Portland, Part 1

The end of July 2009 found Sarah and I traveling to Portland,OR for a wedding.  I was quite excited about visiting this mecca of craft beer.  My only previous visit had been a few years previous for another wedding.  This trip we decided to extend so we could explore the city, enjoy great beers, and visit some friends.  Sarah had left the weekend previous to visit her sister and niece in Washington, while I had stayed in San Diego.  Portland was in the midst of all-time record highs while we were visiting.  It was hot, Las Vegas hot.  The first night, after joining Sarah, Jen, and Emery for dinner, we finally started with the beer.  The first brewery Sarah and I visited was The Ram Restaurant and Brewery (http://www.theram.com/index.shtml), a short drive from our hotel in Clackamas.

Sarah in front of the Ram.

We started off with a sampler, before ending with some appetizers and pints.

The sampler.  I liked the ram's horn shape.

Here's a list of the beers we tried:
          Big Horn Blonde--This blonde ale is light in color and pleases with a mild, sweet and slightly malty flavor.  ABV unknown
          Big Horn Hefeweizen--An unfiltered, authentic, German-style wheat beer utilizes a special German yeast strain to give this beer its characteristic cloudiness and banana-clove flavors.  ABV unknown
          Big Red IPA--An American-style IPA, the Big Red combines distinctive and assertive citrus flavor and aroma of Amarillo hops with a crisp, pleasantly bitter finish.  ABV unknown
          Buttface Amber--An American-style featuring malty caramel flavors and a smooth, slightly sweet finish.  ABV unknown 
          Total Disorder Porter--Rich and smooth, this award-winning brown porter features the flavor of chocolate and caramel.  ABV unknown
          71 Pale Ale--A distinctly drinkable Pale Ale brewed with a touch of rye and a blend of 5 hops.  Deep copper in color with a subtle spicy rye character and an enjoyable hoppy flavor.  ABV unknown
          Barefoot Wit--This unfiltered Belgian wheat beer is fruity, complex and easy drinking.  Malt flavors intermingle with underlying citrusy herb and spice notes.  ABV unknown
          Lucky's Irish Red--Irish Red Ale.  ABV unknown
          Nitro Porter--Total Disorder Porter on Nitro.


Following the sampler, Sarah had a pint of the Nitro Porter and I enjoyed the Big Red IPA, before calling it a night.

Revisit #4

This is the fourth in a series of revisits, trying to rehash breweries visited and beers sampled.  The next brewery I visited was Stone Brewing Company (http://stonebrew.com/) on 3 July 2009.  My brother was in town visiting and we decided to taste some great San Diego beers.  This was my third time going on the Stone tour.  My first visit was in January with David, Natalie, and Sarah.  The second time was with Cy, Jason, and Sean, where we were part of a group of 10 or so and we tried all the beers on tap in the store/tasting room.  Anyways, for this visit, we got our tickets and then headed out to the beer garden where we hung out until it was time for the tour.

Some of the brewing equipment

Sean, Colin and I on the tour

The tour guide talking about the natural ingredients and Sean listening.

The tour is a good one, learning about the brewing process and the craft beer culture.  Our tour guide, Phil MacNitt, was great and made for an enjoyable tour. Having seen much smaller brewery operations thus far, it was interesting to see things on a much larger scale.  Stone also acts as a distributor through Southern California and has a large cooler with other craft beers, such as Victory Brewing Company, awaiting distribution.

Me, Colin, and Sean enjoying our tasters.

