20 McMenamins brewers present 20 beers in competition at the historic "Battle of the Belt" PORTLAND, Ore. - On Saturday, February 16, 2008, the notorious "Battle of the Belt" rages for the fifteenth time at Hillsdale Brewery & Public House (1505 SW Sunset Blvd.). McMenamins' Hillsdale Brewfest is a day-long event featuring twenty original brews, food specials, revelry, merriment and most important a competition for the coveted Belt. The Hillsdale Brewfest is free to attend, begins at 11 a.m. and is open to guests of all ages; those 21 and over may taste the ales. Twenty of the finest ales from all over McMenamins' Kingdom of Fun are sent into battle, their brewers vying for bragging rights, the notorious championship belt and a berth in the annual Oregon Brewers Festival.  read more »

Most of you out there in TV land probably won’t even be able to find this beer. Hell, most of you probably don’t even know of Highland brewery out of Asheville, NC. But, if you ARE familiar with Highland, then I hope you hold them in high esteem. This brewery, tucked away [...]

I love barrel aged beers. One of my first forays into barrel aged beers was on a trip to Kentucky, where I got to sample the Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale, and upon the first taste of vanilla and bourbon I was hooked. Beer has been aged in barrels for centuries, but it is only recently that brewers have decided to select used barrels from various fermented and distilled beverages to lend an extra layer of complexity and taste. Bourbon barrels seem to be the most commonly used, but any barrel will do, from plain old oak barrels to wine barrels and more.  read more »

Well, it looks like you might have to set your alarm again this year for the morning after Brewgrass.  read more »

This is one of a set of three beers that came out in a collaboration of Harviestoun Brewery and Highland Park distillery. Each of the beers is aged in a different cask of Highland Park single malt, 12 year old, 16 year old and 30 year old respectively. I decided to start with the first one and my thoughts on it are below. The bottle ran me $7.99. As a side note, Ola Dubh translates into "Black Oil".  read more »

Oh me?  read more »

I tell you what, folks. It’s cold in Durham tonight. I mean, like, sub-arctic 45 degrees cold. I don’t relish the onslaught of winter weather, but it does remind me of growing up over in the mountains of NC and that first frost of winter. So, in that vein, it seemed [...]

Well, it looks like you might have to set your alarm again this year for the morning after Brewgrass. A tip from the beerinator forums indicates that Highland will once again be releasing a special beer the day after Brewgrass, following the very successful releases of the Imperial Gaelic two years ago and the Imperial Kashmir IPA last year. So which beer is it going to get the Imperial treatment this year? (Drum roll........). It will be none other than the Black Mocha Stout, which in my mind has the potential to be the best of the special releases. Typically, Highland has released these special beers at noon on the day after Brewgrass. Last year they made a lot more of the Imperial Kashmir than the Imperial Gaelic the year before, so it was also available in stores around Asheville and in other parts of North Carolina (and there are still some bottles floating around). If they follow tradition, they will also be pouring the beer at Brewgrass, so make sure to hit the Highland tent early on the day of the fest.  read more »

807. Goats Peak Bock

I bought a six-pack of this at the small liquor store on Highland Ave. across the street from Somerville Hospital near Jadyn's House. This was probably in late March or early April. Beer Advocate calls it a bock, but there's no way that it's not a Maibock, the bottle says "Spring Lager", and its color and flavor are definitely that of a Maibock.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Paper City Brewery
Alcohol: 6.40%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.  read more »