New Berr Round-Up Oct. 30, 2009

We received close to 20 new fall and winter seasonals in the last few days, so it's time for another round-up.

New American Beers:

• Full Sail Wreck The Halls
• Great Divide Fresh Hop
• Marin Hoppy Holidaze
• Laurelwood Vinter Varmer
• Upright Pure Wit
• Upright Flora Rustica
• Boulveard Nutcracker
• Oakshire Ill-tempered Gnome
• Bayern Doppelbock
• Dick's Double Diamond
• HeBrew Monumental Jewbelation
• Rogue Santa's Private Reserve
• Pike Entire Stout
• Alaskan Smoked Porter 2009

New Imports:

• St Bernardus Christmas Ale
• Kerst Pater (Pater Leiven Christmas Ale)
• Ridgeway Seriously Bad Elf
• Ridgeway Criminally Bad Elf
• Ridgeway Santa's Butt Porter

If you have questions about any of these, please feel free to give us a call at 503.232.8538.

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

Lots and Lots of New Beer

A monsoon of winter beers is upon us. In the last 10 days we've received over 30 new beers, and a bunch of elusive favorites have returned.

Sadly, I don't have time to do full write-ups and links for all of these, but Google and Ratebeer work well enough that if you see something on the list that you're curious about it should be easy to find. As always, feel free to give us a call at 503.232.8538 if you have questions about anything else beer-related.

New American Beers and Ciders:

• Upright - Five
• High and Mighty - Home For The Holidays (proceeds benefit Afghanistan Vets)
• Wandering Aengus - Wanderlust Semi-Dry Cider
• Oskar Blues - Ten Fidy Imperial Stout
  
• Elysian - BiFrost Winter Ale
  
• Eel River - Climax Noel Imperial Red
  
• Ninkasi - Oatis Oatmeal Stout
  
• Bison - Organic Gingerbread Ale
• Bridgeport - Ebenezer
• Full Sail - Wassail
• Sam Adams - Winter
• Lagunitas Sumpin Extra
• Southern Tier Iniquity Black IPA
• Southern Tier Creme Brulee
• Southern Tier Hoppe Imperial Pale

New Imports:

• Brew Dog - Atlantic IPA
• BFM - Abbaye St. Bon Chien (Vintages from '06, '07, and '08)
• Nogne O - Tiger Tripel
• Nogne O - Tyttbaer (sour ale with lingonberries and wild yeasts)
  
• Nogne O Peculiar Yule
• Nogne O Winter Ale
• Ridgeway - Bad Elf Strong Ale
  
• Ridgeway - Lump Of Coal Stout
  
• Kerstmustke - Christmas Nightcap
• Tsmisje - Calva Reserva
• De Dolle - Bos Keun
  
• Geants - Noel de Geants
• Hitachino - Commemorative Ale 2009
• Hoffstettner - Granitbock
• Hoffstettner - Kuebelbier
  
• Van Steenberge - Witches Brew Tripel
• Christmas in Belgium 5pk (5 assorted small-batch Belgian ales)

...And Some Returning Favorites:

• Harviestoun - Ola Dubh 18yr
• De Dolle - Special Export Stout
• Hitachino - White Ale
• Hitachino - Sweet Stout
• JW Lees Harvest Ale 2006 (Lagavulin cask-aged)

Last but not least, a quick note about our Beer List page. I've been working diligently to keep it up to date lately, and you'll notice that there's now a blurb at the top of the page showing when it was last updated. I also spent more time than I'd care to think about implementing some simple javascript that will allow you to sort the (formerly static) table and re-organize it by brewery name, state/country of origin, or beer style. Hopefully this proves useful to people, I'd hate to think I spent all afternoon working on it for nothing but my own edification.

---

EDIT: 2:00 pm, Friday October 23

A few more things rolled in this morning:

• Ridgeway - Very Bad Elf
• Ridgeway - Insanely Bad Elf
• Ridgeway - Reindeer's Revolt
• Amager - Julebryg
• Sierra Nevada - Celebration Ale
• Mad River - John Barleycorn Barleywine
• Goose Island - Bourbon County Stout 2009
• Goose Island - Christmas Ale 2009
• Firestone Walker - Reserve Porter
• Nectar Ales - Black Xantus Imperial Stout

Don't forget, on Monday night from 6-8 we'll be having a Nectar Ales tasting where you can sample the new Black Xantus bourbon-aged imperial stout along with the rest of the Nectar line. We'll also have a keg of Black Xantus on tap next door if the samples don't slake your thirst.




Have a good weekend!

New Arrivals For Friday August 21, 2009

It seems strange to be receiving "Oktoberfest" and pumpkin beers when the weather is pushing 90, but I guess it's just a continuation of the trend towards pushing seasonals out earlier and earlier. In any case they're nice and fresh right now, so you might as well drink them. We also got the first shipment of bottles from Upright Brewing, so if a light, refreshing farmhouse ale is more your speed we have you covered. On to the list:

• Boulevard - Bob's 47: (commercial description) Boulevard’s fall seasonal beer, Bob’s ’47 Oktoberfest is a medium-bodied, dark amber brew with a malty flavor and well-balanced hop character. With this Munich-style lager we solute our friend Bob Werkowitch, Master Brewer and 1947 graduate of the U.S. Brewer‘s Academy. Available from September through October in bottles and on draught.
• Bayern - Oktoberfest: Smooth, malty, clean, pretty much everything you want in a festival lager.
  
