Oh goodness, lots to cover today. Where to begin....
Well...It's May! Let's start with the Maibock. This style is a strong, golden-ish Bavarian lager. Intended to bridge the weather/beer gap between harsh winters and hot summers in Germany/Bavaria, around May. This style is a good balance of fairly light body and relatively high, warm alcohol. It's one of many variations on the generally darker, stronger Bock, or Bockbier. More often than not, I find bocks to be too malty and/or sweet to really enjoy. The maibock is a good compromise for me. Other bock variations include the dopplebock (double bock), eisbock, and weizenbock. Synonymous to the maibock, or pretty dang close to it, is the Helles (hell-es) bock.
While it isn't my favorite ever, a readily available example of this style is Rogue's Dead Guy. Something that continues to be a mystery for me (yes, I have spent considerable time pondering this) is whether Dead Guy is an ale or a lager.
Rogue's website says that Dead Guy is a German Maibock which is a style of lager but the name is Dead Guy Ale. So....ale or lager? Is the name just a name, because people think of ale and think of beer, and think of lager and think...."that's like, beer, right?" I don't know. I am thinking that I should ask next time I am at Rogue. I'm leaning towards lager, but I actually really want to know. Haha. But I digress...sort of. I have one big, red bottle of 2009 Double Dead Guy in my "cellar." (More about cellaring in a minute...). As previously mentioned, it isn't a beer I am super stoked about, but a good friend swears by Double Dead Guy, so I've been keeping it around. Maybe we'll bust it out next time she visits....until then I think it will sit in my "cellar" with a few other special bottles I'm hanging onto for a special occasion.
So yeah, I said "cellar"....like wine. I feel like lots of folks don't realize that you really can, and might want to sometimes, cellar your beer. The thought of several year old beer isn't super appetizing for some, but if you do it right, and exercise extraordinary patience, it can really pay off. Like wine, certain styles of beer and really mature and develop over the years. I once tasted a 4 year old
Abyss, and let me tell ya...the current year's Abyss is beyond delicious, but does not rival the complexity that really develops after several years of cellaring. Flavors come out that you might not expect from a beer, but man, it's good. Real good. So how do you do it? Well...that depends. Start with the right beer styles. I use "right" here very loosely, but you don't want to try to cellar, say, a Bud Light. That would be gross. Try big beers, high in alcohol and/or hops, that can really withstand the test of time. Imperial porters and stouts, barleywines, old ales, lambics, or strong Belgians. I don't have an actual cellar, so I use a box in a cool, dark, temperature stable closet. Have an actual basement? Bully for you, use it. It will be cool and dark, which is good. Everyone has had skunky beer...one thing that contributes very significantly to skunkiness is light. Light is your beer's enemy...keep it away. How to store? That is a matter of opinion. One reason why you may want to store your wine horizontally is to keep the cork moist so that when the time comes, you can easily remove it. Many beers come with corks, Lindeman's lambics come to mind, and you may feel like this is a good strategy. Some say, however, that storing your beer sideways as opposed to upright isn't the best option, as a bottle cap is metal and not cork, and might cause off-flavors in your beer. Some say it doesn't make a difference. I keep mine upright, mostly because that is what space allows. If you are interested in starting to cellar, I would recommend doing the research and see the arguments, and decide for yourself. :)
On to a new beer, and then a couple of announcements....
Full Sail's Imperial Porter
Style: Robust Porter
ABV: 7.5%
IBU: 60
Serving vessel: 22oz bottle and pint glass
Holy crap. This is seriously magical. Pours as black as night...I held it up to my sunny window and nothing came through. Has a thin tan head, and laced the glass just a touch. It is reminiscent of
Deschute's Black Butte Porter but with a bit more of the roasted malt bitterness and a bit more of the alcohol kick that comes with an imperial. Drinks super smooth, with a medium body; nice and roasty, hints of chocolate and coffee. Mmmm. This one is world class, seriously. Don't miss it. I got this bottle for $4 at the brewery in Hood River, and I've seen it in the store for about $5. Delish.
I couple of other things, then I'll let you go...
1) I will try to remember to update the events box over there on the right. But...for a full list of events around the great state of Oregon, check out
www.brewpublic.com
2) I'll get the list up soon, really.
3) I didn't make it to the festival in Silverton this weekend, but a friend did. Hoping to get you a report soon.
4) Speaking of Dead Guy, there is a tasting at Rogue's Eugene location tomorrow...I think. It's soon, so if you care about Dead Guy, you should check it out.
5) And last but not least,
Ninkasi is releasing their Double Dry Hopped Tricerahops Double IPA VERY soon. Get some. For real. It's awesome...had it at Portland's Spring Beer and Wine a few weeks ago, and I think it was my favorite one. MMmmm.
That's it. :) Cheers folks.
