Red Ales — Laurelwood vs. Elysian

Laurelwood
Organic Free Range Red Ale
ABV 5.9%

Color: Diluted cranberry juice.
Aroma: Sweet with piney hops and a savory element, almost like worchestershire sauce, but in a good, mellow way.
Flavor: More sweet than hoppy. Honey and toasted grain with slight acidity.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Balanced.
Finish: Sweet honey maltiness followed by a pleasant bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Fantastic

Elysian
The Men's Room
Original Red
ABV 5.6%

Color: Reddish-orange.
Aroma: Funky, cannabis hops with sweet malts in the background.
Flavor: Slight citrus at the beginning, but then turns sweet, simple and thin.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Balanced.
Finish: Not much. Tiny bit of bitterness comes in late.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre

Winner by unanimous decision: Laurelwood.
As we've said before, with red ales you never know what you're going to get. Some of the reds we've had in the past have been phenomenal, others forgettable. So, it was with a mixture of excitement and trepidation that we popped the caps off these two combatants.

If the fight were between the mascots on the bottles, most people would put their money on the restroom devil guy over the chicken and most people would be wrong. The chicken was not messing around and it really dominated the fight from the starting bell — looking redder and tasting better. It had a great balance of sweet to bitter and a fantastic aroma that managed to be sweet and savory at the same time. All in all it was a delicious beer that would go nicely with a variety of foods — might we suggest beer can chicken?

The Men's Room Red is a beer that is brewed for the KISW radio show of the same name. A portion of the profits from sales go to helping support families of military veterans, so if you want to drink beer and support a good cause, get yourself a Men's Room Red. It's not majorly flawed or anything, it just got whooped by a chicken, that's all.

Imperial IPAs — Red Hook vs. Silver City

Red Hook Big Ballard
Imperial IPA
ABV 8.6% IBU 73

Color: Clear, golden orange.
Aroma: Clean, fresh citrus hops and a touch of stinky cheese.
Flavor: Starts sweet and syrupy then slowly morphs into an intense "bitter greens" bitterness.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy.
Finish: Long lasting harsh bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Silver City
Whoop Pass Double IPA
ABV 8.5% IBU ?

Color: Hazy, brownish orange.
Aroma: Sweet honey with sharp, piney hops.
Flavor: Sweet and viscous. Orange blossom notes and nice floral hoppiness.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy.
Finish: Mellow citrus peel (less bitter than the Red Hook).
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Winner by unanimous decision: Silver City.
Imperial (or double) IPAs are all about hops and these beers were no exception. Both delivered their own special blend of extreme hoppiness, but it was the Whoop Pass that lived up to its name.

It really was an even match in the aroma and flavor, but Big Ballard tired down the stretch and lost his balance. The result was an intensely bitter finish that could barely be washed away with water. Granted, some people like that kind of tastebud beatdown, but it was a bit too much for us.

The Silver City, on the other hand, was silky smooth throughout the fight and finished with a pleasant citrus peel bitterness that faded away fairly quickly and left us wanting more.

If you like big, hoppy beers, both of these should be right up your alley. If you don't, don't you think it's about time you started a relationship with the Humulus Lupulus?

Oak Aged Sour Brown Ales — New Belgium vs. Russian River

New Belgium
2010 La Folie
(Aged in French oak barrels)
ABV 6%

Color: Deep, dark, reddish-brown.
Aroma: Sharp, intense sour cherry mixed with some burnt caramel and barnyard funk.
Flavor: Creamy, rich and intensely sour with some subtle creamy woodiness.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): N/A (SOUR!)
Finish: Sour cherries with some chalky tannins.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Fantastic

Russian River Supplication
(Aged in Pinot Noir barrels with sour cherries)
ABV 7%

Color: Hazy orange.
Aroma: Floral and perfumy with some pumpkin pie spices and a ton of funkiness.
Flavor: Not nearly as sour as NB, creamy tart lemon.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): N/A
Finish: Bitter (but not like hop bitterness) and slightly metallic.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Split decision: Both of these sours are highly regarded among beer connoisseurs so it was bound to be a good fight. As expected, they both assaulted our senses with aromas and flavors that are very different than your average malt/hop combination. After 10 grueling rounds, Ellen chose the Supplication and I chose the La Folie.

