Beer on the Pacific

The Oregon Coast is less well-known than Southern California's, but it has it charms: gray and dark blue, wind-bent trees, a sense of power welling deep within the world's largest body of water. The ocean typically is too cold to swim in, but a few brave souls slip into wetsuits and surf.

The coast is also home to some of Oregon's best breweries. Pelican Pub & Brewery in Pacific City has a beachfront view of Haystack Rock. The scenery is breathtaking and has helped Pelican become a popular tourist destination.

This little brewery has repeatedly cleaned up at the Great American Beer Festival. Pelican won the Large Brewpub of the Year award in 2006. The brewery has accumulated an astonishing 28 GABF medals since 1998, including three this year.

After a long and beautiful drive from the Willamette Valley, my buddy and I sat down at a window seat to watch the waves roll in, eat lunch and drink beer.

I first ordered a Kiwanda Cream Ale (5.1 percent ABV, 25 IBUs), one of Pelican's mainline brews. Kiwanda beat out 54 other beers to win the gold medal in the Golden or Blonde Ale category at this year's GABF.

It pours a golden honey color with a decent head. The carbonation makes the flavor pop. Kiwanda certainly does taste of cream, reminiscent of a cream soda. The light ale body holds the beer together superbly. Kiwanda uses two-row malt, flaked barley and light hopping with Mt. Hood hops to achieve a perfect balance.

Next I tried Pelican's fresh-hop beer, Elemental Ale (6.5 percent ABV, 75 IBUs). This one uses big quantities of Sterling hops. It's worth reading Pelican's description of the beer:

Brewed only once a year at peak hop season, this beer is made with 400 pounds of freshly picked, "wet" Sterling hops from Goschie Farms in Silverton, OR. The hops were only three hours from the vine when they went into the kettle. The mash tun was also used as a hop back, holding 300 pounds of hops! This beer features a huge floral, spicy, grassy aroma with a firm malt background and a huge, snappy hop finish.

Fresh-hop beers have become de rigeur for ambitious breweries, particularly in Oregon, home to a substantial percentage of the world's hop production. It's also caught on in Colorado, where Ska, Steamworks and Pagosa all brewed fresh-hop beers this season.

To my taste, Elemental Ale was a little over-hopped. I enjoy the floral, citrus and grassy qualities in hops, but at 75 IBUs, the subtleties are overwhelmed by bitterness. Additionally, Sterlings, a close relative of Saaz, aren't my favorite hops for the sort of starring role played in a fresh-hop beer.

Pelican does a great job with their beer and food (my shrimp pizza was delicious). I still have two significant nits to pick:

1. Price. Lunch for two with three beers between us ran almost $50. Pelican puts out a good product, but they make you pay for it.

2. Service. The restaurant was understaffed, and our server obviously had as many tables as she could handle. Beers were slow in coming, I didn't have utensils for about 20 minutes after I sat down and when she finally took my debit card, the receipt came back without a pen with which to sign it (I had to track down one at the bar). The staff were friendly but either overworked or inattentive, a common problem at tourist restaurants.

After leaving Pelican, we drove south on Highway 101 along the ocean until we pulled into Rogue Ales' headquarters, spotted beautifully in Yaquina Bay at Newport.

I ordered a snifter of John John Hazelnut, a version of Hazelnut Brown Nectar that has been aged in rum barrels. (It's actually a collaboration between Rogue's head brewer and its head distiller). It would make an impressive winter warmer, but I found the rum note a bit over-the-top, smothering the tasty hazelnut flavor of the base beer. The liquor taste could be welcome in some situations, but I just wasn't feeling it.

Much better was a sampler highlighted by a dry-hopped Saint Rogue Red Ale that expressed its Chinook and Centennial hops very favorably.

A taste of Rogue's Double Chocolate Stout proved that Young's version isn't the only game in town. The bittersweet chocolate taste was deep and inviting.

After driving back to the valley, I'm comforted that where the Pacific meets North America, brewers are practicing their craft with skill and conscience.

"Suitcase" beers

The September issue of All About Beer magazine has an interesting feature on "suitcase" beers; i.e., the rare beers you love so much that you'll pack them home with you when returning from travels.

A suitcase beer has to be not only delicious but rare enough that it's not available around your home. The magazine's list of 99 such beers was (not surprisingly) heavy on imperial stouts, IPAs and obscure Belgian beers. It got me thinking about my suitcase beers. Here's my top five, shaped by my narrow travels in the Western U.S.:

1. Terminal Gravity IPA. This IPA is widely distributed and well-loved in its native Oregon, but it does not get enough respect outside the state, unlike California favorites such as Racer 5 IPA and Russian River's Pliney series. Terminal Gravity's offering is redolent with citrus, and extremely tasty. Perhaps the nation's best six-pack IPA.

