Bottle Battle

West Coast IPAs — Lagunitas vs. Deschutes vs. Sierra Nevada

2012-02-07T18:10:00.000-08:00

Lagunitas IPA
ABV 6.2%

Deschutes Inversion IPA
ABV 6.8%

Sierra Nevada
Ruthless Rye IPA
ABV 6.6%

Have we mentioned that we like hops? Seems every time I go to Beerworks I come back with a mixed selection of IPAs. These bottles hail from three well-respected left coast breweries that appear to love hops as much as we do.

Ellen poured the beers so I could try them blind. Knowing that the Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye was in the mix had my senses on high alert for any of the spicy characteristics that rye can give to a beer. The first beer I tasted was obviously Lagunitas. It was clear, bright orange and featured intense piny and citrusy hop aromas with a hop candy flavor and mild bitterness. They continue to make beer exactly for our palates. As much as we love their beer we continue to suspect that all of their IPAs are the same beer with different labels. We'll have to do an all Lagunitas IPA battle soon to put that theory to the test.

The second beer was more of a reddish amber and had some tropical hoppy notes in the aroma as well as some black pepper. It had a medium body with a bold bitterness throughout the flavor and into the finish. The final beer was orangy brown in color and had some serious funky, musty, marijuana notes in the aroma. The flavor started sweet and malty and finished with citrus rind and a bit of grains with moderate bitterness.

I guessed that number two was the Rye due to the black pepper character but, as usual, I was wrong. The harshly bitter number two was the Inversion, a beer that I've always enjoyed on its own but when compared with the other two just didn't stand up. They funky one was the Ruthless Rye which we had really been looking forward to tasting. Perhaps it was a victim of our expectations but it just wasn't ready for the big time yet either. So the Lagunitas emerged victorious — yet another beer in their lineup that is so good it's beginning to get a bit suspicious.

Winner by Unanimous Decision: Lagunitas IPA

Stone Collaboration Beers — The Alchemist/Ninkasi/Stone vs. The Bruery/Elysian/Stone

2012-01-18T18:52:00.000-08:00

The Alchemist/Ninkasi/Stone
More Brown Than Black IPA
ABV 7.4%

The Bruery/Elysian/Stone
La Citrueille Celeste de Citracado
(Ale brewed with pumpkin, yams, toasted fenugreek, lemon verbena and birch bark)
ABV 5%

Stone Brewing in Escondido, CA continues down their path of world domination with a fun series of collaboration beers. They are often adventurous and ambitious brews so we always like to give them a try if we see them. We ended up with two in the fridge at the same time so we thought we'd let them have at it.

When compared to the rich, reddish brown La Citrueille, the More Brown Than Black (MBTB) looked pretty darn black to us. Based on the specificity of the name we had expected it to be a lighter brown. Instead it was quite dark, so dark in fact that neither of us were sure why they chose to point out its browness in the name.

The MBTB managed to quickly overcome its misleading name with a blast of grassy, piny, spicy hops in the aroma. The flavor was a hop assault as well with more piny, resinous hop character dominating the dark roasted malts. If you like massively hopped beers you should definitely look to pick this one up. The aroma alone will make you weak at the knees.

The La Citrueille was a bit confusing. Despite the laundry list (pumpkin, yam, toasted fenugreek, lemon verbena and birch bark) of brewing adjuncts it came across as a medium bodied, refreshing, pleasantly bitter beer. In the aroma we got floral hops, cedar and a pronounced cardamom presence which was weird since that was one of the few things they didn't add to the beer. Ellen had some fenugreek in her spice collection so we sniffed that which was exciting but neither of us could detect it in the beer. It finished with a mild coffee bitterness and was all in all a solid, well-made beer.

Split decision: I chose More Brown Than Black because my craving for hops is ballooning out of control and Ellen chose La Citrueille because she is a sucker for anything French.

More Winter Seasonal Madness — Lagunitas vs. Anchor vs. Boulevard

2012-01-10T19:49:00.000-08:00

Lagunitas Sucks
Holiday Ale
ABV 7.85%

2011 Anchor
Our Special Ale
ABV 5.5%

Boulevard Brewing
Nutcracker Ale
(Winter Warmer)
ABV 5.9%

Our exhaustive research of winter beers continues. You can go ahead and throw quotes around "research" if you want, but we assure you that this is serious business. This battle featured two California breweries versus one from Kansas City that has impressed us with its beers in the past.

We were both disappointed to find that Lagunitas chose not to brew its excellent Brown Shugga due to capacity issues at their brewery. Their self-deprecating label revealed that they were disappointed as well, but decided to cave to the cash and keep pumping out their classic IPAs. They promised Brown Sugga next year so we'll see. The beer itself is much like most of their popular IPAs — high ABV malt bombs with fantastic hop aromas and moderate bitterness. For hopheads like us it tasted excellent. Our only concern is that the last three beers we've had from them seem very similar (Lucky 13.alt, Maximus IPA and this Holiday Ale). I hope they're not all just the same beer with different clever labels. It also didn't seem particularly "winter beery" if you know what we mean.

The Anchor Our Special Ale is more of a typical winter beer style — dark and malty with a secret blend of spices added for complexity. It smelled slightly sour with some hints of banana and tasted like Christmas with clove, cinnamon and cardamom and cola coming through. The finish was mildly bitter. We thought it was quite a festive quaff.

Finally, the Nutcracker caught our attention as it was billed as a wet hopped winter beer meaning fresh hops were added to the beer shortly after being picked. Unfortunately it seemed like the fresh hop aromas were lost among more prominent aromas of apples and Belgian yeasty esters (despite not using a Belgian yeast). It had a smooth body and featured roasted malts, orange peel and piney hops in the flavor with a sharp, acidic, long-lasting finish. As you can tell, it had a lot going on and seemed to incorporate it all pretty well.

As far as a winner, we disqualified the Lagunitas because even though the beer was good they made no attempt to do anything special with it to make it seasonal. We could not agree on which of the remaining two beers was best so we had to call it a draw. We recommend buying both and hosting a battle of your own. Send us the details.

Draw: Ellen chose the Our Special Ale, I chose the Nutcracker.

2011 Winter Seasonals — 21st Amendment/Ninkasi Collaboration vs. Rogue

2011-12-26T19:02:00.000-08:00

21st Amendment/Ninkasi Collaboration: ALLIES WIN THE WAR!
ABV 8.5%

Rogue Santa's Private Reserve Ale
ABV 5.2%

As we continue to chip away at the winter seasonals this battle features a holiday staple from Rogue and a newcomer collaboration from 21st Amendment in San Francisco and Ninkasi in Eugene.

The Santa's Reserve has one of my favorite labels from Rogue — it's festive, a bit edgy and features glow-in-the-dark snowflakes! The ALLIES WIN THE WAR! can is eye-catching as well with the whole old newspaper theme and photoshopped historical photo on the side, but it's such a bizarre name for a beer that the whole concept seemed a bit forced.

Despite our label bias it was the AWTW that proved to be the best in the glass. It had a nice piney hop presence to go along with its malty sweetness, but really set itself apart in the mouthfeel which was excellent — smooth and rich without being syrupy. The Rogue beer, which is a holiday version of their Saint Rogue Red with twice the hops, had great color in the glass (reddish orange) but it was all show. It was very clean smelling, almost soapy and tasted thin and bitter with simple citrus flavors. The finish left us with a long-lasting, unpleasantly harsh bitterness. So, according to Rogue, Santa prefers his beers thin and bitter. Perhaps it makes sense as sort of a counterbalance to that jolly old Saint Nick routine he puts on? But if you're asking us, we'd say leave a can of the AWTW on your mantle next to some stout brownies if you really want to get on the "nice" list for next year.

Winner by unanimous decision: ALLIES WIN THE WAR!

Big, Burly Winter Seasonals — Deschutes vs. Avery

2011-12-11T19:38:00.000-08:00

Deschutes 2011 Abyss
ABV 11%

Avery 2011 The Kaiser
(Imperial Oktoberfest Lager)
ABV 10.01%

Having recently had the pleasure of opening a bottle of 2006 Abyss for an epic battle we were looking forward to trying the newest vintage of this excellent beer. The opponent this time was a seasonal release hailing from Avery Brewing in Colorado. Both beers weigh in at over 10% alcohol, which qualifies them for our unofficial "burly" designation.

From the first bell we knew that we were dealing with two distinctly different styles. The Kaiser was a bright clear orange while The Abyss was so dark it made us uncomfortable to stare at it for too long. The Abyss continued down the dark path with intense coffee notes in the aroma along with a spicy, peppery hop presence. The Kaiser smelled intensely sweet and malty with a bit of funk (earthy, barnyardy) thrown in for good measure. Things got interesting when we took our first sips. The Kaiser was super sweet with a fruity character that was almost like pineapple and a boozy, sweet finish — total dessert in a glass. The Abyss, on the other hand, was an untamed beast — rich and viscous with the flavor of orange-infused coffee. Unfortunately the finish was harshly bitter, kind of like chewing on coffee grounds. This was a huge surprise for us as the 2006 Abyss was so amazing but it might just be the reason why they have a "best after" date on Abyss bottles. On this particular bottle the "best after" date was 8/4/12. Honestly, we've never tried a brand new Abyss because I am a compulsive hoarder of good beer so most of them get squirreled away. Based on this tasting though it's a good thing we didn't drink any of those old bottles too early because apparently they need some time to mellow a bit.

So, the winner of this battle was The Kaiser which is an awesome beer if you want something sweet and malty to either pair with dessert or be a dessert unto itself. As for The Abyss, we'll chalk this one up to a learning experience and be sure to heed the "best after" instructions next time we open a bottle.

In the interest of full disclosure to satisfy the FTC’s law, this battle features a sample bottle received from Deschutes Brewing.

Winner by unanimous decision: Avery Brewing Co. The Kaiser

2011 Winter Beers — Cascade Lakes vs. MacTarnahan's vs. Pyramid

2011-11-28T17:52:00.000-08:00

Cascade Lakes Slippery Slope
(A tasty winter ale)
ABV 6.4%

MacTarnahan's Winter HumBug'r
(A rich holiday porter)
ABV 5.3%

Pyramid Snow Cap
Winter Warmer
(Full-bodied winter ale)
ABV 7.0%

Winter beers make us all warm inside (literally) and this battle features some readily available selections from Oregon breweries. I'm not sure about the Cascade Lakes but the Pyramid and MacTarnahan's are definitely something you can find in most grocery stores in the Northwest.

One of the things that makes winter beers fun is that every brewery does something a little different. Some make huge, sweet, malty beers and some prefer to take the road more hoppy. If you look closely enough at the packaging you should be able to get an idea of what type of beer they are offering. If not you might consult Beer Advocate, Rate Beer or Bottle Battle! for some info before you buy.

These three showed off three distinctly different hues with the Slippery Slope being the lightest (orangish-brown), the HumBug'r being the darkest (deep, dark brown) and the Snow Cap falling somewhere in between (cola brown). Aromas varied from a slight malty funk in the Slippery Slope to a sprucy, herbal hoppiness in the Snow Cap to lots of chocolate and coffee in the HumBug'r. The flavors pretty much followed suit with the Snow Cap being the hoppiest and the HumBug'r being the sweetest.

None of the beers were weird or bad in any way. We'd happily drink any of them on a dark and cold winter's eve, however the Slippery Slope got the nod as our favorite. Despite being the lightest in color it offered the most complexity in the flavor and finish. It was also a beer that has a broad appeal with enough hops to satisfy a hophead and enough malts to for those who like something a bit sweeter.

On a side note, we are offering the Slippery Slope at our bakery as our seasonal offering throughout this fall and winter so stop on by and get a bottle with your biscuit sandwich!

Winner by unanimous decision: Cascade Lakes Slippery Slope

Pumpkin Beers Part II (Bigger, Badder & Older) — Midnight Sun vs. Elysian

2011-11-14T19:58:00.000-08:00

Midnight Sun Brewing Co.
Treat
(ale brewed with pumpkin, cocoa nibs, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg)
ABV 7.8%

Elysian Brewing
The Great Pumpkin
ABV 8.1%

We conducted this battle pre-Halloween and I'm just getting around to posting it. As expected, the rigors of being new business owners have significantly cut into our blog time. Working ridiculous hours with little sleep will not stop us however. The battles will continue. The battles must continue. It's good for us and it's good for you so here goes.

First of all, check out the photo. See that blurry skeleton ghost? That ain't Photoshopped. That's a genuine Halloween miracle. Just as I snapped the picture the skeleton finger puppet plummeted from his perch creating that excellent ghostly effect. Love it when things work out like that.

These beers had been in my fridge since last Halloween when I got a bit ambitious with my pumpkin beer buying and burned out before we could finish them all. Both are a bit more high octane than the ones we reviewed last time which is why I was comfortable letting them age for a year before popping the caps. Their colors were quite different with the ~~Elysian~~ Midnight Sun pouring a midnight black and the ~~Midnight Sun~~ Elysian coming out chunky (bits of sediment from bottle conditioning we suspect) and orange. Aromas also differed greatly; the ~~Elysian~~ Midnight Sun offered sweet chocolate, prunes and dried fruit while the ~~Midnight Sun~~ Elysian revealed cinnamon, clove and graham cracker. Both were sweet and malty in the flavor but the ~~Elysian~~ Midnight Sun continued down the chocolate path while the ~~Midnight Sun~~ Elysian featured more of the classic pumpkin pie spices.

Both beers were excellent and seemed no worse for wear despite their year behind glass. The majority of us chose the ~~Elysian~~ Midnight Sun, however, because of its fantastic mouthfeel and complexity. It didn't really have a ton of pumpkin character but damn it was a great beer. The ~~Midnight Sun~~ Elysian was also enjoyable but a bit too aggressive with the pumpkin pie spices for most of us.

Moral of the battle: Don't hesitate to age your high-alcohol pumpkin beers and beware of poltergeists.

