Archives for April, 2010
It’s tempting to make a bullfighting metaphor when talking about this beer. I mean, I was at a darts championship (reminiscent of a matador’s javelins), and the word “torero” is a synonym for matador. It doesn’t get much more obvious than that. I could take it further – Alameda in my book has always been [...]
Enjoyed this earth tribute beer on Earth Day eve, one year after its Earth Day 2009 release. It’s an old refrain, but worth repeating – I think this is one IPA that gets better with age, as I noted in my sampling of the 2008 Blue Dot early on in this project. Try it, you’ll [...]
You could blame the venue (Paddy’s), better known for its selection of fine whiskeys (see “wall of booze” in background of photo below),a tempting option given the reputation of brewer Ron Gansberg’s sour and barrel-aged beers. But I think I have to look to the brewer on this one – even at near-room temperature, this [...]
I had the pleasure of tasting the Brooklyn Brewing version of this beer at the Great American Beer Festival in 2009, poured by brewer Garrett Oliver himself. Today’s beer was brewed by Oliver in the Schneider brewery in Germany, using the same recipe as the Brooklyn version but using local, German hops. It’s been awhile, [...]
I’ve been curious about this beer for a long time, and thanks to my mother-in-law, I finally got a chance to test it out. From the “Minnesota cache,” I saved this beer for … what else? A breakfast tasting! I can see why there’s a lot of fuss about this beer – it’s basically the [...]
I tend to overlook Anchor. For some reason, I have them filed in my mind near Sam Adams, who also makes some great beers, but suffers from my internal label of “big (little) brewery.” Anchor was one of my early exposures to microbrew, and as I’ve matured, I somehow left my early lessons behind. What [...]
Pop quiz: What’s a downtown Portland bar with an unmatched view, amazing Asian fusion-type food, price tags commensurate with the above, and serves high-priced craft beer in the same iced-over pint glasses as Portland’s worst dive bar? When I first sipped this beer from its frost-encrusted glass at Departure, I couldn’t believe it. This is [...]
I am very lucky to work just four blocks away from Bailey’s Taproom, just one of the many tools in the kit that keep my lips wrapped around a new beer every day. Bailey’s always has a great selection of rotating taps, and the list seems like a total refresh every time I walk in [...]
I’m a bit of a Motorhead fan. Not as big as Belmont Station‘s Carl Singmaster, who once told me he tries to see them at least once a year, but I’m a fan. And my favorite song/album has to be the one that inspired this beer … “Ace of Spades.” It’s the album I listen [...]
I think Victory Brewing gets extra points from me for their label design and copy. On Hop Wallop, the bottle carries the legend of Horace “Hop” Wallop, paired with a Crumb-esque drawing of this fictional personality. You just have to admire the burst of creativity, going above and beyond fluid volume, legal information … and [...]
Man, was I disappointed in this beer. I guess I was expecting something like a summery version of Wreck the Halls, which may be a lot to ask, I realize. Perhaps I should lower my expectations of seasonal beer releases, especially from the brewery that brought us such memorable beers as LTD 01 and … [...]
Summit’s IPA was a go-to beer for me when I lived in the Midwest, and I interspersed it with Boulevard Wheat/Pale Ale when I made premium six-pack choices. I still pick up a few bottles when I visit my wife’s family in Minnesota, and although my palate has evolved to the point where I wouldn’t [...]
100 Beers tasted and reviewed. I’ll admit, I had my own private doubts as I started this project, and perhaps 10% of the way done isn’t the time to gloat, but I’m starting to think this thing is actually doable. Most people seem to doubt the availability of 1000 beers, or my ability to recall [...]
I meant to take a photo of this beer, but I had my hands full with a squirmy little boy who was past his bedtime at a busy restaurant, Screen Door in Portland. This was a good food beer, particularly with the jambalaya I ordered, but I wouldn’t order one again, other than to give [...]
I wasn’t counting on finding a micro at the Charlotte airport, instead planning on drinking today’s beer when I arrived back in Portland. It’s a good thing I found something unique; ironically, rain in the Southeast delayed the departure of my flight home and I ended up spending the night in a bar-less hotel in [...]
Is there anything more stereotypical of business travel than drinking a bottle of beer from the hotel bar while waiting for a large file to download over spotty shared Wi-Fi? In this case, I was glad to get the chance to sample Yuengling beer, a storied and much-loved regional Industrial Lager I’d not previously sampled [...]
Traveling outside the Pacific Northwest is what most worried me about this project. In Washington, Oregon and California, I feel confident I can find good craft beer almost anywhere. But elsewhere, choices can sometimes be more limited, particularly when you’re living in Airport World. In Airport World, industrial lagers tend to dominate. Writing this somewhere [...]
My first impression of this beer wasn’t good. I poured what eventually settled into 1/2 inch of beer, but it literally filled a 20-ounce pint glass. Many patient pours later, I had half a glass of beer. I had high hopes, too. I was just telling someone somewhere that I thought Alesmith’s YuleSmith was the [...]
Someone on Twitter was asking for Easter beer recommendations. At our Easter celebrations, dinner has always meant one thing: ham. Thinking on the topic, I went immediately to Saison Dupont. I think a sweet, smoky beer could pair well with sweet, smoky ham, but I prefer my beers contrast one another, rather than involve too [...]
I really like this beer. Ninkasi is that rare brewery that actually lives up to its hype – each beer they make* is solid, and success could not come to a nicer person than brewer/owner Jamie Floyd. But I’m not going to sing Ninkasi’s praises here. Rather, I’m going to bring up a subject I [...]
My mother in law was visiting during her spring break (she teaches second grade) from Minnesota, and was kind enough to help stock the beer fridge with 11 beers not available in Oregon, including some gems from Bell’s, Founder’s, and of course, Surly. I’ve only reviewed one other Surly beer from this blog, but I’m [...]
My April Fool’s Day was saved by a tasting at Belmont Station. My darts team, the illustrious Fart Duckers, were scheduled to play another Thursday at what I now consider Portland’s worst bar: the Triple Nickel. Last week, I sampled Blue Boar, unwilling to sacrifice more common beers (Anchor Bock, Sierra Nevada, Lagunitas IPA) to [...]
Cascadian Dark Ale or Black IPA? To me, entertaining this argument is a bit arguing over which is worse: having your wisdom teeth out or breaking a bone. Either way, you’re in for a painful, unpleasant experience, so who cares which is worse? Frankly, this CDA/Black IPA style is lost on me, and I sometimes [...]
Our first trip of the season to the Portland Farmer’s market yielded a haul of thick leeks and Yukon potatoes, providing inspiration for one of my favorite spring soups, Vichysoisse (aka Potato Leek soup). I thought a sweet, malty beer would be a good accompaniment to this garlicky, creamy soup. I still think that would [...]
Picked this up at the brewery in Stevenson a few weeks ago, along with a seasonal, Pale Strider. Like it’s friend, this was surprisingly still fresh, even though it had been all but forgotten in the downstairs fridge. I’ve never done anything but fill growlers at Walking Man, but this beer reminds me – I [...]