Beer Blotter

Hopunion, a veritable force in WA hops.

As depressing as it can often feel to discuss the end of summer, in the beer world, it’s actually a relief.  Beer is arguably at its most boring in the hot months.  Summer lagers and hefes and wits and all things sessionable.  Don’t get me wrong, there is a place in my heart for all of those things, but beer is ultimately lighter in body and flavor in summer.  Often, with lighter comes lamer.  I’m excited for flavor to happen again.

The fall brings thoughts of rich, full bodied Marzens/Oktoberfests, as well as highly notable Northwest specialties like spicy pumpkin beers (thank you Dick Cantwell of Elysian) and the ultimate prize – fresh hop beers.  Praise sweet sweet mother nature!

Yakima, WA’s Hopunion just issued three press releases of sorts to their customers with some pretty heady details.  I got a hold of the info via my employer, Homebrew Heaven, but I get the sense that the same flyers were sent to the breweries as were sent to the homebrew shops.

Fresh Green Hops

With the 2011 hop harvest quickly approaching, now is the time to reserve your fresh off the bine Hopunion hops.  This year we will be supplying 6 varieties to meet your green hop brewing needs including Amarillo VGXP01cv., Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, Citra HBC394cv., and Simcoe YCR14cv. hops.

Yeah, that about covers all of the super flavorful and aromatic hops that really matter in America. I can’t imagine the need for any other varieties.

Hopunion doesn’t sell retail.  I don’t know for sure if they would sell to you if you don’t have a legitimate brewery or brew oriented business, but I do know that you can only buy from them in bulk.  For fresh hop purchases, “orders must be in 10 lb. increments”.  As an individual homebrewer though, 10 lbs. really isn’t an over abundance of hops.  When you consider that you need to use at least 5 times as many fresh hops as you would dried hops, you could literally use the whole lot in 2 bold IPAs.

I can only imagine that homebrew clubs have pooled together their membership and attempted to make a special order.  Since I am not yet a member of such a club, I’d love to hear some feedback from those that are via comment.  At the very least, all homebrewers should make a few calls and let the shops know that there is a demand for fresh hops at home.

Falconer’s Flight Continuation and Brand Expansion

Due to the unprecedented success of the inaugural flight, Hopunion is pleased to announce the continuation and brand expansion of Falconer’s Flight.

In case you forgot, Falconer’s Flight hops are named after Glen Hay Falconer.  Amongst other things, Glen was a brewer at Steelhead and Rogue.  He passed away in 2002.  This hop is a blend of 14 different hop varieties including Citra, Simcoe and Sorachi Ace.  It is described as “…imparting distinct tropical, citrus, floral, lemon and grapefruit tones”.  Hopefully this means that homebrewers will have a little bit easier of a time acquiring said hops.

Hopunion goes on to explain how they will also begin producing a hop called Falconer’s Flight 7C’s, a hop that contains a blend of 7 “C” hops and additional experimental varieties.  Genetics sure is something.

Introducing, ZYTHOS

The third and final release form Hopunion tells of yet another new variety that they will soon breed and offer brewers.  They explain that the demand for “unique IPA style hops” is as strong as ever and that varieties like Simcoe, Amarillo, Citra, and Palisade have been very successful for them.  The need for a new and exciting hop that “replicates the chemical structure of the finest IPA/Pale Ale finishing hops” is needed.

Hopunion worked with Alpha Analytics to create a hop that “delivers aggressive alpha acid levels, balanced beta acid levels and low co-Humulone levels for a smooth finish”.  The new hop is called ZYTHOS and is named after the traditional Greek word for beer.  The target alpha and beta percentages are 9.4 and 5.5 respectively.  I can’t wait to see what our local brewers come up with to display the unique characteristics of this hop.  I have a strong sense that it’s going to impress the hop lovers amongst us.

Chatoe Rogue

For those that don’t know, Newport, OR’s Rogue Ales is a powerhouse.  They are the 39th biggest brewery in American (based on volume).  They also brew one million billion different beers, distill many spirits, distribute all over creation (including internationally) and have their own “estate” that produces, amongst other things, hops and barley.

Of course, hops and barley are two of just four ingredients that make up beer.  Pretty much every brewery in the world uses “local” water, so that just leaves yeast.  It just so happens that Wyeast, one of the worlds foremost producers of liquid yeast strains, is based in Odell, OR, just outside of Hood River.  Wyeast produces Rogue’s patented house strain, Pacman.

This puts Rogue in a very unique position – to create beers that are 100% sourced from the great state of Oregon.  This is a very rare and special phenomenon here in the U.S.

