new releases

from deschutes brewery:

 

Red Chair NWPA | Somewhere in between a big IPA and a well balanced Pale Ale, this seasonal, hop-forward Northwest Pale Ale packs a citrus punch. Don’t wait around or you’ll miss the most thrilling ride of the winter. Ride the red chair.   Hop Henge Experimental IPA | Our annual experiment in IBU escalation. New hop processes, experimental hops and boat loads of Millennium, Cascade, Centennial, and Chinook hops result in massive aromas and flavors.

 

The Dissident | Pucker up! This Flanders-style sour brown ale is hardly ordinary. With tart pie cherries and Brettanomyces, this barrel-aged beer is extraordinary. December 12th release.   AltBitter Collaboration with Widmer Brother’s Brewing |  To celebrate Widmer’s 30th Anniversary, they created a beer inspired by two classic favorites: our Bachelor Bitter and their Altbier. Try the 2 barrel-aged component beers and the final AltBitter on December 15th.

from phillips brewing:

December 1st, 2014: Coffee stouts have always held a  special place in our hearts as one of the three original Phillips brews, and this year’s Imperial version–brewed in collaboration with our  friends at 2% Jazz Coffee Co.–is an 8% 650mL double shot! Pouring a deep black earth colour with a medium tan head, this beer is brewed with freshly roasted coffee beans and then finished with a second coffee addition just prior to packaging.  The flavour is a java-laden journey featuring bright coffee aromas and dry roasted flavours accented with hints of dark chocolate.  Methodically crafted with only the best local coffee, this one-eyed Jackal is no wildcard. Available at finer craft-friendly private liquor stores as well as BC Liquor Stores for a limited time only. If you’d like to taste the magic that can happen when you combine roasted coffee beans with malted barley, we’d like to to invite you to pop by the brewery on December 4th from 4-6 for a special draft tasting.

from mt. begbie brewing:

Mt. Begbie Brewing Company Seasonal Release     Mt. Begbie Brewery is located in beautiful Revelstoke, a small town with a rich history, in the heart of British Columbia’s spectacular Columbia mountain range. The company is named after Mt. Begbie, a majestic glacial mountain that dominates the Revelstoke skyline. In turn, the mountain is named after Matthew “Hanging Judge” Begbie, a colourful character from Revelstoke’s early history, who probably would have benefitted from a sip of Mt. Begbie’s soothing ales before rendering his judgements. Read more about the brewery.

BOB’S YOUR DUNKEL                      Limited quantities, only available for Private Stores.   Brewed in the Dunkelweizen tradition, this is a rich, unfiltered wheat beer (Weissbier) loaded with chocolate and Munich malts, that displays the true banana and clove characteristics of a well done dunkel. Sure to warm your winter nights!        Style: Dunkelweizen Alc./Vol: 8.0% 12 x 650ml Price: $5.10 /bottle SKU# 518753

beer pairing

last night i paired the fish tacos at st. augustine’s with the deschutes hop henge ipa
heaven!
(i also paired the rogue fish tacos with the hop henge on monday night – that was heavenly too!)

deschutes seasonal brews

seasonal brews now available from deschutes:

RED CHAIR NWPA
Red Chair NWPA’s meteoric rise from pub darling to seasonal celebrity is as legendary as its name. THE Red Chair is the oldest operating lift at Mt. Bachelor in Central Oregon. As the lift that the locals ride to catch epic untracked snow on powder mornings – it is an obvious path to glory. This is a hop-forward ale showcasing juicy Cascade and Centennial hops in perfect harmony with British Crystal and German Pilsner malts that highlight caramel flavors providing the perfect complement for this seductive brew. Don’t miss one of the winter seasonal’s most thrilling rides…Available in 6-packs, 12-packs and on draft where Deschutes beer is sold. 6.2% ABV / 60 IBUs
SEASONAL (Available January-April)

HOP HENGE EXPERIMENTAL IPA
The 2012 version of Hop Henge examines the virtues of high alpha acid hops in concert with less malty sweetness. Cascade, Centennial, Columbus, Millennium, Citra & Simcoe hops were added in generous quantities to this Imperial IPA and is guaranteed to make any hop lover pucker! This tasty elixir recently won “World’s Best Imperial IPA” at the 2011 World Beer Awards and is constantly evolving each year just like hops in Mother Nature. Hop Henge is the result of a daring effort to create a unique, desirable drinking experience and is a salute to IPA lovers everywhere. Cheers! Available in 22 oz. bottles and on draft wherever Deschutes beer is sold. 9.0% ABV / 90 IBUs
BOND STREET SERIES (Available January – May)

best ipas

bestcovery has decided on its list of best ipas
and deschutes’ hop henge is on there!!

brewery creek u.s. tasting night

i got stuck at work late last night
(gotta pay for the beer somehow!)
and so didn’t make it over to the drill hall until 6:00
which was a full two hours after the doors opened
fortunately the first person i saw inside was cowboy dan who quickly pointed me in the direction of the last bottle of hopworks’ ace of spades
then and only then did i check my coat
and start reading the program!

hopworks brewmaster ben

danny also steered me over to ska’s milk stout, which he suggested could be a blog post all on its own
oh to have that kind of time on my hands
and his way with beer description!
he was right, its a thing of beauty and a joy to imbibe
and i told two friends and they told two friends and so on and so on…
i also very much enjoyed their modus hoperandi ipa and special esb

shipyard was dan’s other suggestion as not to be missed
i had the xxxx ipa
and as at hopscotch, i’m just not a big fan
i guess i really am a northwest hops kinda gal

my plan of attack was to hit all the breweries we can’t get up here regularly

those were:

ska brewing co

uncommon brewers

buckbean brewing co.

