[BW] Beer Blog

I’m going to deviate from my normal format and instead do a few quick reviews of some awesome brews I had last weekend.

Casked Deschutes Fresh Hopped Mirror Pond Pale Ale
This cask-conditioned ale I had at Deschutes’ new Public House in the Pearl District of Portland. As a huge fan of cask-conditioned ales, this didn’t disappoint. Much, much smoother than regular Mirror Pond with a way higher floral aroma. I could have drank this all night if I had the opportunity. A colleague of mine also enjoyed it, which was surprising since he doesn’t really like regular Mirror Pond.

Block 15 Chocolate Porter
Block 15 is a brewery and brew pub in Corvallis, OR that I haven’t even remotely written enough about. Block 15 has quickly become one of my favorite breweries period and definitely my favorite brew pub. Their Chocolate Porter was exactly what it claims to be. Very similar to Rogue’s chocolate stout offering, yet just a tad thinner in body. Definitely grab a pint while it’s still available.

Block 15 Ridgeback Red
Ridgeback Red is one of Block 15’s standard offerings and has claimed quite a bit of success as a beer almost everybody will enjoy. This red takes the standard west coast twist on reds in that it leans much more towards hoppy than malty. I had the opportunity to enjoy this from a pony keg that Josh from The Oregon Wine Blog brought to a recent show our rock band played. If you want to play it safe visiting Block 15 for your first time, then perhaps consider ordering a pint of Ridgeback Red.

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Brewery: Full Sail Brewery
Style: Porter
BeerAdvocate.com Rating: A- (Community)
RateBeer.com Rating: 3.89 (98th percentile)
Serving: 22oz Bottle

I have mixed feelings about Full Sail. On one hand they have a commitment to sustainability rivaled by few and have a completeley seperate brewery just to brew their top-tier brews. On the other hand they brew a lot of boring, completely uninspired brews. They even have a brewing contract with Miller to brew some of their smaller produced beers, such as Henry’s Organic Pale Ale. I guess I think of them as a macro micro brewery.

That aside, I’m a big fan of bourbon-inspired porters and stouts. This brew immediately stood out to me on the shelf as something I absolutely had to try. Will Full Sail redeem themselves somewhat? First, let’s see what this one is all about:

Top Sail was aged for about 10 months in bourbon casks from Kentucky. This aging presents hints of chocolate, figs, and oak to this amplified robust porter. Deep black in color, it has a raosy malt flavor and a rich malt sweetness that’s smooth and drinkable. A hearty cellar beer.

Appearance - About as dark of a brown as you can get. Not much light gets through either. A good finger’s worth of tan head is left upon pouring.

Smell - Bourbon definitely shines through, but not in an overwhelming way. Hues of chocolate and malt also come through as well.

Taste - Much more balanced than Oregon Trail’s attempt. This isn’t to say that Full Sail’s is necessarily better, but Top Sail is much closer to a porter that uses bourbon to add to the experience. My nose tagged this one perfectly as chocolate and malt are also very apparent. Surprisingly, even at 9.85% ABV, the alcohol isn’t very apparent.

All in all I’d say pick this one up if you’re into porters or darker ales brewed with bourbon. If bourbon turns you off then you can probably skip this one. While this is definitely a delicious brew, I think it got more hype than it deserved.

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Brewery: Oregon Trail Brewery
Style: Porter
BeerAdvocate.com Rating: B (Community)
RateBeer.com Rating: 3.68 (93rd percentile)
Serving: 22oz Bottle

It has been entirely too long since my last post, so to make up for my absence I am reviewing a beer that I’ve wanted to try for quite some time. The Oregon Trail Brewery is a small, local brewery in Corvallis, Oregon mostly notable for their Wit. However, they also brew a slew of other beers and one just happens to be a bourbon porter.

The bottle itself is dipped in red wax and a price tag (almost $12) that easily scares off the weak of heart. I’m not intimidated though, as I love huge porters and stouts. From their site:

Oregon Trail Bourbon Barrel Porter is as big as the West, masterfully brewed in the true pioneer spirit. This robust porter is aged in Kentucky oak bourbon barrels. The result is a pitch-black brew, rich with oaky smoothness, bold bourbonesque aroma, with hints of fruit and vanilla.

Sounds delicious. Let’s find out!

Appearance - While not absolutely pitch black as advertised, not much light gets through this one. One can easily tell that it’s clearly a porter and not a stout. A couple fingers worth of tan head also appear upon pouring.

Smell - I smelled bourbon the second I popped the cap. Upon getting my nose in there, I was bombarded with a whole ton more of bourbon. I’ve had bourbon-inspired beers before, but none greet you like this one. Behind the bourbon is a little bit of vanilla tagging along for the ride.