Winner by majority decision: ~~Elysian~~ Midnight Sun
(Ed. note: It was brought to my attention by an intrepid reader that I had my notes on these beers switched around, therefore I've switched it back to remedy the mistake. Thanks Eric.)

Pumpkin Beers — Laurelwood vs. Dogfish Head vs. Rogue

2011-10-23T15:32:00.000-07:00

Laurelwood Brewing Co.
Stingy Jack Pumpkin Ale
ABV 7.5%

Dogfish Head Punkin Ale
ABV 7%

Rogue Chatoe Rogue First Growth
Pumpkin Patch Ale
ABV 5.6%

We always enjoy seeing the pumpkin beers show up on the shelves. The maltier, spicier flavors found in these seasonal beers provide a great transition from the lighter beers of summer to the heavier darker beers of fall and winter. This battle featured two beers from our home state of Oregon and one from the venerable Dogfish Head from clear across the country in Delaware.

Each one showed off a unique hue with the Chatoe Rogue being the darkest, the Laurelwood showing off a hazy reddish orange and the Dogfish Head coming with a clear dirty orange. In the aroma the Chatoe Rogue was the boldest, offering up lots of cinnamon, clove and cardamom. The Laurelwood and the Dogfish head were much more restrained in the aroma with some slight vegetal notes. Flavorwise, the Chatoe Rogue continued the spice assault and came off a bit sweeter than the others. The Dogfish Head was the most bitter of the bunch and really was fairly pedestrian given their reputation for high octane beers. The Laurelwood found a happy medium between the two, tasting like a well-balanced amber with nice subtle pumpkin and spice notes.

The decision went to the Laurelwood with myself, my dad and Ellen choosing it as the winner while my mom cast the lone vote for the boldy spiced pumpkin pie in a bottle, Rogue Pumpkin Patch.

One final note regarding labels. The Laurelwood dominated in the bottle artwork category. The Dogfish is completely uninspired while Rogue appears to be an advertisement for some sort of militant cult with the aggressive fist logo and self-promoting propaganda. Is it just me or are they kind of losing it out there in Newport?

Winner by majority decision: Laurelwood

Vintage Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stouts — Deschutes vs. Full Sail

2011-10-16T18:23:00.000-07:00

2006 Deschutes Brewing
The Abyss
(Stout brewed with licorice and molasses with 33% aged in oak and oak bourbon barrels.)
ABV 11%

2006 Full Sail Brewing
Black Gold Imperial Stout
(Malt beverage aged in oak bourbon barrels.)
ABV 10.5%

Last night in honor of my dad's birthday I broke out some special beers that have been aging in my cellar. Similar to wine, some beers can benefit from aging, especially beers that are higher in alcohol like barley wines and imperial stouts. When cellared properly (constant temperature, preferably something in the mid 50s) the hop character in beer tends to fade while new and interesting flavors start to develop, giving the beer more complexity than it had upon first release. I was a bit nervous about this battle since both beers were great when they were fresh. Would they be any better after 5 years sitting in the bottle? The answer was a definite "yes." Both beers were fantastic.

The Abyss was an amazingly complex beer with rich fruity chocolate notes and a nice anise kick. There was really no hop presence at all. The Full Sail smelled very sweet and boozy and the flavor followed suit. The bourbon character was so intense it almost tasted like someone had poured a shot of bourbon into the bottle. If you like bourbon, you'll love the Black Gold. While we all really enjoyed it, most of us agreed that we'd be hard pressed to drink an entire bottle. It was very sweet and intense and tasted like it had more alcohol than The Abyss despite the fact that it had slightly less.

The final verdict had three of us voting for The Abyss while the birthday boy was alone in his dedication to the Black Gold. Again though, both were amazing and held up extremely well after their time in the cellar so don't hesitate to stash some of your good stuff away. Your patience will likely be rewarded.

Winner by majority decision: 2006 The Abyss

Red Ales — Lompoc Brewing vs. Pyramid Brewing vs. HUB (Hopworks Urban Brewery)

2011-10-09T15:58:00.000-07:00

Lompoc Brewing
Proletariat Red
ABV 6.2%

Color: Dark reddish brown.
Aroma: Roasted coffee, chocolate, molasses.
Flavor: Sweet coffee with honey and molasses.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Light acidity, roasty and smoky.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre +

Pyramid Brewing
Juggernaut Red Ale
ABV 5.6%

Color: Light orangish brown.
Aroma: Sweet malts, light fruitiness, touch of iron.
Flavor: Bit thin and watery with roasty malts and slight citrus hops.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Balanced
Finish: Mildy hoppy.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre +

HUB Rise Up Red
ABV 5.8%

Color: Hazy dark honey orange.
Aroma: Perfumy and sweet. Anise, floral, dusty and earthy.
Flavor: Earthy, citrus rind.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Moderate bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre +

Blow by Blow
With my parents in town again we decided to conduct a cage match featuring three red ales from the Northwest. HUB and Lompoc hail from Portland while Pyramid has many locations but calls Seattle home.

Just like our previous experiences with red ales these beers were wildly different despite their similar style designation. The Pyramid was easy drinking with a mild hop finish, the HUB was more aggressive with the hops and had a distinct earthiness and the Lompoc focused more on dark roasty malt flavors and came across as a watered down porter. Not surprisingly there was no consensus opinion but we did have a majority winner since Ellen and my dad chose the HUB due to its assertive hop character. My mom chose the Lompoc because she liked the coffee flavors and I chose the Pyramid because it didn't try to do too much and seemed like a simple but solid beer.

Winner by majority decision: HUB Rise Up Red

Deschutes Special Releases — Fresh Hop Mirror Pond vs. No. 2

2011-09-28T11:56:00.000-07:00

Deschutes Brewery
Fresh Hop Mirror Pond
Pale Ale
ABV 5%

Color: Clear dark orange.
Aroma: Intense floral grassy hops.
Flavor: Big fresh grassy, citrusy hops.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Roasted malts and mild bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good +

Deschutes Brewery/
Boulevard Brewing
Conflux Series No. 2
(White India Pale Ale)
ABV 7.3%

Color: Clear pale yellow.
Aroma: Yeasty funk, meat, perfume, honey and spicy piny hops.
Flavor: Lemony and acidic with some funky yeast flavors.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Balanced
Finish: Mild lemony metallic bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Blow by Blow
With all the bakery preparations we are going to ease back on the Bottle Battles. We will still conduct battles as we find time, but they will no longer be a weekly event. For now we'll shoot for one a month and see how it goes from there. Thanks to everyone who has followed along with us. It's been a lot of fun and we've learned a ton about craft beer along the way.

This month's battle features two bottles from one of our favorite breweries, Deschutes Brewery in Bend. Deschutes is one of those craft breweries that has both a great lineup of everyday beers (Mirror Pond, Inversion, Black Butte) and a very impressive selection of special release beers. After enjoying their Fresh Hop Mirror Pond on tap the last couple of years, we were very excited to see it available in bottles for the first time this year. Hopheads rejoice! Fresh hop season is upon us! Matched up with the Fresh Hop we chose the collaboration beer made by Deschutes and Boulevard Brewing in Kansas City called No. 2 (since it's the second in the Conflux series).

The Fresh Hop was everything we hoped it would be, offering up that unmistakable grassy fresh hop aroma to go along with a solid, roasty malt backbone. If you like hops you need to get some of this and drink it immediately.

The No. 2 easily shed the stigma of its questionable name (perhaps they should have just skipped the number two like some elevators skip the thirteenth floor?) with a very intriguing and complex aroma that featured everything from honey to meat. They call the beer a "White IPA" and explain that it is a combination of Deshute's skills of making hoppy beers with Boulevard's skills with making wheat beers.They also threw in some spices that we learned recently are common in Belgian witbiers. So to be more specific, it is a Belgian Witbier crossed with an IPA. Intriguing? Yes. Ambitious? Yes. Awesome? Not quite. It definitely had a lot going on, but all of he disparate qualities didn't quite mesh together in our opinion.

Winner by unanimous decision: Fresh Hop Mirror Pond

Ambers — Caldera Brewing vs. Oakshire Brewing

2011-09-18T15:59:00.000-07:00

Caldera Brewing
Ashland Amber
ABV 5.6%

Color: Hazy golden orange.
Aroma: Sweet bready malts with faint citrus in the background.
Flavor: Watered down sweet, roasty malts.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Dusty with very mild citrus bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre +

Oakshire Brewing
Oakshire Amber
ABV 5.4%

Color: Dark brown with a hint of red.
Aroma: Very smoky with some damp earthiness.
Flavor: Smoky.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Mild watery coffee bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre +

Blow by Blow
Ellen and I are in the process of opening a bakery and cafe (buttercloudbakery.com) here in Medford that will offer a small selection of local beer and wine to go along with our biscuit sandwiches. What better way to decide which beers make the cut for our menu than to let them have it out in a battle? This week we decided to try some ambers since they can be quite versatile with food.

First off, let's give a shout out to ambers. Mostly forgotten by beer geeks, sweet and malty ambers are often the reason many of us started down the path of craft beer in the first place. We're not afraid to admit that Alaskan Amber played an important role in our early craft beer education.

For some reason we're on this can vs. bottle kick lately. This is completely unintentional and might just be the result of a larger selection of canned craft beer on the shelves these days. Color-wise these beers were very different. The Caldera had the orange hue of a pale ale and the Oakshire looked more like a porter. True to their colors, the Caldera had a bit more of a hop presence while the Oakshire was dominated by a smokiness that overwhelmed the sweet malts. Neither beer really fit into our definition of what an amber should be which goes to show that one brewer's interpretation of an amber style beer can be completely different from another's.

We ended up choosing the Caldera because the slight hoppiness fit our tastes a little better. The Oakshire was well-made, but the extreme smoky notes really seemed to take the beer in a totally different direction. I don't think either will be on the menu at Buttercloud so the search for a local amber will continue.

Winner by unanimous decision: Caldera Ashland Amber

Wheat Beers — Avery Brewing Co. vs. Lefebvre Brewery

2011-09-09T14:33:00.000-07:00

Avery Brewing Co.
White Rascal
(Belgian Style White Ale)
ABV 5.6%

Color: Hazy pale gold.
Aroma: Banana, lemon, clove and a bit of Belgian yeast funk.
Flavor: Smooth and rich with spicy clove and banana notes.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Balanced
Finish: Not much. Quickly disappears.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good +

Lefebvre Brewery
Blanche de Bruxelles
(Beer brewed with coriander & orange peel)
ABV 4.5%

Color: Hazy pale yellow.
Aroma: Very floral and perfumy. Jasmine and orange blossom.
Flavor: Light and crisp with citrus and floral notes.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Balanced
Finish: Floral with some acidity.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good +

Blow by Blow
Since the thermometer appears to be stuck at 95 degrees (or higher) we've been craving lighter, more refreshing beers. Wheat beers fit nicely into the "light" and "refreshing" category so we found two intriguing competitors and the fight was on. Our choices included one authentic witbier from Belgium and one wheat beer brewed in a Belgian-style from Colorado.

As usual, Ellen poured them blind for me and after tasting both I declared that it was obvious which was the authentic Belgian beer. Also as usual, I was wrong. What confused me was that the White Rascal had more prominent yeast characteristics with lots of banana and clove. The Blanche de Bruxelles, on the other hand was dominated by a sweet, floral perfuminess that I thought was more likely to be the imitator. After some research, I discovered that the banana and clove we tasted in the White Rascal are most often associated with the type of yeast used in Hefeweizens (German wheat beers). Authentic Belgian witbiers usually offer more aromas and flavors that come from the spices added to the beer (ie. coriander, orange peel, etc.) But that's enough of the geeky style discussion, which beer did we like better?

We liked both beers quite a bit, but when it came down to it we chose the White Rascal because the Blanche de Bruxelles was just a bit too intensely perfumy for us. It might not be the most authentic Belgian witbier knockoff but it's a damn fine beer to sip on a hot summer evening and we will gladly pack along a few cans of it on our next kayaking trip.

Winner by unanimous decision: Avery Brewing White Rascal

IPA — 21st Amendment Brewery vs. Widmer Brothers Brewing

2011-08-31T10:19:00.000-07:00

21st Amendment Brewery
Brew Free! or Die IPA
ABV 7%

Color: Clear deep golden yellow.
Aroma: Funky and perfumy with some sweet, burnt malt aromas.
Flavor: Light body with simple citrus.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Mild bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Widmer Brothers Brewing
Rotator IPA Series
Falconer's IPA
ABV 7%

Color: Clear reddish orange.
Aroma: Piny hops with sweet malt undertones.
Flavor: Sweet at first then herbal, piny and bitter.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Moderate citrus peel bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good -

Blow by Blow
We recently picked up a mixed case of Widmer and were pleased to find Falconer's IPA inside which is the latest in their Rotator Series of IPAs. Their previous Rotator IPA (X-114) was already a winner so we were curious to see if the next in the series was good as well. We matched it up with a canned IPA from 21st Amendment in San Francisco for a Can vs. Bottle, California vs. Oregon IPA throwdown.

The Falconer's IPA is named after the special hop blend that they used in the brewing called Falconer's Flight. It's a popular new blend of hops that was created to honor the late Northwest brewing legend, Glen Hay Falconer. Nothing against Glen, who I'm sure was a great guy, but so far we haven't been a fan of beers that use his namesake hop blend. The Widmer was dominated by pine and herbal notes and was a tad too bitter in the finish for our liking. The 21st Amendment had a complex aroma that gave us high hopes, but the flavor didn't live up to the aroma, offering a simple citrus character that was fine but not inspiring.

Both beers were serviceable hoppy IPAs, but neither captured that elusive balance of sweet and bitter that makes for a great IPA. Reach for the Falconer's if you want something with a more aggressive hop profile and pour yourself a Brew Free! or Die if you want something with a great hop aroma that is a bit easier on the palate.

