Widmer Brothers W’09 Belgian Style Ale

Had to hold off for a few days from blogging to revel in the interview we were lucky enough to be able to conduct with Rob Widmer but it is now time to get back to business.  Pretty fitting to start with Widmer Brothers W’09 Belgian Style Ale, then, don’t you think?  I do and so here we go…

Noticed this at Fred Meyer in Issaquah and had, of course, to have a bottle.  I did drink this out of the bottle, so if drinking it out of a glass changes anything I will let you know. 

This beer has a very slight yeast in the nose. The color is golden yellow, definitely filtered. It is a bit heavier on the hops than I am used to for a belgian style, but it kind of makes sense after talking with Rob and seeing how much they like hops in their neck of the woods.   Overall the finish is pretty clean and short lived.  Here is what they have to say about it on the bottle:

“Our take on a classic Belgian style golden ale. A uniquely Belgian aroma and spicey flavor created by a generous adition of hops.”

At 6.5% ABV this isn’t a lite beer but the color, taste, and finish are… overall a beer that you could drink quite easy but one that doesn’t stand out, IMO. 

JBB6 Rating: Middle of the Road

Issaquah Brewery Roe Ale

We had a good tasting in the office the other day.  Justin found this little gem at Salmon Days in Issaquah, WA.  Issaquah Brewery Roe Ale comes to us from the Issaquah Brewery folks, which is one of the Rogue locations.  We poured around 4 glasses and started the tasting. 

Subtle smells of the malts came through first with some hops in there for good measure.  You could tell the emphasis was on getting an interesting mix from the many and varied malts used and the brewers did a good job.  This beer is very mild but has enough complexity to round it out very nicely.  I mean, if you are easing someone into beer, this would be a really good candidate for some early tasting. 

Another solid offering from the folks at Rogue/Issaquah Brewery.

From the Bottle since there isn’t a lot of info out there about this beer:

13 Ingredients: 2-Row, Dark Munich, Light Munich, Vienna, Victory, Cara Munich, Crystal, Honey, & Wheat Malts; Crystal, Centennial Hops, Free Range Coastal Water, & Top Fermenting Pacman Yeast.  No Chemicals, Additives, OR Preservatives

Tawny amber in color with a coffee aroma and a tight head.  A delicate flavor with a roasted malt accent, generous use of hops and a smooth finish.

12.58° Plato – 24 IBUs – 79 AA – 5.4% Alc/Vol

Oregon Brewed – Established 1988 – Oxygen Fixing Caps

JBB6 Rating: For the Win

Anchor Porter

This beer has been made for nearly 4 decades… Anchor Porter has stood the test of time for beer and now has made it into my fridge.  First things first… I picked this up on Saturday, at PCC in Issaquah, WA where they actually have a very solid selection of beer.  Good job folks. 

Second things second, this beer was pretty solid.  Play by play as follows:

7/20/08

1. Begin charcoal at ~5:30pm PT. 
2. Drink several Pyramid Apricot Ales (review to follow soon).
3. Decide, while waiting for charcoal, to try an Anchor Porter.
4. Decide Anchor Porter is pretty good.
5. BBQ
6. Drink a Fat Tire that the neighbor brought over.
7. BBQ
8. Drink an Eel River Organic IPA that the neighbor left in my fridge.
9. BBQ
10. Ask who wants a beer.
11. No one says yes.
12. Go to get my own beer.
13. Decide to force beer upon others.
14. Open 4 bottles of Anchor Porter and take it to the back deck in the original six pack package.
15. Pass out all beers and keep one for myself.
16. Much pleasant grunting ensued.

Now, that was pretty ok, not too remarkable, but here is the actual bits about the beer… First, when you open the cap of a Anchor Porter, you notice that this bottle is definitely “contents under pressure” since it sprays your hand in the process.  Second, if you look really closely at the lip of the bottle, you will see that there is some black gooey substance that has likely leaked out… I know this because one of the bottle caps actually stuck to the lip and dripped off into the cap holder.  Anyhow, this does not detract from the experience but does force you to use a glass.  I think it is the pressure forcing some of the porter out of the bottle… others may know more.

The beer tastes good.  It has a good nose, very strong and porter-like with roasted malts and a hint of hops.  It has a relatively light body, even with the dark brown color.  And we get to the finish… which is where the rating for this beer comes from… mediocre.  In my opinion, this beer loses it at the finish and moves it into a range that you can get from others in the genre.  Not really complex, kind of watery, leaves you with a sense of smokiness, but that is it.

JBB6 Rating: Middle of the road

Issaquah Brewhouse Bourbon Stout

Second on the list the other day at Issaquah Brewhouse was the newly opened (on Tuesday) Issaquah Brewhouse Bourbon Stout (no web presence).  I figured I might as well go with it since I had a decent experience with the Sour Frog that was just opened that same day.

You could definitely taste the bourbon in this beer.  It was fairly pronounced.  The beer itself had a relatively light body, dark color, and it was pretty easy to drink.  I did have one instance of the pee shivers as I had a taste, but that was it.  Overall, not a bad beer.  I will reserve any higher ratings for another taste at some point in the future.

JBB6 Rating: Middle of the Road

Issaquah Brewhouse Sour Frog

Ah… this beer is so new that it isn’t even on the list yet!!  We knew it would be good tasting due to the American Craft Beer week events that Rogue had going on at the Issaquah Brewhouse. 

Brewery: Issaquah Brewhouse
City: Issaquah
State: WA
Phone: 425-557-1911
Website: www.rogue.com
Description: Rogue Ales celebrates American Craft Beer week with a special tapping of a new American Craft Beer each day. All taps plus our cask engine will be will be pouring American Craft Beers, and daily tasters of our American Amber Ale will be available. Stop by for lunch and enjoy a Hoppy Meal, that’s a beer of your choice for only $2.00 more with your meal.
Tours: Brewery tours will be done daily at 2:00pm and finished with tasters of Issaquah Brewery Ales

Wednesday’s beer just happened to be Issaquah Brewhouse Sour Frog.  While those around me pulled some of the best bitter-beer-faces ever, I tend to think the sour ale class of beer is quite good now that I have had some quality sour ale… the first being Monk’s Cafe Flemish Sour Ale.  To ensure I had a good frame of mind for this review, in fact, I picked a bottle out of the fridge that I had acquired at Malt & Vine the other day and I am enjoying it this very instant.

I will say that Sour Frog definitely had some of the similar characteristics of Monk’s Sour Ale.  They both have strong vinegar smells.  They both had similar heads.  They both had the sour ale taste and flavor.  Where they were different, though, was in the intensity.  The Monk’s Sour Ale is a darker beer, dark amber, in fact, where the Sour Frog is on the lighter side.  The Monk’s Sour Ale is also much stronger in flavor and leaves a fine sour aftertaste just on the back of your tongue, where the Sour Frog neglects the after taste to some degree.

Both are fine ales, but for my taste, I am more drawn toward the Monk’s Cafe Sour Ale.  It would be #1 on the list of sour ales so far with the Sour Frog coming in a moderate second.

JBB6 Rating: Middle of the Road