Bell’s Expedition Stout. Nope not a Portland beer. Not even a West Coast beer. But that’s the point of the holidays: give, give, give. I give out a lot of beer realted presents for the holidays, and sometimes I get some in return. This year, portlandbeer.org contributor Ian gifted me my first Bell’s beer: Expedition Stout. Hopefully, the first of many (hint, hint). It wouldn’t be the holidays without some grovelling, right!
Laurelwood’s Auld Battle Axe. This year, for their limited addition 1 Liter swing-top release, Laurelwood brings us a Scotch-style ale. This is a style that’s not seen too often around Portland. Big on malt, high in alcohol, and very low on bitterness, this falls way outside of the comfort zone of many a PDX hop head. But during these last few bitter cold days, this beer really hits the spot–warming you up from the inside with its 10% ABV. Roasty, nutty, and sweet, this beer is a great example of a Strong Scotch Ale.
My fingers are crossed that some is tucked away in a single oak barrel. Hmm, maybe a bourbon, scotch whisky, or sherry barrel. And there it will sit, until March, just before Winter breaks. And I will get an anonymous call, just a whisper, saying “Matt, get to Laurelwood quickly! They’ve just tapped the barrel of lightly aged Auld Battle Axe and they want you take take the inaugural sip. Hell, they’ve even named this edition after you: Matt’s Barrel-aged Battle Axe…”
Well, while I’m dreaming, I might as well make it great, right? Laurelwood, I’ll be waiting by the phone.
2009 Holiday Ale Festival. Wish I could sneak out of work early today. Email me if you feel like staging a kidnapping.
2009 Full Sail Wreck the Halls. While other beers go malty, this winter beer leans toward hoppy. In fact, it’s labeled as a “hoppy holiday ale”. The only thing wrong with this beer is that I only bought one. Delicious!
2009 Full Sail Wassail. Here come the winter beers! “It’s the most wonderful time of the year…”
Bailey’s Taproom. Finally, a much needed night out after work, work, work. We ended up at Bailey’s Taproom for a few beers on a typical rainy and dark Wednesday in Portland. Perfect night to warm up around a great selection of beers! Well, now that I think about it, isn’t every night?
2009 Deschutes Abyss. The lines stretched around the building on the release day. Doesn’t anyone have anything to do at 2:00pm on a Tuesday? Don’t I have anything to do? Well, yes. I was planning to swoop in, pick up a handful of bottles, and be back at work within 30 minutes—just like I did at the Dissident release. Instead, I saw the line, circled the building in my car, wept, and went back to work. I tried again on Wednesday, and my plan worked like a charm. Two bottles for the next Abyss verticals at my family’s annual New Year’s Day tasting, two bottles for 2011, and two for 2012.
Another Fred. I can’t pass on posting another photo of Fred. This one is Fred Eckhardt sitting across from me at the festival’s media preview. His best advice: drink one glass of water for every glass of beer. Trust me, it’s a lifesaver.
Fred Eckhardt at last year’s brewer’s dinner.One of the best parts of the OBF is the Brewer’s Dinner. Tickets sell out fast for a reason: exclusive beers, great food, and a lot of beer celebrities.
Baltic and Imperial Porter tasting at Upright Brewing. A shot from the Porter tasting at Upright Brewing a couple of weeks back. The strong beers hit quickly, but I still can’t help but wonder what these people think as I crawl on tables and in between barrels with a camera in one hand and a glass of 11% Porter in the other. They’d probably be more horrified if I dropped my beer, whereas I might be more upset if I dropped my camera–I guess it depends on the beer…
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