Winner by unanimous decision: 21st Amendment

Henry Weinhard's — Blue Boar vs. Private Reserve

2011-08-22T15:58:00.000-07:00

Henry Weinhard's Blue Boar
(Irish Style Pale Ale)
ABV 4.6%

Color: Pale yellow (slightly lighter than Private Reserve).
Aroma: Citrusy cleaning solvent. Grain.
Flavor: Simple citrus with a nice crisp acidity.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Balanced
Finish: Grain.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre -

Henry Weinhard's
Private Reserve
(Classic Northwest Lager)
ABV 4.8%

Color: Pale yellow (a bit darker than Blue Boar).
Aroma: Sweet grain with mild funk.
Flavor: Creamy and smooth with slight caramel sweetness.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Sweet and mellow.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre

Blow by Blow
While my parents were in town, my dad pulled out these two Henry Weinhards' from his cooler. We decided to put them to the test in a battle to see if one tasted better than the other or if they were mostly just the same thing in a different bottle.

Their colors were extremely similar and we really had to squint to detect any difference at all. The aromas, however, were distinct enough with the Blue Boar smelling very clean and citrusy and the Private Reserve smelling more sweet and grainy with a mild funkiness. Flavorwise, the Blue Boar was the crisper more acidic beer while the Private Reserve was smoother, creamier and sweeter. As expected, neither were very impressive, but if we were handed one of these on a 95 degree day in Medford, we certainly wouldn't turn it down.

After the widely differing opinions in last week's Can Clash this one was a breeze as we all chose the Private Reserve. For lack of a better term, it just seemed a bit less macrobeery.

Winner by majority decision: Henry Weinhard's Private Reserve

IPA Can Clash — Fort George Brewery vs. Caldera Brewing vs. Avery Brewing vs. Anderson Valley Brewing

2011-08-16T14:19:00.000-07:00

Fort George Brewery
Vortex IPA
ABV 7.7%

Color: Hazy orange.
Aroma: Herbal (sage and lavender).
Flavor: Sweet malts up front, but quickly turns bitter.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Harsh bitter greens.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Caldera Brewing IPA
ABV 6.1%

Color: Clear orange with touch of red.
Aroma: Spicy herbal hops.
Flavor: Simple watery coffee.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Grapefruit rind.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Avery Brewing IPA
ABV 6.5%

Color: Clear golden.
Aroma: Tropical fruit (papaya, pineapple).
Flavor: Smooth with sweet pineapple and melon notes.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Slow building moderate bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Anderson Valley Brewing
Hop Ottin' IPA
ABV 7%

Color: Clear brownish orange (kind of like some cream sodas).
Aroma: Caramel malts, rusty metal.
Flavor: Lemony citrus with some savory root vegetable notes.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Mild bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Blow by Blow
Being in a outdoor recreation mecca like Southern Oregon makes canned craft beer all the more desirable. Whether you're rafting, hiking or mountain climbing, canned beer is easier to pack in and pack out on your adventure. On two recent trips down the Rogue river in our two-person inflatable kayak we experienced firsthand the tasty convenience of craft beer in cans. As usual we reached first for IPAs and found quite a few at the local beer store in Medford (Beerworks). There were so many in fact, that the battle turned into a chaotic can clash featuring four combatants.

Judging this hoppy brawl were myself, my wife and my parents. My mom poured them blind for the rest of us and the battle was underway. Without going into the details of each beer (which you can read above) we were pleasantly surprised at the diversity of flavors and aromas. We detected everything from pineapple and papaya to rusty metal and sage. After we'd tasted them all we ranked the beers by preference and found that there was absolutely no consensus. Apparently everyone has different qualities they crave in an IPA. Imagine that? I went ahead and rated them all "Good" since none of them were universally reviled and all would taste great with your next picnic.

We went with the Avery IPA as the winner since it was the winning pick of both myself and my mom. It may be a controversial victory however, since it was ranked last and next to last by Ellen and my dad. As far as any advice as to which to spend your hard-earned cash — I'd steer fans of IPAs with big bitter finishes to go for the Fort George and Caldera, while those who prefer a slightly sweeter and more balanced IPA might give the Anderson Valley and Avery a try.

Winner by majority decision: Avery IPA

Dark Beers — Heater Allen Brewing vs. Pelican Brewery

2011-08-07T17:07:00.000-07:00

Heater Allen Brewing
Sandy Paws
(2009 Dark Lager)
ABV 6.2%

Color: Deep brown.
Aroma: Chocolate and coffee with a bit of hop funk.
Flavor: Sweet chocolate malts and coffee.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Balanced
Finish: Lingering coffee flavor with mild, dark chocolate bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Fantastic

Pelican Brewery
Doryman's Dark Ale
ABV 6.2%

Color: Reddish brown.
Aroma: Fruity and slightly metallic.
Flavor: Simple watery coffee.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Balanced
Finish: Coffee and moderate metallic bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good -

Blow by Blow

Being an eagle-eyed beer hunter, I noticed this Heater Allen beer on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator at Market of Choice in Ashland. I became even more intrigued when I read that it was a "2009 Dark Lager." At first, I didn't think I could find a worthy opponent, but then the Pelican Doryman's Dark started posturing and just like that I had the makings of a good battle.

So we had a dark lager and a dark ale, two beers with names that don't really offer up much information to the consumer. The Pelican revealed its style on the side of the bottle as a Northwest Brown Ale and the Heater Allen provided us with important details like the names of the owners of the dog on the label. We decided to taste first and research later.

The Sandy Paws was a pleasant surprise. Rich, sweet and chocolaty with just enough bitterness to balance the sweetness. The more we drank it, the more we liked it. It's a great beer for anyone who craves dark malts but doesn't want the huge ABV that often comes with the darker beers.

The Doryman's Dark Ale wasn't so dark. Perhaps it might be dark when compared to Pelican's other beers, but it was no match for the deep brown of the Sandy Paws. So it lost the battle of color right from the start and never really recovered. It's actually a pretty solid beer, but its dark malt flavors were a little watered down next to the Heater Allen brew. The finish was also a bit more bitter and had a slight metallic note that we didn't care for as much.

After the battle I did a little internet research and found out that the Sandy Paws is actually a Baltic Porter offered as a seasonal beer in the Fall/Winter. What the 2009 batch was doing two years later on a shelf at the grocery store is still a mystery, but we're proud to report that it is holding up just fine after two years in the bottle. Heck, maybe it's even better now than when it was released? If you're lucky enough to find it, pick up a bottle and if not keep an eye out for the 2011 version which should be coming out later this year.

Winner by unanimous decision: Heater Allen Sandy Paws

Pale Ales — Walkabout Brewing vs. Seven Brides Brewing

2011-07-31T11:24:00.000-07:00

Walkabout Brewing Co.
Worker's Pale Ale
ABV 5.5%

Color: Crystal clear orange.
Aroma: Spicy hops, roasty malts and a bit of dank funkiness.
Flavor: Clean with mildly bitter citrus hops and herbal notes.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Mild bitterness turning to moderate bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Seven Brides Brewing Co.
Lauren's Pale Ale
ABV 5.7%

Color: Cloudy orange.
Aroma: Floral and perfumy with tropical fruit notes. Alcohol is also noticeable. Kind of like a fruit brandy.
Flavor: Tart. Almost like a hard cider with a bit of lemon squeezed in.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): N/A (tart and sour)
Finish: Harsh lemon rind bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Bad

Blow by Blow
Another day in the low 90s down here in Southern Oregon had us craving some refreshing pale ales. Fortunately many craft breweries make a pale ale as it is usually a gateway beer to get people hooked on hops. After featuring a brewery from the midwest in last week's battle we decided to keep it closer to home for this one with two breweries from Oregon, one close to us in Central Point (Walkabout) and one near Salem in Silverton (Seven Brides).

Unfortunately it was a lopsided fight. So lopsided, in fact, that we suspect foul play. And by foul we mean that the Seven Brides seemed tainted. It had an intriguing aroma with tropical fruit and alcohol notes, but the flavor was so tart that we would have guessed it was a mild sour beer. We're pretty sure that Seven Brides did not intend to make their Pale Ale sour, so either it was improperly stored, spent too much time on the shelf or the batch was bad. So that was a bummer. We never like to dump a beer down the drain, but we had no choice with the Lauren's Pale Ale.

So the winner by default was the Worker's Pale Ale. It's a classic northwest pale ale with plenty of citrus hops to round out the roasty malts and even has a bit of funkiness thrown in for good measure. Walkabout is a pretty small brewery, so we're not sure how much distribution it gets outside of the Rogue Valley, but if you see it on tap or in a store it's worth checking out. They have quite a loyal following down here in southern Oregon and we hear that they are in the process of getting a tasting room up and running so we look forward to visiting that in the future.

Winner by unanimous decision: Walkabout Brewing.

Belgian Style Beers — Boulevard Brewing vs. Boulevard Brewing

2011-07-22T10:31:00.000-07:00

Boulevard Brewing Co.
Smokestack Series Saison
ABV 6.2%

Color: Hazy yellow.
Aroma: Rich, sweet malts with slight mustiness.
Flavor: Citrus and mild grain.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Balanced
Finish: Mild bitterness turning to moderate bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good +

Boulevard Brewing Co.
Smokestack Series
Two Jokers Double-Wit
(Brewed with Cardamom, Coriander, Orange Peel, Lavender and Grains of Paradise)
ABV 8%

Color: Hazy orangish yellow.
Aroma: Clean lemony hops and spicy herbs.
Flavor: Refreshing citrus at first turning to rich, complex and tart.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Balanced
Finish: Tart and lemony.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good +

Blow by Blow
These two beers are both from Boulevard Brewing in Kansas City, Missouri. We found them on sale at the Harry & David store and decided to match them up against each other to see if we like what they're doing out in KC.

It turned out to be a tight battle. Both beers came prepared and really delivered. The Saison wasn't as funky and barnyardy as some of the classic Belgians, but it had a well balanced simplicity with a mild hop presence that was a pleasure to drink and went well with our dinner. The Double-Wit had us confused at first because we really liked it but couldn't really pinpoint any distinct flavors or aromas. The combination of the spices in the beer ended up giving it a pleasant herbal spiciness with no one spice dominating the others. It was also very refreshing and tart which made sense after we read the back and found out that they had used some lactic fermentation.

When it came time to cast our votes we were not in agreement. Ellen chose the more aggressively flavored Double-Wit and I went with the mild and easy-drinking Saison. But, honestly, they were both so good that it could have easily been the other way around. After this battle we will definitely keep our eye out for new Boulevard Brewing releases in the future.

Draw: Ellen chose the Two Jokers, I chose the Saison.

Anniversary Ales — Lagunitas vs. Steinhaus Brewing Co. (Firestone Walker)

2011-07-13T11:55:00.000-07:00

Lagunitas Lucky 13.alt
Anniversary Release
ABV 8.9%

Color: Orangish yellow.
Aroma: HOPS! Floral/perfumy and stinky/funky at the same time.
Flavor: Sweet to start then intense orange blossom and big grassy hops.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Sweet grapefruit with just a touch of bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Fantastic

Trader Joe's Mission St.
2011 Anniversary Ale
ABV 8.5%

Color: Dark brown.
Aroma: Malty, smoky and woody.
Flavor: Smoky with some sweet cola notes.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Very smoky with some woodiness and mild bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good +

Blow by Blow
This week's battle features two anniversary ales that were/are extremely reasonably priced. The Trader Joe's Mission Street was $2.99 when it was released earlier this year and the Lagunitas Lucky 13.alt is currently selling for $3.99 in Southern Oregon grocery stores. The Mission St. is contract brewed for Trader Joe's by Firestone Walker in Santa Barbara. If you know anything about Firestone Walker beers then you know that $2.99 is a ridiculously good price for a beer brewed by them.

We had the pleasure of trying the Lucky 13.alt at the Battle of the Bones this year and we both chose it for best in show for the craft beer competition. We were hoping that the beer in the bottles would be as good as the beer we had on tap and we were not disappointed. The Lucky 13.alt is a hop lover's dream. It's full of ripe, juicy hop aromas and flavors. What stood out most to us was the strange and alluring aroma that was very floral and perfumy but also had a distinct barnyard funk. The finish is also fantastic, offering a great mellow grapefruit bitterness. Beer geek style note: The .alt in the name is not an indication that this is an altbier. Apparently it's just an obscure reference to alt.* newsgroups of the past. Confused yet? Based on the rambling text on the side of many of their bottles, Lagunitas probably likes it that way.

The Mission St. is also a great beer but it's a completely different experience. According to the Beer Advocate website the beer is actually a blend of Firestone Walker's barleywine, imperial stout and robust porter. As you'd expect from a blend of those beers, the Mission St. is a dark, sweet and malty beer. The dominant flavor and aroma that we detected was smoke but it had some cola and wood notes as well. We tried it along with some smoked brisket and found the similar flavors to complement each other quite nicely. It would also serve well as a dessert beer.

Being unapologetic hop heads we both picked the Lucky 13.alt. Next time we head to the store I plan on buying a good stockpile of bottles to get us through the summer. For those of you fortunate enough to live near a Trader Joe's (none in Southern Oregon!), don't underestimate some of their seasonal beer that is contract brewed. If the 2011 Anniversary is any indication, future anniversary beers should be something to get your hands on.

Winner by unanimous decision: Lucky 13.alt.

