Workhorse IPA

Brothers and Sisters,

I dub this beer tasty! Sister H brought it home from the local grocer. It has a sunny bottle to match the day. In the glass, it is a red hued, deep amber. It has a wonderful, powerful aroma of hops and citrus. It is sweet and malty and bitter. There is a dry finish and mellowness to the malts. It has a complex flavor and it is very drinkable.

IBUs 80

ABV 7.5

Cheers,

RD

Golden Valley Brewing

Brothers and Sisters,

I returned from the Golden Valley with good news of froth and foam, in a word: beer. Walking into their brewery, I acquired a "ten tap stave sampler."

Brought forth on a bow of wood, I sipped and savored each ounce of the liquid goodness. I did not dislike one beer. I did not love any of the beers. Golden Valley makes a solid, quality brew. Each is carefully crafted. None are extreme. They are all good. None taste like another.

3rd Street Wheat: The brewery calls it an "approachable American Style wheat beer light in color with a crisp clean, slightly lemony flavor." The description makes the beer sound boring. It's not. It's the sparkling wine of wheat beers. It is a pale lemon in color with little aroma. The carbonation makes the brew crisp, yet clean with a faint citrus hint. It is very drinkable: a beer to conquer heat and humidity.

OG 1.039

IBU 18

ABV 3.9

Perrydale Pale: "Gold Valley's session style pale ale. Straw gold in color, and lightly hopped for a crisp and smooth flavor."

You all maybe shocked, but this pale was my favorite beer of the bunch. It was clean, light, and smooth, yet very tasty with a sweet touch.

OG 1.033

IBU 10

ABV 3.2

French Prairie Blanche: An "unfiltered Belgian Style Blond Ale spice with Orange Peel and Coriander."

The Belgian is a seasonal offering available in May and June. I found it to be pale yellow in color. It was clean, mild, and subtle.

OG 1.030

IBU 10

ABV 3.8

American Pale Ale: The brewery calls this beer their "Northwest style pale ale with a light malt profile and a citrus hop aroma."

Golden Valley's pale has a mild, malty body with a slight aroma of hops and citrus notes on back.

OG 1.048

IBU 35

ABV 4.6

Chehalem Mountain IPA: "A Northweststyle IPA with rich balanced malt profile with Centennial and Cascade bittering hops backed by a whole Kent Flower and Cascade dry hops."

This is not a NW style IPA. NW IPA tend to the extreme. This is a drinkable IPA: a friendly IPA, an IPA for those who don't like the bitterness of a NW IPA. Chehalem IPA is a lighter IPA. It's dry with subtle bitter tones on the back end. It's a good beer, a complex beer, a beer worth tasting.

OG 1.060

IBU 50

ABV 6.1

Red Thistle Ale: "The heavy use of imported malts creates a complex flavor that is balanced and enhanced by the use of mild noble hops."

Red Thistle is Golden Valley's flagship beer first brewed in 1993. On first sip, it was my least favorite beer in the sampler. It seemed a little watery on the front with mild hops on the back end. The more I drank, the more I liked it. I could taste the complex flavor. It's a good burger and fries beer.

OG 1.054

IBU 40

ABV 5.5

Geist Bock: "A traditional Mai bock lager with a full bodied malt character."

Tasty! Another seasonal. Sweet on the front end with mild bitterness on the end. I could tast the carbonation. After drinking this beer, I want to try more Geist Bocks!

OG 1.065

IBU 10

ABV 6.0

Bald Peak IPA: "Golden pale in color with a zesty bitterness and full aromatics in the finish. Brewed using Simcoe hops that have a floral citrus pear character and a zesty bitterness."

The Bald Peak IPA was my second favorite beer. It's a bold IPA. The zesty flavor is a testament to the extreme hops. It differs from most extreme IPAs by being is sparkly and sweet on the front with a very bold finish.

OG 1.060

IBU 50

ABV 6.1

Dundee Porter: "This robust porter has a luscious roasted malt complex with hints Chocolate malt and a slighty dry finish."

The Dundee Porter has a rich aroma. It's a properly dark beer. You can't see through it. It's not red in color at the base. The porter has faint hints of chocolate. You can taste the roasted malts. It's not a beer to drink with a meal. It's a meal beer: a dessert beer, a beer for the dark of winter.

