Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Be. Jealous.

As a follow-up to my trip to Oregon, I received a wonderful gift today: a box full of beer, predominantly of Oregon origin.

I bought a bunch of beers while I was there, but ran out of time to figure out how to ship them. That's what moms are for.

The big ol' box o' beer will salve the pain of missing this weekend's Great American Beer Festival in Denver.

Without further ado, the bounty:

1. Cascade Brewing Co. Sang Royal. From a Portland brewpub, Sang Royal is dubbed a "Northwest-style sour red ale." It was aged in oak barrels with cherries added and comes in at 8.9 percent ABV. I love sours, so I'm incredibly excited about this one.

2. Upright Four from Upright Brewing, a new brewery in Portland that uses open fermentation. It's light at 4.5 percent ABV, a so-called "table beer" combining elements of American and European wheat ales. It's brewed with pale, wheat and Munich malts, rolled wheat, Hallertauer Mittelfruh hops and French saison yeast, promising a certain tartness.

3. Hair of the Dog Fred. A Portland classic, this golden ale is brewed with 10 hop varieties and aromatic and rye malts. Ten percent ABV and 65 IBUs. This is the only 12-ounce bottle in the group; the rest are bombers.

4. Ninkasi Total Domination IPA. An India Pale Ale from the up-and-coming Eugene brewery that is becoming known for its aggressively hopped ales. It's 6.7 percent ABV, 65 IBUs.

5. Pelican Heiferweizen Ale. A Belgian-style organic wit beer from the Pacific City brewery.
It's 5 percent ABV, 22 IBUs. If you've had Ska's DIFF, this is probably similar.

6. Pelican Doryman's Dark Ale. A brown ale (5.8 percent ABV, 42 IBUs), that was one of Pelican's earliest beers. A doryman, if you're curious, is a fisherman who uses a dory. A dory is a type of small boat used by anglers in some areas, including Pacific City.

7. Pelican Bridal Ale. A 2008 bottling, this French-style biere de garde was made for a brewer's wedding. It's 7.5 percent ABV and 25 IBUs. If you know of any reason I should not drink this, speak now or forever hold your peace.

8. Le Pelican Brun. A Belgian-style dubbel ale with a "rich yeast-driven aroma reminiscent of a saison," Pelican says. It's 7.8 percent ABV, 20 IBUs. A 2007 bottling, this apparently isn't available anymore. I got my from the fridge at the brewery.

And a few from elsewhere:

9. Midnight Sun Obliteration V Double IPA. A big, hoppy monster from Anchorage, Alaska. Obliteration V comes in at 8.2 percent ABV and 95 IBUs. It was brewed with Nugget, Warrior and Amarillo hops.

10. The Bruery Orchard White. A Belgian-style wit (5.7 percent ABV, 15 IBUs), bottle-conditioned and unfiltered, from the Placentia, California, brewery. I've heard great things about The Bruery, and this is my first chance to try one of their beers.

11. Allagash Black. A beer from another well-regarded brewery that I haven't tried. Allagash is based in Portland, Maine, and is reputed to be one of the East Coast's best. This is a "Belgian-style stout." I didn't even know there was such a thing. It's 7.5 percent ABV and bottle-conditioned.

Writing this out told me something about my own tastes. Seven of the 11 are Belgian-style beers. I love Belgians, and there just aren't enough available in Colorado.

It'll take me a while to drink all of these, and I'll probably need some help from my friends. Any takers?

4 comments:

  1. Jealous does not begin to explain what kind of feeling I am having. But as for your offer for a drinking buddy, I am there! It may be because I am from the east coast, but the only one I have even heard of is the Allagash Black. I am now on the hunt to acquire all the beers on your list and i will be back to help you judge these incredible beverages.

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  2. I didn't realize Upright was bottling their beer already. I was able to sample a few of their beers (the 5 and 7 if I recall correctly) at a release party in Portland in May, and they were all delicious. Just out of curiosity, how much did it cost you ship them here?

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  3. No idea. Like I said, that's what moms are for. It was something like 36 pounds.

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  4. I'll help! My liver just has to make it through Octoberfest this weekend first.

    Chris

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