• Sam Adams - Oktoberfest: A dark amber lager with minimal hops and a smooth caramel/toffee malt flavor. One of the best in the Sam Adams line up.
  
• 3 Skulls - Hop the Plank IPA: 3 Skulls is an off-shoot of Baron Brewing in Seattle that gives them an opportunity to brew some NW-style ales without muddying up the German theme of their core lager brand. As a fairly new brewery there's very little in the way of reviews out there, but the distributor was kind enough to drop off samples, so we'll taste them on Sunday and I'll get back to you
  
• 3 Skulls - Black Bonney Porter: review coming soon...
  
• 3 Skulls - Pillagers Pale Ale: review coming soon...
  
• Buffalo Bill's - Pumpkin Ale: An amber ale with pumpkin spices. Not too shabby, but it can't hold a candle to the Elysian Night Owl.
  
• Upright - Four: A brilliantly balanced farmhouse wheat ale. Perfect for weather like this.
  

These aren't really "new", but Firestone Walker's products are pretty popular, so it's worth mentioning that their Pale 31, Double Barrel Ale, and Union Jack IPA are now available in 12oz singles and 6 packs for those times when a bomber just won't cut it.

That's it for now. Check back soon (or check the Twitter feed over there ----> ) for the latest on new tappings in the Biercafé and other info.

Recent Arrivals and Returning Favorites

The weather is beautiful and the new beers keep flowing in. We've gotten a couple of incredible sour beer in over the last couple days which are perfect warm weather sippers. A handful of summer seasonals are also in stock so check the list below for the full run down of new brew.

The cafe draught list is also tipping towards the easy drinking side of things as the weather heats up. A couple of highlights on today's list include Heater Allen Isarweizen, Deschutes Red Chair IPA, and New Belgium La Folie. Never fear though, we've still got a wide range of styles, including a couple heavy hitters like Stone Imperial Russian Stout and Hopworks Bourbon-aged Noggin Floggin Barleywine for those who are gluttons for punishment.


New American Craft Beers:

• Leinenkugels - Classic Amber: A 100 percent malted lager, “Leinie’s Classic” features Leinenkugel’s own unique blend of two-row and six-row malts and four varieties of hops. A blend of Pale, Caramel, and Munich malts offer a complex flavor, with four different hops (Cluster, Cascade, Mt. Hood, and Hallertau) to balance the malts.
  
• Cascade Lakes - Paulina Lake Pilsner: Sweet, bready malt character meets crisp noble hops in this classic style. Toss a couple of bombers in the cooler and take some fishing.
  
• New Belgium - La Folie: Say what you will about Fat Tire, La Folie proves that New Belgium can brew, blend, and barrel age with the best of them. Former Rodenbach brewmaster Peter Bouckaert and crew keep watch over a multidude of foeders (huge oak barrels) filled with several vintages of La Folie. When the time comes to bottle they blend various batches together to create a harmonious, complex whole that's sure to put a pucker on your face. We only received a few cases, so please try and limit yourself to 3 bottles.
  
• New Belgium - Biere de Mars: The other new arrival from NBB this week is their delicious Biere de Mars, a New World take on the classic spring beers from the French/Belgian border region. New Belgium's version includes lemon verbena and "unidentified flying yeasts" to create a earthy, citrusy, brew with "crusty bread" malt character and a dry finish.
  
• Fish Tale - Organic Blonde: Fish's summer release is an easy drinking blonde ale brewed with a touch of rye for a delicate spiciness and just enough hops to give it a crisp, very refreshing finish.
  
• Sierra Nevada - Southern Hemisphere Harvest: This twist on the "fresh hop" craze features fresh hops from New Zealand that are dried, flown from NZ to Chico, and thrown into the kettle in less than a week. It's a major undertaking to be sure, but the reward is an off-season fresh hop beer bursting with grassy and floral hop aromas. Look for the fat 24oz bottle with the bright blue label.
  
• Elysian - Avatar Jasmine IPA: This delectable northwest IPA has a healthy dose of dried jasmine flowers to give it a unique floral nose and dry finish.
  
• Flying Dog - Canis Major 8 Pack: This great little package includes four of Flying Dog's big beers - Gonzo Imperial Porter, Double Dog Double Pale, Horn Dog Barleywine, and Kerberos Tripel - in 7oz nip bottles. They're perfect for when you want some strong, flavorful brew but don't want to commit to a 22oz bottle of something that's 10% or higher. Which begs the question, why do so many breweries put their monstrous beers in big bottles?
  

New Imports:

• Schneider - Hopfen-Weisse: This collaboration between Brooklyn Brewing and Schneider is a hopped-up take on the classic Schneider Weisse. Smooth and creamy bodied with a defined herbal, grassy hop character, this is one easy drinking summer brew.
  
