Beer: Red Chair IPA
Brewery: Deschutes Brewery
Style: American India Pale Ale
Suggested Glassware: Pint Glass

The Red Chair IPA is named after the oldest operating ski lift at Mt. Bachelor. I don’t know if that is supposed to be inspiring because it is still around or terrifying that it may fall apart at any moment. Nonetheless this addition to the Bond Street Series of Deschutes beers uses seven varieties of malt to obtain “a plush body with satiny caramel favors” and tones down the hop bitterness letting the malt come through. Continue Reading »

Beer: Tower 10 IPA
Brewery: Karl Strauss
Style: India Pale Ale
Suggested Glassware: Pint Glass

Karl Strauss Brewing Company located in San Diego California is a product of the 80s, in a good way. According to the website, Tower 10 IPA was born “Amid a sea of neon bikinis, Tower 10 marked the spot where two college grads and a 75 year-old master brewer drew up plans for the first local craft brewery in San Diego since Prohibition.” Anything to do with bikinis, beaches and beer I am into, and a cooler full of Tower 10 IPA would be a great addition to any beach visit. Tower 10 is brewed with Chinook, Cascade and Centennial hops giving it a hop punch that San Diego brewers have a reputation for. This is a great beer to pair with spicy foods such as curry dishes. To explore the world or Karl Strauss Brewing Company visit their website.

Photograph by racketrx

Beer: Fire Rock Pale Ale
Brewery: Kona Brewing Company
Style: Pale Ale
Suggested Glassware: Pint glass

Great labeling caught my eye first, then great taste kept me wanting more. Fire Rock Pale ale from Hawaii offers plenty of flavor its mainland cousins have.

In 1995 Kona Brewing Company was founded on Hawaii’s Big Island of Kailua Kona by father and son team Cameron Healy and Spoon Khalsa. Offering an array of styles from their original Big Wave Golden Ale to the Pipeline Porter that is made with 100% Hawaiian Kona coffee. Continue Reading »

Beer: Saison
Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Co.
Style: Saison Farmhouse Ale
Suggested Glassware: Beer Chalice

Originally brewed in Belgium by the farmers of the Wallonia Valley for there own drinking pleasure, saison style ales have found their way to the shores of America and have seen a huge growth over the past few years. Entries in 2006 at the Great American Beer Festival showed saison style ales had a 76% increase. This style of beer is slightly tart and refreshing — just what the farmers from Wallonia were looking for during a hard days work. Saison is the French word for ‘season’ and the beer is named such because it was brewed during the cooler months and consumed during the summer months by those working in the fields. Continue Reading »

Beer: Red Poppy Ale
Brewery: The Lost Abbey
Style: Barrel Aged Brown Ale
Suggested Glassware: Chalice

From years of trying Abbey style ales Co-owner of Pizza Port Vince Marsaglia developed a love for them and was set on creating some of his own, but he needed a brewer who could bring his vision to life. When brewer Tomme Arthur was brought on-board in 1997 The Lost Abbey was born. Red Poppy is one of their Non-Denominational Ales and is “Brewed from a brown ale base and aged in our oak barrels for over 6 months.” Red Poppy is modeled after the Flemish Red Ales that have a distinctive sour characteristic. This is my favorite style of beer and Red Poppy is a great representation with its sour cherry flavors. Continue Reading »

Beer: Cinder Cone Red
Brewery: Deschutes Brewery
Style: American Amber/Red Ale
Suggested Glassware: Pint Glass

Named after a volcanic cinder cone turned ski resort, Deschutes Brewery’s Cinder Cone Red exhibits one of the same qualities that this pillar of Central Oregon’s Mount Bachelor does, its dark red color. As the warmer weather melts the snow “Red Hill” begins to show its face . According to David Gadd, Cinder Cone Red, “teeters on the brink of world-class. Gorgeous to look at, with constantly shifting coloration ranging from ripe apricot to molten magma. The slathery head gets all over the glass and stays there, while the crushed velvet texture delivers up lacquery flavors that put a shine on the palate thicker than a triple coat of Verathane. The complex, never-ending hops notes are the icing on the cake. Killer beer.” Sounds to me like a great way to enjoy the coming summer months.

Beer: Samuel Adams Summer Ale
Brewery: The Boston Beer Company
Style: American Wheat Ale
Suggested Glassware: New Samuel Adams Pint Glass

One of many Samuel Adams Seasonal Beers, the Summer Ale, has two unique twists. The first is grains of paradise. Katie Powell of The Boston Beer Company tells me, Jim [Koch] visits the spice markets all over the world to find the highest quality and best tasting ingredients for our beers – Grains of Paradise being one of them.” This seed is grown in Western Africa and imparts a mild pepper-like flavor with hints of ginger, cardamom and coriander. Originally used as a cheaper substitute for black pepper the spice has long been used to flavor alcoholic beverages. The name is derived from a tale that the grains were only available in Eden and had to be collected from a river flowing out of this mythical garden. The second is the addition of lemon zest to the brewing process. Americans feel the need to add lemon to wheat beers, though my thought is if the brewer wanted to add lemon he would have brewed it that way. The Boston Beer Company does just that with its Summer Ale by brewing with the zest of the lemon, which contains more essential oils and gives it the zing without having to add anything at all.

If you like this beer try:
North Coast Brewing Company, Blue Star Great American Wheat
Rock Bottom Brewery, Heartland American Wheat

Beer: Sword Swallower
Brewery: Shmaltz Brewing Company
Style: Experimental
Suggested Glassware: Pint Glass

Sword Swallower is one of the “Freak” beers from Shmaltz Brewing Company’s line of themed brews inspired by the freak show on Coney Island. Great labeling is the first thing that catches your eye with any of their beers. This one pays homage to Heather Holiday a real life performer in the show. Continue Reading »