Baltika Porter is "Number 6" in the lineup of beers from the Russian brewery: a Baltic Porter. Baltic Porters are akin to Russian Imperial Stouts in that they can easily range from 7 to 10% alcohol by volume, and are robust, dark, roasty brews—the original Imperial Porters.

In honor of Michael Jackson, I'll quote a bit he wrote about Baltika Porter itself back in the late 90s:

A Porter that was in the past produced occasionally as a winter special was in 1995 added as a regular brew. This is bottom-fermented, but in the vein of a Russian Imperial Stout. It was a thrill to taste such a beer in the city that gave the style its name.

Baltika Porter has an ebony colour; an alcohol content of 7.0, from an original gravity of 1068; and a woody aroma, with oily, creamy, fudgy, toffeeish, juicy, flavours. It is soft and lightly dry. This beer, too, contains crystal, and some carbonised malt.

This was the last of my John's Marketplace beers, from Portland. A nice way to start the weekend.

Appearance: Nice dark mahogany brown—I poured with too much agitation so I ended up with a large head the color of wood putty. There's a blood red tinge to it when held to the light.

Smell: Dark and roasted with an undercurrent of coffee and black licorice. The foam has a slightly soapy smell to it. Sweetly roasted, not burnt-roasted.

Taste: Sweet and dark and thick, like a syrupy extract made from dark coffee and dark, bittersweet chocolate. A bit of heat, a light smoky character like a Kahlua-dipped cigar. Black licorice, toasted honey malts... this feels like a beer to be consumed during the deep winter months.

Mouthfeel: Surprisingly smooth and creamy, with a body just thick enough to remind me of syrup, but with a clean smoky/oily feel to it at the tail.

Overall: Enjoyable to drink, very tasty. Definitely a cold weather beer. I'd like to have a few of these on hand all the time.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores 84 out of 100, with 94% approval. On RateBeer, it scores 3.49 out of 5, and is in their 84th percentile.

Just a quick note to observe the passing of Michael Jackson, the Beer Hunter; many of the other blogs are also writing about this, and they're doing a much better job than I. Jackson was the King of Beer Writers and his contributions will be missed.

According to the press release posted on BeerAdvocate, Pyramid has released an Imperial Hefeweizen... the first of its kind. Well, I'm assuming they mean it's the first "official" Imp Hefe... the headline says, "a Craft Beer Category First." What else would they mean?

Pyramid's new Imperial Hefeweizen, like our flagship Hefe Weizen, is a smooth, unfiltered ale, but also features a pleasant hop flavor and a more full-bodied and robust taste. The limited edition ale is brewed in small batches of less than 120 barrels using the finest West Coast ingredients, combining 60% malted wheat with Nugget and Tettnang hops for a robust, yet surprisingly refreshing taste. Pyramid Imperial Hefeweizen has an alcohol by volume level of 7.5%.

"Beer aficionados are in for a one-of-a-kind taste experience with our new Brewers Reserve beers," said George Arnold, Master Brewer for Pyramid Breweries. "Starting with our inaugural Pyramid Imperial Hefeweizen, these limited edition beers are specifically designed for those who want to take their craft beer experience to the next level."

According to Arnold, West Coast brewers were the first to brew 'double' hopped versions of their original brews. Some brewers then began to bring the malt into balance with the hops, creating more complex flavors. Today, the term "Imperial" is used to suggest this added complexity. Additionally, the word "Imperial" is borrowed from the Imperial Stout style, which is also a maltier, hoppier interpretation of a familiar beer.

Available starting September, in 22-ounce bottles.

A quick scan through the current BeerAdvocate styles reveals that there is, in fact, no "official" Imperial Hefeweizen style, so I guess—technically—it's a first. Although there certainly have been wheat beers higher in alcohol content than 7.5%, including those of the "hefe" variety.

Still, I'll try it if I can find it locally.

My friend Kina from Baker City recently gave me a growler of the latest brew from Barley Brown's Brewpub over there (one of the very few breweries in Eastern Oregon), named Turmoil. The style is a "Black IPA"; it's a 7.6% alcohol ale, super hopped, and the twist is the black color. It resembles a Schwarzbier though as near as I can tell the darker contribution is primarily in color only, because it doesn't taste overly dark or roasted to me.

For sure it's a unique style, and from what I gather about the brewer at Barley Brown's is that he likes to experiment and push the envelope and isn't sticking to preconceived notions about style—he's just out to brew a good beer.

