Are you loving a micro home-brewing or drinking micro brews in general? I, too, love to drink a good beer after hard day working or playing! Let me tells you little bit about me. I have never experienced to drink ale style beer until moved to Seattle, WA in 1997. However I was only twenty at that time and only two months away from 21. I remember that I always got beer from my roommate who was already 21. The first ale I ever tasted was Bridgeport IPA from Portland OR. I still sharply remember the taste of beer that I had first sip on it. It was very crisp, citrus, floral aroma, significantly bitter from hops but very present aftertaste, very enjoyable, and drinkable beer for Asian like me. At that point, I am a Japanese boy who have only tasted beer with Kirin, Asahi, Orion, Sapporo, and Suntory. Yes, those major lagar styles in Japan are no difference to your memory of good old college days with PBR, Hummy, Cools, Bud light, and you name it. Plus those beers are mostly made out from rice as a main ingredient of an economical sugar souce for yeast to process to ethanol rather than using the sugar extracted from 100% barley and malt. In my opnion, Japanese lager aren't that different than so called piss beer in your local grocery stores.
Unfortunately in Japan, the taxtation for beer is outrageously expensive. The tax on beer in Japan at 2011 is $1.29 per gallon of beer produced commercially. On the other hand, the State of Oregon is $0.0188 per gallon, which is the cheapest! (Yah!!) And national average in U.S. is about $0.188 per gallon. The beer in Japan is expensive commodity for both Japanese and any foreign visitors. I think it is sucks! It is seriously screwed up for Japanese to limit a small micro-brewers to be successful. I hope to be change this law in Japan in near future. Another issue is that many college/young generations in Japan aren't much interest in consuming a lot of beer.
I have an opportunity to go a pub crawl trip to taste many good microbrews in northern California and southern Oregon on Oct.7 to 9th, 2011. I would like to put my report of beers and microbreweries we visited in those three days.
1: Wild River Brewery and restaurant
The regular beer list was Kolsch, ESB, Nut brown, Bohemian Pils, IPA, Honey wheat, and Imperial stout. My thumbs-up beer was Imperial stout with rich, coffee like roasty taste. But many styles are German styles and Kolsch was better than Bohemian Pils. IPA was mild (toasty malt taste) and fruity but not enough bitterness.
Overall 3.0 / 5.0
2: Mad River Brewing Co.
It was unfortunate the tasting room regular open hr is until 9 pm. We got there around 8:40pm on Fri.
I tried Super Chili Madness. Yap, Beer with chili. I think it is ok, but hot and spicy beer aren't refresh me at all. However, the regular Steelhead double IPA, Jamaica brand Red, and Steelhead Extra Stout were very tasty. The double IPA was very hoppy (Amarillo) but nice finish with citrus aroma. I would like to go back there whenever I have chance to visit near Arcata, CA. Other seasonal stout was also very good and smooth.
Overall 4.0 / 5.0
3: Redwood Curtain Brewing, Co.
This brewery was established in 2010. The south tip of Arcata, CA probably 3 miles off from Hwy 101. The brewery is two man operation with Brake Mollberg and brewmaster. They are very innovative to make many seasonal beers of farmhouse ales to Belgian styles.
IPA was very drinkable, floral aroma like an orange, and not too stinky odor from hop. It was bit toasty taste of malt and right amount of bitterness. Belgian pale ale is the one of innovative or adventure side of beer. the belgian style like banana and clove flavor and aroma in NW hoppy pale ale style. My favorite was Tripel. It was malty, clean, crisp, yet Belgian style sourness mixed into one nicely. Highly recommended more than Dubbel.
Overall 4.25 /5.0
4: Lostcoast Brewery Co.
I did like a regular Indica IPA (slightly stinky hoppiness and sweet) and 8 balls Stout (smooth like silk very good). The seasonal pumpkin ale (bit too strong nutmeg and cinnamon spice for me) and chocolate stout (again smooth stout added chocolate flavor) were also good. One thing turns me off was food. I guess it just another bar/restaurant foods you can get anywhere else. Overall 3.5 / 5.0
(The spider figure hanging at entrance is a year around thing. not for just Halloween.)
The first day/night of brewery tour was fairly successful. No puking, no broken glass.
We are still in good shape next morning. I need a coffee before drinking beer.
(Recharged with caffeine, and we are ready to drive more south)
(Good bye Redwoods country!)
5. North Coast Brewing Co.
This is the one of brewery you should not miss out for if you were in this area. Foods are very good and beers were superb.
Easily give 5.0 / 5.0.
Cask conditioned Red Seal american amber ale was silky smooth yet toasty malt with herby aroma. The beer gets fruity and sweet after 10 minutes. Good starting beer for lunch hr. Acme IPA has good old Acme logo on beer. This dry and crispy beer has good fruity hop aroma. Just about right strength of bitterness to enjoy the taste of beer. You will not realize it has 7.1 % ABV on Tap. (PNW IPA sometime too strong for me like punch your face from bitterness and skunky hop aroma.) Pranqster Belgian golden ale is another crispy clove and banana flavor beer. It was still sweet like pear and smooth. If you like belgian style, you got to try this beer. Brother Thelonious abbey ale was dark ale with plenty of belgian spiciness. It was definitely slow sipping beer. Le Merle Belgian Farmhouse is sour dry beer that was probably enriched by yeast funkiness. This beer is very floral and all kinds of spicy aroma I can experienced. Very good with sea foods too. The last one was the Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout. This dark complex stout is not only sweet and smooth but also bitter malty taste leave my tongue for bit. It just amazing.
(One of the best beer in Northern California!)
(Sometime, a long driving and drinking beer do not get along with... another Evacuation in progress)
6. Anderson Valley Brewing Co.
This is the most disappointment we got from the entire trip. The vicinity of the location is nice wine country, and the brewery may receive a lot of wine tour folks for another stopping spot. However, the beer taste all the same. No matter how many different style the brewery offered, we all agreed that the beer taste the same. Fresh hop pale ale was the one only acceptable taste. It was stinky aroma that was like a smell of wet sox leave it more than one week in your laundry room. I could even not sip this beer. I think their beer did not have good aromatic hop at all. All of them had some sort of skunky smell with malty sweetness that stuck my tongue for long time. Sorry to say, I would not want to try any Anderson Valley beer for next 5 years for sure. I think many home brewers can make far better beer than this.
Overall 1.7 / 5.0
(Only the place we could not even want to finish your beer, and many other folks did same thing.)
To be continued
