"Cascadia Dark Ale," people! Let's hear it!

I wonder if Germans in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries were aware of new and emerging beer styles. Given that in those days people were often born, lived and died without having traveled more than a few miles from their homes, I suspect that folks just drank what they were given and they liked it or hated it without much regard for what was “emerging” elsewhere in the country or on the continent. (I use this period and location as a general illustration; certainly the same could be asked about folks living in England, Ireland, Scotland – anywhere.)

We’re a lot more plugged in now – for better or worse; I have to remind myself to shut off the 24-hour news when I’m around Beer Rant HQ. A phrase or expression dropped in friendly conversation can find its way ‘round the earth in no time and don’t get me started on the whole viral video thing. It makes an old-timer’s head spin. I sometimes wish I could have been born, live and die within a few miles of where I was born.

In any event, a phrase from the Deschutes Brewing Brand Ambassador a couple of weeks ago, has stuck in my mind and, I’ve stumbled onto it again in my Internet travels. I’m a little late to the party, but dare I say that I smell an emerging beer style on the horizon.

First, a related Quick Riff:

Widmer Brothers
W ’10 Pitch Black IPA
Dark coffee color but not opaque with a robust beige head. Smells faintly of grapefruit but not like an IPA. There is a balanced maltiness and hoppiness. Looks like a stout, labeled like an IPA but really neither.

I’ll admit this isn’t much of a review but bear in mind that this sampling was done on March 14th, 2010, before my conversation with Erik Frank, the Deschutes Brand Ambassador. In that brief discussion, Mr. Frank made mention of a new style akin to a dark IPA and he used the term “cascadia.” Hmmm.

Go back to my comment that Widmer’s Pitch Black IPA is neither a stout (though it looks every bit the part) nor an IPA (though it did have hints of hoppiness and a grapefruit smell).

Now, jump over to a post that Lisa Morrison recently made at Hop Press. Ms. Morrison – in very few words – sums up the emerging “Black IPA” or “Cascadia” style and she makes an excellent argument for enshrining this as a distinct style. I don’t cotton to the label “Black IPA” since the name IPA already comes with a shipload of baggage (not the least of which is the dubious history behind the origin of the style). Is the Cascadia style ready to be set apart as a separate style for beer judging – I don’t think so, yet – but if it’s dark but not a stout, and it’s hoppy but not an IPA, then what the hell is it?

I vote “Cascadian Dark Ale” or any name that includes “Cascadian” or “Cascadia.” If the danged thing originated and “emerged” in the Pacific Northwestern United States, then for heaven’s sake, call this new beer “Cascadia” something or other.

And, to bring this little commentary full circle, I’ll just say I feel like some simple blacksmith somewhere in Germany just tasting a rauchbier for the first time, or a dimwitted carpenter in Ireland who’s just taken a quaff of his first pilsner. Where do I go from here? Lord only knows, but I’m ready.

Quick Riffs: Three Western Beers and Some British Dude

How’s ‘bout some Quick Riffs to keep my hand in the game, eh?

Sonoran Brewing
Victorian India Pale Ale
Sampled at the Mellow Mushroom on Happy Valley Road and I-17
(Bar sampling – sorry no photo.)

Even before making the ridiculous commitment to concentrate on only western beers, I’ve been eager to try local beers but I don’t believe I’ve sampled any of their products before. Here’s the dope straight from the notebook:

A bit dark for an IPA – I like the look of it. Steady beading with small bubbles. Sturdy looking off white head, heavy, heavy lacing. No smell of pineapple or citrus or sawdust. There’s definitely a nutty roasted component but if I were to do a blind tasting on this I would not peg it as an IPA. This is good but to me it misses the mark stylistically – more like an amber ale I think.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t probably going to have at least one more glass of this, since it may be part of the Mellow Mushroom’s Beer Club 75 required beers. Yeah, I’ll get around to joining that at some point.

