Cougar and Bear

Like a more amiable version of Fox and Hound or a less innocent tale than those of Frog and Toad, the bear duo of Ambear and Bipolar Bear went to the Cougar Hot springs for one last evening together (or so we thought).  The truth that neither of us had realized was that my flight had been pushed back several weeks.  Nevertheless, the night was as lovely as it was brimming with honesty, adventure, and indulgence.  The evening started with A Bridgeport Summer Squeeze and Hop Czar, as we sat on the cliff side facing one of the most beautiful lakes in the world and the sun warming our backs.  It was a perfect moment, and it was complimented by the most perfect beer.

Again, failing to know at the time, I had been lucky enough to catch Bridgeport's seasonal summer ale the week before it left the shelves.  It was amazing and easily was set among my top three choices of fantasic beers.  Super clean, refreshing, citrusy but not sour or moldy feeling, with bold notes leaving it distinct and memorable in the best way possible.  I searched high and low for that sweet nectar again, but, it had been displaced by the changing season(al)s.  However, Witch Hunt spiced ale is a post for another day.  In the meantime, the Hop Czar is an excellent excellent IPA.  It's clean, super hoppy, but possessing just the perfect level of bitterness which allows for a cold refreshing wave of satisfaction to settle on your heart as you sip this beer.

After sipping beer on the hill side, we started are real adventure into the wood towards and magic spring which flows hot from the mountain side and brings peace to the souls of all bears who revel in its waters.  During his enjoyment of the hot springs, Bipolar Bear began chatting with some of the other character's in the pool.  On of them, a very interesting entrepreneur who lived up the road and visited the hot springs at least 3 times a week, told us of a hidden trail just past the springs which would take us to the most amazing, beautiful, and romantic place ever!  We were intrigued.  Thus, we followed the jolly witch doctor's instructions and eventually came upon a green moss dragon!!  Surrounded by broken logs created by the troll limbs she had dismantled during their attacks, this overwhelming deity had long ago rested her fangs in a call of peace and current spouts the freshest water in the world from her lips as a peace offering to God for all the havoc she foolish released.  When we arrived we felt her calming spirit and followed the path laid to her underbelly which was covered in the softest layer of moss, and there, in her cleansing flow and lovesong, we kissed for the last time.

The End.

*****



Good Bye to Bipolar Bears.  Perhaps ^_^

Do Bears Migrate?

Two bears walk into a local bar and discover a beautiful scene of woodwork, hanging lights, and a number of brewery originals.  These beers have traveled the valley, currently with plans of meeting old friends for a drink or two, and had been recommended Migration Brewing Company as a great place to catch-up and grab a pint.  One of the bears samples a few of the drafts and decides to go with one that piqued her interest.  Different from any other beer she had tried, its name was Old Silenus Ale, ESB.

ESB was once explained to Ambear as being the acronym for Extra Special Bitter.  It had also been said to stand for English Style Beer.  Consulting the internet in hopes of finding the truth to the acronym (in reference to beer), Ambear also came across answers such as Extra Strong Bitter, Extra Special Beer, English Style Bitter, Extra Strong Beer, etc.  However, after searching Wikipedia she discovered that the term Bitter is the English term for a Pale Ale, and ESB is a brand meaning Extra Special Bitter, which includes any English Pale Ale with a 4.8% abv or higher.

Now, the Old Silenus Ale is an English style Pale Ale with an alcohol content of 6.3%, thus an ESB (extra special bitter).  [side note: Indian Pale Ales originally began when the beer being sent to England's colonies (specifically India) was going bad during the trip, so they started adding more hops and creating higher alcohol content in their beers so that they would stay good.  However now, alcohol content ranges in all styles and it is the brewing style and flavor which define its denotation.  So, although the Old Silenus has an incredibly high abv, it is just an ale and not an IPA].  Now Ambear had tried ESB's before and never thought much of them.  This however, was something completely different.

Old Silenus Ale is sweet and very, very malty, with light bitter notes but heavy hop tones.  The astringency of the hops gives this beer a very dry texture.  Although Ambear enjoyed it's uniqueness for a pint, she couldn't imagine ordering another.  However, the atmosphere of Migration was lovely and indulgent.  The food smelled great and the energy kept the conversation happy and relaxed.  A definite place to visit on 28th and Glisan if your ever wandering the lovely Laurelhurst area of Portland.

In Portland, At Pints

 Finally.  Back home in good old P-Town.  Still roaming a bit, but staying within the Northwest for sure until this whole "summer" thing has blown over.  Also, since I was already home for the holidays, I figured that I ought to catch-up with some of my homebears, and thus, sent a message out to my friend Mr. C-bear.  Me an C-bear have known each other for quite some time, but he didn't know about my newly budding love of beer.  But, as I wandered around downtown Portland, visiting many sites of nostalgia such as Pioneer Square, the downtown library, and the MAX line in general (when your a broke HS student with a monthly bus pass, sometimes fun is just riding through the city with friends and finding new parks to hang at) and discovering many of the ways that Portland has grown - adding fountains, squares, a pavilion solely for the Saturday Market - including the addition of one Pints Brew Pub and Coffee Shop, or, as the site says, "PINTS is Everyday Coffee in the morning and Urban Taproom in the afternoon".  Thus, my glossy eyes gazed at the pub-front and I knew, this was where my afternoon was meant to be spent.

