two beers brewing – Beck's Beer Blog

at this week’s edition of beernesday i enjoyed the following brews:

chuckanut brewing kolsch – 5% gentle, slightly fruity, complex undertones of malt, refreshing
yes, definitely fruity. i don’t much love a kolsch, and am not sure why i keep trying them, but this one was quite nice!

skagit brewing english best bitter – 7.5% a real bitter with malts that are relatively restrained in favor of wide, flat bittering. a clean, working man’s ale. not prolific, but a smart choice
i tried this one because i wanted to know if it was skagit brewing i’m not fond of or just their ipa. definitely just their ipa. this bitter was definitely a smart choice!

skagit brewing helmet pale ale – 5.5% brewed extremely pale and distinctly hoppy. crisp and refreshing this light ale is a classic ‘northwestern style’ pale ale. unfiltered and dry-hopped for extra flavor
i tried this one because it got me at northwestern style and dry-hopped, and i was not disappointed – i really, really enjoyed it!

howe sound brewing gathering storm cda – 7% cdas are also known as black ipas. this version adds deep roasted malts to alter the hue and slightly smooth the edges
i do love me a cda (even if i don’t love the name). this one is not destined to be my favourite, but it is definitely enjoyable. i think i need more hops to adequately feed my addiction…

then i had to go with a pint of the two beers evolutionary ipa
because i needed an ipa
yes, needed!

at last night’s beernesday the number of beers i needed to try was overwhelming
that is why i thank dog every day that the taster paddle was invented!

the star of the night for me was the two beers brewing evolutionary ipa

elysian brewing rapture heather ale – 7.6% a pound per barrel of high country heather tips in both the mash and toward the end of the boil give rapture floral and piney notes
very floral, but oh so drinkable, definitely get some before its gone!

elysian brewing idiot sauvin ipa – 6.3% an ipa both fiercely fruity and floral, made with new zealand nelson sauvin hops. strong citrus and passion fruit aroma and flavor
it is very floral, and bitter, and i’m just not sure how i feel about it. possibly love, possibly indifference. i look forward to trying a whole bottle of this brew to decide!

two beers brewing evolutionary ipa – 6.2% a dry hopped, deep copper coloured ipa brewed with yakima valley simcoe, amarillo and centennial hops, then aggressively dry hopped with simcoe and columbus
yes, yes, yes! its a hop bomb of the most delicious variety. i am a fan. nay, a devoté

mill street tankhouse ale – 5.2% five different malts are used to produce a complex malty texture. cascades give an assertive hop flavour, aroma and bitterness. a satisfying and complex-tasting beer
wow – easterners making a hoppy ale? yay! its a damned nice brew.

two beers brewing heart of darkness cascadian dark ale – 8.4% this hoppy yet smooth ale is an adventure all its own
it sure is! dark, delicious and packs quite a punch

granville island imperial ipa – 8.2% hopped-up version of beers made famous during the british raj over a century ago. big malt, bold hops and a higher-alcohol content
i want to apologize every time i order it, but damn, vern sure makes a tasty beer and i can’t help but order it when its available

skagit river sculler’s ipa – 6.8% full of northwest hops and a rich and fruity malt back bone
i want to like this beer, i keep trying it hoping that maybe i just had an old bottle or something
but no, i just don’t love it

hopworks survival organic 7-grain stout – 5.3% certified organic. brewed with 7 ancient grains: barley, wheat, oats, amaranth, quinoa, spelt and kamut. finished with 15 pounds of cold-pressed stumptown holler mountain coffee
if you need a coffee after its too late for caffeine, this is your salvation! such coffee goodness