Anyone try Dechutes Black Butte XXI Porter?

A couple friends were going on and on about just how good this beer is and that it is a limited run. It’s supposed to be aged too. I picked up a case of it and tried one. It is pretty good beer. Strong coffee flavor to it, so if you don’t like that in a beer, don’t bother with this one. Kinda pricy too.

YES!

I like it a lot. I didn't think the coffee was overpowering. I had been kind of dreading the next "bourbon barrel aged" beer, but I thought (as usual) Deschutes pulled out some magic to make everything very nicely balanced.

I'm a big fan of that beer. But, yeah, I can't afford it.

Now you're just bragging.

Do they use stronger hops in Kangaroo Beer?

Well I have ten left. I’m going to keep them in the wine cellar for a year and try one again. Maybe by then you’ll come visit and I’ll take you to the micro breweries up here.

When I was in Redmond last fall, we had lunch at the Redhook Brewery. They had a couple beers there that we were told, they do not distribute and you can only buy them at the brewery. I don’t recall the names, but damn they were good.

That would be awesome, Mike!

Personally, I am not a fan of the Redhook beers. They use the same yeast across their entire line and it just rubs me the wrong way. In addition, they filter the living bejeezus out of their bottled offerings, which I think makes them predictably lifeless.

I haven't been to the brewery in a few years, though. Maybe they are doing interesting things in small batches. They've come a long way since the old transmission shop in Ballard where they started.

I'm just going to dive in here, as I'm new to the Axiom family and don't have time to go through the entire thread!

My faves vary depending on the time of year.
For the warmer weather I'm a big fan of traditional, unfiltered German Hefeweizen, Weisse, or wheat beers. You can hold the fruit, thanks! Erdringer, Weihenstephaner, and Hacker Pschorr are reasonably easy to get in Canada and my preference changes depending on my mood.
For colder weather, like what we have now in Dwight, Ontario, I prefer a good Oatmeal stout, or a nice hoppy and heady IPA. Dogfish 90 minute is one of my faves but very hard to get in Canada. I'm also starting to explore cask conditioned ale's when I'm in Toronto and I have have to say there is really something to the smoothness and depth of flavour when you stay away from the CO2.

Cheers!

Andrew

Ian, good call hiring this guy!

Approved

Thanks for posting, Andrew.

My favorite Oatmeal Stout is from Ninkasi Brewery in Eugene, OR. I doubt you can get it there, but it is wonderfully rich and deftly balanced.

Favorite IPA at the moment is from Green Flash Brewing (San Diego). They just started distributing to Washington State, so I'm hoppy happy.