Friday Night Pints

It's an inch, people, let's not get crazy.

An inch of snow lay on the ground this morning and you would have thought the world had turned inside out. “I-15 Closed … Shovel the Sidewalk … The Dogs All Wet,” were just a few of the headlines that came across my face this morning as I try to wash away last night’s loss to the stupid Cowboys. It’s just a little snow and we have weekends, Christmas parties and weddings to plan for, so let’s get to the pints!

Pfriem Nectaron IPA

Brewed with Nectaron hops from New Zealand, this IPA has an amazing aroma chalk full of nectarine, white peach and tangerine peel. Super sweet on the nose and quite inviting. Pours golden yellow with thin white head. That tangerine and white peach carries through to the palate with a nice smooth finish. Not very bitter. Nice beer. 6.7% 65 IBU. Found at Brewers Haven. 

Uprise Nectarwave Hazy IPA

Pours slightly hazy with a thin white head. Tangerine, nectarine and peaches come up on the aroma. The stone fruit carries into the flavor with tangerine peel and a smooth, fruity finish. Uprise uses the same New Zealand hops as Pfriem and the flavors are very similar. This one, as a hazy, is slightly more fruit forward and less bitter. Buy both. 6.4% 50 IBU. Found at Brewers Haven. 

Lost Grove Robot Goblin Hazy IPA

Next in the Robot hazy series, this goblin is made with Moteuka and El Dorado. Lots of squishy, juicy hops in here with notes of fruit punch, lemon zest and mint. Those flavors carry over to the palate with an emphasis on the fruit punch. A nice hazy in what has been a solid series of beers. 6.6% abv 50 IBU. Found everywhere they sell Lost Grove. 

Spring Creek Mr. Handsome Altbier (speaking of Mr. Handsome, me-ow)

We decided to go over the river and through the woods to … Avimor! There on the hill stood Spring Creek Brewery. A lovely little pub, this brewery opened at just the right time … April 2020 (or what we lovingly refer to as “No Toilet Paper Pandemic Era”), and managed to stay open until today and thank goodness they did because their beers were dynamite and food wasn’t bad neither. The first beer on my tower of tiny tastes (see above) was an altbier called Mr. Handsome. It poured a lovely copper color with very little head. German hops, fresh grass and subtle floral notes danced around on the nose with a slight banana ester. Malty goodness on the first taste with honey, toast and graham cracker. The hops ease into the finish to make for a quenching end. A great way to start at Spring Creek. 5.5% 29 IBU. Found on tap at Spring Creek Brewery.

Spring Creek Oak Coffin Bourbon Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout on Nitro!

I mean, you know what this is right when you order it. Pours black as night with very little head. I got it after the cascading, which was a bummer because that’s my favorite part of a nitro pour. Aromas of burnt marshmallow, bourbon, oak barrel and coffee waft up from the depths with just a hint of cocoa. On the first sip comes the booze, and there’s a good amount in here, which is accentuated by the bourbon barrel and dark, roasty malts. Then came the hops. Big hop notes bitter out the end of the beer and give it a nice finish unlike these fancy dessert beers with their 0 IBUs and what-not. This beer, as the kids say, rips. 10.8% 60 IBU. Found on tap (Nitro!) at Spring Creek Brewery.

Spring Creek Ribbons of Euphoria IPA

This West-Coast style IPA pours clean with a slight amber hue and a white head. Citrus, pine and everything fine on the nose with just a slight amount of malty sweetness. Grapefruit rind, orange and lemon come through on the flavor with a touch of resin and a lot of malt. It’s a good beer even with all the crystal malts in there. Be sure to grab some to go. 6.5% 100+ IBU. Found on tap at Sprig Creek Brewery.

Spring Creek Lori’s Porter

Ahh, a porter. An honest to goodness brown porter. Color me excited. Lori’s looks nice in the glass, brown, black and slightly opaque with a clean, white head. Coffee, milk chocolate and grassy hops play on the nose with just a hint of leather. Clean and crisp on the first sip, the chocolate and light coffee come through with a refreshing hop bitterness. I always forget how much I love a good porter and Lori did a hell of a job on this one. Remember when Sierra Nevada had a porter? Lori’s reminded me of that one. 5.6% 18 IBU. Found on tap at Spring Creek Brewery.