Duchesse De Bourgogne

YUM!

Brother Thelonious

Belgian style abbey ale
North Coast Brewing, Fort Bragg, CA
750ml bottle, 9.4%abv

This is much different than the saisons I've been drinking.  Aroma is sweet malt and rich toffee.  Flavor is also a bit sweet, but not overly so. Lots of nice subtle toffee notes here too.  Finishes with some alcohol warmth, but not too sweet.

A very nice beer and tribute to the jazz great.

Saison-Brett

Boulevard Brewing, Kansas City, Mo
Saison dry-hopped and bottle fermented with Brettanomyces.
8.5%abv, 750ml bottle.

We've been on a bit of a saison kick, and this is a good one.  Really nice hoppy aroma with a good bit of horse blanket funk. Flavor is lightly fruity with a bit of spice.  Finishes dry and crisp, with a hint of warmth.

Quite tasty, it's different, but compares well against the North Coast and Dupont versions.

Saison Dupont

Belgian farmhouse ale
Brasserie Dupont, Tourpes, Belgium
Very nice saison. Great fruity nose with a hint of funk. Good sweetness initially, with a nice bitter finish with some subtle spiciness.

This is our first visit to the new Les Caves pub in town.  16 taps, 100+ bottles available, and a small but tasty food menu.  We'll be back!

Final stop: Caldera Brewing, Ashland, Oregon

Known for their real beer in cans, it's nice to try it on tap.

The Hopportunity Knocks IPA is quite good, with a more assertive hop profile than their standard IPA.

Eleven: Sierra Nevada, Chico, CA

Torpedo is yummy.

Sudwerk continued.

Stafford's lager flight.

Sudwerk

Davis, CA

My compatriots insisted on this stop for lager. Not being much of a lager fan, I'm just going to have food.

Nine: Russian River

One of my favorite breweries, ever. Nice to finally get to visit in person.

The Pliny The Elder is amazing.

Stop Eight: Lagunitas, Petaluma, CA

Fusion 7: wet-hop Censored ale

Aroma is mostly malt, with subtle hop notes.

Flavor is more balanced, with good malt, nice hop flavor, and a crisp, clean finish. Pretty yummy.

Bear Republic, continued

Right to left in the previous picture:

Peter Brown brown ale -- good malt aroma, good flavor, fairly subtle but good.

Red Rocket -- nice hoppy red ale.  Very ipa-esque but tasty.

Racer 5 -- a solid IPA that doesn't disappoint.

Hop Rod Rye -- a tasty rye with good bitterness.

Black Racer -- black IPA.  Just plain yummy.

Good spot...

7th stop: Bear Republic, Healdsburg, CA

Hopefully this will be vastly superior to the previous stop...

Update, Anderson Valley

Couldn't finish these, just not good.  As the beers warmed, all sorts of funkiness came out in all of these.

Unfortunate.

Sixth stop: Anderson Valley, Booneville, CA

Fresh hop pale -- not bad.

Hop Ottin' IPA -- nose is not my favorite, flavor is ok.

Imperial IPA -- again the aroma isn't great, flavor is ok.  Definitely has some alcohol warmth.

Saison -- ok, but not nearly as good as the North Coast one.

Brother David's Double -- too sweet.

Beautiful spot, just not as good as others.

Stop #5: North Coast Brewing, Ft. Bragg, CA

Scrimshaw pilsner -- crisp but mellow

Acme IPA -- hoppy goodness but smooth and fairly balanced. Very drinkable.

La Merle saison -- super tasty with just the right amount of funk

Old Rasputin imperial stout -- intense malt with a big hit of hop bitterness in the finish.

Great place to start the day!

Fourth stop: Lost Coast Brewing

Nice pub, but I don't expect the beer to compare well to the last stop.

Stop 3: Redwood Curtain Brewing

Definitely the coolest spot so far. A great little brewery specializing in Belgian styles, and you drink right in the brewery.  Excellent beer too.

I got a sampler with their trippel, dry hopped Belgian porter, and imperial golden ale.  All three are great.

This is an awesome little spot -- highly recommended.

Second stop: Mad River Brewing

Barely made it here before closing time. What kind of brewpub closes at 9:00?

Wild River sampler

IPA, Kolsch, and ESB. 

IPA is decent, a bit mellow, but good.

Kolsch is quite tasty, light and crisp.

The ESB is tasty with good malt, but has a harsh lingering bitterness in the end.

All in all not a bad way to start.

Wild River Brewing

First stop!

D.W.A.U.P. Norcal Brewery Tour, 2011

Me and a few of my ultrarunning buddies (a.k.a. Drinkers With An Ultrarunning Problem --DWAUP) are leaving in about half an hour for a tour of all our favorite breweries in Norcal and Southern Oregon.

Should be a fun weekend! I'll hopefully post lots of good things over the next few days, stay tuned...

Black Butte XXI

Porter brewed with chocolate beans and coffee with 20% aged in bourbon barrels.
22oz bottle, 11%abv
Deschutes Brewery, Bend, Oregon

Cracked open this special cellar beer in celebration of getting my subaru  99% back together (still need to install the exhaust and add fluids).

Pours thick and black, with a tan head that dissipates fairly quickly.

Aroma is vanilla,  malt and alcohol.

Flavor is intensely rich with lots of roast malt character and some nice chocolate and coffee hints.

Finishes surprisingly dry for a beer this big, with a noticeable alcohol warmth.

Delightful beer, and a pleasant way to warm up after a chilly fall day working on the car.