Three cheers for Jeff Merkley (and that Obama guy too...)!

I could not have been more confident in an Obama victory last night. I have been following this race every day for two years and knew the poll numbers and electoral scenarios inside out. Obama was going to win. And yet, I didn't sleep the previous four nights. And after voting on election day, I found myself back at home, hyperventilating, rocking back and forth in the fetal position, surrounded by 30 pages of maps and electoral counts.

In times like these, you need a sure thing, a beer that that is going to deliver an all-around pleasant drinking experience. I had just the ticket, thanks to my friend Heather Angell's visit to the Great State of Oregon. Heather brought me back three beers from the beer heaven that is the Pacific Northwest: Deschutes Black Butte Porter, one of my very favorite beers; a new organic ale from Deschutes; and a new IPA from Fish Brewing Company in Olympia, WA.

(As for the title of this post, Jeff Merkley is my one-time landlord and now junior U.S. Senator from Oregon, after defeating incumbent Republican Gordon Smith by the narrowest of margins. Congratulations, Senator Merkley, and I'll drink to that with a good Oregon beer! And hooray for you too President-elect Barrack Obama! My friends know I am not one to get too political, but... for the last eight years -- my entire political life -- I have watched with increasing desperation as Bush and his band of thieves have run this country into the ground without any regard for the general welfare of its citizens. As someone who follows politics closely and cares deeply for this country, it was too much for me to take; I am a beaten man. But our long national nightmare is over. Put it on your calender: Saturday, January 17th, 2009 will be my Bad Bush, Good Beer party! This is a serious cause for celebration...)

Deschutes Black Butte Porter
Bottle -- Portland, OR
black butte porter appears at the top of one of my first beer posts as a perfect 10... but nothing further is said about this beer. let me do so here. first things first, deschutes puts out some very appealing, simple labels that really draw you in. (also: purchase before date clearly printed on label, a feature that should be common, but isn't.) a dark brown, kind of mysterious pour. lots of roasted malts, a little sweet caramel, and faint hops on nose... a full aroma for sure, and avoids cola-like smell of many porters. malts are more burnt in taste, and finish is coffee. could not possibly be more perfectly balanced by bittering hops. very smooth, healthy carbonation, and medium-bodied. full aroma and taste, easy drinking... not much more you can ask for. i was very glad to discover that this beer withstood the test of time and my changing tastes. just as good as i remembered; if i had to drink five beers for the rest of my life, this would be one of them.
Score: 10

Deschutes Green Lake Organic Ale
Bottle -- Portland, OR
this is an amber ale... and a deschutes beers that i had not tried yet! dark copper in glass... aroma of hops jumps out at you, both citrus and piney... very nice. malts in up taste are up front, followed by those delicious hops. superbly balanced. very smooth going down and quite sessionable. i love the hop flavor in this one, and really it is the best organic beer i can remember trying.
Score: 9

Fish Tale Organic India Pale Ale
Bottle -- Portland, OR
hazy orange, thick head. floral, piney hops on nose. flavor is of grapefruit hops and very bready... bitterness is mild at best. easy drinking but the flavor wasn't my favorite. not bad at all, but there are much better ipa's out there.
Score: 6

Portsmouth Brewery

After a great morning of knocking doors for Obama in New Hampshire with my friend Heather, I made my first visit to Portsmouth Brewery. Portsmouth Brewing has been on my to do list for some time now, and the good things I heard were all true. Cool decor, solid food, and nine fresh beers on tap (five of their own, three from their sister brewery, Smuttynose, and the last from another small, local brewer.)

DISCLAIMER: In the past on this blog I have rated beers from 3 oz. samples. This is not ideal since beers do change as you drink them (and as they warm to room temp), but I have always used this blog as a point of reference -- both for myself as well as for you -- not an official rating. Anyways, I say this since the sampler paddle at Portsmouth was in large shot glasses, probably 1 oz. Point being: there is even greater margin for these ratings than usual.

