Some (late) weekend beer notes

Our friends Paul and Sandi came over this past Saturday and brought a growler of Deschutes Brewery‘s pub-only King Screamer IPA. According to the Brewery’s What’s on Tap page, this is a 68 IBU, 6.7% ABV brew with this whimsical description: The Royal Hop Commission of Deschutes Brewery hereby decrees … Continue reading

Hopworks Urban Brewery

Hopworks Urban Brewery

Our Labor Day trip to Portland yielded a first-time visit to the iconic Hopworks Urban Brewery, fast becoming one of Portland’s premier microbreweries thanks to their solid beer, good food and emphasis on green, organic, sustainable lifestyles. No exaggeration—if anything, I’m understating; they have taken a thorough approach to this: … Continue reading

Fruit Beer Week: Lost Coast Raspberry Brown

Fruit Beer Week: Lost Coast Raspberry Brown

The other fruit beer that Lost Coast Brewery makes (along with their Tangerine Wheat) is Raspberry Brown. This beer is a version of their flagship Downtown Brown infused with real raspberries; however, where Downtown Brown is 5% ABV, Raspberry Brown is 6.5%. I’m not sure the raspberries alone would account … Continue reading

Fruit Beer Week: Chapeau Banana Lambic (Re-review)

Fruit Beer Week: Chapeau Banana Lambic (Re-review)

The other day, in reviewing Wells Banana Bread Beer, I wrote: “I can’t say as I’ve had many banana beers (the only other one that comes immediately to mind is a homebrewed banana wheat years ago)”—and then I found my original review of Chapeau Banana Lambic from 2008. It’s brewed … Continue reading

Fruit Beer Week: Lost Coast Tangerine Wheat

Fruit Beer Week: Lost Coast Tangerine Wheat

Lost Coast Brewery down in Eureka, California, brews a couple of fruit beers, and Tangerine Wheat is (I think) the newer of the two. This a light, summery American wheat ale brewed “with natural flavor added.” I’m not exactly sure what “natural flavor” refers to, but if I didn’t know … Continue reading

Fruit Beer Week: Great Divide Wild Raspberry Ale (Re-review)

Fruit Beer Week: Great Divide Wild Raspberry Ale (Re-review)

Great Divide Brewing, out of Denver, offers a Wild Raspberry Ale made with wild raspberries: [A] unique, thirst-quenching ale fermented with real red and black raspberries. Its balance of malt and fruit flavors make it a beer lover’s fruit beer. It’s offered year-round, which makes me curious how they handle … Continue reading

Fruit Beer Week: Melbourn Brothers Strawberry (Re-review)

Fruit Beer Week: Melbourn Brothers Strawberry (Re-review)

Melbourn Brothers beers hail from England and they offer three varieties of fruit beers, all spontaneously fermented—which technically qualifies them as Lambics. (Though I believe the fruit is added post-fermentation in the form of concentrate or syrup.) Back in 2006 I reviewed their Strawberry beer, and this is what I … Continue reading

Fruit Beer Week: Wells Banana Bread Beer

Fruit Beer Week: Wells Banana Bread Beer

I can’t say as I’ve had many banana beers (the only other one that comes immediately to mind is a homebrewed banana wheat years ago), so Wells Banana Bread Beer stands out in that regard. As it happens, I’d been hearing for a while how this beer actually smells exactly … Continue reading

Bashah

Bashah

Last year, Stone Brewing teamed up with Scotland’s BrewDog to brew up a collaboration beer, and Bashah was the result: a “Black Belgian Double IPA” (how’s that for a style designation?) that weighs in at 8.6% alcohol by volume. (Yes, this was last year’s beer—this is a review from February … Continue reading

Christmas in July: Climax Noel

Christmas in July: Climax Noel

My local Whole Foods still has bottles of Eel River Brewing‘s Belgian Christmas beer, Climax Noel, in the cooler (albeit on sale) so I picked one up to review this week. According to the label it’s a Belgian Imperial Red Ale, 9% alcohol by volume, and is certified organic. Appearance: … Continue reading