Yup, Gigantic Brewing of Portland is up to art piece 111…
Brad Delay added the pizazz to the new Hazy IPA, Smackdab with a fun assortment of cartoon characters that had a sticker / tattoo look to it.
111
Christmas Beer 2019 # 12 – Gigantic Cat Ate My Stash
Back to Portland for a very psychadelic designed cat with a Christmas tree IPA from Gigantic Brewing. I looked for this when I was in Portland and did not see it and there is no way you miss this label.
Bramble
Cocktails and beer can go hand-in-hand and Gigantic is doing it right. Primarily, they have learned how to use Old Tom gin barrels to re-create flavor profiles of a drink like the bramble. Now I am not a fan of blackberries IRL, but as a flavor, it really works for me and I hope to see #97 in L.A. stores.
Chocolate & Oysters
I am glad to see an oyster stout, any oyster stout being produced. I think it is a cool sub-style and the fact that Gigantic is adding chocolate as a co-ingredient is brilliant. Sort of like a sea salt chocolate. Dark chocolate fans should look for this.
Let’s Play
Alexandra Nowell from Three Weavers has gone big. Teaming with Portland based Gigantic Brewing to concoct Play Date, “a barrel aged golden ale. It’s a “cocktail beer” that weighs in at 8% ABV and features fruity pomegranate and ginger melded and mellowed by months spent in bourbon barrels.”
Let’s hope some of this ends up in Inglewood and L.A. in keg and bottle form.
Big Cats
Holiday Beer # 27 – Sound and Vision from Gigantic Brewing
Back to the colder climes of the PNW with a pale ale, winterized by Gigantic Brewing.
Beer Art
I have been reading and researching about labels this month (and last year) and this event struck me as super cool. And it has nothing to do with the fact that Gigantic Brewing beer is uniformly awesome….
Since the event is in the recent past, I will have to say that I think it would be great for L.A. breweries to bring in the people that design their labels and have an art show.
Even ardent craft beer fans don’t know the creativity, the discussions and the give and take of creating the label that you see on the store shelf. So congrats to the Fig & Thistle, now send the art show south.
Review – Snakebite From Gigantic
Many moons ago, I embarked on a month-long visit to London as a college theatre course. My naive beer and alcohol knowledge consisted of wine information gleaned from my parents and college parties. For some reason, I became enamored of the Snakebite a 1/2 lager – 1/2 cider concoction with black currant added. It was not good.
But now, memories paint it in a different light and Gigantic Brewing has teamed with Cider Riot! and Beau’s All Natural Brewing to make a 2015 version of the Snakebite. The Gigantic version is Kolsch fermented with apple juice and black currant .
How will it compare to my faded recollections? Let’s see….
Right off the bat the currant and apple flavors pop. Thankfully, it isn’t in a sweetened juice way as this ale/cider hybrid gets very dry, very quickly. There is a biscuity undertone and a bit of watery lightness on the back of the tongue to stave off a complete drying effect. This amber/red streaked colored beer still retains a beer-iness even though the aroma has a bit of mint quality to it. Like drinking a sour ale, this rewards the fan who slowly takes it in rather than as a quick refresher type of beer.
On my new (patent pending) rating scale of, Buy It! – get a bottle. Try It. – get a taster. Shy from It. – get something else first Snakebite gets a Buy It!
Review – Craftylicious from Widmer & Gigantic
I was so busy reading the label of this 30 Years – 30 Beers collaboration between Widmer and Gigantic that I didn’t research the beer itself before taking a sip.
Boy, was I surprised because this is a tart and super fruity beer. I saw hoppy on the label and expected IPA but got a sour instead. Once that initial shock wore off, I was quite taken with this beer. Grapefruit pith, mango and fruit punch. Loads of acidity here too. The aroma carries no hint of it. Just barnyard funk. Twice I was lulled into thinking something else was coming.
Whatever position you hold in the craft v crafty debate, this beer should be tasted to be believed. Really top notch.
