Random Updates

Here are a few thoughts on some beers I had over the past few weeks: Lost Abbey's Inferno is amazing and worth a separate post... I was impressed with Kona Brewing's Fire Rock Pale Ale. It had much more flavor than I would have guessed coming from Hawaii. Note to self, trust taste buds not bogus assumptions... My second attempt at Port's Shark Attack Double Red Ale was as underwhelming as the first. I like the regular Sharkbite but am not thrilled with the double version. In my opinion, it's too heavy, has too much alcohol presence and too little carbonation... Lost Abbey's Judgment Day is serious. I shared a bottle after tasting several other beers and what a way to end the night. It is a flavor explosion with pronounced raisins. It's a sipping beer that demands attention. I would like to try this by itself (not after tasting four other beer styles) and savor it over a few hours. I have two in my "beer" closet as part of my second Patron Saint subscription.

More On the Pour

Here is a Wall Street Journal article on short pours and "false" pint glasses. It is annoying to get a short pour, especially at today's prices. I found out about the false pint glasses in Sacramento in April. At a restaurant (whose name escapes me) I asked for a 12-oz beer rather than a pint and the waitress told me not too worry because the beer she was going to bring was not a full pint. The glass looked like a pint glass but had a false bottom, as shown in the article above.

Short pours are routine at restaurants, especially chains. I had a short-short pour at Trophy's here in San Diego a few weeks ago. Short pours are not limited to beer either. At Sammy's, a local pizza chain in San Diego, the wine pours are abysmal. The glasses are small and the pours anemic. A glass of wine should at least last until your meal comes. The wine is full priced, too, with a glass of wine ranging from $7 to $9. If you are going to Macaroni Grill (as mentioned in the article), not only will you get a "falsie," but it will likely be a short pour, too. Eating at better, non-chain restaurants is one solution. I have found that local restaurants where the owners are serious about food tend to have better wine and beer, and the pours reflect this attitude.

It's strange that the article above mentioned short pours and false bottoms in Portland. When we were there a few weeks ago I was impressed with the quality of the pours, not a short pour in three days. I even dubbed a good pour a Portland Pour.

Cool Label

Here is cool label from McMenamin's Sunflower IPA. I removed the label from the bottle. The beer was as good as the label is cool.

We're All Union Jacks

The Baby's reference is obscure, but I found myself humming its Union Jacks while drinking Firestone Walker's Union Jack IPA last night. It is a fantastic beer and turns upside down my opinion that California's central coast is weak on hoppy beers. The Union Jacks I had had a strong, floral, hop aroma with a balanced bitterness that enhanced its drinkability. Its color was a clear, deep amber and its small head was tight and light tawny. I bought a six-pack in Ventura over the weekend, but would prefer it in a bomber. I have found previous Firestone beers solid, but not spectacular. Its Pale Ale is very good. Firestone Walker has outdone itself with Union Jack.

48 Taps at Philly Airport

The Jet Rock Bar and Grill at the end of the D Terminal in Philadelphia's International Airport has forty-eight beers on tap, at least according to its menu. This is the most I've seen at any airport bar. I checked the taps and on closer inspection the forty-eight were mostly macros and foreign beers. The only craft beers I saw were one from Vermont's Long Trail, Vermont's Magic Hat's 9, and Victory's HopDevil Ale. Anchor, Sam Adams and Yuengling Brewery were also represented but are not craft beers anymore. The rest were as expected - Bud, Miller, InBev, Coors and their derivatives along with Heineken and several others. Sure it was macro heavy, but it still had more choices than any other airport bar I've seen.

Stinky Fish

I shared a Ballast Point Brewing Dorado the other night with a friend and it had gone bad. It had lost much of its hop flavor and the alcohol was too pronounced. It's a shame because it is such a good beer, no it's a great beer. I blame myself because the beer was improperly stored. I had it in my garage and it had been exposed to too much heat and other variable temperatures. This is a good lesson - drink the double IPAs fresh.

Last Portland Post - McMenamins

These brothers are amazing. They have a series of restaurants, pubs and hotels throughout Oregon. We visited their Edgefield in Troutdale, about twenty minutes from downtown Portland. Edgefield is a resort with a hotel, several restaurants, a brewery and a winery. It also has a chip and putt golf course. (Check out the link to Edgefield to see all it has to offer.) Our stay did not do the property justice. We were pressed for time and only visited the Black Rabbit Restaurant. The meal was delicious. I had the chef's version of a plowman's lunch and a cask-conditioned ESB.

