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Monday, December 7, 2009
BREW REVIEW: Portland's Holiday Ale Fest
-- A Taste from TheInkFlowsLikeWine.com
Portland’s 14th Annual Holiday Ale Fest came to a close last night, and while I wasn’t there for more than two of the five days, I felt like I had experienced the full scope of the festival collective spirit, (pun indelibly intended). It was surprisingly my first time in Pioneer Square at all since I arrived in town around 6 months ago. Whenever I do happen to make it downtown, I usually stick to the Northern side of Burnside, an area where the taste isn’t so classy in comparison. Since my first festival here, I had been lamenting the fact that there were never any Winter beer festivals, leaving the dark leaning ales to wallow on the shelves in the cold season. However, a random commenter pointed me towards the Holiday Ale Fest, reminding me of why I so love this town.
Jenny and I piled into the Saabaru, and snagged a couple friends along the way in the spirit of the Holiday to take along on our sure to be crazy night. Upon arriving we were greeted with a line wrapping around the square, which we were privy for around 20 minutes before finally getting in the tents and grabbing a cup. With ten tickets a piece to plunder, we headed off to the first beers we saw, thirsty as humanely possible (kind of).
The first beer I saw that immediately peaked my interest was the Vertigo Brewing Arctic Blast ’09 Vanilla Porter. This robust offering was hands down my favorite of the festival, so odd that I found it first. It’s four different malts gave it a sweet and smooth flavor, with a delightful vanilla taste that stayed with you well after a sip. I’m a big fan of vanilla porters, and I think it may be my next home brew if I can figure out a good one.
The next beer I took refuge in was the Firestone Walker Brewing Velvet Merkin oatmeal stout. This was probably my second favorite, very, very smooth and oaty. It uses Fuggles hops and a bit of roasted barley. Jenny told me that Firestone Brewing was near by where she grew up, supposedly it’s the same company that does tires.
Next was a Chocolate Huckleberry Stout from Laughing Dog Brewing. This beer was kind of gross, honestly. I let a friend taste it and she did not approve at all. It was just a kind of sweet that I can’t hang with, I’m guessing it was the berry sweet mixed with the smokey malt that just didn’t please my palate at all.
Jenny snagged a couple beers worth trying in this time period, Hopworks’ Kronan the Barbarian Baltic porter. At 8.3%, this beer was ballsy and smokey, with a little hint of chocolate. Not bad for a cold evening. She also tried the Ninkasi Unconventionale. This Herbed imperial stout would be the bane of my of my friends over the weekend. At a crazy 10% alcohol, it meant business, and but it was pretty smooth for having such a high content.
Next I tried MacTarnahan’s Imperial Chocolate Stout, and at 7.4% I was starting to feel a bit of the other tasters as well. It was a smokey and strong taste, but there was a nice undertone of chocolate throughout.
Dogfish Head Brewing’s Chicory Stout was a robust beer. It smelled mostly of coffee, but the chicory flavoring gave it a bit more of a sweetness. It wasn’t my favorite, but I’d enjoy a bottle worth at least.
Later I tried Eel River’s Spiced Baltic Porter. It supposedly had a hint of vanilla along with cinnamon, but I mostly tasted the 8% alcohol. It wasn’t as smooth as I’d liked it to be, but I did like the fact that the brew was specially made just for this festival.
Laurelwood’s Polska Baltic Porter was even stronger, at 10.1%. Most of Laurelwood’s beer is smooth and refreshing, and this beer was surprisingly smooth for such a high-octane beer. While it was a belly warmer, there’s always a place for that type of beer in the winter.
That was the majority of the beer that I was able to procure with the amount of tickets available to me. Of the three festivals I’ve now been to here, it’s probably no surprise that this was my favorite. Not only is it the perfect time of year for dark beers and hearty strong ales, Christmas time has long been a favorite season of mine. It’s just sort of a comforting feeling, seeing the lights, it being so cold, and a cold beer just makes it so perfect. Plus I loved the huge tree sticking out the complex of heated tents. While it had the draw of the Oregon Brewer’s Festival, it had the stronger beers of the International fest. People were sloshed, and it was no surprise that would occur. Having just completed it’s 14th year, I now find myself counting the days until December 2010 comes around.
