today. Remember to party safely on NYE, we'd like to continue having all of you as customers in 2008. On that note, we have a wonderful non-alcoholic sparkler for all the Designated Drivers out there. Spruce Goose Sparkling Pinot Noir Juice tastes great, and makes a perfect alternative to that crappy "cold duck" stuff you'll find at the grocery store.

Last but not least, you may have noticed the widget on the right sidebar counting down to Abyss Day 2008. T-minus 18 days and counting...

The Silence of the Blog

I apologize for the lack of posts recently but it has been incredibly busy (and chaotic) in my little corner of the beer world.

We've gotten a few new beers this week as well as a handful of returning favorites:

Local:
Alameda - Beaumont Bock

U.S. Micros:
Midnight Sun - Arctic Devil Barleywine
Midnight Sun - Arctic Rhino Coffee Porter
Hale's Ales - Nut Brown Ale
Bayern - Killarnny Red Irish Lager
Avery - Maharaja Imperial IPA
Boulder - Mojo Risin Imperial IPA
Marin - Tripel Dipsea (Belgian-style tripel)
Dogfish Head Pangaea (funky hybrid) and Fort (18%abv raspberry beer)

Imports:
St. Louis Framboise
Delirium Tremens returns after a long absence

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