Friday, October 31, 2008

Another 180 - Fuggles and Goldings Oust Cascades

In a cart-before-the-horse move, I'm submitting blog post numero uno about a beer I haven't tasted yet. I had originally crafted a superb piece on Web 2.0 for my first ever at the age of 44 blog post ever (ever) and had to stash it away because it looked dumb the next day after a quick  read.

This beer that I haven't tasted yet, but want badly to write about, was just rolled onto the stillage, giving the finings a good stir. And I want to tap it now but know better. In another of my affronts to the citrusy West Coast IPA, ABV 6.7%, hopped up with palette numbing Cascades overkill, I have brewed a 2 UK BBL batch containing 3 Kg Fuggles, 2 Kg E. Kent Goldings, and 1 Kg Hallertau. Now I'm not trying to say that citrusy West Coast IPA, ABV 6.7%, hopped up with palette numbing Cascades overkill is not a good thing. I love the stuff. But where is the subtlety? Most breweries popping up in Oregon are brewing the same thing: [name of pet dog] Pale, [local geographic landmark] Porter, [obscure political reference] Stout, and [aggressive language] IPA (citrusy, ABV 6.7%, hopped with palette numbing Cascades overkill). And did I mention cold, gassy, and in a dimunitive 16 oz tumbler containing 14 oz of beer?

But not Dearth and Surfeit, at ABV 5.8% and two weeks old. It certainly won't be cold and gassy, and being housed in the proper lined glassware which is in turn housed in a proper public house, I have to ask myself "what could go wrong?"

Tonight. Yes, tonight will be the visit to the cellar with the tap, spile and rubber mallet. The pint glass. The eager palette.

Tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow the horse will be inserted in traditional orientation relative to the cart, and with pint glass in hand I can wax eloquent on Real West Coast IPA. Either that or edit that Web 2.0 post.

2 comments:

The Woolpack Inn said...

Hurray!! You've done it!! Welcome to the world of blogging.

But surely you can't sell your microbrewed ale if it's not got an IBU figure of astronomical proportions?

I wasn't aware you did subtlety in your part of the world.....

Brewers Union Local 180 said...

I periodically run across people who "do" subtlety, and are quite pleased to find a pub serving nice session beers instead of the over-the-top monstrosities predominately being served around here. I think that the pale ales and ESB's that some of the breweries are putting out could really be good if they could lose most of the gas and get the temperature right. The gas alone masks out many interesting notes of interest.