Shameless Self-Promotion

Direct from the wire:

"If you're reading this, Port Brewing is now available for the first time in Tacoma on draft at The Red Hot. This is what it will look like (forgive the "OR"s...got a few handles hanging on before they go kaput):

Port Brewing Wipeout IPA

Port Brewing HOP-15 Imperial IPA

Anderson Valley Hop 'Ottin IPA -OR- Diamond Knot IPA

*NINKASI RADIANT*

Two Beers Wit

NBB Lips of Faith Le Fleur Misseur

Hales Kolsch

Maritime Pacific Old Seattle Lager

NITRO: Hales Cream Ale -OR- Big Al's Local Hero Cream Ale

Port Brewing Older Viscosity

Vitamin R

If you're wondering why Ninkasi Radiant (Ninkasi's Summer offering...perfect for this weather!) is in all caps, it's because it is our 300th different beer that we've served on tap since opening less than 2 years ago...which longtime TRH regs will tell you that every 100th flavor, it's $3 a pint til it's all gone :)

This Saturday (the 25th) is the debut tapping of Ballz Deep Imperial IPA, from Gig Harbor's new 7 Seas Brewing! Starting at 7pm, we will have the outdoor beer garden open, with all 7 Seas offerings on tap...British Pale Ale, Cutts Ale, Ballz Deep IPA, as well as the debut of our new Randall hop filter (thanks to pals at The Parkway Tavern & Schooner Exact Brewing) with Ballz Deep IPA through a batch of hops lovingly grown by the very mother of 7 Seas Head Brewer, Travis! Giggidy giggidy!"

Two observations:

When they make beer on the Moon the Red Hot will be the first to pour it, and Port Brewing, isn't that our old friend Tomme Arthur?

We Drink Beer So You Don't Have To

It's been a while since we got a good beer panel group together. Hey, it's summer, who has time to sit around and drink beer with a bunch of friends?
This week we were joined by Matt and Heather McClung of Schooner Exact fame so we really had to pretend we knew what we were doing. I think we fooled them.
Read on dear, lonely, reader, read on:

First we tried a bunch of canned beers that Dustin brought back from his Hawaii vacation.

Maui Brewing
Bikini Blonde Lager ABV 4.5%
Looks like a Rainier. Clean and creamy up front and a little bready in the middle. A perfect beer for Tacoma if Tacoma was a small island floating in the distant, tropical, Pacific.

3 out of 5

Maui Brewing
Big Swell IPA ABV 6.2%
Do the hops get to Hawaii on the same ship as the Spam? Quite minerally, clean, and a touch malty. Not bad for an Hawaiin IPA in a can and very sessionable.

3 out of 5

Maui Brewing
Coconut Porter ABV 5.7%
Smells like a coconut porter, tastes like a coconut porter. Chocolatey, roasty, nose. Mild coconut flavor but becomes more like an Almond Joy as it develops. Might be a good idea to keep candy bars and beer separate. Just sayin...

3 out of 5

Wittekerke
Blik Witbier ABV 5%
Very pretty color but long strands of schmegma were a little disconcerting. My land!! That tastes awful! If this didn't come out of a green bottle how did they get that skunky flavor into it. And why put Belgian beer in a can?? A quick tour of the website might answer a few questions.

1 out of 5

Pelican
India Pelican Ale IPA ABV 7.5%
This smells delightful, darling. Malty in the middle and finish ( who took these notes?) Kind of a standard IPA with a long finish. A range of scores 1 through 4 but the consensus is:

3 out of 5

Port Brewing
High Tide IPA ABV 6.5%
Not as bad as we thought it would be, there's objectivity for you. A little green, it's a fresh hop, but in July? Hay notes, aromatic. Kinda like cigarettes, not the tobacco flavors in wine but more like the chemicals in a Pall Mall.

2 out of 5 and a big "Fuck you, Tomme Arthur!!" just for the sake of it.

Schooner Exact
Heather Ale ABV ?
One of the first beers made by the lovely Heather from Schooner Exact. Her time at the University of Puget Sound shows through because this beer smells like one of those pretty hippy girls and finishes with a hint of sourness. Like a slightly scented flower. (Who took these notes for chrissakes...you're fired!)

2 out of 5

Primator
Maibock ABV 7.5%
Another gem brought by the Schooner folks. Aroma of creme brulee. But does all Czech beer taste the same? Little sweet, quite pleasant if you like beer that tastes like a corn taco shell. And apparently we do.

3 out of 5

He'Brew
Rejewvenator ABV 7.8%
Half Doppelbock and half Belgian Dubbel with a bunch of date juice thrown in. Apparently, there's some religious significance to using date juice but even God would get tired of brewers blending and juicing. Suffers next to the previous Maibock, big dry finish, and dates that taste like molasses.

3 out of 5

Dogfish Head
Burton Baton ABV 10%
Here we go again; a blend of oak-aged English strong ale and 90 Minute IPA. Classic Dogfish. Smells like Grandma's cedar chest. Yup, the one she fell into and wasn't discovered for a week. Overwhelmingly sweet. What a waste of 90 Minute and two minutes, too.

1 out of 5

Well, that's the end of this week's "Grumpy Old Beer Geeks Drink Beer." Unfortunately the moron taking notes didn't record our reaction to the Dumpbucket but I'm pretty sure it was awful. We had also hoped to taste New Belgium's Transatlantique Kriek but were unable to get a sample. Anyone out there tried it?

Who Cares?

The guy from Firestone Walker has been doing the rounds and they've hooked up with the Bud distributors. Expect to see their beer in you favorite taverns and bottle shops soon.This is another example of the aggressive moves the previously exclusive AB franchises are making to get back some market share.

