Spring has Sprung at Lompoc

The most recent media preview of Lompoc beers at Side Bar was a stark contrast to the last one that was chock full of appropriately wintery beers. This time around the seven beer line up was full of beers that leave you begging for the sun-filled days Portland enjoyed last weekend. With nothing rising above 6.2% ABV and one even coming in at a mere 4.1% you have a range of styles to choose from, none of which will be the cause for blotto-ness.

Heaven's Helles - "Heaven's Helles is a golden straw-colored German style pale lager with a floral aroma and a clean, crisp finish. 5.3% ABV" - For those that remember this beer from last year, the grain bill and the hops are the same, however the yeast is a new Mexican lager yeast strain. Not being a German beer fan no lager yeast fan myself, it wasn't a beer for me. However comments from others who enjoy the style were complimentary so if Helles is your thing, make sure to seek it out when it goes on tap as none will be bottled.

1060 EZ Taxation Ale - "1060 EZ Taxation Ale is made with pale malt and corn, using Noble hops in the kettle. It's light straw in color, with a malty nose and a mildly sweet mid-mouthfeel provided by the corn. It has a light, dry, crisp finish. 6% ABV" - The aroma, color and flavor are all very light, making it a great gateway beer for your BMC-drinking friends. The plus is that you could enjoy it right along side them. Be careful though because even though it's only 6%, you'd be hard pressed to think you were drinking anything above a 3.2% beer. For the beer geeks who might be wondering, there is 30% corn used and only 1 1/2 lbs of hops per six barrel batch.

Cherry Bomb - "Cherry Bomb is our Proletariat Red fermented in Maryhill Winery Port barrels with 40 lbs of sour cherries. It has a big cherry aroma with a fruit forward flavor, finishing dry with a touch of oak. 6.2% ABV" - This was the biggest beer of the set and my favorite. True to the description, the tart cherry aroma jumped out of the glass to my nose. While the flavor didn't carry as much tart flavor as this sour beer lover would prefer, the tartness did build throughout the glass and I think that after a pint or two I'd enjoy it even more. If you're planning to attend the Portland Fruit Beer Fest, look for this one in the special "buzz tent" area.

Kick Axe Dry Hopped Pale Ale - "Our tribute to the Timber's Army, Kick Axe is a crisp, easy drinking pale ale that was dry hopped in the fermenter with Cascades, giving off a huge hop aroma. 5.2%" - This was the second time I'd had this beer and I enjoyed it much more than the first go 'round, possibly because of the increased amount of hops used over last year's version. It's a favorite of both Jerry, who quipped, "In my own personal alcoholism, this fits the niche," and Brian who likens it to Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, his "go-to camping beer."

Valley of Hops IPA - "Valley of Hops is a classic NW style IPA with a mild body and tons of hops. Hopped with Centennial, Cascade, Cluster, Meridian, Perle and Crystal hops throughout, it has a huge hop aroma with a spicy finish. This pleasant IPA is deliciously drinkable. 5.8%." - This beer was made while Zach was still part of the Lompoc crew with the Meridian hops sourced through Indie Hops. While I had a hard time locating any aroma, there was a pleasant peppery, spicy flavor to be found in the glass.

Ryeteous Badger Belgian Style Red - "Ryeteous Badger is a very spicy, full flavored and intense Belgian style ale. The extreme spiciness comes from the addition of malted rye and a ton of hops. It is full-bodied, yet easy drinking. 5.2%" - As with the Helles, it wasn't a style I'm a fan of but again garnered compliments from others. It can be found at the Cheers to Belgian Beers festival later this month.

Stout Out Loud - "Stout Out Loud is a mix between a Dry Irish stout and an Oatmeal Stout. It is pitch black in color with slight hints of coffee, chocolate and roast flavors, and features a creamy mouthfeel. 4.1%" - This was the lowest ABV beer of the set and before tasting it I was skeptical that it was possible to successfully straddle the Dry Irish stout-Oatmeal stout fence. I was wrong. The aroma was all Dry stout to my nose but with the mouthfeel of an Oatmeal Stout. This is one I'd love to try on nitro, which I understand might be possible.