Sierra Nevada
Glissade Golden Bock

I know “bock” is somehow related to the German word for “goat” and I’ve often associated “bock” beers with the prospect of getting head-butted in the nads by a goat (is it “nads” or “knads” or maybe “nards”?). But my perceptions are frequently wrong. This one weighs in at a simple 6.4% abv so there’s no nad-, knad- or nard head butting to speak of. Here’s the scoop on this goat:
Clear, light gold color with a thin white head. Smells nice; sweet vaguely grainy. Thicker mouth feel than I expected. Grainy but robust taste. Somewhat dry at the finish. Puts me in mind of what our dad’s beers probably tasted like back in the good old days.

I’d heard some negative comments about this one and for sure it’s not what you’d expect from Sierra Nevada in terms of taste and style, however in the area of quality and taste, it’s the typical top notch product most of us have come to expect from the Sierra Nevada crew. I’ll try it again.

Darwin Brewery (Durham, England)
Original Flag Porter

Sure, not a “Western Beer” but a unique thing to sample. Picked up a single at Total Wine back in early January and sampled it on January 9th. The notes for that date read: Brown like coffee, not opaque. Fair head, quickly gone. No beading visible. Malty smelling, thin mouth feel. Definitely comes across as a porter but the actual taste is weak – faintly roasted but not much else. I can quickly name 5 or six that are better. (Deschutes, Alaskan, Flying Dog, Stone…that’s four right off the top of my noggin.)

This beer’s claim to fame is some old yeast that was apparently dredged up from a sunken ship in the English Channel or Thames River. I love a cool story and that’s a cool story, so this one passes in my book, but I’m wondering why the porter isn’t listed on Darwin’s website.

What the heck was I drinking a year ago?

Alaskan Smoked Porter 2008
From the beer notebook entry for February 25, 2009:
Alaskan Smoked Porter 2008. Pours dark with a tan head. Smells like cigarette smoke, maybe fish. Smokiness is immediately obvious. Medium thick mouth feel. Roasted, sooty finish. Woody and rich.

As an endorsement of this terrific beer, I’ll simply say that I’ve already had some of the 2009 vintage. Plan to get some more, too.

My first instinct is to be pissed off….

Just got wind of the fact that Deschutes has chosen to discontinue their Cinder Cone Red and replace it with the Red Chair NWPA. I’ll be in therapy if you need me.

Wait, before I hit the therapist’s couch, I’m off to anyplace that stocks six-packs of this terrific endangered species! Know a place that stocks it in the greater Phoenix area, let me know…PLEASE.

Meanwhile. A picture from happier times…..ahhh.

Flying to the Hive and Quick Riffs

Gosh, where have the days gone? It’s still blazing hot here at Beer Rant HQ and the monsoons have brought us nothing save a bit more humidity that throws the whole “dry heat” chestnut on its head. Anyway.

I’m doing more beer drinking and not so much blogging. Beers sampled since the last post include Shiner’s Smokhaus, Breckenridge Summer Bright Ale, and Lagunita’s Lucky 13. I liked them all well enough and I suppose I’ll get ‘round to some notes at some point.

Big news right now is next week’s impending jaunt up to Utah and the area north of Salt Lake City proper. Now of course the purpose is to visit in-laws and kinfolk and to especially get a chance to see my oldest daughter and her daughter (who is grandchild number 3 out of a total of 4). However, there’s always the chance that I’ll break away from the crowd and have an opportunity to sample local beers. I never make hard and fast plans in this regard, because I’ve usually been disappointed with the outcome. Nevertheless, I’ve allowed myself the luxury of looking up the names and addresses of the various microbrew and craft brew outlets in the greater SLC area. One indispensable resource has been Mike Riedel’s terrific blog Utah Beer. Mike’s up on the latest local haps for sure, so I’ve used his list of promising beer purveyors to create a short list of places to visit if “setting and circumstance” permit. (Yeah, I worked in my catch phrase again. I’m done!)