We are happy to see more good beer in the market, and a little more competition for some of the more complacent beer mongers. But is your Bud guy up to it?

Oh No, Not More Breweries

I getting tired of this:

Bumblebeer at this address in Ballard.

I'm all for new breweries but when will they make beer?

Oh No, Not More Breweries

This one sounds familiar but I couldn't find it in my back-blog.
A new liquor board microbrewery application for Valhalla Brewing and Beverage Company at this address.

Obviously, I know nothing about them other than they are bucking a trend and not setting up shop in their parent's garage.
I also wonder if the Valhalla brewers in Massachusetts or in England might have a problem with their highly original name.

Shameless Self Self-Promotion Dept.

It's a big night for Dick's at the Parkway on Wednesday July 15th. Or it's a big Dick's night at the PW tomorrow night. Or be at the Parkway for a vertical winter Dick tasting.
However you want to say it the Parkway is hosting a Dick's brewer's night from 6-9pm Wednesday July 15.
In celebration of the annual Christmas in July tradition the fine folks from Centralia's Dick's Brewing are emptying their cellars and hauling up a three year sampling of their Double Diamond Winter Ale. Expect to see 2006, '07, '08 versions and, as an extra treat, an oak-aged cask too.
Also on tap tomorrow: a new Scottish ale, the return of Bottleworks IPA on draft and Randalled, some of last year's Barley wine, and some of Dick's famous meat.

OK, I have to say it, "You can't beat Dick's meat!"

See Norm Pour!

I've been neglecting my good friends at 99 Bottles recently mostly because of cut and paste problems. But I got this e-mail, and I can cut and paste it!

"We're celebrating Deschutes Brewery's 21st Anniversary on Saturday, July 11th and folks (21+years or older, with valid ID, of course) who come to 99 Bottles between 2:00 and 5:00 p.m. can sample six Deschutes beers for $1. The local Deschutes guy, Norm Cartwright will be pouring...

Deschutes Black Butte XXI, a doubled up version of the brewery's flagship porter that's been aged in bourbon barrels. Limited edition; expected to sell out quickly so we're setting some aside just for this event.

Mirror Mirror, a doubled up version of the brewery's flagship pale ale, a whopping 11% abv making it a "barleywine". 35% of this limited edition beer was aged in oak barrels; ready to cellar or enjoy now.

Mirror Pond, the brewery's flagship pale ale.

Red Chair IPA, a beautiful copper-red India pale ale that's sessionable at 6.4% abv.

Obsidian, an easy-drinking stout.

Twilight, the brewery's refreshing and light summer seasonal beer.

Try all 6 for $1 at 99 Bottles. Saturday, July 11th 2:00-5:00 p.m."

Shameless Self-Promotion Dept. Section 2

The current line-up from my old pal Barry at the Rosewood:

Schooner Exact Gallant Maiden Hefeweizen
Elysian Loser Pale
2008 Maritime Pacific Jolly Roger
Fish Organic IPA

All through the month of July we will be featuring back-vintages of Jolly Roger, Jubelale, and Snow Cap and weekly raffles for cool brewery schwag.

O'Gara says: The 2008 Jolly is hitting it's peak right now, drink it where ever you can find it

Shameless Self-Promotion Dept.

New in from the Shit Hot:

Stone Ruination IPA (Escondido, CA)
Victory Hop Devil IPA (Downingtown, PA)
Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA (Healdsburg, CA)
Russian River Consecration (Santa Rosa, CA)
Elysian Saison Poivre (Seattle, WA)
He'Brew ReJewvenator (San Francisco, CA)
Schooner Exact Gallant Maiden Hefeweizen (Seattle, WA)
NITRO: Great Divide Chocolate Yeti (Denver, CO)
Ninkasi Oatis Oatmeal Stout (Eugene, OR)
Hales Troll Porter (Seattle, WA)
Vitamin R (Beer From Here)

Get down there and suck down a pitcher of something!

Who Cares?

Long ago we estranged our sources. Heads rolled, memos were fired off, mouths closed. But, happily, time rolls on and the rumor mill keeps on churning.
Here's the latest to roll off the Telex at TBT Towers:

Green Flash out of San Diego hopes to land here in the fall. We thought it was odd that they are apparently leaning towards Columbia Distributing rather than Click. But we were reminded that Columbia already represents them in the Portland market. Remember also that Click represents all the other San Diego hot shots, Stone, Port and Abbey, and, soon, Alesmith. Hopefully Columbia will have their shit together by then.

We also hear that Alaskan (Motto: We don't just make that crappy Amber) is looking around for new respect and a new distributor. This is where your eyes will glaze over but here's the details.

The Alaskan guys don't feel that the Bud sales force properly represents them. Until the recent buy-out of Bud by InBev, Bud distributors could only sell Bud products, but not anymore.
Now, Bud distributors, flush with cash, and the all important cooler space in your favorite supermarket, are aggressively snapping up the distribution of new brands and even small breweries such as Big Al's and Rogue Issaquah. And that's leaving the Alaska guys out in the cold.

So, the big question is where will Alaskan go? Obviously with someone else who can get their beer in the stores. (Do we need to remind you that it's all about six-pack sales). Most likely, Columbia (Miller) in King County. And until we have way more babies down here, we don't count.

Again, who cares? To those that do care it's set up an interesting quandary. What does New Belgium do? If Alaskan joins Columbia that puts the NB guys in the same house as Deschutes, Full Sail, Pyramid, Sierra Nevada, Mac 'n' Jacks, Manny's and ,err, Alaskan. That's a lot of middle of the road brands.

So, expect to see New Belgium jump ship to Click soon, they already have one foot over the gangplank.

Remember, you didn't care about it here first.