From the bottle, it pours clear and the color of sun-baked straw; golden and a little toasty. There is a little head retention and some foam lacing on the sides of the pint glass. The aroma is of malt and a hint of corn and spice, with a slight alcohol and ester edge to it. It has a fairly delicate mouthfeel, not a strong carbonation but just enough to tell you that the beer isn’t flat and make it feel alive.

The flavor is definitely malty, a little bit sweet, with a slight metallic tang on the finish. A slight hoppy bitterness at the end keeps the sweetness from being cloying, drying the flavor out quite a bit. There’s a bit of an alcohol and corn or grain (think Grapenuts) flavor, which I’m sure is from the malts used.

So, I remembered correctly! It’s a sunny, warming beer that I’d look forward to drinking in the fall and winter. Here’s hoping mine turns out even remotely this well.

Roots Brewing has released a chocolate habañero stout; a stout brewed with chocolate malt, chocolate wheat & five pounds of coco nibs in the mash, boiled for two hours during six pounds of organic free trade semi sweet chocolate syrup made by Alma Chocolate is added. After fermentation they dry hopped with 100 chopped habañeros. For those of you not in Portland, Alma Chocolate is a local chocolatier that makes fantastic, interesting, fancy chocolates.

On first pouring, this beer has a chili pepper aroma along with dark malt notes — just as you might expect — and a medium head that dissipates fairly quickly. This isn’t an oily Guinness, it’s more in the vein of a dry Irish stout. It is completely black, not even a hint of wan Portland afternoon light gets through this pint.

As it warms, the flavors definitely improve. On my first taste, this stout was dry, not very chocolatey, and I couldn’t taste the habañeros at all. Now that it’s been warming for a little bit, there’s a definite spiciness up front and in the finish. Swishing it around in my mouth makes my gums tingle with spice – both weird and interesting in a beer. If you’re expecting this to be a sweet chocolate stout like Young’s Double Chocolate stout, you’ll be disappointed. This has more of a cocoa nib chocolate character rather than a bittersweet chocolate flavor. The sweetness is more apparent after 30 minutes of warming, so come in for a pint and relax a while to let the flavors come out.

The spice level definitely grows over time, more of a nice slow burn that lingers than a sharp up-front heat. I can also taste the chilies in the finish, which give a slightly toasted note to the flavor.

All in all, this ended up being a pretty interesting stout. I’m not sure the habañeros were necessary, though the warm tingle on the back of my tongue is nice on a blustery Portland day. I almost want the chocolate to be more prominent or sweeter since it’s muted by the black malt of the stout and the chili flavors. However, this had the potential to be a really weird beer, and instead it was a tasty and interesting beer.

Keep up the experimentation, Roots!

The #5 is a “Belgian Farmhouse Bitter”, according to the bartender. Of course, he also tried to give me change for a $20 when I only gave him a $5, so his judgement may be questionable The #5 is slightly hazy, but fairly clear, with a golden/reddish color. A small head remains on the beer after pouring, and the foam is lacy on the glass. It has a medium to creamy mouthfeel. The aroma is definitely tart and tangy, which made me expect a really spicy farmhouse style ale. But on tasting the flavor is more of malt with a slightly bitter finish, not of spices and citrus. The bitterness isn’t one of strong hops so much as it reminds me of tonic water. More crisp and refreshing, which is good because this beer could be too sweet or heavy without some bittering.

I have high hope for Upright Brewing after this! It’s a very interesting first taste for a new brewery, and I’m glad they were brave enough not to release yet another NW-style IPA into the world just to win popular tastes.

Mehana Brewing doesn’t have a pub attached to the brewery, there’s just a small tasting room and gift area. Local grocery stores carry their bottle beers, and they sell kegs to lots of restaurants and bars on the island. I tracked down the tasting room just so I could get a sense of their full range on tap. Their beers tend toward the lighter ales and lagers, though they did have a seasonal porter. They definitely tweak their styles to suit local tastes, which is pretty cool. Though I tasted all of the beers at the brewery, I bought some bottles so I could give real reviews of their two best-selling varieties.

