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!

Holiday Ale Fest Recommendations

Well, considering the fest started at 11am I'm a wee bit late, but for those of you who haven't made the trek down yet I'd like to offer a few thoughts on beers you really need to try. Extra special thanks to Preston Weesner (GM of the fest) for inviting me down for a preview tasting last night.

My Top 5 from last night:

Hair of the Dog - Jim II: Wow. Just wow. The story behind this brew is almost as great as the beer itself. Here's the low down from Alan Sprints (via Beervana):

"This year's Jim is a blend of Adam, Fred and Doggie Claws, all barrel aged for 6 weeks. Along with the base beers I have added about 10% of a German Pilsner (Spaten), a 9 liter bottle of Val Du Trippel, 1989 Thomas Hardy's--the year I met Jim--a 1991 Rodenbach Alexander that I bought from Jim, and a 1994 Maredsous 10 that Jim enjoyed drinking. I am drinking a glass now; I smell Plums, Almonds and Oak, the Beer is a deep copper color and the lace sticks to the sides of my glass. The beer has a strong hop backbone with notes of chocolate, wood and crusty bread, a firm mouth feel and a complex finish that continues to evolve after the Beer is gone. I am guessing it is 8% abv. I made 16 kegs for the festival this year, only four last year.

Some of you may remember the frenzy caused by last year's version of Jim, hopefully the increase in production will allow the beer to make it through a couple days of the festival before blowing. Cross your fingers, and make sure to hit this one early.

Scaldis - Noel: Unless I'm mistaken, they aren't having the spendy "Big Boy Bar" this year, which means you can score a full mug of this ridiculously delicious Belgian delight for only four tickets. Just for perspective, an 8.4oz bottle retails for just under $5, making this the best value under the tent. It's incredibly nuanced and delicate for a beer that comes in at 12-14% abv, so you'll want to quaff this one before you start hitting the hop monsters.

Speaking of hop monsters, Max's Fanno Creek has sent O'Holy Hops, an aged IPA that tastes like it's fresh out of the brite tanks. I haven't had too many of Max's beers, but this is easily the best thing I've ever had from the nascent Tigard brewery. This is off the charts hoppy. So hoppy that the finish is almost minty. I don't mean mint flavor, I'm talking about the cool, refreshing feeling that hits you after eating something minty. That might not makes sense, but try the beer and I think you'll understand.

Ft. George "North": Billed as a "red wheat wine", and brewed with 11 different malts, this is a hard brew to wrap your brain (and palate) around. It's sweet, wheaty, slightly boozy, and chewy. I was suffering a bit of palate fatigue by the time I got to try this one, so I can't offer any more tasting notes, but it's far enough off the beaten path that I'd suggest getting a sample first before you commit to a full mug of this nectar. Fans of extreme experimental beers should definitely give this one a shot.

Golden Valley - Oaked Tannenbomb: I was looking forward to this one, and even though it didn't taste anything like what I was expecting, I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. The delicious roasty malt base is still there, but some of the hop presence was exchanged for a bit of oaky goodness. Seems like a good trade to me.

Stay tuned for more as we have a chance to sample them. Also be sure to check back tomorrow for a list of truly exciting new beers.

Stone Imperial Stout Vint. '06 Now On Tap!

Heads up! We just tapped a keg of Stone Russian Imperial Stout from last year's release. This beer has been aging beautifully, and it's taken every ounce of my self-control waiting this long to tap it.

Current tap line-up:

~Double Mountain IRA (back by popular demand and going fast)
~Stone Russian Imperial Stout (vintage 2006)
~Golden Valley Tannenbomb (a bit more mellow after 6 months of rest, but it's tasting great!)
~De Ranke Guldenberg (a hoppy belgian strong ale with nice fruity notes and lingering spicy hops)

If none of those strike your fancy we also have 750+ beers, 40+ ciders, 30+ meads, and a well-chosen assortment of wine available to consume "on premise" as well.

This is the only keg we have of this wonderful beer, and it'll be another year before they release more bottles, so stop in and try it while you can.

Now On Tap at the BierCafe

Just a quick heads up to let you know what's on tap...

The Gouden Carolus has blown and was just replaced by a keg of La Chouffe from 2005. This keg has improved dramatically over the flavor of a fresh bottle. Spicy, citrusy, and a little funky; this beer has it all. It's only a 20ltr keg, so don't expect it to be on tap for long.

Midnight Sun IIPA also died last night and has been replaced by Deschutes Hop Henge. Get it while it's fresh and hoppy.

The Pelican Doryman's Dark is also on it's last legs. As soon as someone comes down here and orders the last couple pints it will be replaced by Golden Valley Tannenbomb, one of my personal favorite winter beers. It's dark enough for the porter/stout fans, and hoppy enough that those who are craving some bite won't be dissapointed.

We've still got a little bit of the BJ's Whiskey Barrel Stout as well. If you feel the need for a shot of the hard stuff you'll have to go elsewhere, but the BJ's has a solid whiskey flavor and should go a long way towards slaking your thirst for the brown nectar.

Stay tuned for more event notices and other fun stuff as the cafe gears up...