*sad face*
Well, it took me just over two years to figure out how to use the Mac/internet/Google Blogger utilities with enough deft to bring you the best possible newsletter that a mediocre user of the aformentioned utilities would be able to do. All of that is behind me now. I might as well be writing this on a word processor. You don't care about my tech problems, and the creativity must go on...
Long awaited, but not forgotten, I have returned to put a whimsical spin on the 8 beers chosen for the latest collection of CBE. Draft on 3/12, it has taken me almost three weeks to actually sit down and put some thought into this one. Originally, leaving Brewers Outlet in Mt. Airy for this CBE, I had a feeling that this was going to be the most new beers for me in quite awhile. I thought there may have been 5 of 8, of which I had not tried before. That's quite a lot for me, or any of us at this point. Then after checking and recounting some long forgotten experiences, I realized that I had somewhere and somehow tried all of these beers but 3. Which after some consideration, is still quite a bit. Nevertheless, it was a great selection of beers, and one that I enjoyed.
The reviews are in, and I am starting with the beer that I believe was a favorite among the group, Deschutes Red Chair NWPA. I have unsuccessfully spelled Deschutes so many times, that my iPhone now autocorrects to several incorrect spellings. There are a bevy of extra T's in some, a missing S in others. So going forward, I will be referring to them as That Oregon Brewery, or TOB. Oregon I can spell. TOB I can definitely spell. The website has this to saw about the TOB January to May seasonal...
The citrus punch of a big IPA, minus the one-dimensional hop sledgehammer. Seven select European and domestic malts round out the edges for a complex, copper-colored brew. Like its namesake ski lift, it’s an insider’s ride to fresh thrills.
Malt: Pale, Crystal, Munich, Carapils, Pilsner, Carastan
Hops: Cascade, Centennial
Watch brewer Matt Henneous talk about Red Chair NWPA from the fabled Mt. Bachelor lift that spawned it's name.
I get a lot of melon, thought it was on the sweeter side, but still pretty heavy. This one wasn't overpowering though, and I definitely would not mind having a few of them. TOB only made it's Philadelphia area debut a little while ago. The first beer we had from them was Black Butte Porter. As we start to get more and more of their seasonals, they've definitely proven that they're worth a try. Currently Hop Henge IPA is floating around, and it's supposed to be pretty damn good.
The rest/best is yet to come...
