On Hiatus

For a number of different reasons, I'm unable to keep this blog running for the time being. I'm currently without a personal computer and in-between jobs so my priorities are focused elsewhere. If all goes well, I'd like to relaunch Oceans of Ale later this year with fresh content and more of a focus on profiling local breweries and festivals.

Until next time,
Justin

Beer Review Roundup: Imperial IPAs

Back with another batch of Imperial IPA reviews, including a couple from the East Coast and another from Canada. First off though is a review from one of my favorite breweries, Kansas City's Boulevard Brewing Company. So far I've enjoyed every one of their Smokestack Series of specialty beers that I've been able to try. Double-Wide has been on my list for a while now, mainly because I'm curious to see if they can brew hoppy beers as well as they brew Belgian and German styles.

Boulevard Brewing Company's "Double-Wide IPA - Pours a glowing reddish orange color with lots of ripe and fragrant orange, pineapple and apricot in the aroma with a shot of hops resin and malt. The taste is all resiny hops bitterness and juicy citrus at the start with the ruby red grapefruit, lemon and tangerine notes being the most dominant. Toward the middle there’s some toasted malt and caramel with a little bit of booze at the end. Also plenty of lively carbonation in the body thanks to the bottle conditioning. The Smokestack Series delivers yet again. Score: 4.3/5

Victory Brewing Company's "Hop Wallop" - Appearance is a bright golden orange color with an aroma that's mostly hops resin, bread, malt and pineapple. The flavor starts out mildly sweet and herbal with notes of tangerine and mango followed by grassy, vegetal hops bitterness. Also in the mix are some honey, toasted malt and grain flavors with a smooth, herbal finish. Different but equally tasty as HopDevil. Score: 4/5

Dogfish Head Brewery's "90 Minute Imperial IPA" - I've had this a couple of times on draft and it more than deserves its reputation as one of the best Imperial IPA around. Out of the bottle it pours a rusted orange and amber color with an aroma that's sweet and floral with notes of orange citrus, tangerine, honey and malt. The taste starts off with strong resiny hops bitterness and tropical fruit flavors as well as some pine, citrus and caramel. The bready malt backbone asserts itself toward the end before leading to a mildly boozy, bitter finish. Overall, a smooth and potent East Coast style IIPA. Score: 4.3/5

Howe Sound Inn & Brewing Company's "Total Eclipse of the Hop" - Poured out of a nifty 1 liter swingtop bottle, it's a cloudy burnt orange and gold color with lots of brown sugar, candied orange peel and herbal hops notes in the aroma and a bit of pine resin at the end. The taste starts out with a good deal of earthy hops bitterness and grapefruit citrus flavors that lead to a sweet, bready caramel malt middle. Toward the end there’s some toffee, pine and alcohol with more caramel sweetness and grapefruit rind in the finish. A little more malt-forward than most versions of the style but with enough citrus and piney bitterness to keep it relatively balanced. Score: 3.6/5

Deschutes Brewery's "Hop Henge Experimental IPA" - Another release from the brewery's Bond Street Series of hop-forward beers that I've been wanting to try for quite a while. It pours a hazy golden orange color with lots of ripe grapefruit, pineapple and hops resin in the aroma with some orange honey sweetness around the edges. Big resiny hops and tropical fruit flavors at the start followed by notes of pine, ruby red grapefruit and vegetal bitterness. The malt profile has some caramel and biscuit notes to it and is subtle but noticeable throughout. The finish delivers one more shot of potent citrus and hops bitterness. Overall, an enjoyably smooth and well-balanced Imperial IPA. Score: 4.3/5

Maui Brewing's "CoCoNut PorTeR"

I enjoy a good Porter every now and again but for the most part I prefer Stouts when it comes to dark beer. Recently though there have been a number of quality Porters coming out that are smoked or brewed with exotic and unusual ingredients. The Maui Brewing Company adds a uniquely Hawaiian flavor to their version with the addition of toasted coconut. They mostly brew lighter beers ideal for tropical island living but CoCoNut PorTeR has become their most popular brew and is now probably the most well-known craft beer from Hawaii.

