April is my birthday month and I am lucky enough to have good friends and family who love me. Sometimes people show their love and/or friendship in different ways. Some give kisses, some hugs, some bring the hard rocking. I am here to say nothing says love like the gift of beer. Frosty delivered a surprise package of three Ninkasi point twos (thanks to Liddell I know what that means). I’ve enjoyed the three distinct brews over the last few days.

In part one I’ll cover my favorite of the three; the Ninkasi Tricerahops Double IPA. But first, a little background on Ninkasi and my introduction to it.

I first heard of Ninkasi at John Barleycorn’s tavern in Tigard. I sat at the local McMenaman’s with my friend Ken listening to him, a fellow beer connoisseur, rant about how mediocre McMenaman’s beer is. Personally, I’ve never had a problem with a nice Rubinator (Terminator and Ruby) but I have encountered some interesting flavors in the past. In the end, I respect Ken’s opinion and like him, will continue to drink the swill the McMenemin brothers are serving.

As we were talking, Ken motioned to a nearby table interested in the conversation taking place. Evidently, the table guests were made up of some McMeniman’s big-wigs and the brewmaster from Ninkasi. Ken wondered what they could be talking about and pondered who it would be better for, McMenemin’s or Ninkasi. After a few minutes Jamie Floyd, Ninkasi brewmaster and owner, came over and said hi to Ken. Being fellow Eugenians they had met before. I was struck by how Jamie talked about his brews. He described them the way an artist talks about a series of paintings. He described them with beauty and vision. I had to try his beer. Its taken a few months and an especially painful close call at the Ship (in Multnohmah Village) but Frosty delivered Ninkasi to my doorstep.

So how does it taste damn it! Tricerahops Double IPA doesn’t disappoint. The first thing that took me was the complexity of the flavor. Hops for sure, but not just hops. Many brewers think they can create a great IPA  just by doubling or tripling the hops. Lagunitas and Rogue have been able to do it successfully but most fail with thundering cheek-smash.

Ninkasi Tricerahops Double IPA is a work of art.

For a change, before buying this, I actually felt with it and hip. If it hadn’t been for some pressing home matters, I would actually have been at the “release” for this brew. Or at least the tasting. So much was my surprise when I went by the wall of beer and saw a nice big bottle of Stumptown Tart sitting there. I mean look at her, how could you not grab that bottle.

In stark contrast to Walt’s testosterone fueled bottle art, this label not only wouldn’t kick your ass, but would most likely do something entirely different to it. But since this site needs to stay SFW, let’s move on.

The first pour of this told me how good it was going to be. The color alone was inspiring. Ruby-purple. I mean come on. I may be gushing a little too much because I just drank the whole big bottle, but I loved this beer. It takes fruity to the next level.  In all fairness, it’s probably closer to a lambic than an actual “beer”, but its damn good. It’s like drinking an alcoholic carbonated fruit juice.

My only semi-complaint about it, which may seem sort of nit picky, is that the serving size is too big. Because of the size of the bottle, and the desire not to have flat gross day old beer, you feel compelled to drink the whole thing. But man, is that a lot of sweet. I like a good tart as much as the next guy, but there can be too much of a good thing (chaffing?).

Still, super kudos goes to Bridgeport, who currently hold a 6 and a 5 on this site. I’ve been wary in the past since they sell beer at Trader Joes … but hey, everyone is allowed one mistake in life. With this and Haymaker, Bridgeport have climbed the mantle and can now hold on to the coveted “Frosty’s Official Portland Brewery” medal.

In closing, I bid you all to key an eye out for this sweet tart. And when you find her, grab her gently, take her top off, and wrap your mouth around … uh, er … you get the idea.

First of all, sorry for my tardiness in coming to this fine site. Hopefully my additions will be worth the wait. It took some thought to decide what beer my first review should be about, but I decided to start on a high note. I decided to start with my all time favorite beer (so far), the Black Seal Stout from Rock Bottom Brewery. For those of you unfamiliar with the sublime experience that is Black Seal Stout, it is chocolate-y and coffee-y but without any burnt flavors sneaking in to ruin the party. It’s also very smooth and very dark. Light doesn’t stand a chance of getting through it. I would probably drink this exclusively if it weren’t for the fact that I’ve never been able to drink more than one pint at a time. I will admit that my taste in beer runs on the less hoppy side, more malty side, but this beer epitomizes that. If you’re in the mood for a rich, creamy after-dinner drink, may I humbly suggest the Black Seal Stout.

Until next time, here’s to beer you can’t see through.

NOTE: I already reviewed this beer. Evidently I forgot about how much I liked it, and I didn’t realize I wrote the previous post until I had written it.Frosty talks a lot about the craft-brew scene in San Diego a lot. Being from Portland, I always kind of roll my eyes and say something about being from the birthplace of microbrews. Of course, I know that micro/craft brewing is something that kind of popped up nationwide (if not worldwide) at the same time in many places. I just say that kinda crap because I know Frosty will react in the special way he does. It does something for me, if you know what I mean.

Anywhoo, I was at my local New Seasons and spied an Imperial India Pale Ale (or 2PA for those in the biz). I love IPA, and 2PA is many times even better. However, sometimes people over do it and it turns out to be cheek-smash-palooza. Rogue has a nice one and it is one of my favorites. Green Flash has done it right with their 2PA.The hop flavor is delicious. If you have ever rubbed hops between your hands to smell the aroma, the experience is captured here. It makes you pause for a moment to take a whiff of it before taking a sip. Not long after, you find yourself wanting to take another whiff and sip too.

For an ale to inspire this lager-esque reaction is rare. Bright hoppy flavor but not too snappy. I like it!

I wrote a post a while back about an awesome tour I got from a brewman at Bridgeport. I recently sampled Bridgeport’s Hopfest (I think that is what is was called). Double hoppiness is just right for a hop lover like me. However, something about it was familiar. The extreme hoppiness seemed familiar to me.

When we sampled the IPA right out of the settling tanks we attributed the extra hoppiness to the fact that we were drinking really fresh beer. But I think this is the beer we sampled on the tour! Our sly brewman didn’t clue us in, but I think we got a little preview of this limited run ale.

Pretty cool.

Faithful friends gathered drunkenly here today, I bring to you a review of joy and sadness. It is both a highlight of beer drinking, and a sad eulogy for an era gone by. And more and more sad southern preacher talk. Because the beer I have the sad pleasure of bringing you today stands as the best beer I’ve ever tasted. Dixie Blackened Voodoo. It is one of only two “six” rated beers I have ever had, and stands out so high on the list that I would bathe in the stuff…if I could get it ever again.

Which is why I carry the undertone of sadness. You see, thanks to that lovable hurricane we call Katrina, the Dixie Brewing Company was flooded and trashed. Then, because humans are such good creatures by nature, looters and thieves began breaking in and stealing all the equipment. NPR has the tale here. They claim they will be back in October of 2007, and I sincerely hope they do.

Blackened Voodoo is so yummy its hard to describe. Its jet black, super smooth, and drinks like an alcoholic Coke. I used to get these from the bar in Claim Jumper over and over again. Only the fact that I despised waiting in line for an hour to eat kept me from going more.

If the Dixie Brewing Company makes a comeback and begins to flow the voodoo again, I command you (by poking your little doll with sharp needles…voodoo get it?) to get one.