For Ellen it came down to sourness (disclaimer: she is not a big fan of sour beers). The La Folie is wicked, face-contorting, tongue-stinging, sour! The Supplication exhibits mild sourness by comparison, so it is not surprising that she chose it.

While I agreed that the La Folie was more sour, I thought that the burnt caramel and wood notes complemented the sourness and created a seriously delicious combination. I also detected some metallic notes in the finish of the Supplication that Ellen wasn't as sensitive to.

One thing that stood out to both of us was that the La Folie had sour cherry notes even though it didn't spend any time aging with cherries, while the Supplication displayed no cherries despite being aged with them. Curious.

If you haven't tried a sour beer, you owe it to yourself and your palate to do so. A good sour will totally obliterate your perception about what a beer can be.

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

Extra Pale Ales — Full Sail vs. Hood Canal Brewing

Full Sail Hop Pursuit
Extra Pale Ale
ABV 6% IBU 55

Color: Hazy yellow.
Aroma: Sweet and malty with a small dose of citrus hops. Ellen detected some rose aromas.
Flavor: Sweet citrus, more orange than grapefruit with nice malt backbone, not very bitter.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Balanced.
Finish: Slight citrus bitterness and a bit of grassiness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre +

Hood Canal Brewing
Dosewallips Special Ale
ABV ?% IBU ?

Color: Crystal clear light orange.
Aroma: Stinky cheese, sweet malts and butter, like a buttered popcorn jelly belly.
Flavor: Slightly sweet and malty with absolutely zero hoppiness.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty.
Finish: Buttery and metallic.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Bad

Winner by unanimous decision: Full Sail.
This one wasn't even close. The Dosewallips started the fight by spitting up a bit (foaming over) when I popped the cap and it was downhill from there. The beer was likely infected with diacetyl, a naturally occurring by-product of beer fermentation that can really mess up a beer if it becomes too prominent. At high levels, it gives beer a buttery aroma and flavor that can be downright nasty. We definitely detected butter in the Dosewallips and it was not pleasant. We tried to give it a chance, Lord knows we tried, but ultimately we had to admit that it was a bad beer. As a matter of fact, it is the first beer that we have rated "bad" in six months of doing battles. A dubious honor to be sure.

The Hop Pursuit was not a great beer, but all it really had to do was show up and it was guaranteed a victory. Against stiffer competition it might not have fared so well. The name was a bit misleading, as it didn't really have a prominent hop aroma or bitterness. It may have been pursuing hops, but it sure wasn't catching any.

And finally, what the hell is an Extra Pale Ale? Is it supposed to be something between a Pale Ale and an IPA? Is it an ESB (Extra Special Bitter) in disguise? Is it a marketing gimmick? My half-hearted Google search yielded no answers. Anyone want to fill me in?

Southern Oregon Red Ales — Klamath Basin vs. Southern Oregon Brewing

Klamath Basin
Drop Dead Red Ale
ABV 5.9%

Color: Cranberry red.
Aroma: Piney hops, sweet, bready malts.
Flavor: Starts malty sweet then moves into a soapy, minerally flavor.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy.
Finish: Bitter, piney and minerally.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre +

Southern Oregon Brewing
Woodshed Red Ale
ABV 6.3%

Color: Orange/red.
Aroma: Sweet (almost like wort) and floral with some smoky roasted malts.
Flavor: Citrus hops.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy.
Finish: Long lasting citrus bitterness with a touch of dried grains.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Winner by unanimous decision:
Southern Oregon Brewing.
On our recent trip to southern Oregon we found tons of bottles just itching for a fight. These two red ales seemed particularly feisty, so we threw them both in the ring to see what they were made of. Turns out, they were both made of water, hops, barley and yeast, but, in our opinion, the SOB was superior.

But before we get into the details, what the hell is a red ale? Well, to be extremely simplistic, it is an ale that is reddish in color. Other than that, red ales don't really have any specific style guidelines. Brewers are free to interpret red ales in any way they choose. Some choose to make them sweet and malty like an amber, while others choose to ramp up the hops and make them into reddish IPAs.

