Woo hoo! Hop Henge! This hasn't been out since, what, 2006? (Although the Brewery site says there was one in 2007... where was I?!?)

Deschutes Brewery’s Hop Henge Imperial IPA returns to the Bond Street Series line-up this April in extreme fashion. Staying true to the experimental nature of the series and the “never settle” philosophy of Deschutes, our brewers went back to the drawing board to create an amplified version of last year’s monument to hops.

Head Brewer Brett Porter says, “This is a truly exciting and groundbreaking beer. We reformulated everything about the hop recipe to give Hop Henge an extraordinary aroma and flavor similar to a fresh hop beer.” In addition to the Cascade and Centennial hops, Deschutes Brewery is experimenting with a hop variety so new that it has yet to be named.

The team at the Bend Deschutes Brewery and Public House recommends Hop Henge as the perfect accompaniment for a variety of spicy foods, so be sure to have a bottle handy next time you make a batch of hot wings and go for the five alarm award. The high-octane hoppiness is a wildly refreshing antidote to a wide array of hot foods.

Hop Henge Imperial IPA will be available in 22-ounce bottles and on draft throughout the western United States for just three months – April, May & June. Don’t miss this amazing hop experiment that is sure to leave your taste buds begging for more.

8.75% Alcohol by Volume (ABV)
95 International Bitterness Units (IBU)

In less that two weeks, this one's coming up quick, but I like their ideas for getting the word out. And their charging of $25 for unlimited pours is interesting; that could pencil well, I think. And with 30 breweries participating, that's not bad at all.

I guess consider this an... unorthodox press release.

After 2007's exciting and successful First Annual Montana Beer Festival, where over 3,000 people congregated to celebrate beer, brewers, and the beer lovers, we're gearing up to produce the Second Annual Montana Beer Festival (MBF) on Friday, April 11, 2008, at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds in beautiful Bozeman, MT. This year, through marketing and eager word-of-mouth, MBF expects to overflow with nearly 4,000 Northern Rockies Craft Beer lovers.

Suggestions to help market the Second Annual Montana Beer Festival:

• Please add MBF to your online calendar
• Contact us at info@montanabeerfest.com for interviews and stories
• Your educational and informational magazines/literature/collateral will help us fulfill our goal to educate the beer community. Please send materials to Montana Beer Festival, 111 South Grand Avenue, Ste. 219, Bozeman, MT 59715
• Please consider advertising with or sponsoring MBF.  Our award-winning marketing team will help market your business and brand in the Rockies.
• We welcome your donations which will support the Montana State Brewer's Association and the Montana Food Bank Network.

If you have any questions, you are more than welcome to contact Sam Porter at info@montanabeerfest.com or visit our website at www.montanabeerfest.com

The popular Oregon Brewers Festival comes of age, celebrating the 21st Amendment in conjunction with its 21st birthday

In 1933 the 21st Amendment to the United States Constitution repealed the 18th Amendment, which had mandated nationwide Prohibition. Since the Oregon Brewers Festival turns 21 this year, the event finds it fitting to celebrate the ratification of the 21st Amendment during its four-day course. One of the nation's longest-running and best-loved craft beer festivals will take place July 24 through July 27 at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in downtown Portland. Hours are Noon to 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and Noon to 7 p.m. Sunday.

Seventy-two craft breweries from 18 different states will each send one product to serve at the event, hailed by many industry experts and beer fans alike as the premier craft beer festival in the nation. A 73rd beer, Collaborator, is a joint project between members of the Oregon Brew Crew homebrewing club and Widmer Brothers Brewing Co. More than 60,000 beer connoisseurs annually travel from around the world to sample the vast number of beer styles, which highlight the influences that different regions have on the brewing process.

Joining the breweries are industry exhibits by hop growers, homebrewers, breweriana collectors, and national beer writers. Four days of live music showcases the best high-energy talent the Northwest has to offer. Food booths sell meals and alternative beverages, while the Crater Lake Soda Garden provides handcrafted sodas free of charge to minors and designated drivers. Minors are allowed into the event when accompanied by a parent.

Admission to the festival grounds is free; however, a 2008 souvenir mug costing $5 is required for consuming beer. The mug is good for all four days, and mugs from previous years will not be filled. All beer is purchased with tokens, which cost $1 apiece. Patrons pay four tokens for a full mug of beer, or one token for a taste. Sales of mugs and tokens cease 1/2-hour each evening prior to the close of the event.

Alternative modes of transportation are encouraged, with free bicycle parking available each day. The main entrance at SW Oak Street and Naito Parkway is located one block from the MAX Light Rail line.

The Oregon Brewers Festival takes place during Oregon Craft Beer Month, a celebration of craft beer by Oregon's specialty breweries. A variety of special events will take place at craft breweries throughout the state, culminating with the Oregon Brewers Festival.

The Oregon Brewers Festival was founded in 1988 as an opportunity to expose the public to microbrews at a time when the craft brewing industry was just getting off the ground. Today, that industry has succeeded, especially in Oregon, and particularly in the city of Portland. There are currently 89 craft brewing facilities in Oregon, and 32 breweries operating within the Portland city limits - more than any other city in the world. The Portland metropolitan area boasts 40 breweries, making it the largest craft brewing market in the United States.

