Fresh Hops Tastival 2008

What’s that? It’s a sunny October afternoon and there’s a beer tasting going on down the street from my house? Perfect! ‘Tis the season for fresh hop beers, and the Fresh Hops Tastival at Hopworks gave OR/WA breweries a chance to show their seasonal stuff. I dropped my cat off at the vet up the street for abscess repair (ugh, why must he lose all fights he gets in to?) and drowned my sorrows with friends amongst delicious beers.

In general, I’m not a huge fan of super hoppy beers, so a Fresh Hop beer extravaganza could be treacherous for me. The good news is that there are a lot of brewers out there that know the difference between a good beer and a beer with just a crapload of hops added.

To cut to the chase, here’s what I had:

Cascade Lakes Warrior Fresh Hop Ale
First ale of the afternoon, it was crisp, medium-bodied, and surprisingly not floral or bitter. A good start!

Lompoc Octobock
Another non-hoppy choice, this was smooth with notes of caramel and malt the way a bock should be. Well-balanced, though, and not too sweet or strong.

Hopworks Parsec Pale Ale
I couldn’t resist an ale with a Star Trek bent, and the Parsec Pale is an improvement on their regular Crosstown Pale. Not as bitter, smoother, and certainly more alcoholic (6.9%!). Still on tap at Hopworks as of 10/22!

Lucky Lab’s The Mutt
I picked this because the hops was a homegrown mix, but the beer wasn’t that impressive compared to the other offerings. At the time, it seemed a little watery and mild. But I had a pint at the Lab two days later, and the beer had more body and caramel flavor.

Deschutes Fairweather
This was a pretty standard golden ale, nothing super exciting, but generally drinkable and tasty. I’d like to try it again, and I definitely liked it better than the Anniversary Wit they had at the Oregon Brewers Festival.

Fort George Cohoperative
Another beer a I picked because it was brewed with homegrown hops, it was decent but not noteworthy.

Hopworks Fest of Fury
To be fair, I had a sample of this a couple of weeks ago and said “Damn, this is good!” back then. Well damn, it’s still good! Caramel and malt flavors, but not super sweet, and so darn smooth. I wish it were still on tap, because I would drink this every freakin’ day.

Pelican Elemental Ale
Usually, I avoid all the IPAs, but I tasted this when a friend got it and decided to try my own. It was good stuff! Not overly floral, biting, or bitter for an IPA, it was surprisingly well balanced and refreshing. I’d actually order a pint of it if I had the chance!

Beer Valley Black Flag Imperial Stout
I saved the stout for lasting, knowing it would kill my tastebuds if I had it too soon. This was good stuff! Not as sickly sweet as some imperial stouts, it had delicious dry chocolate and coffee notes with a hint of roasted nut flavor. So good! Maybe I should move to this magical “Beer Valley”…

In Summary
In the end, Fest of Fury was the standout beer for me. Something about the smooth caramel flavor just sang to my tastebuds. If you missed the Portland tastival, you have one last chance in Eugene this weekend! I love a three-weekend festival with changing locations. I’ll definitely go to this again next year!