Avery Fifteen

I tried to pick something that would go with some broiled salmon tonight (very tasty) and decided that a funky little number from Avery Brewing might do the trick.  So I picked Avery Fifteen.  This is there fifteenth anniversary brew and it comes with 15 years of experimentation behind it, which wasn’t a bad thing at all.

Fifteen has a pretty accurate label… something I don’t always find.  But really, I think I could taste everything they explained except for maybe the hibiscus because I don’t really know what that tastes like.  From the site:

15 years of brewing! You know whats been the best part lately? Tons of experimentation! For the past couple of years, we’ve been working with several strains of brettanomyces (wild yeast). We found one and deemed it the best for it’s tart flavor and funky, fruity aroma. Adding black mission figs for a subtle jammy aspect, hibiscus flowers for an herbal bouquet and hazy sunset hue, and white pepper for a bit of spicy twang, we’ve created FIFTEEN– a unique drinking experience inspired by the wild farmhouse ales of Belgium. Though immensely complex today, more flavors will emerge with time, so throw a few bottles in your cellar for future celebrations.
Thanks to everyone who has made our 15-year ride possible. Peace to all and follow your dreams!

Check out wikipedia for some additional information on brettanomyces.  Pretty interesting stuff.

Overall, great amber color, good floral nose, fruity yet tangy taste and clean finish will bring this beer back to the beer fridge at some point in the future.  Good stuff.  Thanks Avery!

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again

Hop Ottin’ IPA

Strange name, strange brew. According to the label, this IPA’s

Brewed from only the finest hops, malted barley, hops, yeast, hops, and pristine Boonville mineral water. And hops.

and sure enough, you can really smell and taste the hops in here. Up front on the nose as you open the bottle, stronger as you pour, and a veritable bouquet of them as you take the first sip. They’re right on the edge of being overpowering, and if you don’t already like west-coast craft beers this probably is going to be too much for you.

But if you’ve managed to acquire a taste for them, well you’re in for a treat. This is a great example of what I like about American beers: strong, well hopped, and with a firm malt foundation to carry the hops along. Unfiltered but not unloved, Hop Ottin IPA is a great, refreshing mouthful of ale and another favourite from the AVBC. Good stuff.

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again

Santa Cruz Ale Works IPA

This Santa Cruz Ale Works IPA is not quite like any kind of IPA I’ve had before, and as I’m drinking it, I’m not sure whether that’s a good thing or not. Out of the bomber it delivers a reasonably handsome pint, perhaps a little lighter in hue than one would expect, but nothing too unusual so far. Raising the glass though comes with a bit of a surprise - this is very fruity indeed, with a strong citric tang that brings grapefruits to mind. Oranges, coriander too?

Lively carbonation and a decent head makes it refreshing on the tongue, and it does taste OK with a pretty hight level of hoppiness. But there’s not quite enough malten bite to carry it through. While there’s some peppery undertones going on that means this might pair up quite nicely with some Thai food or something, I’m not a fan of it as a session brew.

My big problem with this beer is that it really doesn’t taste like I think an IPA should. Not even particularly close. Maybe I’m more of a traditionalist than I thought, but this just didn’t do it for me. Not bad by any means, but not the beer I was looking for.

JBB6 Rating: Middle of the Road

Eye of the Hawk Select Ale

Another bottle - well, actually six - from the Mendocino Brewing Company, and each and every one of them has poured a beautiful golden-amber pint with an eddy of enticing bubbles and an invitingly creamy, rich head. I may as well tell you now, I really rate this beer high. And I’m sure it’s not just because I’ve drunk four of them in a row… well, fairly sure. That might have something to do with it, of course…

Anyway. Eye of the Hawk is, according to it’s neck wrap, a firm favourite at the Great British Beer Festival. Can’t say I recall seeing it there, but I’ve grown to appreciate it’s up-front approach to delivering a robust, sweet and malty blast of ale. Like the alcohol content, the aroma’s strong and up-front, the colour’s rich and promising, and the beer itself tastes complex, ripe, and strong. Malt,

This is clearly a beer for the enthusiast, for someone who appreciates a finely brewed drop, and one I’ll heartily recommend over pretty much anything I’ve drunk so far on this year. Good stuff.

JBB6 Rating: For the Win

Deschutes Brewery Twilight Ale

Noticed a new seasonal at Fred Meyer the other day and couldn’t resist picking it up.  I already have too much beer in the beer fridge (more on that in a minutes), but I actually had room on the shelf for another 6 pack, so I figured what the hell.

