Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
When in Portland recently, I picked up my first (well designed) bottles from Crux Fermentation in Bend, Oregon. Here, is my review of the Double Cross, a strong Belgian dark….
Here is the description from the Crux website, “Crux’s interpretation of a Strong Dark Belgian Ale is a blend of Belgium malts, Belgium dark candi sugar, Oregon Sterling hops and Yakima Delta hops for flavors that are deceptively sweet and innocent.”
Ninkasi Brewing has been showing up in Los Angeles with their Tricerahops Double IPA. I first spotted them at the Blue Palms 5th Anniversary party and then on tap lists for the Food GPS Beer Blast. The craft brewery based in Eugene (Home of lightning yellow football uniforms) signed agreements with independent wholesalers here as well as Orange County and and San Diego County. Flagship and limited release offerings are on the way in 22 oz. bottles and kegs.
Tillamook is known for the cheese but now it also has a cool sounding brewery too. Trevor Rogers is behind De Garde Brewing and according to no less of an expert than Belmont Station of Portland, he is “utilizing yeasts he cultured from the local environment and an assortment of fun barrels to produce an array of unique beers with complex flavors.”
Here is a partial list of the unique offerings:
Chenin Blanc Regards (Double India wild ale with wine grapes)
Tempranillo Desay (wild Saison with wine grapes)
Italian Plum Desay (wild Saison, hasn’t been poured yet)
Cherry Desay
Cranberry Bu Weisse
We all know that southern California and Los Angeles in particular is a car intensive culture. We measure time and not miles. We speak fluent highway numbers. And yet, for a autopia, we have no place that combines filling stations that do both gas and beer.
That is why I fervently hope that the Growler Guys head to LA. Where are they now? Bend, Oregon.
Do you want Chimay Tripel while you fill your Camry? Good Life Sweet as Pacific Hybrid Beer while you top off your Prius? Or maybe something from Deschutes?
And if that is not enough, read on and be amazed as I was….”When you pull your vehicle up to the pump, an extremely friendly looking person in an old fashioned, white gas attendant’s uniform (hat included) comes running up to your window. All of the attendants are very polite when taking your fueling preferences; they always ask if you would like your tank topped off. While you wait for your tank to be filled, they clean your windshield and actually get every speck of debris off.”
Almost makes you want to move to Bend.
When I check out a brewery that is new to me and see this posted on their Facebook page, “Since putting our own beers on Jan 2, we have sold out of oyr firts IPA, our first Pale, and our working on our first Black Ale!! Come check it out next Tuesday, before it’s all gone too!” It makes me smile. I love to see that the beers are finding homes.
And even with Redmond, Oregon having 3 other breweries in town (Cascade Lakes, Phat Matt’s, and Shade Tree Oregon), Smith Rock seems to be doing well for a nano start up.
This is a prime example of a town being aware of craft beer and supporting the locals.
The Ale Apothecary is not only a great name for a brewery but it is in the mega-beer town of Bend. (Now I really have to travel to Bend to drink).
But what caught my eye is that their flagship ale, Sahalie is a mixed fermentation ale. It is brewed by Paul Arney who was at Deschutes and is now working with the wild yeasts. They also brew a “version of Finnish Sahti brewed in a traditional kuuma and spiced with fresh spruce tips.” And most intriguing of all, a hopless beer aged in brandy barrels called El Cuatro.
Seems appropriate that Rudolph would have a red ale and imperial no less from Three Creeks in Sister’s Oregon near Mt. Bachelor.
“An American Strong Ale.”
Flying the week after Thanksgiving is the way to go. Literally, no one was in the TSA line. I just walked right up and was through. That quickly, my trip to Portland had begun.
Each time that I head north, I make a list of places to go. Belmont Station is on it every time. Other points on the map come and go but for this trip, I wanted to make my first visits to two specific places and a long awaited return trip to an old favorite.
After buying way too much at Belmont Station, I headed along with my mom and wife to Upright Brewing. Near the Trailblazer’s Rose Garden. The brewing space is in the basement of a multi-use building. Little to no seating and no bar! The server was standing next to some taps and a chalkboard. You order and you try to find a spot to stand amongst the brewing equipment.
My sampler included Todo Modo, Pearwood Smoked lager, Bad Brains and Seven aged with Brett. Personally the lighter colors were the best. The two dark lagers were fine but could not compete with the flavors of the other two.
Next stop was Widmer. I haven’t visited the Gasthaus in forever. Checking their website before I left, I noticed they had a trio of New Zealand hop offerings. So I ordered that!
The Pacific Gem was the best of the group. But all really showcased the difference in hops from one part of the world. I got citrus, fruit punch and grape notes and pear too. All with a pleasant kick of bitterness.
My other new to me visit (though I have had a few of their beers was Gigantic Brewing. Tucked into (you guessed it) an industrial part of SE Portland is their very pretty space with Portland Timber and label artwork adorning the walls. No Axes of Evil. Though I wanted to try it. I started with Ume Umai…
…a red hued beer with a nice effervescence and a nice push of plum taste. A really great fruit accented beer. I finished with their winter tipple, Old Man Gower which was a pleasant strong ale.
The last stop was spontaneous and I will talk more about Base Camp Brewing in a later post but suffice it to say it was a beautiful tap room and their S’more Stout had a toasted marshmallow!
We head to Bend, Oregon and 10 Barrel for today’s holiday offering……
“This delicately balanced Strong Ale starts with dark copper color mixed with slight reddish hues and a light tan head. Big malty aroma with a Munich character give way to a slight caramel & toffee mixed with spicy noble hop aroma, all wrapped together with a medium-bodied mouth feel. German malt flavor profile with slight roasty notes give Pray for Snow a subtle toffee sweetness balanced with spicy hop bitterness and slight alcohol warming.”
Or I should say Gigantic.
I sent my mom to check out Gigantic Brewing in Portland since it is a much longer drive for me here in L.A. to check out what the new tap room looks like.
The entry to the eastside establishment of Van Havig and Ben Love.
The to-go options which include their IPA and The City Never Sleeps. They also have a collaborative brew with 3 Floyds out of Indiana by the name of Axes of Evil.
Or you could sample a beer from someone else to compare and contrast.