• Belhaven - Scottish Stout: (commercial description) This deluxe stout is brewed for a full roasted chocolate flavour with a hop character that complements a blend of three different malts. Drink, savour, and enjoy!
  
• Whistler - Classic Pale Ale: Visitors to Whistler/Blackcomb (or Vancouver, BC in general) will surely recognize the distinctive labels. I haven't had a chance to try either of the Whistler brews yet, but you can click the links and see what other folks think.
  
• Whistler - Black Tusk: (commercial description) Obsidian black with a creamy, tan coloured head. Aroma: Subtle, malty aroma Palate: A dark, bold English-style mild ale. Expect a mild bitterness with notes of chocolate and a roasted coffee finish. Finish: Delightfully subtle with a refreshing, lingering finish.
  

Returning Favorites:

Russian River - Consecration: We got another small load of this incredible strong sour ale yesterday. I don't recall which batch we received last time, but for those who are keeping track this is batch 002X3. We've also got a fair amount of Pliny the Elder and Blind Pig IPA in stock at the moment.

That's all for now. Don't forget to drink plenty of water while you're out enjoying the sun. It's going to be really toasty this weekend, and your body will need all the hydration it can get.

Fresh Off the Bottling Line!

I have in my hands two icy cold bottles of Hopworks Organic Beer that were bottled this morning. The Cross Town Pale and Seven Grain Survival Stout are now in the house and ready for sale, and the IPA and Deluxe Old Ale (aka DOA) should be in tomorrow or Friday.

Daily Notes and a Little Tease

We've only had a handful of new beers trickle in over the last few days, but there's some other exciting news to report as well, so join us as we stroll through virtual coolers...

New Arrivals:


Black Diamond - A long time Sacramento favorite, Black Diamond is now available in Oregon. The initial line up consists of their Belgian-style Blonde, Amber, and IPA. They've also sent a few kegs of their new Saison into town, so look for it to pop up around town at the usual suspect places.



Mateveza - The original Mateveza (brewed at Butte Creek) is no longer being produced. Jim Woods, creator/founder of Mateveza, has contracted with Mendocino produce two brand new beers featuring yerba mate. Mateveza Gold is a 5%abv Golden ale with the equivalent of 1/3 of a cup of coffee per 12oz serving. Mateveza IPA is a west coast style IPA replete with Simcoe, Centennial, and Cascade hop character capped by a long dry finish from the mate. The IPA has slightly more yerba mate in it; roughly equal to 1/2 of a cup of coffee per serving.

If you catch this post in the next couple of hours I'd encourage you to stop by the store to meet Jim Woods and try some free samples of his newest creations.


Heater Allen Returns! After a catastrophic equipment failure destroyed all of Rick's beer we were left wondering how long it would take him to recover, and I loaded up on all the H/A beer we could squeeze into the walk-in. If the word hadn't gotten out I think we would have had an uninterrupted supply, but unfortunately people started hoarding it when they heard it was in short supply and we ran out of just about everything last week.

Luckily for us (and all you lager lovers), Rick was quick on the mash paddle and this morning he replenished our coolers with fresh batches of Pils, Dunkel, and Schwarz. He also brought us the first few cases of Isarweizen, his Bavarian-style Hefe. I haven't had this batch yet, but Rick said he lowered the fermentation temperature a little this time to help mute the banana/clove flavor a bit, and he feels it's a whole lot better than last year's version.


Great Divide - A fresh load of Great Divide is here, and they sent a few fun new beers along for the ride. Belgica IPA is another entry in the blossoming "Belgian IPA" category. Leaning more towards the Belgian yeast character and less towards the hops makes for a fairly easy drinking brew with a complex fruity/yeasty/citrusy twang to it. The Dunkel Weiss is a dark, German-style wheat beer brewed with wheat, dark German malts, and a proprietary yeast strain. As the folks at GD say, "If you like wheat beers, come to the Dunkel side." Lastly, we got a limited number of their Saison, a classic Belgian-style farmhouse ale brewed with barley, wheat, rice (huh...), and 4 different yeast strains to give it that farmhouse character and a bone dry finish.

Fianlly, a little tease:



With any luck we should be seeing Boulevard Brewing Co. on our shelves within the next two months. They were present at a very packed distributor tasting last night, and everyone I spoke to seemed eager to have them. Of course nothing is certain until the beer actually arrives, but this is deliciously exciting news...

Last but not least, join us tomorrow night as we welcome Shawn Kelso from Barley Brown's brewpub. Barley Brown's is way, way out in eastern Oregon, and his incredibly well crafted beers are almost never seen on this side of the cascades, so don't miss this opportunity to try several of his latest brews including WFOIPA and 18 month old Whiskey Malt Rye beer. Yummy!

New Arrivals For Tuesday April 14th

New Beers!

~Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale: Stone's 11th Anniversary beer (a black IPA) was so popular that they've brought it back as a year-round beer. Roasty, hoppy, and full bodied.

