- Product Reviewed: Misc. Beers at the 1999 OBF
- Brewed By: Misc. Brewers
- Form Reviewed: Draft at the Festival
- Date Reviewed: July 23 & 24, 1999
- Originally posted to Usenet: August 25, 1999
- Added to the Tasting Notebook: August 30, 1999
While this review is late, the beers are plentiful.
As in the past, my overview of the Oregon Brewers Festival departs from my standard approach to reviewing beer, concentrating on brief notes rather than a comprehensive study. The methodology remains the same; I first describe the beer, then offer an objective analysis when appropriate. Final ratings are based on a five-point system.
I know Nick Bruels. Nick Bruels is a friend of mine. Let me tell you, I'm no Nick Bruels. While the balance of
my time in Portland is spent away from the festival, I do sample around 20 beers at the OBF annually, though this is a bit shy of a Bruelsian level of accomplishment.
The standout beer this year was not a festival beer at all. While cheating, I'm annointing the mythical Adam Batch #29 as my favorite beer (*****) of the 1999 Oregon Brewers Festival (look for the full review). On the actual festival grounds, the Rogue Imperial Pilsner stood out.
BREWER: Alameda Brewhouse, Portland, OR
BEER: Fremont St. Vienna
STYLE: Vienna Lager
NOTES: Nice amber color. Grainy profile, no depth of maltiness.
RATING: no rating
BREWER: Angel City Brewing Co.; Culver City, CA
BEER: Angel City Vitzen
STYLE: German Hefeweizen
NOTES: Both banana esters and clove phenolics dominate the nose,
with the edge going to the banana. The flavor was malty
and cloying to the point of bubblegummy -- the banana
dominates in the flavor. Overall a nice attempt at the
style, but the flavor could benefit by pumping more cloviness
out of the yeast.
RATING:
BREWER: Bayern Brewing Co.; Missoula, Montana
BEER: Bayern Schwarzbier
STYLE: German Black Lager
NOTES: Malty notes compete with a pleasant coffee aroma in the nose.
Color is darker than a dunkel. The flavor is crisp and clean
as a lager ought to be, with complementary chocolate notes.
The spicy maltiness often found in dark German lagers is absent.
Overall, a nice, smooth beer.
RATING:
BREWER: Bear Republic Brewing Co.; Healdsburg, CA
BEER: Ricardo's Red Rocket Ale
STYLE: "Strong American Red Ale"
NOTES: This is a big beer that hypes its hoppiness. The nose features a
balance of a light citruisy hoppiness and background maltiness.
Caramelly notes, typical of an American amber, initially
dominate the palate, but are quickly subsumed by a general maltiness,
some hoppy flavor, and a lingering bitter finish. Quite a bit is
going on in this beer, not surprising with 63 IBUs supported by
a gravity of 1.069. I found a bit too much crystal up front
for my liking (too much Alaska Amber and not enough Alaskan Frontier
or Rogue Red) and a curious lack of a "Wall of Hops". Nevertheless,
a solid beer.
RATING:
BREWER: Casey's Restaurant & Brewery
BEER: Drunken Squirrel
STYLE: ESB
NOTES: This ESB really isn't, but it's still a damned interesting beer.
The beer is lagered on bourbon staves, and hopped with an
eclectic mix of varieties, inclduing Hallertauer, Columbus, and
and Tettnanger. The aroma is woody and oaky, and the flavor
meets the expectations generated by the nose. While a bit
on the thin side, the profile is awash in various flavors,
including general malty notes tempered by a subtle bitterness,
a hint of graininess, wood, and a rounded vanilla note.
Although a bit grainy, the beer comes across nuanced and smooth
overall. The name was a hit with the crowd as well.
RATING:
BREWER: Full Sail Brewing Co.; Hood River, Oregon.
BEER: The People's Ale
STYLE: "Belgian Style Special Golden Ale"
NOTES: I wanted to like this beer. I really did. At 1.080, I was
hoping for a Duvelish beer, I instead sampled a beer remniscient of
an attempt at Chimay White fermented really hot. Banana
dominated -- no -- obliterated the aroma and flavor of this
beer. The consensus at the table is that this beer simply
didn't work.
RATING:
BREWER: Lagunitas Brewing Co.; Petaluma, CA
BEER: Maximus IPA
STYLE: IPA
NOTES: A strong, big IPA with an aggressive, resiny hop assault
supported by a strong malt base. The brewer claims that it's
hopped with "Eroica, Pathetique, Emporer, and Moonlight" hops,
which would make this beer a breakthrough that only Bob Klein
could appreciate. Regardless of the fanciful hop varieties,
this is a solid, upstanding citizen of IPA Nation.
RATING:
BREWER: Odell Brewing Co.; Fort Collins, CO
BEER: 90 Shilling
STYLE: Scottish Ale
NOTES: Not much of a nose, but a pleasant, subtle, malty sweetness
makes this an enjoyable session beer.
RATING:
BREWER: Old Market Pub & Brewery
BEER: British Bombay IPA
STYLE: IPA
NOTES: Not an IPA. Call it a pale ale and be done with it!
RATING:
BREWER: Rio Salado Brewing Co.; Tempe, Arizona
BEER: Rio Salado Export
STYLE: "German-Style Pilsner Lager"
NOTES: This beer has a medium hoppy/malty aroma. A decent level
of maltiness opens while a chalky, slightly astringent
notes finish. This beer comes across more like an export than
a pilsner, and lacks a level of crispness found in better lagers.
RATING:
BREWER: Rogue Ales, Newport, OR
BEER: Imperial Pilsner
STYLE: "Pilsner"
NOTES: This beer arrives in your glass equipped with the
trademark Rogue massive hoppy aroma. It further
pleads its case with a subtle malty flavor that is
balanced out by said hops to create a dryish overall
profile. A hoppy flavored middle, at once lightly citruisy and
grassy, yields to a smooth, yet bitter finish. Overall
a dangerously interesting beer. With a gravity of 1.072
boosting the ABV to 8.8%, this beer is a threat to one's
judgment.
RATING:
BREWER: Snipes Mountain Brewing Co.; Sunnyside, WA
BEER: Porter
STYLE: Robust Porter
NOTES: A delightful roasty, coffeeish nose stes the stage
for a slight dissapointment as the flavor does not carry
through on promises made by the aroma. The flavor is
a bit on the thin side, yet roasty notes and an earthy
floral hoppiness rounds leaves the taster quite satisfied
with this beer.
RATING:
BREWER: Terminal Gravity Brewing Co.; Enterprise, OR.
BEER: Terminal Gravity IPA
STYLE: IPA
NOTES: A nice, hoppy aroma sets the stage, but sadly
there is no show. While this beer has a decent maltiness,
the overall hop character is subdued. The finish is a bit on
the astringent side.
RATING:
BREWER: Wynkoop Brewing Co.; Denver, CO
BEER: Wiza Weiss
STYLE: German Weiss Beer
NOTES: The aroma opens with a pleasing blend of wheaty maltiness,
clove, and banana working together to achieve a greater
future for all. The flavor is a bit dry, lacking a
definitive malty statement, but the clove and banana continue their
complementary work well through the flavor profile.
RATING:
