Liquid Solutions

Very glad to have Ninkasi back in the lineup. Not only do we have their three main brews but a hop-o-licious summer brew as well. Enjoy!!!

This wonderfully dry hopped amber pours a red copper color with a thin tight head. The beer has the intoxicating smell of a bale of Liberty hops and deep crystal malt. The flavor had a mid level bitterness from start to lingering finish. The body is creamy and the malt is light caramel and bread. Yet another striking brew from the folks at Ninkasi.

This 9.6% hop fest is a masterpiece of brewing. It pours light amber in color with a small cap of dense foam. The aroma is huge with orange hops and just a hint of malt sweetness. The flavor is also big on the orange hop profile but the malt brings in some chewy caramel without being overly sweet. The mouthfeel is smooth and has a medium body. This is one of my favorite double/Imperial IPAs.

Hazy orange in color this hop driven brew pours with a small white head. The aroma is big and fruity, all hops with an orange, tropical and floral smell. The flavor has a fresh hoppy quality to it with orange rind, and some grapefruit along with some grassiness. There is a touch of caramel malt in there someplace but make no mistake, it is all about the hop.

Dark amber / red in color, its aroma is hoppy upfront with toasted malts. The flavor is well bittered with a citrusy earthy hop. The malt is lightly of chocolate cake and bread. I’m a big fan of the Believer as it is aggressively flavored but well balanced malt to hops.

I just got word that the Deschutes Black Butte XX is due in the first part of July. We are now taking pre-sell orders. That means we will fill the order sequentially and it’s first come first served until our allotment is gone. The price is tentative; there may be a small adjustment up or down. I’ll let everyone know if the price is higher.

This was the review from last year. I"ll post a new one for this year as soon as I can.
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Here is what the brewery has to say about it......

Black Butte XX is a tribute to Black Butte Porter, the revolutionary Deschutes Brewery beer that has excited beer enthusiasts since its release in 1988. This special Reserve Series brew is an extreme version of Black Butte Porter that the Deschutes brewers enhanced with several pounds Bellatazza coffee, Theo’s Chocolate cocoa nibs and by aging parts in Stranahan’s whiskey barrels. These regional partners from Bend, Seattle and Denver, respectively, each provide quality artisan ingredients that give this commemorative beer a truly handcrafted complexity.

A deep mahogany color, this beer pours with one to two fingers of head that settles to a thing layer. The aroma is toasty with some mellow toffee. The flavor is nutty caramel malt and an earthy floral hop. The finish has a midrange bitterness and the mouth feel is smooth and full. Overall drinkability is high, great with food and quaffable all by itself.

Don’t worry this is not a Miller Chill type of beer. This is a real IPA made with kaffir lime leaves added. The color is a rich golden. The head is thin. The aroma has a slight sweet malt, piney hop, and an herbal note from the leaves. The flavor is crisp with a easy bready malt, citrus/lime from the leaves and hops. It has a good hop bitterness and the leaves provide a unique bitterness all their own. Fun, different, and not at all like those cheap ass lime beers you see from the mega breweries.

I know they bill this brew as a Belgian strong golden but make no mistake this is a golden braggot. If you don’t know, a “Braggot” is mead (honey wine) made with malt (tastes more like a mead than a beer) while a “Honey Beer” is a beer made with honey (tastes more like a beer than a mead). Trust me when I say that this is an excellent golden braggot (and I used to make gallons of the stuff in my younger days). The main thing is to set you expectations in line with drinking a mead not a beer.

The color is golden and a thin head that leave nice lace. The aroma is floral and orange from the honey, a bit of yeast and some oaty malt. The flavor has some sweetness to it but it is tart. For those of you who have had semi-dry to dry mead you know what I’m talking about. Mead is nautrally more acidic than beer and therefore will have a flavor that is more tart and that comes just from the fermentation of a lot of honey. Lightly malty with a crisp fruity component from the honey and finish that is sweet with a hint of yeast.

If you are interested in trying a more typical “Brown Braggot” try Dansk “Old Danish”
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This beer was made to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the state of Oregon. They now do this wonderful brew in a series of labels that portray some of our fine cities.

First, the original Rogue Sesquicentennial….

I can think of no better way for Oregon to celebrate its 150th year as a state than to raise a pint of beer that was made especially for the purpose. This hoppy amber ale pours a copper in color with two fingers of head. The aroma is grassy and orange from the Willamette hops (only home grown hops for this Oregon brew). The flavor is bitter up front and moves to the balancing maltiness from the Munich barley. The finish is hoppy with citrus flavor and a parting bitterness.

Brilliant golden / orange in color, this beer brewed with yerba mate’ pours with a good head that falls quickly. The aroma is big and citrus with a floral note and a touch of brown malt. The flavor has a matte bitterness up front with grapefruit hop flavors and ends with a smokey nutty finish. The bitterness is unique (from the mate’) and the flavors work well together to pull together as a satisfying and distinctive brew. The caffeine from the mate’ is just an extra added bonus.

Pale yellow color with a medium head is brewed with yerba mate’. The aroma is a mix of flowers and lime with a nice bitter component. The flavor has a light mate’ bitterness along side the hops with a pale malt and a touch of woodiness. And again the caffeine from the mate’ is just an extra added bonus.

Full of floral aromas of wildflowers and fragrant jasmine and a wonderful lingering sweetness. The flavor may be sweet but the body is not as heavy as some so it is flavorful and very drinkable.

Light gold in color and an aroma berry and vanilla. Made with raspberry honey the flavor is crisp and light with an easy acidity and a toasty oak. This tasty 13% mead pairs well with lighter meat dished such as chicken or shrimp.

Crisp, apple, and medium dry honey. Infinitely more complex then cider, not as sweet as most meads. It is the best of both worlds.

Fragrant nose of ripe raspberry with a smooth warming finish, an exceptional after-dinner wine. Excellent with poached fruit, or enjoy after a fine meal as a dessert on its own.

We were lucky enough to get some more of the following beers with our last delivery. I’m not sure how much more we will be able to get so if you missed these the first time grab them now.

Deschutes Mirror Mirror 22oz:

New Belgium Lips of Faith 22oz:

New Belgium La Folie 22oz:

Four more cases came in today. This beer has been one hot ticket and I was glad / surprised to see a little more show up.

This strong dark ale aged for 6 months inside used cabernet sauvignon barrels with currants added. Rusty brown in color it pours with little head. The aroma is big, sour, and fruity. Classified as a “Wild” ale; the brett notes come through with a touch of that barnyard goodness. The flavor is a mix of berry black current (of course) and hints of cherry and raspberry. I’m so excited to see Russian River’s barrel aged product make it up my way. Stuff like this is obviously limited but I get as much as I can. No bottle limits on this one. 10.5%ABV / 1.092 O.G

This amazing Flanders Red style brew was aged 1 to 3 years in French oak to achieve”Mouth Puckering Perfection”. Reddish brown in color it pours with little head. The aroma is sour and sharp but with rich caramel and a touch of fruit. The flavor is very sour as well with light fruit (cherry/raspberry) and earthy wood. I think it is an outstand Flanders style and it holds up agains many of the classics (Rodenbach Grand Cru, Duchesse De Bourgogne, or Vichtenaar)

This local, fresh, clean, crisp pilsner pours a light gold with a sudsy head. The aroma is of biscuit malt and floral hops. The flavor is bready with a spice hop with a clean flora finish.

Now this Montana classic comes in a convenient can to accompany you on all of your outdoor recreations.

This American brown ale is one of those beers that is just so easy to drink. Brown in color with a tint of red, its aroma nutty and lightly malty sweet. Smooth in texture with a tad touch of hops.