~Stone Imperial Russian Stout: This is the highest-rated beer in the Stone portfolio according to the users of Ratebeer.com, and with good reason. A complex wave of flavors and aromas washes over you with every sip; bitter chocolate, roasted coffee, anise, herbal hoppiness, even a little peppery spice. I haven't had one of the fresh bottles yet, but if it's anything like prior years it's probably a little boozy at the moment. Not that that's neccessarily a bad thing, but I'm guessing it would benefit from at least a couple months to meld like a good stew.

~Butte Creek Organic "Initial Attack" IPA: I'm getting mixed info on this one. My distributor rep informed me that it's a fresh hop beer made with New Zealand hops, but I can't find any references to it being a fresh hop beer either on the bottle or the web. Unfortunately the Butte Creek website is under construction, so I can't go to the source either. I'll take one for the team and report back as soon as possible.

Returning Favorites!

~Stone Cali-Belgique: A special version of their IPA brewed with a Belgian yeast strain. This one went quickly last time we got it in, so don't delay.

~Russian River: Fresh cases of Pliny the Elder IIPA (bottled on 04.07.09) are in the cooler and ready to go home with you. We were supposed to receive a few cases of Blind Pig IPA as well, but they didn't make it onto the delivery truck this morning so they'll hopefully come in on Friday.


Last minute tasting reminder:

We're hosting a Hot Lips Soda tasting this evening from 5-8pm.

HOTLIPS Soda is real fruit soda pop. Picked-ripe fruit is cooked in open kettles, bringing out the nuanced flavors. Seeds are filtered out, but not pulp, then water, pure cane sugar and organic lemon juice are added. Then it is carbonated, put into bottles and pasteurized. It’s simple. High percentages of real fruit. No shortcuts, supplements, artificial flavors, concentrates or trickery. And no corn syrup. Even the bottles are local, manufactured from 80% recycled glass right here in Portland.

As you can see, they take their soda as seriously as most of the breweries around here take their beer. Only the best ingredients and practices go into making them, and it shows in the flavors.

Tonight they're pouring samples of their Strawberry, Raspberry, Pear, Boysenberry, Blackberry, and Black Raspberry sodas. It really is great stuff, either on it's own or used as a mixer for delcious fruity cocktails.

That's all for now. Have a great week!

Blue Frog Beer Arrives in Oregon

We got 5 new beers in this morning from Blue Frog Grog and Grill in Fairfield, CA. I haven't had a chance to taste any of them yet, but I'll try and squeeze them into the line up for this weekend.



We've got their Blonde Ale, Hefeweizen, Red Ale, IPA, and "The Big DIPA" imperial IPA.

In addition to the Blue Frog we saw a few seasonal favorites return to the shelves or coolers:

Moylan's Hopsickle Imperial Ale (very limited, so please don't hoard it)
Dogfish Head Midas Touch
Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron
Anderson Valley Summer Solstice
Lagunitas Undercover Investigation Shutdown Ale (now in 6pks!)
Hale's Kolsch
Pyramid Curveball Blonde Ale

I think that's it for today. Don't forget about the Spring Beer and Wine Fest this weekend!

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.

Seasonal Creep

This is one of those weird times of year in the beer world. Not many breweries make "spring seasonals", and those that do offer them seem to do it as an afterthought. This is evidenced by the fact that many of them only see about 1-2 months of shelf time before they get replaced with summer seasonals. For the chain stores it's an easy solution; they simply wait until one is gone before they bring in the new one. We don't have that luxury because people expect us to have new stuff right away, but they also expect us to carry the good seasonal offerings (like Celebration) long after they're out of season.

We've rearranged the store countless times in the two years we've been in the new location, and in that time we've devised a layout that allows us to carry roughly 1100-1200 beers. Generally there's an equal number of things going out of season (or limited stuff that simply sells out) as there are new things coming in, so it becomes a simple matter of "replace X with Y in the cooler", but when you're faced overlapping seasonals it presents a problem. The solution? Close outs. We currently have an entire rack filled with perfectly drinkable winter seasonals that got evicted from their homes by incoming spring/summer beers. If you're looking for one last 6pk of something like Laughing Dog Cold Nose then our loss is your gain.

Where am I going with this? I really don't know. I guess it's just something I've been pondering all day because we received a bunch of "summer seasonals" in the middle of March. That leads me to today's list of new arrivals...

New American Craft Beers:

• Blue Moon - Honey Moon
• Southern Oregon Brewing - Woodshed Red
• Alaskan Brewing - Summer Ale
• Capital Brewing - Blonde Doppelbock (Hooray, more Wisconsin beer!)
• Lagunitas GnarlyWine
• Deschutes Cinder Cone
• Lagunitas Maximus (now in 12oz bottles and 6pks)
  
• Cascade Lakes Blonde Bombshell

New Imports:

• Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour
• Wittekerke (returning after a lapse in distribution)
• Ename Tripel
• Kapittel Sampler 4 Pack

New Sake:

• Kikusui Junmai Ginjo - The world's first certified organic sake!

That should do it, have a great weekend!

