This is a rhino of a beer from Smuttynose (which now has a presence here in Los Angeles despite being in the rebuilding phase of their brewery). Pours a dark orange and a bit foamy. Takes some time to settle. Big piney hop presence up front in the aroma. Then the rye really takes over in the taste. But the hops aren’t second fiddle. More of a co-conspirator. A bit of an alcohol aroma as I make a second pass through it. Certainly more west than east coast. Ways heavily on the tongue.
So, it’s mid-October and the books and music are being shoved to the side for college football as I root for in order:
1. Linfield College – my alma mater which needs one more win in 5 to secure another winning season. But they have higher goals. Rising higher than # 2 in the country for Division 3.
2. Oregon State – my dad’s school and despite wearing orange and black have the best uniforms of the two state schools. Mostly because a certain other team wears highlighter yellow or other strange combos of silver, yellow and green.