fx matt brewing co

alltech’s lexington brewing co.

shipyard brewing co

stone (although i hear we’re getting them soon!)

lexington was out of their kentucky bourbon barrel ale, so i was out of luck there

buckbean had their tule duck red ale and original orange blossom ale, so i tried a half pour of each of those… and maybe i blasted my taste buds with the ipas i’d already had… but i found the orange blossom to be like orange pop and the duck to just be weird

uncommon had three to pick from, i went with the golden state ale and it was okay

a little uninspired by my trip to the unheard of before, i went for an old reliable

stone was out of the arrogant bastard, so i had their ipa

which was fabulous of course

deschutes had the hop henge on tap in their crazy beermobile

so i had to have me some

deeeelicious!

i managed to hit lagunitas just as the last bottle of ipa was being drained

cheers to the marketing manager

beer was running very low by 8:00 so i abandoned my plan
and just went for what i could get!

i manged to get moylan’s irish style red ale – lovely
and green flash’s imperial ipa – which i don’t love…

and then it was over

i wish i’d gotten there sooner and tried more beers!

must get to the b.c. one on time today!

top 10 ipas

tasting vancouver wants to know what your favourite local(ish) ipa is!

so far their list is:
Red Racer IPA (getting lots of love)

Driftwood Fat Tug IPA
Russell IP’EH
Dogfish Head IPA 60
Double Daddy Imperial
Driftwood Sartori Harvest IPA
Elysian Jasmine IPA
Tree Brewing Hop Head
Dead Frog Citra IPA
Stone IPA
Ninkansi Total Domination
Howe Sound’s Devil’s Elbow
West Coast Green Flash
Deschutes Inversion DF 90min IPA
Hopsickle
Elysian Immortal
Bridgeport’s Hop Czar
Hale’s Ales Moosehead

and i’m happy to say i’ve had almost all of the above
but there’s the total eclipse of the hops? the hop circle? the hop henge? the unearthly?

tasting notes

and for saturday night’s pre-party tipple, i chose deschutes brewery’s hop trip

part of the bond series of hop-forward beers, its the october-december offering
and since i love the hop in the dark so much
i figured i’d better try the other two offerings as well!

deschutes has this to say about the bond series:  Inspired by the original Deschutes Brewery & Public House on Bond Street in downtown Bend, the Bond Street Series highlights a handful of our hop-forward beers that began at “the pub.” These local favorites, both old & new, truly display Deschutes Brewery’s diversity and creativity.  Available in 22 oz bottles and draft only.


hop in the dark is a black ipa offered may to september:
Can an IPA be black?  Semantics aside, this noir version adds deep roasted malts to alter the hue and slightly smooth the edges.  What emerges is something deeper, less orthodox, and all its own.

“We’ve brewed 22 batches of this beer at both our Bend and Portland pubs, experimenting on our customers as we perfected the recipe,” said Brewmaster Larry Sidor. “This beer has subtle coffee undertones born from a blend of oats with dark, Munich and crystal malts. Classic IPA flavors and aromas are due to courageous additions of Cascade, Citra and Centennial hops.”

Take the plunge – a hop, if you will – into this new Cascadian Dark Ale. Many may never even try to swim for shore.

hop henge ipa is offered january to april:

First brewed in 2006, Deschutes Brewery’s Hop Henge Experimental IPA reappears this year with more extreme hop flavors than ever before. The new formulation is the epitome of the brewery’s experimental style and commitment to innovation, while gratifying their unquenchable thirst for beautifully balanced hoppy beers. The newest incarnation of Hop Henge uses several new hop processes and techniques to create a truly unique and unexpected beer.

Several pounds of Centennial & Cascade  hops are in each barrel with a heavy dry-hop presence to top it off. A blend of crystal, pale and carastan malts creates an overall biscuity characteristic that is dense and muscular, building the alcohol base to support the monstrous hop profile.

When one of our brewers came up with the name Hop Henge, he also came up with the idea of actually recreating Stonehenge, only with hop bales. We were up for the challenge and even though the weather did not want to cooperate, we pulled it off and threw a party afterwards. Click here to view the photos.

hop trip:
This Fresh Hop Pale Ale is all about celebrating the hop harvest in the fall. Fresh picked hops have to be added to the brew immediately and in abundance. Roughly 680 pounds of Crystal hops from Doug Weathers’ farm outside Salem, Oregon will be added to each 120 barrel batch in addition to some dry kilned whole flower hops. That adds up to approximately 5.7 pounds of hops per barrel brewed. Another deliciously interesting beer in our Bond Street Series. 

In 2006 we thought it would be fun to document the trip so Tim Cash from FARfromEARTH films hopped on board with his camera in hand.  Click here to watch the video.

okay, as i’ve said, i love the hop in the dark
it is one of those beers that make me wish i could drink beer every day
(work with me here, i know in theory that wish is possible…)
but…. i’m not loving the hop trip in the same way
yes, it is hoppy
and that’s a very good thing
but… i’m not loving it like i want to love it
and its not just an expectation thing that makes me say that
i’m quite able to love a beer that did not meet my exact expectations going in
its that its so fully hopped at every step along the way
and i love hops
so why am i not falling all over myself extolling its virtues?
i dunno
fickle i guess


that said, i am happily pouring myself my second glass
and looking forward to taking my six pack of inversion to the party!