Ales Brewed with Herbs — Rogue vs. Malmgard

2011-07-08T15:38:00.000-07:00

Rogue MoM Hefeweizen
(Ale Brewed with Coriander and Ginger)
ABV 5.2%

Color: Hazy bright yellow.
Aroma: Funky barnyard grain, clean lemon.
Flavor: Crisp, acidic, lemony. Herbal bitterness.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Balanced
Finish: Grainy with moderate citrus bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good -

Malmgard Brewery
Arctic Circle Ale
(Finnish Ale Brewed with Juniper Twigs)
ABV 7.3%

Color: Dark reddish brown.
Aroma: Smoky roasted malts, chocolate, raisins, brown sugar.
Flavor: Rich and complex with same stuff as aroma, but also had a distinct savory quality.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Brown sugar, raisins, molasses.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Blow by Blow
This battle was inspired by a bottle of Finnish winter ale that we bought while we were in California last Christmas. We meant to drink it sooner, but we kept getting distracted by all the other beers crammed in our fridge. So here we are in the heat of summer doing a bottle battle with a winter beer. Sometimes that’s just how things work out.

The Finnish beer was brewed with juniper twigs so we looked to match it up against another beer featuring herbs. We found a worthy competitor in the Rogue MoM, a hefeweizen brewed with coriander and ginger. Finland vs. Oregon. Perhaps this is the beginning of a nasty international rivalry?

As expected the beers were of two totally different styles. The Rogue was meant for summer sipping with lots of lemony and grainy flavors and a crisp herbal bitterness. The Arctic Circle, on the other hand, was built for dark Finnish winters, offering notes of brown sugar, raisins, and smoky chocolate. It also had an intriguing savory characteristic that we though might be from the juniper twigs but it could also have been the influence of the rye malt which we weren’t aware of until reading the back of the label.

Neither of us could really detect the specific herbs in either of the beers, but perhaps that’s a good thing. Overly spiced beers can be a mess. Then again, if you list it as a flavor ingredient, don’t you want your customers to taste it? There is a fine line here that also involves some palate subjectivity so there is really no absolute answer, but it’s a topic worthy of some thought. Feel free to discuss amongst yourselves.

Based on the season you’d think that MoM would have won handily, but that was not the case. The Rogue just didn’t have enough going on to keep it interesting, so in the end the Finnish beer beat the odds and proved that winter beers can be just as tasty on a hot evening in southern Oregon as they are on a frigid Finnish night. Kippis!

Winner by unanimous decision: Malmgard Arctic Circle Ale

IPAs — Widmer vs. MacTarnahan's

2011-06-30T14:25:00.000-07:00

Widmer Rotator IPA: X-114
ABV 6.2%

Color: Deep yellow.
Aroma: Big grapefruit citrus, touch of funky cannabis.
Flavor: Clean citrus hops.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Moderate citrus bitterness with touch of that funky cannabis.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good +

MacTarnahan's
Summer Grifter IPA
ABV 6.2%

Color: Amber.
Aroma: Malts in the foreground, subtle piny hops in the background.
Flavor: Vegetal with some lemony citrus.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Woody, harsh bitter greens.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre +

Blow by Blow
After 15 great years in Seattle, we have relocated to the beautiful Rogue River Valley in Oregon. So, the official Bottle Battle headquarters is now in south Medford. We’ll definitely miss some of our favorite bottles in the Seattle area, but we are excited to dive into an amazing new assortment of beers and breweries.

Just in case you forgot, let us remind you that moving sucks. Our feet hurt, our backs ache and I somehow stabbed my palm on a piece of furniture, stigmata-style. Fortunately, there is the promise of great beer at the end of the day. For this inaugural Medford battle we chose two readily available Oregon IPAs, one from Widmer and the other from MacTarnahan’s.

The Widmer Rotator IPA: X-114 is part of Widmer’s new plan to rotate through a few different IPAs throughout the year rather than having one standard IPA in their lineup. We love the idea and look forward to trying every version they make. This recipe was really to our liking as it had a great grapefruitiness from the aroma all the way to the finish. We would have rated it “fantastic” if not for a funky, cannabis note that just seemed to get in the way of the grapefruit. Very solid IPA though.

The Grifter showed up to the fight with a black-eye and things didn’t get much better for him. The aroma leaned toward the malty side with some pine notes peeking through. The flavor had a kind of nutty, vegetal quality that neither of us were too keen on and the finish was overly bitter. Not a bad beer, but really not what we’re looking for in an IPA.

Winner by unanimous decision: Widmer Rotator IPA: X-114

Lowbrow Lager Can Clash — Olympia vs. Rainier

2011-06-16T07:50:00.000-07:00

Olympia Beer
ABV 4.7%

Color: Clear honey gold.
Aroma: Slightly grassy and metallic.
Flavor: Simple malt flavor.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Floral, grainy.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre -

Rainier
Mountain Fresh Beer
ABV 4.7%

Color: Clear, pale yellow.
Aroma: Grain and sweet corn.
Flavor: Clean, cold, wet and grainy.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Sweet corn.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre -

Blow by Blow
At the request of our friend and temporary landlord, Sarah, we agreed to conduct a can clash with two of her favorite macros. Perhaps this info might come in handy should you find yourself in the unenviable position of having to choose between these two mass produced lagers.

I assumed that these beers would be almost identical, but that was not the case. The Rainier had the typical pale yellow color you find in a lot of macro beers, but the Olympia was significantly darker. The Olympia also had more going on in the aroma, offering up some grassy, metallic notes while the Rainier continued to follow the macro script with that standard grain and corn scent.

The flavor and finish confirmed the verdict as the Olympia was more vibrant and refreshing compared to the dull, sweet corn water qualities of the Rainier. Sarah, however, played the contrarian, preferring the Rainier for the same reason we disliked it — because it had less going on. She also offered up a great explanation of the flavor difference, describing the Olympia as "Not as dancy, more zingy." I guess Ellen and I like more zing.

Winner by majority decision: Olympia Beer

Beers with Double in the Name — Dick's Brewing Co. vs. Ninkasi Brewing Co.

2011-06-13T08:21:00.000-07:00

Dick's Brewing Co.
Double Danger Ale
ABV 8.5%

Color: Cola.
Aroma: Sweet with coffee and molasses notes.
Flavor: Smoke and cocoa with clean, berry sweetness.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Sweet cocoa.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Ninkasi Brewing Co.
Believer Double Red Ale
ABV 6.9%

Color: Reddish brown.
Aroma: Dusty malts dominate with some piny hops in the background.
Flavor: Smooth, sweet, cedary maltiness with mellow piny hops.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Solid lingering citrus peel bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Blow by Blow
Well, I picked up the Ninkasi Double Red because I thought we had the Dick's Imperial Red waiting at home. Turns out we'd already drunk the Dick's red, but we did have a bottle of the Double Danger that's been itching for a fight. Two beers with "double" in the name? Sure it's a stretch, but a battle is a battle — some are organized and planned, others are the result of circumstance.

As usual, Ellen poured the beer blind for me but it was kind of pointless once I saw the beers. Having tried the regular Dick's Danger Ale many times before, I knew that it was a darker beer, so it was no surprise that the Double Danger fell into that category. The color of the Ninkasi was true to it's name, showing off some nice red accents.

In the aroma and flavor category it became clear that these beers were bizarrely matched. The Ninkasi was a very good double red ale with a smooth, malty base and just enough piny hops and citrus bitterness in the finish to balance it out nicely. It still came across as more of a hoppy beer, but that is what we are always hoping for when we get a "red" ale in the northwest. The Double Danger was also quite good, but in a completely different way. It had almost no hop profile at all, instead offering smoke, cocoa, molasses and a distinct berry sweetness that was well integrated.

We ended up choosing the Ninkasi because it fit our mood and paired better with our dinner, but we'd advise you to buy both. Drink the Believer with some grilled meat (or grilled mushrooms for you non-carnivores) and save the Double Danger for an after dinner treat.

Winner by unanimous decision: Ninkasi Believer Double Red Ale

Anniversary Beers — Shmaltz Brewing Co. vs. Widmer Brothers Brewing Co.

2011-06-06T07:25:00.000-07:00

Shmaltz Brewing Co.
Jewbelation Fourteen
14th Anniversary Ale
ABV 14%

Color: Midnight brown.
Aroma: Sweet, smoky and boozy with some floral hops mixed in.
Flavor: Rich, thick, smoky, and super sweet with some soy sauce notes.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: More smoke and soy sauce
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good -

Widmer Brothers Brewing Co.
84/09 Double Alt
25th Anniversary
ABV 9.8%

Color: Dark reddish brown.
Aroma: Sweet malts, cocoa and molasses.
Flavor: Sweet rich and malty. Molasses and burnt sugar.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Lingering cocoa with touch of bitterness as well.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Blow by Blow

Celebrating an anniversary with an extreme or unique beer has become a tradition of many craft breweries. Drinking these beers has become a tradition of ours.

This battle featured a two year old bottle of Widmer Brothers 25th Anniversary 84/09 that I picked up recently at the new bottle store in Lynnwood, Special Brews. They had a real nice selection of beers and I noticed a few other aged beers as well. Apparently they also have six taps up and pouring now, so they're definitely worth checking out if you find yourself cruising through Lynnwood anytime soon. The other half of the battle was a bottle from Shmaltz Brewing in NYC celebrating their 14th anniversary.

These two heavyweights (9.8% ABV for Widmer, 14% for Shmaltz!) put on an entertaining fight. The Widmer was a huge, sweet malt-bomb with some nice cocoa flavors and just a touch of bitterness in the finish. Despite the high ABV, neither of us thought it came across as hot or boozy. Definitely a solid beer that is worth your time if you're looking for something to sip on after dinner.

The Shmaltz was also a sweet beer, but they turned the malt volume up to 14. It was a rich, thick, syrupy blast of sugar. It gives me a bit of headache just writing about it. It did manage to offer up some smokiness as well, which made the whole thing taste like what we imagine smoked powdered sugar might taste like. The sharp, intensity of flavor reminded us a bit of soy sauce with sugar in place of salt. And finally, it did not hide the alcohol well. With each sip we could feel our blood alcohol rising. Needless to say, we didn't come close to finishing the bottle. We capped it with a champagne stopper and will keep it to drizzle over ice cream or something.

Winner by unanimous decision: Widmer 25th Anniversary 84/09

Pale Ales — Fremont Brewing Co. vs. Lazy Boy Brewing

2011-05-31T08:07:00.000-07:00

Fremont Brewing Co.
Summer Solstice
ABV 5.2%

Color: Clear, yellow/gold.
Aroma: Grain, lemon peel, apricot.
Flavor: Grapefruit and lemon.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Citrus bitterness with some grain coming in late.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Lazy Boy Brewing
Dumb Luck Pale Ale
ABV 5.8%

Color: Clear, amber/copper.
Aroma: Sweet malts with funky, earthy, piny hop notes.
Flavor: Mostly roasted sweet malts.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Long-lasting pine resin bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre

Blow by Blow

On a recent trip to Vashon Island with some friends we brought along two bottles to battle as part of the festivities. The group included some heavy hitters in the northwest homebrew community as well as some very experienced palates so the beers were in for a true test.

The confrontation featured two beers falling into the pale ale category that will be competing for your hard earned cash this summer. In one corner we had the Fremont Brewing Summer Solstice from Seattle and in the other corner we had the Dumb Luck Pale Ale from Lazy Boy Brewing in Everett.

As a graphic designer, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my disdain for the Lazy Boy label. I’m hoping that this is just a temporary change since I’ve always thought that their original labels were pretty good — bright, colorful and befitting of their name. I must admit that I was drawn to the new label, but not because it was impressive, rather because it was so stark and uninspired. I realize that with a name like Dumb Luck the designer didn’t have much to work with, but wow, it comes across as downright, um, lazy. I know that may have been the point, but it doesn't make it look any better.

The beers themselves were both decent, but all seven of us chose the Summer Solstice as it was just a solid beer with a nice, refreshing burst of citrus that carried through from the aroma all the way to the finish — perfect for hot weather drinking (now if we could only get some hot weather). The Dumb Luck was a totally different animal, darker in color, with some funky hop notes in the aroma, a malty flavor and a pine resiny, bitter finish. Not bad, but not up to the competition.

Big thanks to our guest tasters, Bekky, Emily, Colin, Mark and Rick “the lawn dart technician” for participating in the battle.

Winner by unanimous decision: Fremont Summer Solstice

Oregon IPAs — Three Creeks Brewing Company vs. Oakshire Brewing

2011-05-22T21:29:00.001-07:00

Three Creeks Brewing Co.
Hoodoo Voodoo IPA
ABV 6.0%

Color: Clear, reddish amber.
Aroma: Clean piny hops and sweet honey malts.
Flavor: Powerful malt backbone with sharp pine resin hoppiness.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Moderate pine and citrus rind bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good +

Oakshire Brewing
Watershed IPA
ABV 7.1%

Color: Hazy gold.
Aroma: Burnt brown sugar with mild funky, vegetal hop notes.
Flavor: Bitter citrus and pine. Acidic and a bit vegetal.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Long-lasting, intense citrus rind bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Blow by Blow

We picked these two bottles up on a recent trip to Oregon. It's pretty amazing to stand in front of a beer cooler in another city that features a great selection of local beers that never make it to Seattle. It was tough to choose what to battle, but we ended up choosing two IPAs that I'd read good things about in the past. The Three Creeks Hoodoo Voodoo hails from Sisters out near Bend while the Oakshire Watershed represents the west side of the state in Eugene.

The Hoodoo Voodoo immediately stood out in the color department with a vibrant clear reddish amber color while the Watershed stumbled into the ring with a murky orange hue.

In the aroma both beers struggled a bit. They certainly featured hops, but in both the hop aromas were dominated a bit by sweet malty aromas. We would have preferred that the aroma hops were ramped up a bit. The Watershed also had some funky, vegetal notes that weren't really off putting, but aren't our favorite hop qualities to encounter.

The flavors were both quite nice with the Hoodoo Voodoo falling a bit more on the malty side and the Watershed getting its bitter on right from the first sip. This continued on through the finish as the Voodoo had a nice, moderate piny hoppiness while the Watershed continued the hop assault and finished with a long-lasting citrus rind bitterness.

Although both were solid IPAs, we chose the Hoodoo Voodoo since it had a better hop/malt balance. So, fill the fridge with Voodoo for yourself and keep a couple bottles of Watershed in back to give offer your hop-addict friends who love a more aggressively hopped IPA.

