Race day for the Bend Beer Run was coming up so we stopped by Cascade Lakes Brewing to sign Cali up and give one of there beers a taste. I am a fan of their Blonde Bombshell, but don’t have much experience with anything else. The only other experience I have had was with their IPA which was not the greatest. I think this place is more for the tourists as it sits right at the bottom of the mountain and is not easy to miss after a hard day of snowboarding. Being the wing man (in more ways than one) I also wanted to try out their chicken wing appetizer.
I was also excited to be at Cascade Lakes Brewing because I had done some work to their website in the past. Always cool to stop by a former client and peek in.
Apparently, Cali had been eying this one at Whole Foods for a minute. I was kind of surprised she wanted to try a “Cascadian” Dark Ale or rather a Black IPA or India Black Ale. What makes a Cascadian Dark Ale ,as I will refer to them, is that they resemble an American IPA, but with a dark roast to them like a porter. I know Cali doesn’t really enjoy dark beers and I rarely have them, but I thought this version may be a little different, plus it is a Spring Seasonal that may not be back for a few.
Unable to keep this one in the fridge any longer we had to give it a try! We have been eye-balling this one for a while now, but never made the move. After hearing some great things about this beer it is time to give it a taste! Plus the label is really cool with bales of hops in replace of the stones. That image pretty much sums up the beer perfectly, though. And that’s a GOOD thing!
So here are the details:
Style: American Double/Imperial IPA
Ingredients:
Malts: A blend of crystal, pale and carastan malts (???)
Another Rogue beer I wish I could afford! John John Ale is Rogue’s Dead Guy Ale that has been aged in Rogue Whiskey Barrels. Sounds like a match made in heaven so I coughed up the $13 for this 22oz almost in hopes that I WOULDN’T like it. The “beer” guy at Whole Foods told us he would be reducing the amount of Rogue products on the shelf because it won’t sell at such high prices. I hope Rogue gets the kick back and decides to lower the prices a tad. I know it takes a lot of time and good ingredients to make these beers, but at $13/22oz I will be orced to find the alternatives.
I never really noticed this entry from Deschutes until this year. For some reason the label stuck out at me and when I took a look and realized this was a true summer attempt by the brewery it was a must try! We have so far bought four 6-packs of this beer in the past 2 months.
So, Cali has been trying to get me over to Ninkasi Brewing in Eugene, Oregon for a good while. She is always saying how she loves the brewery’s label designs, but has never tried their beer. The label on this one has her favorite colors in some sort of flower shape. “Definitely makes a girl go hmmmmmm…” in my Cali voice! This brew is classified as an Amber, one of Cali’s favorite styles. Hey, if it has a great label it has to be good right?! We will let you know in a few. First check out the specs:
So, we decided to bite the bullet and spend the $12.99 on a 750ml/25.36oz bottle of Rogue’s Double Dead Guy Ale 2009. My first ever beer blog was on Rogues’ Dead Guy so we figured why not go ahead and get the double for the next. We were able to find it at Newport Market on the west side of Bend, Oregon. Didn’t think to get any while we were at the brewery in Newport a few weeks ago which probably would not have been any cheaper.
I decided to experiment with a short video intro. Took about 45 minutes to shoot and edit from my camera which is an Olympus Stylus 850. I bought the camera more for MY snowboarding given it’s indestructible frame. The video is horrible and the sound even worse, but hey it was cheap and quick! Even though it was fun… this definitely will not be a part of all the beer blogs, but every once in a while for sure.
Being that Rogue’s Dead Guy is my all time current favorite it is really irrelevant what the price is right!? I knew I had to at least try this beer. Beer tasting experts would laugh at our hesitance to buy an expensive beer, and after giving this one a try I can now see why!
Last time I started out with the specs of the beer, the history, and then my review followed by links for further reading. This time will be the same, but the reviews by Cali and I will be at the very end instead of before the links.
As I sit here sipping this very beer pictured watching the Blazers try to stay in the series with the Suns I can’t help but feel joy all over every taste bud of my tongue! Being that this is my first beer blog centered on a single beer I had to go with my all time favorite beer. Dead Guy Ale by Rogue Brewery is nothing short of what truly delicious beer should taste like. Even if the blazers lose at least they will be close to this treat from the heavens.
We took a trip to Newport last week to check out the Oregon coast and also try some different beers at the Rogue Brewery. Although, I tried a few of their other hops I am still drawn to the Dead Guy as my favorite. Also, the label is kind of creepy and perfect for the Grateful Dead Oregon hippy in me!
So each time I review a beer I will try to list some details including the style, Ingredients,specs, and the history of the beer. Also if available I will try to provide some links to further reading. Next, I will give my review of the beer and briefly wrap it up with a drinkability comment I will call “Last Sip”!
So here’s the scoop:
Style: German Maibock / Helles Bock
Ingredients:
Malts: Northwest Harrington, Klages, Maier Munich and Carastan.
