Category: Other Beers

Dissident or dissonance

Over the weekend, Joe and I split a bottle of Deschutes The Dissident, a Flanders Brown ale that is a boutique craze lately. It was really a wonderful beer, and I thank Joe for sharing.

One of the things that struck me about the beer is the variety of competing flavors that play in your mouth with each sip. At first I though dissonance was the right word to describe the beer. It’s a trait I enjoy in music, but it’s really not the right word. While there is a lot going on in the beer, the balance of all the flavors – the sours and fruity sweets – really find a harmony that’s very pleasing.

Old Crustacean circa 1999

While attending a wedding in Pugetopolis this past weekend, we crashed with Scott and Stephanie. The wedding was on a Friday night, so afterwards, everyone was pretty tired save Scott and I. So after everyone else was tucked in, we lounged downstairs, talked it up, and savored some of his homebrews. He had both a Dunkelweissen and Pumpkin ale on tap, and while both were great, I’m not a pumpkin ale fan so I stuck with the delicious Dunkel. I also tried a bottled IPA which was excellent – just the right color, aroma and with plenty of citrusy hops. But then the mood changed when Scott broke a 1999 Old Crustacean out of his cellar.
A 9 year old Crusty

I thought he was teasing me at first since it was only a 7 oz bottle, and if you’re going to save a bottle for nearly a decade, how could you drink it just shy of that anniversary. He convinced me however because I was one of the few people he knows that relishes in barleywine. So he poured to small glasses and we sniffed. The smell was glorious.

You never know what you’re going to get 9 years after you bottle something, but evidently the original recipe was right. The aroma was part brandy, part malt, and completely alluring. The first sip revealed the truth – this beer was OMFG good. After nearly a decade, the flavor was layers of aged ingredients. There was a gradient from port to grand marnier to chocolate to plums and raisins, then after a 15 second pause, a wash of bittersweet that I can only imagine were the hops begging for recognition. Amazingly, this sensation occurred every time you took a sip, even with the smallest draw of the nectar.

I’m honored that Scott shared such a delicious beer with me. It made me consider cellaring beer for a second, but I’ve thought that before and it’s never really worked out. If you can find this sucker somewhere (ahem, bottleworks), I’d seriously recommend it.

Hoarding Full Sail Doppelbock

I missed out on Oktoberfest somehow, and its one of the few times of the year I relish in German brewed beers. Normally, I prefer to drink the locally brewed equivalents, of which there are many fine examples. However, this year I would have totally missed the boat had I not stumbled upon Full Sail’s 21st Birthday beer, a delicious doppelbock so good that I feel no lament for missing Optimator on tap at Mt. Angel.

I’ve found myself hoarding the nectar each time I visit New Seasons. 2 Weeks ago I bought the last 3 bottles. This weekend, I bought all but the last 1 bottle, feeling a slight bit of midwestern guilt (You always leave the last cookie on the plate). I felt a little silly, but it has allowed me to enjoy a great doppelbock, while still honoring my NW beers edict. The stuff is so delicious that I’ve forgotten that I missed the Oktoberfest beers, the kraut, cabbage, and curried brats.

Those who can't do, teach?

I helped Alan and most of his neighborhood brew a batch of beer last week. It was great fun and there were some fantastic snacks to be had. It wasn’t really a formal lesson though and more of an ad hoc session. I think one of the guys was a little confused by the process since he was a much more structured learner; something that doesn’t necessarily go well with lots of folks and beer.

It’s probably the 10th time I’ve taught folks how to brew and it’s quite a bit of fun. 2/3rds of the brew days I’ve been involved in this year were teaching gigs. Makes me wonder if the old adage is true: “Those who can’t do, teach.”

Luckily, the do part is a time issue only.

First Taste: OBF 2008

I requested to have Thursday off back in May. Opening day of the Oregon Brewers Festival? What better way to beat the crowds and try the beers I want with no lines?

I met Alan and Kathleen shortly after 2pm, and we sampled a number of beers before the rest of the world reached the end of their working day. I can’t speak for their preferences, but here are the few I tried that I’d recommend to other festival goers.

  • Rock Bottom Congo Queen: another Sorghum beer, but this one takes the delicate flavor of sorghum and uses that flavor void to highlight the yeast and a number of spices. Really quite nice, though maybe not what my celiac grandfather has been looking for.
  • Bridgeport Hop Czar: A robust imperial style IPA. Lots of malt and lots of hop. Would be better in about 3 months.
  • Boundary Bay Crystal Pale Ale: A single hopped beer using crystal hops. This beer is subtle, delicate, and delicious. I love crystal hops though, so the slightly spicy noble hop creates a nice head-to-toe beer. Probably one that non-hop heads would enjoy too.
  • Lagunitas Hop Stoopid: All sorts of good. Great body, great flavors, and great sweet to bitter shotgun of hop flavors. I’ve not had this for a year, but it’s really fantastic.

I’ll be heading back with friends on Saturday too, but I feel like I got a good head start. The atmosphere was nice, the weather great, and I got to meet Jimi Hendrix and the owner of Boundary Bay Brewery in Bellingham. Not the real Jimi, of course, but the real owner of Boundary Bay. I sent a picture of myself with him to a friend in Bellingham to show off.

edit: Jimi and I at OBF.

You never know who you\'ll run in to
You never know who you'll run in to

Concordia Cup 2008

Lindsay, Joe and I rode over to Concordia Ale House to participate in the Concordia Cup, a blind tasting of Oregon Imperial (double) IPAs. We each ordered a tray and set about tasting. I started at #10, a beer infused with or aged in a wind barrel (Pinot we guessed). It was excellent. Continuing on, there were more traditional IPAs, lots of malt, strong hop (though only one was truly bitter).

After all the beers were sampled, we all ended up voting for #2, an abundantly citrusy and floral beer with a great balanced sweetness that I found the most pleasing. I wonder if the results are in.