Lupulin Ale and Some Self-Promotion

As I mentioned earlier, the fresh-hop ales are starting to make their annual return--not exactly like the swallows of San Capistrano, but tastier. Among these was my fave from last year, a beer so good I made it my annual Satori winner. To my surprise and amusement, this was not lost on Full Sail, who recently sent out a press release promoting the Satori award:

Lupulin was awarded the coveted 2007 "Satori Award" by beer aficionado/blogger Jeff Alworth. (http://Beervana.blogspot.com) Alworth writes, "In Zen Buddhism, satori is the moment of sudden enlightenment when the mind realizes its own true nature. The Satori award honors the beer that in a single instant allows the drinker to realize the true nature of beer." Full Sail invites you to experience the nature of this year's Lupulin when the brewery will tap the new batch at their Tasting Room and Pub in Hood River, and at their Riverplace Brewery in Portland, on Wednesday, September 10th at 5:00PM. For more information contact the Full Sail Tasting Room and Pub at 541-386-2247 or Full Sail at Riverplace at 503-222-5343.

Cool! There is one change, though. This year's Lupulin isn't hopped with Amarillo, which provkes a slight look of trepidation on the face of the blogger. Instead, John Harris is using a troika of Mt Rainier, Cascade, and Nugget hops. (The rest of the recipe is the same.) I remain somewhat anxious, though the inclusion of the new strain of Mount Rainiers does pique my interest. They are purported to be similar to Hallertau, a classic variety.

As always, we shall see.