For some reason this made me think of Tomme Arthur of Lost Abbey, though I didn't think to ask if the Barley Brown Brewer (I forget his name, exactly... Kina told me... Sean?) has been experimenting with barrel-aging his beers. That would be cool. He's definitely right up there on my list of brewers I want to meet.

Jeff over at Beervana was recently ruminating about indigenous-to-Oregon (and the Northwest in general) beer styles, and I have to say, I think this beer could potentially rank right up there as an indigenous Oregon IPA style. It definitely has all the makings for it.

Appearance: Dark, dark brown, nearly black... very deep ruby-garnet highlights are barely visible when held up to the light. Tan creamy head.

Smell: Hops, hops, hops. Viney, resiny, pine, pitch—sticky. Not citrusy—it's intensely piney—as the pint progressed I kept being reminded of a fragrant pine tree (pine tar?) as I sipped the beer—which leads me to believe that Chinook hops were used. The hops dominate the nose.

Taste: The hops dominate the flavor, as well... almost a green hop character... very resiny with some pitch, like a mouthful of fresh hop cones. Wow. Malt is mellow and smooth, almost creamy, I think—I'm guessing the "black" is what contributes to this (similar to Sam Adams Black Lager, but without the sour/dry character). It's definitely all about the hops here though... spicy, "hot", sticky, bitter.

Mouthfeel: Hop oils flood the mouth and leave a strong bitter aftertaste. Nice drinkable body.

Overall: This is a hophead's beer, through and through. I quite like it, and I still have half a growler left...

On BeerAdvocate, they initially had it listed as an American Brown Ale (I sent them a correction), but there is only one review: 3.85 out of 5. On RateBeer, there are only 4 reviews, not enough for a percentile rating, but the score is 3.7 out of 5.

Thank you Kina!!

The other day I received a promotional bottle of Flying Dog's Dogtoberfest, to go along with the press release. This is their fall seasonal, and a nice reminder that Oktoberfest is right around the corner (September 22 to October 7 this year). This is their beer that is brewed with 5 different malts and weighs in at 5.8% alcohol.

And, just so my disclaimer is clear, this was a free promotional bottle from the brewery. Flying Dog is great that way.

Appearance: Very clear; nice orange-amber (copper) with a hint of brown that looks pretty textbook (to my eye) as an Oktoberfest.

Smell: Malty with caramel and red malts. Toasted grain. Noble hops.

Taste: More of a bitter edge than I'd expect, but a rich malt base with a toffee-sweet character. That bitterness subsides... very drinkable, malty how I'd like it to be. Well-balanced hops (noble hops—earthy and a tad spicy) float in the background.

Mouthfeel: Rich and clean and medium bodied but a nice, full medium. Crisp.

Overall: I like it, it's a good solid example of the style and made me want a big plate of German food to accompany it.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores 82 out of 100, with 91% approval from reviewers. On RateBeer, it scores 3.12 out of 5, and is in their 54th percentile.

I keep mentioning John's Marketplace in all my recent reviews, so I figured it was finally time to write a bit about the store itself here. Located in Portland, Oregon, in the Multnomah Village neighborhood, the store from the outside looks like a completely unassuming neighborhood market and grocery. There's history behind it, too:

John's Market was founded in 1923 by John Feus - a Swiss immigrant that settled in Multnomah (a settlement just South of Portland). Multnomah Village is the neighborhood today, one of many in the Portland Metro area. In 1958 the store relocated to the old power station from the Red Electric and a modern 12,000 square foot Super Market was born. John's flourished as a thriving market until the large box stores and shopping malls appeared throughout SW Portland.

In 1990 John's was left operating as a convenience store along Multnomah Blvd. which had now long ago replaced the railroad tracks of the Red Electric. In the early 90's the second owner Jack Furman had a new formula for success. Jack put in a large wine selection and sold beer for less; much, much less. Jack began to operate the Store as a marketplace. In 1999 David Percival became the third owner of John's Market. Today the old supermarket of the 50's is crammed with beer and wine from around the world, and Dave's Keg-Dog Chunks is the friendly mascot.

Upon entering, I was simply blown away by the size and variety of their beer selection. Refrigerated coolers lined the walls and shelf after shelf after shelf was taken up by beer: a highly generous selection of American microbrews, and a hefty representation of more countries than I would have imagined. Seriously—besides the old standards (United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, Mexico, Canada, Russia), the Scandinavian countries were represented, Armenia, Lithuania, Southeast Asia, Italy, and many more that I've forgotten.

(Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera! So you'll have to content yourself with the three really crappy cameraphone pics I snapped. Next time I will take my camera.)

To get an idea of how many beers they carry, check their beer page. It's not complete, though, but it's probably close.

I ended up buying six beers:

• Samurai Ale from Great Divide
• Chicory Stout from Dogfish Head
• Midas Touch from Dogfish Head
• Uerige Alt
• Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier
• Baltika Porter

But there were many, many more that I wanted to buy. I foresee many future trips.

Even more impressive, was the guy at the register was just as knowledgeable about beer as any true beer geek—this was a surprise. We had a conversation on the relative merits of Dogfish Head's 60 Minute, 90 Minute, and 120 Minute IPAs, and he clearly recognized the quality of the Uerige Alt.

This is definitely going to be one of my "required stops" whenever I come to Portland now. (Trader Joe's is another.) I have to be careful not to let my head explode from too many choices, though.

John's Marketplace
3535 SW Multnomah Blvd.
Portland, OR 97219
(503) 244-2617

This is one of the original smokebeers; Aecht Schlenkerla is based in Bamberg, Germany, and smokes their malt over open fires. They've been doing this for hundreds of years and their Rauchbier is, simply, some of the best there is.

This was another purchase from John's Marketplace in Portland... I swear, that place has everything. I must go back.

Appearance: Light cola brown in color, a tiny bit of head but fairly low in carbonation. Clear with amber highlights.

Smell: Amazingly subtle in its smokiness... smells like bacon or a smoked ham—sweet and a tad oily. Very nice and mouth-watering... not too strong at all.

Taste: Smoked ham/bacon is in the flavor too—very nice, still subtle. The background is a nice, somewhat malty amber lager... tough to call out how Märzen-y it is with the smoke, but that's okay. Smoked meat and beechwood, a bit dry (but without feeling like a mouthful of ash).

Mouthfeel: Drying, smooth, a little oily(?) from the smoke... mouth feels a bit coated by it, but not greasy.

Overall: Sublime.

On BeerAdvocate, it's the number 3 overall result for Rauchbier... following 2 other Schlenkerla brews. It scores 87 out of 100 with 95% approval. On RateBeer, it scores 3.62 out of 5 and is in their 90th percentile.

I found Dogfish's staple Midas Touch in Portland at John's Marketplace and you know, I'm always on the lookout for Dogfish Head beers these days... it was a no-brainer.

Midas Touch is the first of their "historic recreation" beers, based on the archaeological remains of vessels found in a tomb from circa 700 BC. Their capsule description:

This recipe is the actual oldest-known fermented beverage in the world! Our recipe showcases the known ingredients of barley, white Muscat grapes, honey & saffron found in the drinking vessels in King Midas' tomb! Somewhere between a beer, wine and mead, this smooth, dry ale will please with Chardonnay or I.P.A. drinker alike.

It's also a hefty 9% alcohol by volume, so watch out—you don't notice this when you're drinking it.

Appearance: Golden honey color, slight haze. Head is "rough" and yellowish. ("Rough" means rocky, choppy; has a broken, rough look to it.)

Smell: Sweet honey—very like a mead—with floral and grape juice notes.

Taste: Sweet, almost sickly sweet, lots of mead flavors here. It masks the strength well. Nice fruit notes and a delicate hint of tiny flowers—from the saffron, I'd guess. Very much more like a fruity wine than a beer.

Mouthfeel: Very bubbly and carbonated—sparkling. A tad dry like a white wine. Body is almost like a thin syrup.

Overall: Dangerously drinkable, very sweet and very good. Even my wife liked it—liked it as in, she would drink this regularly, and that's only happened with Lindemans Framboise.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores 84 out of 100, with 94% approval. On RateBeer, it scores 3.52 out of 5, and is in their 85th percentile.

Oregon Brewers Guild and Oregon Bounty Produce Fresh Hop Beer Tastivals

This Fall the Oregon Brewers Guild is partnering with Oregon Bounty to produce a series of “Tastivals” to celebrate the release of Oregon’s fresh hop beers. These much anticipated seasonal beers are brewed only once a year during hop harvest, which typically takes place in late August and early September. Beers created using fresh hops instead of traditional dried hops are given unique flavors that simply aren’t available the rest of the year. Similar to a beer festival, each of the four “Tastivals” will offer visitors the opportunity to sample some of the more than 30 beers from across the state crafted using fresh-off-the-vine hops.