Straight out of the can it pours a black volcanic rock color with an aroma that's mostly roast malt and dark chocolate with a little bit of coffee. The taste has a strong roasted malt and French vanilla flavor upfront followed by some dark roast coffee and bittersweet chocolate notes. The toasted coconut finally makes its appearance toward the end. Its flavor is surprisingly mild and blends very well with the traditionally dark and roasty Porter flavors. Score: 4/5

Oskar Blues "Deviant Dale's IPA"

In the craft beer world, the Oskar Blues Brewery is the king of canned beers although some other breweries have given them a run for their money in recent years. The 21st Amendment Brewery and the Maui Brewing Company are just a few that have launched successful lines of innovative canned beers. Still, Oskar Blues was one of the first to can high gravity beers like Imperial Stouts and Double IPAs and the first to prove that a craft brewery can succeed using cans instead of bottles. Deviant Dale's IPA has four hop additions during the brewing process in addition to excessive Columbus dry-hopping and is basically Dale's Pale Ale on hop steroids.

Deviant Dale has lots of sweet and dank cannabis, pineapple, grapefruit and hops resin fragrances in the aroma. The flavor begins with an onslaught of vegetal, resiny hops bitterness and citrus rind along with some tropical fruit, lemon and pine. Also a very subtle caramel malt presence in the background along with a wickedly bitter and boozy palate scorching finish. Excessively hoppy and over the top in a good way. The overall flavor is Double IPA all the way but if Oskar Blues says it's an IPA then that's what it is. Score: 3.9/5

Beer Review Roundup: India Pale Ales (Oregon Edition)

Some of the best IPAs I've been trying lately have been from Oregon. Given that Portland has more craft breweries per capita than just about anywhere else, brewers have to be extremely innovative to stand out from the pack. One of Oregon's most acclaimed breweries is not even located in Portland, instead it's based in the small coastal town of Pacific City. The Pelican Brewery brews a variety of English style ales in addition to one of the most prized bourbon barrel aged Barley Wines in America, Mother Of All Storms. Below is a review of one of Pelican's flagship beers as well as some other quality Oregon IPAs.

Pelican Brewery's "Pelican India Pelican Ale" - This IPA is a deep coppery golden color with lots of ripe grapefruit and pineapple in the aroma along with some pine and mint. The flavor offers up ruby red grapefruit, tangerine and orange citrus upfront followed by some honey and malt sweetness notes leading to more bitterness and citrus rind at the end. Overall, an excellently balanced beer and one of the top IPAs from the Pacific Northwest. Score: 4.3/5

Laurelwood Brewery's "Gearhead IPA" - Laurelwood's Workhorse IPA is one of my current favorites. This seasonal pours a cloudy golden orange color along with an aroma that’s mostly dank, earthy hops, pine resin and grapefruit. The flavor starts out with a fair amount of resinous, vegetal hops bitterness and grapefruit rind as well as some pine and orange citrus. Also a tiny bit of toasted malt and caramel sweetness toward the end. Overall, it’s a solid West Coast IPA but not quite as tasty as Workhorse. Score: 3.5/5

Caldera Brewing Company's "IPA" - According to the brewery, this was Oregon's first canned IPA. It pours an orange highlighted amber color with lots of grapefruit and hops oil in the aroma along with some tropical fruit and caramel malt. The flavor begins with a strong shot of ruby red grapefruit, hops resin and pine. Toward the end there’s some pineapple, toasted malt and more hops bitterness. Definitely one of the better canned IPAs and a good choice for camping trips. Score: 3.8/5

Ninkasi Brewing Company's "Total Domination IPA" - Ninkasi's beers won't blow you away or anything but they are cheap, consistent and easy to find. Their flagship IPA is a bright orange golden color with an aroma of resinous hops, ruby red grapefruit and pine. The taste begins with intense hops bitterness followed by some toasted malt sweetness, grapefruit, orange peel and pine. It finishes slightly creamy and tangy with a bitter citrus aftertaste. Not quite Total Domination but it’s refreshing nonetheless and has an interesting mix of citrus, hops and bitterness. It just doesn’t quite stand up to the great West Coast IPAs. Score: 3.5/5