What do I anticipate doing if the beer tour doesn’t pan out? My in-laws have a lovely finished basement with a large TV. I’ve got a stack of great books to read and I’ll take a few of them just in case. (I’m currently reading American Gunfight, which is about an attempt to assassinate President Truman in the 1950s. It’s good. I’ll probably wind up the trip reading Eisenhower’s Lieutenants. Life’s good, if the books are good, even if you can’t find great local beer.)

Okay. A quick riff or two, for old time’s sake, okay?

Shiner Smokehaus Helles Style Lager
Sampled on August 16, 2009
I’d been looking for this thing since it was released back in June. Mrs. Beer Rant tracked it down for me and heaven bless her for it. Pours slightly darker than a Bud/Miller/Coors lager. Smells like liquid smoke – somewhat chemical smelling and tasting. Initially does not taste like beer. Tastes a bit like flavored fruit beers that I’ve had – the added taste just seems a bit strange. I can see how beer drinkers might easily love or hate this. I like it just fine and was glad the missus picked up two six packs. (But just last weekend, I grabbed a six-pack of this, then reluctantly placed it back on the shelf of the local Total Wine outlet. I like it, but not enough to buy it in favor of some other new beer!)


Lagunita’s Lucky 13
Sampled on August 9, 2009
I like this company’s style, though I’m probably not hip enough to run with their kind. This beer labels itself as “a mondo large red ale.” It does pour a dark red color with a robust beige-orange head. This one’s sweet tasting without the alcohol bite I expected, though it has a medium to heavy mouth feel. The sweetness and a high abv percentage preclude this as a good session beer but it’s definitely a flavorful beer. The label includes a phone number (707-769-4495) to call the company. Go ahead, I dare you.

Next post will likely come after we get back from the Beehive State.

What To Serve at the Beer Summit...

Beer Intelligence Briefing

(There is no hidden meaning here, folks. I'm just not that deep.)

While I refuse to delve into the politics of tomorrow’s so-called “Beer Summit” at the White House I’d like to offer my suggestions on what Mr. Obama might serve, based on recent new tasting notes from this here beer notebook of mine.

Full Sail Brewing
Recipe Number 03 Limited Edition Lager
I think it would be nice to knock back a few of these while sitting at a picnic table outside the backdoor of the White Hose. This is a sweet grainy smelling lager with a sweet, very faintly citrus taste. Not too bad and it probably wouldn’t upset the sensibilities of those gathered, who might already be partial to lagers anyway. (I’m just guessing.)

Lost Coast Brewery
Raspberry Brown
This number has a nutty fruit syrup smell and tastes like a raspberry candy bar with a roasted nut component. Surprisingly, the raspberry flavor isn’t overpowering but I don’t know that our White House guests would want to pound a bunch of these during their “Beer Summit.” (Which might be a clever way to dose them up on a single beer and send them quickly on their way so as not to clutter up the Rose Garden and the East Lawn.)

St. Peter's Brewery
Cream Stout
If the host isn’t worried about creating an international incident (ahem, pouring a "foreign" beverage at a beer summit, really), he should consider pouring this beauty. It’s very malty smelling, pours nearly opaque with a beige head and has a nice toffee flavor up front with a faint hint of licorice. Arguably better than the Guinness 250 I sampled earlier this year.

Boulder Beer Company
MoJo Risin’ Double IPA
This distinctly bitter brew might serve as a metaphor for the bitter divide that seems to separate so much of our society but since I’m not looking for metaphors, we’ll skip all that. This beer has a surprisingly thick mouth feel, and while the citrus or pine accents aren’t there initially, the pine notes do begin to come forward as the beer warms in the glass.

I like all these beers enough to offer my unqualified recommendation. Mr. Obama, if you’re reading this (and I’m sure you are), go ahead and offer any one of these fine beers to your guests tomorrow.

End of briefing.

Quick Riffs: A Post Before Traveling

I’m laying off the weekday sampling for the next little bit and bracing myself for a quick trip up to southern Oregon for the weekend. (Helping a buddy bring back a truck.) In the meantime, it seems a good time to dip into this slush pile of notes in the notebook to document some recent, noteworthy beer samples.

