Puckerfest Finale Tonight!

It figures, I go back to Minnesota for a few days for some quality family time (BTW Nicole, it was a beautiful wedding!), and the cafe has some of the busiest nights on record.

I was happy to hear the Double Mountain and Cascade events were a hit, but at the same time I was a little crushed that I missed both versions of the Devil's Kriek AND the Barrel 323 that Neil, Curtis, and I worked so hard to pick out....

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!

Since many of you, and a few of us, never got a chance to try the Barrel 323 we convinced Curtis and Ron over at Cascade (aka Raccoon Lodge) to pull another 5 gallon keg out of the barrel for us, and it's on tap now. This WILL be the last chance to try it, so be sure to get down here this evening if you missed it on Monday.

Here's the full line-up of puckering delights for this evening:

• Cascade Brewing - Barrel 323: Last time I tried this it was pulled directly from the barrel, which means it was warm and flat. I know it had a distinct woody nose and a deep underlying sour quality. I'm dying to try it chilled and carbonated, so this will be the first thing I go for when I get off work...
  
• Rock Bottom - Maude Flanders: I have no idea what this actually is, but if I'm not mistaken it's a blend of several of the previous "Flanders" beers that have come out over the last couple years. All I can say for sure is that it's barrel-aged, fairly sour, and pretty darn delicious. Okely dokely!
  
• Cantillon - St. Lamvinus: Sour beer meets sour grapes. This one is out there, even by Cantillon standards. I would be very surprised if this lasted through the night, so be sure to put it high on the list if you want to be sure and have a glass.
  
• Full Sail - Berliner Weisse: This was brewed as part of Full Sail's "Brewer's Share" Program which allows each of their talented brewers to go a little nuts and brew (almost) whatever they want on the pilot system inside the Riverplace location. It's a crystal clear, pale gold color with a frothy, rapidly diminishing head that leaves wispy trails down the glass. At roughly 4%abv this lightly tart and lemony brew is a perfect way to wash away the 90 degree day we're having.
  
• The Bruery - White Zin: I haven't had this one yet (I've got some catching up to do), but local Ratebeerian BoFNjackson glowingly describes it: Poured cloudy orange with a white head. Spiced, dry aroma. Flavors were high in acidity with a tangy fruit character and a honey, herbal sweetness. Really dry with strong vinegar too. Buttery, shortbread-like malts and apple fruits in the finish. - Sounds great to me!
  
• The Bruery - Hottenroth Berliner Weisse: This one is a little cloudier than the Full Sail version, and a little lower in alcohol. Try them side by side and see which one you prefer.
  
• Roots - Flanders Red: Over 2 years in the making, this obscenely strong (for the style) sour red was partially aged in pinot barrels. Wood, vinous notes, sour cherry, and raspberry seed earthiness compete for your attention while the alcohol quietly sneaks up behind you...
  
• Trade Route - Sweet & Sour Ginger: This didn't sound like a very good concept when I first heard about it, but I've got to admit that the folks at Trade Route pulled it off. As one person on Ratebeer notes,it's like drinking sweet and sour chicken, but in a good way.
  
• New Belgium - La Terroir: This pale counterpart to the La Folie is dry-hopped in order to impart a slightly more bitter edge to the beer.
  
• New Belgium - La Folie: "The Folly" is darker, woodier, and a little more sour than the Le Terroir. Frankly, this as about as close to Rodenbach as you're going to get from an American producer.
  

As I write this the Ommegang rouge just bit the dust. We may slip something else into the line-up, but I'll edit this post if we do. Tune in tomorrow for a run down on any new arrivals we may receive; with the PIB starting tomorrow there's a good chance the distributors may have some extra cases of some of the featured brews.

Cheers, and pucker up!

New Beer, New Equipment, New Photos

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so consider this my 3000 word treatise for the day.


New Beers!

From left to right: Bridgeport Hop Czar, Full Sail Keelhauler, Cascade The Vine, Laurelwood Hop Monkey IPA, and Lagunitas Gnarlywine.

Other new beers not pictured:

Alaskan - White Ale
Kona - Wailua Wheat
Bayern - Dragon's Breath Dunkelweizen
Bayern - Maibock
Buffalo Bill's - Orange Blossom
Lang Creek - Cherry Porter
Lang Creek - Huckleberry and Honey
Ommegang - Biere de Mars

New ciders, meads, and ciders:

Red Branch - Hard Lemonade
Red Branch - Apple and Honey Cider
Rabbit's Foot - Dry Mead
Rabbit's Foot - Sweet Mead
Rabbit's Foot - Apple Ceyser
Rabbit's Foot - Raspberry Mead
Rabbit's Foot - Diabhal Golden Ale
Rabbit's Foot - Biere de Miele Koelsch


New Equipment!


