Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
It seems like at least once a week I see a beer from my hometown of Portland that I wish I could buy down here in L.A.
The latest is a Hop Shake collaboration between Double Mountain and Fort George. From the breweries, “This IPA is full and ripe with deep citrus and earthy forest additions. Lactose is added in the boil to round out the balance, and keep things smooth and juicy.”
Considering how good both of those breweries are, the result is probably pretty darn good.
As ubiquitous as fruit in hoppy IPA’s, is hops in cider. But more rare, is hops in spirits. But Double Mountain of Hood River (and Portland) has come out with Oregon Oak aged whiskey that is infused with a combo of Cascade and Apollo hops. That sounds like a good start to a craft beer cocktail.
Even if you are not a Beatles fan, the thought of a steam pale beer might intrigue you.
Here is what Double Mountain was aiming for with Come Together: “For Chef’s Week, we paired up with Chefs Doug Adams (Imperial), Adam Sappington (Country Cat), and Rick Gencarelli (Lardo) to create something special. We wanted to brew something that would be perfect to pair with a menagerie of menus and keep things coming together nicely. We chose to ferment a Czech Pilsner strain at ale temperature, creating a pale ale with citrus and pine grove aromas, and a crisp, clean balance.”
To me, Come Together is very much earthy in character. There is quite a bit of bitterness. How this pairs with food is questionable to me. Rye and basil notes to me as well. The lager yeast is quite prevalent. Getting a touch of pear for some odd reason too. It is quite enjoyable but I don’t know how it would work except for maybe a salad with some bitter greens in it that also had a creamy dressing of some sort. A push and pull dynamic. Because even on its own, it is quite bitter.
Count L.A. as a lucky outpost in Double Mountain Brewery distribution. Getting their fresh hop offerings and seasonals like Pale Death is great . And hopefully there will be a supply of Gypsy Stumper soon. Brewed “a minimalist approach” and Pilsner and Vienna malts with Mosaic, Simcoe, Challenger, and Centennial hops intertwined.
9% and 90 BU’s in this Imperial IPA from Double Mountain that is new to L.A. This is the “embiggened” version of Hop Lava and it is hot.
That heat is a slight burn of both hop bitterness and that ABV. The aroma is a mixture of dried tropical fruit and the bad sounding but not always bad, cat pee with a tinge of white wine barrel.
It pours a burnished orange color with lots of bubbles rising upward. Bitterness is strong but does fade out before it wears out its welcome. The end is quite dry and continues with the wine character. Plus a touch of dried orange and wheat.
This is a unique Imperial that is more subtle than other muddled palate wreckers.
This bottled in early February (2/04 to be exact) abbey Dubbel from Double Mountain has the yeast from Scourmount abbey. Combine those expectations and I was hoping for something great.
And I got it. Sacre Bleu pours a cola brown with a thin head on top. That yeast is in serious effect and it smells wonderful. Big banana and spice notes. Toast quality to it as well. Right in the sweet spot between carbonated and viscous. Really coats the tongue. For some odd reason I think of pancakes with this like it’s a brunch beer. Really enjoyable.
Now that we get some Double Mountain love down here in Los Angeles. I can dream about actually (possibly) getting some of their special releases and these two labels have me a bit giddy to try them because fruit and beer really can mix well together especially when it is locally grown cherries.
One of the favorite beers from my recent Portland trip. I had one while I was there and had to bring one home as well. This orange hued beer has a big hop aroma and the taste is really herbal and spicy with a background of citrus. All three tastes play well together. Certainly a NW hoppy beer as opposed to a San Diego HOPPPPPPY beer but I like the difference. Glad that Artisan Ales in Pasadena will be bringing Double Mountain into SoCal, now we just have to get their single-hop beers as well. Plus the label hints at a certain different Cluster. Very cool.
I have been listening to the latest Elvis Costello album (do they still call them albums?) “Wise Up Ghost” that he made with The Roots and I am still trying to say if I really like it or if it is just so different from the mainstream that it pricks my ears up.
We head to the mecca that is Hood River, Oregon for our next holiday treat from Double Mountain, FaLaLaLa.
“T’is the season for a big, malty hop bomb…We’ve loaded our inaugural holiday brew up with enough Centennials to fill Santa’s toy bag. Cheers to hoppy beers! Brewed with Gambrinus Organic Pilsner and Munich malt, imported crystal malts and Centennial hops.”