“Fresh hops are extremely fragile and need to be dried or used in a brew within 24 hours of picking- so this type of beer is uniquely suited to Oregon where we have the largest amount of aroma and flavor hops grown locally,” says Brian Butenschoen, Executive Director of the Oregon Brewers Guild. “Nowhere else in the United States are so many breweries located so close to the hop fields. The tastivals will give hop enthusiasts an opportunity to celebrate harvest by tasting the enormous variety of fresh hops grown in Oregon and made into beers by Oregon’s craft brewers.”

Fresh Hop “Tastivals” will be held every Saturday during the month of October with scheduled locations including:

• October 6- Hood River Hops, Hood River
• October 13- McMenamins Edgefield, Troutdale
• October 20- Ninkasi Brewing Company, Eugene
• October 27- Deschutes Brewery, Bend

Admission to the Tastivals is free of charge. Souvenir tasting glasses are required to sample beers and are available for $5. Beer samples are $1 each. Food will also be available for purchase.

For more information about the tastivals or seasonal fresh hop beers please visit http://www.traveloregon.com/Bounty.

The Oregon Brewers Guild is Oregon’s non-profit trade association for the state’s independent breweries. The Guild, which receives no state funding, comprises 49 breweries, 30 associate or supplier members and more than 1,750 enthusiast members or S.N.O.B.s (Supporters of Native Oregon Beer). For more information, see www.oregonbeer.org.

About Oregon Bounty
Each October and November, Oregon's winemakers, cheese makers, brewmasters, chefs, growers and producers come together for a celebration of Oregon Bounty. In addition to intimate food and wine events, visitors can purchase special packages that offer them one-on-one time with Oregon's culinary talent. Visitors can spend the day making wine with an Oregon vintner, making suds with a craft brewmaster, foraging for chanterelles in Mt. Hood's foothills-even cruising a farmers' market with a local chef in search of ingredients for a private cooking class. It's all part of the annual Oregon Bounty Celebration.

By now the news about the Bronze Age Irish beer has been seen and commented on (I think Jay's post is the most extensive), and I really didn't have anything to add. Well, until now.

I'm wondering when Dogfish Head will get around to brewing this beer? Seriously! They already have three historic beers that they brew, doesn't this just seem like a perfect candidate for a fourth?

There's be some modifications to the basic procedure, of course, but they're pretty innovative in their extreme brewing; using hot rocks in a brew couldn't be that hard for them.

Sam, Bryan: I'd totally buy it.

This is the ultra-limited, bourbon barrel-aged, 11% sour cherry and raisin ale from Lost Abbey that is the most award-winning of their beers. In the barrel it's inoculated with more sour cherries and wild Brettanomyces yeast. It's a vintaged ale, brewed in limited quantities each year.

Tomme Arthur himself talks about the origins of the beer on his blog here. It's quite a story, one worth reading.

Anyway, I had the 375ml champagne-style bottle of the Cuvee which is just right, I think.

Appearance: Nice deep ruby red, blood red, almost brown.

Smell: Sour black cherry; green apple; hard candy; alcohol—a bit fusel-y; viscous-sweet, very cloying; smoky raisin.

Taste: Very tart, very sour right up front, like a punch in the face. Behind that is a dark, strong, fruity, complex cognac-like ale. Whoo it's sour—sour cherry is definitely a defining character, and you can taste the raisins.

Mouthfeel: Puckery and sour—it floods the mouth with tartness. A little dry follows that.

Overall: Outstanding. Quite possibly one of the most unique beers I've tasted, because of the process behind it, but it's totally worth it.

On BeerAdvocate, the current version scores 4.44 out of 5 with 9 reviews, all 9 approving. (The previous vintage/version is here.) On RateBeer, it scores 4.08 out of 5 and is in their 99th percentile.

Back in Part 1 of this mini-series I covered how to start a blog. The question that often arises after starting one is, what do I write about? In the case of a beer-themed weblog, you'll want to stay on topic, but there are a bunch of options: news, other beer blogs, beer tastings, brewery reviews, and more.

Of course, the reality is, the sky's the limit—but to keep things simple I'll cover a few of the broader categories.

Read more

This looks pretty interesting, actually. I'll dig around the site when I have some time and comment on it in more detail.

