Portland Holiday Ale Fest Round Up!
Nick and I pondering the universe... of BEER!
This year’s Holiday Ale Fest was special in many ways. Beer and friends all under one big tent. However, the most special thing of all the special things about this years Ale Fest was that I just happen to work 50 feet and 8 stories away from it. It was hard to say, “Eh, maybe next year.” when I had to navigate the line just to get to my bus every night.
So this year I made it down for a couple nights of beer and well, more beer. I was glad to see most of my favorites, there were only a couple breweries I didn’t recognize and a little disappointed not to see some that were new to me. I was also glad to have my trusty 33 Beers Journal with me. This handy dandy little booklet makes reviewing anywhere easy as a pils no matter how many you’ve had. The flavor wheel™ both enlightened my reviewing skills and helped me remember the sort of sensations rolling through my mouth, even in the middle of a crowd of fellow beer lovers.
Beer Reviews Made Easy
Over two nights I used my $20 worth of tickets (10 to be exact) wisely. I was able to purchase two mugs and about 3 tasters. Here’s the secret: bring friends. In addition to my own beer, I tasted several friend’s beers. I mean, I know it’s swine flu season and all, but I think it’s worth it. After all, it’s alcohol right? Kills swine flu dead. With a little help from my friends, I turned 10 tickets into about 20. I think I made a couple new friends too.
In all I was able to sample 6 beers. I think I had more than that but I only wrote down 6 so that is what I will write about. I’ve got 27 more pages to fill up in my journal but that will have to wait until next time.
Here is the roundup:
Hair of the Dog – Jim 2009 (4 stars/5 mugs)
I heard there was a 2007 tapped earlier in the fest but I couldn’t care less. Smooth, full-bodied, with hoppy, malty undertones and something salty and yeasty in the finish.
Hopworks – Kronan the Barbarian (3 stars/4 mugs)
Although I enjoyed the hoppy, spice-laden body I didn’t feel this brew was anywhere near barbaric. I love Hopworks but this one only made me wish I had a Crosstown Pale or organic IPA in my glass (er… plastic mug).
Upright Brewing – Holy Herb (0 stars/-0 mugs)
Holy Hell!
Holy Herbs Batman! I usually steer clear of flavored brews because of results like this. Someone says to themselves, “I’m going to make a [insert flavor here] beer!” Then they set about concocting their flavor and getting it just right and somewhere along the line they stop making [blank] flavored beer and start making beer flavored [blank].
Of course, Holy Herb sits on a level all on it’s own for being incredibly blech-face inducing, as you can see in the photo. The flavor wheel for this one had a bias toward bitter, astringent , and sour. Words like gnarly, tainted, and Xtreme were jotted hastily between gasps.
Luckily, this was a friend’s beer so I didn’t have to endure much of it.
Alameda Brewing – Papa Noel (2 stars/1 mugs)
Love Alameda brews. However, I can’t say much for this one. It seemed totally dead. It was like it didn’t show up.
15th Street Brewing (I think) – Oak St. Nick (2 stars/1 mug)
Fruity and sweet with a floral texture. I can’t say I loved this one but it did well with what it had. It wasn’t my kind of beer but I can see someone, somewhere, liking it.
Deschutes Brewery – Lost Barrels of Mirror Mirror (5 stars/6 mugs )
This one from my one of my favorite breweries, was my first beer at the fest and my favorite. I went back at the end of the second night and had another. That is saying a lot considering I hadn’t even hit the Ninkasi (another fave). Oaky and bourbony, it was full-bodied and full of spicy textures. It was like someone took “woo hoo!” and put it in a keg. It was strong but smooth, a joy from the first sip to the last.
I am constantly reminded of how lucky we are to live in a city with this much brewing talent. At this year’s Holiday Ale Fest, it definitely showed up. My only regret is that I didn’t get to try more! Next time I’m going to get more tasters and reserve the full mugs for my favorites.
Brian is discussing.
Brian 9:22 pm on November 23, 2009 Permalink
I found this at The Beermongers and bought it on the basis of Klickitat Street being the fictional home of Henry Huggins, and I loved Beverly Cleary books growing up. And also, when I moved to Portland from Alameda County California, I was amazed to discover that the street is not fictional, and really exists in North Portland. Meanwhile, I was confused when I saw Alameda beers here, which I never saw in Alameda. So, it all comes together in this beer, which I found delightful. When I see some obscure brewery’s pale ale I brace myself for hop overload, but this has a cream soda smoothness that makes good friends with the floral and bitter flavors.