Following the tour, we headed back to the store where the tasting commenced. Here is what we sampled at Stone:
         Stone Pale Ale--The flagship ale, it is Stone's Southern California interpretation of the classic British pale ale style.  Deep amber in color, Stone Pale Ale is robust and full flavored.  A delicate hop aroma is complemented by a rich maltiness.  This is an ale for those who have learned to appreciate distinctive flavor.  5.4%
         Stone Smoked Porter--So you think you don't like dark beer?  Prepare to believe.  This is no ordinary porter.  And if you are already among the enlightened who appreciate a fine ebony-hued ale, we think you will find Stone Smoked Porter to be a poignant addition to your repertoire.  This beer pours a gorgeous deep mahogany crowned by a creamy head.  Dark, smooth, and complex, with rich chocolate and coffee flavors balanced by a subtle smokiness, this brew is equally delicious with meats or fine chocolates.  5.9%
         Stone IPA--An "India Pale Ale" by definition is highly hopped and high in alcohol - you'll find our Stone India Pale Ale to be true to style with a huge hop aroma, flavor and bitterness throughout.  If you're a hop head like us, you'll love Stone India Pale Ale!  Medium malt character with a heavy dose of over the top hops!  Generous "dry-hopping" gives this beer its abundant hop aroma and crisp hop flavor.  6.9%
         Stone Arrogant Bastard--This is an aggressive beer.  You probably won't like it.  It is quite doubtful that you have the taste or sophistication to be able to appreciate an ale of this quality or depth.  We would suggest that you stick to safer and and more familiar territory -- maybe something with a multi-million dollar ad campaign aimed at convincing you it's made in a little brewery, or one that implies that their tasteless fizzy yellow beer will give you more sex appeal.  Perhaps you think multi-million dollar ad campaigns make a beer taste better.  Perhaps you're mouthing your words as you read this.  

Revisit #3

This is the third in a series of revisits, trying to rehash breweries visited and beers sampled.  The next San Diego brewery I visited was Alpine Beer Company (http://www.alpinebeerco.com/) on 27 June 2009.  Sarah and I headed up to Alpine for some beers before trying some wineries in Julian.

 

The town of Alpine apparently has some rules regarding sampling, so Sarah and I did our best to sample as many as we could, while observing the rules.  We were quite fortunate the day we visited they were not busy at all, which enabled us to try all 9 beers.  Here is what we sampled at Alpine:  

         Willy--An American Wheat Ale that is crisp and light-bodied, with a slightly, sweet nutty flavor.  The hopping is mild and gentle.  It's perfect for times when you crave a beer utterly refreshing and low in alcohol.  A true thirst quencher everyone enjoys.  4.9%

         Willy Vanilly--An American Wheat Ale flavored with Vanilla.  Since Willy is so versatile and can be paired with fruits and essences, a touch of vanilla extract is added to compliment the sweet nuttiness.  Also good mixed with Captain Stout, a blend called "The Captain and Vanil."  4.9%

         Apricot Nectar--Willy flavored with Apricot Essence.  4.9%

         McIlhenney's Irish Red--An Irish Red.  Alpine's most versatile beer.  Good to drink as well as cook with.  Light enough to quench a thirst and complex enough to accompany fine dining.  Carmel malty sweet fades to a chocolate roasty finish and dry from a touch of rye.  6%

         Mandarin Nectar--An Orange Blossom Honey Ale.  Fresh organic orange zest and cracked coriander complement the orange blossom honey used in this ale.  Like a mountain breeze through the citrus trees.  6.5%

         Captain Stout--A Chocolate Oatmeal Dry Stout.  The Captain is leader of a fire crew.  This beer takes charge of your taste buds with its rich flavor.  Roasty malt character that has hints of chocolate and coffee which balances the smooth, velvety finish.  The thick creamy head lasts and lasts, leaving lace in your glass as your beer disappears.  This beer pairs well with food.  Great with dinner or as breakfast or even with a rich vanilla bean ice cream.  6%

         Alpine Ale--A Pale Ale.  The namesake ale represents everything a good, well balanced pale ale should be:  malty but not too sweet, refreshing but not too bitter, full-bodied but not too heavy, lively but not over-carbonated.  A clean, everyday beer that leaves your palate begging for more.  5.5%

         Pure Hoppiness--A West Coast Double IPA.  So mega-hopped it will take you to hop heaven.  We've used hops in the boil, more hops in the giant hopback, , and added to that, an incredible amount of dry-hopping for that cutting edge "hop bite."  Once you've tasted this beer, all others will pale in comparison.  8%

         O'Briens IPA--A West Coast IPA.  Another single IPA with a lighter slant.  A slightly elevated malt profile and a higher mash temp leaves more sweetness to balance the hop bitterness against.  Several different hop varieties are used while boiling and dry-hopping.  6%

Beers on draft the day we visited

Sarah and I at Alpine

Following the beer samples, we took a stroll through Alpine and then headed off to Julian and visit three of their wineries, non of whom are worth mentioning.