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.

One Hop Wonder

While watching Alabama eviscerate Notre Dame this Monday, I got to drink Knee Deep Brewing‘s (from Lincoln, CA) Citra Extra Pale Ale.  A single hopped pale ale, with Citra hops only of coarse, that clocks in at 6% ABV and 45 IBUs.  As I usually do for a tasting, I pulled the bottle out of the fridge 30 minutes before I popped the top.

This is the first beer from a large collection of beers brought to us by an old family friend of Miranda’s, Mike, from California.  Thanks Mike!  This is one of the beers he brought that I really wanted try as I have not heard of Knee Deep Brewing before and single hopped beers are a fickle bunch. Calapooia’s Simcoe and Double Mountain’s Clusterf#uck were excellent beers but so many others just were not worth remembering.  Which side of the line was this extra pale ale going to fall?

Reader’s Choice 5: Brown Shugga

Our cheeks are nice and rosy and comfy-cozy…It’s lovely weather for a craft beer together with you…

Yes, I am still in the spirit as I hope you are. How about some Brown Shugga from Lagunitas? Brown Shugga is one of my favorite winter seasonal beers, and as some of you may recall, I lamented its absence last year (the one, and only, good thing about that was it introduced me to Terminal Gravity’s Festivale). So you can imagine I was excited for it to hit the shelves this year and that your votes made it a blog post! Last night I mentioned those sea salt and pink peppercorn caramels that were calling my name…yeah, that’s happening tonight. They’re also made with brown sugar so it should be good (oh, and for the record, I can’t tell you what else in those caramels or I may have to kill you). 

Oregon summer series: beer #1

Appropriately named for the series, no?

I realized today, staring out the window at work, that the midpoint for summer in Portland is either coming right up…or has unfortunately passed.  I’m not going to get all doom-and-gloom here, but I sighed a bit louder than normal while thinking about it.  In that instant, I decided to think of something positive about summer still being around.  The first thing I thought was that it’s been a much better summer this year than the previous two.  What glorious weather we have had for the last 4 weeks, right?  My second thought went to all the summer beer I had yet to drink.  The bombers and six-packs yet to be purchased, the canned beer on the golf course, and the exploration of beers I haven’t had the chance to sample.

Take Me to Funky (Mission) Town

Last fall, Michael and I were in San Francisco and found ourselves killing some time in the Mission district before our amazingly delicious dinner at Flour + Water. We tried to hit up a new brewery nearby, but unfortunately, the opening had been delayed. Fast forward to the present. Brian’s long-time friend, Chad, found himself at the same brewery. If you are a regular reader, you know we make an attempt to highlight some of the more off-the-beaten-track beers. This definitely fits the bill, and so we welcome taphandle’s very first guest post. Thank you Chad! 

With mom getting ready to head out of town for nearly a week, leaving me with Aden Boy, she felt it was only proper that Dad got a day off. Now in some lexicons, I’m sure “Dad’s Day Off” really means: go to Home Depot. In mine though, it means go explore, find somewhere new, and sample something new.

However, this day off, I was at a loss. Luckily, Bay Area Craft Beer had just the idea I was looking for. A place I had never been, launching a new beer by a brewery that I had yet to sample. The place, Southern Pacific Brewing in San Francisco’s Mission District. The brew, Funky Jewbelation by Schmaltz Brewing Company, the self-proclaimed “Chosen Beer.”