For more information about the Oregon Brewers Festival, visit www.oregonbrewfest.com or call 503-778-5917.

Yes, I am really behind on some of these things I want to blog about. I received this email early in the month and it looks pretty interesting; a new show intersecting TV and the web and, naturally, it's about beer. (Almost TV; it's available online and in DVD format and their FAQ says they're "working hard to get it on the air.")

Their site is nicely done, too. Integrated Flash player without weighing down the rest of the site with Flash cruft. Good work.

Redtail Media announces the release of its inaugural episode of "The Local Brew," in a unique documentary format. "The Local Brew" is a grassroots television and web effort specifically created to inform and inspire viewers about the ever advancing world of craft brewing. The artfully-packaged DVD features nearly three hours of content, including the thirty-minute main show, and a full-length "Beer vs. Wine" bonus episode. The DVD will retail for $14.99, with 10% of all proceeds going to benefit selected charities.

The Local Brew takes you past the average 'behind the scenes' TV traveling show approach, delivered with an engaging style and creative production value. In its first episode, The Local Brew takes viewers on a trip to North County San Diego to visit the Stone Brewing Co., one of the most respected craft brewers in the world. Host Mark Marion gets an inside look at the brews, culture and hard work that have taken Stone to the top of their field — and finds that doing so involves activities from harvesting organic produce at a local farm, earning a degree in "Beerology", to the unlikely task of hauling thousand-pound boulders with Stone CEO Greg Koch.

"I don't need to be a typical host," says Marion, a Boston-based chemical engineer and avid home brewer. "There's enough personality in the world of craft brewing that the people involved are their own storytellers. This format allows me to play the more natural role of curious enthusiast." The result is one in which the viewer discovers insights and uncovers secrets along with Marion, rather than hearing a host merely regurgitate a company's PR lines.

"The Local Brew team did an amazing job at capturing the vip, vinegar, vibe, and vitriol we have here at Stone Brewing," said Koch, to which he continued jokingly "Well, two of those anyway...and also the desire to see ourselves on TV." The special-edition DVD includes over two hours of special features — from interview out-takes to a "Beer vs. Wine Dinner" show, chronicling a culinary pairing showdown recently initiated by Koch, who is a self-described "tireless promoter of all things craft beer."

This is not a program about the popular, generic beer culture of gimmicky advertising and buffoonery. Things you will not find on The Local Brew include keg stands, beer pong, sodden barflies, and other similarly enlightened fare that attracts the attention of existing alcohol-oriented programming. "It's about the artisanal quality of the beer, and the dedication of the people behind it," say the show's creators, Christopher Burke and Jared Cotton, who hope to find a national audience for the show and the burgeoning culture it represents. Though large domestic brewers continue to spend millions on advertising campaigns, sales of these lighter styled beers have flatlined in recent years. Meanwhile, a 31.5% growth in craft beer sales in the past three years reflects Americans' growing appreciation for unique, artisanal brews. "When you take the time to learn about the process and environment necessary to create a high-quality craft brew, you'll always find an interesting story just under the surface. And we're willing to go even deeper than that."

The inaugural episode, "The Local Brew: Stone Brewing Uncut" is available now at thelocalbrew.com. For more information about The Local Brew, please call 323.445.3227 or email christopher@thelocalbrew.com or jared@thelocalbrew.com
"The Local Brew" is a redtailMEDIA production.

Gordon is the third and final beer I received from Oskar Blues Brewery to review (albeit late) for last month's Canned Beer Week.

This is a serious beer: an American-style Imperial (or Double) IPA, with 8.7% alcohol by volume—the highest of the three I've reviewed.

Appearance: Dark copper colored beer, fairly clear. Substantial head that leaves nice lacing, like all of these, but there was no "hiss" from the can (as I mentioned previously).

Smell: Brightly hoppy, very green and stemmy and very floral. Almost a fresh hop character—it's that bright. There's a sweet undercurrent of maltiness below that but it's subtle.

Taste: It's the hops here, punctuated by a sweetly malty, almost barleywine-like character. Hops are full of resin and woodiness. Very green. I like the sweet malt base, too... there's the touch of alcohol heat and an almost cloying barleywine character.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and a bit thick... substantial on the tongue, and the strong hops leave you dry and puckery.

Overall: Interesting, complex beer—not one to take lightly (especially for the alcohol content).

On BeerAdvocate, it scores a grade of A-. On RateBeer, it scores 3.86 out of 5 and is in their 97th percentile.

Old Chub is a Scottish Ale from Oskar Blues and, I believe, is the second beer they canned (after their Dale's Pale Ale). Like the Dale's, I received this can in a promotional package but fell too far behind to get it written up last month for my Canned Beer Week.

One thing I noticed with these canned beers from OB, and especially with this beer... there was no "hiss" of gas under pressure when I opened the can. Which seems weird, because you can see in my pictures that there's a full head on these... but no. No pressurized hiss.

8% alcohol by volume.

Appearance: Dark brown with red highlights. Thick, light tan head. (Website calls it "cola" in color and that's fairly true.)

Smell: Malty and rich—buttery, toffee, a hint of smokiness and something spicy like cinnamon. Brown sugar.

