Laurelwood Brewery (Portland, Oregon) - Organic Free Range Red
I got this bottle right when I heard that they just started bottling their Red. I’ve had it on tap numerous times and boy, it sure tastes great out of a bottle too! Nice work Laurelwood, you’ve never ever let me down! The beer is a red color, not as dark and mahogany as many of the reds I’ve recently had. The flavor is like toasted bread and caramels. There is an initial wonderful taste and it just continues to warm up; it just gets better and better as you sit there. I appreciate this beer because it has a lot of characteristics of a good IPA, but it’s much earthier and warmer. It seems to be a good beer for fall, winter, and early spring.

Russian River Brewing Company (Santa Rosa, California) - Pliny The Elder IPA
Pliny The Elder is well-known among Oregonian beer lovers. It’s definitely a beer that we are jealous that California brews it and we don’t. Some consider this one of the best beers ever brewed. I agree…one of the best, but maybe not the best (Ever tried the Double Mountain IRA???) It has all the makings of a great IPA: the pine needle aroma and taste, a great hop burst, some citrusy flavors including grapefruit, and a warm ride, and an aftertaste that keeps going. It’s a lot of fun to taste this one. Unfortunately, if you are not in certain parts of California it may be hard to find. For Portland, It occasionally comes to New Seasons and Belmont Station. I’ve had it on tap at Henry’s and I’m sure Horse Brass gets it occasionally. I picked up a few of them when I heard it was in town.

Bridgeport Brewery (Portland, Oregon) - Hop Harvest Ale
This is a triple hopped beer. Enough said right? So you are expecting to be completely blown away. Unless you know your Bridgeport beers, you will be expecting to be blown away. However, Bridgeport has a more refined taste. Their Imperial Hop Czar was way crazier than this beer. This one is nowhere near as piney and doesn’t burst with outrageously intense bitterness. But it’s not called the Hop Czar is it? No, it’s the Hop Harvest. The taste is actually closer to the normal, lovely IPA they produce but with extra strength from the hops and an extra freshness, and at imperial levels. I don’t think it’s meant to be a “Skull Splitter,” “Hop Monster,” or “Tricerahops.” Not that any of those beers are wrong, they are all good. I call this an excellent beer; this beer is very well crafted and unexpectedly maintains the classic IPA that Oregonians have come to love. It comes with a nice green foil too. Thank you Bridgeport.

This post was originally posted on beerandscifi.com

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Deschutes Brewery (Bend, Oregon) - Jubelale 2008 (Winter Seasonal)
One of my all time favorite beers, the Jubelale is back for the fall and winter season. Yes! This strong ale is a dark mahogany color with a beautiful dark fruits (apple resin) and spices (cinnamon, coffee) aroma. It avoids the burst of evergreen pine that many IPA’s have, it is subtler and yet more stable and even more mature tasting (An IPA tastes experimental compared). The taste is very full but not overly complex and it actually does taste like the holiday season; I don’t know how they do it, but I immediately think of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the snow. This beer gives you the comfort of a porter or stout but without the heaviness, and with some extra hoppy kick that is classic for the Pacific Northwest. Don’t pass this one by.

Hale’s Ales (Seattle, Washington) - Kölsch
I should have reviewed this one earlier in the year because I just found out that this Kölsch is only supposed to run through August. I can still find it at Whole Foods, and probably New Seasons, Belmont Station, etc. (in Portland). If you live outside Portland, you need to call your best beer store. The bottle says “German Style Ale” and I don’t know what makes it that. Some reviews I’ve read say that it is not a “real” Kölsch. Whatever it is, or isn’t, it IS a really great tasting beer. I enjoy the simplicity of it, and it’s earthy quality. It has a roasted nut and toasted bread taste to it while remaining a bit thin. The warmer, toastier, taste sort of swells a little after you swallow and then it rounds out. There are some hops added that give it just a tad more kick than I would expect from a German beer. Try to pick this one up before it disappears, it may come back every year too, but I don’t know that for sure…

Bridgeport Brewery (Portland, Oregon) - Hop Czar
Another beer that may be leaving stores soon. Pick it up ASAP at Belmont Station, Whole Foods, or New Seasons… maybe call them first. Brideport’s Hop Czar is an IPA that I consider to be the classic beer for the Pacific NW (the Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale is another classic). IPA’s have since become testing grounds for ultra hoppy and bitter qualities that you would find in say a Ninkasi Tricerahops Double IPA or Double Mountains Hop Lava. The Hop Czar from Bridgeport could be considered, by some, to have the same classic feeling as the normal IPA, but an instant classic for all these new Imperial and Double IPA’s. I don’t know if I would go that far; it’s good, but it’s new and one of the characteristics of the newer imperials/doubles is their wild quality. Bridgeport is usually more reserved. The Hop Czar is an Imperial IPA, with 8% alcohol. It has an extremely potent and noticeably sharp hop smell, like the hops were just put in the bottle or something. Consistent with Bridgeport, the drink is nicely balanced, not pulling you one way or another, and leaving you feeling great about what you just drank. Lots of citrus flavor that reminds me of lime, grapefruit, or others and has a nice lasting aftertaste. A 22oz was a bit much so I split it with friends. That’s always a good way to taste beer.

Originally posted on beerandscifi.com here.

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Ninkasi (Eugene, Oregon)- Believer Double Red Ale
Coming into this beer I was not sure if I would dig it because I thought the Tricerahops Double IPA was a bit over the top and not well balanced. This one was a better beer in my opinion but still seemed to be lacking something. What I enjoy about it is it’s dark flavor, mild sweetness and that it seems down to earth with a great crisp finish.

Roots (Portland, Oregon)- Woody Organic IPA
You will see a lot of people who aren’t sure about organic beers, but I think after trying Roots, Hopworks, and Laurelwood brews you can begin to have more confidence in them. This is a very tasty IPA that is easy to drink. The bitter taste sticks around a while afterward without any over the top citrus tastes. While it didn’t blow me away, I enjoyed it and would probably buy it again.

Siletz Brewery (Siletz, Oregon)- Spruce Ale
I bought this because I just had to try a spruce beer, plus I had never had anything from Siletz Brewery. Now I have had three beers from there and each of them have a similar weird sour-bitter taste that some say is a some bad vinegar. I don’t know, but it’s not good. It’s not sour in a good way, that’s for sure. I thought it was just the spruce, but it shows up in all three beers I’ve had, including the IPA. The spruce is the best one I’ve had of the three though. If you get it, drink it’s while it’s cold and it will be drinkable; while it’s cold it has a somewhat piney and fresh feel. Although, really, I would not recommend it.

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