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Willamette Beer Steward Jim Colby is as opinionated as they come. Ask him about a bottle of brew and you’ll get an honest response. An artist at heart, Jim enjoys making pairing recommendations that are as creative as the handcrafted brews he sells. Readers can find his opinionated take on beer here.



Seasonals, news and tastings

by Jim Colby

Seasonals:

Alameda Papa Noel’s Olde Ale, an English strong ale style with 7.2%ABV, $4.79/22oz. Dark copper brown, full bodied with a sweet finish.

Rogue Santas Private Reserve double hopped red, $7.49/six pack, on our two week Savories ad.

Lost Coast Winterbraun: roasted chocolate and caramel malts and Czech Saaz hops for floral notes, $8.49/six pack.

Very limited:

Brewdog Atlantic IPA from Scotland: brewed in Scotland to a historic formula, then sailed across the North Atlantic for two months aboard a mackerel trawler in barrels, then bottled and conditioned at the brewery, it is the only genuine sea-aged IPA available. $26.99/12oz.

News:

Meet the Brewer at Eugene City Brewery will be hosting Alex Ganum and Upright Brewing from 6 to 8 p.m. tonight, pouring Four Belgian Wit beer and Seven Belgian Saison. Four is available in bottles here at Beer Central for $9.99/25.4oz.

Congratulations to Rogue Ales for winning the Worlds Best Pale Ale for their Dry Hopped St. Rogues Red Ale at the third annual World Beer Awards in London. Available here and now, $10.79/six pack.

This is a two-week edition of the beer blog. I will be concentrating on my Halloween persona next week, so feel free to come by and see what I come up with!

Our tasting schedule:

• Friday, Oct. 23 at 5 p.m.– Taste Full Sail Brewing with Mike Erwert.

• Saturday, Oct. 24, at 5 p.m. – Oakshire Brewing tasting.

• Sunday, Oct. 25 at 5 p.m. – Joseph Andrade with Bacchus Wines pouring Pinocchio 2008 Nero d’Avola and Arido 2008 Sauvignon Blanc.

• Friday, Oct. 30, at 5 p.m.– St. Innocent Winery will join us to pour a selection of wines.

• Saturday, Oct. 31, at 1 p.m. – Try Rogue Ales.

• Sunday, Nov. 1, at 5 p.m. – Oakshire Brewing pouring their winter seasonal Ill Tempered Gnome.

They're here!

by Jim Colby

On tap in the beer cellar this week: Ninkasi Oatis Oatmeal Stout. The wait is over! Available Friday, taste it Saturday, here, at beer central! Be the first.

New and in stock: Oskar Blues Gordon, a blending of two styles – Imperial Red and Double IPA. Six malts and three different hops in the kettle, then dry hopped with Amarillo hops. 8.7 ABV and 85 IBU’s. Pours a golden tinged red in the glass with dark froth. Resiny on the nose and malty with pine resin in the mouth, coffee and residual burnt sugar sweetness. $9.79/4-pack.

Barleywine Ale weather is here! And so is Alesmith Old Numbskull, a classic from sunny San Diego. West Coast-style Barleywine Ale, 1.1% Original Gravity and 11% ABV/25.4 oz. $11.99

Tasting schedule this week:
• Friday, Oct. 16, at 5 p.m. – Taste GC Cellars Commuter Cuvee 2008 Pinot Noir.
• Saturday, Oct. 17 – Try Ninkazi Oatis Oatmeal Stout at noon and Ayinger Octoberfest Marzen at 5 p.m.
• Sunday, Oct. 18, at 5 p.m. – Join us for a taste of Ca Del Baio 2008 Langhe Chardonnay.

An award-winning lineup

by Jim Colby

I now have the complete line of award-winning beers from the Pelican Pub and Brewery in Pacific City.

The lineup:
• Kiwanda Cream $5.99/22oz.
• Doryman’s Dark $5.29/22oz
• IPA $6.49/22oz.
• Tsunami Stout $5.79/22oz.
• MacPelican’s Scottish Style Ale $5.99/22oz.

Also available: Saison Du Pelican 2009: Based on seasonal Belgian ales: Pale Ale malt, Flaked Spelt, Sterling hops and Belgian yeast. 6.3%ABV and 30 IBU’s. $16.29/25.4oz.

Great Divide Hibernation Ale: A seasonal favorite every year! A dry-hopped English-style Old Ale. 8.1%ABV. $9.79/6 pack.

Look for more seasonal ales arriving every week. Why be bored with the bland assortment of lights, malt liquors, and wimpy malternatives at other supermarkets?

As an aside, I eliminated the controversial malt liquor beverages that have appeared in the news lately – that was 7 or 8 years ago and I’ve never looked back. It isn’t controversial here at Willamette Street.

Tastings this week:
• Friday, Oct. 9, at 5 p.m. – Taste Cantina Sociale della Valpantena 2007 Garganega and 2008 Corvina.
• Saturday, Oct. 10, at 5 p.m. – Try the Redhook Treblehook Barley Wine Style Ale.
• Sunday, Oct. 11, at 5 p.m. – Amy Paul with Carlton Winemakers Studio will pour Wahle Vineyards 2006 Holmes Hill Pinot Noir, Verve Montazzi 2007 Pinot Noir, and Guardian Cellars Chalkline Red Blend 2007.

A good reason to enjoy beer

by Jim Colby

It’s Oktoberfest, and we have the beer for which to celebrate! Beginning in 1810, to celebrate the royal marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria with Princess Therese of Sachsen-Hildburghausen, the festival has come down to us as a celebration of Bavarian food and beer.

Spaten Oktoberfest Marzen: Original gravity 13.7%, ABV 5.9%. Amber, clear in the glass, with roasted malts, light hop presence, and some residual sweetness. $7.99/4/6/12oz.

Ayinger Oktoberfest Marzen: Amber in the glass; notes of orange, malt and lingering sweetness on the finish. 5.6%ABV. $2.99/16.9oz.

Domestic Oktoberfest Beers in stock:
• Widmer Okto, $6.79/4/6/12oz.
• Heater Allen Bobtoberfest, $3.49/22oz.
• Rogue Maierfest Lager, $5.19/22oz..

Our tasting schedule this week:
• Friday, Oct. 2 at 5 p.m. – Try New Belgium Brewing Co. brews.
• Saturday, Oct. 3 at 5 p.m. – Taste GC Cellars Syrah, Tinto, and Sauvignon Blanc with Jim Daugherty from Casa Bruno.
• Sunday, Oct. 4 at 5 p.m. – Earl Cramer-Brown from C&G Wines will pour Quinta das Maias Dao.

A few firsts

by Jim Colby

Chatoe Rogue Wet Hop Ale made with raw Independent and Revolution hops from their Micro Hop Yard in Independence. 2 Row and Munich malts, top fermenting PacMan yeast. $5.99/22oz.

Sierra Nevada Estate Harvest Ale is brewed with raw hops grown in their own hopyards in Chico. First time in bottle, it’s made with Cascade, Centennial and Chinook hops and Two Row barley, also grown at their brewery. 6.7%ABV. $10.79/24oz.

Upright Brewing Co., Alex Ganum’s new brewery in Portland is up and running. Four is a Belgian Wheat beer made with pale, wheat, munich malts and rolled wheat grain, hallertauer and mittelfruh hops, and French saison yeast. 4.5%ABV. $9.99/25.4oz.
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