Taste: Tasty Old Ale character with some alcohol heat. Dark sugars, molasses-like, a hint of that spiciness I noticed in the nose. Some dark fruit—plums, maybe prunes, like that. Earthy, spicy hops.

Mouthfeel: Chewy, with firm body... a little dry finish thing going on from the alcohol, I think.

Overall: Very good, it's rich and warm and pleasant and you just want to keep sipping it. Definitely another beer I wish I had access to all the time. I think it's my favorite of the three Oskar Blues beer I tried.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores a grade of A-. On RateBeer, it scores 3.69 out of 5 and is in their 93rd percentile.

Back when I was doing Canned Beer Week in February, I spoke with Marty Jones with Oskar Blues Brewery and he sent me three cans of their beer in a promotional shipment: Dale's Pale Ale, Old Chub, and Gordon. I didn't get them in time to coincide with that week and unfortunately it's taken me until now to review them, but here we (finally!) are.

Dale's Pale Ale was the first American microbrew to be canned (back in 2002). It's a generously-hopped 6.5% alcohol Pale Ale in the American style. This beer right here will go a long way toward changing doubters' minds about canned beer.

Oh, and I don't mean for BridgePort to be competing with Dale's in the picture there... I just thought it would be fun to throw a logo glass into the photo mix every once in awhile to mix things up a bit.

Appearance: Nice bright orange-copper. Creamy looking head that's slightly off-white.

Smell: Hoppy—a not-quite-fresh hop character that's green and earthy. Sweet malt, almost cloyingly sweet. Hops are enjoyably floral.

Taste: Big hoppy bitter punch right up front... full of earthy, grassy notes that make me think of warm hop fields just before harvesting. A touch of spiciness playing at the edges. Malt is sweet though neutral and light, with caramel notes.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and nicely chewy without being heavy.

Overall: Excellent hoppy showcase pale ale; could very easily be a "fridge standard" for me (if only it was available in Oregon!).

On BeerAdvocate, it scores a grade of B+. On RateBeer, it scores 3.76 out of 5 and is in their 95th percentile.

Time to start catching up on my blogging! I mentioned in this month's Session that Deschutes had sent me some promotional bottles of the new Green Lakes Organic Ale (which I reviewed for that Session); in addition to the three bottles of Green Lakes, though, there were three bottles of their seasonal Cinder Cone Red, with the new label.

Both are excellent, tasty beers, and since the Green Lakes has been reviewed, I'll be posting my review of the Cinder Cone Red shortly (along with about a zillion other things that I'm behind on).

In the meantime, I've at least posted the picture of the two different beers there; I particularly like the Cinder Cone label.

This is the first Theme Week where I didn't actually drink and review any beers, although I did drink McMenamins' seasonal Irish Stout after work today, so perhaps that's not quite accurate.

(It is indeed a fairly dry Stout, with roasty, slightly astringent notes and a low session-level alcohol—4.77%—that makes it very easy to drink.)

To tell the truth, the week got away from me (the world beyond my blogging) and I just didn't have the time I'd have liked to devote to this month's Theme. So I apologize if one or more of the last posts seemed like I was phoning it in...

Incidentally, I notice that McMenamins' next featured beer is their Workingman's Red, which is an Irish Red Ale in style. Pity they didn't have any on tap when I was there, or I could've capped the week off fully Irish style!

The two styles that originate in Ireland are Irish Dry Stout and Irish Red Ale. The more famous of the two is, naturally, the Stout, since that's the one everyone is exposed to.

The Dry Stout style evolved from the London Porters of the time, and were a stronger version of that style—a "Stout Porter." It was also a stronger beer than is (typically) brewed these days—around 7.5% alcohol by volume (compare to 4-6% currently).

I won't go quoting numbers excessively, but I'll point to the BCJP guidelines as a starting point.

And here is BeerAdvocate's top 10 list for the Dry Stout style; interesting to note that it's dominated by American brewers (the exception being Carlow Brewing).

The Irish Red Ale is a lighter beer, a maltier and less hoppy counterpart to the English Bitter style. Easy drinking, with toasty notes and a possible dry finish, Michael Jackson in Ultimate Beer pairs Irish Reds with pork when considering food:

What could be heartier than an Irish red ale (even if the color is closer to chestnut or amber) with boiled bacon and cabbage, or with loin of pork, perhaps? The love of bacon, ham, and roasts is not merely a question of Irish tradition: there is also in Irish ales a sweetness, a creaminess, and sometimes a slight butteriness, which highlights the flavor of such dishes.

Again for the numbers junkies, the BCJP guidelines for Irish Red; and looking at the BeerAdvocate top 10 list for it, it's again dominated by American brews (though overall less reviews than Dry Stout), with one exception: The Biddy Early Brewery in Ireland.

(Yes, there could be a whole discussion on the preponderance of American brews on these lists for foreign styles, but that'll be a discussion for another time.)

Irish Red is definitely a less common style than Dry Stout; other than seeing (off the top of my head) Killian's Red (which isn't technically a true Red Ale) and Smithwick's at the store, they seem to be virtually non-existent from the shelves. Although in a number of ways the style sounds very similar to the American Amber style of ale, so a reasonable substitute in that case is relatively easy.