Mehana’s Humpback Blue Ale is a kolsch-style ale, a light amber-colored beer with a malty nose and a fairly smooth mouthfeel. The flavor up front is a little metallic, but with a nice cereal note that isn’t too sweet. Unlike beers in Oregon, Hawaiian beers are mildly hopped, and the Humpback Blue is no exception. There is a strangely tart note to the beer, much like I’d expect in a sorghum or gluten-free ale, that’s coupled with a slightly bitter edge in the finish when the beer has warmed a bit. All in all not bad, but not my favorite kolsch.

Roy’s Private Reserve is brewed special for Roy’s Restaurants, but it’s also available by the bottle. It’s even lighter than the Humpback Blue, but with a finer bubble and more “refined” qualities. It has a sweet malty aroma with a lot of cereal in it – that Grapenuts smell I associate with well-malted beers. The flavor reminded me of a Belgian golden, but without the Belgian yeast taste in the finish. It had some honey notes to it, and a hint of spice that I didn’t expect.The Roy’s Private Reserve seemed like a Japanese take on a Belgian beer.

All told, Mehana is doing pretty good work. They weren’t my favorite beers, but it’s interesting to taste localized versions of familiar styles. If you’re in Hawai’i I definitely recommend checking them out!

I had their Riptide Red, which was a more traditional take on a red ale than most local breweries might offer. Not bitter or hoppy, this red had some rye notes to the finish and a solid bready malt flavor. It’s medium-bodied, fairly light on the palate, and not at all sweet. There’s a hint of clove and spice in the flavor, but nothing overwhelming. This is definitely a red you’d drink after a hard day’s labor. It was perfect on a warm yet overcast coastal day, just as the Irish would like their red ale.

Kathy had  the Nestucca ESB, which was completely different than I’d expected. The aroma is strongly green hop, very bright and fresh, nearly grassy. But after that green hop aroma comes a malty, bready flavor that washes away any astringent hop notes. There’s some caramel and toffee in the finish, but it’s well-balanced so the final flavor isn’t at all sweet. It has a medium to slightly fizzy body, a hint of esters in the flavor, but winds up crisp and refreshing without being overhopped. I thought I’d hate this ESB, but it was really good! If growlers at Pelican weren’t so expensive ($15 with your own bottle, $23.50 if you need a new bottle) we would have gotten one of the ESB.

Drop by Pelican Brewing some time this spring and give their offerings a try! They’re also working on some Belgian styles that are bound to be interesting. We’ve got a 22oz bottle of Saison du Pelican that I can’t wait to taste.

Served in a tulip glass (they called it a chalice) on account of being 8.1% alcohol (can you imagine a couple of pints of that?), it sure is a pretty beer. Dark amber, red hues, clear like a ruby, with little head retention (a little foam around the rim of the glass). The up front aroma is of alcohol then warm malt and a hint of spice, like cloves or nutmeg.

It has a bubbly medium mouthfeel appropriate for the style, not too creamy or flat, but not too effervescent for the flavor. There’s a lot of malt and spice flavor, with a little caramel sweetness. A bit rich, but not overwhelming. There’s a slight tartness or tang in the finish that clears the palate and keeps the beer from being too sweet and sticky.

The Dubbel Suplex is pretty right-on for abbey style, and has matured nicely. I almost wonder what it would be like if aged in a bourbon barrel, but that might be over the top, making it too sweet and rich to drink in any quantity.

8.1%

This is actually an ideal beer for a warm spring day – full enough to take the chill off you when the wind blows, but light and crisp to compliment the warmth of the sun on your face. I could see it pairing nicely with sushi, or even udon. Something that doesn’t have strong spices that would overwhelm the ginger notes.

