Deschutes Hop Henge IPA 10.9% 95 IBU.

“Hop Henge Experimental IPA is our annual exercise in IBU escalation. An outrageous amount of Centennial and Cascade hops are added to each barrel, with a heavy dry-hop presence as well. It is dense and muscular, with a blend of crystal, pale and carastan malts creating an overall biscuity characteristic. It’s all hop, no apologies.”

Class of 88 Imperial Smoked Porter, collaboration with Great Lakes Brewing Co. 9.1% abv, 50 IBU.

“We’ve teamed up with another porter brewmaster — Great Lakes Brewing Co. of the famed Edmund Fitzgerald Porter — to create a very special porter for the Class of ’88.

This Imperial Smoked Porter is brewed with both roasted and smoked malt that delivers not only a subtle smoky flavor but a rich, chocolaty aroma. Enjoy every layer of porter craftsmanship from this limited-run collaboration.”

Boulevard Smokestack Series Love Child No. 3, 9.5% abv.

“Boulevard’s Love Child Series of “wild” ales are barrel-aged with such boisterous cultures as Lactobaccillus and Brettanomyces. These wayward offspring can prove so complex that we employ gauges on the label to convey the intensity of three key personality traits, Funk, Sour, and Fruit, presenting a picture of the ale at the time it was released. It will change as it ages, but don’t we all?

Oak barrels were used to age the majority of beer used for Love Child No. 3—with beer aged from 16 months to nearly six years. Another portion of the beer spent 11 months in stainless tanks, souring on Lactobacillus. While very tart, the sourness is short-lived and the beer finishes dry with a trace of oak.”

Smokestack Series Coffee Ale, a collaboration with The Roasterie. 9.3% abv.

“Neighbors for nearly twenty years, Boulevard Brewing Company and The Roasterie share a passion for making extraordinary beverages. In Coffee Ale, our two celebrated brewing traditions come together in a long-awaited collaboration. Ethiopian Sidamo from Africa’s Great Rift Valley has been carefully blended with rye, oats, and malted barley, and spiced with Perle and Styrian Golding hops. The delightfully fragrant beer presents a glowing, tawny-amber hue. The clean, crisp acidity of the air-roasted coffee mingles with malt on the palate, lingering faintly in a subtly sweet finish.”

Let’s start with what, literally, just walked through the door. A fresh batch of brews from Pipeworks. We just received: Majestic English Style Summer Ale, Unicorn’s Revenge Double Pale Ale, Simcoe Ninja Imperial IPA, Cash 4 Golden Belgian Style Ale, and Raspberry Truffle Abduction. Matt says they won’t be hitting the shelf until Saturday, so keep an eye out!

Tallgrass Brewing Co Oasis Dry Hopped Imperial ESB $8.49, Ethos IPA $8.49.

“The beer foretold in legend. Six types of hops are gathered from the corners of the world to make this legendary brew. This is no earthly IPA. They will write ballads, build monuments, paint caves, and sacrifice goats to this beer. They will drink Ethos and dance to shake the heavens. The aroma is the harbinger of the tastes to come. Big, bright, and beautiful, this beer exceeds all expectations and grants wishes. Twice dry-hopped and brewed with the aid of a dark alliance from another realm, this beer bestows upon you all the complexity of the hops’ flavors without overwhelming your senses. Ethos IPA is a gift to you, beer mortals. Drink it and fulfill your destiny. 6.8%ABV, 110 IBU”

“Oasis was born out of one of Jeff Gill’s favorite homebrew recipes. At Tallgrass we love tasty malt and we love our hops and this beer has a lot of both. We wanted to create a beer that had both the over-the-top hops taste kick, but also had a smooth malt backbone on the finish.

We tried to strike just the right balance between hops and malt. Drink a pint and let us know if you think we succeeded. We brewed this beer to be enjoyed on the back porch, the front porch, or even on the stoop. What’s a stoop? Well, it’s a good place to drink beer, that’s what it is. 7.2%ABV, 93 IBU”

Ballast Point Tongue Buckler Imperial Red Ale $8.49, Victory at Sea Imperial Porter $8.99.

Schlafly Kolsch, Raspberry Hefeweizen, Summer Lager, Pale Ale, Dry Hopped APA, and 12pack Sampler with 4 each of Dry Hopped APA, Pale Ale, and Kolsch. 6packs $8.79, 12pack Sampler $14.99. Check out their site for detailed info.

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Also, we got in a few new beers that Matt won’t let me publicly mention by name… Drop him an email to find out what they are, but don’t tell him I sent you! ;-}

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And don’t forget: This Saturday, May 18th from Noon to 3 is our big craft beer tasting celebrating Craft Beer Week. There will be over 90 beers to taste, (including some special and limited beers we don’t sell!) so if you’re looking for something new, it’s a great day to experiment!