Hopworks Urban Brewery's "IPA" - These guys know what they're doing when it comes to brewing hoppy ales. Ace of Spades is my top rated Pacific Northwest DIPA. The IPA pours a cloudy golden orange color with ample sea foam head. The aroma has a strong emphasis on the grapefruit citrus and floral hops notes with a bit of candied tropical fruit at the end. The flavor starts with a heavy load of bitter, resiny hops and grapefruit followed by some pine, orange peel and earthy malt notes. The body has strong carbonation and a clean, bitter finish with a mild citrus aftertaste. By far the best organic IPA I’ve tried to date and yet another distinguished brew from Hopworks. Score: 4.4/5

Beer Review Roundup: Black IPAs (Pacific Northwest Edition)

I know I've mentioned it before but there still doesn't seem to be a consensus in the craft brewing community on what to call the particular style of beer that's more or less a cross between an IPA and a Stout. I prefer Black IPA while others claim it should be called an American Black Ale or a Cascadian Dark Ale. Regardless, more and more breweries are creating their own versions, especially here in the Pacific Northwest (where many claim the style was invented). So far my favorite Black IPAs have been Stone Brewing Company's Sublimely Self Righteous Ale along with their 15th Anniversary Escondidian Imperial Black IPA. Below are some recent releases from Oregon and Washington that showcase some diverse and unique takes on the style.

Hopworks Urban Brewery's "Secession Black India Pale Ale" - Hopworks spared no expense in crafting this beer, using loads of Mt. Hood, Amarillo, Cascade and Simcoe hops to give it a distinct hops profile. It's actually more dark brown than black in appearance with lots of ripe citrus and floral hops in the aroma in addition to roast malt and chocolate toward the end. Strong herbal hops bitterness leads off the taste followed by some grapefruit, mint and pine. The malt flavors are burnt and roasty with bittersweet chocolate and espresso highlights. Nice blend of Pacific Northwest hops varieties and roasted malt flavors. Score: 3.8/5

Oakshire Brewing's "O'Dark: 30 Cascadian Dark Ale" - This is a spring seasonal release that's dry hopped with Cascade and Centennial hops. It's a crimson highlighted, extremely dark brown colored beer with an aroma that blends dark chocolate and citrus with floral hops. The taste is similar with lots of roasted malt, bittersweet chocolate and espresso notes intermingled with grapefruit and herbal hops flavors. It finishes slightly burnt, bitter and smoky. For the most part, it’s a fairly smooth and even blend of a Stout with an IPA. Score: 3.4/5

Widmer Brothers Brewing Company's "W'10 Pitch Black IPA" - Originally part of Widmer's W' Series of brewer's choice one-off releases, this is now a permanent addition to the lineup. Naturally pitch black in appearance, it has an aroma that blends hops resin and pine with dark chocolate and roast malt. The taste begins with strong herbal hops and grapefruit notes along with some citrus rind, coffee and bittersweet chocolate. The malt flavors are predominately dark and roasty but not too assertive. The overall flavor is well-balanced and relatively restrained in the malt and hops department compared to some other Black IPAs. Score: 3.6/5

Pyramid Breweries "Dischord Dark IPA" - Yet another new release from Pyramid, this time a dry hopped IPA brewed with 5 different hops and malts. It's a solid dark brown color with an aroma that's predominately floral hops and citrus with a bit of pine and roast malt in the background. The taste begins with a moderate dose of sour grapefruit and resiny bitterness followed by mild roasted malt, coffee and brown sugar flavors. It finishes with more sour citrus and burnt roastiness. Overall, a respectable semi-Black IPA. Score: 3.4/5

Two Beers Brewing Company's "Heart of Darkness" - Started out of a garage in 2007, Two Beers is now one of Seattle's fastest growing craft breweries. Its line of canned beers has especially been popular with the city's many outdoor enthusiasts. Heart of Darkness is black as night with lots of floral hops and pine in the aroma and a little bit of dark malt at the end. The flavor opens up with roast malt and sour grapefruit followed by spicy herbal hops bitterness, espresso and bittersweet chocolate notes. The overall flavor goes back and forth between dark roastiness and hoppy bitterness in a way that works for the most part. Score: 3.5/5

Beer Review Roundup: Barley Wines (Pacific Northwest Edition)

In honor of the Hard Liver Barley Wine Festival going on at Brouwer's this weekend in Seattle, here's a list of some recent Barley Wines I've tried from Oregon and Washington.

