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

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

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

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

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)

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

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

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