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.
Xmas 2012 – Three Creeks / Rudolph’s Imperial Red Ale
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.”
Portland in November & December
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!
Xmas 2012 – 10 Barrel / Pray for Snow
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.”
It’s HUGE!
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.
LTD the 6th
Quite the intriguing label from Full Sail for the sixth version of LTD. A light chocolate beer? Hopefully my Trader Joes will carry this like the other LTD brews.
the Beer Allowance – June
Last month, I spent my $20 on THIS.
And this month, I spent $3 over on Fort George cans. A nice variety pack that includes the 1811 lager, the Vortex IPA and the new OPA – Oatmeal Pale ale. Courtesy of the free shipping deal over on Let’s Pour that I posted about earlier this month.
Holiday Beer review – Sleigh’r
The first Holiday beer to be reviewed this month is from Eugene, Oregon and Ninkasi.
from the label: “A delicious northwest seasonal brewed with winter in mind. A dark double alt, malty, nourishing and delicious, it’s sure to keep the winter at bay, and yes, Sleigh’r does rock!”
Christmas Beer of the Day – Bonaparte’s Retreat
The Brewery – Laurelwood
The Beer – Bonaparte’s Retreat
The details:
A Franco-Corsican version of the traditional Laurelwood holiday release of Vinter Varmer with chestnuts.
Oregon Beer Review # 3 – Super Dog from Lucky Labrador
Our final Oregon beer is from the growing Lucky Labrador Brewery, the beer is Super Dog…..