Hair of the Dog Brewing Company's "Doggie Claws" - Alan Sprints is a master at brewing decadently rich and flavorful strong ales and this one is no exception. In the nose, there’s lots of hops resin and caramel along with some rum, raisins, vanilla and orange rind. The taste begins aggressively sweet and malty with a strong dose of brown sugar, toffee, dates and honey with a shot of black cherry and citrus. Toward the end there’s a little bit of resiny hops bitterness followed by more caramelized sugars. The alcohol flavor is very subtle and does a good job of balancing out the malt sweetness. Very enjoyable fresh and should only get better with age. Score: 4.1/5

Hopworks Urban Brewery's "Noggin Floggin" - Hopworks finally bottled their Barley Wine late last year in addition to brewing up a tap only bourbon barrel aged version. Its got a hazy orange and gold color as opposed to the usual reddish brown and lots of caramel and hops oil in the aroma with some dried apricot and mango in there as well. The flavor kicks off with sweet, bready toasted malts and bitter hops resin at the start. In the middle, there’s some toffee, brown sugar and tropical fruit with a mild citrus and alcohol finish. The body is well-carbonated with plenty of alcohol to blend the sweet malt flavors with the bitter hops. Pretty enjoyable overall although it tastes more like a sweet and boozy DIPA right now. Maybe with some age it will take on more traditional Barley Wine characteristics. Score: 3.7/5

Pike Pub & Brewery's "Old Bawdy" - Considered to be one of Pike's best beers, I managed to find a 2009 vintage. It has a pleasant aroma of malt, caramel and vanilla with some herbal hops in the background. The flavor starts out with brown sugar, roasted malt and dates along with candied grapefruit peel, hops resin and alcohol. Overall, it's a solid example of an American style Barley Wine with a nice balance between the malt and hops flavors. A good choice for a cold and rainy night. Score: 3.9/5

Hales Ales "Rudyard's Rare Barleywine" - Brewed in the mold of an English style, its aroma serves up an array of caramel, date, raisin, black cherry, and alcohol notes. The taste is also heavy on the dark fruits and malt with lots of brown sugar, fig, pear, red wine and rum flavors. It’s surprisingly tart and acidic for a Barley Wine and there’s also a little bit of a doughy bread flavor going on from the yeast. Not bad but could probably use some age on it to mellow out the flavors. Score: 3.6/5

Scuttlebutt Brewing Company's "Old No. 1" - This 2009 vintage's aroma is a relatively mild blend of burnt caramel, malt, raisins and alcohol. The taste is caramel, toffee and malt upfront with some dates, butterscotch and resiny hops in the background. The flavor is definitely more English than American style with a strong emphasis on the sugary caramel and malt characteristics and minimal hops presence. The 13.3% ABV is fairly subtle making it a much smoother sipper than most Barley Wines. Score: 3.8/5

Caldera's "Rauch Ür Bock"

Rauchbiers are a classic German style of Lager that are made using malts that have been smoked over beech wood. The goal is to impart a smoky flavor so strong it resembles smoked meat. Needless to say it's an acquired taste that you won't find being made at many breweries outside of Germany. The most well-known and easy to find Rauchbiers are from Brauerei Heller's Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier label. The Caldera Brewing Company out of Southern Oregon is one of just a handful on the West Coast to brew this style. Their version is part of the brewery's Kettle Series of specialty beers and it's smoked with cherry wood in addition to beech wood.

Rauch Ür Bock has an aroma that's an onslaught of sweet and smoky cherry, beef jerky, tobacco, menthol and roasted malt notes. The flavor is very similar to the aroma with the addition of black cherry, smoked sausage, mesquite and burnt caramel malts. The smoked meat and sweet tobacco notes blend together quite well while the finish is naturally burnt and smoky. The overall flavor can best be described as a campfire in a glass. Much better than it sounds. Score: 4.1/5