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New special beers have been put on at The Blacksmith, so get em before the kegs are blown.

Bend Brewing Company - Imperial Pilsner

One of the owners of The Blacksmith and I went over to the Bend Brewing Company for lunch a few weeks ago, and had the good fortune of getting to try their Imperial Pilsner while it was on tap.  This is such an enjoyable beer; I’m surprised I didn’t hear all the beer geeks I know in town talking about it.

Smooth … good bitter … great mouthfeel … excellent finish. It is surprising that this beer weighs in at 7.6% ABV (Alcohol by Volume) as it goes down very easily and is extremely refreshing for an imperial.  Hops and malt are both clean and flavorful. The darker-than-a-Pilsner color depth is most-likely due to the fact that there were a larger amount of sugars than a traditional Pilsner in the boil (thus, the higher ABV measure).  More sugars in the boil means more caramelization, and thus more color.

There’s only one keg of this at The Blacksmith, and I’m not sure how much Tonya has left at the BBC.  Come and get some of this while there’s still some to get.

Victory - Storm King Imperial Stout

While my wife and I were on a trip to Eugene to see Queens of the Stone Age … saviors of hard rock … we stopped off at a beer bar called The Bier Stein. While there I loaded up on Victory beers. I’d had their Prima Pils before and loved it. They had others including the Storm King which came highly recommended, so I picked up a few. I absolutely loved it, and now you can too.

Another hit from Victory.  This beer is big and roasty. It catches you off guard because it sure doesn’t go down like the big beer that it is. Weighing in at 9.1 ABV, it is full of smooth, creamy, roasty, chocolatey goodness. The hops are present and supporting, but not the star of the show. Great malt backbone, and clean finish. Would probably go great with ice cream or some chocolate.

Victory Storm King photo by Bend Oregon Restaurants

I have a couple of friends who constantly haze me about my love of Belgian beers.  It’s probably because I made the mistake of taking them to Brouwer’s in Seattle and immediately ordered a large Cantillon Rosé de Gambrinus - a sour raspberry ale that make your lips pucker like Mick Jagger - for all to share.  After their looks of “how could you do that to me?!” fell off their faces, I became branded as the one who loved ”Flambic Labiales”.  I have some very creative friends.

So these same people found themselves at the pub yesterday, and called me saying that they were pouring a Belgian that they thought I would love.  It was a sour brown, and they thought it was pretty good.  I had traded emails with Larry at the brewery in the past, and he had let me know that they were doing a sour brown for their reserve series.  Since Deschutes regularly uses the pub as a proving ground for recipes as they’re being formulated, I figured this might be a preview of what they’re going for with Dissident.

I bellied up to the bar, and ordered the sour brown (can’t remember the moniker under which they were pouring it).  They pulled the handle, and it blew!  Sucks.  Luckily, someone at the pub went to the back and said that I had hurried down to try it.  They didn’t have any more, but they gave me the foam that poured out when they put the next beer on.   After it settled, I had a good 3-4 oz … enough to get a sense.  The color, aroma, and flavor were great.  I’m not usually a fan of the Belgian stabs I’ve had at Deschutes, but if the final product is like what I had last night, I’ll be so happy (and so slapping down some money for a case or two).  Great flavor … exactly in the ballpark of a sour brown.  It is a bit rough around the edges, but that’s to be expected.  My understanding is that this beer was straight out of the tank.  I was told it is going to go through some time on wood and some blending as well before it is ready.  With what I had last night as a base, this will indeed worthy of the Reserve Series pedigree.

So I was done with my teaser beer, and was ready for a full beer.  I looked up to see what replaced the blown Sour Brown keg … it was the Coffee Double Black which is an Imperial version of their Black Butte Porter.  I was told that this would be the next in their series of Anniversary bottlings in celebration of their 20th.  Epic win!  Two reserve series teasers in a row!  What I had last night didn’t have much head on it, but damn was it tasty … sweet, roasty, warming alcohol.  Very nice.

What a way to end a Monday!  Looking forward to the release party guys!

First off, let me just say that I love Bell’s beer.  It is one amazing brewery. Their ability to put out so many different beers of such high quality is something to be respected. Ratebeer has 12 of their beers (not marked as retired) above the 90th percentile. Now that I’ve said what I love, let me say what I don’t love: the beer distribution system of this country, but that’s another post.

My buddy, Hophound, brought this (and several other Bell’s beers) back from a trip to the Midwest.  God bless him for that.  I’ll be posting about the other beers as they are consumed.

Appearance: Pours a hazy pale golden.  This beer is noticibly unfiltered, so there’s lots of little floaties (which, in my opinion, is a good thing here).  Decent carbonation.  The head dissipated quickly, leaving a little ring around the glass.
Smell: Pale malt, hops, clean, spicy, classic midwest beer smell (don’t know how else to say it).
Taste: Pronounced hop bitterness and spice against malt sweetness. A bit of nuttiness and melon in the background.  Lingering bitterness after the spice and malt die off.
Mouthfeel: Not too crisp, good solid carbonation.  Good medium bodied beer. 
Drinkability: Very easy to drink.  Very tasty.  The balanced bitterness and malt sweetness make this such an enjoyable beer to drink.  I like it a lot.  I wish that we could get Bell’s here.

