Friday Night Pints
Winter Beers Creepin' In
I do not care for Jack Frost. I do not like snow or icy roads. I am not what you would call a “winter person.” I am not a skier. I do not ice skate. I do not enjoy the first snowfall that much and if I am being honest, I am becoming less and less of a fan of the “holiday season.” Now, I am not unreasonable. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. My wife and I both have winter birthdays and I am not averse to spending a day up on the ski slope (drinking bourbon and smoking cigars). For the life of me, I cannot figure out why Christmas is the big family get-together holiday of choice for this country. Doesn’t it make more sense to get everyone together for the 4th of July? Think about it. Celebrating America. No snowy, icy roads to grandma’s house, just sweet stretches of sunny highway PLUS it becomes a beautiful beach house instead of some crappy AirBnB in McCall that doesn’t even have cable so you have to watch the NFL Playoffs with a jumbled picture like when you would try to sneak sex scenes on Skinamax back in the day (not that that happened to me, personally) … (ok, it did happen to me personally, no cable, no wifi, c’mon man).
Sadly, my cries for a family Fourth have fallen on deaf ears. Everyone wants to do the whole tree thing with various ways to hand out presents while Jack Freaking Frost nips at our noses. But, maybe you’re reading this and thinking “Hey, this beer guy has some good ideas, maybe I should try this.” Because if just one of us gets through, and puts a sweet family Fourth video on TikTok, then maybe, just maybe, we can have family beach BBQs instead of a bunch of people crammed inside all day, eating and drinking too much and arguing about politics and what-not.
Now, the reason for this little rant is that the hurrification (trademark, SK) of seasons needs to stop. Fall is the best season. It’s not up for debate. Football, baseball playoffs, and the start of hockey all happen in the Fall. Oktoberfest, fest beers, and fresh hop season all happen in the fall. Pumpkin spice, baby! The weather is perfect outside and the leaves changing is truly beautiful (the falling isn’t so great, but what are you going to do). So, why, for the love of god, am I seeing winter beers in October? Four of them came across my purview this week. I tried two, but two more were offered and I declined! It’s still 70 degrees outside, what need have I to be warmed by a winter lager? So, I will hold off these bastards and their spice bombs for another week and instead go over some more tasty fresh hop beers that I found at last weekend’s Hoptober Freshtival in Boise. So, without further ranting and raving, this week’s fresh Friday Night Pints.
Spring Creek Dinosaur’s Least Favorite Reindeer Fresh Hop IPA
My friend Stacy Connelly, who owns and operates the excellent Boise Beer Buddies (get a card today), found me at the Hoptober Freshtival and asked if I had tried Spring Creek Brewery. Being that it’s closer to McCall than my home in Southeast Boise, I sadly had not. That all changed very quickly. We walked over to their spot and met two of the owners and I was able to try this tasty fresh hop IPA. Brewed with over 100 pounds of fresh Comets (so hot right now), this beer had tons of stonefruit, grapefruit rind and fruit punch on the nose. Those flavors really shine with peach, pineapple and lime rind playing around on the palate. I will soon be making my way to Avimor to get more of this and try their delicious pizza. 7.5% 43 IBU. Found on tap at Spring Creek.
Payette Sofa King Fresh Zeus Fresh Hop IPA
A tricky hop to use in a fresh hop due to its big alpha acids and even bigger bitterness. This one was poured into my Hoptober Freshtival metal cup, so it probably was golden with a nice white head. Dill, mint, pine and resin aromas come up off the beer. Not super strong, but the mint and dill come through. The flavor isn’t as strong as the nose with those herbal notes along with a slight malty sweetness and a touch of citrus. Worth a try, for sure. 6.5% abv 60 IBU. Found in cans and on taps around town.
Bear Island Hop Smoke Fresh Hop RyePA
There are very few hard and fast rules that I live by. Two of them are involved in this beer: Don’t smoke hops and don’t mess with Beth from Bear Island. Thankfully, I won’t have to break rule number two because - in this instance (I’m looking at you fancy cocktail bartenders with your smoke guns and Citra hop nuggets) - the smoked hops in this beer are delicious.
This RyePA is brewed with fresh Citra and El Dorado hops smoked on the Traeger. The smoke is nuanced, the hops come through the smoke as piney, with a burnt orange aroma that is nice. On the first taste, you get a subtle smoky flavor that finishes with a clean rye bite. The hops come through as slightly piney with a touch of orange and lemon. Get out and find this one, because it is damn good. 6.8%. Found on tap at Bear Island.
Edge So Freakin’ Fresh IPA
Edge is doing some IPA business right now. Pugzilla, Meowthra, Obligatory, Sub Zero, Hopkiss, Kai Juice and this were all on tap when I visited this week. Bravo, Edge! So Freakin’ Fresh is brewed with fresh El Dorados, it pours golden with a thin white head. Lots of El Dorado aroma coming off this beer including mint, grapefruit rind and lemon. This West Coast style IPA starts bitter and finishes bitterer with great hop flavor sandwiched in-between. If you enjoy a good bitter IPA, then you will like this beer. 6.5% 75 IBU. Found on tap at Edge.
Barley Brown’s Fresh Hop Pallet Jack IPA
I have been waiting for this one as Pallet Jack is one of my favorite IPAs. Pours golden and clear with a thin white head. Big citrusy hops on the nose with a little pine. Citrusy and piney on the palate with a big bitter finish. Very nice West Coast style IPA. 7% 75 IBU. Found on tap at Brewer’s Haven and around town.
Barbarian Space Wolf Hazy IPA
This is a returning beer from Barbarian. Pours opaque and yellow with a thick white head. Grapefruit rind, lemon and lime on the nose … almost pungent. Owner/brewer James definitely knows how to maximize those aroma hops. Big lemon and grapefruit rind on the palate with a touch of sweet oatmeal. Nice flavor. 6.5% 30 IBU. Found on tap at both Barbarians.
Barbarian Doppelbock
Here’s where the winter beers start creepin’ in. This trojan horse Doppelbock pours dark brown with a thin off-white head that sticks nicely to the glass. Dark chocolate, raisin and toffee on the nose. Nice and fragrant. Chocolate and raisins come through on the palate with a nice bitter finish. Velvety for a doppelbock, almost stout-like. Alcohol is present but not too hot. 9% abv 30 IBU. Found on tap at both Barbarians.
Pfriem Winter Ale
Are we here already? I’m still finding new fresh hop beers and this winter ale snuck in under the radar. Pours amber and bright with a thick white head. Spicy hops and toasty malts on the nose with a touch of allspice, cinnamon, orange and pine. Basically like a holiday party in a glass. Warming on the first sip with spruce, resin, burnt orange and spice on the palate. Allspice, cinnamon and pine in the aftertaste. Lots of complex flavors in the finish. A tasty winter ale for sure, just a month early for me. 7.5% 65 IBU. Found in 16oz cans at Whole Foods, Brewers Haven, and other purveyors of fine beer.
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Top Photo by Leonard Reeb on Unsplash