Calapooia Hullabaloo

You walk into the room and instantly are enchanted by the warm lights, honest wood furniture, and robust colors that surround you at the Calapooia Brewing Company in Albany.  Furthermore, these lovely qualities are mirrored by the excellent beer they graciously serve.

a beautiful shrine of beers

Walking up to the counter, I was mesmerized by the wall of taps and colorful chalkboard list of beers.  Bipolar Bear however, quickly orders a Chili Beer while I stand aside dumb-founded.  The very kind bartender suggested a sample.  I feel similarly about beer samples as I do about ice cream samples, and that is, to a certain extent, I don't like them because they make me feel like I'm cheating, or something.  Nevertheless, samples can be convenient, as long as I don't cross the mooching-line.

I sampled three beers, plus BPB's chili beer.  I tried the Raspberry Wheat, - "Bhairy-bear would live this; it's like raspberry bread" - the Caber Toss Scotch Ale, and the Spruce Tip Ale.  They were all fantastic and I especially enjoyed the unique flavor of the Spruce Tip Ale.  However, I took Bipolar Bear's chili beer and he got a Raspberry Wheat because of the spiciness of the Chili Beer was too much, which was somewhat ironic for us.

Generally I am not one for spicy foods.  My one, random, exception is jalapenos.  I just love their flavor and the spiciness is often hot but not so overwhelming that it hurts or prevents flavor.  Asheville Pizza Brewing Company's Fire Escape Pale Ale is one of my favorite beers ever and it is infused with jalapenos.  I was anticipating from the first sip of Calapooia's Chili Beer that it would be a similar experience to the Fire Escape Pale Ale.  This was not the case.  This Chili Beer is so hot, after a few sips I couldn't taste beer, just chili juice.  Also, trying to taste anything else was next to  impossible.

Trying to get another taste of the Raspberry Wheat - it may have been the fault of the overwhelming Chili Beer, it may have been the comparison to McMenamin's exceptional Ruby Ale - "it tasted thin upon listening", as The Postal Bears say.

The atmosphere and the welcoming crowd were lovely though.  Here at Beer Bears Inc. we try to do a triple testing routine to quality in all the beers we judge.  This routine includes smelling, tasting, and throwing about the bar while covering ourselves to experience that wonderful stale smell of dried beer in the subsequent hours.  Accidentally knocking my beer about the place, the Chili beer also managed to get on my face and in my eyes.  The bar crowd immediately jumped into action as if I were a guest in their own home.  They directed me to the restroom, assured me it was nothing to be embarrassed about, cleaned up my mess, and even got me another beer.  After returning from washing burning acid beer from my eyes we felt like one of the family.  I must say that I would be a very happy and exceptionally lucky bear if this were my local.

Next time though, I plan on getting the Spruce Tip Ale.  Interesting, delicious, and harmless.  But overall, this bar and beer is more than worth the visit.  Two beary thumbs way up for the Calapooia Brewing Company of Albany, Oregon.