Portsmouth Bottle Rocket IPA
Sample -- Portsmouth Brewery
powerful, citrus hops really linger in your mouth. still quite balanced and drinkable. i really enjoyed this beer, but probably would only recommend it to hop heads.
Score: 8

Portsmouth Dirty Blonde Ale
Sample -- Portsmouth Brewery
yup, cloudy blonde appearance with lacing that stands up. nice aroma of wheat and grains come through in taste as well. i think i liked this more than most people. a tired name, but a solid beer.
Score: 7

Portsmouth Oatmeal Stout
Sample -- Portsmouth Brewery
a black beauty, with appealing aroma of coffee and chocolate. taste is sweet, with molasses and general roastiness shining through. appropriate 6% abv. biggest flaw is mouthfeel; very weak carbonation and body is thin. otherwise, nice take on one of my very favorite styles.
Score: 8

Portsmouth Smoky Dunkelweizen
Sample -- Portsmouth Brewery
so opaque i thought for a moment that they had served me the cider on tap. i may be on my own here, but aroma and taste was defined by a cough syrup / bubblegum sensation. i am only going to give them credit for a little smokiness too, no more than you would find in a scotch ale. obviously, i wasn't feeling this one.
Score: 5

Moat Mountain Hoffman Weiss
Sample -- Portsmouth Brewery
guest tap at the brewery. a hefeweizen and my first beer from this previously unknown brewer. aroma is sweet and yeasty... taste is more in the banana / spice mode. chewy in body. impressive.
Score: 8

My Favorite:
Portsmouth ALTernator
Sample -- Portsmouth Brewery
the brewery called this a double alt (beer advocate, just an altbier...) deep malty, nutty aroma. flavor is sweet, dark fruity... at 7.5% abv has a well-hidden kick. i don't usually like these heavy malt beers, but i found the alternator to be very well crafted.
Score: 9

Updated beer scores

Today I wanted to run through a list of beers that I have already rated but upon drinking them again wanted to change my original ranking. Some of these changes are pretty drastic; no doubt the result of changing tastes as I experience more and more beers. The first of these adjustments may not seem huge, but Allagash White has made the leap from great beer to one of my absolute favorites.

Allagash White
Bottle -- Chris Gasbarro's, Seekonk
cloudy, yellow pour; nice head. i find many belgian beers smell similar, and this is no exception: yeasty, banana, and some mild spices. some faint banana in taste but it is really a gentle citrus flavor that defines this one. i like how spices like coriander and nutmeg are relegated to the background. fizzy mouthfeel, but incredibly easy to drink -- this is the strongest component of the beer. allagash white is the beer that taught me to appreciate belgian styles... high praise.
Original Score: 9
Updated Score: 10

Geary Pale Ale
Bottle -- Winebasket, Brockton
translucent orange color... hoppy aroma... bitterness up-front but balancing malts aren't far behind... smooth. a long time favorite that you will find in my fridge as often as any other beer.
Original Score: 7
Updated Score: 9

Gritty McDuffs Black Fly Stout
Bottle -- Cardoza's, Fall River
dark black pour with foamy tan head. smell and taste of roasted coffee, semi-sweet chocolate, hint of molasses... very carbonated, dry, and a little thin. taste was solid but points definitely deducted for over-carbonation.
Original Score: 5
Updated Score: 6

Gritty McDuffs Original Pub Style
Bottle -- Cardoza's, Fall River
light copper with big sudsy head that disappears quickly. aroma of citrus fruit and buttery popcorn. taste is lemon, bitterness, and a metallic tanginess -- awful. thin mouthfeel, high acidity, flat... not the qualities i look for in a beer. i remembered this beer very fondly but was extremely disappointed upon revisiting it. still love the name and idea though.
Original Score: 8
Updated Score: 4

Sam Adams White Ale
Tap -- Uno's Bar and Grille, Braintree
first of all, this is not a white ale... but once you get past that it is okay. my friends actually really like it, but i am not totally sold. pale pour with fresh, earthy hops emerging. taste has some bitterness, but otherwise pretty light and watery.
Original Score: 3
Updated Score: 4