After much delay, we finally got our beer engine installed last week. A pint of well-kept cask-conditioned ale is one of life's most delicious pleasures, and we're happy to finally have the means to provide them. We've got Hopworks IPA on right now, and there's a keg of Beer Valley's Leafer Madness Imperial Pale lined up behind that. I can't give out any more info at the moment, but we may be tapping something very special in the next week, so keep your eye on the blog or twitter feed.

Last but not least, I had the pleasure of attending a tasting at Bailey's Taproom on Wednesday night. It was comprised of mainly Beeradvocate users, with a few industry folks like myself, Ezra (the Samurai Artist), and Geoff, the owner of Bailey's. Geoff was kind enough to allow us to bring in outside bottles; a very generous offer considering his only source of revenue is alcohol. I tried taking a few photos to test out my tiny new pocket camera (a nice little Sony Cybershot), but between the poor lighting and my unfamiliarity with the device my pictures turned out mediocre at best. I did end up with one photo that (after a bit of tweaking) does a fairly accurate job of summarizing how I felt after plowing through a table full of strong, rare beer:


Highlights included several vintage sour ales, a growler of Russian river Sanctification, Brooklyn Local #2, Upland Cherry Lambic, HOTD Cherry Adam From the Wood, and Cave Creek Chili Beer.


I think that's it for now. Be sure to stop by the Biercafe on Tuesday to help us raise money for Mercy Corps - 25% of all food and draught sales in the cafe will be going directly to the NFP for their "Dine for Darfur" program. Click here for more information on Mercy Corps and Dine For Darfur.

Belmont Station Beers Worth A Try

Here's a few beers from Belmont Station that I recently tried that might be worth your time and money to check out:

HaandBryggeriet Haandbakk: Forget all the double A's in the name (unless your Aaron). This wonderful Norwegian sour ale aged in oak barrels is a Nordic exposure to the Flemish. Pouring a deep chestnut-brown body with an attractive tan head, the Haandbakk possesses a welcoming cherry tartness coupled by a musky, tannin-laden nose. This is not a beer for the weekend warrior. This beer is complex and sophisticated. Okay, it's really purposefully infected with the Wild Yeast that you've grown to love in beers like Panil Barriquée, Rodenbach Classic Red, and even the Deschutes Dissident. Give this one a whirl. If you are a fan of the style, you shan't be disappointed. RIYL: Deschutes Dissident, Panil Barriquee, Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour Red

HaandBryggeriet Doppel Dram: Double IPA all the way. And all the way from Norway, this feisty beer has traveled quite well. Upon first whiff, a sense that this beer is dutifully hopped. Northwest flowery hops and English Goldings/Fuggles give this brew a striking citrus nose. Lemon, orange, grapefruit esters jump out of the bottle and entice the hop zealot. The flavor, however, tells another tale. A deep, chalky malt underpinning give the palate a tenacious shift in opinion. Molasses, toffee grit indicative of the 9% ABV in this spicy brew. The alcohol is carefully masked and the flavor intricacies unfold a new interpretation upon each sip. Enjoy with a friend who appreciates bold and unique hopped beers. RIYL: Southern Tier Unearthly, Nørrebro North Bridge Extreme, Three Floyds Dreadknaught

Hacker-Pschorr Dunkel Weiss: This dark wheaten lager from is from Munich, German and a brewery that has been around 99 years longer than the Reinheitsgebot purity law of 1516. Pouring a mild brown body with a fluffy off-white head, this beer is quite easy drinking considering how rich it is. Robust malty caramel flavors pair with a citrus hops bite, while the wheat and yeast play creates a creamy phenolic presence. Try it on tap at Belmont while you still can. It's quite delicious. RIYL: Erdinger Dunkel Weiss, Michelob Dunkel Weiss, Franziskaner Dunkel Hefe-Weisse

Heater-Allen Bobtoberfest: This McMinnville (Oregon) Marzen is the perfect treat for the cool harvest season. With a bright caramel/dark orange body and a small wispy white, swirling head, this brew screams "Autumn!" A sweet malty nose preludes a back of the tongue bittering bite. Lots of snappy Munich/Viennas pair with Two-row malt to deliver a familiar yet authentic West Coast style. "In memory of Bob Allen Brother, teacher, brewer, and Friend." Bob has got to be smiling about this beer! RIYL: Snoqualmie Harvest Moon Fest Beer, Paulaner Oktoberfestbier, Baron Oktoberfest

