We head to my favorite new (to me) brewery of 2012, Sound Brewery for their Holiday offering…
“AKA The Mother Of All Tripels (MOAT)Entendez Noel is a unique intense Belgian-style that can be considered an imperial triple or pale quadruple. Some warming alcohols and spicy notes (from fermentation only, no spices added) make this beauty perfect for our first holiday beer. Enjoy the ever changing aroma and flavors as you and the beer warm up.”
Xmas 2012 – Schooner Exact / Hoppy Holidays
We head to Washington State for our next holiday hop from Schooner Exact…
“The Dark Ale Troika – molasses, coffee, and chocolate – shines through here, gilded by orange peel, thyme, sage, and dark honey. Big, warm, welcoming – this is an emerging NW classic!”
GABF Brewery # 2 – No-Li Brewhouse
One of the new breweries that I tried at the recently concluded Great American Beer Festival was No-Li Brewhouse out of Spokane, Washington.
I was drawn to their booth by their simple but cool bottles that they had next to the pitchers of their beer.
L.A. people may bristle at the W.S.U. Cougar roots of No-Li. They will not at the beer. I sampled Silent Treatment (One of the best beer names ever) and it cut through the other beers that I had sampled at the convention hall.
Next time, I will try the following….
BORN & RAISED IPA
“This big bold copper colored ale showcases a big malty body and sweetness contrasted against a substantial hop presence which begins in the nose, continues in the flavor and ends with a lingering hop finish.”
CRÉME ALE
“Very pale, flavorful version of an original American beer style which combines the fermentation characteristics of an ale with the smoothness and maturity of a lager. Look for delicate soft maltiness complimented by the finest Northwest hops.”
E-Tour of Whitstran Brewing
The last Washington state brewery to visit is Whitstran in Prosser. And they have a unique brand style that works for me. A little sci-fi’ish but cool. Compare that to their Friar Series of beers…
Friar’s Blessing Raspberry Lambic
“The essence of raspberries sweetens this lambic for a refreshing brew with little hop presence.”
Friar’s Decadence Chocolate Chocolate Imperial Stout
“This is a sweet robust dark ale, with just a hint of chocolate from the baker’s cocoa added to the boil.”
Friar Lawrence Belgium-Style Ale
“The use of caramel and honey malts gives the sweetness, Goldings hops provide the balance and Abbey-style yeast introduces a unique spice character.”
Friar’s Penance Barley Wine Ale
“Fermenting for 9 – 10 months allows the complex flavors to blend to produce a unique brew that is available for a limited time each year.”
E-Tour of Port Townsend Brewing
It is great to see new craft breweries springing up in smaller towns that used to have a brewery before prohibition and that is the case with Port Townsend which lost a 1906 opened brewery to the anti-alcohol crowd.
Now you can sample beers like these:
Boatyard Bitter
“Traditional Fuggles and Kent Golding hops (imported from England) dominate the flavor of this English style pale ale. British grown Maris Otter barley lends a round and smooth malt flavor. Truly a classic style.”
Hop Diggidy
“A classic Northwest style IPA. Hop Diggidy has a smooth malt background and full round hop flavors. Dry hopping two separate times in the process insures an aromatic and lasting hop finish. Enjoy this very drinkable Northwest ale.”
E-Tour of Foggy Noggin
Our first stop in the state of Washington is Foggy Noggin. They are located in Bothell. You will have to really Mapquest it to see where that is. They brew English style beers like the two below that struck me….
Christmas Duck – Porter
“A mouthful of sweetened roasty flavors that linger long as a roasty dryness. Satisfying in every respect and a pint of the holiday spirit each time. Everyone deserves to celebrate Christmas year-round. Jingle Beers! Jingle Beers!”
Oski Wow-Wow – Scotch Ale
“Brewed in the olde Scottish traditional manner, Oski Wow-Wow is made with patience and love for the founders of this delicious beer style. The first 10% of the mash runnings are caramelized in the kettle, then liquified and added to the rest of the boil. Toffee and caramel flavors you have never tasted before are the result. Best enjoyed in Strawberry Canyon on a nice fall afternoon, you are sure to hear those enjoying the bounty of this special seasonal. One taste and you will shout – “Oski Wow-Wow!”
One more word, I think their logo is really cool. Simple but evocative.
XMAS BEER – Maritime Pacific Jolly Roger
We head to Washington State for a pirate themed Christmas Ale. And the best description of the beer can be found on the taproom blog
Redhook Eisbock
Both Karl Strauss and Redhook were craft pioneers who seemed to get passed by or considered too big and not micro cool.
Well now both are coming out swinging. Strauss with some good IPA bombers and Redhook with their 8-4-2 Expedition and now with this…
It is described on the label as, “Aged for months at temperatures well below freezing, Eisbock 28 is extraordinarily smooth and malt with a bittersweet complexity achieved by ice processing.”
Beer in the Mail – Part 1
The first beer package is from Malt and Vine in the state of Washington.
Some of these are for cellaring, some for the 50 Beers from 50 States and some for special occasions.
Treblehook Barleywine
I haven’t had a Redhook beer in eons. Mostly because only LongHammer IPA makes it way this far south. But I will be on the look out for this seasonal offering.
Fall/Winter 2009 Limited Release: Treblehook Barley Wine
Treblehook is vigorously hopped and patiently aged with aromatic malt and spicy hop notes. Smooth and complex, this beer is carefully brewed by hand with sublte caramel, toffee and chocolate notes
Style: Barley Wine
ABV: 10.1%
Malts: Pale, Caramel, Special Aromatic, Flaked Barley, Black, Melenodin
Hops: Cascade, Palisades, Chinook, Simcoe
Bitterness Units: 52 IBU
Original Gravity: 22
Brewed Since: 2007
Shelf Life: 365 days
Awards: Gold Medal 2008 Great American Beer Festival, Silver Medal 2009 Great American Beer Festival
Cellaring: Can be cellared for up to 3 years