With the increasing popularity of food and beer pairings, Flying Dog Brewery’s new resource website provides the latest information and ideas on the emerging craft beer trend. BeerDinners.com is dedicated to educating craft beer connoisseurs on the “ins and outs” of custom meals prepared with the intention of accentuating each course with a particular style of beer, specifically chosen by the chef.

According to Flying Dog Director of Marketing Neal Stewart, “on BeerDinners.com you can learn exactly what a beer dinner is and how to find one at a restaurant. We’re even offering complete menus prepared by a professional chef for those who want to get a little more adventurous and host their own Beer Dinner,” he said.

The website features menus prepared by Chef Scott Clagett of Boulder, Colorado. “Spicy Dog” features eight courses, including chili-roasted shrimp with mashed sweet potatoes, watercress, mango, citrus and jalapeno served with Snake Dog IPA. Another, titled “Off the Gonzo Grill,” is also an eight course meal capped off with an amazing Gonzo Imperial Porter ice cream float with chocolate covered cherries.

The site also encourages visitors to submit beer dinner ideas or review dinners they have enjoyed. “We want to educate beer aficionados about the entire beer dinner concept, show people how pairing food with beer can really be a remarkable experience and help them be in-the-know on this hot new trend,” said Stewart.

For more information, log onto www.beerdinners.com.

That's right: Uerige Alt, the classic Düsseldorf Altbier that I've been dreaming about for years... I found this at John's Marketplace in Portland during the Brewfest trip, and was blown away. It came in the very cool flip-top bottle you see in the picture there and I pretty much had to have it. There was no question.

I don't think I've anticipated opening a beer as much as this one. I don't have a Stange glass, though, so I poured it into a narrow-ish Oktoberfest mug.

Appearance: Very cool skinny flip-top bottle, I've not seen one like it. Poured a murky brown with a fizzy white head.

Smell: Hops and caramel malts. A hint of something sweet, like licorice. Hops have a spicy character to them in the background.

Taste: Although not pronouncedly bitter (like some of the green hop monsters being brewed in the States in recent years), there's a big oily hop character here—it's spicy and sharp and a little bit woody and herbal. Malty with a fruitiness to it, a bit of roasted grains, dark toast. A little astringent. Hops throughout.

Mouthfeel: A little on the light side of medium-bodied, a little dry; the hops leave a slick in the mouth.

Overall: Intensely hoppy without being too overwhelming and bitter... this is what it's about. Now I just need to get to Düsseldorf...

On BeerAdvocate, it scores 88 out of 100 with 99% approval. On RateBeer, it scores 3.48 out of 5 and is in their 82nd percentile.

Chicory Stout is a winter seasonal beer from Dogfish Head, a moderate-alcohol (5.2%) stout brewed up with the Dogfish twist:

A dark beer made with a touch of roasted chicory, organic Mexican coffee, St. John's Wort, and licorice root. Brewed with whole-leaf Cascade and Fuggles hops, the grains include pale, roasted & oatmeal.

I don't believe I've encountered St. John's Wort in a beer before... is the idea to fight depression during the winter months? (Oh... I just noticed this on their site—that's exactly where they went with it.)

Appearance: Inky black that resolves to red if held to direct sunlight. Head is a cola brown—literally reminds me of the foam of a cola.

Smell: Dark, dark malts, coffee—dark roast. Burnt wood, but not in a harsh way—sweet and chocolaty. Nice roasty smell.

Taste: Smooth, very dark but not burnt at all. Slightly dry but has more of a lactic (?) character to it. Nice roasted flavor—coffee-like, I'm guessing it's the chicory. Bitter cocoa powder, French roast.

Mouthfeel: Lighter than I expected—but like a Guinness in that regard. Nice and creamy yet dry texture.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores 84 out of 100 with 95% approval. On RateBeer, it scores 3.55 out of 5, and is in their 87th percentile.

Denver’s Flying Dog Brewery is set to release their Fall seasonal Dogtoberfest. The Denver-based brewery’s third seasonal of the year is a traditional-style Marzen, brewed with 100% imported German ingredients. Dogtoberfest’s grist includes a mix of Light and Dark Munich and Vienna malts. It’s hopped with German Perle and Hersbrucker hops and is lager fermented.

Flying Dog’s Head Brewer, Matt Brophy says that Dogtoberfest is unique from other Fall seasonals, “We use a blend of five different German malts to give this lager a complex and satisfying malt character. Combined with our proprietary yeast strain, it strikes the perfect balance for the style”.