Yes, naturally I have to dedicate at least one post this week to Ireland's largest brewer, Guinness. After all, Guinness is what many "beer civilians" think when they hear "Stout", and it's become the defacto "default Irish beer" to many.

A great resource for almost everything you'd want to know can be found here: The Guinness Beer FAQt and Folklore page. For instance, many people likely don't know that there are at least ten different types of Guinness (Stout) actually available around the world.

(Most—if not all—beer geeks are aware of this fact, though I must say I was interested and surprised to find out, for instance, that in Nigeria Guinness is made with sorghum rather than barley.)

Here in the U.S. you'll likely find the beer in four variations: Draught on tap (almost always a nitro tap); the "Pub Draught Can" (includes the nitrogen widget to simulate the creamy nitrogen tap); the "Pub Draught Bottle" which is basically a bottle version of the Can; and the "Original", Guinness Extra Stout—a higher-strength, non-nitrogen-enhanced, regular-bottled version of the beer.

I've had all of these versions at one time or another, and while I like the novelty of the nitrogen pour, I have to say it's the Guinness Extra Stout that is the best of these offerings. The problem is the nitrogen creates a masking effect to the beer; it smooths it out and adds an incredibly creamy texture, for sure, but it tends to cover up a lot of the flavor and thin out the mouthfeel.

The Extra Stout doesn't suffer from these drawbacks; instead you'll get a richer, maltier ale with discernible roasted malt notes, maybe some coffee, and a nice benchmark for what a Dry Stout should be. Also more of a kick: 6% alcohol by volume compared to Draught Guinness' 4.2%.

Of course, part of the fun of the Draught Guinness is the novelty of the nitro widget, and everyone should try one at least once just for the fun of it. But if you're looking to try the world-class representative of their beer, then seek out the Extra Stout. You won't be sorry.

Ron Pattinson's European Beer Guide has the best and most comprehensive listing of Irish breweries that I've ever seen. It's definitive and up-to-date.

Not only does Pattinson give a fantastic list of breweries (and their beers, when applicable), but he's dug deeply into historic numbers and statistics (which anyone who reads his blog won't be surprised by) and presented all sorts of interesting data and charts.

Great stuff, made easier no doubt by the fact that Ireland just doesn't have many breweries:

Unless you've spent the last 50 years in a sealed concrete bunker, you'll be aware of Guinness's dominance of the Irish brewing scene. Their last Dublin rival (Findlaters) closed in 1949 and by the mid-1960's they had rounded up the last few stray ale breweries.

The only challenge to total control was in Cork, where the tied house system of Murphy's and Beamish & Crawford kept Guinness at bay, at least for a while.

Under pressure from their own landlords (who wanted to sell Guinness), the Cork brewers gave up their tied houses in the 1970's. They soon ran into trouble and were snapped up by foreign globalists, eager to own an "Irish stout" brand. Their stouts are now often easier to find abroad than in their native country.

The only thing missing is a map. Preferably an interactive Google map. But bookmark it anyway.

Yes, the title pretty much says it all; the link sent to me points to a page that does indeed relate the experiment of frothing up a nice-looking head on a pint of Guinness with an electric ultrasonic toothbrush.

More recently, Guinness introduced the “Surger”, a drink-coaster sized device that froths up a home-poured pint by using ultrasonic waves to release the bubbles. The Surger produces an impressive pub-worthy head in seconds (and a larger version is used in pubs that don’t have a tap line installed). However, it is available only in the UK (for the price of £16.99, or about US $35) and you have to use a special kind of canned Guinness that’s had more nitrogen forced into it.

We wanted to see if we could mechanically simulate the Guinness Surger’s effect and create an acceptable head of foam on a canned or bottled Guinness through other means.

On one hand I admire the curiosity involved in this sort of testing, but on the other hand, I just want to say, Ew. I hope that's a clean/sterile toothbrush.

Lew Bryson has a good article on Irish beer in this month's Massachusetts Beverage Business magazine this month. It's an interesting correlation because in it he interviews Seamus O'Hara, of Carlow Brewery, the brewer of the same O'Hara's Stout that the Beer Nut reviewed today. (And which I pointed to.)

It's a good article, too; on the expansion of the Irish beer movement.

We were drinking that stout, his stout, O’Hara’s Stout. It is part of a new face on Irish beers. Carlow is essentially a microbrewery, operating in Ireland, making craft-type beer: a bit bigger, a bit bolder than mainstream Guinness Stout and Smithwick’s. Brewers as far apart as Anheuser-Busch and Boston Beer are getting into the Irish beer market, a trend that is both good and bad for the established Irish brands: good, because it means they see strength and opportunity for bigger sales there; bad, because it means more competition in what had been a safe market.

The Irish brands have had it all their own way for a long time. I remember David Geary of Portland, Maine’s D.L. Geary Brewing, telling me why he chose to brew a porter instead of a stout. The history of craft brewing, he said, was littered with dead brands that tried to go up against Guinness.

But:

Put that all together, and it means a growing, broader Irish category. It may mean more competition for the established brands, but it ultimately means more choices for you and your customers.

Worth the read, and I'm quite certain much more in-depth than anything I'll come up with this week.