OG 1.061

IBU 26

ABV 6.1

Muddy Valley Oatmeal Stout: "This Stout is brewed using roasted, black barley and chocolate malts in a mildly astringent with burnt malt tones. A higher finishing gravity promotes a full-bodied stout. Served on a nitrogen faucet."

This oatmeal stout is thick and creamy with the faintest hints of chocolate. It's smooth and slightly sweet. You can tell it is poured on from nitro. If you are a stout fan, you'll like this beer.

OG 1.078

IBU 30

ABV 6.8

Robust Porter

Robust Porter from Firestone Walker Brewing Company. Another porter grabbed during the great bottle run. 5.9% alcohol, with a mellow and smooth taste. I wouldn't really describe it as robust though. A "mild" porter at best, with a slight caramel flavor.

Espresso Stout

Again I had a chance to have the Oakshire Overcast Espresso Stout. I realized I had this beer before, but picked up another bottle. A great rich and dark beer. It has great flavor and smells wonderful. A great aroma of coffee and light chocolate. It hits your tongue in all the right areas. I almost think this is one of my new favorite beers, much better than I remember.

Lager and a Pale

A fan of Walkabout Brewing, I was excited to find a 22 of there Worker's Pale Ale at the local beer store. I put it in the kegarator, waiting for time to drink it. That time was tonight after dinner, while goofing around in the extra room. Walkabout has always been a craft brewer and I am still a fan of the Crocktoberfest and the Jabberwocky. Walkabout does most of their business with draft.

I enjoyed the simple crisp clear taste, with a surprisingly great aroma. Thinking I wouldn't like it I found myself picking up the empty bottle trying to get a another swig, not realizing it was empty. A great simple beer with a clean taste and well made. I would recommend it.

The other beer I opened was a tester. At Trader Joe's last week, I walked the beer aisle to see if they had any good deals or anything new (the oatmeal stout isn't half bad). I noticed a beer in cans, which is unusual for Trader Joe's. Only Fosters and a couple English beers are ever in cans. This an American beer, Red Oval Classic Lager. The other thing caught me was a clever sign stating "2.99 at this price you can't help give it a try".

Why not? I had spent that much on a terrible Japanese "Stout" once. The mrs was sceptical as well. I had just been to a bottle shop and purchase over $60 of stouts, porters and such. (more on that later)

Not expecting anything than a skunky Coors Light (which has its place). I was pleasantly surprised. It did not suck. It had a great lager taste and reminded me a little of Henry's, with a smoother taste. Granted this beer will never win any medals, but it was a good gamble, making me wish I had bought more, but then I would never get to the coconut porter i have stored up.

Hey Friends of the Beermongers!

A quick (post) to let all ya beer lover's know what is going on next
weekend at the Beermongers.

Of course Saturday May 8th is our All Day Bar Baptism Party. We will be opening bottles of our favorite beer all day, starting at noon. The samples of these brews will be FREE, here are some of the offerings: Upright "Foreplay" and "Oyster Stout," Bogedal #130, Urthel Hop-It, Sierra Nevada "Life and Limb," Scaldis "Prestige Des Nuits," and 6 liters worth of Val Dieu Grand Cru. We will have some of Oregon smallest breweries featured on draft including Off the Rail, Fire Mountain, and Heater Allen, and we have some great kegs stashed away such as Schneider Aventinus and The Bruery Berliner-Weisse. At around 5pm we will Christen the Tropical Salvage Hardwood Bar in Beermonger style. We will have some special guests from the Beer World and Beyond and Free snacks All Day!

Sunday May 9th is Mother's Day. We are hosting a unique beer class with our friends from the Oregon Beer Odyssey entitled "Beer to your Mother" at 4 pm. The class cost $35 per person and will include many beer samples, printed materials, and light snacks. Sign up at the store or on OregonBeerOdyssey.com

The class will be followed by at 5:30 pm by Free Tasting featuring Sierra Nevada. So bring your Mom to the store and give her the gift of BEER.

Cheers,
Sean and Craig

beermongers

Hop Henge Experimental IPA

While I was recovering, Brother Pete brought over a 22 oz. bottle of Deschutes's Hop Henge Experimental IPA as a get well gift. I saved the bottle until I was on my feet, and shared it with Brother B last weekend. The ale has an impressive deep amber hue. Bottle opened, it smelled of flowers and hops. It's a clean crisp beer: Not too heavy, Not too hoppy, Drinkable on any day.