According to Flying Dog’s Director of Marketing, Neal Stewart, Fall seasonals are especially popular, “There are a lot of great seasonals brands available around this time of year and Dogtoberfest has historically been our most popular seasonal. I think a lot of that has to do with people experimenting with darker, malty beers as the weather starts to cool off again.”

Dogtoberfest is available throughout September and October in six-packs at your local grocery or liquor store and on draft at bars across the country. Dogtoberfest is part of Flying Dog’s “litter of ales” which currently includes nine brands and three other seasonal selections.

About Flying Dog

Flying Dog is Denver’s largest brewery and the second largest craft brewery in Colorado. Their award-winning “litter of ales” are available in 45 states. The Brewery is located at 2401 Blake Street, just 2 blocks north of the baseball stadium. Free tours are given weekdays at 4pm and Saturdays at 1pm and 3pm. Hunter S. Thompson, the infamous gonzo journalist, had a hand in the brewery’s development, and the beers are easily spotted thanks to Gonzo artist Ralph Steadman, the packaging designer. For more information, log on to www.FlyingDogAles.com.

For some reason I had never had Full Sail's Session Premium Lager until recently. It's a pre-Prohibition style American lager, 5.1% alcohol, and comes in 11 ounce stubbies... a novelty these days. Easy drinking, the stubby is fun... you can't go wrong!

Appearance: Nice honey golden color. Very clear. Thin white head.

Smell: Smells like beer—clean, a hint of sour, mild hops. Otherwise, generic; kind of a "fundamental" (prototypical?) beer aroma.

Taste: Plain lagery, a touch of corn (sweet), grassy hops, nice and crisp.

Mouthfeel: Light, cidery, has a bit of a bite. Very clean.

Overall: It's really good for what it represents. I think I might start keeping this around for a general beer for when I have nothing else handy. (And it sure beats the American macros for this!)

On BeerAdvocate, it scores 84 out of 100, with 93% approval. On RateBeer it scores 2.9 out of 5 and is only in their 36th percentile.

According to this post on Luxist, the world's most expensive beer (officially) is Vielle Bon Secours, which costs approximately $78 per pint at the Bierdrome in London. (Luxist incorrectly says $39 per pint; they got their conversion wrong—it's about 39 pounds, not dollars.)

This beats out Sam Adams Utopias, which at $100 per 24oz bottle, settles in at just over $66 per pint. (I'm assuming 16oz pints.)

This is just the retail price; I'm not even going to go into auctioned vintage beers, like on ebay—that's a whole different kettle of fish!

(A quick search on the beer indicates that it's brewed by Brasserie Caulier, in Belgium, and I'm guessing it's one of their Belgian strong ales.)

Cedar River Amber Ale is brewed by Hale's Ales under the "Northwest's Best" label for Trader Joe's. The alcohol content isn't listed, though I'd guess it's around 5 to 5.5% by volume. It's a pretty standard-fare amber, and I picked up a 12-pack for $9.99, which is a good deal all around.

Appearance: Mostly brown with some orange edges... a dab of red. No real head to speak of.

Smell: Sweet and malty, grainy, a bit of caramel. Nothing surprising.

Taste: Malty though a bit bitter—a harsh bitter from some grain astringency or something. Chocolate/caramel notes in the sweet portion of the body. Hops are oily bitter but otherwise take a back seat.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with a harsh (bitter) note to it.

Overall: Drinkable, not outstanding. If I lived close to a Trader Joe's I could see buying this to have an "everyday" beer on hand, but otherwise I wouldn't go out of my way.

On BeerAdvocate, there are only four reviews; the average score is 3.68 out of 5 but all four reviewers were positive. On RateBeer, it fares worse, scoring 2.84 out of 5 and is in their 27th percentile.

Rick Lyke is hosting next month's Session, and today he's announced the topic:

So what is the topic for September? Welcome to the Brew Zoo.

Have you ever noticed how many animals show up on beer labels? We have lions and tigers and bears, plus various birds, reptiles, fish, assorted domesticated and wild animals, plus a few mythical creatures. For whatever reason brewers have a tradition of branding their beers using everything from pets to predators. The Brew Zoo will celebrate these lagers and ales.

Your assignment for The Session #7 is to go on a beer safari and help stock our Brew Zoo with animals large and small. This is one hunt that even PETA should not protest.

So beers with animals on the labels... that's probably the most creative idea yet. I'm fortunate in that local brewery Cascade Lakes features animals on several of their beers, so I'll likely take the easy road and blog about them. But I'll be keeping my eyes out for others, too.

