Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
One of my favorite new breweries in Portland is Fracture Brewing and I would love to fly back and try their winter ale, Little Log Cabins…
“Bold Ruby Red Grapefruit and PNW pine aromatics come off the glass from the initial pour. Honeydew candy and juicy grapefruit dominate the palate with notes of sweet pine sap. Our updated rendition of this classic style is brewed in collaboration with our friends at Stormbreaker Brewing.”
One last trio of beers that you should be on the lookout for either for yourself or as Christmas gifts, or both!
Bottle Logic You May Ask Yourself Bohemian Style Lager – 4.6% ABV – “This once-in-a-lifetime Bohemian Style Pilsner collaboration with the new-wave post-punks up at Highland Park Brewery is as clean as it is complex. Brewed with a three-step mash and single decoction on the final step, a blend of ultra-traditional Pevec Pilsner malts lay a biscuity bass line for the spicy floral groove of Saaz hops. The magic of tradition intertwines with the avant-garde spirit in this medium-bodied, brightly carbonated banger.”
Beachwood Brewing Peak Pursuit – –% – “a thrilling climb through layers of 6 distinct hops. This West Coast IPA is your ticket to a tasteful journey. Citra, Mosaic, Idaho 7, HBC-586, Ekuanot, HBC-682”
Innis & Gunn Vanishing Point 07 – 11% – “Say hello to Vanishing Point 07. – “It’s back. And this time we’ve double matured it. First spending nine months in The Glenlivet 18yo whisky casks before being finished for three months in port casks. Get ready to experience a beer which is both rich and complex, with mellow flavours of mocha, caramel, berry and nut.”
Staying on the West Coast for a bit longer but climbing to a High Camp…
“Named for the ski lodge atop our local White Pass Ski Resort, this apres-ski sipper warms from the inside out with aromas of caramel, coffee, citrus, pine, and spice. Taking Bale Breaker’s signature hop-forward style to the dark side with the addition of chocolate and rye malts, this balanced IPA is dry-hopped with Mosaic®, Simcoe®, and experimental hop HBC 630 hops.”
Another Braupakt collaboration is on the way between St. Bernardus in Belgium. and Weihenstephan in Germany. This EU beer will be a blonde ale that gets a bit high for a blonde at 6.5% abv.
Right back to Portland and Wayfinder because I heard a whisper of a winter warmer…
“This pale lager will warm your dreary winter night with notes of slightly sweet malt, fruit & warm spices. Conditioned to have light notes of Garyana ( Oregon White Oak) from Westward Whiskey.”
Brasserie de la Senne has gone back in craft beer time to collaborate We on a new beer, Pete’s Wicked Tripel. That name should sound familiar because it is Pete Slosberg. The Pete of Pete’s Wicked Ale fame from way back in the day. Slosberg is into chocolate now so the beer a Tripel with cacao nibs.
The description sounds very nuanced and layered, “The result is a very complex and at the same time highly drinkable beer, despite having 8 ABV. At first in the aromas we find touches of green coffee. They blend with the fruity fermentation aromas, a beautiful maltiness and a touch of citrus. Secondly, the cacao will develop in the after taste, in all its complexity, warmth and length. The cacao nibs also played a part in the interesting full texture of the beer.”
It’s been a minute since I spoke of Ballast Point, most of it business related but lets get back to the beer and their seasonal …
Theakston has recently announced that the famed Old Peculier is returning to distribution in the United States.
Currently only on the East Coast but maybe a few will trickle West. The beer had an export run in the U.S. from 1976 to 2013 but ten years is a long time away. Absence might make the heart grow fonder though.
Next up is a winter warmer with umlauts aplenty, Jägerhütte from Further Beer in the St. Johns neighborhood of Portland.
“A deliciously malty winter warmer with perfectly balanced spices. Grains of paradise, orange peel, and cinnamon.”
I am a big fan of Duvel’s barrel-aged program. And the next one is a very unique choice. Going the historical route with Brazilian cachaça from Brazil. Sorta like a rum relative.
Duvel snagged over 400 oak cachaça barrels for their cellars and after 8 months of aging achieved what they say is Duvel but with a “lively fruit punch, which then expands festively with notes of oak, dried nuts and vanilla.”
If I do see the Duvel Barrel Aged, The Brasil Rum Edition. You know I will pick it up.