New Arrivals for May 13, 2008

Every now and then we get crushed (in a good way) with a giant pile of new beers, and today was one of those days. By my count we received 19 new beers, and several other favorites returned to the cooler. The vast majority of these bottles are new to Oregon, and a couple have never been seen in the states, so the commercial descriptions will have to suffice until we have a chance to drink them all. If anyone tries these before we have a chance to describe them I implore you leave a comment and tell us what you thought.


New North American Beer!

Anchor Brewing - Summer Ale: Anchor's tasty summer seasonal is a filtered American wheat ale. It doesn't have a long season, but hopefully it'll still be here when the weather finally warms up.

Allagash - Black: Commercial Description - Allagash Black, our new Belgian style stout, is brewed with German 2 row barley, Torrified wheat and oats, balanced by a large addition of Belgian dark candi to give the Black a full and silky mouthfeel. Roasted malts give this stout its classic chocolate, toast and malty taste, and contribute to chocolate notes and a hint of roasted coffee in the aroma. The Black is fermented with a Belgian yeast strain and refermented in the bottle with the methode champenoise to make this beer truly unique.

Allagash - Odyssey: A Barrel-aged, strong, dark, Belgian-style wheat ale? Hmmm...That sounds just crazy enough to work. Lots of folks mention flavors of chocolate, raisins, bourbon, and wood, so I'd expect something along the lines of a bourbon-aged Belgian Grand Cru.

Allagash - Hugh Malone: This tasty treat is an American interpretation of a Belgian interpretation of an American IPA. Got it?

Dieu du Ciel! - Peche Mortel: Oregon got a taste of this elixir once (several years ago), and it still stands as one of the tastiest beers I've ever had, so hopefully this new batch will live up to my fond memories. This concoction is loaded with coffee, and they're not kidding about the warning label on the bottle: "If coffee isn’t your cup of tea, and caffeine makes you bounce off the ceiling, then just put the bottle down and find something else to drink." If it wasn't pushing 10% abv I'd be tempted to have one for breakfast.

Dieu du Ciel! - Dermiere Volonte: The commercial description is simply "Dry-hopped Belgian-style ale", which doesn't give us much to go on. Reading some of the reviews it seems as though they were shooting for something along the lines of Orval, the classic Trappist blonde. Anything that scores above the 90th percentile is certainly worth a try, and if it's even half as good as Orval it will be delicious.

Dieu du Ciel! - Corne du Diable: Commercial Description - An American-style I.P.A. The Corne du Diable is a contemporary adaptation of the original English Pale Ales. This interpretation of the style, born on the North American west coast, is caracterised by stronger and much hoppier beers. The result is a caramel flavoured, full-bodied red ale, with sharp bitterness and powerful aromas thanks to our dry hopping technique.

Dieu du Ciel! - Rosee d'Hibiscus: Commercial description - The Rosée d’Hibiscus is a soft spoken wheat beer. The rose colour comes from the hibiscus flowers added during the brewing process. The aromas and flavour of this tropical flower are very prominent in the beer, giving it a slight acidity and a very agreeable fragrance. It is the perfect thirst quencher on a hot summer day.

Dieu du Ciel! - Route des Epices: Mmm...rye beer. I don't know what it is, but there's something about rye beer that's really been hitting the spot lately. Perhaps it's the aroma, or perhaps it's the spicy, borderline metallic zing that it adds to the finish. Either way, I can't seem to get enough, and this one looks like it'll have a permanent place in my fridge, at least until we run out. The one dominant note besides the rye that pops up in all the reviews is pepper. Lots and lots of pepper. Stay tuned for an update on this one.


New European Beer!

Drie Fonteinen - Hommage: This special brew was crafted as a tribute to Gaston Debelder, the founder of Drie Fonteinen. This is one of the only authentic "multi fruit" lambics in existence, blending the bright flavors of raspberries with a small percentage of tart Belgian cherries. Several years of aging in oak barrels melds everything together in a truly spectacular fashion. Only 36 bottles arrived in Oregon, so if you're a "lambicophile" (copyright pending) you'll want to grab one of these while you can.

Drie Fonteinen - Doesjel: Although they use the traditional blend of 1,2, and 3 year old beer, this gueuze is bottled still (flat), similar to Cantillon’s Bruocsella 1900 Grand Cru. On first sip, the creamy malt body and citric, slightly vinegary tang create an explosion of flavor. Aromas of barnyard (hints of leather, wood, grass, and musty cobwebs) carry through the air as it warms, adding layer upon layer of complexity. Like most Drie Fonteinen products, this is bone dry and has an acidic, cleansing finish.

Hofbrouwerijke - Hofblues: Belgian breweries tend to bring an interesting twist to the recipe or process when they emulate British style beers, and this stout is no exception. All the typical roasty, coffee, and cocoa notes are there as expected, but many reviews point to a Belgian yeast fruitiness that sets it apart from its English fore bearers. Many people also mention a bit of smokiness, along with a solid bitterness in the finish, that keeps the body from being cloyingly sweet.

