New Arrivals for 9.15.09 - The Better Late Than Never Edition

Well, 09.09.09 has already come and gone, but Stone's latest Vertical Epic release didn't arrive until today. Such is the way of things I guess. Today's delivery brought a few other things besides the VE, so scroll down the list and see what catches your fancy.

New Beers:

• Stone - Vertical Epic 09.09.09: This year's twist in the story line brings us down a dark alley haunted by mysterious aromas of tangerine and vanilla. At 8.5% it begs for a snifter and your complete attention.
  
• Stone/BrewDog/Cambridge - Juxtaposition Black Pilsner: Ignore the fact that "black pilsner" is just another way of saying "schwarzbier" because this brew bears absolutely no resemblance to pilsner, black or otherwise. It's dry, roasty, and pushing a double digit abvmore which makes it more akin to an imperial stout fermented with lager yeast. It's really tasty, just don't go in expecting any sort of classic lager.
  
• He'Brew - Rejewvenator: I haven't had this one yet, but the label says, "Half Doppelbock, Half Belgian-style Dubbel" and it's brewed with date concentrate, which definitely sounds interesting. With Rosh Hashanah beginning Friday, it's worth noting that the entire He'Brew line is Kosher Certified. In addition to the Rejewvenator we have their Genesis Pale Ale, Messiah Bold (a flavorful brown ale), and Bittersweet Lenny's Rye IPA. L'Chaim!
  
• Alaskan - Baltic Porter: This brew sold out quick last year, and as delicious as it is I'm really not surprised. Cherries, vanilla beans, and French oak add dimension and complexity to this classic style. Get it while it lasts.
  
• Kona - Pipeline Porter: This tasty little porter is brewed with real Kona coffee to give it an extra little kick.
  
• Blue Moon - Harvest Moon: Nothing fancy from the house of Coors; just an unpretentious amber ale with pumpkin and spice flavors.
  
• Hopworks - Bike Beer IPA: Whoa, another hoppy beer from HUB!?! Seriously though, this one is a little less astringent and a little more fruity than their regular IPA. I'd have to bust open one of each and do a side by side comparison to nail down any other differences...
  
• Baron - Oktoberfest: Classic "festbier" lager from Seattle. Flavors of caramel and nutty malt compliment the clean, crisp hopping in the finish...
  
• New Old Lompoc - Monster Mash: Despite what the angry jack-o-lantern on the label would have you believe, this is an Imperial Porter and not a pumpkin beer. This should be around for at least a couple of months, but if it sells faster than the Heaven's Helles did it could be gone in a couple weeks, so don't delay.
  
• Midnight Sun - Obliteration V: The fifth beer in the Obliteration IPA series is an 8.2% double IPA brewed with Tomahawk and Magnum hops. I haven't had this one yet, but based on the hop selection I would expect it to lean more towards pungent and piney rather than a typical west coast citrus bomb.
  
• Elysian - Night Owl: The northwest's most popular pumpkin ale is back.
  
• Great Divide - Tripel: Great Divide's take on the trappist mainstay is a little sweeter than the classic Belgian examples, but all in all I think they did a great job on this one.
  
• Great Divide - Hoss Lager: This is becoming a favorite around the shop, and "Hoss" is well on it's way to becoming a slang term for rugged and/or manly. For example, Patrick Swayze's character in Road House was definitely "Hoss." Anyway, come and grab some Hoss before Jimmy and Lucas drink it all.
  
• Hales - Super Goose Imperial IPA: One person at the shop decreed that the Super Goose is superior to Russian River Pliny the Elder. Debatable perhaps, but at less than $5 per 22oz bottle it's certainly worth buying one of each and conducting your own experiments.
  
• Coney Island - Freaktoberfest: It smells and tastes like an oktoberfest beer, but the bloody red color might throw you off a bit. Buy some to freak out your Halloween party guests.
  
• Crispin - Honey Crisp: This seasonal cider from Crispin is only roughly filtered which results in a very cloudy cider (with a color reminiscent of dirty dish water), and the tartness of the apples is smoothed out with an addition of organic honey. Speaking of Crispin, we're hosting a tasting with them this evening, so stop in from 5-8pm and you can sample this for free along with the rest of the Crispin line.

