OBF - Blind Tasting Results

I just received the results of the blind tasting they did at the OBF. It was the first time they'd tried it, and it got off to a slow start--only a couple hundred people showed. I suspect this is because there's no tradition for it, because anyone who's been to a blind tasting knows what a blast it is. Let's hope the OBF organizers give it a shot next year and hope to see growth. I could imagine this as a signature event a decade from now.

The way it worked was this: people were given 12 (1) beers in two categories, pale ales and IPAs, and asked to 1) judge their favorite, and 2) identify the beers they were drinking.

Identification
Those of us who conducted our own pale ale tasting this spring can take heart: none of the tasters in the pale ale flight got even half the beers right. The best was five of twelve, which a number of folks got. (They pulled names out of a hat to determine the "winner" and it was, I am not surprised to learn, Roots' Craig Nicholls. He seems lucky indeed.)

In the IPA category, brewer Jamie Floyd got 10 of 12 right, proving that there is far greater variation in IPAs than pale. I learned something else by this win--Jamie's no longer at Steelhead (Eugene), where he brewed a number of GABF-winning beers, but with the new Ninkasi Brewing, which was unfamiliar to me. Two data points from one winner--nice.

Judging
You may be surprised at the results of the judging. Despite some very big names in each category* (including some highly-decorated Oregon classics) it was the brewpubs in a near sweep. Here are the final tallies, with votes in parentheses followingthe brewery's name.

1. Rock Bottom Velvet Pale (22)
2. Alameda Klickitat Pale (16)
3. BJ's Piranha Pale (13)

A major brewery snuck into the IPA winners list, but it was still a win by a brewpub, and another brewpub rounding out the top three.

1. Pelican India Pelican Ale (28)
2. Deschutes Inversion (18)
3. Ninkasi Total Domination (16)

Shocking, no? Sure, Deschutes Mirror Pond has a bushelful of medals, but it gets aced out of the pales. BridgePort IPA may be the best beer in all of England, but it doesn't make the top three Oregon IPAs. Looks like the big boys have some cred to earn back. (In seriousness, it goes to show how many world-class beers Oregon has.) Congrats to the brewpubs for taking five of six slots on the medals podium.

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Pale ales in competition: Klickitat Pale Ale (Alameda Brewhouse), Piranha Pale Ale (BJ's Restaurant & Brewery), Blue Heron Pale Ale (BridgePort), Mirror Pond Pale Ale (Deschutes), Full Sail Pale (Full Sail), Mac's Ale (MacTarnahan's), Pinochle Pale Ale (Old Market Pub & Brewery), Ringtail Pale Ale (Raccoon Lodge), Velvet Pale Ale (Rock Bottom), Juniper Pale Ale (Rogue Ales), Pond Turtle Pale Ale (Roots), Hop to Trot (Steelhead).

IPAs: BridgePort IPA (BridgePort), Inversien IPA (Deschutes), Full Sail IPA, Boss IPA (Laurelwood), Total Domination IPA (Ninkasi), India Pelican Ale (Pelican), Pyramid Thunderhead IPA, Paddle Me IPA (Siletz), Standing Stone IPA , Bombay Bomber IPA (Steelhead), Terminal Gravity IPA, Broken Halo IPA (Widmer).

OBF Wrap-up

Of the 73 beers pouring at this year's fest, I had already tried 17. Another handful are easy enough to track down in town. That left a pool of roughly 50 I hadn't or won't easily be able to try, and of these, I managed to sample my way through 16--or almost a third.

This year's fest happened to land on a delightfully cool weekend, with a high on Friday of just 72. The crowds were fairly typical, and we actually had until four before things started to get hairy. All in all, a fine time.

As to the beers--here are my findings. I'll get to the good and bad tomorrow.

[Update, 11:46 am: The Bad just posted below.]

[Update, 4:23 pm. The Good, and the last of the review, posted below.]

OBF - The Good

It is a testament to the brewers and the OBF that my list of good beers is longer than my list of Bad and Ugly beers combined (and the Uglies were also pretty good). However, there are good beers and then there are good beers. We'll save the best for last.

