HUB Organic Imperial IPA (8.5)

name: Ace of Spades

brewery: Hopworks Urban Brewery

% alc: 9.5

type: Imperial IPA (Organic)

vendor: QFC, Seattle

price: $7.99 (22oz)

first impressions:

Imperial = of or pertaining to an empire.

A humble emperor this IPA was, but one who's balance of power would remain effective and lovable until the end of its term. 

It was smooth and syrupy like most Imperial IPA's but still felt bright and crisp. It drank like a more deft and lightfooted beer with that cleanliness that comes from Organic Ingredients. Hopworks brews exclusively organic beers and their pub is aesthetically littered with recycled bike parts. They also brewed an Earth Day Ale. These guys are Pacific Northwest to the max and it's brilliant. 

I wanted to share this beer with Alex my girlfriend and did, but alas she assured me although it appeared balanced to me, this was no beer for the Hop-Weary. Alternatively I will say that this is the beer for the IPA lover weary of the Imperial's often overbearing lordship.

review (/10): 8.5

recommended setting: See that motorcycle on the bottle there. No, not while riding down the highway on it, but keep the Ace of Spades in a pouch with an ice pack while you cruise by Mt. Hood on your way to the Painted Hills. Park the chopper and walk to a nice spot with a view, preferably elevated. Now enjoy a red-rock topped cap-full or two or three... or well, finish up and grab some beautiful organic food in the area if possible. Painted Hills farms some of the leading grassfed beef in the Northwest.

extraneous ramble (optional): 

Hog Heaven Barley[s]wine (7.0)

name: Hog Heaven

brewery: Avery Brewing Company

% alc: 9.2

type: Dry-Hopped Barleywine

vendor: QFC, Seattle

price: $7.99 (22oz)

first impressions:

Wine-like only in it's potential strength (8-12% alc.), swine-like only through its whimsical label art, this bottle was a bittered delight. I first gave it a sniff and was brought back to the days of elementary school and the tiny, tangy cello-wrapped sweethearts candies. This scent didn't translate into the flavor at all but it started me off in kind of a strange nostalgic direction. But on that note of sweet, I wouldn't claim this one to have that characteristic. Not tart, not sweet. "Intense bitter follows a brief caramel greeting," I scribbled illegibly in my notepad. 

While it did definitely remind me of an Imperial IPA, to the extent that I was interested in looking up definitions, it didn't have the sweetness usually present in these high octane beverages. So I enjoyed this balanced bitter ale without being constantly reminded of it's strength. 

The barleywine genre is certainly a loose term. It seems to be a catchall for brews in the higher alcohol range. They can come in all colors and tastes so you might have a bad one, and you may love another. Keep your eyes limber as you move down your regular beer aisle and you might find a barley-wine that's just your style.  

review (/10): 7.0

recommended setting: Well, I would say England 1777 where the first Barley-wine was coined but... ok something more realistic. Perhaps a rooftop or balcony with a view, should a flying pig decide to drift on by you'll be the sole stumbling eye witness. Once you finish your pint and tumble down the stairs no one will believe you.

extraneous ramble (optional): 

Rogue's Creek (Kriek?) Ale (5.0)

name: First Growth: Creek Ale

brewery: Rogue Brewery

% alc: 6.0?

type: Ale Brewed with Cherries

vendor: John's Market, Multnomah Village, OR

price: $6.29 (22oz)

first impressions:

You know, not that impressive. But it grew on me over time.

I initially was underwhelmed. While I didn't want a ton of cherry all up in my mouth, I wanted flavor. Aside from a little tart, a little bitter, and a little sweet malty body there wasn't much. I almost felt I was drinking apple juice at one point. As I came back to the glass, pacing around my apartment coping with the cost of this 22 ouncer and looking for insight, I liked it better upon each return. I found that it's initial weaknesses in many ways were also it's strengths. While your classic sour cherry Kriek ale is often too much by the end, this one grew more likeable. By the way, it seemed the Creek was a clever way of getting at the similarly pronounced type of ale called the Kriek.  What do you say Rogue?