Taste - This beer is exactly what it says it is. This is no ordinary porter by any means. The bourbon taste is immediately apparent, as is the vanilla. Only after the initial taste dissipates are you reminded that this is a porter. I have to say that I expected this to be a porter first and not the other way around, but Oregon Trail made an incredibly delicious and unique brew. Take your time with this one too as the 11% abv will knock you on your butt.

I highly recommend getting your hands on this if you can.

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Brewery: Deschutes
Style: Imperial Stout
BeerAdvocate.com Rating: A+
RateBeer.com Rating: 4.16 (100th percentile)
Serving: 22oz Bottle

The Abyss is perhaps the hottest beer in the United States, if not the world right now. Like most of us, I never had a chance to try Deschutes’ first run last year. This year is different though as I marked my calendar for the date of this year’s release to make sure I’d get a bottle. This review may seem a little late as The Abyss has already been reviewed a million times already, but I wanted to make sure that I was truly in the mood for an imperial stout.

The Abyss has immeasurable depth inviting you to explore and discover its rich, complex profile. Hints of molasses, licorice and other alluring flavors draw you in further and further with each sip. And at 11% alcohol by volume, you will want to slowly savor each and every ounce.

January 2008 marks the return of this rare and eclectic ale. Limited availability in wax-dipped 22-ounce bottles and on draft at a few select establishments.

Russian Imperial Stouts have experience somewhat of a renaissance lately, so I’m excited to get this underway.

Appearance - No false advertising here. Absolutely pitch black with zero light shining through. Big, couple fingers worth of tan head.

Smell - Big hues of malt, chocolate, and licorice. The alcohol definitely shines through as well. Once again, no false advertising.

Taste - Surprisingly a lot creamier mouthfeel than I expected. Big hues of burnt coffee, chocolate, and licorice. The cask conditioning really shines through as well as the bourbon barrels definitely did this brew justice. For its 12% alcohol content, the taste really isn’t strong at all. I completely understand how this brew has received its accolades as it has accomplished something no other imperial stout has in terms of balance and complexity.

However, I’m going to go on record and say if given the choice between a pint, I’d still choose Stone’s Russian Imperial Stout. Stone’s isn’t as complex and obviously isn’t conditioned in bourbon barrels, but there’s something about Stone’s variation that is more enjoyable for me. Perhaps this just stems from the fact that I’m not a huge licorice fan.

That said, The Abyss is still an amazing brew that any imperial stout fan should try. Aside from Stone’s Russian Imperial Stout, I can’t think of a single imperial stout even remotely near The Abyss’ league. The Abyss is a truly unique brew that shows how dedicated Deschutes’ brewers are to creating world class beer.

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Brewery: Roots Organic Brewing
Style: Red Ale
BeerAdvocate.com Rating: C
RateBeer.com Rating: 3.41 (78th percentile)
Serving: 22oz Bottle

Note: Just for fun both the Bearded Brewing Company and I have decided to simultaneously review this beer on our sites to see what each other though about this one. After reading this review, stop by the Bearded Brewing Company blog to see what Eric thought. If you’ve arrived here from Bearded Brewing, thanks for checking out my site.

Roots is an all organic brewery located in Portland, Oregon that is most notable for being perhaps the most active brewery in the entire pacific northwest in terms of environmental activism. They also created the first all organic beer festival in Oregon and I believe they were also the first brewery in Oregon to go all organic. Needless to say, their list of accomplishments is quite large.

Since I’m a fan of both red and organic ales, it was an easy decision to pick this one up. I’ve had their Woody IPA before and while it wasn’t completely unique in the oceans of IPAs out there, it was definitely delicious. Let’s see what this one is all about.

We call this a RED stout. Very full bodied complex ale brewed with a good amount of oats and barley, which lend to the nice bread and malt flavors and help Give this RED a very rich & creamy head.

Red stout, huh? I’m all for innovation, so here goes nothing:

Appearance - Mahogany body that’s still clear enough to let a health amount of light through. Pours with a healthy finger or two’s worth of tan, frothy head.

Smell - Typical hoppy smells of a red ale, but with a much higher malt tone that tags along behind the hops.

Taste - Wow, that definitely is unique. Factor in all of the standard red ale tastes, take it down a notch or two in what a typical northwest red has in hops flavor, and factor in what I’m sorting out as either a toffee or coffee hue due to the higher malt content. I see how Roots kinda sorta spins this as a red stout not by the name, but by the mixture of flavors you get. It’s definitely tasty, but it’s also difficult to review as I can’t think of anything even remotely similar.

It looks like folks on BeerAdvocate are complaining about this being unbalanced due to the hops and not the malt, but I’m going to go ahead and attribute that to said reviewers being wusses. This isn’t even in the upper 50% of hoppy beers out there, so I don’t understand that argument. I do see how some folks might complain about this being unbalanced. I, however, think this is a delicious and incredibly unique brew. Pick up a bottle if you get a chance to, if anything, try something I guarantee you haven’t experienced before.