I recommended starting out with the Sweaty Betty from Boulder, and sort of failed to take my own advice. Blame the vastness of space and my late arrival at the right truck. Nevertheless, it delivered just what I hoped (and through a hazy scrim of previous beers)--a dry, tart, satisfying beer with classic notes of clove and banana. Just like they make in old Bavaria for breakfast. [Bavarian Weizen, 5.9% abv, 15 IBUs]

The first beer I tried was Full Sail's Vesuvius, so my tongue was completely unsullied as it splashed around John Harris's rich, Belgian brew. The classic brand in this style is Duvel, Flemish for Devil, so named because the beer is extremely approachable, quaffable, and tasty, concealing its substantial alcohol. Vesuvius was too, with nice fruitiness, a very slight Belgian tart, and a long, dry finish. Very tasty and very dangerous. [Belgian golden, 8.5% abv, 20 IBUs]

A slightly controversial beer that I loved was Bell's Hell Hath No Fury, a Belgian dubbel. I confess that I had this late in the game, and while I was happily lapping it up, others in my party were giving the "eh" sign. I found the malt amazingly creamy and rich, but not overly sweet. My somewhat damaged taste buds were telling me the malts were providing some of the balance while the yeast added some interesting dark fruit notes, but even I'm suspicious of my judgment. Still, you gotta go with your experience, and amid the uberhoppies, this was a great change of pace. [Dubbel abbey-style ale, 8% abv, 20 IBUs]

Three others deserve a nod, if not a rave: the McBrothers' White Lightning Whisky Stout was a few pounds of hops from perfection. It was very rich and subtley inflected by the whisky, but, sadly, was overly sweet (I didn't realize until looking just now--it had only ten IBUs!). New Belgium, which tends to under-engineer every beer they brew, got their entry right with 1554 Enlightened Black Ale. It is called a Brussels black ale, purportedly based on an ancient recipe, but it tasted like a German black lager (schwarzbier)--malty rich, but not fruity. Boundary Bay brought a Double Dry Hopped Pale that wowed the nose as much as the tongue. Brewed especially for the Fest, I hope it's one of those beers that received a warm enough welcome to encourage the brewery to put it in its regular rotation.

Okay, to the cream of the cream. Early in the afternoon, a friend went for the Elysian Bifrost, and raved. I suspected it was a palate-destroyer, and waited, only to find, to my surprise, that it was a fantastically balanced, wonderfully aged winter ale. It's hard to make a big beer that offers pretty pronounced flavors of malt, hop, and alcohol but is simultaneously gentle--but that's what Elysian has done (note the rather modest 50 IBSs--modest because they're balancing a lot of malt). It's a big beer that drinks like a porter or brown. (I feel all the more brilliant for having put three 22 ounce bottles down in the cellar to age.) [Winter warmer, 7.7% abv, 50 IBUs]

And finally we come to the beer I came to at the end of the fest--and kept coming back to, at least twice more: Pliny the Elder. At about 7 Friday night, the line was the longest I've ever seen at the fest, stretching all the way past the middle of the tent. I went back the next day to shoot some video (I'll get to that eventually) and at two the next day, the line was already 15 deep--while nearby lines were literally empty. What to say about the beer? Imagine brewing the perfect Northwest pale ale, with that kind of delicious citrus hopping and fruity backbone, and then distilling it. That's Pliny. It has 100 IBUs, and yet I could drink it all night. Apparently I was not alone. [Imperial IPA, 8% abv, 100 IBUs]

OBF - The Bad

Once upon a time, bad beers were common enough at the OBF--and throughout the microbrew world. (Old timers will recall when RedHook's signature characteristic was its butterscotch note, which homebrewers recognized as high levels of diacetyl.) But in the modern era, you don't go to the fest expecting to stumble across bungled or infected beers. That mostly held true for 2006 (exception below), and in this case "bad" refers to beers I personally found problematic. And even with that, there were only three.