So you know, not my favorite beer but we had an interesting time together. Its just hard to buy Rogue as often these days with the prices they charge. I mean help me out here: they are from Oregon (nearly local), they have good distribution (really good for a micro of their quality), and not every one of their beers is the barrel-aged, high-alcohol, special release you would expect for the price. So I'm gonna be hard on them. 

What I do really like about this series (Chatoe Rogue), is that they've grown their own ingredients (GYO). Each bottle has the Latitude and Longitude of their hops and barley yards. So in this case I can kind of rationalize the cost for the homegrown type of mark-up. This was just not my favorite from the series. The others have been pretty great though so check them out. In the meantime maybe they will become nostalgic for their days of selling affordable lovable micro ales.  

review (/10): 5.0

recommended setting: How about latitude 44, 48.2, 18.69. Longitude... Well anyway right at their "Chatoe." Why not? I bet it's beautiful and if this is the beer I gotta drink while I'm there, I'm still happy.

extraneous ramble (optional): 

Highland Ambush! (7.5)

name: Highland Ambush

brewery: Bridgeport Brewing

% alc: 6.8

type: Scotch Ale

vendor: Bridgeport/Molly

price: Free! Would be $5.99 (22oz)

first impressions:

They marched not in single file but in troupes. Onward, upward through the Highland to a summit upon which they would last as long as they could. The bubbles, I mean. I've never seen rows of carbonation like this (sadly not pictured) and what they produced together was a velvety, pillow-topped head. I can only imagine this beer on a nitro tap, (hint hint Bridgeport). I love the name of this beer although I didn't find it to ambush me the way some other scotch ales can. This is a good thing. I find some scotch ales can be just a bit too much, too alcoholic tasting or too rough around the edges. This one was mellower and by that virtue more drinkable. It was smooth and slightly smokey with a present tang. The word spacious came to mind... ? Maybe I should have that checked out... 
Anyway, I enjoyed the bottle all to myself and it was pleasant. 

This beer came in a little sampling package sent to me from Bridgeport thanks to my friend Molly Gilbert who does PR work for them. Sorry it took me so long to feature one! Alas my fridge is full of many bloggable brews but another special Bridgeport is likely to show up again sometime soon. 

Thanks & Cheers!

review (/10): 7.5

recommended setting: Honestly if there is a setting in which I can safely have a silhouetted sword-fight like you see on the bottle, that's where I'd take my pint. Drinking and swords?

extraneous ramble (optional): Foreshadowing my future post: Best Of #1: Affordable-Widely-Distributed-Microbrewed-IPA-In-SixPack-Form, I'm pretty sure the Bridgeport IPA will be in contention for sure. Suggestions for a shorter title will be sincerely considered.

Double Rainbow = 2 pots o' gold (7.0)

name: Double Rainbow (two pots o' gold in ur mouth)

brewery: Iron Horse Brewery

% alc: 7.0

type: Sweet/Mellow Red Ale?

vendor: QFC, Seattle

price: $4.99 (22oz)

first impressions:

Although this cloudy beer shone a fiery red like the hair of the diminishing Irish breed, 

it took me a while to even begin to entertain the idea that this was in fact a Red Ale. The Iron Horse Brewery out of Ellensberg, WA calls it not quite a red not quite an IPA. Assuredly this is not an IPA. For me it was a malty, somewhat sweet and heavy beer that eventually came to a conclusion of bitterness. It was half way through the pint that I began to flip/flop from thinking it was a red malty unfiltered ale to a malty unfiltered red ale. 

Strained definitions aside, 
Double Rainbow was a delicious-viscous-carmelly pint. It was a treat for sweet seekers and had a bittered body for brewheads. That said, it is a really nice single pinter but I wouldn't recommend any bar fightin' with stomach full of it.

review (/10): 7.0

recommended setting: On the way from Seattle to Ellensberg there is a mound-like hill that sometimes becomes an island in winter and likely remains so in March. Ferry across the loch (pint between your knees), and climb to the secluded summit of the hill, you might just find a pot of gold while you're at it.

extraneous ramble (optional): Iron Horse Brewery is one my favorite local micro-breweries that isn't available all that widely. For St. Patricks Day you might also try their Irish Death Ale. 