Hofbrouwerijke - Bosprotter: This seems like a solid Belgian tripel, and many of the reviewers mentioned an underlying zesty peppery note, which could be an interesting twist to the style.

Fantome - Brise-BonBons: This was originally designed to be a beer so bitter that no one could drink it. Unfortunately, Dany Prignon underestimated the demand for such things, and it's become one of the most popular (and therefore hard to find) Fantome brews around. Look for the big bottle with the sumo wrestler on it, and prepare yourself for the onslaught of earthy, spicy, herbal bitterness.

Fantome - Black Ghost: Commercial Description - Once described as a Belgian Irish-style stout, Black Ghost has undergone lots of changes over the years. It now bears no resemblance whatsoever to a stout, and brewer Dany Prignon has begun adding spices to the beer. What they are is anybody's guess...the Fantôme confounds once again.

Fantome - Printemps: As with everything else Fantome, you never quite know what you're getting into, but the Printemps tends to be one of the more consistent in terms of style and body. Expect a light peachy colored brew that's chock full of fruity, spicy, and yeasty goodness. Will it be sour too? Who knows, but we'll find out soon.

Mikkeller - 黑 (Black): At 17.5%abv, this looks to be Mikkeller's answer to Dogfish Head Worldwide Stout. Like a heavy metal band going camping, this stuff is INTENSE! (sorry, I couldn't resist). It is apparently quite hot (i.e. boozy) at this point, and even the brewery admits it probably won't peak for a couple of years, but we're gluttons for punishment so we'll try it soon.

Hook Norton - Old Hooky: A classic ESB, with a good dose of crystal malt to give it some body. Low abv British beers aren't known for their endurance, so get this one while it's fresh.

Bieres-23 - Ambree: This one is so new that it hasn't even been entered into the Ratebeer or BeerAdvocate databases yet. Come and grab one and you can be the first person in the world to review it.

Bieres-23 - Biere de Mars: This one is so new that it hasn't even been entered into the Ratebeer or BeerAdvocate databases yet. Come and grab one and you can be the first person in the world to review it.

If that wasn't enough, there's the "returning favorites" that I mentioned above; Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast, Cantillon Classic Gueuze in 750ml bottles, Ridgeway IPA and Bitter, Coniston's Bluebird Bitter, Fantome Saison, Haandbruggeriet's Norwegian Wood and Dark Force, and Panil Bariquee. Whew!


Event Notice:

Last, but certainly not least, don't forget about the free Ayinger tasting on Thursday, May 15th, from 6-8pm. Gertrud Hein-Eickoff, Ayinger's Export Manager is traveling all the way from Bavaria, so stop in and learn to pronounce those goofy German names from an expert! Check our event calendar for more info on our free tastings and other special happenings.

The End Is Important In All Things

Last night I went to the Laurelhurst theater to see Ghost Dog: The Way of The Samurai with a friend. I've probably seen it a dozen times, but the final scene seems to lodge in my brain and affect my actions for a few days after every viewing. I won't go into the details and spoil it for those who haven't seen the movie (it's amazing), but it centers on a modern day samurai, brilliantly portrayed by Forest Whittaker. At several points during the movie he's shown reading from the Japanese tome Hagakure: The Way of the Samurai. The following quote is the final excerpt from the book to be shown in the movie:

"In the Kamigata area, they have a sort of tiered lunchbox they use for a single day when flower viewing. Upon returning, they throw them away, trampling them underfoot. The end is important in all things."

To bring this back around to beer, I got home after the movie and saw an empty 4 year old bottle of Fantome Printemps that we'd consumed a couple nights earlier. I wasn't sure why the bottle was still sitting on the counter, and not with the rest of it's brethren in the recycle bin, and it struck me that perhaps there was some subconscious attachment to the bottle based on my fond memories of the beer that was preventing me from letting go of something I'd never get to experience again. That final quote was still rolling around in the back of my mind, and I made a conscious decision to "let go" and dispose of it. Was it a monumental, life-changing realization? Certainly not, but it brought to mind other things, both physical and mental, that I should have let go of a long time ago.

Anyways, its something to ponder next time you're looking in your cellar and trying to decide whether or not you should drink that last bottle of something special. Sooner or later you'll have to drink it, and when you do it should be consumed with the joyful realization that all things must end. That, and you've just created an empty spot in the cellar which can now be filled with a new bottle that will have a story and journey all it's own.

As one final beer tie-in, the Laurehurst features several tasty things on tap; last nights' list included Caldera Porter, Lucky Lab's No Pity Pale and ESB, and some "Oregon Classics" like Full Sail Amber and Widmer Hefe. Where else can you get a pint of tasty brew, a bag of popcorn, and admission to one of the greatest movies ever made, all for under $10?