Winner by unanimous decision: Three Creeks Hoodoo Voodoo

Beers That Feature Old Diving Helmets on the Lable — Diamond Knot Brewing Co. vs. Maritime Pacific Brewing Co.

2011-05-16T14:37:00.000-07:00

Diamond Knot Brewing Co.
Industrial India Pale Ale
ABV 8.1%

Color: Slightly hazy orangish amber.
Aroma: Herbal, rosemary, pine, earthy soil, camp fuel and papaya.
Flavor: Savory, root vegetables, herbs and piny hops.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Harsh, piny and long-lasting.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre +

Maritime Pacific Brewing Co.
Decompression Ale
ABV 8.0%

Color: Crystal clear reddish amber.
Aroma: Sweet roasted malts, touch of citrus and pine.
Flavor: Floral, perfumey hops, toasted bread and a bit of sulfur.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Extremely harsh, burnt, ashy bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre +

Blow by Blow

In anticipation and celebration of the upcoming Seattle Beer Week (May 19th -29th) we decided to feature the official beer of the 2011 Seattle Beer Week in this week’s battle. Each year the organizers of SBW choose a different brewery to brew the official beer and this year they chose Maritime Pacific Brewing in Ballard. The good folks at Maritime decided to brew a strong ale called Decompression ale. The label features an image of a diver in an old diving helmet being groped by a tentacled beast. While perusing the beer aisle I stumbled across another beer featuring an old diving helmet on the label, Diamond Knot’s Industrial India Pale Ale. Two beers with diving helmets? Why not? Let’s battle.

Ellen poured the beers so that I could taste them blind and after trying both I thought it was obvious which one was the double IPA and which one was the strong ale. Apparently it wasn’t so obvious, because I was wrong.

Turns out, the Decompression is a seriously hoppy beer that could easily qualify as a double IPA. In our opinion, a high alcohol beer that relies on hops as its main flavor component should be called a double IPA if only to clue people in on what to expect when they taste the beer. Strong ale just doesn’t really give much information that you can’t see for yourself if you look at the alcohol content.

Style rant aside, the Decompression was not really to our liking. The aroma featured floral, perfumy hops with some toasted bread and sulfur mixed in. The flavor started pretty decent with some of that hop candy quality that we like, but quickly degraded into an acidic, harsh, spicy, bitter hoppiness that foreshadowed a wickedly bitter, burnt, ashy finish.

The Diamond Knot really wasn’t much better. The aroma was bizarrely complex with notes of rosemary, pine, earthy soil, camp fuel and papaya. It was nice to be able to detect something other than the typical citrus/pine/floral qualities we find in most double IPAs, but it really was just too weird to get excited about. The flavor followed suit with a savory, root vegetable quality along with some herbs and piny hops. The finish was not quite as harshly bitter as the Decompression, but it still wasn’t very pleasant and stayed with us for awhile.

Since we didn’t really care for either of the beers it was a tough call to pick a winner, but in the end we both chose the Diamond Knot because it wasn’t quite as harsh going down.

Winner by unanimous decision: Diamond Knot Brewing Company

IPAs — Fremont Brewing Co. vs. Two Beers Brewing Co.

2011-05-10T08:08:00.000-07:00

Fremont Brewing Co.
Interurban IPA
ABV 6.2%

Color: Golden yellow.
Aroma: Floral and citrus hops.
Flavor: Bright citrus.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Moderate grapefruit rind.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good +

Two Beers Brewing Co.
Evolutionary IPA
ABV 6.2%

Color: Reddish amber.
Aroma: Sweet roasted malts, touch of citrus and pine.
Flavor: Honey with lemon and pine.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Long, burnt, almost ashy bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good -

Blow by Blow

This battle featured IPAs from two newish Seattle breweries jockeying for a place in a saturated IPA market. We love supporting local breweries and we love IPA, so game on! Joining us for this battle was esteemed macro-canned beer afficionado, Sarah.

One of the key things in an IPA for us is a bright hoppy aroma and the Interurban really delivered with classic floral and citrus notes. The Evolutionary, on the other hand, had more sweet roasted malts in the aroma with a bit of pine and citrus lurking in the background. Honestly, the smell reminded us more of an amber than an IPA.

The flavor in the Evolutionary was more in line with what you’d expect from an IPA with a nice lemon, honey and pine combination. The Interurban was up to the challenge though and countered with some great citrus flavors.

In the finish the Interurban asserted itself and claimed the victory with a moderate grapefruit rind bitterness that Ellen and I liked far more than the long-lasting burnt, ashy hop bitterness of the Evolutionary.

The decision, however, was not unanimous. Sarah chose the Evolutionary as she thought it was smoother as opposed to the mouth-puckering (her words) citrus hoppiness of the Interurban. We think this probably had to do with hop tolerance. Our hop-hungry palates were drawn to the beer that had a bigger hop profile, while her sensitive, hop-deprived palate sought something a bit more mellow. Take note and purchase accordingly, as both are well made and worth buying.

Winner by majority decision: Fremont Brewing Company

Double IPAs — Dick's Brewing Co. vs. Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB)

2011-04-30T17:05:00.000-07:00

Dick's Brewing Co.
Imperial IPA
ABV 8.6%

Color: Bright, clear orange.
Aroma: Sharp pine with some sweet fruitiness.
Flavor: Big, bitter pine at first, then floral honey sweetness.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Hoppy honey, moderate bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

HUB Ace of Spades
Imperial IPA
ABV 9.5%

Color: Murky, dirty orange.
Aroma: Clean, soapy, with spicy pine.
Flavor: Acidic, grassy, piny with slight fruity sweetness.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Extremely bitter. Burnt grapefruit rind with intense tannins.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good -

Blow by Blow
OK, with this being the third double IPA battle in the last five weeks, we're officially in the midst of a serious hop binge. Trying the likes of Pliny the Elder, Widmer Nelson (formerly Deadlift), and Double Jack has us craving that balance of extreme hops and sweet malts that can create bottled bliss.

This time around we battled the highly regarded Ace of Spades from the popular and successful Hopworks Urban Brewery in Portland against the new Imperial IPA from Dick's Brewing Company, a long-running but often overlooked brewery from Centralia Washington.

As I am often aware of popular opinion regarding the beers we try, Ellen usually pours them so that I can judge the beers blind. So, I left the room, Ellen poured the beers and the battle was on.

Right off the bat the Dick's had the upper hand with a bright, clear orange color as opposed to the murky Ace of Spades. In the aroma they both were dominated by spicy, piny hops with the Ace of Spades also coming across a bit soapy. Neither had the big, juicy citrus and floral notes that are prevalent in some of our favorite double IPAs, but they were both very aromatic.

The Dick's also had a more appealing flavor with a good floral honey malt sweetness to balance the piny hop bitterness. The bottle says that they used "all Columbus hops" in the beer which seems pretty unique as most double IPAs out there use a mixture of different hops to achieve their target hop profile.

The Ace of Spades is not what we would call a balanced beer. The flavor is a shock to the tongue with sharp pine notes and acidity. The fruity malt is in there somewhere, but it's hard to taste it behind all the bitter, grassy hoppy flavors.

As you might expect at this point, the Dick's emerged victorious with a pleasant finish that was like hoppy honey (I think I might try to make some hop honey to put on biscuits or toast!) The Ace of Spades continued to stick to its guns just like Lemmy, and finished with a massive burnt grapefruit rind bitterness that seemed intent on bludgeoning our taste buds much like a Motorhead song might bludgeon your ears. So, I guess HUB succeeded in making a beer befitting of its name, but its bad ass moniker couldn't help it from getting owned by the far less brash offering from Dick's.

Winner by unanimous decision: Dick's Brewing Company

Former Champion Double IPAs — Firestone Walker vs. Widmer

2011-04-20T18:09:00.000-07:00

Firestone Walker
Double Jack
ABV 9.5%

Color: Deep orange.
Aroma: Sharp pine resin, beeswax and rich sweet malts.
Flavor: Full bodied with sharp, astringent piny hops and a touch of citrus.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Long lasting pine resin and citrus rind bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Fantastic

Widmer Deadlift
Imperial IPA
ABV 8.6%

Color: Light orange.
Aroma: Intense floral and citrus hops. Grapefruit candy.
Flavor: Full bodied and sweet with bright citrus hop punch late.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Mellow grapefruit bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Fantastic

Blow by Blow
Tonight we staged an epic battle. Two former double IPA Bottle Battle champions squared off to see who would remain undefeated. In one glass we had Firestone Walker's amazing Double Jack. In the other glass we had the equally amazing Widmer Deadlift.

As you might expect, both came out swinging. Both had big hops in the aroma, with the Deadlift offering floral and citrus hop aromas and the Double Jack countering with sharp pine resin and some citrus as well. They both smelled absolutely awesome, but we gave the edge to the Deadlift as we prefer the floral to the pine.

The flavors continued to impress. Both were full bodied with a rich malty backbone that was able to balance the intense hop flavors. The Double Jack was a bit more aggressively hoppy throughout while the Deadlift started sweet and brought the hops late. Again, both great.

The big difference came in the finish. Deadlift had an amazingly balanced finish with just the right amount of hop bitterness and sweet citrus flavors. The Double Jack had a much more bitter finish, leaving us with long lasting bitter pine sap and citrus rind flavors.

Despite these both being fantastic beers the decision was easy for us. We both chose the Widmer Deadlift because it's like drinking some kind of magical hoppy, grapefruit flower nectar. This is a good thing for our bank account since the Double Jack is far more expensive.

Bottle Battles are all about matchups. If you look at our tasting notes for the Double Jack from earlier this month you'll see that we detected more citrus than pine. There is definitely a little of both, but when compared against the Alaskan Double IPA the citrus stood out, while the battle with the Deadlift brought out more of the pine notes. Just more proof that tasting is always influenced by a multitude of factors that range from your environment to your mood to what beer you're comparing it against.

Winner by unanimous decision: Widmer

Burly Porters — Mactarnahan's vs. Flying Dog Brewery

2011-04-15T17:52:00.000-07:00

Mactarnahan's
Ink Blot Baltic Porter
ABV 7.5%

Color: Dark brown with a touch of red.
Aroma: Sweet and malty with some berry fruit and coffee.
Flavor: Sweet and smoky with some coffee notes.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Acidic with mild, lingering coffee.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Flying Dog
Gonzo Imperial Porter
ABV 9.2%

Color: Dark as a black steer's tookus on a moonless prairie night.
Aroma: Sharp, spicy hops.
Flavor: Berry fruits, then some coffee maltiness and finally some big piny hops.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Malty coffee flavors at first, then burnt coffee ground bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Blow by Blow
Tonight we battled Porters, but these weren't your average porters. These were porters on steroids. The Ink Blot from Mactarnahan's called itself a Baltic Porter which is basically a regular porter with more alcohol. The Gonzo from Flying Dog called itself an Imperial Porter which is also a regular porter with more alcohol. Two different names, same basic style.

The Gonzo really caught us by surprise. We were expecting a boozy, malt bomb, but we were confronted with a hop monster instead. As a matter of fact, if we didn't know what style of beer it was we'd have guessed it was either a double IPA or a CDA (or Black IPA). It had some coffee notes, but they were mostly dominated by an intense hoppiness throughout.

The Ink Blot was a totally different story. It focused much more on sweet and malty flavors and had just a trace of hops to keep it from being too sweet. It also had nice coffee and smoke flavors that proved to go quite well with our chicken molé enchiladas.

Befitting of the name (and the person it was named after, Mr. Hunter S. Thompson), the Gonzo was a big, bold and intense beer. In the end though, it was just too amped up for me so I scored the fight in favor of the more subdued Ink Blot. Ellen, however, was drawn to the brash and unapologetic Gonzo and ended up choosing it because it was a richer, fuller beer.

Both are worth your dollar, but be mindful that they are totally different beers, one appealing to the hopheads and one to those who prefer a sweeter and maltier beer.

Split decision: Ellen chose the Gonzo, I chose the Ink Blot.

Scotch Ales — 3 Brewery Collaboration vs. Silver City

2011-04-07T17:51:00.001-07:00

Green Flash/Pizza Port/Stone Collaboration
Highway 78 Scotch Ale
ABV 8.8%

Color: Dark reddish brown.
Aroma: Sweet malts with coffee, chocolate, honey and root beer notes.
Flavor: Not too sweet with molasses and roasted malt flavors.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Lingering sweetness that with some smoke and acidity.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good +

Silver City
Fat Woody Scotch Ale
ABV 9.2%

Color: Flat Coca-Cola.
Aroma: Sweet gummy coke bottle.
Flavor: Quite sweet with smoky malts and dates/prunes. A bit thin.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: More Coca-Cola then quickly disappears altogether.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Blow by Blow
Tonight we battled a collaboration beer brewed by an all-star cast of California breweries against a long-time favorite in Washington from Silver City Brewing Co. The style: Scotch Ale.

A little over a year ago we featured Silver City's Fat Scotch Ale in a battle. This time around we tried the Fat Woody Ale which is the Fat Scotch Ale aged with American white oak. One thing that we noticed in both of the Silver City Scotch Ales was that they were severely undercarbonated. So, if anyone from Silver City is reading, we implore you to get some bubbles into your bottles.

Sadly, the Fat Woody did not live up to our expectations. We had hoped that the wood aging would have been more apparent, but on the contrary, we could barely detect any wood character at all. The whole experience was way to reminiscent of drinking flat cola — very sweet, undercarbonated and slightly fruity.

The Highway 78 didn't blow us away, but we liked it a lot more. It still had plenty of sweetness, but it was also complemented by some smoke and acidity which made it taste more balanced overall.

These beers are definitely made for cold weather imbibing which made them perfect candidates for the winter-like weather we've been getting in Seattle this "spring." We suggest drinking them after dinner since they are very sweet and desserty. Both are worth trying, but if you have to choose, go with the Highway 78. We gave it the edge in this battle and if you like sweeter beers with little to no hops this will be right up your alley.