Take a listen as owner, Jerry Fechter, talks about the building that New Old Lompoc has been inhabiting for years and the new building that will rise from its ashes, better than ever.

Black Dawn x4

Those that know me well know I drink three beverages: coffee, water and beer. If it was an option, I’d happily swap out my morning coffee for a nice coffee beer some days but…well…the current employment situation would frown upon that. So instead, it’s straight up hot, black caffeine in the morning with the cold, hoppy (sometimes) caffeine once I’m off the clock. That said, I am a huge fan of the brews that can combine two of my three beverages (all three I suppose if you factor in the water content of both coffee and beer) into a product that is greater than the sum of its parts.

When I got the notice from Lompoc last week that they were not only releasing Black Dawn III, but three versions of it AND would be pouring Black Dawn II and 2009 Pre-Dawn Imperial Stout I was pretty excited. I wasn’t able to make it the day of the release so I missed out on the Pre-Dawn (described as a “coffee-less imperial stout”), leaving me with four coffee beers to try.

Each of the four poured with a great, creamy head and beautiful black color. I couldn’t wait to start in on them.

Black Dawn II – Beaumont Blend

-         This beer had the most aroma (once it warmed), was full in body and in flavor without any coffee or chocolate malt bitterness.

Black Dawn III – Beaumont Blend, El Salvadoran beans and Peruvian beans

-         The aroma was of bitter coffee, with a more pronounced chocolate flavor than BD II yet still resisting any bitterness in the flavor.

Black Dawn III – El Salvadoran beans only

-         This beer was more stout than coffee but exceptionally good and drinkable.

Black Dawn III – Peruvian beans only

-         Initially this had the most pronounced coffee aroma (which faded as it warmed) but strangely, the weakest coffee flavor. While providing excellent mouthfeel, the coffee flavor that there was carried the most bitterness of the four.

In my book, all four were solid, drinkable coffee beers. As for which one I’d recommend, that depends on how you like your coffee and how you like your beer. If you want more beer than coffee, either the El Salvadoran (if you’re feeling stout-y) or the Peruvian (if you want a smooth, light body). If you want a greater coffee kick to your beer without bitterness the Black Dawn II or the triple blend (if you want more pronounced chocolate) will serve you well. I’d quite happily take any of the four set in front of me.

Something for Everyone at Lompoc

A quick note before we get going: this is a more beer-reviewy post than usual, so proceed accordingly.

A Portland mainstay, Lompoc Brewing continues their tradition of offering a wide selection of holiday beers, more than just the heavier, darker brews that one usually expects to see coming out in droves this time of year. Of the 10, yes 10!, that they’ll release at their annual Holiday Beer Extravaganza Tuesday, November 29, I had the opportunity to taste nine of them.*

Starting with the lowest ABV beer, Blitzen kicked things off. More than just one of the antlered crew piloting Santa’s sleigh, it’s a spiced version of Fool’s Golden Ale. And not just spices going into the brew, but a corny keg stuffed with spices through which the beer was transferred into the brite tank. Blitzen is a more lightly flavored beer than I usually prefer but the spice nose start things off right and at less than 5% ABV, this would be a great beer to drink while making a holiday meal.

Up next, Cherry Christmas, a blend of four beers, combined sour cherries, lambic yeast and barrel aging for a lightly carbonated, not-too-sour beer. As a sour fan, I like mine with a bit more bite but as with Blitzen, this beer would find a place at my holiday party, probably for anyone looking for something lightly fruity. (It’ll also be Lompoc’s Holiday Ale Fest beer.)

Working ahead, I started reading the description for Brewdolph, “Belgian style red ale,” and I got excited. Then I got to “Ardennes.” I tried my best to keep an objective outlook when sampling it but the spicy/clove characteristics of this yeast strain have proven time and again that we just can’t be friends. It’s ok, there will be plenty of Belgian beer lovers that I think will thoroughly enjoy it.

Keeping in mind I enjoyed two of the first three, I tried to stay cautiously optimistic as Holiday Cheer, a vanilla porter, was served. Vanilla is not an ingredient I’ve found to be successful in most beers but Irena was right that Zach had made good with this beer. Black in color and aroma, the vanilla took a supporting role to the porter base. Tasty without being sweet or artificial tasting, I can only imagine this would be lovely on nitro (hint, hint!).

