It was August 2011. We stepped off the tour bus at Goschie Farms south of Portland, OR, into a cloud of hop particles floating like crystals in the warm, bright, sunny evening air. The hop harvest had just begun and our timing could not have been better. It was a bath of hop aroma and…
This month’s Session* topic is hosted by Oliver Gray, creator and author of the award winning blog Literature and Libation. For the 84th Session, he asks us to branch out. As Oliver notes, many beer bloggers (and I’ll add beer lovers in general) tend to get caught up in the cataloging of beer via incessant…
Black IPAs are hot. IPAs as a whole continue to be a fast growing segment of craft beer sales and these roasted malt versions are popping up all over the place. The most recent local addition is Bitter Root Brewery’s Last Cast Black IPA. On the way to working up a review, I stumbled upon…
No, I didn’t spell that wrong. Stone Brewing Company calls their 14th Anniversary Ale an “Emperial IPA.” It is a “British-inspired hop monster” according to Stone, but don’t let that deter those afraid of the hop. It isn’t powerfully bitter, though it is powerfully good. Stone brews this one with all British ingredients except, as…
After the very successful first Celtic Festival Missoula this past weekend, we had a chance to stop in at the Rhino to see what new brews were on tap. When a joint has 50 taps, you’re reasonable well assured to find something new, especially if you let a couple of weeks pass between visits. For…
Over the past few months, I noticed six packs of Stone Brewing’s beer showing up in stores around Missoula. This is a good thing. Stone makes some great beers, but they’d previously only been available in 22 oz. bottles. Sometimes that’s more than you want, though they’re very conducive to sharing. I picked up a…
The crew at Stone Brewing Company make some fine beer and put it into some very informative bottles. For years I only saw it in 22 oz bottles, but have recently noticed six packs showing up in the local stores. Stone IPA has been around since 1997, though I’m just now getting around to trying…
Thanks to a bit too much gluttony over the holiday season, I haven’t been trying (or drinking) as many beers as became my custom (preference?) in a quest to return to my normal size. I’m pleased to report that my quest was quite successful, though other goals continue to take a swipe at my craft…