Stumptown Tart II: Not Empire Strikes Back, but better than Temple of Doom

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It’s always a little scary to go into a sequel when you loved the original so much. As you may remember, the original Stumptown Tart still holds as my favorite beer of all time. So when I heard they were remaking it with a new formula, I was super hesitant. I was also however super impatient, so without waiting for it make it to the local store, I drove downtown to pick up a bunch of bottles from the Bridgeport Brewery. (Before I go on, I would like to point out that buying beer at the brewery is ridiculously cheaper than buying it at the store. Still love you — Belmont Station!)

So I fired up the BBQ, poured a bottle into a cool glass, and took a sip. Now, when I went to the new Star Trek movie last week (awesome!), it took a while to really get into it, because I had to put out of my mind the movies and shows that had come before it, and accept it on its own (Winona Ryder?). This beer was much the same. I finished the whole bottle, but actually refused to do any reviewing at all until I had a second bottle (not right away…geez I’m not that much of a drunk).

It was after finishing off the second bottle with Grandpa Goodbeer that I decided this beer had really come into its own. It’s a cherry wheat, which if Sam Adams is any indication, can be done very, very wrong. Luckily, Bridgeport knows how to do what so very few brewers do, and that is to make a fruit beer that doesn’t feel like you are getting a swirly in a beer tinged fruit salad. This stuff is great. The fruit is really low key, and the aged ale gives just the tiniest hint of sourness.

The only downside was reported by the wife, who had a real problem with the smell of the beer … which to be honest did have a hint of ‘wet dog’. Luckily I’m a mouth breather with allergy congestion, so this issue evaded me. Still, I figured I’d mention it just to warn you ’smell endowed’ folks.

In all, although ST2 isn’t quite the elixir of love its predecessor was, its still a super awesome beer. Not Wrath of Khan, but way better than Matrix Revolutions. Movie analogies now exhausted, it’s further proof that Bridgeport is the ‘awesomest of awesome’ craft brewery around.