I'll start with one of the fest's most popular beers: Watermelon Wheat from 21st Amendment Brewery (CA). Every time I walked past that damn line, it was bristling with people. Inevitably, I had to try it, just on the off chance it was one of those extremely rare, subtle fruit wheats with some complexity and a fidelity to the beery taste we all love. It wasn't. Overly sweet and fruit-punchy, it was the beer for the non-beer folks who were dragged by their beergeek friends (and, probably, husbands). It was perfectly well-made, but it tasted like a new product from Mike's Lemonade. [fruit wheat, 5% abv, 15 IBUs]

With all the over-the-top superhopped ales at the fest (a dozen had more than 80 IBUs), you'd figure a handful would be nastily unbalanced. I located only one: Skagit River's (WA) Scullers. The numbers pretty much tell the story--a beer with an original gravity of 1.066 and 110 IBUs. Hey guys, there's more to making a kick-ass beer than dumping a field of hops in. The beer's available in bottles, but I'd avoid it. [IPA, 7.2% abv, 110 IBUs]

Last we have the big loser, Jack Russell's (CA) Farmhouse Ale--a beer I regret having recommended. It's always a little difficult to identify off-flavors in a plastic mug (and after a couplesix pours), but this beer had 'em. The nose was sharply cabbagy and fetid (the usual suspect is DMS from wort bacteria). The palate wasn't quite as noticeably off, but I picked up a sharp, burning quality that may have come from ethyl acetate (from wild yeast) or fusel alcohols. The recipe itself had some promise, but I couldn't get past the off-notes. (It's worth noting that Ghost Dog identified Farmhouse Ale as one of his faves, and he tried the beer on Saturday. I wonder if he got a keg from a different batch?) [Saison, 6.7% abv, 20 IBSs]

OBF - The Ugly

Taking my cue from Sergio, I characterize as ugly three beers that I actually liked quite a lot--call em' the Tuco beers.

First we have Ned (Flanders Red) from Rock Bottom. Typically, this style of beer will be characterized by a tart, sweetish (fruity) sour palate. It's wholly approachable, yet novel. I was delighted, poking my nose in the glass, to detect all the right aromas. The first note was spot-on, but then, to my surprise, there was a rather bitter note of fairly pronounced hopping. I really admired the beer, even with this note, but I found it a little less beguiling than a more traditional version. Not all beers need agressive hopping. (For those of you who, like me, dismiss Rock Bottom out-of-hand, it might be time to reconsider. Not only was Ned an impressive experiment, but apparently Rock Bottom's pale won the taste off.) [Flanders red, 8.5% abv, 30 IBUs]

Next up we have Roots Organic Wit, and deja vu all over again. The nose on this beer, as with Ned, was perfecto: orangey with coriander, and fresh with wheaty malts. And again, the palate offered a first, almost phantom-like note of classic Belgian white, followed by ... extensive hop bitterness. I think both breweries were aiming for classic styles souped-up for NW palates. The hops in this example were actually quite nicely married to very soft, fruity wit, but they overwhelmed them. [Belgian wit, 5.3% abv, 35 IBUs]

In the Widmer Hooligan, we have one of the stranger beers I've ever tried. Much as some Belgian beers demonstrate the varieties of yeast, and some--okay all--Oregon beers highlight hops, Hooligan highlights malt. In reverse: it's made entirely without barley using sorghum and tapioca. It has no head and an odd clarity, but a wonderful nose of Summit hops. The flavor was similar to beer, but the mouthfeel was somehow slick and the hop flavor was conducted differently. I only had four ounces, and so didn't get to delve into the beer much. I suspect it's at the brewery, and it's worth dropping by for a sample. [pale ale, 5.8% abv, 30 IBUs]

Oregon Brewers Fest Preview

Oregon Brewers Festival
Waterfront Park
Thursday, July 27: 4pm - 9pm
Friday and Saturday: Noon - 9pm
Sunday - Noon - 7pm

• Minors are permitted when accompanied by a parent, but no pets.
• Entry is free. Tasting mug costs $4 and is required for consuming beer. Tokens cost $1 apiece. Patrons pay four tokens for a full mug, or 1 token for a taste.
• Free bicycle parking is offered each day, courtesy of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance.

