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On paper, Red Sea, the collaboration between Ashland's Caldera and Hawaii's Big Island Brewing, looks like a messy wreck. The brew includes pink peppercorns, Himalayan pink salt, molasses and liquid chocolate, plus six different malts and two kinds of hops—all aged on bourbon-soaked oak spirals. And yet this imperial red is all smooth sailing. A rigid backbone of malt and molasses allows the more exotic ingredients to dance around without outshining the rest of the show. From the salt comes a subtle brininess that plays well with stiff chocolaty and peppery flavors neatly stacked atop. The beer is only available in Ashland and isn't worth the trip alone, though you should absolutely have one or three before braving the very slow currents in the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's current production of The Tempest. Recommended.
WWeek 2015