Firestone Walker’s XVI Anniversary Ale

For my 39th birthday, almost one year ago, I received a 22 of  Firestone Walker’s 16th anniversary ale.  As part of my mission to drink the beer that is now stored in the “food” fridge, I selected this one.  I think I should have read the bottle before cracking the cap, as this big boy clocks in at 13% ABV.  Not really a school night beer.  Who I am kidding, it is going to be summer-like outside and I am going to spend most of the day wishing I wasn’t inside. So being a bit slow in the morning will matter very little.

Rudolph’s Imperial Red Ale

Once again I am tardy posting my latest beer review.  This past Wednesday day I sat down with a bomber of Rudolph’s Imperial Red Ale from Three Creeks Brewing when the ghost of my beer fridge started to haunt my basement.  A bottle of our coffee porter “mysteriously” blew up.  It had to be a ghost and not because I left a bottle of home brew at room temperature with am already distended cap.  Well, I had to set by review aside and clean up the mess.  Every home brewer has a good exploding bottle story and now I have mine.  It is a classic story of beer on the ceiling, glass strangely far from where the beer was, and because the bottle was in a box staked on another case, dozens of sticky bottles to clean.

Beer fridge….I knew thee well

We have all have been in situation where making small talk is just a requirement.  Inevitably the question, “well what do you do?”, will be asked.  Now, I like to believe my career is both interesting and important, but as person who works to live, this typical polite response is incomplete.  Some of this is may fault as I am not much for talk, small or otherwise, in such social situation.  If fact a walk through of my basement dose a better job of answering the question better than I so.  In one corner there are my bikes and tool, another fishing poles and tackle, but for most the center of the room will grab their attention first.  A homemade mash tun, kettle, carboys and a full sized beer fridge takes of more than their fair share of room in the basement.

I’ll take some MOA

Damn it’s been a long week. And I’m about ready to embark on another one. Although this one should be better. Last week brought four doctor’s appointments, a MRI, and six prescriptions – I probably shouldn’t be having a beer. But sometimes you just need one, or at least a taste of one. I can be honest with all of you since none of you know my doctors, and I’m positive none of my doctors read this blog. Luckily, Michael was willing to “take one for the team” (hah!) and help me drink this little gem so I wouldn’t feel too guilty.

I picked up this bottle last week at the Tin Bucket. One of my favorite new neighborhood hangouts and beer places here in Portland. They know their beer, always have a new selection, and the service is still great. Plus, they have a house deck of Cards Against Humanity for those “special” nights. Hmmm…maybe I need to do a future post on them. But for now just know that they have a great selection on tap that you can drink in-house or take in a pressurized growler to-go, and they have a great selection of bottles in the cooler. This little bottle of MOA, an Imperial Stout aged in Pinot Noir barrels, caught my eye and it’s been tempting me every night when I look into my fridge. So, here goes, I hope it’s been worth the “wait.”

Just a little Trip

Today I am drinking the Taylor Shellfish Farms Oyster Stout,a collaboration between New Belgium Brewing and Elysian Brewing.  A member of their Trip series of small batch beers.

The oyster stout is a fairly rare style but I have managed to try a few and really enjoy the beer.  As soon as I saw this beer at Belmont station I picked one up.  For me in an oyster stout the brine is the key.  I would say number one flaw I have found in some of the beer I have tried is, while labeled an oyster stout, it was in distinguishable from any other stout.  I am looking for a nice ‘sea’ brine, a bit different than a Gose, that mixes effortlessly with the dark malt and a softened the mouthfeel and finish.  Even before tasting, I a a bit concerned, at 7.7% ABV this beer is much bigger than any other oyster stout I have tried.  I hope the extra malt doesn’t lend a bit of sweetness that interferes with the flavors I am looking for.

This beer looks wonderful poured into a glass.  The beer is very dark but not total black and topped with a head of soft, tiny bubbles.  It is almost as if it was poured from a nitro tap, very nice for a bottled beer.

I will admit I am getting over a fairly nasty cold.  Trying to give anyone a reasonable description of the  aroma would be an exercise in futility, so I am just going to jump in as taste this beer.

This is a good oyster stout.  It has a nice brine, although I could ask for a bit more, and rich dark malts start to its nice smooth finish.  What keeps this from being a great beer is the size, confirming my original hesitation.  I believe an oyster stout is much better served by a smaller, say <5% ABV, drier beer.

If you have never had an oyster stout this is not be beer to start your adventure with the rarer beer styles, but for the few enthusiasts out there pick up a bottle and give it a try.  I would love to here your opinions.  Hell, while your at it, let me know your favor oyster stout