24 New Bottles Plus Pliny the Younger

I love what's come to be known as "Shelton Brothers" days here at the shop. It invariably means that we'll receive at least a handful of exciting new bottles, the staff spends the day in a state of giddiness as they anticipate the end of the work day, and I get to tell people things like, "Yes, we finally got that Mikkeller beer with weasel poop coffee in it!" Occasionally the "handful of exciting bottles" becomes a pile of 2 dozen new beers sitting on my desk, which causes my wallet and liver to begin weeping (one weeps with joy, the other with sorrow).

The only drawback to all this beery goodness is that I end up spending more time than I'd care to think about sitting in front of the computer entering new things into the database and receiving the whole pile, which gets especially painful on days like this when customers keep wandering by with glasses of Pliny the Younger in their hands. I swear you can smell that brew from 6 feet away, and probably further if the wind is blowing the right direction.

Anyway, I can't possibly write a review for everything on today's list because I a) haven't had most of them, and b) the post wouldn't be done for a few days, and several of these are likely to be gone by then.

That said, here's the list of new arrivals and long lost favorites that have made their way back into our coolers. The bolded beers are things which are likely to be in high demand, and may sell out within the week, so don't delay if something strikes your fancy.


New US Craft Beers:

• Mad River Serious Madness Black Ale
• Stone/Mikkeller/Alesmith Collaborative Tripel
• Sam Adams Double Bock
• The Bruery Saison de Lente
• Lagunitas Hop Stoopid
  

New Imports From:

Denmark:

• Amager Sudby Stout
• Amager Hr Frederiksen Imp. Stout
• Amager Batch One Strong Ale
• Mikkeller Warrior IPA
• Mikkeller Simcoe IPA
• Mikkeller It's Alright!
• Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch (weasel poop coffee edition)
  
• De Molen Hel & Verdoemenis (Imperial Stout)
  

Finland:

• Huvila ESB
  
• Huvila Porter
  
• Huvila Arctic Circle Barleywine
  

Norway:

• Nogne O Toshi Dobbel IPA (collaborative brew between Nogne O and several Japanese brewers)
  

Belgium:

• Kerkom Bink Tripel
• Struise Black Albert Stout
• Struise Pannepot Reserva

Italy:

• Panil Bariquee Reserva 2008

Japan:

• Baird Natsumikan Ale (pale ale made with Japanese citrus fruit)
  
• Baird Dark Sky Stout

Ireland:

• Curim Irish Wheat Ale (Ireland)

Returning Favorites:

• Panil Bariquee (vintage 2007)
• Urthel Hop-it
• Achel Bruin
• Achel Blonde
• Olfabrikken Porter
• Thiriez XXtra

If you have any specific questions about any of these feel free to leave a comment and we'll answer it as soon as possible. Otherwise, we'll try and drink this pile of deliciousness as fast as we can and write individual posts for the exceptional beers.

Oh yeah, in case you've missed it, we're celebrating imperial IPAs in the Biercafe this week. In addition to several other amazing hoppy brews, Pliny the Younger was tapped at 3pm and I'd be surprised if it lasts through tomorrow. In an effort to stave off some phone calls I feel compelled to mention that we will NOT be filling any growlers, jars, or boots with the Pliny. Sorry, but we want to spread it out to as many people as possible.

Now go forth and drink! (responsibly, of course)

Whoa! More New Beer!

One of these days I'll make it through a delivery day without having to spend half my afternoon entering new beers into our POS system, but today was not that day. The most recent deliveries brought us a few long-lost favorites, and handful of new beers, and some new packaging for pre-existing brews. There's too many things for me to try and write a description for all of it (otherwise the post wouldn't be out until Monday), but I've linkedto the Ratebeer review page for each one.

New Imports:

Reissdorf - Koelsch - Now available in 5 liter minikegs!
Hitachino - Commemorative Ale 2009 - Spiced Strong Ale
Hitachino - XH - Strong Ale aged in Sochu (distilled sake) casks
Harvey's - Elizabethan Ale - English Barleywine
J.W. Lee's - Harvest Ale 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002 - English Barleywine
J.W. Lee's - Harvest Ale 2006 aged in Lagavulin casks Barrel-aged Barleywine
Vapeur - Saison de Pipaix - Belgian Saison/Farmhouse Ale
Wintercoat - Vildmoseol - Peat-smoked Brown Ale
Birrificio Ducato - Verdi Imperial Stout - Imperial Stout with chilis
Pripps - Carnegie Stark Porter - Strong Swedish Porter
Einbecker - Schwarzbier - Black Lager
Einbecker - Ur-Bock Dunkel - Dunkel Bock
Gale's - Prize Old Ale (1996) - English Old Ale
BFM - Abbaye St Bon Chien 2006 and 2007 - Funky Sour Hybrid Ale
Burton Bridge - Empire Ale - English Strong Ale/IPA


New Craft Brews:

Dixie - Lager - Premium Lager
Dixie - Blackened Voodoo - Black Lager
Grand Teton - Double Bitch Creek - American Strong Ale
Allagash - White - Belgian-style Witbier
Sierra Nevada - ESB - Early Spring Beer
Big Sky - Ivan the Terrible - Barrel-aged Imperial Stout
Rogue - OR 150 Sesquicentennial Ale - Golden Ale


New Meads:

Honey Sun - Iqhilika Dry Mead - Dry Mead
Honey Sun - Iqhilika Herbal Blossom Mead - Semi-sweet Mead

Don't forget about Zwickelmania this weekend; pretty much every brewery in the state is having some sort of event, tasting, or shindig. Oh yeah, I guess there's a holiday this weekend too...

