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People often ask me, "What's your favorite beer?" But I don't fall for that trap. How can one choose between, for example, Fred or Saxer Bock? Given a few categories, however, I might hazard an opinion. So, in our "best of beer" series, I offer my picks for Oregon's finest beers in a few categories. The beers had to be brewed in Oregon (except for the out-of-state category), and no brewery received more than one of the coveted WW gilded beers, though some were in contention for multiple categories. BEST HOPPY BEER
Tie: BridgePort IPA, Full Sail Equinox ESB In the rest of the world, the style of beer most associated with our state is that which is characterized by hops. Bitter. Tangy. Puckery. From pale to dark, ale to lager, the quality that earns an adjectival "Northwest" is synonymous with hops. In such a tight field, I must waffle and offer two exceptional hoppy beers. The recipe for the first, BridgePort IPA, was, ironically enough, not developed by an Oregonian. Phil Sexton, the Australian brewer responsible for the beer, was so enamored of our amazing hops (wholly absent in his homeland) that he created this mind-blowing IPA, basically stuffing as many hops into the hopjack as he could fit. The bitterness is rich and complex, with a base of traditional English hops mixed with the characteristic citrus of Cascade; the result has a woody nose with notes of lemon and pepper. Full Sail's Equinox ESB is brewed with only two hop varieties, Saaz and Target, but is nevertheless remarkably complex. It differs from the IPA in the quality of hopping, which comes across in a sharp, clear bitterness with a touch of earthiness around the edges. It pours out golden orange, with a thick, creamy head that survives to the last sip. BEST LAGER
Saxer Bock That we have one category for all lagers tells a lot about our state: There aren't many of them here. More breweries have begun to brew them, but lagers are still relatively rare. Saxer leads the way. Among its beers, my fave is the flagship, a Northwest helles bock. Given his background, it isn't surprising that master brewer Tony Gomes has produced a series of exceptional lagers. Schooled in Germany at the Doemens Brewing Academy before serving an apprenticeship at Paulaner, Gomes has been exposed to the most venerable sources of bock production. Brewed traditionally with the time-consuming decoction process, the brewery's flagship is as rich and smooth as any from Munich. Despite that, his recipe for the Gomes' bock does not cleave exactly to the standards of the old breweries, borrowing as it does from the Northwest penchant for a bit of bitterness. The result is a beer with great depth and a robust, malty body. It gets additional complexity from a generous dose of hops, which, rather than just balancing the beer, lace it with a peppery zest. BEST BLACK BEER
Rogue Shakespeare Stout In addition to the fame of its hoppy beers, the Northwest can take a bow for producing the finest black beers in America. Always a favorite with brewers, the dark ales aren't the easiest thing to sell, but in Oregon, we appreciate black beverages. As a result, the field is crowded, and partisans from all sides could argue with great merit for different selections. But there is nothing quite like a Shakespeare Stout. Pouring out with light-absorbing blackness and tobacco head, it has a body you can see. In the mouth, it is as silky as mousse, and it has hops aplenty to complement the sweet chocolate malts and roasted barley. Stouts warm a winter chill (and occasionally cool a summer blaze), and none so well as this one. BEST SESSION BEER
Mirror Pond Pale Ale The connotation for session beer shouldn't be of a weak or thin or even, necessarily, pale beer. Rather, session beers are lower in alcohol and less filling than other beers, to facilitate having a few during a session in the pub. In England this might mean a mild or ordinary bitter, but here, we're used to a bit more of everything. Back when Deschutes was just a brewpub, John Harris (now at Full Sail, then the master brewer at Deschutes) developed Mirror Pond for semi-regular rotation. He wanted to create a West Coast-style pale, characterized by Cascade hops. He did just that, using an all-Cascade hopping to accentuate the fine caramelly body. It was popular enough to become a regular at the brewery and later to warrant a bottling. Even after a couple, you'll be able to slosh a mouthful around in appreciation. BEST NEW BEER
Hair of the Dog Fred Each year, breweries put out new products. Some are seasonal, some are replacements for flagging products. I considered any beers released since last summer, seasonals and regular products alike. Hair of the Dog Fred was released in November to an enthusiastic crowd that snapped up the whole first bottling in less than two hours. Called a "golden strong ale" by the brewery, this beer is otherwise uncategorizable. It's a monstrous beer of 11.5 percent alcohol by volume, incorporating rye malt and 10 varieties of hops. I might load a sentence with adjectives, but the best advice is this: Try it yourself. BEST OUT-OF-STATE BEER
New Glarus Belgian Red For the category of out-of-state beer, I chose among those readily available in the Portland area. The tiny New Glarus Brewing Co. of Wisconsin has produced some amazing and distinct beers. The brewery has won back-to-back People's Choice awards at the Spring Beer Fest. New Glarus owner and brewer Dan Carey happened to pass through Belgium after finishing brewing school in Germany. At the Lindeman brewery, he fell in love with kriek, a lambic brewed with cherries. For six years, he perfected his own version, beginning long before he and his wife opened their brewery in 1992. The biggest hurdle for anyone trying lambics is approximating the yeast character, a puckery tartness, which in Belgium is achieved through spontaneous (meaning au naturel, without adding yeast) fermentation. (Later, when he adds the Wisconsin Door County cherries, Carey also adds ale yeast.) The result is good enough to be considered alongside other Belgian ales, and has garnered just about every award on earth. He's even beaten a good many Belgian breweries in international competitions. Something like sour cherry pie, the balance of this beer isn't between malt and hops but rather between the sour of the yeast and the sweetness of the cherries. BEST BEER YOU'VE NEVER TASTED
Anything by Wild River One way to tell what kind of chops a brewery has: Take a look at its two most disparate styles of beer. In most cases, one will be merely serviceable. For a brewer to be able to brew across styles and make two very different beers with skill and distinction is rare. Wild River has achieved that mark with its Harbor Lights Kölsh and Double Eagle Imperial Stout. The kölsh is as delicate and refreshing as the stout is thick, rich and complex. The only way to make such fine beers is through practice, and Wild River owner Jerry Miller says the brewery has had plenty of it. "I take credit for throwing away more beer than any brewery in Oregon," he says. After giving brewer Hubert Smith (no longer with the brewery) free reign with his recipes, Wild River has ended up with an eclectic mix of styles--and five strains of yeast for its various beers. They're hard to find (try the usual suspects: Burlingame, Belmont Station and some Fred Meyers), but look also for ESB, hefeweizen, Bohemian pils and nut brown. If you can't find Wild River in the stores, check it out at this year's Oregon Brewers Festival, where the kölsh will be available. |
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