Bitter American (5.5)

name: Bitter American

brewery: 21st Amendment Brewery

% alc: 4.4

type: American Session Ale

vendor: QFC, Seattle

price: $8.99 6pk

first impressions:

Great Cans! But the rest of her...

I wanted to love this beer, it sounded just right for an everyday bitter, but not overboard type of ale. And for the first few slugs it might be just that, but suffice it say I had to drink 3 cans of it on separate occasions to compile enough notes to write about it. This beer tends to lose its character very quickly, like a stick of juicy fruit gum but instead of the beer physically losing its flavor I think your tongue just gets used to it very quickly.
What I did taste of it was nicely bittered and malty with a rye type component. For a session ale, which I've admittedly not tasted the gamut of, it was definitely hoppier. I would have scored it near a 7.5 if it had only held my attention and kept its initial flavor. Alas one might find it hard to continue to love if that love is not returned.

So being that I cannot really say more about this beer's flavor I will segue into a discussion of the Craft Can Revolution spurned on by a list on the box the Bitter Americans came in. I will recap it with my reactions in a sort of call & response format:

Why Cans? A Six-Pack of Good Reasons

1. Cans use less energy to produce, to transport and to chill.
Great, great, and great, except while they chill faster than bottled they also warm up faster.
2. Cans are easier to recycle and are recycled more often.
Seriously, my ears could totally do without the ear spitting clatter of dropping bottles in the bin.
3. Exposure to light ruins a good beer-Cans keep the light out and the good in.
True, you don't have to worry at all but isn't that why we have brown glass? Also there is something almost nice about the skunky aroma of pint enjoyed in the sun that feels like summertime to me.
4. Cans are lined so they don't affect the flavor of the beer.
Maybe so, but I still taste the cool tin rim against my lips and it does in fact alter what I taste.
5. Feel that? Cans weigh less than glass.
Drinking usually means I'm not at the gym, so why not make up for it with a heavier bottle? Although for backpackers who enjoy a summit swig it's a no brainer.
6. Cans go where glass is banned-Pools, beaches, boats, golf courses, stadiums, parks.
Indeed. Not sure about stadiums letting you bring it when they can have your $13 for plastic-rimmed pint.

review (/10): 5.5

recommended setting:  While participating in a Jam Session, (because this beer's taste seems get lost pretty quickly you won't mind that you've consumed the whole can without realizing it).

extraneous ramble (optional): 

Hoodoo Voodoo: A Universal IPA? (8.0)

name: Hoodoo Voodoo IPA

brewery: Three Creeks Brewing Co.

% alc: 6.0

type: India Pale Ale

vendor: John's Market, Multnomah Village, OR

price: $3.99

first impressions:

First of all,

you will undoubtedly be seeing a good frequency of IPA reviews in this blog. However, before you dismiss me as a hop-head whose only goal is to find and endure beers with enough hop content to embalm a house-hold pet, I would like to introduce you to a utopian idea. (To be read in a British wildlife host accent) I give you The Elusive Universally Delicious IPA. A beer that appeals to both those with only the aforementioned goal in mind and those who generally do not enjoy hoppy brew. Can it be found? Can this creature be documented somehow?

Cut to:

The Hoodoo Voodoo IPA by Three Creeks Brewing out of Sisters, OR.

Ok, so it may not be quite this utopia I speak of, but it is balanced in a way that will appeal to a wider audience. A mellow opening hop with an immediate nutty follow-up keeps the palate clean and doesn't linger the way a spicy hopped ale can. This is a beautiful beer to compliment a meal because it doesn't interfere but still provides the crisp and tangy intermission we often crave. Hoodoo may be harder to find in Seattle but if you see it, pick it up and give it a try, even my seemingly hop intolerant european drinking accomplices might finish their glass.

review (/10): 8.0

recommended setting: Sisters, OR. Beneath a towering Ponderosa, mind the quilt show traffic.

extraneous ramble (optional):