Firestone Walker Pale 31: Recently this pale ale medaled at the Great American Beer Festival along with a grip of other Firestone beers. The key to this brewery is they know how to meld English and West Coast styles to create super drinkable ales. Their specialty is perhaps the pale ale. Alongside a more English-tasting counterpart in the DBA (Double Barrel Ale), the Pale 31 is a light, bubbly sessionable brew. At 4.8% ABV, 31 is generously hopped with Cascades to give it a spicy, floral, and mildly piny nose. Sharp on the tongue up front before creamily making its way down the gullet, this brew finishes with a faint bready maltness and a lingering full-on NW hops bitterness. RIYL: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Marin Mt Tam Pale Ale, Moylan's Tipperary Pale Ale, Anchor Liberty Ale

Cascade Kriek Ale: Another GABF medal winner, Cascade Brewing (known to many as the Raccoon Lodge on the Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway) won a bronze in its inaugural year of entry into the acclaimed festival. A barrel-aged sour ale flavored with cherries, the Kriek pours a murky, carbonic amber with tones of brown and purple beneath a spotty beige thin head. Spicy fruitiness and tingling effervescence combine with a pronounced tartness. Spry, spritzy, and crisp, there is a hint of yogurt-like creaminess from the Lactobacilus yeast having its way in this party beer. Available in 750 ML bottles. RIYL: Cantillion Kriek, Oud Beersel Kriek, Boon Kriek


BridgePort Hop Harvest Ale: The 2008 BridgePort wet hop beer is quite amazing. Steeped with a generous dose of whole cone Centennials, this is one fresh hop beer to rival all others. According to BridgePort brewmaster Karl Ockert, the base recipe for this beer is an amped-up rendition of the original 1980's Blue Heron Amber. Dark copper-chestnut hues and a lavish creamy off-white head present a peppery hops nose and a chewy, mildly caramel malt spine. Waves of hops approach the palate and start the taster off with a bitter tongue lashing before unfurling a flowery bouquet. Quite complex for a hoppy beer, the Hop Harvest also possesses a distinct earthiness and sugary acidic bite. The 7% ABV brew finishes with an awareness of biscuity grains and lingering nuttiness as well as an obvious piquant resinous spice. This beer is also quite affordable at under $5 for a 22-ounce bottle. If you get the chance, make sure to try it on cask at the brewpub as well. RIYL: Roots Hoppipotimus, Hopworks Fest of Fury, Ninkasi Believer Red, Double Mountain Killer Green

PuckerFest - The (Almost) Complete Line Up

OK, here's the deal. I can't really tell you when any of these things are going to go on tap because we only have 8 faucets to run the sours through (we need to keep some "normal" beers on), and we have close to 20 different offerings lined up. There's also a couple of local breweries that have promised kegs, but have yet to deliver them (you know who you are!) and I don't want to get people's hopes up unnecessarily. That said, here's an almost complete list of puckertastic beer.

Currently On Tap:

Cantillon - Vigneronne: Light and delicate, yet aggressively sour. Malted grain meet pressed grape. This is a beer of incredible contradiction that somehow transcends both beer and wine to become something which can only be called Vigneronne. Judging by sales, this was the most popular pour last night, and the keg is already 1/3 gone. I'd give it until Thursday at the latest.

New Belgium - La Folie: New Belgium's Brewmaster, Peter Boukaert, previously helmed Belgium's classic Rodenbach brewery, so it's no surprise that NBB's barrel-aged Flemish sour is amazingly close to the traditional example. Truly wonderful stuff. At the current pace the keg will probably kick on Thursday.

Dogfish - Festina Peche: Described as a "Neo-Berliner Weisse", DFH has once again taken something old and put an extreme spin on it. In this case "extreme" doesn't mean alcohol, just an extremely delicious combination of tart, fruity sourness wrapped up in a 4.5% package. Lots of flavor, not a lot of booze. I want to see someone drink a boot of this.

Cascade - Flander's Red: Ron and Curtis from Cascade Brewing (aka Raccoon Lodge) have been blending, aging, and generally having fun with barrels for a couple of years now. Their take on a Flemish sour is a little softer and sweeter than New Belgium's, but still loaded with woody, funky goodness.