Happy St. Patrick's Day and welcome to Irish Beer Week! In honor of the green-and-beer-themed holiday I'll be writing on Irish-styled and influenced beer this week.

Right off the bat, a morning link roundup:

- The Beer Nut (from Dublin, no less!) reviews O'Hara's Celebration Stout and has a bit more to say about the Irish and craft beer—worth a read, so don't miss it.

- I'm amused by Guinness' PR campaign to make St. Patty's Day a national holiday (Proposition 3-17), but, well, it is a PR thing after all. Are people taking it seriously?

- Lucy Saunders posts an amazing-looking St. Patty's dessert: fudge stout brownies.

Belhaven Scottish Ale is another from my Beer of the Month club. It's the main export brew from Belhaven Brewery, a solid, er, Scottish Ale at 5.2% alcohol by volume.

Appearance: Very nice shiny bright copper in color, with a good two fingers of creamy pale tan head. Very clear.

Smell: Full of biscuit and caramel, very rich and bready and slightly nutty-sweet. Steady background of hops, lightly bitter and clean.

Taste: Nutty, malty flavor that's very rich without being too sweet... there's an edge of roasted malts lurking about the back. The hops hold the line, maintaining a very cleansing bittering presence. A hint of honey.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and clean... filling, quenching presence in the mouth—makes you want to keep drinking.

Overall: I enjoyed this quite a bit, a classic, iconic Scottish Ale right from the source (as it should be).

On BeerAdvocate, it scores a grade of B+. On RateBeer, it scores 3.25 out of 5 and is in their 66th percentile.

The title pretty much says it all... I decided to go Irish next week, in honor of  St. Patrick's Day. So that means the week will be spent writing about Irish—and Irish-styled or -influenced—beer. Basically, anything I can (arbitrarily) call "Irish". (Yes, I largely make the rules up as I go along.)

I'm thinking one of the days/posts will be an "Irish Stout Shootout", similar to what I did with all the beer back in Canned Beer Week, with the "Big Three": Guinness, Murphy's, Beamish.

...then, of course, there's the different versions of Guinness itself to consider.

(And I haven't even considered the Irish Red style!)

Southampton Ales & Lagers of the Southampton Publick House (40 Bowden Sq., Southampton, NY [631] 283-2800) is bringing back their Biere de Mars, which is French for "March Beer" for a limited time. The Biere de Mars is a little known specialty brew that originated at small farmhouse breweries in the north of France. This type of ale was traditionally made in early winter when the fermenting cellars were cool and the new crop of barley and hops were ready for brewing. These cool conditions were considered ideal for brewing and as a result many old time French brewers considered Biere de Mars to be their best tasting brew of the year. The Biere de Mars was ranked 96% at RateBeer.com. This beer is part of our 750 Series. The cork-finished, champagne style 750ml bottles of this series show the elegance afforded to these special brews. The series features uncommon brew styles that are "age-worthy," that is, they may be cellared for up to 5-10 years and over time the flavor will continue to evolve. The reason is because of the higher alcohol content as well as the fact that they are re-fermented in the bottle and therefore contain live yeast, which helps preserve the brew for a longer period of time. The 750 Series is a small batch production, which assures the utmost care and attention at all points during the process.

The Biere de Mars will only be offered on tap at the Southampton Publick House throughout the month of March. There is only a limited number of bottles that will be available at the Southampton Publick House for purchase starting on Saturday, March 8th. The price is $12 per bottle.

SOUTHAMPTON BIERE DE MARS light in color with a refreshing orangey tartness and a hint or coriander flavor. There is also a detectable alcohol "warming" that is balanced by a pleasant residual sweetness. O.G. 17 P, 7.0% Alcohol.

For further information please call The Southampton Publick House at (631) 283-2800 or visit their website at www.southamptonbrewery.com.

I received an email pointing to the European Beer Festival site (that goes to the English version; they have it in several languages). Looks good; from September 12th through 14th this year, in Copenhagen, Denmark, and it looks basically the same as many other beer festivals: buy your tokens, one token per sample, etc.

No idea what beers they'll offer and from whom, yet, but they do say:

Beer festivals throughout Europe tend to concentrate on their national products. However that’s not the situation in Denmark. Our beerfestivals provide a large variety of national and imported beers from most countries in Europe – and the guests love them all.

Our goal is to present up to 140 Danish and International exhibitors serving beer from 450 different breweries at the festival – more than any other festival in Europe.

This event will be completely unique with a range of more than 2000 different beers.

Impressive. Anyone want to buy me tickets to Copenhagen in September?

Atwater Salvation IPA is another of the beers I got in my first Beer of the Month selection. The Atwater Brewery is based in Detroit and offers up this beer at 6% alcohol:

Our version of India Pale Ale. Brewed with European malts and Northwest hops and then generously Dry Hopped with Cascade Hops for a nice citrus finish. Truly a Salvation for all Hop Heads.

That's also probably one of the crappiest images I've yet run for a beer (or in this case, beer label); but that's what they have on their site.

Appearance: Peach-yellow and very clear. Fluffy white head from a vigorous poor.

Smell: Light nose profile; a bit fruity and lightly hoppy. Toasty biscuit.