2. Avery Brewing Co.'s barrel-aged beers. The Boulder brewery has an extensive barrel-aging program, and the best of these are a wonder to behold - not to mention difficult to find outside of the Front Range. If you can get them, Brabant and Depuceleuse deserve your attention (and something like $8 per 12-ounce bottle).

3. Deschutes The Abyss. This legendary imperial stout is the only beer I currently have aging in my fridge. I can't wait to do a vertical tasting. Happily, its 2009 vintage was more widely available than previous versions.

4. Upright Brewing Co.'s seasonal releases. This small Portland brewery is an increasingly poorly kept secret. Brewer/owner Alex Ganum completely eschews English-style brewing: you will not find an IPA, a pale ale or a porter on premises. His basic line of beers (named Four, Five, Six and Seven) could loosely be described as French and Belgian-inspired farmhouse ales, but that falls short of justly describing his innovative use of yeast and local ingredients. I avidly want to try his recent seasonals, including a Gose, an obscure German style brewed with salt; and an oyster stout, brewed with oyster juice and whole oysters in the kettle. Ganum is a brewer who is truly pushing the art of brewing forward.

5. Pelican Brewery's seasonals. This Oregon Coast brewpub has been justly celebrated with multiple GABF medals. It sits on the beach, amid the salty Pacific Ocean air and swarming sea gulls. Seasonals such as the biere de garde Bridal Ale are worth the high price.

Those are my suitcase beers. What are yours?

Oregon brewings

I hope you'll excuse a long post about beer at sea level.

I grew up in Oregon before leaving in 2005, when I made a beeline for Durango.

Oregon proclaims itself "Beervana" for the huge number and variety of beers brewed there. I lived there long enough to appreciate some of the pioneering beers of Oregon brewing, like Mirror Pond Pale Ale and Widmer Hefeweizen.

Since I left, the old stalwarts - Deschutes, Rogue, Widmer - have gotten better, adding big, interesting beers to their lineups. (The Dissident, anyone?).

Meanwhile, numerous small breweries have opened. Ninkasi opened in Eugene in 2006 and has won respect for its relentlessly hop-forward ales. Hopworks Urban Brewery opened in southeast Portland in 2008, offering a full lineup of organic beers. Even my old hometown, Corvallis, got in on the party when Block 15 opened in an old pizzeria downtown.

I love Durango, but it's fun to visit where I came from. I recently had the chance to do just that, and check out several breweries along the way.

In Oregon, brewing is part of everyday life. Nearly every restaurant has a good selection of Oregon craft beer.

The day after arriving, we visited my girlfriend's uncle in east Portland. He had recently had a party, and of course he had two kegs of superior Oregon craft beer. What could be more natural? Of course one of them was a superb IPA, in this case Terminal Gravity IPA (6.9 percent ABV) from the tiny, isolated Eastern Oregon town of Enterprise.

For lunch, we went to Hopworks Urban Brewery, an all-organic brewery on Portland's east side. There I enjoyed a seasonal, Whoop Whoop Wit, a very light Belgian wheat that reminded me of New Belgium's Mothership Wit. I also enjoyed a pint of their HUB Lager (pictured, 5.1 percent ABV, 32 IBUs).

After that, it was down to Corvallis for a few days. My old hometown now has a brewpub, Block 15, in a downtown space that was formerly a pizzeria/college bar. During two visits, I tried Block 15's Printmaster Pale Ale (meh, 5.5 percent ABV, 34 IBUs), a strong ale called Aboriginale (yummy, 7.1, 50) and a "One Hop Wonder" IPA. Unfortunately, they were out of their Belgian Blonde, which I had looked forward to trying.

Of the three Block 15 beers I tried, the One Hop Wonder IPA was by far the best and most interesting. Most IPAs combine three or more types of hops. Block 15 showcases one hop at a time in its rotating One Hop Wonder IPA. When I visited, the featured hop was Sorachi Ace, a variety of which I was unfamiliar. The IPA (7 percent ABV, 60 IBUs) was bright, floral and excellent, a refreshing effort to showcase one hop rather than a muddle of varieties.

Block 15 was barrel-aging several interesting beers, so I look forward to a return visit.

In Eugene, I enjoyed a couple of beers at Steelhead Brewing while the Ducks embarrassed themselves against Boise State. The cask IPA was an excellent treat.