Rogue has the distinction of having created the first ever all-Oregon ingredient artisan beer.  This was called Sesquicentennial Ale and was brewed to celebrate the state of Oregon’s 150th birthday.  Rogue already told me that they have something special up their sleeve for my 150th so if anyone reading knows an attractive vampire, please let me know.

Chatoe Rogue is the name designated to all of Rogue’s Estate Ales, or mostly estate grown, or at least made from Oregon ingredients….mostly.  I believe that some of the grains and hops are purchased but at least a portion of the grain bill and a portion of the hops used are from Rogue’s land.  The water is always Oregon Free Range Coastal and the yeast is always from Wyeast.  This includes Creek Ale, a pale brewed with cherries and 2 yeast strains; Dirtoir Black Lager; Oregasmic Ale, also a pale; Wet Hop Ale, also a pale (but a wet hopped version); Single Malt Ale, a blonde; and the latest – Floor Malt Ale.  You will find details about that one below.

TYGH VALLEY, OR, April 13, 2011 – Rogue Ales & Spirits has completed construction of its Farmstead Micro Floor Malt House. The first batch of hand-raked, floor-malted barley will be used to create a unique release from Chatoe Rogue: Floor Malt Ale.

The Heritage-Estate Facility is located on the Barlow Trail at the Basque Ranch, adjacent to the 200 acres of malting barley used to create Rogue’s Whiskeys, Ales, Porters, Stouts, and Lagers. The Tygh Valley Appellation, located in the shadow of Mt. Hood, is home to numerous crops, including a variety of orchard fruit.

Wildlife on the Farm includes three types of deer, black bear, cougar, bobcat, wild turkey, pheasant, chucker and several species of raptors including both bald and golden eagles. The 150 ponds and lakes on the ranch hold Redside Trout, Largemouth Bass, Crappies, Catfish, and Bluegills.

The farm is also home of the Cascade Red, the first new breed of cattle produced in the U.S. in over fifty years and the only breed ever developed in the state of Oregon. Cascade Red Cattle are a Pinzgauer-Red Angus cross and rely on spent Rogue GYO malting barley grown on the Farm for a large portion of their feed.

The Growers, Farmers, Maltsters, Millers, Mashers, Hoppers, Brewers, Fermenters, Distillers, Smithers, Ocean-Agers and Smokers of the Rogue Nation Department of Agriculture remain committed to saving the terroir of Oregon hops and barley one acre at a time by growing their own.

Cheers to Rogue for being epic!  Let’s hope they never run out of links in the supply chain to take over and call their own.

The facade of Beveridge Place Pub in West Seattle - the site of the Annual Bacchanal of Barleywines

Beveridge Place Pub’s 7th Annual Barleywine Bacchanal kicks off this Friday, February 26^th, with over 40 barleywines pouring for a week straight from 24 taps.  That’s a lot of big bold brews to choose from.  Since there is clearly more beers than taps, there will be a constant rotation of kegs a flowin’.  As one blows, another will replace it, and so on.

The folks over at the Washington Beer Blog were kind enough to post the complete list for all to slobber over. Below you will find the entire list.  Clearly, all are barleywines, and thus, all are going to be packed with copious quantities of both malt and hops.  All will be fairly high in alcohol, and chances are good that all will taste pretty darn good.  Your main fear should be a harsh, young vintage.  Sometimes these fellas just need some time to mature and mellow out.  Too much bitterness and not enough sweetness can make your barleywine experience akin to being strangled by a hop vine.  There is no question, if you read this site with any regularity, that Beer Blotter holds great respect for Father Time and his agile hand at improving beers of many kinds, especially barleywines.

For Beer Blotter, the older the vintage, the more excited we are to try it.  Both rare and refined, these pours should improve your evening no matter who brewed them.

So our first overarching tip to you, “age is all the rage”.

But we need more detail than that.  Let’s dig deeper.

The biggest challenge of the Bacchanal is the barrels-to-taps ratio.  The rotation system will make it difficult to have a clear game plan for your visit, whatever day you choose to attend.  You will never really know exactly what to expect, which, granted, offers its own brand of excitement.  Your best bet is to pre-create a list of b-dubs that you’re most excited to taste, and chances are that no matter what day you decide to venture out to West Seattle there will be at least a few of them available.

Perhaps a look at the Beer Blotter list could assist you in creating your own list.  Below, as promised, is the unadulterated list.  Below that, the Beer Blotter list.

