IPAs — Widmer vs. MacTarnahan's

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

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.

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.

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