Augustinerbrau Edelstoff

After a long day's work I decided I deserved a good beer. Originally I planned on running down to HUB, knowing the high quality those fine people make, would fit the bill. However, a flash of memory came to me of a small bottle shop on Division that I wanted to check out. My first impression was of disappointment. There wasn't as extensive of a selection that I hoped for, yet then again I have been spoiled with the local Bierstein down in Eugene. As I looked, I found the usual selections of Oregon beers, some usual German beers, and some not so usual German beers.

A glimmer of hope came across my mind that I might be able to finally find the one beer that's been escaping me for almost a year. The St. Augustiner beer that I drank a liter of in a beer garden in Munich, and have never forgot about the beer since. Naturally since I've struck out at finding this beer virtually everywhere in the States, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the Augustinerbrau label. I almost cried right in the bottle shop. The Beer Gods peeked through the clouds, a smiled ever so brightly upon my taste pallet, and my nostalgic tendencies.

With it's light golden color, crispy malt taste, and smoothly blended hops, my visions of sitting in a park and getting drunk with a bunch of Australians, and dancing in one of the oldest breweries in Germany danced in front of my eyes like an old fabled tale.

Beermigos rating: Contemplating the meaning of life with your Beermigos brew. Pat, I'm bringing some down. Doug, when you get out here, it's the first thing we're doing.

Wychwood Brewery: Hobgoblin Dark English Ale

So I was cruising through Binny's, an alcohol emporium, when a new beer caught my eye. The picture of an ugly little mythical creature caught my eye. As I poked around I noticed that creature was Hobgoblin and that this was a selling point for the fellas at Wychwood Brewery. they describe this beer as being Hobgoblinish because it has a character very similar to one. "Very likeable...once you get to know him..." There's no better way to get to know a beer than by buying a six-pack so I certainly did.

This is a very interesting beer. Seeing as it's a Dark English Ale it was very dark and bitter. However the mixture of malts in there was very interesting. It was dark and bitter but with an interesting combination of sweet malts. There was a slight chocolate taste and toffee taste as well. Probably the malts they used.

I would not even begin to describe this beer as refreshing. It was not smooth, the uniqueness of the taste makes you think whether you really like it or not. It was very dry. It smells delicious, sweet and malty, but the taste doesn't quite match the smell. I will say though, with all the different kinds of flavors they have in a Hobgoblin beer, they do a good job of mixing them and not having one be too overwhelming.

By that 6th beer I was past the questioning of what is this and getting pretty used to taste and starting to like it some. The guys at Wychwood Brewery had it right. Very likeable...once you get to know him...

Onesy Brew: I think this fits into this category because the uniqueness of the taste is so gosh darn special and complex that it must truly be enjoyed slowly. i also could see this at a Bingo event. At 5.2% ABV it's nothing to write home to mother about but a couple of these would leave you bewildered and out of place...probably feeling like a Hobgoblin of sorts. I would say In-Laws/ Girlfriend and Boyfriend's Parents but because of the unique and odd style I wouldn't want to risk serving an unpopular beer. Onesy is the way to go.

HUB Lager

After a long, long, long sabbatical (actually, me just being lazy), I've decided to share my latest beer experience with my fellow beermigos. I figured, "hey, a while ago, we had this thing rolling pretty well and I've just been slacking. I mean, we were almost at 100 posts!" Regardless of huge, gaudy post numbers, I felt I was doing a dis-service to my fellow beermigos by just letting this beautiful mix of tasty beer, and literary mastery sit idle while I continue to drink.

This lager I enjoyed the other night was during a bit of a bitter sweet moment. I recently moved up north to lovely Portland, and I just so happen to be four blocks away from Hopworks Urban Brewery (I shan't tell you the address, as I don't want thousands of adoring fans constantly on my door step). Tuesday night marked the first, of most likely many beers I will consume at this fine brew house. All while watching the Blazers get their butt's kicked in game two of the NBA Playoffs, by the Phoenix Suns, hence the bitter of the bitter sweet moment.

The lager was the second beer of the night, and the most necessary, as I consumed it during the ugly second half of the game. As all lagers should, this bad boy was bright yellow and clear as my pasty white, translucent skin (gross). HUB has replicated the Czech Republic style of lager in their flagship beer. Un-like many lagers today, you can tell they use nothing but malt rather than any corn by products like most of the big boys. The lager has a strong biscuit flavor that dominates the taste at the beginning, and finishes with a slight bit of hops and honey. Right above 5% in ABV, 32 degrees of IBU, and 11.5 Deg Plato OG.

Beermigos Rating: BBQ with your best Beermigos brew. This is a great beer to be hanging around an old Webber grill, cooking up some man meat, while doing some male bonding over current sporting events, and what have you not. However, due to the high quality of this beer, I would suggest a BBQ of Brats, or something a little fancier than Ball Park hot dogs. It would be like bringing an expensive bottle of wine to a pot luck where the main course is KFC.

P.S. THIS IS POST # 100. OH YEAH!

Bellringer Red

I got off work at 11:30 and went directly to the bar. I got there before my friend and ordered a Bellringer Red while I waited. When he arrived, we talked about writing and boxing, innevitably Hemingway. I biked home. Holy shit. Eight percent? McMennimans does it again.

Dragon's Breath

The library is a beautiful place. Where else can you go with the sole purpose of passing time surrounded by knowledge?* There are rows, aisles, floors dedicated to the transference of information from the minds of others directly into mine. I just go inside, wander around for a while, pulling books off the shelves and flipping through them. Usually, I gravitate towards the oversize photography section and see some waterfalls, and paintings and portraits and then i'll find whatever comic book somebody left lying around and look at those for a while, too. Then I'll go and read a couple newspapers and a couple magazines, take some notes, y'know and then head downstairs after making another swing around the shelves. On the ground floor is the library collection of music and film, a quite extensive collection. In perusal, today, just before I took exit, I found a live Miles Davis concert film from 1970. I checked it out and went across the street.** I was thirsty.

Across the street is a small grocery, and for a grocery that size, in the location it inhabits, for this town, the beer selection is ridiculously small. However small the beer section may be, what it lacks in quantity is sufficently balanced by the quality of available delicado. Dragon's Breath, is one of these delicacies.

Brewed and bottled in Missoula, Montana by Bayern Brewery, this beer is indeed a magical beast. Technically, Dragon's Breath is a Dark Heff Ale, three words that each seperately hold great meaning but that together as one phrase, conjure the epitome of strength, flavor and rejuvination. Dark, strong, 6% ABV forged with the sweet, citrus wheat, and bound by the crisp bite, the pale, ale energy, a fire grew in the belly.

And the fire was quenched.

I drank the Dragon's Breath as I watched that Miles Davis concert and when it was done I stood, and took a piss and then I came to write it down. It was perfect.

Beermigos rating: Debate-the-meaning-of-life-with-beermigos-brew

Truly exqusite. Only a night of hot, dragon, firebreating with my beermigos could top this.

*Sam Bond's Bingo

**guess how much it cost? Freeeeeeee