Boston Brewing
Samuel Adams Blackberry Witbier
Sampled May 24, 2009
I’d been keeping an eye out for this one for some time and then basically lost interest when my son-in-law (“the marine”) sent me an excited text message proudly proclaiming he’d found it in a local Albertson’s supermarket. My son-in-law has a beer blog too; it’s called A Journey Through Beer. He does a respectable job but remember he doesn’t post much because he’s busy defending our country.

Repeat offenders here will recall I’m no huge fan of wits, but anything new from Sam Adams is worth a try in my book. This one has a distinctly berry smell that is faintly like a breakfast cereal. Pours cloudy gold color with a decent white head, medium beading and medium lacing. The standard witbier spices (that I often detest) are there but they are mitigated if not complimented by the faint blackberry finish. Good stuff.

Sierra Nevada
Torpedo Extra IPA
Sampled May 9, 2009
I first read about this one on another beer blog – the name of which escapes me now. I stumbled upon it at the local Total Wine outlet and bought a bottle for the recent trip to Sierra Vista, but, having sampled so much (perhaps too much) of the local Tucson beers, the bottle of Torpedo stayed in the cooler and came back to Beer Rant HQ with me for sampling a few days later.

Piney and sweet smelling, orange-amber in color. Has a distinctly sweet and piney taste, too, but not noticeably citrus. The 7.2% abv isn’t out front as you might expect it to be and this beer might be the sort of beer that sneaks up on you…like a, well, like a torpedo.

Grand Teton Brewing
Bitch Creek ESB Ale
Sampled on April 27, 2009
This is another one that my son-in-law wrangled. A marine from his unit got wind that he’s becoming a bit of a beer freak and brought a six-pack of this beer for him to try. Semper Fi!

Pours dark amber color with heavy lacing. Has a sweet taste with a slightly thick mouth feel. A second glass revealed this to be more malty than hoppy and highly carbonated. There’s a taste of roasted nuts or bread there too with a sweet finish. Hard to find hereabouts and pricey from what I hear, but worth a try for sure.

That’s it for now. I’m currently really interested in a couple of beer blogs that originate in London. Hopefully I can get around to posting something about them. In the meantime, I’m off to Oregon Friday evening with a layover in San Francisco, then a drive back from Oregon via California and Nevada. I’m hoping to cast about for some good beers while I’m gone and will check the shelves of the stores when we stop for gas coming back to see what package product I can acquire as souvenir.

Thanks for visiting.

Quick Riffs: More Winter/Holiday Seasonals

My original intent in creating the “quick riff” posting was to add content to my beer diary without an undue amount of blathering, editorializing or navel gazing. My initial attempts at quick riffs have not really been successful in this regard and, given the length of this introduction, I’m worried that this installment of quick riffs is also going to be a failure. Something to work on in the New Year.

Anyway, with the Christmas and New Year season over (but certainly not the winter season) I thought I’d give a quick run down of some more of the holiday/Christmas style beers that I’ve sampled recently.

Avery
Old Jubilation Ale
Sampled on December 11, 2008
Seems a bit hoppy in the bottle. Pours dark bronze with a robust head and tastes slightly sweet with hints of citrus. Definitely has a warming quality and a slight alcohol bite. There is no alcohol percentage listed on the label, but seems to be fairly strong. Gets better as it warms in the glass, but only to a point, so don’t dilly-dally, scooter.

Abita
Christmas Ale
Sampled December 8, 2008
Smells malty in the bottle and of sweet malt in the glass. Bronze in color with medium lacing and a grainy corn taste. Probably not worth mentioning in your Christmas or New Years cards, but certainly worth a try each year when it rolls around. I've learned that they also make root beer. Hmm.

