Portland 2018 pt 3

And a final dash of beers I got to wrap up this series, at least for now. I had fun going into what I could find in Portland, so this won’t be the last time.

Gilgamesh– Hidalgo American wild ale: it’s got a hit of tartness in the nose, like someone broke a sweet tart in front of me.

That’s a fairly good description for the where the flavors begin, but then there’s a sweetness to take the edge off. The end gets queerly bitter, as if it was hopped for such bitterness. That bitterness lingers a long time, too, and it isn’t pleasant. This contrast is so odd that I’m wondering if this is a result of my general disinclination towards sour ales, or if there’s something actually screwed up going on. But the finish on this gets vegetal and dirty and I really can’t get behind it.

Pints– Brett IPA: The nose on this is strange- fruit candy like; fake orange, almost. The flavors though take a hard left away from this, giving me a grainy flavor that rapidly goes into watermelon, then starts to come back towards a grainy quality again. I’m not sure what the heck this beer is and I’m not sure it knows what it wants to be, either.

Santiam-1859 Maibock lager: There isn’t much nose here but what I get is a bit of malt, likely two row. This maibock is a little sweet but not too much, and finishes pretty clean. It’s a pleasantly drinkable beer which I suppose is the point for a lager. Good stuff.

Public Coast-American Brown: the chocolate malts are strong in the nose, and is a strong ribbon through the entire beer. The feel of it is soft though; more like something I would expect out of an english style ale, due to their water. It’s easy to drink and has a slightly dry finish, which I find interesting. As the ale warms up, more roasted flavors coming through which I appreciate. This helps give the beer more depth than it would have otherwise. I like this beer and I’d like another.

Vanguard– pale: Nice nose; resiny and puts me in mind of more forest oriented smells. The strength of that nose makes me think it might be dry hopped. The midrange of the beer is sweeter, and there’s enough viscosity on my tongue to get the malt weight but it doesn’t last long and slides right into the bitterness. Which is a little strong for me, given that it’s a pale. The head on the beer doesn’t last very long, either, and this means that the scents dissipate and I’m only about one-third down in my glass. If it had said IPA I’d be more forgiving. Now, I don’t want to suggest that this is a bad beer: I think it’s pretty solid! With the nose diminishing, a little more sweetness seems to come out in the malt. It’s growing on me, and rather quickly. Nice.

Deluxe-Wild Beaver amber lager: no nose to speak of for me. The flavors though are mild and the caramel malt is allowed to shine, the finish is pretty crisp. It hits a pleasant sweet spot between the lightness of your average lager and the more robust qualities that might come with an amber. I’d have some more of this.

Kaiser Brewing Co-Dirty Blonde Saison: I get some belgian sweetness in the nose and…yeah, that’s what the flavor is too. I expect my saisons to be a little bit more on the spicy side, so this feels off. It’s almost pushing that cloying belgian sweetness. But it also has a dry finish, which feels a bit strange, too. Curiouser; as it warms up, a sour element starts to thread itself into the finish. I don’t know what is happening. I’m not going to tell you that this is a bad beer but I am not encouraged to drink another one.