If we were judging by color alone, the Klamath Falls would have won easily. It had a gorgeous red color reminiscent of cranberry juice. It also had a great nose — a good combination of piney hops and sweet malts. Unfortunately, the flavor did not follow suit. The piney hop flavor was so intense that it tasted minerally and almost soapy. The SOB wasn't as flashy in the glass, but it made up for its duller red color with a more complex flavor profile, offering roasty notes along with the floral and citrus hops.

Now is when I should make a joke about the Drop Dead being taken behind the Woodshed and taught a lesson, but I just can't bring myself to do it. Instead, I will conclude by recommending that you find time in your busy schedules to check out southern Oregon — it's a beautiful area that offers plenty of craft beer to go along with the myriad of recreational activities.

Oak-Aged Ales — Stone vs. Dogfish Head

Stone Brewing
Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale
ABV 7.2% IBU Classified

Color: Brownish red.
Aroma: Roasted sweet malts and spicy, piney hops.
Flavor: Starts with a rich, sugary molasses, then moves into intense bitter hoppiness.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy.
Finish: Intensely bitter, like bitter greens. Also slightly tannic (could it be from the oak aging?)
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good +

Dogfish Head Burton Baton
ABV 10% IBU 70

Color: Bright, clear orange.
Aroma: Massive piney hop blast.
Flavor: Citrusy hop syrup.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty.
Finish: Very sweet with orange flower water notes and mild hop bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Fantastic.

Winner by unanimous decision: Dogfish Head.
What a battle! Both of these beers are big, strong, bold and brash and the fight was very evenly matched. But, as you might expect, the Arrogant one got cocky and started showboating. Baton, on the other hand, maintained focus and leveled the Bastard in the 9th round.

Both of these beers are well worth your attention. They both have intense aromas, but the Burton Baton's is almost absurd. If you take a big enough whiff you kind of partially pass out and then get a slight headache, but before you know it, you're going back for another sniff.

The most interesting distinction we found between the two was that the Bastard had a lot of sweetness in the aroma but tasted quite hoppy while the Baton smelled hoppier but tasted sweet. The other thing to note was that despite the wood aging, neither of us detected any wood flavors or aromas in the beers.

In the end, it came down to the finish. The finish on the Bastard was wicked bitter and lingered a bit too long. The finish on the Baton, however, was delightfully rich and sweet with a mellow bitterness that was just enough to complement the sweet. To us, the Baton is definitely more of a dessert beer, perfect for slow sipping by the campfire while you contemplate the nature of hops and the meaning of wort.

Summer Beers — Sierra Nevada vs. New Belgium

Sierra Nevada Summerfest Lager
ABV 5%

Color: Crystal clear, bright, sunny yellow.
Aroma: Clean, floral, some dry grains, lemon and distinct Belgian yeast notes (spicy cloves).
Flavor: Sweet and citrusy, like grapefruit sprinkled with sugar.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Mild citrus hoppy bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

New Belgium Skinny Dip
(brewed with Kaffir Lime Leaf)
ABV 4.2%

Color: Crystal clear, amber orange.
Aroma: Floral hops and some caramel malts.
Flavor: Thin, sweet lemon water.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Not much, just sort of disappears.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre

Winner by unanimous decision: Summerfest.
It may be hard for those of us in the Northwest to believe, but summer starts in four days. If you dig the hot weather, spring has been a serious disappointment. It hasn't hit 75º yet this year in Seattle, but when it does, you'll want to have a cold craft beer in your hand to celebrate the occasion.

In an attempt to kick-start the hot weather we threw two summer seasonals into the ring and let them have at it. The Summerfest didn't mess around. It dropped the Skinny in the second round with a devastating combination of crisp, refreshing flavor and surprising complexity. Honestly, we suspect that the Skinny Dip didn't train hard enough for this fight. It tasted like a thin amber ale and the kaffir lime leaf was hardly detectable. The Summerfest, on the other hand, was a fantastic summer sipper. It was light and crisp enough to quaff, but also offered ample flavor and complexity to tickle your taste buds.

Sierra Nevada will be pouring their Summerfest at the 2010 Washington Brewers Festival this weekend. If you're smart, you'll drop all of your previous plans and head out to the festival for some Summerfest and hopefully some sun to go along with it.

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