#baerlic

Fresh hops! Get your fresh hops! It’s that time of the year, the sun is sinking southward and the bines are heavy with juicy cones. The harvest window is short, and the hops are fragile. But before they are all dried and doled out for another year, a few lucky brewers can get their mitts on those oily little buggers.

Once again, the first beer into cans came from Ex Novo. They must have inside information on the harvest schedules, because I wasn’t even thinking about freshies when Fresh Hop Eliot showed up earlier this month. It was a great reminder how fresh hops are different from the usual dried varieties. This beer reeks of hops. Taking a whiff is like standing behind a long haired dude at a crowded concert. It’s skunky; it’s sweaty; it’s perfumy; it’s actually kind of nice.

That same week, Level Beer -- that newer brewery out by the airport -- combined two seasonal trends in their fresh-hopped Oktoberfest beer. Level combines the malty richness of Oktoberfest with an unexpected fruitiness. It’s got that tingly flavor I only find in fresh hops.

Crux’s first freshy has an odd name and brings out soem odd flavors. I’m not sure it was really fresh. None of that green freshness, lots and lots of fruit. And this is supposed to be made with fresh Centennials? It’s lacking the funky, dank flavors I was expecting. It tastes incredibly clean, with a lager-like finish. Odd.

And the hits kept coming when Baerlic brewing put out fresh green cans of their Punk Rock Time IPA. It’s got that fresh herb melody floating over a dank, oniony bassline. this is more what I expect from Centennial hops. But it was made with fresh Strata, so what do I know.

Little Beast took a different tack with their fresh hops, making a sour ale and added a ton of freshies. It tastes different too. It’s pungent at first, and then it gets funky. It’s intense in too many directions, really. A noble effort, if a little flawed in execution.

Occidental went and added fresh hops to their Pilsner. It’s got a nice balance. The malt flavor has depth and the hops add a little fresh citrus to the herb party.

Reuben’s Fresh Hop Crikey IPA tastes kind of old, and plasticy. Maybe it’s fresh upfront, but the back end is rough and bitter. 

This is what Joe Strummer trained you for.

What’s Old is New Again

Baerlic Brewing is doing something different. Their beers taste very unique among Portland breweries. While every other brewery is falling over themselves making ultra-fruity IPAs and added-fruit ales, Baerlic is making bitter, toothsome brews. The beer is more akin to that brewed at an early aughts microbrewery than a contemporary hophouse, but they utilize the same modern hops and flavors.

For example, the latest New Noise is brewed with classic Cascade hops – like an old Sierra Nevada brew – but also Amarillo, El Dorado, and Azacca – the latter two were bred in the last ten years. In a single pint of New Noise you can taste the entire evolution of American IPA in reverse order, it moves from the modern and juicy, to the old and hard in a single sip. Upfront, the beer tastes of tangy tangerine and passion fruit, very de rigueur. On the backend, you get a really firm handshake of pine and spruce. It’s earthy. The body isn’t pillowy or fluffy. It’s oily. 

Here’s a weird one for you. 

New to Me

Baerlic Brewing is about two years old now? Something like that. And I am just getting around to them. Hey, Portland beer is crowded, okay? 

Baerlic comes from the Old English for barley. But the brewery isn’t all malt forward. They make the full complement of IPAs, lagers, sour ales, and barrel aged brews. I just haven’t had the pleasure of trying them on tap. I don’t make it to the pub very often, thanks to the kid. Thank god for packaged beer.

Two Days of #Portland Craft Beer and Cider

Many beer pundits pick Portland, Oregon as the #1 city in the U.S. for quality beer and I would be hard pressed to disagree.  You can barely walk a block without passing a bar, taproom, restaurant, or brewery offering outstanding craft beers.

I recently spent two days sampling #Portland craft beer and cider, meeting friends, seeking unique breweries, and learning about the growth in quality…