Anchor
Merry Christmas…
Sampled December 4, 2008
Gives off a sour spice smell in the bottle; maybe licorice. Poured a light coffee color that bordered on red. Thin head with light lacing. There is definitely a taste of licorice and a hint of something roasted there as well. This one gives a definite warming effect and a very slight alcohol bite. Finishes with a hint of almonds or some other nut . This beer seems worthy of a try every year simply because it's become something of a tradition, I think

Breckenridge
Christmas Ale
Sampled on December 7, 2008 (Day of Infamy)
Grassy smelling in the bottle but more malty smelling in the glass. Pours a dark tea color with a nice tan head. The taste is sweet with a medium mouth feel. I'm frequently underwhelmed by this brewer and I only recall being bowled over by their Small Batch IPA.

Lost Coast
Winterbraun
Sampled on December 7, 2008 (Day of Infamy)
This one smells sweet in the glass and pours a dark brown – but not opaque. Flavor hints at fruit an licorice with a thick mouth feel. Like many of the late year seasonals, this one has a slight alcohol bite, too. Again, I'm hard pressed to remember a beer from this brewer that really knocked my socks off, but the fun is in the trying, right?

I’m still waiting to sample (again) Hibernation Ale and New Belgium’s 2 Below. (Both of which I've enjoyed in past years.) Meanwhile, I’m finagling a beer trade with a fellow beer nut in Arkansas, nosing into the rumor of a small brewery scheduled to open less than a mile from Beer Rant HQ and giving some thought to all the folks who I have crossed paths with this year in connection with my new found appreciation of beer and things beer-related.
Happy New Year!

Quick Riffs: Winter and Holiday Seasonals

Driven largely by the season and influenced by Don “Joe Sixpack” Russell’s nifty book Wishing You a Merry Christmas Beer, I’ve clung closely to the holiday seasonal beers these past few weeks. I’m still confident in my choice of Shiner Holiday Cheer as the season’s best so far and my choice seems to be born out by the fact that you can’t find a six-pack of Holiday Cheer in this town to save your life! I’ve squirreled away a single six-pack, which I intend to enjoy on Christmas Eve but that may be it for the season.

Meanwhile, there are hosts of holiday also-rans taking up the rear of the pack and in order to cover as many of them as possible, I’ll offer here a holiday edition of Quick Riffs. All of these appear in Don Russell’s book but I won’t be divulging where in his ranking they reside – you’ll just have to obtain your own copy of the book from Santa, won’t you?

Michelob Winter’s Bourbon Cask Ale
Sampled November 21, 2008
Perhaps not surprisingly, this one gives off a vague liquor smell and no taste initially but builds to a noticeable vanilla taste that warms you somewhat. There is a bit of liquor in the taste but not in an unpleasant way. Really not too bad for a mass produced beer from a major player in the industry. Would be worth a second try if the field wasn’t already overcrowded with holiday beers vying for attention. This one will likely be one to look for after the New Year when all the seasonal craft beers have begun to disappear from shelves.

Boston Beer Company Sam Adams Winter Lager
Sampled November 22, 2008
Smell hints at citrus and malt both in the bottle and in the glass. Poured a bronze-tea color with a weak head. The flavor is malty with no noticeable evidence of orange and not a good deal of spice but this beer does have a warming quality as it goes down. You’ll find this one in Don Russell’s Merry Christmas Beer book.

Bridgeport Brewing Ebenezer Ale
Sampled on November 23, 2008
This one is featured in Don Russell’s Merry Christmas Beer book. I found it had a slight but balanced hop/malt smell in the bottle. My pour was perhaps too aggressive and the head overtopped the glass. The color is dark brown with a robust head. The taste was soda pop sweet, slightly oaky with perhaps a hint of fruit and slightly warming. I’d have old Ebenezer back at my house again, he’s agreeable enough.

My plan is to crown a Christmas Triumvirate later this month – you’ll just have to tune in to see which beers make my personal top three list. (Like you really care.) In the meantime, go out and buy Don Russell’s Merry Christmas Beer for yourself or as a gift for that special beer lover in your life. Here’s the link to his website, too: Joe Sixpack.