General Orientation

Last year, fest organizers experimented by adding an extra day; it must have been successful, for the first pours begin today at four. My guess is that this isn't a bad time to attend--though generally, evenings are when the crowds get thick and the beer selection gets thin. You might gamble on a first night visit, or you could more reliably show up at noon on Friday: you'll have around three hours of blissful quiet with just a handful of the most avid drinkers. If you're lucky, you'll be in a merry mood by the time the fest turns frattish and you won't care.

A couple tips: If you actually want to appreciate the beers, start with lighter, less-hoppy varieties and save the intensely-flavored, darker, and hoppy ones for later. This year's crop is especially rich in high-alcohol, super-hopped beer, and even one of these will ruin subsequent attempts to find subtlety in a modest wheat ale or lager.

Even though the weathermen have forecast moderate temperatures, it's wise to drink lots of water as you go along. You'll thank yourself the next morning. Finally, a belly full of protein (beast or bean) tends to moderate absorption rates, so eat before you go.

To the Beers!
A glance down the list of beers reveals a growing trend: huge is in. There are a dozen beers with modifiers like "imperial," "double," "strong," "nuclear" (okay, I made that last one up), not to mention another dozen IPAs. Those are deep waters to swim, so take a life preserver if you go. For my part, I like the looks of Standing Stone Double IPA and Walking Man Knuckle Dragger. These are a couple of fantastic draft-only breweries whose beers aren't always easy to track down. Both are over-the-top hoppy (95 and 100 IBUs respectively), but I trust the breweries to have created balanced, drinkable ales.

Wait, didn't I just say don't start with big beers? Put those down. Let me direct your attention instead to a nice starter beer or three. Perhaps no beer was more suited to a sunny day than a Belgian Wit (white), and there are two at the fest. The style is crisp, sweetish, and orangey. Even though one comes from the center of the country, and the other is close enough to hit with a rock thrown from the fest, I'm taking the local: Roots Wit. A close second in terms of tasty summer styles is kolsch, a dry, tart German ale, and Ballast Point from San Diego has sent a version. Finally, Lucky Lab brewed a steam beer--a lager fermented like an ale (think Anchor Steam)--which is just deviant enough for them to turn my head.

I will move from there toward one of America's most famous breweries and its unexpected offering: Bell's Hell Hath No Fury (MI), a Belgian dubbel. Bell's is known for their hearty, NW-style ales, so it will be interesting to see what they make of this abbey-style ale. From Colorado and one of America's oldest breweries comes Boulder Brewing's Sweaty Betty, a Bavarian hefeweizen. This style is brewed at high temperatures and has a banana-y, clovey quality that is contrasted with a tart, puckery finish. It's one of the most under-appreciated styles in the NW. To sweeten the pot, let me add that brewer David Zuckerman got his start in Portland at BridgePort.

There is a style of beer brewed in the Belgian city of Flanders that is equal parts sweet and sour, and which most people find irresistible. It's called red, but oftentimes modified Flanders Red to distinguish the style. The Portland outpost of Rock Bottom has tried a batch, and the style is just tasty enough to induce me to try it. Oh, that and the name: Ned. (Get it?)

My favorite style, and one of the more difficult to brew, is saison. It is something like a Belgian IPA--generally very dry and hoppy, made interesting by slightly funky yeasts and a cellary, aged quality. It is an ancient style, and the two breweries that sent versions allude to them in their names: Flying Fish 10th Anniversary Farmhouse Summer Ale (NJ), and Jack Russell Farmhouse Ale (CA).

Pale Ales are another summer standard, and I recommend three: Boundary Bay Double Dry Hopped Pale, Ninkasi Quantum Pale, and Widmer Hooligan. The Boundary Bay because dry hopping makes beers wonderfully aromatic; the Ninkasi because it's a Eugene Brewery I've never heard of (new?), and Widmer because the Brothers always use the OBF as an occasion to brew up something special.