Here's a recipe for beer cupcakes made using Guinness Stout and topped with cream cheese glaze.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to make these.

Previously: Irish stout cake, Beer ice cream, Beer cheesecake!

Great Divide has made a splash lately with their latest offering, Samurai Ale, because it's brewed with a significant percentage of rice. Rice! The only other beers commonly brewed with rice are (notoriously) the big American macro lagers, and Japanese beers.

Obviously they chose to take their inspiration from the Japanese rice beers rather than the American macros.

It's an unfiltered ale, brewed with something like 15% rice in the grain bill I believe, and weighs in at 5.1% alcohol by volume. In brewing, rice is used to lighten the beer and its body, and impart a clean, crisp character to the beer. In the case of American macros, it's used because it's cheaper than all-barley brewing and helps to maintain that distinctive light, bland character they're known for.

Appearance: Very pale yellow, straw colored, unfiltered—hazy. Crisp white head.

Smell: Light, slightly sour. Yeasty.

Taste: Surprisingly malty/grainy. A nice crisp yeast edge with grassy undertones. Refreshing and crisp—far beats the American macros.

Mouthfeel: Light but nicely defined body (from being unfiltered, I suspect).

Overall: Very drinkable, surprisingly tasty (but really, being from Great Divide, I already knew it would be). A very good summer beer, and it would be a good intro microbrew for those beer drinkers who claim only to like the macros.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores 82 out of 100, with 80% of reviewers approving. On RateBeer, it scores 2.95 out of 5 and is only in their 41st percentile.

Firestation 5 is the beer brand set up by Portland Brewing which produces beers exclusively for Fred Meyer (according to RateBeer) SB Northwest (updated: see below). Kind of like the Trader Joe's deal on beers, I guess. At any rate, I had their Steam Pumper IPA recently and it wasn't too bad.

Appearance: Clear, light orange in color, leaning toward gold with yellow tinges.

Smell: Relatively mild—though it's the hops in the nose (not the malt). It's a northwest hop, I think, but more resiny/spicy than citrus scented.

Taste: The hops are more prevalent in the taste than the aroma would indicate; they're nice and bitter, but not overly so. Spicy, a tad woody, nice flavor to them; otherwise, malt and beer is rather nondescript—clean, but nothing stands out.

Mouthfeel: Light, a bit thin, has a carbonation "bite" to it. Easy drinking.

Overall: I don't know the alcohol content, but I don't think this qualifies as a true IPA. It's safe, not too strong or wild in flavor—neutral.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores 82 out of 100, with 81% approval. On RateBeer, it scores 3.08 out of 5 and is in their 50th percentile.

Update: I received an email this morning from Kim Terrell, who writes:

I am the marketing manager for SB Northwest. We produce the FireStation 5 Beer. You have it listed as a Portland Brewing Beer, this is incorrect. SB Northwest does a variety of beers available at specific grocery store chains. I suggest trying our Metolius and Elk Rock brands as well.

I found SB Northwest online; they distribute five domestic craft brews and two Belgian imports. The FireStation 5 page is here.

This month's Session topic comes to us courtesy of Greg Clow over at Beer, Beats & Bites:

With all of this fruit on the brain (or more accurately, in my belly), it gave me the idea for a theme for Session #6. Therefore, I hereby declare that on Friday, August 3rd, 2007, beer bloggers the world over will be writing about Fruit Beer.

Aside from the stipulation that it be a beer brewed/augmented with fruit (or fruit juice or extract), there are no other rules or guidelines. Anything is fair game, from a tart and funky Kriek or Framboise, to a sugar-laden "lambic", to a Blueberry Wheat or Raspberry Ale from your local brewpub.

I'll just get this right out: I love fruit beer. Well, I love fruit beer when it's done well, but I suppose that goes without saying. Not everyone does, though; it seems to be one of those beer types that has a polarizing effect. People either love it or hate it, there's not much in between.

Sadly, my current beer pantry is devoid of the fruit, nor are any of the local breweries producing a fruit beer right now, so instead of any specific beer, I thought I'd wax rhapsodic about fruit beers in general. Oh, and there are some pointers to some of my past fruit beer reviews, too.

(Actually, I just realized that that's not entirely true... I have a bottle of Cuvee de Tomme at home, but I've been saving that, and already had most of this post written when I realized it.)