Then it was on to the coast. Rogue Brewing in Newport is among Oregon's oldest and largest breweries. It has to have one of the best settings for a brewery in the country, on the docks of Yaquina Bay. It's absolutely beautiful. (Don't bother with Rogue's tourist outlet downtown).

The tasting room is upstairs; one has to tromp through a smelly, wet brewery to get to the staircase. I found a seat near the window - where the above photo was taken - and opted for a sampler.

Since Rogue distributes several of its beers in Colorado, I chose rare and seasonal beers among the 27 on tap: Latona Pale Ale, brewed for the Oregon Brewer's Festival; Sesquicentennial 150, brewed to celebrate Oregon's birthday; Double Dead Guy, an imperial version of their Dead Guy Ale; and Russian Imperial Stout.

All of the above beers were fine; none were superb. I liked the Latona best. It was light in color and exhibited a malty body and pleasant hop bite.

Rogue is worth a visit for the view alone. They make some fine, hoppy ales, but other Oregon breweries have surpassed Rogue's quality.

One of these is Pelican Pub and Brewery in Pacific City, on the north coast. The beach adjoins the pub, and diners have a view of Haystack Rock, dory boats and surfers.

I tried a Kiwanda Cream Ale (pictured, 5. 1 percent ABV, 25 IBUs), one of Pelican's signature session beers. It pours a pale golden color with a big, fluffy white head, and a creamy texture. It was good, but I preferred the cask IPA my friend had. I bought several Pelican bottles, including a biere de garde and a Belgian-style brown ale, to enjoy later.

Pelican isn't cheap - pints run about $6 - but it's one of the best brewpubs in the country. Pelican is pushing the intriguing frontiers of Belgian-style craft brewing in America.

Lastly, I visited Fort George Brewery in Astoria, on the northwest tip of Oregon, where the Columbia meets the Pacific.

Fort George had a substantial selection on tap. I enjoyed a Quick Wit (pictured) and a Spank Stout. The beers were served in nearly overflowing mason jars. The wit was good, but I really liked the Spank Stout, a chili-infused, deep, black abyss. The spice had a pleasant kick.

Unfortunately, I missed Deschutes' brewpub in Portland, one of my favorite breweries around. Others were also neglected. When in Beervana, one simply cannot try everything.

Oregon beer

Western Oregon is one of the great beer meccas in the United States. A trip back there around Christmas proved the perfect opportunity to sample some of the Beaver State's much-ballyhooed craft brews. Unfortunately, a huge snowstorm kept Soggy Coaster from trying several pubs, but he did his best.

Soggy Coaster embarked to Deschutes Brewery’s cavernous new restaurant-pub in Portland ’s oh-so-trendy Pearl District. Deschutes is the seventh-largest craft brewer in the U.S. , according to the Brewers Association, and one of Soggy Coaster's favorites. They started in Bend in 1988 and opened the Portland pub only last year.

Unfortunately, they were out of The Abyss, their ridiculously good Russian imperial stout. Soggy Coaster opted instead for a spiced, high-octane version of their Jubelale winter seasonal that turned out to be sickly sweet.

Another day, Soggy Coaster went to Rogue Brewing's headquarters on the docks of Yaquina Bay in Newport . The big winner there was an imperial stout. Rogue’s maritime setting can’t be beat; you can see the docks from the tasting room.

Deschutes and Rogue beers can both be found in several Durango liquor stores. Soggy Coaster recommends Deschutes' Mirror Pond Pale Ale (in six packs) and Rogue's Hazelnut Brown Nectar (bombers).

Other notes:
* Strangely enough, the standout beer Soggy Coaster had in Oregon was from a California brewery. A bottle of Russian River Damnation, a Belgian-style strong golden ale (7 percent alcohol, 25 IBUs) from the Sonoma County, Calif., brewery, was outstanding. Sadly, Soggy Coaster has not seen Russian River beers around Durango .

* Ninkasi, a brewery founded in Eugene in 2006, seems to be everywhere in the Willamette Valley. They don’t even have a tasting room yet, but the brewery is generating considerable buzz in that area. Soggy Coaster enjoyed a Believer, a double-red ale (6.9 percent alcohol, 60 IBUs).

* Soggy Coaster poured a 2007 Saison du Pelican, an expensive, hand-numbered bottle from the Pacific City brewery. Unfortunately, as even the brewery admits, the saison lacks character. It was especially disappointing for such a compelling style. Hopefully, Pelican will improve this beer in coming years.