Okay, now we're ready to revisit the big boys--I have three more and then I'll desist. Full Sail, apparently also availing themselves of the chance to brew something special, is sending Vesuvius, a Belgian golden. If it is akin to the landmark version, Duvel, we're in for a treat. (In this case, golden is not a euphemism for "weak"--Vesuvius is 8.5% abv.) The McMenamin Brothers rarely catch my eye with their beer. Their architecture, definitely--not their beer. But White Lightning Imperial Whisky Stout? I'm paying very close attention. (

Years ago, Eugene's now-defunct Wild Duck Brewery made a strong ale called Sasquatch. It was perhaps my favorite big beer, a fantastic way to end a brewfest once my tongue could no longer distinguish subtle flavors. Each year, at the end of the OBF, I greatly missed its passing (as well as the man who brewed it, Glen Falconer, who died in 2002). While I will always miss Glen, I finally found a beer to rival Sasquatch: Pliny the Elder from Russian River. Named for the Roman who gave the name to hops ("lupus Salictarius," or "wolf among scrubs"), he was also ironically killed in the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius--a fact about which Full Sail may or may not care. It fills a long-vacant need. Whatever you do, save a token for Pliny. You might even offer a toast for the Sasquatch of your choice.

That's sixteen beers, which ought to at least get you started. Report back and let us know what you found. Cheers!

[This is a slightly altered version of a post from BlueOregon. Read the longer version there.]

OBF - The Good Pours Are Back

I know it's hard, but try to recall: last year, in a slap to the face of servers and festgoers everywhere, the OBF implemented a policy of pouring into a little cup before dumping the beer into your taster mug (the pic at right may help jar your memory). It eliminated the joyous overfill and gave the whole fest a rather regimented (I recall the word "fascist" bandied about) quality.

Ah, but a little bird tells me that the little cups are gone! Back to human-powered pours! Now the only thing that separates you from a precious quarter ounce of extra hooch is a winning smile.

Good luck and godspeed.

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PHOTO: Andy Orenstein.

OBF Buzz Beers

Breweries adopt one of three or four strategies when they send a beer to the Oregon Brewers Fest. Sometimes they send their flagship, hoping it will convert some of the masses. Sometimes they send a new beer they're launching, hoping to convert the masses. Or sometimes, they send something unexpected, hoping to delight the masses. Uniformly, it is from this last category that the "buzz beers" come from--those beers that get the chatter going at the Fest. No one goes for Pike IPA or Redhook Rye: serious drinkers want to see something new and funky.

Fortunately, it looks as if breweries are finally starting to get with the program. This year looks to have more potential buzz beers than any previous year. Here are ten possibilities that I'll be looking to try ASAP. My money's on the White Lightning.

1. Bell's Hell Hath No Fury...Ale (dubbel) - Bell's Brewery (Michigan)
2. Double Dry Hopped Pale Ale - Boundary Bay (Bellingham, WA)
3. Elysian Bifrost (winter ale) - Elysian (Seattle)
4. 10th Anniversary Farmhouse Summer Ale - Flying Fish (NJ)
5. Vesuvius (Belgian golden) - Full Sail
6. White Lightning Whisky Stout - McMenamins
7. Ned (Flanders Red) - Rock Bottom (Portland)
8. Pliny the Elder - Russian River (CA)
   
9. Standing Stone Double IPA - Standing Stone (Ashland)
10. Hooligan (pale) - Widmer
    

It's a bit hard to guess which monstrous IPA is going to capture the attention of drinkers, but Pliny the Elder's my guess--it is a faithful heir to the Sasquatch throne, a hoary blast of lupulin fury, apt for palates shattered late in the day. I also gave Widmer the nod because they have long been champions of the "special beer" strategy, and had a run of four or five years where they were one of the two or three most talked-about beers. I'll keep grandfathering them in until they send over kegs of Hefeweizen.

Your best bets?