After enjoying Holiday Cheer more than I had anticipated, I cautiously hoped for the best with Jolly Bock. I’ve told you before that I don’t like lagers (98% of them) and bocks are generally too sweet in the wrong way for me to enjoy. Well, once again I was proven wrong and reminded that even if it isn’t a style I generally like, it’s worth a try. Maybe it was the amount/type of hops or maybe it was the Munich malt, but whatever the “cause”, I found this to the first bock I’ve enjoyed.

Moving up the ABV scale to 8%, C-Sons Greetings, and the aged version, Bourbon Barrel Aged C-Sons Greetings were strikingly dissimilar for being related. Now before you get the idea that I didn’t like one or both, let me set you straight. C-Sons, brewed and dry-hopped with the seven “C” hops, offered a light citrus nose and the grapefruit flavor I enjoy intensely in hoppy beers while the BBA C-Sons exuded a bourbon aroma that carried through to the flavor. (This will be a beer I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for when it’s available after turkey day.)

The final two beers, Old Tavern Rat and Bourbon Barrel Aged Old Tavern Rat, were also relatives with the “young’un” aged for only about a year while the BBA is approaching two years old. As expected Old Tavern Rat was light on the aroma and had the alcohol bite of a barleywine; there was no denying the 9.4% ABV. BBAOTR on the other hand brought back some very good memories of similar beers (including Rosie’s) and happy times drinking them.

*The 10^th beer, 8 Malty Nights, was still fermenting and won’t be available until the December 14^th release.

Monster Mash Preview

October starts on Saturday and with October comes Halloween. In anticipation of the season New Old Lompoc will release this year’s version of Monster Mash on Friday. Last night I had the opportunity to preview it and sample six other beers.

Those familiar with Monster Mash know that it’s a seasonal brew generally only available for a few weeks each year. Described as, “an Imperial Porter featuring strong chocolate and roast flavors with a touch of fruit,” this beer weighs in at a healthy 8.1% ABV. The oak notes are present in both the aroma and flavor and without the heavy sweetness often found in imperial brews, it’s a drinkable imperial. We were also treated to an aged Monster Mash, brewed in 2009 and bottled in 2010. I always enjoy side by side comparisons and found this one to offer greater berry/fruit aroma than the “fresh” version.

Monster Mash Release Party

Friday, September 30 4:00 – 11:00 pm
New Old Lompoc Sidebar
3901 N Williams Ave

As much as I enjoyed the two versions of Monster Mash, it was a couple of the other beers that stood out for me the most. The first was actually the first beer I had upon arriving, Steaming California. Anchor Steam produces the most recognizable steam beer but it’s not something I’ve ever been a fan of. NOL’s version, however, is clean and easy drinking. Maybe it’s the combination of Cascade and Cluster hops that I enjoy so much that overshadow the use of an American Pilsner yeast strain, something I would typically dislike.

The second beer was again something I didn’t anticipate being a fan of. 2008 Mon Cheri, “a Belgian-style golden ale brewed in January 2008, featuring a mild fruitiness and a complex spicy character,” is probably one of the very few Belgian-style golden ales I’ve ever enjoyed. My first impression, the aroma, struck me as significantly more boozy than 6.4% ABV but it proved to be easy drinking and I’d agree with brewer Bryan Kielty that it has aged well.

Both Flamingo, Condor Pale Ale barrel fermented with sour cherries, and Bierz Brown, a dark brown ale with a malty body and strong chocolate and roast flavors, weren’t quite there for me. I wanted Flamingo to be bigger, heavier and more full-bodied, but it is what it is, a pale ale of 5.2% ABV. Bierz Brown, the first brew by Irena Bierzynski, was poured off the brite tank and I found to be a bit thin in body. Those minor criticisms aside, neither was bad, and I suspect they will be enjoyed by many, just as I enjoyed the C-Note Imperial Pale Ale. Can’t go wrong with the seven “Cs” of the hop world and 100 IBUs!

Thanks go out to the Lompoc Crew and Chris Crabb for an enjoyable tasting!