Another walk down memory lane with this one. Ballard Bitter was a standby when I first moved to Portland. I was already familiar with Red Hook, as it was one of the few West Coast micros that was reliably available, even in Iowa (the Blackhook Porter was also an early favorite). Even then, it was a relatively cheap choice for well-made beer, but I’ll bet I paid as much for this bomber as I did for a six-pack back in those days.
Ballard Bitter has been taken off the market, apparently renamed as “Long Hammer IPA,” but the vintage look to this label, and its pine-y, no cedar-y contents bring back memories of a new city and new friends.
Beer Name: Big Ballard Imperial IPA
Brewer: Red Hook Brewery
Price: $4.95/bomber
Sampled: August 27, 2010
Rating: 3/5
Notes: Some aspirin on the nose. Weedy green bitter hops, and sweet, somewhat butterscotch and crispy, astringent mouthfeel. Pretty alcoholic tasting.
ABV: 8.6% abv
IBU: N/A
OG N/A
TG N/A
Serving Type: Bottle.
The tough thing about drinking every day (my life is so hard) is the days that you really don’t want to imbibe. There are the obvious days (usually the day after a day when you consumed a wee bit too much), and the not so obvious ones (when your tongue just maybe needs a break).
And then there are the sick days. Thankfully, I don’t get sick much, but I got hit with a quick, nasty cold this week, one that caused me to spend the entirety of a Thursday watching Simpsons Season 7 from my living room couch, alternately napping, then waking to consume copious quantities of orange juice and herbal tea.
It was tempting to take a day off from beer tasting, but with almost 25% of the project complete, nothing will stop me now. I chose, as I do on hangover and “need a break days,” a lighter beer, and one I figured wouldn’t offer many challenging flavors. Usually I choose a light lager, and that’s what I thought this Dourada (Portuguese for “Golden”) would be. Instead, it’s a deliciously sweet, complex and interesting kolsch! Surprise!
Beer Name: Eisenbahn Dourada
Brewer: Cervejaria Sudbrack (Brazil)
Price: N/A
Sampled: August 26, 2010
Rating: 3/5
Notes: Picked this ’cause I’m sick and don’t feel like beer. Expected something like Heineken … this is not that! Sweet, caramel, crisp, fine mouthfeel.
ABV: N/A
IBU: N/A
OG N/A
TG N/A
Serving Type: Bottle.
My first trip to the Pacific Northwest was when I was in high school. My mom, recently separated from my dad, packed up my sisters and I for a family vacation. We did all the tourist things, including the “Duck” tour, which was pretty fun.
It was interesting to see up close this city that I’d dreamed about from my distant roots in the midwest. Like many of my generation, I loved the “Seattle sound,” and most of my early music collection was composed of Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains … the first CD I bought was Seattlite Jimi Hendrix’ Axis: Bold as Love.
So I’ll admit that I have a real soft spot for anything with “Sub Pop” on it, the label that brought me so much of my early musical education. I associate the label with an important, if awkward, time in my life, and recognize that the music, as much as anything, is what led me to Portland, just a few hours south of the Emerald City.
But beyond that, this is a special beer, worth seeking out even if you don’t have experience with plaid flannel and wide-wale corduroy pants.
Beer Name: Loser Pale Ale
Brewer: Elysian Brewing
Price: N/A
Sampled: August 25, 2010
Rating: 4/5
Notes: Yummy. Tasty malts give way to semi-sweet, slightly buttery-smooth body that masks alcohol beautifully. Nice euro hop aromas.
ABV: 7% abv
IBU: N/A
OG N/A
TG N/A
Serving Type: Bottle.
This is easily one of my favorite beer label designs I’ve seen in the last year. The hand-drawn illustration, color palette, and simple, hand color separations are just really artful and well-made.
As is this beer. Much has been made of the time spent by Deschutes’ brewers trying variation after variation (as many as 22 recipes) in an attempt to find the perfect balance between bright hop and dark malt, and I think they’ve been pretty successful, even if CDA’s aren’t my cup of tea.
Beer Name: Hop in the Dark CDA
Brewer: Deschutes Brewing
Price: N/A
Sampled: August 24, 2010
Rating: 3/5
Notes: Oh, oh, it’s a creamy thick porter … oh … wait! It’s like someone made tangerine porter! Not bad, though. Very little orange juice/toothpaste. Sorta hot.
ABV: 6.5% abv
IBU: 70 ibu
OG N/A
TG N/A
Serving Type: Bottle.
I had a bottle from Brau Brothers a year or more ago, before beginning my 999 beers in 999 days journey, back when beer drinking was just for sport! As a graphic designer, I was turned off by the cheap-looking plastic label, the same material that wraps plastic soda bottles, only less well-executed than most soda label designs.
I recall the contents being pretty unremarkable, too.
So I was a little surprised at this one, which was a really unique pale ale. It tasted humid, not unlike a Midwest summer day, and seemed to have captured that unique smell of green fields slowly exhaling moisture in the summer sun. Its light body seem to make it a perfect beer for a day on the lake or out in the yard.
Beer Name: Pale Ale
Brewer: Brau Brothers Brewing
Price: FREE!*
Sampled: August 23, 2010
Rating: 3/5
Notes: Tastes a bit like midwest summer. Humid, hay-like, grassy smells with moist, sweaty (in a good way) mouthfeel. Good lawn-mowin’, horse-shoe-in’ beer.
ABV: N/A
IBU: N/A
OG N/A
TG N/A
Serving Type: Bottle.
* Imported by my mother in law via suitcase from Minnesota. Thanks, Mary!