Taste: Bready, light toast, wheaty malts; hops are subdued with a clean, lightly spicy bitterness. Nutty. Doesn't have the huge bitterness of recent American IPAs... more in the English style.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied but a tad watery. A dryness from the hops.

Overall: Decent, but not the American IPA bomb that their description would lead you to believe.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores a grade of B-. On RateBeer, it scores 2.91 out of 5, and is in their 36th percentile.

I'd had a bottle of Rogue's Smoke Ale in the fridge for quite some time now—years, really—and I finally decided that it was time to drink it. It was the smaller 7-ounce bottle, limited release I think, that Rogue used to put out; now it's available in the 22-ounce bottle.

Since I'd had it for years, I was a little anxious as to whether it was still good. It was.

Appearance: Sediment in the bottom of the bottle; a careful pour resulted in a nicely clear, orange-amber (brown) beer with minimal head.

Smell: Smoke is predominant; oily, reminding me of smoked salmon or bacon—appetizing! Complex and subtle at the same time... can almost detect the grains below the smoke.

Taste: Smoked salmon character is stronger than ever, paired with a light, crisp malt character that's very clean. Any bitterness here (not much) comes from the smoke notes... otherwise the beer is soft, a tiny bit doughy, with little or no hop character. It's held up extraordinarily well.

Mouthfeel: Lighter than I'd expect... almost watery body that's very, very clean.

Overall: A great beer, and I'm even more pleased that it vintaged (I'd say "cellared", but it was really kept in the fridge all that time... does that count?) so well.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores a grade of B+. On RateBeer, it scores 3.42 out of 5 and is in their 79th percentile.

When we went to Portland last month, I promised to get some better quality pictures of John's Marketplace if we went; I did, and here are a few.

These are, of course, the tip of the iceberg. There's a lot of beer there.

And incidentally, here's a list of what I picked up during that visit:

• 2 bottles of Alaskan Barleywine (one for friends)
• Bam Bière Farmhouse Ale from Jolly Pumpkin
• Pumpkin Ale from Shipyard Brewing
• Night Owl Pumpkin Ale from Elysian Brewing
• Uerige Altbier
• 2007 Anchor Christmas Ale
• Chapeau Banana Lambic
• Festina Pèche from Dogfish Head

Following up on my post Thursday about Deschutes Brewery's experimental Mirror Pond trials... to recap, Deschutes is offering customers the chance to rate and comment on two new pale ale recipes, to possibly improve the flagship Mirror Pond Pale Ale. One of my concerns/questions was, does Mirror Pond need tinkering with? (Keeping in mind that I actually think it's pretty cool for Deschutes to do this sort of thing.)

Jeff at Beervana (in both the comments on my post and then on his blog) makes a very reasonable case for beers to evolve—particularly for "a brewery like Deschutes [that] might prefer perfection to tradition".

And then Gary Fish, founder of Deschutes Brewery, left a comment (which I'm reposting here):

While it is nice to have all the speculation, and our announcement does not give much background on why we are experimenting, I assure you we are not trying to "re-invent" anything, nor are we suffering any kind of crisis with Cascade hops. We found a creative formulation change that produced a Mirror Pond that tasted different; good but different. Is this a direction we should think about going (after all, it has already been pointed out, evolution is good.) or not? We never want to assume we are "good enough". In either event it is always nice, and fun, to ask those whose opinions we value the most, our customers. We have held these "polls" before at our pub and customers have gotten quite a kick out of it, and we got some valuable information.
I'm interested in your opinion as well. Be sure and let us know.
Cheers,
Gary

There's a good, straight answer right from the horse's mouth (thanks, Gary—I appreciate it). I admit my initial reaction was reactionary, and after thinking about it with these responses I've backed off that stance; instead I'm in a "wait and see" mode.

After all, if you expect a beer to never change its formulation you end up with something like a corporate light lager...

Incidentally, I did get down the Brewery Friday after work and tried the two experimental pale ales (and left my notes). I'll reserve my tasting thoughts for now (on the remote chance that they might influence someone else's impressions unduly), but here's a grainy cellphone picture:

Tart and Tangy Beer Arrives this Spring to Refresh Palates Nationwide

Not suited for timid or reserved beer drinkers, Wild Blue’s defining taste characteristic is its kick of natural blueberry flavor. The Blue Dawg Brewing team carefully selected a blend of hops and barley malt to ensure they complemented and balanced Wild Blue’s dominant blueberry notes, resulting in a robust and aromatic beer with a refreshing, palate-cleansing finish.

Wild Blue is brewed with a blend of German hops from the Hallertau region in Bavaria and classic Aroma hops from the Willamette Valley in the Pacific Northwest. A combination of two- and six-row barley malt was also chosen specifically for this recipe. Beer lovers will also appreciate this specialty fruit-infused lager’s striking burgundy color, ripe blueberry aroma and its ability to stand up to the strongest of foods.

“This beer is the real deal,” said Jill Vaughn, Wild Blue brewmaster. “With a distinct color and flavor, we’ve crafted a beer that truly stands out. I think it will surprise people, especially those who like to experiment when it comes to new drinks.”

