Freshly Hopped Beers

We really like fresh hop beers now.  I'm a big fan myself because they are typically reminiscent of a IPA's hoppiness, but are generally more subdued without losing the flavor thanks to what we'd call 'wet-hopping' (adding the hops in when they are fresh; ie. not dried out).  We've had the Mirror Pond version and just recently we got a bottle of Deschutes' Hop Trip, as the name implies it is hoppy.  The picture on the label is a rendition of the trucks that haul the hops to their brewery nearby.  The Hop Trip's claim to fame is less than 4 hours from harvest to being a part of the brewing process.

How does it fare?  Quite well actually and it's a shame that these are only seasonal.  They also will very likely not age well, this is a beer that is most definitely best when had as fresh as possible.  We found it to have more of a malty flavor than FH Mirror Pond, more akin to a very hoppy amber ale.  Nice and dark color with a great smell off the head.  Layers of hops hit you from the smell, the taste, and the aftertaste.  Flavors of grapefuit are definitely there. Did I mention the hops?

Deschutes officially labels it as an American Pale Ale, 5.4% ABV, and a very low 38 IBUs.

Also... keep in mind that most IPAs are around 60 or 70 IBUs.  I will definitely try to pick up this beer the second it comes out next year, honestly I'd say it beats out pumpkin beers for harvest season.

- Nathan

Hop Trip website

New Belgium Brewing Fat Tire

Hey, Nathan here.  I just got hired at Manito Tap House on the South Hill in Spokane.

Hopefully I'll be able to get some unique insight on the backside of the house.

The last beer I had was a New Belgium Fat Tire and a Rogue Dead Guy Ale.  I've mentioned the New Belgium before and I really have nothing to say about it.  The fact is that I think it is a very neutral beer; I've heard people say "tastes  like beer" when they try something I give them (ensue my eye rolls), but I think it actually applies here.  It has a bit of hops upfront due to the Belgian influence (word is the brewmaster made the amber ale while on a trip in Belgium), however past that the malt flavors are there but they seem to fall flat into a lackluster aftertaste.  I've tried this beer many times and each time I get this feeling no matter how hard I try.

Fat Tire is definitely more in the session territory, but is a little heavier than say a Hef.  Then again, by American standards anything below 6% is often considered session.

So here it is, not a terribly interesting beer.  Not the strongest or lightest on the tongue, but if you're not sure what to get or recommend go for this.  Perfect by the pitcher, but I really do think there are better ambers or pale ales or witbiers (all comparable styles).

P.S. Dead Guy is perfect with Dubliner cheese, yum!

Here's an older picture I have of the New Belgium:

Pumpkin Season

Hey, so I've been busy with moving and not having internet at home...  that tends to make posting hard.

Anyways, it's pumpkin season.  Fall is pretty awesome, winter beers come up soon after fall seasonals and rein in an era of amazing dark beer that lasts until spring.  My favorite fall seasonal has to be Red Ales, it is just so much fuller than an amber or something Hoptober (New Belgium; that is a pretty tasty ale though).  Not to mention that beautiful dark ruby that it pours.  One of the best reds that I've had is Elysian's Men's Room (which seems to be available year round), on the cheaper side of things is Pyramid's Juggernaut (only in the fall).

Anyways, I've been really wanting to try some pumpkin ale, but it's pretty scarce in Spokane for some reason.  I've seen a couple that I can pick up so it should be ok.

To subsitute I had a pretty sweet beer.  New Belgium's 1554, a "enlightened" black ale.  Interestingly enough this uses a lager yeast, proof that good beer doesn't have to be an ale only.  It weighs in at a nice 5.6% ABV with a silky, but not thick consistency.  Not much aroma to it, but the taste is full of a nice malty, but not an in-your-face roasted flavor you'll get in porters or stouts; follow this up tons of chocolate flavor and you have 1554.  Oh, did I mention that I had it with a slice of pumpkin pie?  The spicier the pie, the better.

I guess that wasn't really a short post.   Here's the site for more info on 1554

Schweitzer Summer Fest

Some pictures from the Schweitzer summer festival.  Late August.  It was very, very hot up there.  They didn't have nearly enough stuff on tap and most of the servers had no idea what they were serving.  Sadly, the Lagunitas Red and another beer or two ran out before I even got to try it.

The first beer I had at Schweitzer was the Brew Free or Die IPA by 21st Amendment brewery; it was an incredibly thick drink, I didn't know anything could trump a stout.  I've heard the term syrupy thrown around and I think this might be it, it wasn't really a bad thing though.  To describe the drink, it was hoppy (ie, you can taste the hops) upfront with a nice warm carmel malt flavor lingering in between followed up by a floral and hoppy aftertaste.  The drink actually brags about using 6 hops, if there's one thing that Californian beers don't like doing, it's being modest.  I would drink this again.

The second beer was the Deschutes Hop in the Dark; a 'Cascadian Dark Ale.'  It's an IPA brewed with Cascadian hops and roasted grains.  A Dark or Black IPA, this is a really recent style of brew that became really popular in 2010 and 2011, not sure when the first one was made.  Hop in the Dark is a strong beer at 6.9%, which is pretty typical IPA territory.  It's also not that bitter; Deschutes lists it as 60 IBU.
I can't say I've made up my mind with these.  It has all the bitterness of an IPA, but it's harder to find the floral or herbiness you usually get with an IPA.  Certainly not citrus.  An incredibly complex and high quality beer, but I just don't think it's for me (at least for now).  Will definitely be trying dark IPAs from time to time, they really have that best of both worlds mentality.

Brew Free or Die info

Hop in the Dark info

Huckleberry Cream Ale

To start off, we have a Huckleberry Cream Ale! A local beer from Sandpoint made by Laughing Dog Brewing.

It was a pretty balanced beer, faint smell of huckleberries on the head.  No % was given, but it felt pretty light around 4-5% ish, a session beer if I ever saw one; if you don't know session beer is what you call something that is light and low on alcohol.  Was really sad that the head disappeared before I even got to drinking it; on the other hand, it did have a creamy mouth feel and a nice after taste of huckleberries.

Would not buy again, it was okay.  Would definitely drink if offered, but I won't be going out of my way for this one as the berry flavors were kinda meh.  This would still be really good on a hot summer day, which is the point anyways.