Right out of the gate we started with ‘Cranberry Woods’ from Cisco Brewery in Nantucket.

It was inspirational. To wit:

I once drank a beer from Nantucket

With cranberry juice from a bucket

Full of lacto and oak

I ain’t tellin no joke

If you’re not down with these sours, then…….

Part of their ‘The Woods’ series, it was exceptional, and very drinkable at 5%.  I was half expecting the cranberries to be obnoxiously noticeable, but in fact they were extremely understated. It was actually hard to discern flavor-wise where the oak ended and where the wisp of a taste of cranberry began. Tom seemed to sense a bit of ‘band-aid at the very end of the finish’, but I think he had just cut himself shaving earlier in the day, and that must have lingered on his palate.

All agreed that this beer was in the mid eights rating (8.5). And then we all discussed why we don’t seek out more beer from this brewery?

Next, out to the west coast – a trip to Firestone Walker to taste their Opal, a dry hopped Saison, and part of their Proprietor’s Series. Weighing in at 7.5% abv,

it was a very refreshing, tangy light, beautiful orangish beverage that kept getting better with every sip. So good, it was sad to finish.

It garnered an approximate 8.7 out of 10.

NEXT UP: a battle of the PORTLANDs:

Heading up ‘Down East’ to Maine for a date with Allagash’s Nancy, a sour red ale fermentedwith cherries and brett, and ‘aged’ in stainless steel for about a year.

This beer was somewhat cloudy owing to the fruit, but tart and mysterious, and by mysterious, I mean satisfying in an indefinable way. As part of their ‘Limited Edition’ series, the bottle was a mere 12.7 oz., with an ABV of 6.3%, proving that good things truly come in small packages. Certainly, no less than an 8.5.

Staying in the same sour vein, a revisitation to Portland, OR’s  Cascade Brewery for a tasting of Sang Noir, a blend of red ales aged in Bourbon and Pinot Noir barrels for 12 to 24 months, then blended with Bing and sour pie cherries. One would never guess this beer to be 9.8% abv due to its brilliant complexity, The fruit, the oak, the pinot tannin all create such an enjoyable velvety mouthfeel, you don’t want to swallow. Immersed in the experience, I found myself lagging way behind Chris & Tom in keeping up with the pace of the tasting. They had moved on to the final. This beer definitely cracked the 9’s!

Back to Maine for Allagash’s Bourbon oak barrel-aged Tripel – Curieux,  a style we’ve set our sights on over the next brewing year for potentially multiple manipulations.

At 11%, this beer certainly packed a punch, but didn’t hit one over the head with it. With an SRM somewhere around 7 (to my uneducated eye), it looked and tasted elegant. I think you’d really want to taste this against a series of tripels to put it in perspective,  but by itself, I think it certainly starts out at least at the high 8’s.