It reminds me a lot of the experimental ginger hefeweizen I brewed a couple of months ago, only more carbonated. I hope that my brew gets a bit more bubbly!

Also, it turns out that Laughing Buddha had to change its name to Trade Route Brewing due to a legal dispute. Since the brewery is in Seattle, I’ll have to check it out the next time I go north.

On pouring, the Real Ginger Brew is not as light as I’d expected, having a more copper color that was a bit hazy. The haze didn’t reflect a wheaty taste. On pouring there’s a bit of head, much like a soda, but no head retention.

It has a surprisingly tart aroma followed by coriander and citrus. The initial taste also has a tang like a Flanders Brown, slightly fruity and tart. The ginger flavor is present, but more savory than spicy, and there’s no real ginger hotness. I noted a definite metallic taste that all the Hitachino Nest beers have. The carbonation is a little rough, like a soda, though it calms as the beer warms.

On warming there’s a noticeable alcohol aroma and flavor, and the taste of the beer becomes more savory than tart. It’s an interesting beer, but I’m not sure I’d pay over $4.50 for it again.

Inaugurator is dark like a brown ale in the glass, mostly opaque but allowing just enough light to shine through that it’s not pitch black like a stout. Imagine a medium-roast coffee in a glass, if you will. The initial head subsides pretty quickly, leaving no foam or lacing on the glass.

As you might expect there’s lots of malt in this beer, with a hint of dry chocolate on the back of the palate, along with a slight tang in the finish. The tang is almost reminiscent of black cherries. Luckily for me, there’s just enough hops to cut the sweetness, but not so much that it ruins the malty flavor. This beer is smooth, rich and not too heavy. Some might consider it a sweet beer, and it’s certainly sneakily boozy, but it would be surprisingly easy to drink all night.

As an inaugural doppelbock, I’d say it’s dark, smooth, and a little surprising just like our new president.

This year’s runaway favorite (for me) was his Pagan Porter, served on nitro in their amazing retro-styled basement bar. I love a porter in general, but I love porter variations even more. I have to admit, the Lompoc Vanilla Porter was a close second, and I’ll look forward to the taste-off again next year. Perhaps there will even be a new contender.

When I heard that Pagan Porter was on limited release at Old Lompoc, I had to get another taste! I wasn’t able to make it to the release party, but I had to catch a glass or two (only served in glasses, not pints) at Hedge House the next day. On nitro, it’s smooth, creamy, and velvety-delicious. On regular Co2 it’s still awesome, but not quite as smooth. Maybe next time the Lompoc locations will serve it on nitro? Please?

As one might expect, there’s a definite bourbon flavor and aroma to this beer. Aging the beer in fresh bourbon barrels for six months will do that! It’s the perfect beer for bourbon lovers, or for people who want to love bourbon but just don’t. It’s all the things I thought hard liquor would be like when I was a kid – delicious, sweet, exotic, a treat.

On the tip of the tongue the flavor is sweet, a little fruity (like a fruit cake – yeasty, malty, a little tangy and mysterious), quite oaky, with a hint of caramel. Chocolate notes appear at the back of the mouth, a happy medium between sweet and dry cocoa. As the beer warms, the chocolate flavors are more present at the front of the mouth, developing as a rounded flavor with the bourbon notes. What impresses me is that this beer isn’t too sweet and sticky. There’s so much potential to take it over the top and make it a gut bomb, like a cream-filled donut. But it’s no barley wine and I’m glad for it. The slight tang up front and the hint of bitterness in the finish balance the sweetness and richness of the bourbon flavors, making the beer rich and flavorful but nicely balanced.

Perhaps I’m biased because I know the brewer – he’s the man who makes sweet malty elixir and fresh hot dutch babies, after all – but this is in my top favorite 5 porters. I’ve never had another porter quite like it, and I think it raises the bar on porter variants brewed in Beervana. Fantastic work, Jon! I look forward to next year’s experiment.