Ratebeer: 3.35/5 [74 percentile]
Beeradvocate: 3.59/5 [82 percentile]

I wrote a post a while back about how pumped I was to see Newport Market representing the Alesmith beers. If you, dear reader, haven’t yet picked up, at the very least, a Speedway Stout, frankly I’m disappointed in you. Now go clean your room. Seriously these guys are a cut above the rest. Yes, it’s expensive at one bottle for $12.00. But believe it or not, that’s a pretty good deal, and as Jimmy from South Park would say to the Crips and Bloods, “Come on”. $12.00 is really no excuse for robbing yourself of a uniquely fantastic beer-drinking experience. This tasting is for one of their beers that I hadn’t tried before, so without further ado … the Grand Cru (insert poet/know it thought here).

Appearance: Deep amber.  Tan, inch-high head that settles into a quarter-inch layer that stays for about a quarter of the glass.
Smell: Wow malt! Big malt and spices. Some yeast-ester aromas in there as well, but it’s toying with me … not clear as to what I’m picking up there.  Intriguing!
Taste: My palette just got slapped in the face!  Rich caramel malt flavors with ripe dark fruits of plumb and raisin.  Hints of chocolate in the finish.  It just keeps giving.  Can taste that classic Belgian candi sugar flavor as well butting up against the yeast.  Warming, moderate alcohol heat is supported by the huge malt backbone.  Smooth.
Mouthfeel: Rich with solid carbonation despite the 10% alcohol sweetness.
Drinkability: This is a big, boozy beer.  No kidding.  I spent a good amount of time with the one glass in the picture, and definitely wanted to share it with my wife.  Excellent beer.  Probably will buy another, and set it aside for a while to see how it cellars.  If you’re into big Grand Cru beers, definitely check this out.

Ratebeer: 3.92/5 [98 percentile]
Beeradvocate: 4.12/5 [89 percentile]

This was picked up during a weekend trip to Seattle.  After being outside in the sun, nothing sounded better than a nice, tart, refreshing beer.  This one did not disappoint.

Appearance: Cloudy, straw, a little murky.  Great big-bubbled head with good retention at least halfway through the glass (thank you wheat!).
Smell: Not too much aroma. There’s just a hint of that classic Belgian white smell with a little spice and orange butting up against the malty wheat.
Taste: Very light footprint with  tart, yeasty flavors. Wheat coming through showcasing a hint of mellon. As expected, there’s no hop presence. A bit of malt finish in back of palette. A bit of a “dusty flavor” (for lack of a better term).  As the beer warms, it opens up revealing more of the orange.
Mouthfeel: Big carbonation with a somewhat dry finish.
Drinkability: Not best I’ve had, but a very refreshing beer.  Nothing overly distinctive about the beer, but is amazingly drinkable on a hot day.  Doesn’t really hit the palette with a ton of flavor as I typically like, but that makes it a bit more of a simple, thirst-quenching, refresher.  Nice.

Ratebeer: 3.84/5 [82 percentile]
Beeradvocate: 3.46/5 [86 percentile]

I picked up this beer at The Bier Stein in Eugene.  Jolly Pumpkin focuses on Belgian Style ales, and has been popping up more in my reading of American-made Belgian style ales.  This is the first tasting of a Jolly Pumpkin beer on Brewerman, but the second one that I’ve had.  I recall really enjoying the Oro de Calabaza as the first example of their product.  Given the way this one went, I wish that I could more easily get their stuff here in Bend.

Appearance: White head of big bubbles sitting on top of a clear, straw colored beer.  Big carbonation.
Smell: Smells like a Wit!  Spice and wheat and yeast and subtle floral notes
Taste: Tartness and yeast play off the wheat carbonation and just barely-sweet base.  The spice hits right at the beginning of the taste and slowly bleeds into the tartness that lingers after the swallow.  There’s a slight bitterness, and the footprint left after the swallow is light.  Green apple and pear flavors are present.  A bit more tart than I’m used to with Wits, but very easy to enjoy.
Mouthfeel: Lively carbonation, Light on the tongue.
Drinkability: I liked it.  At 4.8% ABV, this is a very refreshing beer that can easily be downed by a single person (at least it was easy for me ).  I wish that I could more-easily get my hands on more of Jolly Pumpkin’s beers.  Very tasty.

I know nothing of Port Townsend Brewing Company excepting the fact that it is in Port Townsend, WA (cool little town). This was another special delivery beer muled in from Seattle. Port Townsend’s site says this weighs in at 5.5% ABV, and is intended to, “Give your mouth a blast of hops with this unique crisp ale”. Let’s take a look.

Discosure: This has been sitting in my frige for about a month, so I can’t say that it is as fresh as it probably should be.