Big List of (Sorta) New Beers

As promised, here's the list of everything we've received in the last 6 weeks or so, with the exception of a couple of things like the Abyss that have already come and gone.

12.02.08
~Firestone Walker - Walker's Reserve Porter
~Rogue Ales - Sig's Deadliest Ale
~Erie Brewing - Ol' Red Cease and Desist Wee Heavy

11.28.08
~Santa Cruz Organic Brewing - The People's Organic Coffee Porter

11.25.08
~Hair Of The Dog - Doggie Claws Barleywine
~Anderson Valley - Deep Enders Dark Porter
~Heater Allen - Hugo Bock

11.21.08
~New Belgium - Frambozen
~Alaskan Brewing - Baltic Porter
~Dansk Viking Blod - Danish Mead with hibiscus and hops
~St Bernardus Christmas Gift Packs - Contains a St. Bernardus and 1 bottle each of the Pater 6, Proir 8, Abt 12, and Tripel.

11.18.08
~Professor Briem's 1809 - Berliner Weisse
~The Bruery - Trade Winds Tripel
~The Bruery - Autumn Maple
~The Bruery - Black Orchard
~The Bruery - Orchard White
~The Bruery - Saison Rue
~Harvey's Brewing - Christmas Ale
~De Dolle - Dulle Teve (Mad Bitch) Tripel
~Alesmith - X Pale Ale
~Alesmith - Yulesmith

11.12.08
~Goose Island - Bourbon County Stout
~Pinkus - Jubilate Lager
~North Coast Brewing Co. - La Merle Saison

11.11.08
~Scaldis - Scaldis Noel

11.07.08
~Boulder Brewing - Never Summer
~Boulder Brewing - Killer Penguin Barleywine
~Ridgeway Brewing - Bad Elf
~Ridgeway Brewing - Very Bad Elf
~Ridgeway Brewing - Seriously Bad Elf
~Ridgeway Brewing - Insanely Bad Elf
~Ridgeway Brewing - Criminally Bad Elf
~Ridgeway Brewing - Santa's Butt Porter
~Ridgeway Brewing - Lump of Coal Stout
~La Choulette - Noel
~De La Senne - Zinnebir Xmas
~Olfabrikken - Kloster Jul
~Olfabrikken - Jule Ale
~Brasserie Geants - Noel de Geants
~Mikkeller - Not Just Another Wit
~Sogaard's - Julebak
~Nogne O - Pecuiliar Yule
~Norrebro Bryghus - Julebryg
~Curious Christmas 4pk - contains one bottle each of Bad Elf, Seriously Bad Elf, Lump of Coal, and Pickled Santa spiced ale
~Otter Brewing (UK)- Hoppy Otter IPA
~Otter Brewing (UK)- Otter Head ESB
~Redhook - Double Black Coffee Stout
~Sam Smith's - Winter Welcome 2008

11.04.08
~Anchor Our Special Ale (aka Anchor Christmas)
~Rogue Ales - Yellow Snow IPA
~Rogue Ales - Santa's Reserve
~Jenlain - Noel

10.31.08
~Stone Brewing - Double Bastard (we have plenty of bombers and 1 3ltr bottle left)
~Green Flash - Le Freak (Belgian Tripel/IPA hybrid)
~Lang Creek - Glacier Pilot
~Elysian - BiFrost
~Schmaltz Brewing - HeBrew Jewbilation 12
~Professor Briem's 13th Century Grut Bier
~Sam Adams - Winter Lager
~Widmer BRewing - Snow Plow Milk Stout (only available in 22oz this year)
~Laughing Dog - Cold Nose Winter Warmer
~Big Sky - Powderhound
~Big Sky - Slow Elk Stout

10.28.08
~Mikkeller - Santa's Lil Helper
~Mikkeller - To: From:
~St. Bernardus - Christmas Ale
~Dick's Brewing - Double Diamond
~Snoqualmie Falls - Harvest Ale
~Pyramid - Sno Cap
~Sierra Nevada - Celebration Ale
~Cascade Brewing - Cuvee du Jongleur
~Cascade Brewing - Cascade Blackberry
~Cascade Brewing - Cascade Kriek
~Ninkasi - Oatis Oatmeal Stout

10.24.08
~Mahr's Brau - Christmas Bock
~Van Den Bossche - Kerst Pater
~Golden Valley - Tannenbomb
~Bridgeport - Raven Mad Imperial Porter

10.17.08
~Avery Brewing - Old Jubilation
~Sierra Nevada - Harvest Ale
~Bridgeport - Ebenezer

