The Best Things We Drank: Beer Love Edition

We may not have love for made up holidays but we do have plenty of love for beer. And of course the best beer is that which is made with love. Here are the beers that made us swoon last week.

Caldera Old Growth Imperial Stout - Not a brewery we drink a ton of beer from although as this beer shows, there's no reason not to. An 8.8% double stout, it is perfectly balanced and roasty, a great example of a style that can easily be "too" one way or the other.

Founders Lizard of Koz - Founders beers were plastered across town last week as they made their debut in this market and while being from the Midwest we'd had plenty previously, this was a new one. To this palate it tasted exactly like a mixed drink called Tootsie Roll, which, yes, tastes like that candy. Very sweet and at 10.5%, one doesn't need much of it but wooza!

Arizona Wilderness Tart Sunshine - Another new-to-the-market brewery, this sour beer started with a lightly tart aroma, followed with a tart-er flavor and finished with enough dryness to keep us coming back for more. Big thanks to beer buddy, Chris, for sharing (and for the pic)!

Deschutes Pilsner Pie - This is one of two bottles that we picked up at the brewery during our visit to Bend a couple weeks ago and it was as delicious as we were hoping. The beer, an oak aged Pilsner with key lime, does in fact taste like key lime pie. Starting with a tart aroma it is not super sweet but the citrus flavors are there, just as a key lime pie isn't as sweet as its other pie cousins.

Upright Four Play - One of the local breweries that has as many hits as misses for us, this tried and true favorite was as delicious, tart and fruity as remembered. Hitting the brewery before taking in a Winterhawks game, it was fun to revisit a place we don't often make it to.

Ex Novo Do You Even Sour, Bro? - Ex Novo always has something (or multiple) interesting things on when we visit and last Friday was no exception. A deviation from many sours, this one uses 20% wheat and is dry-hopped, producing a mid-range sour beer. At 5.1% it's a great beer to start, or drink for an entire, session.

The tally for this week is three pairs - two darks, two sours and two fruity beers - and that seems about right. Or, you know, two threesomes. We don't judge.