That's all for now; keep your eyes peeled for the stream of fresh hop beers coming out in the next 2-4 weeks. Most of them are truly delicious, but the season is painfully short.

Weekend Round-Up

Let me start by apologizing for the spotty content updates lately, it's hard to spend time sitting sitting in front of the computer when the last glorious days of Oregon summer are upon us. That said, here's your daily dose of new beers, local events, and maybe some random thoughts...

New Beers:

Coney Island - Freaktoberfest: If I had to describe this beer in one word it would be weird. Or maybe red. <--- That's actually a pretty close match. On first sight most folks would assume this is some sort of fruit beer with a frothy pink head, but there's no mention of fruit on the label. Served blind it comes across as a slightly roasty oktoberfest brew; malty and delicious with just enough hops to keep the sugar in check. Did I mention it was bright freaking red? It's been taking some heat from the ratebeerians for the use of food coloring and the supposed ABV of "6.66%", but trust me, the shock value alone when you pour this for your friends is worth the five bucks.

Elysian - Night Owl: The best pumpkin beer in the northwest is back. Ordinarily I'd give this one a high grade based on past experience, but this appears to be the first Elysian brew to come rolling out of New Belgium's facility, and I'll have to see how well the recipe scaled up to NBB's considerably larger system. I have faith that the people who put out La Folie won't dissapoint, but I expect some differences at least. More to come...

Lagunitas - Cappuccino Stout: Mmm...coffee and beer. The cap stout is a real winner in Lagunitas' seasonal bomber rotation. It's smooth, and just a little bit sweet, but there's a good dose of roasted coffee bitterness snuggled in the malty blanket.


Events and stuff:


Hop Harvest Release Party 9.12.08: Tonight marks the official release for Bridgeport's Hop Harvest fresh hop ale. Oddly enough, I can't find ANY information on Bridgeport's website, but my trusty assistant Neil informs me that it runs from 5-8, and that they're supposedly featuring a firkin of last years' Hop Harvest. The thought of all the precious lupulin trapped in a keg for a whole year makes me shudder, but I'm still going to have a pint.


SNOB Gathering @ Hopworks 9.13.08:

From Brian Butenschoen of the Oregon Brewer's Guild:

Open to new, renewing and current SNOB's and their significant others. Brewery tour @ 2:30. Raffle to be held during event. Special price on pints - let's you keep a special Oregon Brewers Guild pint glass. Hopworks Urban Brewery 2944 SE Powell 1-4p 503-232-HOPS

Ayinger Glass Night in the Biercafe 9.17.08: Join us on Wednesday from 5 until close as we kick off the Oktoberfest season. We'll be tapping a fresh and delicious keg of Ayinger Oktoberfest, and every pint purchased includes a complimentary glass. There's a chance that someone from Merchant du Vin (the importer) will be on hand to answer questions, but the boss is out of town so I can't confirm that.


Collaborator Release Party 9.17.08: Also next Wednesday, Concordia Ale House is hosting the next Collaborator release from 6-8pm. Go and be one of the first to try Double River Doppelweizen, Jeffry Fisher and Laurie Yadon's ode to Schneider Aventinus, courtesy of Ike Manchester at the Widmer Brothers Rose Quarter Brewery.


Oktoberfest Tasting in the Biercafe 9.18.08: Join us on Thursday from 5-8pm as we sample a wide range of Oktoberfest brews from home and abroad. We'll have several O'fest beers on tap in the cafe as well as free samples of as many bottled versions as we can scrounge up. Confirmed draughts at this point include Ayinger, Warsteiner, and Heater Allen, and there's a slim chance that Double Mountain's entriy will be ready in time.

Dogtoberfest @ The Lucky Lab 9.20.08: Bring your dirty dogs to the Lucky Lab between 11 and 5 and we promise to send them home squeaky clean! If you look closely, you may see a local celebrity doing the dirty work! In the meantime, kick back and enjoy lunch, a live band and a refreshing beverage. All proceeds benefit Dove Lewis.


One last random note: We have roughly 3 cases of Deschutes Dissident in stock. The 2 bottle per person limit will remain in effect through the weekend, but if we have any left on Monday it'll be open season.

I think that's about it for today. I'm going to head down to Bridgeport and try some fresh hopped love, and then the Pilsner Room for some of John Harris' ridiculously good Lupulin Ale.

Cheers!