And finally, and on a more personal note, I think Oberon has officially been replaced in my fridge this summer. Sorry Bell’s, I believe I’ll be drinking quite a bit of Deschutes Twilight this year. Have you guys had Twilight yet? Sound off in the comment section below.

Too many to go into a lot of detail, so I’ll just post the pictures.

Two Brother’s Dog Days Lager and Side Kick Extra Pale

Hoppin’ Frog Mean Manalishi Double IPA and BORIS the Destroyer Double Imperial Stout

Joseph James Brewing Co. Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout. Notice the hand numbering at the bottom of the bottle…

Hermitage Ale of the 2 Tun Imperial Stout

Great River Brewing Hop-A-Potamus Double Dark Rye Pale Ale

Firestone Walker Pale 31 and Double Barrel Ale

Tallgrass Brewing Co. Velvet Rooster Belgian Style Tripel, Buffalo Sweat Oatmeal Cream Stout, and 8-Bit Pale Ale

Hermitage Hoptopia Double IPA and Maltopia Scotch Ale

Huyghe La Guillotine Golden Blond

Deschutes Twilight Summer Ale

Check out ChameleonBrewing.com for more info.

Chameleon Brewing, from Wisconsin. $8.99/6pack

 “Chameleon Brewing Ryediculous IPA: This IPA/Rye hybrid begins with a citrusy, earthy, slightly spicy hop nose. Soon the playfully assertive Cascade and Chinook hops flex their bittering muscles for balance and a clean finish to this medium-bodied ale.

Hop On Hop, Aroma Hop Ale: Savor this aromatic non-bitter brew featuring a complex bouquet of dried flowers and hops. Light-bodied and refreshing, Hop on Top has a toasty pale malt finish.

Witty, White Wheat Ale Brewed With Spices: Grains of wheat and barley + hops + drops of wit + a black pepperish spice…ah, Grains of Paradise + notes of orange and coriander + carbonation to bring out the aromatics; ( – % Belgian yeast culture = slight haze)…Mouthfeel = medium body …Eureka! Witty, a light and refreshing wit beer with engaging complexity.” 

Two Brothers 16th Anniversary Belgian Style Golden AleTwo Brothers 16th Anniversary Belgian Style Golden Ale. We haven’t cracked this open yet to taste it, and I don’t see any tasting notes on their website. But we only received 12 bombers of the stuff, so hurry in! $7.49/bottle.

They spell their beer names backwards. I spelled them forwards in the post. Sorry for the confusion…?

Released on 4/20, the Dark Horse IPA Variety pack contains 3 bottles each of: Crooked Tree IPA, Cascade Crooked Tree IPA, Citra Crooked Tree IPA, and Falconers Flight Crooked Tree IPA. You’ll notice on the box they spell them backwards. I’m not sure why… At any rate, again, we haven’t had a chance to crack these open to taste them and their website doesn’t have any tasting notes. We got about 10 cases in. $22.99/12pack

Upright BrewingBilly the Mountain

BILLY THE MOUNTAIN   9.1%

“Inspired by the great Prize Old Ale once brewed by Gales in England, this beer is deeply malty and full of ripe fruit, leather, wine and oak flavors. The Billy is partially barrel aged with brettanomyces yeast, lending a distinct twang and developing unique aromas over time. Bottled still and best served at about 55F to be finished at room temperature. Cellar for up to five years.” $15.99/bomber

Het Anker Cuvee Van De Kaizer

Cuvée van de Keizer
“Every year on the 24th of February, we celebrate the birth of Charles Quint. Therefore we brew a special beer in limited edition called Cuvée of the Emperor. This exceptional beer is a special version of the Golden Carolus Classic, with an enriched taste pallet and mysterious aromas added. The caramelised malts and its 11% Alc. Vol. give the Cuvée of the Emperor the warm roundness of wine together with the refreshing taste of beer. It is imperially crowned with a special cork so it can be preserved for a long period of time with a constant cellar temperature of 12° C. An imperial beer to cherish and enjoy in moderation.” $10.99/bomber

De Dolle Dulle Teve Tripel

“Dulle Teve means Mad Bitch, but the US goverment does not like the name, so we said TRIPEL. Is is an all malt brew with white candy in the kettle and refermented. Alc 10 %. Is not meant for aging. Although some beerlover do it, with good comments. Aging means decreasing of bitterness and should happen in a cold and dark room.” $5.79/11.2oz bottle

Schneider Weisse Tap X Mein Nelson Sauvin

“Brewed in 2011 exclusively to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the ABT Cafes in Holland. A complex bottle-fermented wheat beer.

An exotic flowery nose is balanced by malty spiciness, lightly sour fruitiness and a fine bitter finish.” $17.99/bomber

Thornbridge Saint Petersburg Imperial Russian Stout

“Saint Petersburg is a fabulous full bodied stout – chocolatey, malt flavours with coffee finish combine to give this ale a taste you will never forget!” $7.49/16.9oz bottle