Complete List:

Alaskan, Barleywine ‘06, ‘07,’08

Anacortes, Old Sebastes ‘07

Anchor, Old Foghorn ‘06, ‘07, ‘08

Anderson Valley, Horn of the Beer ‘09

Avery, Hog Heaven ‘09

Big Sky, Old Blue Hair ‘06

Boulder, Killer Penguin ‘09

Boundary Bay, Old Bounder ‘09

Deschutes, Mirror Mirror ‘09

Diamond Knot, Icebreaker ‘09

Dick’s, Barleywine ‘05, ‘09

Dogfish Head, Olde School ‘09

Elliott Bay, Old Portside ‘09

Elysian, Cyclops ‘09

Fish, 10 Squared ‘08, ‘09

Fish, Leviathan ‘06

Flying Dog, Horndog ‘09

Full Sail, Old Boardhead ‘06

Full Sail, Old Boilermaker 98 (yes, 1998)

Hale’s, Rudyard’s Rare ‘06, ‘09

Hopworks Urban Brewery, Noggin Floggin ‘09

Hood Canal, Breidablik ‘06, ‘07, ‘09

Lagunitas, Old Gnarleywine ‘04, ‘06, ‘07

Laurelwood, Old Reliable ‘09

Left Hand, Oak Aged Widdershins ‘07

Lucky Lab, Old Yeller ‘09

Mad River, Old Barleycorn ‘07

New Old Lompoc, Old Tavern Rat ‘08

North Coast, Old Stock ‘07, ‘09

Pike, Old Bawdy ‘07, ‘08

Port, Angel’s Share ‘09

Port Townsend, ‘09

Rogue, Old Crustacean ‘08

Schooner Exact, Old Sinking Ship ‘09

Scuttlebutt, Old #1 ‘06, ‘08

Sierra Nevada, Bigfoot ‘08

Skagit River, Shiver Me Liver ‘09

Speakeasy, Old Godfather ‘09

Stone, Old Guardian ‘07, ‘08, ‘09

Three Skulls, Wreckage ‘09

Victory, Old Horizontal ‘09

Walking Man, Old Stumblefoot ‘08

Beer Blotter List:

Alaskan, Barleywine ‘06, ‘07,’08

-This is a “must” if offered at the time of your visit.  A Northwest Masterpiece.  Alaskans know how to warm up with Barleywine.  This guy ranks very well in any festival that it is involved in.  In the last 5 years this brew has placed in the top 3 at Brouwer’s Hard Liver Barleywine Fest 3 times, and the ’07 vintage was number 1 last year.  A warning though…chances are high that these will only be available on Monday, March 1^st or Tuesday, March 2^nd when verticals are offered.  To try all three vintages side by side would truly be a treat.

Lagunitas, Old Gnarleywine ‘04, ‘06, ‘07

-In Beer Blotter’s humble opinion, there is not many Barleywines being made in the world better than Gnarleywine.  The ’08 vintage was awarded 3^rd place in this years Toronado Barley Wine Festival, and chances are, the older the better.  Do not skip this one, any vintage.  Another warning: 3 years offered…look to vertical night for these.

Speakeasy, Old Godfather ‘09

-Though this is young, the ’06 got second place last year at Brouwer’s.  Expect this one to be high in alpha…it’s the Speakeasy way.

Stone, Old Guardian ‘07, ‘08, ‘09

-If you read Timperial’s review of the ’07 vintage you would know, this beer is sickly good.  Astounding balance, even through time.

Victory, Old Horizontal ’09 & Dogfish Head, Olde School ‘09

-With the exception of a few CO representatives, these are the only 2 offerings that aren’t from the West.  Reason?  They are astounding beers made by two of America’s best breweries.

Fish, 10 Squared ‘08, ’09 & Leviathan ‘06

-Both of these beers are incredible and hard to come by, even in their home state.  10 Squared was probably my personal favorite from last years Hard Liver Fest and old vintages of Leviathan, like this ’06, are pretty much legendary.  The barrel-aged version of Leviathan is in the top 10 on ratebeer.com’s list of barleywines.

Port, Angel’s Share ‘09

-It would be silly of me to leave this one out since it is literally one of my favorite beers of all time.  Number 9 on ratebeer.com’s barley wine list.

New Old Lompoc, Old Tavern Rat ‘08

-Beer Blotter recently had this from the always-impressive taps of Uber Tavern and really enjoyed it.  Very nutty if you’re into that.

Boundary Bay, Old Bounder ‘09

-Seattle does not see enough Boundary Bay.  Maybe if we drain this keg quickly the “will of the people” will change that depressing fact.

That’s a pretty healthy list for you, and honestly, I could go on an on.  There is A LOT of really good stuff on this list, and even a few that Beer Blotter has never had and looks forward to trying (like Lucky Lab, can we please have more of their beers in Seattle?).

Anyone and everyone within striking distance of Seattle should never, EVER miss events like this.  We are so lucky to have beer bars that put so much time, effort and money into aging beers for years and organizing such exciting festivals.  Beer Blotter sends a massive hug to Gary and The Bev for making this happen year after year.

Find us in West Seattle, raise a glass, it’s barleywine season!