I had heard that the McMenamin's could be quite local in their attitudes. We did not experience this at all. I purchased a Sunflower IPA from the gift shop. The woman at the counter noticed that the beer was cold (I had grabbed it from the fridge) and inquired whether I was going to keep it cold until I drank it. When I replied no, she went to the store's stock room and replaced it with one at room temperature so the beer would not skunk. Respect for beer and the customer. (I had the Sunflower tonight after its first chill and it was marvelous.)

I would like to go back and stay at a McMenamin property and savor the atmosphere, food and ale.

Portland Pour

At every restaurant we visited in Portland, the pints were all filled to the top with minimal head. This is the way all beers should be poured. It is disappointing to receive a pint and have several ounces lost to bartender laziness or incompetence. It also shows a lack of respect for beer and the consumer. All bartenders should learn the art of the Portland Pour.

More Portland - Bridgeport Brewing Company

We made a stop at Bridgeport Brewing for happy hour appetizers (that became dinner) and a few beers. The beers were refreshing, in part because it was an unusual 100 degrees in Portland. I like Bridgeport's IPA and have posted on it before. Its hops give it a crisp, citrus flavor, unlike the floral accent of many IPAs. It has the characteristic bitterness of an IPA, but it's no West Coast hop bomb. Its 5.5% alcohol level means you can have two beers. The food is good, too, and like other Portland restaurants considerable care appears to have been put into the menu. In addition to the brewery, I had Bridgeport IPA at several other restaurants. There are many beer choices in Portland, but Bridgeport should be on any beer connoisseur's list of breweries to visit.

Portland

I spent last weekend in Portland with my family. We had a full weekend that included some good beers. I will devote a couple of posts to the trip. Stumptown Coffee Roasters, a local coffee roaster and operator of several coffee shops was across the street from our hotel. Stumptown is a great place to start the day. It has a variety of coffee drinks and its basic cup of coffee is all done through a French Press, not a drip machine. It was very good and I bought 3/4 pound of its Hair Bender Blend. In addition to its excellent coffee, Stumptown sold beer! Coffee and beer - two of my favorite things. The beers were mainly Belgian (no local craft beer) and it had three on tap - La Chouffe's Golden Ale, Bitburger and a Chimay - all served in proper glassware. In addition it had a small but solid selection of bottled Belgians - Scaldo, Westmalle, Trapists, Duvel, Chimay, Gueze Boon, Framboise, Oval, and several St. Bernardus beers. It also had some German beers and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Stumptown is a must stop in Portland.

Yard House

I went to the Yard House in Irvine, California last Saturday night. So many beers, so few worth trying. The place was packed. The food was decent, but expensive - my wife and I split a $25 fish dish. You have to give Yard House props for building a restaurant around beer, but wish it had more craft beers. It had multiple beers from most of the big "craft" brewers - Sam Adams, Redhook, Widmar - and multiple offerings from Stone. It had every macro on tap. I can't remember the last time I saw Moosehead on a tap list. In addition to Stone, other compelling choices included Bear Republic's Racer 5 and Lost Abbey's Lost and Found. I wanted the Leffe (no beer named) but it was out. I chose St. Bernardus Abt 12 that was served in a small chalice and tasted great. (I did not know it was 10.5% alcohol until I linked to this post - it sure did not have a heavy alcohol presence.) I'd go back to the Yard House, but I'd try to avoid a Saturday night.

Lost Abbey Visit

I went up to the Lost Abbey this evening to pick up the second set of beers (out of six) and a shirt as part of my Patron Saint membership. What a beer scene. The place was packed with beer geeks (and some non-geeks). I was greeted with a sample of Devotion as I entered the tasting bar. Praise the Lord. I had my young daughters with me so I could not camp out for a few beers, but the bartender brought a game for them to play as I had my tasters and and picked up my loot. I received my shirt and two bottles of Judgment Day and added a bottle of Devotion and a growler of Pizza Port's Amigo lager. (It's a forty-five-minute drive so why not.) I want to go back during tasting bar hours (Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons) and savor Lost Abbey's heaven on draft.