Appearance: Small, white head that settles to a surface covering rather quickly. Hazy straw-orange color with some … wow, this is definitely unfiltered. Plenty of tasty bits suspended in the beer.
Smell: Citrusy grapefruit on top of cotton candy. Some malt, but more sweet citrus than anything else. Nice.
Taste: Good bitterness present. I’m guessing this is so quickly aparent because the malt profile itself seems too understated. This really makes the bitterness hit quickly and take over. The finish is clean with almost no aftertaste.
Mouthfeel: Medium carbonation. It hits with an assertive hop bitterness and flavor, and is gone. Good, clean finish.
Drinkability: I liked it, and am glad I tried it. It isn’t the hit-you-over-the-head-on-all-fronts style of American IPAs that I’m used to. The malts could be more discernable and balanced, but only just a bit. This is a refreshingly crisp, hoppy IPA, and I wouldn’t want to mess with that by sweetening it up with a bunch of malt. Just could use only a touch more malt character.

This is my first review of an Avery beer. This came from a stash brought to Bend from my favorite beer store in Seattle by a man who I owe much to now. I owe him because this beer makes me say Daaaaaayum! It’s so tasty. I’m really looking forward to trying the other Avery beers that were delivered along with it now.

This is a classic Imperial IPA. It’s all about the hop. It’s got the bitterness, flavor and aroma … and it smacks you in the face with all of them at the same time. It’s not as bitter as some other Imperial IPAs I’ve had, so if bitter’s your game … well, you’ll still like this. This one’s all about the balance. So without further ado …

Appearance: Off white head, beautiful orange color, big bubbles in head around glass. A little hazy, but plenty of light gets through to show off the color and the good carbonation bubbling up.
Smell: I can smell the hops a foot away! BIG grapefruit. Some caramel/cotton candy notes follow, but they’re burried under the hops. Awesome aroma.
Taste: Wow! Now that’s what an Imperial IPA is supposed to taste like. It is a huge flavor explosion. You can really get the hops here, and it artfully settles into a significant, but not overpowering bitter. While this is a hop monster, it’s not all bitterness. Much hop flavor sits on top of the substantial malt backbone. Residual sweetness keeps the hops from overwhelming the balance. A bit of alcohol heat at the end, but only the slightest suggestion. At 9.87% ABV, this is a pretty balanced Imperial IPA.
Mouthfeel: Good carbonation dancing off the tongue. A bit of thickness stays on the back of the sip and keeps the flavor lasting a long time. Great finish.
Drinkability: Wish I would have asked for more than one! I will pick up several for the cellar for sure if I come across it again.

The Pike Brewing Company is a well-established micro out of Seattle, WA. Located by the Pike Market, this brewery has recently been sold back to its original founders, Charles and Roseanne Finkel, and I’m glad to hear it. These guys know the beer business. Charles Finkel is a pioneer in the early days of the craft brew industry. He started both Pike Brewing Company and Merchant Du Vin, a specialty beer importer back in the days before the American beer palate was what it is today.

Because Pike Pale Ale has always been a staple in our house, I’m glad it is in capable hands. It is among my wife’s favorites, and we both liked it enough to serve it at our wedding. A straight-forward ale, it has a slightly assertive hop presence (but not too much), with a balanced aroma. Just a good tasting beer. Not much to say, except that it’s hard to find in central Oregon.

Appearance: A nice amber, with a just a bit of haze. Smell: Both malt and hop hit at the same time. A very balanced aroma. Although there is some citrus, it’s not the in-your-face grapefruit that many NW pale and IPA’s exhibit. A slight hint of cotton-candy? Taste: Caramelized malt, distinct hop bitterness, slight pear or apple in the background. Clean flavor with a nice lingering bitterness at the end. Mouthfeel: Light-medium bodied. Drinkability: A highly drinkable beer. This isn’t a sit-down-for-an-hour-as-the-beer-opens-up kind of brew. It is a great work-horse beer that both my wife and I like to keep well-stocked.

Last year’s version of Hop Henge was a stop on the way to developing a new American IPA replacement for its now-discontinued Quail Springs IPA. It was good … one of those “drop your jaw and hold the glass to the light at arms length to get a better look at this marvel” kind of beers. Thank God Deschutes released it in 22 oz bombers. They went quickly, and everyone I knew hoped it would become the new IPA recipe. The brewers kept tweaking, however, and Inversion (now a workhorse favorite among American IPA lovers), was born.

So when a friend came into work raving, “Hop Henge is back … and it’s an Imperial! I had it last night at the pub,” I had no choice but to go try it for myself. On tap it was excellent. I got a fresh case from the brewery, and this tasting is from one of those bottles.

ABV: 8.1%
IBUs: 95

Appearance: A beautiful deep, clear orange. Nice head that slowly collapses leaving sticky burst bubbles on the glass. Smell: Excellent citrus and spice hop aroma hits first, followed by a whiff of caramelized malt. Taste: As the Stonehenge replica made of hop bales on the label would suggest, hops, both bitter and flavor, are the showcase here. Citrus and spice sitting on top of a very supportive malt backbone. The sweetness you’d expect from a high-alcohol beer is there, but is supportive … not overpowering. Could be just a touch more balanced? Mouthfeel: Good full-bodied beer with decent carbonation. Could have used just a small bit more carbonation (not a major problem … still plenty of carbonation to be had). Drinkability: I bought a case. This beer is easy to spend time with, and I’m glad that I have more in the cellar to enjoy over time.