10.14.08
~Kiuchi (aka Hitachino) - Yuzu Wine
~Grado Plato - Chocarrubica
~Glazen Toren - Cuvee Angelique
~Glazen Toren - Saison d'Erpe
~Wye Valley - Dorothy Goodbody's Our Glass
~Montegioco - Draco Barleywine
~Tsmisje - Guido
~Del Borgo - Genziana (ale with gentian)
~Del Borgo - Te (ale with tea leaves added)
~Hanssen's - Kriek
~Hanssen's - Oudbeitje (strawberry lambic)
~Harviestoun - Old Engine Oil
~Harviestoun - Ola Dubh 12yr
~Harviestoun - Ola Dubh 16yr
~Harviestoun - Ola Dubh 30yr
~Hitachino - Espresso Stout
~Hitachino - Ginger Brew
~Hitachino - Weizen
~JW Lee's - Manchester Star Dark Ale
~JW Lee's - Moonraker Barleywine
~JW Lee's - Harvest Ale 2006
~JW Lee's - Harvest Ale 2007
~JW Lee's - Harvest Ale: Calvados '05
~JW Lee's - Harvest Ale: Calvados '06
~JW Lee's - Harvest Ale: Port '06
~JW Lee's - Harvest Ale: Port '07
~Uerige - Alt
~Uerige - Doppelsticke
~Ettaler - Curator Doppelbock
~Ettaler - Kloster Dunkel
~Ettaler - Kloster Helles
~La Rulles - Estivale
~La Rulles - Tripel
~Bayerischer Bahnhoff - Leipziger Gose
~Birrificio di Como - Malthus Baluba
~Birrificio di Como - Malthus Birolla
~Alvinne - Melchior
~Alvinne - Gaspar
~Alvinne - Podge Imperial Stout
~Baladin - Baladin Noel Magnums
~Baladin - Sour Edition Saison (Vintage 2005)
~De Dolle - Oerbier
~Birrificio Troll - Palanfrina
~Birrificio Troll - Shangrila
~RCH - Old Slug Porter
~Brasserie Vapeur - Saison De Pipaix 1995
~Sinebrychoff - Porter
~St. Michaelsburg - Kellerbier
~Laurelwood - Free Range Red

Whoa. That's a lot of brew...

Most of these are listed on either Ratebeer.com or Beeradvocate.com but I'm happy to answer questions if anyone is curious about something on the list.

Cheers!

~Chris

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.

New Arrivals For Tuesday April 22, 2008

This is perhaps the slowest time of year for new beers. Other than a trickle of summer seasonals from the bigger craft brewers, there's not much of interest being released. In the meantime I've been exploring the wonderful world of sake. Look for our selection (now hovering around 25 hand-selected varieties) to expand as we continue our never-ending quest to bring you the finest libations we can.

New Beers:

Malheur Brut Reserve - This strong golden ale undergoes "methode champenoise" to produce a high level of carbonation and a dense head of tiny bubbles. Aromas of citrus fruit, light floral notes, and nutty malt lead into a cleanly malty, effervescent body before coalescing in a long, dry finish.

Lagunitas Lucky 13 - Brewed to celebrate their 13th anniversary, the Lucky 13 is is hoppy, red, and delicious. C'mon, it's Lagunitas, what more do you need to know?

HeBrew Rejewvenator - HeBrew has declared this "The Year of the Fig", and to celebrate the occasion they've released the Rejewvenator, and dark malty brew loaded with fig juice.

Alaskan Summer - Alaskan Summer Ale balances a softly malted palate with the clean freshness of Hallertauer hops. In the tradition of the style, neither overpowers the other. Both hops and malt come together to refresh and renew the palate. The straw-gold color and easy drinkability are an enjoyable way to celebrate summer.


New Sakes:

Zen Tokubetsu Junmai - As the name implies, Zen is balanced. Clean and smooth with notes of peaches and rice milk. Just dry enough to encourage you to take another sip or two.

Itami Onigoroshi - This is about as dry as sake gets. Subtle fruit and floral notes linger on the palate for several minutes after each sip.

Yuri Masamune - This off-dry sake starts with aromas of alcohol and flowers. The fruity, off-dry flavors blend into a woodsy, earthy finish. Great value for the price.

Momokawa Sake Sampler - This is a great way to introduce yourself (or your friends) to the wonderful world of sake. One bottle each of Momokawa Silver (off-dry junmai), Momokawa Diamond (dry junmai), Momokawa Pearl (genshu nigori), and Moonstone Plum (fruit-infused sake) are included in the set. Grab some sashimi and expand your horizons with Japan's ancient beverage.

Not really new, but worth mentioning: The Greene King Abbott Ale and Wexford Cream Ale have finally returned. Many customers lamented the loss of these two pub cans when they disappeared from our shelves a few months ago, but they've finally found their way back into our coolers.