Winner by unanimous decision: Highway 78

Double IPAs — Alaskan Brewing vs. Firestone Walker

2011-04-01T07:57:00.000-07:00

Alaskan Brewing
Imperial IPA
ABV 8.5%

Color: Slightly hazy reddish copper.
Aroma: Sweet wood and whiskey with some floral notes.
Flavor: Sweet and simple with a bit of woodiness.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Balanced
Finish: Mild bitterness early building to harsh, woody bitterness. Acidic.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Firestone Walker
Double Jack
ABV 9.5%

Color: Clear golden.
Aroma: Spicy, citrus hops.
Flavor: Full bodied. Big, sweet and malty with equally big citrus hops.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Sweet malts, mild citrus bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Fantastic

Blow by Blow
Imperial IPAs continue to take up a lot of space on store shelves, so it is our duty to battle them for the benefit of all you hopheads out there. These two in particular were itching for a fight, so we poured a bit of each and let them settle it in the glass.

If this battle were about looks alone, the Alaskan would have won handily. It had a gorgeous hue of vibrant reddish copper that was so compelling that we were tempted to take the beer down to Home Depot and have them mix up a batch of Alaskan Imperial IPA paint for us. The Double Jack, on the other hand was a fairly bland golden hue — not inspiring at all.

What the Double Jack lacked in color it more than made up for in aroma. It was just bursting with juicy citrus hops. Neither of us wanted to give up the glass. Each sniff kind of made our eyes roll back in our head. The Alaskan was nowhere near as special. As a matter of fact, in comparison to the Double Jack it seemed to barely have any hops in the nose at all, choosing instead to focus on a sweet, malty and woody aroma.

Once the Double Jack took the upper hand it never gave the Alaskan a chance, ultimately landing an uppercut that knocked the Alaskan clean out of its XTRATUFS. Game over. Lights out.

The Alaskan is a decent beer, it just got steamrolled by one of the best IPAs we've ever had the privilege of drinking. If you like huge, malty, hoppy Imperial IPAs go get some Double Jack immediately. There may still be some left on store shelves in the Seattle area.

Winner by unanimous decision: Firestone Walker

Saisons — Dupont Brewery vs. Pelican Brewery

2011-03-25T17:36:00.000-07:00

Dupont Brewery
Saison Dupont
ABV 6.5%

Color: Hazy light gold. Huge white head.
Aroma: Macrolager grainy, barnyard funk, cold steel.
Flavor: Banana and clove.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Balanced
Finish: Slight orange peel bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Fantastic

Pelican Brewery
Saison du Pelican
ABV 6.3%

Color: Clear orangish yellow.
Aroma: Sweet malts, lemon, subtle Belgian yeast.
Flavor: Malty sweet with a hint of lemon.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Balanced
Finish: Grainy with some acidity then quickly disappears.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Blow by Blow
Saisons are a traditional Belgian beer style that was originally brewed by farmers in the winter to be consumed by workers during the summer. After tasting these two beers we're seriously considering becoming Belgian farmers.

We started with the Saison Dupont, which is widely considered to be the Saison from which all other Saisons must be judged. It was easy to see why. The aroma was a bit tight and grainy when we first opened it, but as it warmed up we started to detect some barnyard funk and a bit of cold steel. The flavor had classic banana and clove notes that are typical of some Belgian yeasts and the finish had a nice orange peel bitterness that balanced everything out quite nicely. It was crisp, refreshing and complex and we both loved it.

The Saison du Pelican may have taken its name from the Saison Dupont, but it wasn't quite able to live up to the high standards set by the classic Belgian. Don't get us wrong, the Pelican is a pretty darn good beer, but it had a tough, tough matchup. The aroma was dominated by a malty sweetness that reminded us of an amber ale. As a matter of fact, the beer tasted a lot like an amber ale that was fermented with Belgian yeast. Not necessarily a bad thing, but we just didn't like it as much as the Dupont. The main thing it seemed to be lacking was some kind of hop presence in the finish. Without those hops it was an underwhelming finish that disappeared quickly.

Despite losing this battle, you should definitely consider a visit to the Pelican brewery in Pacific City, Oregon. We went a couple years ago and it is a gorgeous place with great beer. Make a weekend out of it and check out Astoria, Oregon as well. You won't regret it.

Winner by unanimous decision: Dupont Brewery

Beers that use Rye — Shmaltz Brewing Co. vs. Bear Republic Brewing Co.

2011-03-17T17:43:00.000-07:00

Shmaltz Brewing Co.
Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A
(A Double India Pale Ale with Rye Malt)
ABV 10%

Color: Clear copper orange.
Aroma: Earthy, woody, sweet and flowery.
Flavor: Sweet, smooth, malty with some citrus hops.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Very boozy with a harsh metallic bitterness
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre +

Bear Republic Brewing Co.
Hop Rod Rye
(Specialty Ale)
ABV 8%

Color: Dark maple syrup.
Aroma: Sharp, spicy, piny hops with some malty floral notes.
Flavor: Medium bodied. Malty, piny and floral.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Mellow citrus at first then moves to intense, astringent lemon-rind bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Blow by Blow
Do you like bitter beer? If so, then pay attention.

These are two beers that use a portion of rye in the brewing process. We hadn't really tried too many beers that advertise their use of rye, so we were excited to feature these in a battle.

The Hop Rod Rye had an impressive hoppy aroma and a nice balanced flavor, but the finish was dominated by a face-contorting lemon-rind bitterness that was way too harsh for our palates.

The Bittersweet was more subdued in the aroma, but made up for it with a massive sweet and malty flavor that we were both very impressed with. Unfortunately, it had problems in the finish as well. Big problems. It did a terrible job balancing its 10% ABV, leaving us both with a distinctly hot and boozy taste, but that wasn't all. The booze quickly evaporated into a sharp metallic bitterness that had us reaching for the water to rinse out the taste.

Unfortunately, neither of us could tell if we detected any aromas or flavors brought on by the use of rye. Both beers were aggressively hopped and I think that the extreme use of hops may have masked some of the rye characteristics.

Beers that feature some rye seem to be gaining popularity, so hopefully we'll get to revisit rye beers in the future. As for these two, we gave the edge to the Hop Rod simply because it didn't completely fall apart in the finish. And we'd only be comfortable recommending these to those who enjoy punishing their palate with super bitter beers.

Winner by unanimous decision: Bear Republic Brewing Co.

Red Ales — Lompoc Brewing vs. Maritime Pacific Brewing Co.

2011-03-08T17:50:00.000-08:00

Lompoc Brewing
Proletariat Red
(Northwest Red Ale)
ABV 6.2%

Color: Dark bourbony brown.
Aroma: Roasted malts, root vegetables, sweet coffee.
Flavor: Dry and almost savory with root veggies and roasted malt notes.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty (but not sweet!)
Finish: Slightly tannic with lingering roasted malts.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre

Maritime Brewing Co.
Flagship Red Ale
(Red Alt Ale)
ABV 5.2%

Color: Brownish orange.
Aroma: Sharp funky hops and roasted malts.
Flavor: Starts with some lemon water acidity followed by simple sweet malts.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Balanced
Finish: Acidic with some pine resin hop bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre

Blow by Blow
At first we thought it was fun — buying red ales with no idea as to what they might taste like. We were even lucky enough to get a red ale that we rated "fantastic." But after this battle, red ales are really starting to get annoying. Since there is no real style definition, when you buy a red ale it's like buying a lottery ticket. And if we continue with that analogy, this battle featured two losing tickets.

The Lompoc had almost no hop character at all. It was a big, smooth mouthful of roasted malts, with a root vegetable flavor that was more interesting than off-putting. The aroma was the same as the flavor with a bit of coffee thrown in for good measure. The strangest thing about this beer was that despite being very malty tasting it was not sweet.

The Flagship red had some serious funky hop aromas that were not particularly appealing. It followed with a very thin flavor that was all acidity and lemon water. The finish had some piny hops followed by a hint of bitterness.

Neither of these beers were that great and, to be honest, I'm not sure if it's us or if it's the beer. We seem to stubbornly hope that every red ale will be like those we've enjoyed in the past — nice reddish hue, big citrus hop profile with a good malty sweetness to balance it all out and a mildly bitter finish. But it seems that some breweries refuse to make beer solely to satisfy our specific ideals. The nerve!

The fight went back and forth — just when we thought the Proletariat was gaining control, the Flagship would get some wind in its sails and look like the stronger combatant. In the end, although it had none of the qualities we crave in a red ale, we gave the victory to the Proletariat. So if you like smooth, roasty, ambery beers give the Proletariat a try. And no, this does not mean that we are commies.

Winner by unanimous decision: Lompoc Brewing

American Style Wheat Beers — Murray's Craft Brewing Co. vs. Widmer Brothers Brewing

2011-02-24T20:56:00.000-08:00

Murray's Craft Brewing Co.
Whale Ale
ABV 4.5%

Color: Cloudy, dirty orange.
Aroma: Grainy with some floral notes.
Flavor: Light, simple, grainy and fruity.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Balanced
Finish: Grain, lemon juice.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre

Widmer Brothers Brewing
Hefeweizen
ABV 4.9%

Color: Cloudy and golden.
Aroma: Hay, flowers, grain and some barnyard funk.
Flavor: Crisp, acidic and grainy with a nice, smooth body.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Balanced
Finish: Citrus acidity and mild bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Blow by Blow
This was the second battle that we did in Hawaii with our friends from Australia featuring one bottle from the Northwest and one from Australia. The Whale Ale described itself as an "American Style Wheat Beer" so we figured it would be appropriate to face it off with the beer that it likely was trying to imitate, Widmer Hefeweizen.

The Whale was fine, but it just really didn't do anything extraordinary. It was easy drinking with a bit of grain character and a mild lemony finish. Certainly not offensive, but nothing to write home about.

The Widmer Hefeweizen was definitely a little more interesting. It had some great floral notes in the aroma to go along with a bit of yeasty barnyard funk. The flavor was fresh, clean and a bit acidic. It even offered up a smidgen of citrus hops in the finish.

We were not all in agreement as to the winner. The Australian Gibson decided that he was not a big fan of American Style Wheat Beers and picked the Whale Ale since it had less of the "wheaty/grainy" character. His lovely wife Hayley, thought that both were fine, but gave a slight edge to the Widmer. Ellen and I both preferred the Widmer and can understand why it's one of the best selling craft beers in the U.S. It's an easy drinking beer that has just enough going on to keep the attention of a beer geek, but not so much that it will turn off the casual beer drinker. It also seems to us that it would be a good beer to drink on a yacht. Anyone have a yacht that we can borrow?

Winner by split decision: Widmer

Pale Ale Cage Match — Burleigh Brewing Co. vs. Lord Nelson Brewery vs. Maritime Pacific Brewing Co. vs. Kona Brewing Co.

2011-02-20T09:56:00.000-08:00

Burleigh Brewing Co.
28 Pale Ale
(70s Style)
ABV 4.8%

Color: Bright clear yellow (lightest in color of them all) with big white head .
Aroma: Grapefruit, grass.
Flavor: Clean, grapefruit and citrus rind.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Just a touch of bitterness that fades quickly.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good +

Lord Nelson Brewery
Three Sheets Pale Ale
ABV 4.9%

Color: Cloudy, yellow honey.
Aroma: Grain, citrus hops and soft malts.
Flavor: Starts sweet and malty with only a touch of hops towards the finish.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Balanced
Finish: Mild hop bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre +

Maritime Pacific Brewing Co.
Islander Pale Ale
ABV 5.0%

Color: Dirty yellow.
Aroma: Heavy, smoky, bready, malty.
Flavor: Starts with bready malts then moves into big piny hops.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Long lasting piny hop bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Kona Brewing Co.
Fire Rock Pale Ale
ABV 5.8%

Color: Reddish caramel (darkest of the lot).
Aroma: Floral hops, orange blossom, sweet malts.
Flavor: Heavy, sweet and malty with very subtle hops.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Sweet fading to lingering bitter greens.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre

Blow by Blow
The forces of nature have once again brought the two Gibsons together (no idea what I'm talking about? Click here.) And what better way to celebrate the occasion than with an Australian vs. USA Pale Ale Cage Match! If you look closely at the photo above you might be able to make out some palm fronds and the beginnings of a sunset. That's right, this battle was not conducted in the frigid winter of Seattle, but in the balmy tropical paradise of Hawaii! Our lovely and patient wives also found time to put down their pina coladas momentarily to help decide the outcome of this epic battle.

Gibson-OZ brought two pale ales from Australia and I brought one from Seattle. Just to make it even more interesting we threw in one from local brewery, Kona Brewing Co., as well. We also tasted them blind so as not to be swayed by continental pride or loyalty. Yes, we are that committed to providing you with an accurate appraisal.

None of the beers were that similar in color. They ranged from the light yellow of the 28 Pale Ale to the deep reddish caramel of the Fire Rock. The aromas and flavors varied greatly as well. The Three Sheets from Lord Nelson Brewery in Australia was the the first we tried and it was fairly simple, but had just enough hop presence to eek itself into the Pale Ale category. A bit less and it may have tasted a bit too much like a macro lager.

Second up was the Fire Rock from Kona Brewing Co. in Hawaii which leaned toward the sweet and malty side a bit too much for our tastes. It honestly tasted more like an amber ale, so if you're looking for hops in your pale ale, we'd recommend avoiding it.

Third in line was the 28 Pale Ale from Burleigh Brewing Co. in Australia and with the first sniff we were all big fans of this beer. It had a wonderful fresh, grassy grapefruit hop aroma that carried through all the way into a mildly bitter finish that was delightfully crisp and satisfying. Ellen and I were a bit confused by the "70s Style" reference but it was explained by the Aussie contingent that Australian beer was apparently quite hoppy in the 70s. Who knew?

