Cascadia Style:

Upright Brewery Five: a farmhouse-style pale ale with firm bitterness and earthy herbaceous notes in the mouth, aromas of ginger, and orange peel on the nose, and lingering maltiness at the end. Pale and caramel malts, rolled barley; Willamette, Magnum, Crystal and Mt. Rainier hops; 5.5% ABV. $9.99/25.4oz.

Roots Epic Ale 5: hand-smoked Munich malts over cherry wood soaked in Glenlivet, Cognac, and cherries. 1,700 lbs of malts and 65 lbs of hops. $33.99/1.5L.

Urban Hopworks Secession Black Ale: a unique style of Black Ale, called Cascadian. Nicely hopped with 70 IBUs of Nugget, Magnum, Centennial, Atahnum, Simcoe, and Amarillo hops, Carafa malts and organic chocolate. 6.5% ABV for some substantial weight. $5.19/22oz.

Our tasting schedule this week:
• Friday, Jan. 29, at 5 p.m. – Try the Michel Juillot Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2007 and Mercurey Bourgogne 2007 Chardonnay.
• Saturday, Jan. 30, 5 p.m. – We will pour the Domaine Guy Amiot Bourgogne Aligote 2006 and Domaine Pierre Guillemot Savigny-les-Jarrons 1er Cru Bourgogne Rouge 2006.
• Sunday, Jan. 31, at 5 p.m. – Taste the Great Divide Yeti Imperial Oak Aged Stout.

Rogue John John Ale: Whiskey barrel aged Dead Guy. $9.49/22oz.
Russian River Pliny the Elder (?!)
Southern Tier Choklat Stout. Bittersweet Belgian chocolate. $8.59/22oz.
Maui Brewing, Big Swell IPA, Bikini Blonde Lager, and CoCoNut Porter: $2.19/12oz. for the first two and $2.49/12oz. for the CoCoNut Porter.

Our tasting schedule this weekend:
• Friday, Jan. 15, at 5 p.m. – Try Rogue John John Ale.
• Saturday, Jan. 16, at 5 p.m. – Taste J. Daan Rouge and Stevenson Barrie 2007 Pinot Noir.
• Sunday, Jan. 17, at 5 p.m. – Join us as we pour the Domaine Boisson Cotes Du Rhone Villages Cairanne 2007.

And don’t miss our free coffee tastings this weekend: Wandering Goat Sumatra Gayo Mountain., Stumptown Rwanda Vinya and Ethiopian Yirgacheffe No. 2. All coffees French pressed or Chemex drip brewed.

Wednesday, Dec. 23, at 2 p.m. – Try the Perle de Framboise Sparkling Cider.
Saturday, Dec. 26, at 5 p.m. – Taste Scrumpy’s Solstice Farmhouse Cider.
Sunday, Dec. 27, at 5 p.m. – We will pour the Antoine Simoneau 2007 Cot and Touraine Brut.

On tap in the beer cellar this week:

Hales Wee Heavy Ale: Wee Heavy is a traditional Scottish term for a strong ale. Pale, crystal and Black malts; Cascade, Cluster and Mount Hood hops; 55IBU’s 6.8 ABV. $7.49/6-pk of 12 oz. bottles.

21st Amendment Monks Blood: Based on the traditional Belgian Abbey ales. This brew features Belgian pilsner, Two Row Pale, Caramunich, Caravienne, Aromatic, Special B, Flaked Oats, Flaked Wheat malts; Magnum, Centennial, and Amarillo hops; Abbey Ale yeast. Flavored with dark Belgian candi sugar, cinnamon, vanilla bean, black mission figs, and aged in oak barrels. $9.39/4-pk of 12oz. cans.

Scaldis Noel: 12% ABV. A sweet Belgian Winter Ale from Brasserie Dubuisson. Dark, off white head. Hop flowers added in the vats while the beer is aging from four to six weeks. A classic! $4.99/8.5oz.

St. Peter’s Winter Ale: Winter Warmer Strong Ale from St. Peter’s Brewery. Dried fruits, spices, orange peel, East Anglian malts and British hops. Well water from underneath the brewery in chalk strata. $3.99/16.9oz.

Our tasting schedule this week:

• Friday, Dec. 18, at 5 p.m. – Try the 2009 wines from Bavaria and Weingut Weisbrot.

• Saturday, Dec. 19, at 5 p.m. – Taste the Silver Moon Twisted Gourd Ale.

• Sunday, Dec. 20, at 5 p.m. – We will pour the Cowhorn Vineyards Grenache and Spiral 36 White Wine.

Come and join the ragged troops as we undermine the minions of the Dark Lord of manufractured vines and over-manipulated wines and flavorless brews.

Happy holidays to all!