Upcoming releases to watch out for: Stumptown Tart, Bridgeport's first fruit beer, is a Belgian-style ale infused with tons (literally) of Oregon Marionberries. Look for it to hit the shelves late this week. The next 22oz special release from Laurelwood is also due in this Friday, and this is likely to be the fastest-selling one thus far because it's their incredibly delicious Green Elephant IPA. They're only bottling a couple hundred cases, so snag it while you can.

I think that's it for today, but don't forget about our toast to Vasili happening tomorrow night!

New Arrivals For Friday April 4, 2007

Someone pointed out that I hadn't posted anything since last month, but unfortunately I haven't been feeling the writing groove lately (and thus, no ranting and raving), and to be honest there hasn't been much in the way of new arrivals. That all changed today when we got several new beers, including 5 from from Snoqualmie Falls Brewing in Washington that have never been distributed in Oregon before.


New Imports:

Gouden Carolus - Triple: We've had this on tap a couple of times in the BierCafe, and it's always been well received, so I was pretty thrilled when they finally decided to bring in the bottles. Clear golden color, and topped with a billowy white head, this brew is almost as pleasant to look at as it is to drink. Fruity yeast character, light bready malts, and a long spicy finish characterize this beautifully made triple. One ratebeerian commented that it pairs well with Tillamook cheddar, and it would probably make a great accompaniment to most other "non-stinky" cheeses as well.

DeProef - Signature Ale: This strong, spicy/sweet ale is a collaboration between Tomme Arthur (Port/Lost Abbey) and Dirk Naudts (De Proef) that seeks to harness the best of both worlds. Tropical fruits and spices greet the nose at first whiff and carry through to the flavor where they're met by smooth maltyness on their way to a west coast-style hoppy finish. This was one of the highlights of last years' Portland International Beerfest, and we're excited to finally have bottles in stock.

Krait - Prestige: A champagne-style lager, brewed in Poland and re-fermented in Belgium? Hmmm...we'll just have to wait and see about this one...


New Craft Brews:

Midnight Sun - Obliteration III: This beer didn't even exist on Ratebeer.com until I added it this morning, so if you've always wanted to be first at something this is your chance. No one here has tried it yet (is it 5pm yet?), but I'll go out on a limb and say that it's probably going to tear your palate apart with hops. If it's anything like the Obliteration II it'll give the Moylan's Hopsickle a run for it's money in the "over the top" department. If you want balance, look elsewhere. If you want HOPS, look no further. There were only about 40 cases delivered to Oregon, and we only got 5, so keep your eyes peeled or you'll miss it.

Lang Creek - Cherry Porter: This was pretty darn popular when we had the folks from Lang Creek in for a beer tasting last month, and it's easy to see why; a blast of cherry flavor is tempered by subtle chocolate notes and just a hint of smokiness. This is a short-run seasonal, so get it while it lasts.

Mendocino Brewing - Spring Bock: This one is brand-spanking new, so I'll let the brewery describe it: "Our Limited Edition Spring Seasonal is a rich, malty full bodied pale bock with a golden hue. Our bock is brewed with a blend of noble hops and the finest malts for a unique drinking sensation."

Snoqualmie Falls - Wildcat IPA: Description coming soon. Click the link for ratebeer reviews.

Snoqualmie Falls - Copperhead Pale: Description coming soon. Click the link for ratebeer reviews.

Snoqualmie Falls - Steam Train Porter: Description coming soon. Click the link for ratebeer reviews.

Snoqualmie Falls - Spring Fever Grand Cru: Description coming soon. Click the link for ratebeer reviews.

Snoqualmie Falls - PGA (Perfectly Great Amber): Description coming soon. Click the link for ratebeer reviews.

I think that's it for new beer today, but since I've got your attention I might as well mention some other tidbits of information.

The BierCafe:

The BierCafe celebrated its first birthday yesterday, and what an interesting first year it was. We had numerous tastings and "Meet the Brewer" events, our first mini-festival (PuckerFest!), and more amazing beer on tap than we could count including The Abyss (twice), New Belgium La Folie, Bear Republic Racer X, Cantillon Iris, Bridgeport Hop Harvest from a firkin, DuPont Avec Le Bon Voeux, and some of the very first kegs from Double Mountain.

Speaking of draught beer, the BierCafe has a really nice line-up right now; Avery Maharaja Imperial IPA, Collaborator (Widmer) ALTimate, Six Rivers Kona Porter, and Steelhead Bombay Bomber IPA.

Stay tuned, we've got plenty of things in store for year two; more taps (at least 10!), more events, more tastings, more "flight nights", and our second annual tribute to all things sour and funky - PuckerFest 2.

One more Public Service Announcement and then I'm done:

Cheers To Belgian Beers! - This years' event is taking place at Roots Brewing because they won the people' choice vote last year, and despite what you may have read elsewhere the event starts at 3pm. I know that most of the blogs and such have it listed as 12-11 (or 12-9), but I just called the brewery and confirmed with start time with them. That being said, they're open for lunch, and I'm sure they'd be happy to serve you one of their delicious beers, but don't expect to start dissecting the Belgians quite so early.

I feel like I'm forgetting something, but I can't figure out what. Oh well, it couldn't be that important...