Deschutes Brewery Twilight Ale is a fine seasonal.  As the website notes, this is best consumed cold and outdoors and that is exactly how it went down tonight.  I poured a little out in the grass to see if it lived up to its “straw color” and yes, yes it does.  So, I happened to be pleasantly surprised when I noticed that the initial hit was calm and smooth, but by about the time it reaches the back of your throat, it has a very hoppy flavor.  It gave me a little wake up call and I quickly finished this and a few others.  Smooth and easy with just the right aftertaste, this beer is hopped just right.

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again

Ok… so… Shea from just-grapes.blogspot.com just happens to have posted a picture at the end of the Seattle International Beerfest post with a great picture of their beer fridge.  Many good beers in there, I might add.  I thought I would do the same and back up the comment I made at the beginning of the thread.

Below you see the fridge… almost every crack and crevice has a brew in it… the only reason you see some gaps is from the 4th of july.  I figure there are about 75 beers in it right now.

Due to the sharing that goes on in the cul-de-sac, I had to make sure folks understood what was off limits.  Behold the sign:

And finally… some of what the sign hides… although there is actually more in the door… and I couldn’t get a great angle to show everything, but trust me… there is plenty of new beer to taste in there… I am not worried.

Red Tail Ale

Red Tail Ale from the Mendocino Brewing Company, not bad, not bad at all - in fact, a pretty decent representative of the red ale brewer’s craft. Sitting in my (rented) courtyard in the California sunshine with a plateful of sausage and a few beers chilling in the cooler, this made for a great lunchtime companion.

I’ve had a couple of them as I write this so I may be being overly generous, but with it’s strong wheat and caramel flavour and a smattering of hops, this is a happy refreshing beer that’s set me up for the afternoon nicely. Time for another

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again

Boont Amber Ale

This is Boont Amber Ale, (actually, it’s the colour of burnished copper) which glints in the glass in an exceptionally inviting way, which smells great, which looks great, and which by golly - tastes great too.

According to the label notes, Boont Amber was the first ale produced at the Anderson Valley Brewing Company’s Boonville brewery. What a glorious day that must have been - this is a strong, sweetly malted beer with enough hops and bitterness to counterbalance the caramel sweetness that underlies the flavour. Not quite outstanding enough to make the first rank of our beer rating system, but pretty damn close, Boont does enough to make me think I’ll be paying another visit to the liquor store pretty soon to pick up some more.

Boont Amber Ale

JBB6 Rating: For the Win

Brother David’s Double Abbey Style Ale

Another beer from the Anderson Valley Brewing Company, rapidly becoming one of my favourite west-coast beer makers and, quite possibly, one of my favourites worldwide. This hand-crafted limited-edition ale just about manages to live up to their reputation.

Brother David’s Double is billed as a traditional Belgian Abbey-style ale, and provides a pleasing brown pour alive with carbonation and a strong malt and figs aroma that arouses instant anticipation. Looks great in the glass, and tastes pretty good too - despite the high ABV, there’s no overpoweing alcohol flavour, and one mahogany glass soon leads to another.

The “another” leads to some rosy cheeks to match my sunburned legs, and as the sun sets on a happy Pacific afternoon  I can’t help but think that I really like this deep brown ale. Reminds me of malt loaf and butter, walnuts and dates… a fine brew indeed.

Brother David's Double

JBB6 Rating: For the Win

Great Divide Samurai

Another pre July 4th celebration taster, Great Divide Samurai.  I remember this beer because I thought it was a light and tasty lager or pale ale.  I was very wrong.  This beer is an unfiltered ale that is brewed with rice malts that all come together and make it a super easy to drink, crip, clean beer.  I was quite impressed and this one may be the top beer from Great Divide for me… came in a sampler 12 pack.

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again

Dogfish Head Aprihop

Second pre-July 4th beer… and still barely catching up after mucho, mucho pyrotechnics last night.  Dogfish Head Aprihop was first tasted at the Washington Brewers Festival on Father’s Day.  Since that time, I have wanted to get a bottle or two and they had 4 packs at the Top Food and Drug in Snohomish, so there you go. 

As far as flavored ales go, this isn’t the most flavorful but that is ok.  It has a very, very subtle hint of apricot.  Luckily there is good, solid beer to back it up and so the overall experience is quite nice.  This isn’t the beer of your dreams, by any means, but it is good and tasty.  If you are willing to spend the ~$2.50 per bottle, not bad… because of that, though, I probably won’t buy it again.  That whole value for money thing gets you sometimes.

JBB6 Rating: Middle of the Road