Shipyard Longfellow Winter Ale
Bottle -- Maine
an american strong ale that they call a hybrid between a porter and a scottish ale. a surprisingly dark pour... molasses, roasted coffee aroma... caramel malts and chocolate come through in taste... well balanced, and smooth enough that you can drink a few of these at a time. especially enjoyable since a case of shipyard was my winnings from a bet with my friend nate...
Original Score: 6
Updated Score: 8

Shipyard Prelude Special Ale
Bottle -- Maine
i mentioned this before, but my dad really won me over on this one. (the mexican food i ate this with the first time through may have caused me to miss some of the interesting stuff going on here...) defined by warming alcohol and levels of complexity -- i bet this would age pretty well. one of my new favorites for a winter seasonal.
Original Score: 7
Updated Score: 9

Stone Coast Knucklebock
Bottle -- Walpole Wine & Spirits
the first rating was a sample at the end of the great international beer festival, so i am going to trust this one instead. lots of malts, as you would expect. pretty good but lacking in something. their beer names are a little cheezy too.
Original Score: 4
Updated Score: 6

Nashoba Valley

A few weeks ago I went on an outing with a few friends to Nashoba Valley Winery in Bolton, MA. I thought it would offer something for everything: apple picking, a winery tour, and even some microbrewed beer. The wine was too fruity and sweet for me, and the crowds were pretty crazy, but I would still recommend it on a fall afternoon. Their beer... not so much. To be fair, they just started brewing and did resist the temptation to put fruit in all their beers too... which is a good start.

Nashoba Valley Bolt 117 Lager
Bottle -- Nashoba Valley Winery, Bolton
sweet grain and some yeast in aroma... taste is very similar, with some sour fruitiness as well. taste isn't the most appealling, but fairly refreshing.
Score: 4

Nashoba Valley Heron Ale
Bottle -- Nashoba Valley Winery, Bolton
an american pale ale, but this seems much more like an english pale ale to me. buttery aroma, few hops, and a rather weak, muddled taste.
Score: 5

Nashoba Valley Oaktoberfest
Bottle -- Nashoba Valley Winery, Bolton
flavorless malts... a little oakey i guess. a one-dimensional beer. kind of clever name.
Score: 4

Nashoba Valley Wattaquadoc Wheat
Bottle -- Nashoba Valley Winery, Bolton
nose, taste: it's mostly wheat with some cloves and spices. effervescent mouthfeel. very light and surprisingly good.
Score: 6

New Brewers

You probably have noticed the list of "Bottle Stores" on the left side of this page. To drink 500 different beers you have to visit a few liquor stores... and I have found some really good ones in my travels. My favorite stores usually have a large selection of craft beers from a range of domestic brewers. I really like it when you can purchase singles. And reasonable prices are a good thing too.

One of the most recent additions to the list is Luke's Liquors in Rockland. This may have the largest selection I have ever seen and singles are no problem. And I was even able to find a number of new brewers there, which is especially exciting. So no surprise, my latest list of new brewers is dominated by offerings from Luke's. Check it out if you are ever in the area, as well as any of the other fine stores on that list.

Mad River Steelhead Extra Pale Ale
Bottle -- Kappy's, Malden
my first beer from mad river -- a few local stores recently started carrying this california brewer. cloudy, golden... malty aroma... citrus hops... very sessionable.
Score: 7

Oxford Hefeweizen
Bottle -- Luke's, Rockland
bavarian style unfiltered. aroma and taste of wheat/yeast. not especially good.
Score: 4

Riverhorse Tripel Horse
Bottle -- Luke's, Rockland
golden pink in appearance... fruit in aroma and taste... apple champagne really, and quite sweet. not exactly a sophisticated tripel, but not bad.
Score: 6

Two Brothers The Bitter End
Bottle -- Luke's, Rockland
a pale ale from illinois. overly carbonated out of bottle... sweet, malty aroma... mild grassy hops in taste, with slight tanginess... not bad.
Score: 7

Best New Brewer:
Speakeasy Prohibition Ale
Bottle -- Luke's, Rockland
nice fresh aroma of hops. taste of caramel and floral hops. well balanced. cool bottle. i am impressed.
Score: 9