Read full press release

It's the first Friday of the month, so here in the beer blogging world that means it's time for The Session! Also informally known as "Beer Blogging Friday", it's when bloggers—beer and otherwise—around the web all come together to write about a particular theme, the results of which will be compiled in a giant uber-post by that month's host (who also picks the topic for the month).

In fact, this month marks the one year birthday of The Session! To that end, a tip of the hat to Stan Hieronymus, who came up with the idea of the Session and ably launched it a year ago with Stouts as the theme. Cheers!

This month's topic and hosting duties comes to us from Chris O'Brien, the Beer Activist: Organic Beer.

Only beers verified by independent certifiers as meeting the legal organic standards are allowed to bear the USDA Certified Organic logo (the one up there to the left). Lots of brewers use Certified Organic malt and/or hops but have not had their facilities and processes certified. Legally and in practical fact these beers are not organic and are prohibited from being marketed as organic. But for this Session, it’s up to you to decide what to count as organic. Feel free to comment on beers that someone just tells you are organic, but be aware that just because someone has good intentions and seems trustworthy doesn’t mean that their beer is in fact organic.

For me, at the risk of (as I've said elsewhere) turning my Session posts into "all Deschutes, all the time", this was a no-brainer: in an interesting bit of fortuitous timing, Deschutes Brewery just recently released their first certified organic beer: Green Lakes Organic Ale. Moreover, as you'll notice from the link, they just went public with the announcement that Green Lakes has joined their line-up of year-round beers available in 12-ounce bottles; previously, it was a seasonal, one of their "Bond Street Series" in 22-ounce bombers.

That's the version I reviewed. You can see the image of the 22-ounce bottle there on the left, and the new 12-ounce one on the right. (And, a disclaimer: I also just received several of these new 12-ounce bottles from the Brewery as part of the PR on their release. Haven't drank any of those yet.)

Green Lakes is a classic American Amber Ale, and at 5.2% alcohol, very easy to drink and sessionable. More importantly, it is, as I said, certified organic:

After working with Oregon Tilth for nearly six months, Deschutes Brewery received organic certification for its 50 barrel brew house and can now brew tasty organic ales for year-round enjoyment.

Fish need cool clean water. So do you. That’s why we sourced Salmon-Safe certified Sterling hops for our first organic beer. The way these flavorful, rich hops are grown makes sure that streams are shaded and there is not runoff to nearby waterways. That way the rivers stay cool and clean for migrating salmon. Not only is our Green Lakes beer organic, it helps protect our rivers as well.

To read more about Green Lakes Organic Ale being the first beer brewed with Salmon-Safe certified hops click here.

So, my tasting notes:

Appearance: Nice reddish copper color that catches the light like a shiny new penny. Two gorgeous fingers of creamy, rocky head—very light tan.

Smell: Sweet malts, rich with a hint of sugar and syrup. Beets in the sugary sense... hops are spicy and Crystal-like, mellow and floral. Tasty-smelling.

Taste: Hops are the first note—earthy, with a peppery spice note, herbal and nicely bitter—but not overly so. A well-balanced red malt character follows closely behind, sweet and with a tang of roasted malt. A little dry astringency there. Very drinkable, nicely sweet despite the dry notes.

Mouthfeel: Medium-to-full-bodied... dry enough to be refreshing but leaves almost a sugary residue in the aftertaste—which is pleasant and leaves you reaching for more.

Overall: The American Amber style is one of my favorites—malty and sweet and firm-bodied, with hops but not too many hops—and Green Lakes fits that bill in spades. I wasn't sure what to expect when I first opened up a bottle—so many breweries these days interpret "American Amber" to mean "highly hopped"—but I was very, very pleased with this beer.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores a letter grade of A-. On RateBeer, it scores 3.43 out of 5 and is in their 78th percentile.

Start looking for this to appear on the shelves next to Deschutes' other year-round beers!

Perusing Deschutes Brewery's Now Pouring page tonight, I was very surprised to see this:

Mirror Pond Pale Ale Experimental Trials!

We here at Deschutes Brewery are always looking at ways to improve our beer, this includes our flagship brand Mirror Pond Pale. We are trying to provide a pale that has more hop flavor and aroma. We would like to enlist your help to pick the pale that is most desirable. You will be presented with two 10oz snifters and a comment sheet on which you will be ask to pick the one you like the most and rate it. Feel free to leave comments. Thank you from Deschutes Brewery. $4.25

A couple of things. First, I think it's pretty remarkable that they would solicit customer feedback like this for a flagship beer. That's pretty progressive. Second, I don't, however, necessarily think there's anything that needs "improving" or "fixing" with Mirror Pond Pale Ale.

I'm not kidding. Look at the awards they list for the beer on its page, for one thing. Open a bottle up for yourself, for another.

I'll do some research on this to find out more—including stopping at the brewpub to sample and rate the beers myself. How could I resist?

This came in email yesterday, and it's the kind of press release that makes me drool and wish I was there to snatch some of this up. Note the restrictions and the price!

Trust me, though, it is totally worth it. The Angel's Share was one of my favorite beers last year—and, possibly, ever.

Note, though, my picture isn't quite accurate—that's the 750ml bottle, and this year the bottles are half that size, in the 375ml.