Remember to check out the Bearded Brewing Company as well to see Eric’s thoughts on this brew.

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Brewery: Laurelwood
Style: Porter
BeerAdvocate.com Rating: B+
RateBeer.com Rating: 3.47 (83rd percentile)
Serving: 12oz Bottle

I’ve been holding onto this one for quite some time. While Laurelwood’s attempt at a winter warmer didn’t exactly blow me away, I’m giving them a second chance with their organic Tree Hugger Porter.

Tree Hugger Porter features a rich chocolate malt flavor that finishes dry and roasty. Delicate hop flavor rounds out this rich full-bodied ale. This beer is brewed with 100% Organically-grown malt.

While Laurelwood’s website doesn’t have much to say about this porter, hopefully I will. Let’s find out!

Appearance - Very dark brown, yet not dark enough to absorb all light. The consistency looks closer to a brown ale in that it’s viscosity isn’t as thick as other porters. Pours a very think, tan head that dissipates within half a minute.

Smell - Very apparent coffee, chocolate, and malt hues. Almost smells similar to other coffee porters.

Taste - Very delicious brew! I can’t think of anything this brew does that is incredibly unique, however, I find this completely dismissible as it’s the only organic porter of this kind I have found so far. Think of this as an organic Black Butte Porter turned to 11. This beer is a huge step for organic beer fans out there as we now have a world-class porter to choose from. Pick this one up if you can find it.

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Brewery: Deschutes
Style: Amber Ale
BeerAdvocate.com Rating: A-
RateBeer.com Rating: 3.35 (74th percentile)
Serving: 22oz Bottle

To say I’m excited about this beer is a huge understatement. Deschutes is one of my absolute favorite breweries and they’re finally giving organic brewing a shot. This brew’s press statement alone has impressed me so much, in fact, that I’m going to share the majority of it with you right now:

“Green Lakes is a classic amber ale,” says brewer Paul Arney. “We used caramel and Munich malts for a nice color and six different varieties of hops.” The reddish colored brew has a nicely balanced taste with a distinctive but restrained hop profile that includes Salmon-Safe certified Sterling hops.

After working with Oregon Tilth for nearly six months, Deschutes Brewery received organic certification for its 50 barrel brew house and can now brew tasty organic ales for year-round enjoyment.

Let’s see what this organic and salmon safe brew tastes like!

Appearance - Rich, translucent amber color with minimal carbonation. A thick, beige head slowly dissipates to a thin lace about 1/3 of the way through a pint.

Smell - Hoppy enough to let you know they’re there, but not overwhelming at all. Also a slight hue of maltiness that piggybacks after the hops.

Taste - Amber ale perfection. A medium amount of hops (slightly less than Mirror Pond for comparison) greet the palate followed by subtle tastes of caramel and malt. A flowery hop taste rounds out each sip as the last of it dissipates off of the palate. The mouthfeel is incredibly smooth and the brew itself is both highly refreshing and drinkable.

I know I haven’t really said much, but Green Lakes is the epitome of what an amber ale should taste like. The fact that this brew is both certified organic by Oregon tilth and salmon safe just brings home that yes, brewers can brew amazing, world-class craft brews while being environmentally responsible. I’m going to go on record and say to this date that this is my absolute favorite amber ale.

And as a special note to Eric; I’ve got one of these waiting for you as well. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

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Brewery: Laurelwood
Style: Winter Warmer / Red Ale
BeerAdvocate.com Rating: B+
RateBeer.com Rating: 3.58 (86th percentile)
Serving: 22oz Bottle

Laurelwood Brewing Company is quickly becoming one of the prominent brew pubs in Portland, Oregon. According to their site they now have four brew pubs; one actually located in the terminal of PDX! If you’ve ever taken a Horizon flight out of PDX you’ve probably seen it.

I had heard of Laurelwood a few years ago, but for one reason or another never made it out to any of their pubs. Lo and behold I found a bottle of their Vinter Varmer seasonal ale at the Belmont Beer Station. For the most part, Laurelwood brews mostly organic beer. This one, however, is not organic. I’m ok with that though as I’m a sucker for both Oregon beer and red ales.

Appearance - Looks like the darkest mahogany you can get with a very small, yet lasting lace of a tan head. Not a lot of light gets through this one.

Smell - Smells pretty hoppy with only small hues of malt and alcohol shining through. Somewhat sweeter than a standard red ale.

Taste - To be completely honest I’m kind of underwhelmed. A lot of breweries are putting out hoppier winter ales and this one just kind of fades into the mix. The hops and malt are there, but there’s nothing tying them together. The first thing that came to mind after thinking about similar red ales is how perfect Eugene City crafted their 100 Meter Ale in comparison. Nothing unique with this one though.

