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

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.

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

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

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

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.