At 10am on Saturday, March 15th 2008, Port Brewing will release the 2008 Bourbon Barrel-Aged version of The Angel’s Share. The first bottled release of one of the most highly rated beers in the world, supplies of The Angel's Share are extremely limited and availability is on a first come, first serve basis.

Release Details:

• Bottles will be $15 per cork finished 375ml bottle.
• Limit of 12 bottles per person.
• Beer will be sold only at the brewery. No email orders or holds for pick up at a later date.
• This is a special release; no discounts.
• There are approximately 120 cases available. Once it is gone, it is gone.

As with all Port Brewing special limited releases, all purchasers will be required to present valid ID at time of purchase to ensure that as many people as possible receive an allotment. For more information and the brewery location, visit http://www.portbrewing.com or http://www.lostabbey.com.

Top Sail is the Brewmaster's Reserve release from Full Sail, an Imperial Porter that I should mention is aged in bourbon barrels. Here's the official description:

After its initial release in February 2007, Top Sail was aged for about 10 months in Bourbon casks from Kentucky. This aging presents hints of chocolate, figs and oak to this amplified robust porter. Deep black in color, it has a roasty malt flavor and a rich malt sweetness that’s smooth and drinkable. A hearty cellar beer.

This is a very limited release beer, as so many of these barrel-aged beers seem to be. I was fortunate to get this bottle from my friends Paul and Sandi. It's also a big beer—as if the name and the barrel-aging didn't already give that away—at 9.85% alcohol by volume.

Appearance: Pretty black and opaque, with a minimal light brown head. Dirty brown at the very edges.

Smell: Oily, black, wood, burnt, black licorice, bitter coffee beans (very dark roasted), worn leather, tannins.

Taste: Very dark roasted malts full of bourbon barrel notes (hints of charred wood, smoke, bourbon, etc.) all overlaid on top of an incredibly smooth and soft porter... the strength and the character are all there but it's not harsh or heavy at all. Very smoky. Nice porter "tang" to it (dark fruits) and very, very tasty.

Mouthfeel: Surprisingly light, but still amazingly complex in the mouth. I'd say it's medium-bodied, and has a nice bourbon "feel" and character to it.

Overall: Excellent.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores a grade of A-. On RateBeer, it scores 4.23 out of 5 and is in their 100th percentile.

This sounds a lot like Widmer's Crimson Wheat (Jeff's review) to me... the conspiracy theorist part of me wonders, since A-B owns shares in Widmer, if in fact it is the same beer... but no, no rye, and different hops.

New Spring Ale Complements Warm Weather for a Limited Time

For the past three years, Anheuser-Busch brewmasters have brewed special batches of beer crafted to complement the changing seasons. For the first time, there’s a new addition to the familiar line of favorites. Sun Dog Amber Wheat joins the seasonal beer family this spring.

“Wheat beers are one of my favorite styles to brew because of their versatility. From Bavarian to Belgian to American, each style has its own color, aroma and taste,” said Florian Kuplent, brewmaster, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. “Our take on the American amber wheat ale is a luminous deep amber color with a slight caramel sweetness and refreshing citrus note.”

Read full press release

March is surely one of the most popular beer drinking months (along with October, I would imagine), largely because of St. Patrick's Day. And since the beginning of Theme Week this months falls squarely on that day, March 17th, one possibility for the Theme is Irish Beer.

Of actual Irish beer styles, that would be Dry Stout and Red Ale, though I could likely make a good part of a week exploring the variations in Guinness alone.

Another Theme Week idea that occurred to me is devoted to the beers of Lakefront Brewery. Back in November when I was doing Pumpkin Beer Week, Lakefront generously sent me not only their Pumpkin Lager, but an eight-pack line-up of their other beers. Needless to say, writing about those beers will occupy at least a week, so why not make it a Theme?

This doesn't mean, of course, that if I get sent a bunch of beers that I'll automatically promote them to a Theme Week or some other "feature" status other than reviewing them as I review other beers. Doesn't mean I won't, either. I suppose we'll file that under "editorial judgment."

Stumptown Porter is one of the house beers from the Lucky Labrador Brewpub in Portland, one of the bottles I picked up to go while up there a couple of weeks ago.

On their website they note, "Brewed using abundant caramel malts and a little roasted barley to give this dark ale its sweet flavorful finish." Its alcohol content is 5% by volume and I suspect it's a popular session beer.

Appearance: Very dark brown that is a deep, almost opaque red when held up to the light. Latte head.

Smell: Kind of mocha scented; bittersweet chocolate and roasted coffee beans. Kind of creamy. A line of astringent black malts runs down the middle. Very delicate floral note of (I think) American hops in the background.

Taste: Very dark and roasty flavored... a black bitterness that's pervasive and rich and very dry. That's the big impression here; bitter, almost burnt grains and coffee. Stumptown Coffee? A little creamy... as it warms up, there's a strong bittersweet chocolate character.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied but a bit watery in the mouth and sharply, tangy dry in the finish.

Overall: Very "black", but drinkable, pretty bold actually. I could see this being a fan favorite at the Pub.

On BeerAdvocate, it has 5 reviews and scores a grade of B+. On RateBeer, it scores 3.31 out of 5 (20 reviews) and is in their 68th percentile.