I’m honestly really disappointed. Almost all of the reviews on this site are positive and it kind of bothers me that I don’t have much to say about this one. It’s not that it’s bad by any means and maybe I set my expectations too high. I would recommend, however, ordering a pint of this for a friend who maybe isn’t quite into craft beer yet. There isn’t anything threatening about this brew to put off the average person that I can think of.

Look forward to Laurelwood’s second chance somewhat soon as I still have a bottle of their organic Tree Hugger Porter waiting to be opened.

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Redhook Winterhook
This brew is an incredibly light color for a winter warmer. The taste wasn’t very strong either; comparable to a pale ale more than a winter warmer. This is neither hoppy nor very strong in the malt department. It did leave a lace in my pint glass the entire trip to the bottom and is incredibly drinkable. I’d say order a pint if nothing else stands out, but there are far better winter ales out there. Yet another average brew from Redhook.

McMenamins Sleepy Hollow Nut Brown
I’m generally underwhelmed by the majority of McMenamins’ ales, but this one was pretty damn good. Think of it as a slightly lighter and less in-your-face version of Rogue’s Hazelnut Brown Nectar. Still slightly thicker than an average brown ale with hues of hazelnuts and toffee appearing through the entire pint. It’s also quite drinkable, so don’t fear ordering a pitcher. This one is a McMeanmins seasonal though, so order it while you can.

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Brewery: Full Sail Brewing
Style: Winter Warmer
BeerAdvocate.com Rating: 86
RateBeer.com Rating: 3.54 (87th percentile)
Serving: 12oz Bottle

This brew comes to us from Full Sail Brewing Company in Hood River, Oregon. Wassail has been brewed annually since 1988 and because of Full Sails large distribution volume, this brew can be found in most supermarkets across the Pacific Northwest at the very least.

A deep mahogany color, Wassail is brewed with four different malts and a blend of Pacific Northwest hops, giving it a malty full body and a pleasantly hoppy finish that appeals to both hop and malt lovers alike. In other words, a Christmas miracle.

A miracle huh? Let’s find out!

Appearance - Looks like a standard brown ale. Only a very thin head appears and quickly dissipates. A tan lace is left throughout the entire pint.

Smell - Mildly hoppy with hues of malt coming through. Smells a lot like Deschutes’ Jubelale, only a little less malty.

Taste - Absolutely delicious. At first my palate was taken over by lots of hops. After a few seconds I was pleasantly surprised by hues of chocolate and coffee. The alcohol content of this brew isn’t nearly as apparent as other winter warmers. The mouthfeel is also much lighter.

Overall this is a very delicious beer. If you’re a fan of hoppier beers and want to try one of the new scary winter releases at your local market, give this one a shot. I know I’ll definitely be picking up a few more six packs before the season is over.

BONUS: Tour of the Full Sail Brewery
Recently I had the opportunity to tour the Full Sail brewery. Located right by the Columbia River in Hood River, Oregon, the Full Sail brewery is a must-see for anybody road tripping across northern Oregon.

The building itself hosts their primary brewing facility as well as a restaurant/bar area. I didn’t have the opportunity to try any food at the restaurant, so I’ll focus on the brewing facility.

My first reaction walking into the brewing facility was noticing how pristine everything looked. From what I’ve seen at other microbreweries, cleanliness usually isn’t a priority. Sure the tanks will be sterile and all, but I usually expect to be sprayed with something or walk through puddles. Not at Full Sail!

Aside from all of their fancy pants equipment, what impressed me the most is how sustainable they are. The brewery is powered by wind power, they try to purchase locally as much as possible, and they even absorb the cost of transporting mash waste to farms across Oregon so it can be used as livestock feed.

The main facility in Hood River is where they brew the more widely-distributed brews, so here is where beers like their Amber, IPA, Pale Ale, Rip Curl, etc. Their auxiliary brewery in Portland is where they brew the rest. What I didn’t know is that Full Sail also has a contract from Miller to brew Henry Weinhard’s. While they don’t brew all Henry’s ale, they do brew the Organic Pale Ale as well as the Hefeweizen and seasonals.

Where my tour guide lost points with me is after complaining about the process they had to go through to be USDA certified as an organic brewery, he used the opportunity to shoot down the entire organic brewing movement. You brew Henry’s for Miller and you’re lecturing me on the credibility of brewing techniques?

In an apparent attempt to buy back my love, we were all given a token good for a free Full Sail pint glass at the bar. To test my glass’ ability to hold liquid, I first had to sample a pint of Wreck the Halls before I left. Turns out my glass works just fine and with a pint of incredible beer in me it was time to head home.

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