Lastly we tried the Islander (fitting, eh?) from Maritime Pacific Brewing Co. in Seattle and as you might expect from a Northwest Style pale ale, it was not shy with the hops. Unfortunately it didn't offer much in the aroma so it was mostly dominated by bitterness in the flavor and finish. We all agreed that the bold bitterness was a bit too bold and that the beer could have benefited from some kind of hop presence in the aroma.

So, in the end, the last beer standing was the 28 Pale Ale. We all, independently, chose it as our favorite as it was just bursting with juicy hops and left us wanting more. Unfortunately, the Aussies only brought one bottle so we savored every last drop. Apparently the craft beer movement in Australia is just beginning to get some traction, so we look forward to seeing a few of the best of them trickle over to the states in the near future. Hopefully Burleigh Brewing's 28 Pale Ale will be one of them.

Winner by unanimous decision: 28 Pale Ale

Unique IPAs — Hermitage Brewing Co. vs. Deschutes

2011-02-15T18:48:00.000-08:00

Hermitage Brewing Co.
Ale of the Hermit
(Wood Aged IPA)
ABV 8%

Color: Clear orangish brown.
Aroma: Acidic fresh cheese, vanilla yogurt.
Flavor: Watery yogurt.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): N/A
Finish: Tad bitter.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Bad

Deschutes
Hop Henge IPA
(Experimental IPA)
ABV 9%

Color: Clear orangish brown (a bit lighter than the Hermitage).
Aroma: Piny hops, grass, pepper.
Flavor: Big, sweet hop candy.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Sweet honey malts with almost no bitterness at all.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good -

Blow by Blow
Well, this one was a big disappointment. The Ale of the Hermit (another beer I picked up in California that is brewed by the Tied House) tripped on the carpet on the way to the ring and was knocked out cold. We suspect it was an infected bottle (perhaps it picked up some nasties from the wood aging?) because no IPA we're aware of is supposed to taste like yogurt. We dumped the whole thing down the drain and turned our attention to the Hop Henge.

The Hop Henge calls itself an Experimental IPA. You can find the brewery's description of it here. Our first question is, why did they not call this a double or imperial IPA? At 9% alcohol, it certainly seemed more like a double IPA to us. The aroma was promising, with gobs of piny, grassy hops and a bit of pepper but after that the beer faltered. The flavor was dominated by sweet malts with only a hint of hop character and the finish had almost no bitterness at all. Based on this, we'd have to say that the experiment was not a great success. It certainly wasn't a failure, as the beer was quite tasty, but we thought it lacked the hop presence to counter the super sweet, honey maltiness.

In the end, the Hop Henge won by virtue of the Hermit's inability to provide a drinkable beer. Since it's a seasonal release we hope that next year's batch will find a way to get more of those big, juicy hops into the flavor and finish.

Winner by unanimous decision: Hop Henge

Brown Ales — Steinhaus Brewing Co. (Firestone Walker) vs. Rogue

2011-02-09T18:05:00.000-08:00

Steinhaus Brewing Co.
Mission St. Brown Ale
(Contract Brewed for Trader Joe's by Firestone Walker)
ABV 5.7%

Color: Soda pop brown.
Aroma: Sweet chocolate malts, bready grains.
Flavor: A bit watery, sweet chocolate with some weird vegetal notes.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: A bit of metallic, tinny bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre

Rogue Jacksonville
Anniversary Ale
ABV ?%

Color: Dark copper brown.
Aroma: Saltines, bread, dry oatmeal, whole wheat bread, amaretto, hay.
Flavor: Chocolate, hay, very slight citrus late.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Whole wheat bread, amaretto.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good +

Blow by Blow
Based on the selection (or lack thereof) of Brown ales we've seen in the Seattle area, it's safe to say that they aren't the most popular style of beer right now. Most people we know reach for a porter or a stout when they are craving a dark beer. It's unfortunate because a well-made Brown Ale can be just what you need when a pale ale seems too light and a porter seems too heavy.

The competitors tonight were both from out of state. We had a special release beer from Rogue commemorating the 150th anniversary of the quaint little town of Jacksonville , OR (definitely check this town out if you are in the Ashland/Medford area) and we had a beer from Trader Joe's that is contract brewed by the well-respected Firestone Walker brewery in California. We've been battling a lot of big, rich beers lately, so it was a nice change of pace to feature two beers that are less jarring to the palate.

The Rogue didn't mess around. The aroma was wonderfully complex. The chocolate, almond and bread notes came together to create what Ellen described as "chocolate almond cookie crumb pie crust." That pretty much nailed it. The flavor followed suit with lots of bready chocolate and a touch of citrus hops.

We had high hopes for the Mission St. Brown when we heard that Firestone Walker had contract brewed it for Trader Joe's. Unfortunately, it couldn't hang with the Rogue. It was pretty one-dimensional with sweet chocolate malts coming through in the aroma, flavor and finish. And when you come to a battle with sweet and simple flavors you shouldn't be surprised when you get decked.

Congratulations to Rogue on brewing a great beer and to Jacksonville, Oregon for celebration 150 years of existence with a beer that was worthy of the occasion.

Winner by unanimous decision: Jacksonville Anniversary Ale

Barley Wines — Pike Brewing vs. Pike Brewing

2011-02-04T17:24:00.000-08:00

2009 Pike Old Bawdy
Barley Wine
ABV 10%

Color: Vibrant reddish brown.
Aroma: Floral honey, toffee and piny hops.
Flavor: Sweet malty brown sugar and toffee with citrus hops in the background.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Sweet toffee and mild burnt toffee bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good +

2010 Pike Old Bawdy
Barley Wine
ABV 9.9%

Color: Orangish brown.
Aroma: Gym socks and big spicy, citrus hops.
Flavor: Starts with strong orange rind bitterness that fades to mild sweetness. Not as sweet as 2009.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Moderate bitter orange rind.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Blow by Blow
For the second week in a row we decided to explore some big, strong beers. This time we went with two vintages of Pike's Old Bawdy Barley Wine. For those not familiar with Barley Wines, they are basically the alpha males of the ale world. They're strong, rich, intense and usually quite high in alcohol content. They also happen to be good candidates for aging. We've got Barley Wines in our cellar that are still tasting good after ten years of age. But enough with the background, let's talk about the fight.

From past experience we knew that the Old Bawdy tends to be a very hoppy and bitter interpretation of Barley Wine. The 2009, however, surprised us with toffee and brown sugar aromas that overpowered the hops. The 2010 was more what we were expecting with a big dose of spicy, citrus hops taking center stage. Since hops tend to fade with age, it made perfect sense that the 2010 was the hoppier of the two.

So we had to decide between the young, feisty 2010 with its brash hoppiness and the older, wiser 2009 with its mellower malty flavors and aromas. Although we enjoyed them both, we tend to prefer Barley Wines that are a bit sweeter and maltier, so we both chose the 2009. However, you'll only be able to find the 2010 in stores now and if it tastes as good with a year of age as the 2009 did, we suggest that you go buy a couple and store them away until next winter.

Winner by unanimous decision: 2009 Old Bawdy

In the interest of full disclosure to satisfy the FTC’s law, this battle features sample bottles received from Pike Brewing.

Double IPAs — Russian River vs. Sierra Nevada

2011-01-25T18:05:00.000-08:00

Russian River
Pliny the Elder
ABV 8%

Color: Deep golden.
Aroma: Huge floral and citrus hops.
Flavor: Smooth hop candy, medium body, grapefruit.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Long, lingering citrus rind bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Fantastic

Sierra Nevada
Hoptimum
ABV 10.4%

Color: Rusty orange.
Aroma: Sweet malts, cedar, slight piny hops in the background.
Flavor: Big thick body with sweet clover honey, citrus vodka and bitter notes.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Moderate sweet burnt lemon peel.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Blow by Blow
This Bottle Battle, featuring two California heavyweights, could certainly qualify as a main event. In one corner we had Pliny the Elder, a highly sought after double IPA from Russian River Brewing Co., that is fervently worshiped by its followers. In the other corner we had Hoptimum, a highly anticipated, new, monster imperial IPA from one of the patriarchs of craft brewing, Sierra Nevada.

It was not a fight for the faint of heart. Pliny absolutely blew us away with its aroma. It smelled something like sticking a citrus-flavored Starburst in each nostril. The flavor followed suit with a smooth body and excellent grapefruit hop candy notes. Finally, the finish was long and bitter, but honestly, we didn't really have time to contemplate it much because we were too eager to take another drink. Pliny is truly a fantastic beer and one that is totally worth the hype.

Hoptimum also brought some game. First of all, it's without a doubt, one of the coolest beer labels around. The old-fashioned looking hophead portrait should immediately become the mascot of hop lovers the world over. The stuff inside wasn't too shabby either. Aroma-wise it wasn't nearly as good as Pliny, but not many beers are. It definitely had some piny hops, unfortunately, they were hidden behind the smell of malt and cedar. The flavor was big and sweet as well, starting off with distinct honey notes and ending with a punch of vodka-soaked citrus. Yes, at 10.4% ABV, the Hoptimum had a bit of difficulty hiding the alcohol. Overall, it was a pretty good imperial IPA, but it needed some more hops in the aroma and perhaps a bit less alcohol.

Winner by unanimous decision: Pliny the Elder

Cascadian Dark Ales — Tied House vs. Full Sail

2011-01-21T17:28:00.000-08:00

Tied House Cafe & Brewery
Menage a Singe
(Black IPA — Dry Hopped)
ABV 8%

Color: Deep, dark, clear brown.
Aroma: Piny hops in the front, roasted coffee malts in the back.
Flavor: Medium body with berry fruitiness.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Long, moderate smoky bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good +

Full Sail
Bump in the Night
(Cascadian Dark Ale)
ABV 6.5%

Color: Deep, dark, clear brown (almost exact same as Menage).
Aroma: Intense cat pee, tropical fruit.
Flavor: Medium body, dark fruits and citrus.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Sweet roasted malts followed by intense, long-lasting bitter greens bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre -

Blow by Blow
The debate on what to call this style of hoppy dark ale still rages. Some call it Cascadian Dark Ale (CDA), some call it Black IPA and the BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program) has even weighed in, calling the style American Black Ale. Whatever you call it, it's a fun style and we're likely to pick up any new attempt we can find. Last year we staged our first CDA battle which was won by the delicious Deschutes Hop in the Dark. This battle features the Menage a Singe which we picked up in the Bay Area over the holidays and the Bump in the Night which is readily available in better Northwest grocery stores.

Both beers had almost the exact same deep, dark brown color but that was the only characteristic they shared. The Menage was an excellent beer with a solid dose of piny hops to complement the roasted coffee malts. The Bump in the Night was a whole different beast. The aroma was dominated by an intense "cat pee" smell (I'm sure there's a more technical term, but we don't know it), with a bit of tropical fruit thrown in the mix. Strange? Yes. Fortunately, the "cat pee" did not carry over into the flavor or finish, but the finish did have that really intense bitter-greens bitterness that is probably our least favorite hop characteristic in beer.

So, it was an easy victory for the Menage a Singe as the Bump just wasn't our favorite interpretation of the style. Unfortunately, you won't be able to find any of the Menage in the Northwest. However, if you find yourself in the SF Bay Area, do yourself a favor and stop by a Bevmo to pick up a bottle, or better yet, make a trip to The Tied House Cafe & Brewery in Mountain View to get some on tap if they have it.

Winner by unanimous decision: Menage a Singe

Flavored Lagers — Three Skulls Ales vs. Caldera Brewing Co.

2011-01-13T18:29:00.000-08:00

Three Skulls Ales
Buccaneer Bacon
(Lager Brewed with Bacon)
ABV ?%

Color: Golden yellow.
Aroma: Clean sweet lemon, wood smoke and some Belgian yeast funk.
Flavor: Light bodied, tart and fruity.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Tart
Finish: Acidic and tart with some lingering smoke and grain.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre

Caldera Brewing Co.
Rauch Ur Bock
(Smoked Lager)
ABV 7.4%

Color: Light orangish brown.
Aroma: Smoky meat.
Flavor: Full bodied, syrupy sweet, raisins & prunes.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Huge, sweet smoke bomb. Teriyaki beef jerky. Slight bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good -

Blow by Blow
Who can pass up a beer brewed with Bacon? Obviously not us. When we put the Bacon beer in the fridge it immediately got into a scuffle with the Caldera smoked lager. So, on a dark and stormy winter night we hosted a bottle battle featuring two beers that have flavors that conjure up a sunny backyard barbecue.

First and foremost, did the Buccaneer taste or smell like bacon? We're sorry to report that it was not able to fully capture that elusive meaty/smokiness of good bacon. It did have some smoke in the aroma and finish, but none of the meat flavors we were hoping for. As a matter of fact, it was the Rauch Ur Bock that had more bacon character, but it was some really, really intensely smoked bacon. The Buccaneer, on the other hand, was more subtle with the smoke and had a strange tartness that didn't really seem to fit the style. Ultimately, it got totally bullied by the Bock. About half way through, the massive aroma and flavor of the Caldera completely overwhelmed the Three Skulls and kind of annihilated our palates in the process.

To be honest, we weren't huge fans of either of these beers. The Three Skulls was too subtle and confused us with the tart flavors while the Caldera was so intense we couldn't even finish the whole bottle. We ended up choosing the Caldera because, although it was too sweet and smoky for our tastes, it's not a beer we'll soon forget.