The very first fruit beer I had (back in the mid-90s, this was, when I was first being introduced to microbrews) was Pyramid Apricot Ale (back before it was their Apricot Weizen, this was). It was on tap, not the bottled version, and this was at Ichabod's North in Spokane (how's that for memory?), and it was utterly fantastic. Crisp and yeasty from the wheat base, the fruit exploded into a perfectly balanced, drinkable ambrosia that opened a world of possibilities before me.

(Or at least, that's how it seemed at the time; since then, my experience with Pyramid's flagship fruit has been that of a tasty, passable beer, but not the world-changing experience I seem to remember. I have no doubt that the beer was better on tap than the bottled version, but still, memory is a fleeting thing. Thankfully, I remember it as a good experience!)

Another memorable beer—I think my second-ever, also at Ichabod's in Spokane—was Bert Grant's Apple Honey Ale. Also amazing, to my memory, lighter than the Apricot Ale, and probably more of a cidery character to it. It further cemented in my mind that you could do amazing things with fruit and beer.

I've actually brewed a couple of fruit beers myself, an apricot ale and an apple ale. They were wheat based, used fresh fruit, but unfortunately weren't great. Drinkable. My friend Justin brewed two fruit beers that I remember for being much better—and more unusual: a mango wheat ale, and a banana wheat. Both were, in my opinion, good—and the banana was very good, very subtle.

I've been toying with the idea of brewing a rhubarb wheat sometime, as I can get (seasonal) fresh rhubarb from my mom's garden. The thing about rhubarb is that it's so sour; perhaps a lambic-ish type of beer would be appropriate with it.

Of course, no talk of fruit beers can occur without mentioning the King of Fruit Beers: Lindemans lambics. These are the beers that don't look or taste like beer; the ones that people who ordinarily hate beer will drink and like. My wife, for instance. She hates beer, but loves the Framboise. No other fruit beer stacks up, in this regard.

(Yes, I know that certain folks look down upon Lindemans as not being "pure" in the context of Belgian wild ales, or being too "popular" and losing their way or somesuch. I'm not one of them. I think Lindemans has done a wonderful job of bringing lambics to the general public consciousness, and they make a pretty fine beer, to boot.)

Incidentally, my least-favorite of the Lindemans line is their apple (Pomme). It's not bad, not at all, but for all the excitement I remember at hearing the news that they were coming out with a new flavor, it was a bit disappointing to finally get a bottle and realize it tastes just like sour apple Jolly Rancher.

Oh well, they can't all be knocked out of the park.

Finally, for those looking for reviews and opinions on specific beers, here are some of my past reviews:

• Samuel Adams Cranberry Lambic
• Christmas Cranberry Ale
• Ebulum Elderberry Black Ale
• Wild Raspberry Ale
• Dogfish Head's Aprihop
• Melbourn Brothers Strawberry
• Bend Brewing Apricot Ale

And for those interested in what my favorite fruit beer might be? Well, I'll just borrow a page from Lew Bryson and say that it's the one that I have in front of me at any given time...

Generally speaking, I think Samuel Smith's beers are pretty fundamental, maybe essential, beers that should be considered benchmarks. Taddy Porter is like that for English style Porters, I think. Or very nearly. Basically, it's one of the best English Porters out there.

Appearance: Dark brown and opaque, like dirty engine oil. Poured a nice foamy head, chocolate tan in color.

Smell: Coffee, chocolate malt. Nice roasted grains. Rich and deep. Fundamental; there's something about these good English ales which are, to me, fundamental to beer—in this case, it's the aroma you expect when you think "Porter." (Kind of archetypal, I guess.)

Taste: Complex interplay of dark malts, roasty coffee flavors, chocolate (bittersweet), slight lactic sour note, dry. The dryness comes from the roasted malts, with a hint of charcoal.

Mouthfeel: Creamy, smooth, almost oily rolling feel in the mouth. Nice medium body, not chewy but close.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores 89 out of 100, with 98% approval. On RateBeer, it scores 3.73 out of 5 and is in their 94th percentile.

Even though I posted some of the pictures I took with my previous OBF posts, I thought I'd do an entry of all the photos I took, gallery-style. Click on each picture to see a larger version.

Click through to see my OBF 2007 gallery

Slowly but surely, I'm getting all of this written up. Here (finally) are my notes on the beers of the Brewfest that I sampled. The beers, of course, being largely the whole point of the festival.

My formatting should be self-evident... after my notes, I'll (very) roughly score the beer on a 1 to 10 scale, to give an idea of my overall impressions.

Read more (long)