Colorado Trip: Quick Riffs

I think I’ve traveled more in the last month than I’ve traveled in the past year, what with a jaunt to Denver, then Virginia via Washington, D.C., then to Utah. Gosh I’ve amassed a stack of beer notes! Here’s a run down of the other beers I sampled while in Colorado.


Sam Adams Oktoberfest 2008
Sampled on October 18, 2008
The Elephant Bar, Belmar, Denver
Tastes like a red. Good representation of a marzen, I think. Worth having again before the season is over. (No photo, sorry.) Better than a couple of other Oktoberfest marzen's I've sampled since returning from Denver - I'll post something on that later. Here’s a path to the Sam Adams site.


Odell’s 90 Shilling Ale
Sampled on October 18, 2008
Lucky Lanes, Belmar, Denver
A good roasted, sweet malty smell and taste. A bit hoppy in the finish but not bad at all. Presents a dark amber color. (No photo, sorry again.) Click here for the 90-Shilling page at O’Dell’s.


Dogfish Head Punk Punkin Ale
Sampled on September 22, 2008

Smells vaguely of spice and cinnamon. Grassy smelling with a slight alcohol bite in the glass. Pours amber gold color with a nice head. There’s an alcohol bite that isn’t off-putting at all. Maybe the best pumpkin beer I’ve tried based strictly on style and the first Dogfish Head beer that I can say that I like.

Here’s Dogfish Head’s Punkin Ale page.

In the rush of travel, I also sampled (in no particular order) a couple glasses of Boddington’s, a few Single Track Copper Ales and of course the ubiquitous beer float using a can of Young’s Chocolate Stout. I neglected to make notes for the Boddington’s or the Single Track and I failed in my efforts to coax my brother-in-law into trying the joy that is a beer float. Maybe next time.

Quick Riffs

I've stacked up such a slush pile of beers in my notebook, it seems a good idea to run though some notables in quick fashion. I'll call this recurring feature "quick riffs" until something more appropriate strikes me. This time around: Redhook ESB, Brou Czech Pils and Bridgport IPA

Redhook ESB Original Ale
Sampled on August 5, 2008

Has a grassy smell in the bottle and a bitter, hoppy aroma in the glass. Pours an orange-bronze color with a nice head that is gone quickly. Bitter taste with hints of sweetness and a mild alcohol bite to both the smell and the taste. This isn’t a bad beer but still a little too bitter for my tastes long-term. A nice intermediate brew for those wanting something on the bitter side but not overpowering.

Brou Czech Pils
Sampled on May 29, 2008

Sports a malty smell in the bottle and bread or malt in the glass. Appears the color of dark brass and presents a weak head that disappears quickly. Tastes like cardboard, otherwise nothing special. Though I won’t try it again, Brou Czech wasn’t too bad paired with grilled sausage and chicken.

Bridgeport India Pale Ale
Sampled on August 11, 2008

This IPA gives off a medium hop smell in the bottle and pours a nice gold-orange color with lots of sediment. There’s a surprising hint of citrus in the taste. I didn’t think IPA’s could be this good; pretty dry though. Bridgeport IPA has sort of a smoky hint at the finish. I’ll track this one down again.

Mr. Beer Update:
The red ale was transferred to bottles this past Sunday morning with maple syrup used as a priming sugar. Six liter bottles were filled along with six 12-ounce Gatorade bottles that seemed to be stout enough to handle the build up of carbonation.

Almost immediately the bottles stiffened up as the gas/carbonation built up inside them. By the second day I notice with some alarm that the orange caps of the Gatorade bottles have developed a pronounced bulge on the top. I’m concerned that they may crack or split open and we’ll be out that beer. I may move them to lagering in the refrigerator a bit sooner than the PET bottles, which seem to be holding up well. All in all, things look hunky-dory and the contents of the clear plastic Gatorade bottles presents a nice brown-red color. I think this might work out!