Winner by unanimous decision: Caldera

Winter Beers — Iron Horse Brewery vs. MacTarnahan's

2011-01-07T17:49:00.000-08:00

Iron Horse Brewery
Mocha Death
ABV 7%

Color: Dark chestnut brown.
Aroma: Intense coffee bean, dust.
Flavor: Cloying and syrupy. Cola and mild coffee.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Sweet and sticky.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre +

MacTarnahan's
Winter Hum Bug'r
ABV 5.3%

Color: Deep, dark black.
Aroma: Sweet, cocoa, chocolate milk.
Flavor: Chocolate milk, roasted malts, some acidity.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Balanced
Finish: Mild bittersweet chocolate hop bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Blow by Blow
The first battle of the new year features our first two-time participant, MacTarnahan's Hum Bug'r. Last February it pulled off a victory over the 2009 version of Anchor Brewing's Our Special Ale. So this year, it put its 1-0 record on the line against the intimidatingly named Mocha Death, a winter seasonal from Iron Horse Brewery in Ellensburg, WA.

This year's version of the Hum Bug'r was quite similar to last year's. However, we detected more chocolate this year as opposed to the coffee notes we got last year. We also described it as "malty" last year, whereas this year's version had some nice hops in the finish which led to a "balanced" verdict. It really is a tasty, easy drinking, dark beer and it happens to be fairly inexpensive as well, making it a good value for an everyday winter beer. It also comes in six-packs for those that like smaller portions.

On the other hand, the Mocha Death was far from balanced. The aroma was like stuffing your head into a sack of coffee beans — super intense and very distinct. The flavor was way more subdued, offering cola and coffee notes, however the finish was syrupy sweet and cloying with no detectable hop bitterness at all. I have a pretty big sweet tooth and even I couldn't imagine drinking an entire pint in one sitting. If you are intrigued by the Death we suggest that you serve it for dessert since it will certainly satisfy your postprandial craving for both coffee and sweets!

Winner by unanimous decision: Hum Bug'r, giving it a 2-0 record in Bottle Battles. Congrats to MacTarnahan's!

Year End Recap

2010-12-31T08:19:00.000-08:00

2010 was a violent year. It started with a simple Bottle Battle, but soon expanded into Can Clashes, Tap Tussles and even a full-fledged Growler Grudge Match. That's a lot of delicious, thirst-quenching violence. Hopefully we inspired you to try some tasty new beers and avoid some that were less than stellar. Perhaps you were even compelled to stage a Bottle Battle of your own. It's certainly a fun and educational way to find out what you like and don't like in a beer.

Throughout the year we were treated to some epic duels, some lopsided first round knockouts and a few long, drawn-out snoozers. Of the 97 beers that we featured only 11 received a "Fantastic" rating (11.3%). The most common rating was "Good" which we assigned to 30 of the beers. We choose to believe this is an indicator of the overall solid quality of beer in the Northwest. The rest of the breakdown went as follows: Good +: 17, Good -: 9, Mediocre +: 6, Mediocre: 18, Mediocre -: 3, Bad: 3.

We'll finish with a list of all the beers we rated "Fantastic." Keep a lookout for these beers in 2011. Hopefully they'll be worthy of the rating we gave them in 2010. Have a safe and happy new year! May we suggest you toast the new year with a lambic instead of Champagne?

Rogue John John
(Dead Guy Ale Aged in Dead Guy Whiskey Barrels)

Diamond Knot Ho!Ho!Ho! Winter Ale

Widmer Deadlift Imperial IPA

Dogfish Head Burton Baton

Deschutes Hop in the Dark CDA
(Cascadian Dark Ale)

Laurelwood Organic Free Range Red Ale

New Belgium 2010 La Folie

Maui Brewing Co. Coconut Porter

Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse

Rock Bottom Bellevue
Fresh Hop Pale Ale (Tap Only)

Snipes Mountain
Harvest Fresh Hop Pale Ale (Tap Only)

Chocolate Stouts — Bison Brewing vs. Hermitage Brewing Co.

2010-12-24T18:23:00.001-08:00

Bison Brewing
Chocolate Stout
ABV 5%

Color: Dark brown.
Aroma: Coffee, green olive, smoke.
Flavor: Watered down cold coffee.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Slight chocolate that quickly fades.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre

Hermitage Brewing Co.
Irondale Swanton Rea's
Double Chocolate Stout
ABV 8%

Color: Black oil.
Aroma: Smokey coffee, molasses, slight sourness and cold steel.
Flavor: Creamy coffee, bitter dark chocolate, licorice.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Unsweetened cocoa powder.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Blow by Blow
This Christmas Eve we managed to sneak in a bottle battle in the midst of all the holiday revelry. And in the spirit of the season we invited family to join in the fist-flying festivities. Many thanks to Tom & Candace for their participation!

Chocolate stout seemed to be a good choice to wash down the obscene amounts of cookies, panuche and other assorted sweets so we gathered two bottles and let them have at it. We detected chocolate in both beers, but it was far more prominent in the Irondale stout. The Bison beer had a bit of chocolate in the finish, but was mostly dominated by watery coffee characteristics. The green olive note in the Bison was peculiar, but not off-putting and led to a discussion about how coffee beans aromas can sometimes cross over into the olive realm.

All in all, it wasn't a very close fight. The Irondale had far more body and much better chocolate flavor. The Bison is a real simple beer that we'd recommend you avoid unless you're looking for a good iced-coffee substitute next summer.

Winner by unanimous decision: Hermitage.

Winter Beers — Great Divide Brewing Co. vs. Full Sail

2010-12-16T18:21:00.000-08:00

Great Divide Brewing Co.
Hibernation Ale
ABV 8.7%

Color: Hazy brown.
Aroma: Smoke, meat, cocoa powder.
Flavor: Starts sweet and malty, ends meaty and savory. Quite complex.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Smokey chocolate with a touch of bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good +

Full Sail
Wreck the Halls
ABV 6.5%

Color: Hazy pumpkin orange.
Aroma: Piney hops and sweet malts.
Flavor: Medium body, pine, grapefruit. Starts malty and sweet, bitter hops take over late.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Tart lemon rind.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good +

Blow by Blow
Winter beers are made in a wide variety of styles ranging from big, bitter hop bombs to intensely sweet malt monsters. This battle highlighted two completely different styles — the Great Divide coming from the sweet and malty camp and the Full Sail exploring the hoppy realms.

Both beers impressed us, but they were so different that it was difficult to compare them. The Wreck the Halls did a great job of combining a big hop profile with enough malts to make it feel like a winter beer rather than an IPA. It's the perfect holiday beer for all the hop heads out there.

The Hibernation was a very unique beer. It managed to be extremely malty without being extremely sweet. As a matter of fact, the smokey and meaty notes were strong enough that the beer seemed almost savory at times. It proved to be a great complement to the smoked sausages we had for dinner. I'm very curious as to what a bit of age would do to this beer, so I think I'm going to buy a couple more to let "hibernate" for a year or two in the cellar.

The battle went all twelve rounds with both beers connecting with impressive combos but neither going down. In the end, Ellen chose the Full Sail for its great balance and I chose the Great Divide for its intriguing complexity. If you're lucky, you'll find both bottles in your stocking come Christmas morning!

Split decision: Ellen chose the Full Sail, I chose the Great Divide.

Winter Beers — Anderson Valley vs. Bridgeport

2010-12-09T17:44:00.000-08:00

Anderson Valley Brewing Co.
Winter Solstice
ABV 6.9%

Color: Orangey brown.
Aroma: Earthy sweet, molasses, canned pumpkin.
Flavor: Sweet and malty with some nutmeg and allspice notes.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Sweet graham crackers and pumpkin pie.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Bridgeport Brewing Co.
Nightcap Winter Ale
(33% Ale Aged in Oak Bourbon Barrels and 67% Ale)
ABV 7.2%

Color: Dark brown.
Aroma: Tart, molasses, dust.
Flavor: Simple, flat, dry and woody.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Slight tannic bitterness and toasted wood chips.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good -

Blow by Blow
Now that nature has turned out the lights, it's time to hunker down indoors and sip on big, warming, winter beers. So hunker down we did, battling a bottle from Anderson Valley Brewing in California against one from Bridgeport Brewing in Oregon.

It was a clean fight as both beers were well-made, but it wasn't the blockbuster we were hoping for. The Bridgeport was, honestly, a bit disappointing. It claims to have 33% ale aged in bourbon barrels which got our hopes up, but neither of us could detect any traces of bourbon in the beer. The oak, however, came through in a big way. Unfortunately, it was too much oak for our liking and it kind of countered the sweetness of the beer.

The Anderson Valley is a solid winter beer. It's got good sweetness, good mouthfeel and a nice dose of Christmas spices that are prevalent, but not overwhelming. Drink some as you put up the Christmas lights, but for Pete's sake be careful. We don't want anyone falling off the roof.

P.S. If you really want to get your fix of Winter Beers, make sure you check out the Winter Beer Fest at Hale's Ales in Seattle this weekend.

Winner by unanimous decision: Anderson Valley.

Tap Tussle — Full Sail vs. Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB)

2010-12-04T15:05:00.000-08:00

Full Sail Wassail blended with
Bourbon Barrel Porter
ABV ?%

Color: Black.
Aroma: Smoke, malt, chocolate.
Flavor: Acidity up front. Smooth, creamy, fruity and dry.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Balanced
Finish: Mild bittersweet chocolate.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

HUB Kentucky Christmas
(Abominable Winter Ale aged in Bourbon Barrels)
ABV ?%

Color: Deep, reddish brown/orange.
Aroma: Sweet and very floral with a bit of oak and citrus hops.
Flavor: Floral honey with some pine notes.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Toasted coconut and some distinct bitterness and tannins.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good +

Blow by Blow
We held this battle at the Bigwood beer event at Brouwer's Cafe in Seattle. Bigwood offers a serious selection of some of the biggest and baddest barrel-aged beers around, thus providing us with an ideal spot for a tap tussle.

We chose two beers that were aged or partially aged in bourbon barrels. As you can see from the photo, they were completely different styles. The HUB beer was more of a big, malty IPA and the Full Sail was a blend of dark beers. They both had great aromatics with the HUB featuring strong floral notes and the Full Sail countering with great fruity chocolate aromas. The flavors followed suit, with each one expanding on the aroma. We didn't detect any bourbon or oak in the Full Sail, however the HUB did have a nice touch of oak and even some tannins in the finish that were probably a result of the oak aging. It was an excellent duel, but in the end the Full Sail just couldn't match the bright and bold qualities of the HUB.

Both of the combatants were special release beers that are definitely worthy of seeking out at their respective pubs in Hood River and Portland or good taphouses in the Northwest. Bigwood is also a worthy event, however it sure would be a lot better if they'd offer smaller pours so that people could try more beers. I know this is a dish washing nightmare but I think it would be worth their time and effort as many people would be willing to spend more money for the opportunity to try more beers.

Belgian Style Ales — Full Sail vs. Lazy Boy

2010-11-24T17:13:00.000-08:00

Full Sail Sanctuary
(Belgian Style Dubbel)
ABV 7%

Color: Bronzy amber.
Aroma: Sour bananas, orange caramel, cloves.
Flavor: Sweet, malty, toasted nuts and banana.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Sweet, yeasty banana bread.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Lazy Boy Brewing Belgian
(Belgian Style Golden Ale)
ABV 8.7%

Color: Orangey gold.
Aroma: Vanilla yogurt.
Flavor: Floral. Bitter yogurt.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Sweet, metallic and more yogurt.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre -

Blow by Blow
In celebration of the holiday weekend we staged a Bottle Battle featuring interpretations of Belgian style beers done by two Northwest breweries. Joining us for the battle were esteemed family members Tempa, Jim, Tom & Candace. In one corner we had the Belgian Golden from Lazy Boy, in the other corner we had a Belgian Dubbel made by Full Sail. The fight didn't last long.

Basically, the Sanctuary came out and just leveled the Lazy Boy. First round knockout. Game over.

The Sanctuary was a real nice, solid Dubbel with classic Belgian yeast aromas and flavors and a nice medium body. The Lazy Boy, however, was messed up. Tempa immediately noticed that it smelled like vanilla yogurt and every one of us agreed. It was very strong and very strange. Definitely unlike any other Belgian any of us had ever tried. A couple of us wondered if it could have anything to do with lactobacillus which is a bacteria that is used in yogurt and sometimes beer (to make sour beers). So we weren't sure if the Lazy Boy was infected or not, but whatever it was we didn't care for it.

Happy Thanksgiving from Bottle Battle headquarters. Hopefully your turkey went well with your beer.

Winner by unanimous decision: Full Sail.

IPA Can Clash — Caldera vs. Maui Brewing Co.

2010-11-17T18:14:00.000-08:00

Caldera IPA
ABV 6.1%

Color: Dark reddish orange.
Aroma: Malt, moist ground funk, pine sap and caramel.
Flavor: Citrus peel hops, toffee, soap.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Intense and long lasting bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Maui Brewing Co.
Big Swell IPA
ABV 6.2%

Color: Light orangish yellow.
Aroma: Powerful floral and citrus.
Flavor: Sweet flowers, honey, cedar, citrus.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Mellow citrus and sharp acidity.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Blow by Blow
There is no shortage of IPA in the Northwest. However, your options are a bit more limited if you are looking for IPA in a can. This Can Clash features two imported (to the Seattle area) IPAs, one hailing from Southern Oregon and one from Hawaii. We popped them open on a brisk November evening to find out which one was best.

The Maui came out strong with an extremely intense aroma that packed a powerful punch. The Caldera was more subdued in the aroma but made up for it with a huge dose of hoppy bitterness in the finish. In a way, the beers were kind of mirror images of each other, with the Big Swell starting strong then slowly fading and the Caldera starting subtle and slowly building — two different approaches that both deliver the hops but in completely different ways.

In the end, both beers were still standing and both were confidently gesturing to the crowd as if they'd won. Turns out they both were wrong as the results revealed that it was a split decision. I preferred the wonderful aroma and sweet, citrusy flavors of the Big Swell while Ellen was drawn to the big, bitter finish and caramel notes of the Caldera. Neither quite reached the heights that some Northwest IPAs attain but both are well worth the space in your backpack should you need some liquid refreshment on your next hike.

Split decision: l chose the Maui while Ellen preferred the Caldera.