Full Sail - Belmont Blend #1: I'll be perfectly honest; this beer is not for everyone. The initial aroma has been compared rather unfavorably to acetone (nail polish remover), and it's sure to turn a lot of people off before they even take a sip. I would encourage you to make an effort, and not give up on it too quickly. Once the nose and palate desensitize to the sharp aroma, a bevy of interesting things start to rise out of the glass. In the mouth it has a slightly full bodied feel and a little sweetness on the tongue, and the sour, woody notes are lightened considerably by the fruity Belgian yeast character of the base beer into which it was blended. Since this wouldn't be a proper Full Sail beer without some hops, we mixed in a portion of Prodigal Sun for good measure. The result is that the sweet and sour fades from the mouth as you swallow and then get overtaken by a long trail of bitterness in the throat. Like I said, most definitely not for everyone, but I hope you'll give it a chance.

Verhaeghe - Echte Kriekenbier: Verhaeghe is best known for their Duchesse de Bourgogne, a rather acetic Belgian red ale. The Echte Kriekenbier is essentially barrel-aged Duchesse that has had a second fermentation on cherries. Tart and sour, but still approachable and fruity. This one is also going quick, and probably won't last through Wednesday.

Lucky Lab - Belgian Sour Cherry: This is one of the only beers in the line-up that I haven't previously had, because someone drank the sample bottle that Ben Flerchinger was kind enough to drop off last week. I'll update this part after work when I've had a chance to try it.


Coming Soon:

Please note: All tapping times listed below are approximate. The faster the initial line up goes, the faster we can get the rest of these tasty treats on tap. Conversely, if things last longer than expected we may have a couple sour beers left for a few days after the event. If you have any questions about what's on tap please check the front page of our website. I promise we'll keep it updated all week long.

Double Mountain - Devil's Kriek: According to Charlie Devereux, this is the very last keg of their intensely fruity kriek. At 8% abv, it's also one of the strongest entries in the line-up. The kriek was made by aging a batch of the Devil's Kitchen on hundreds of pounds of local cherries for several months. The resulting beer is strong, tart, full-bodied, and bright freaking red. Serious Crayola red. It's pretty cool to look at, and even better to drink. Expect this to go on later in the week.

BJ's Portland - Enfant Terrible: This brew started life as a fairly mild mannered Belgian blonde ale, but like Superman in a phone booth it underwent some serious transformation during a year of barrel aging with lambic yeast. It's funky, dry, and chock full of fruity yeast character. Since BJ's is no longer brewing in town, and Vasili has moved to Rock Bottom, there's no telling if or when we'll ever see this beer again. The Enfant will probably go on tap Thursday or Friday.

Rock Bottom Portland - Ned Flanders: This sour ale was a huge hit at OBF 2006 and Puckerfest #1. We squirreled away the very last keg and have been sitting on it since last year, eagerly anticipating one last chance to taste this. Expect it to be on tap over the weekend.

Liefman's - Kriek: Another Belgian classic, Liefman's Kriek (based on a sour brown ale) has a more pronounced malt flavor than the other Flemish sours in our line-up. Given Leifman's financial difficulties, and recent acquisition by Duvel Moortgat, this could be one of the last kegs we'll get from the "original" company. This should be on tap by Thursday or Friday.

Cascade - Brewing Cuvee: This is an evolving, experimental creation blended from several different barrels. Tart apple character meets earthy, barnyard funkiness. It's fairly strong, yet dry and light bodied, a true testament to the sugar digesting abilities of our tiny microbial friends. This will replace the Cascade Flanders Red when it blows; if I had to guess I'd say Friday.

Walking Man - Blootvoeste Bruin: This very special brew is made by blending Walking Man's Barefoot Brown with a batch of Kombucha. This is the one other beer I haven't had a chance to try (not for lack of trying), so here's a great description from after4ever, a ratebeer.com member from Washington:

Opaque dark brown with thinnish tan rim and light lace. Pungent sweet and sour nose that somehow seems to come and go. Rich, creamy body on the high side of medium. Nutty, sugary, cinnamony, red-apple-y mid-palate. Long clinging apple finish. Really beautiful once it warms up a bit.

You can expect this one to be on tap over the weekend for the grand puckering finale.

Cantillon - St. Lamvinus: St. Lamvinus is created by blending Cantillon's gueuze with French wine grapes. The grapes generally come from Bordeaux, but they pick a different winery every year which makes each batch a unique creation. There's a wonderfully enlightening description of the history and process on the importer's website, and it's well worth the read if you have a couple minutes. This will go on tap this weekend for the finale.


Like I said up top, there's still a few kegs that haven't been delivered yet, so check back for more surprises if and when the stragglers get delivered.

Cheers, and pucker hard!