Pints Brew Pub and Coffee shop

Me and C-bear met and soon went inside this lovely cafe to find what our beary hearts had been searching for: original, local beer.  At this point in time I was missing my hubbybear and so I ordered one of our classic favorites, and a style which almost always is sure to please, the stout; which was, in this case, Pints own Steel Bridge Stout.  C-bear got the Rip Saw Northwest Red Ale.  Now, I've not had many red ales, so I was excited to try this novel concoction.  It was light and bitter, similar to an IPA, but smoother and less hoppy.  I quite liked it, but there was a flavor which I couldn't identify but C-bear said made the beer "crazy smoky; like beef jerky or something".

Steel Bridge Stout (left) Rip Saw Northwest Red Ale (right)

I would have loved beef jerky beer (which reminds me; we need to discuss Rouge Brewery's maple-bacon bar beer sometime.  Surprisingly stupendous), but unfortunately I could not say that that was what I got from the Rip Saw red.  However, it was quite good.

Now for my stout.  Oh, my stout.  Normally stouts always play jazz with my taste buds.  This stout however left me without a melody.  I can see the argument against this metaphor in that jazz tends to be rambunctious and spontaneous, so you can't expect a solid melody, but, I must say, there is always a melodic foundation.  This stout felt flavorless.  I kept looking for some toasty notes or hints of coffee or chili, but it was just plain stoutsy and a bit watery. It was the stout brother of Polygamy Porter.

However, to make up for his lackluster friend, me and C-bear enjoyed a Seismic IPA which knocked our socks off.  It was very good, lightly hoppy but refreshing.  Best IPA I've ever tasted and it couldn't have come at a better time.  IPA's are distinct and I always thought that only coffee drinkers could enjoy them because of their generally bitter nature.  However, after I've drank IPA's time and time again with Bipolar Bear, I finally acquired the taste for them.  It is a very happy day.  This was the delicious straw that broke the camel's back, and now I'm afraid I won't be able to enjoy a hefe the same way again...

In any case, this was a thoroughly enjoyable experience at a great new brew pub, with wonderful friends and fantastic beers.  I would go back again in a second.  But, one warning: watch out if you sit outside because the tables (possibly because of uneven bricks) were dangerously wobbly and almost single-handedly ruined the afternoon.  We just set our beers on the ground for safe keeping ^_^

*****

something neat I saw and wanted to share

 

The Utah Sampler

It had been a long, hard trek, but the bears were doing well as they drove into Salt Lake City, Utah.  There they would be staying with a gracious host and friend of Ambear, Abbear.  We ate homemade pizza, played music, and sampled an array of local beers.  It was heaven in Utah.

Heaven is very dry...

Music rippled through the air as four music bears, one beer commentator, and a snail (literally) enjoyed the evening air, delicious food with friends, and sampled Utonian? Utahite? Utahn beer.

(This is just going to be a quick run-through from my note book because I'm behind in my posting and time is running on.  So, to start...)

We began with  Squatter's brand Radio from Hell "Red as Hell" Ale.  One of our first introductions to a red ale and it was thoroughly enjoyable.  "It's stoutsy" comments BPB.  Smooth with slight stoutsy roasted bitter notes.  Really good.

"Red as Hell", left

Next was the Wasatch's "The Devastator" Double Bock Lager.  It had a slight sour flavor, but retained a strong build.  Although it was smooth, I was personally not a fan, wishing to myself that it had stronger sour tones, if it was planing on being sour at all, by adding some sauerkraut.  Ambear loves sauerkraut...

Anyway, on to another Squatter's, the Hop Rising Double IPA.  We found this IPA to be full bodied yet reserve a gentle balance within it's hoppy and bitter characteristics which was then lightly topped by citrus esters.  It still had the usual hop-centric vibe that one would expect from a Double IPA, "very hoppy" but "absurdly sweet for an IPA" my IPA guru-bear commented, which we figure accounted for the IPA to maintain a decent level of drinkability.  I would recommend this beer, especially if your one of those hop junkie beerophiles.

Home-grown Sampler Set

(It is important to note here that, the taste-buds were getting a bit fuzzy at this point in time.  Although we were not yet drunk, as we had only shared 3 beer among 5 people, our judgements were becoming impaired by the overwhelming range yet similarities in flavors.  Especially without pallet cleansers.  So, this is essentially a disclaimer.  I will expose my findings, but I can not swear upon their accuracies.)

So, what happened next was that, after going one round with Squatter's Double IPA, we foolishly moved onto their regular IPA. There were no more citrus notes, and I felt this let the hops move in and take advantage of my tongue.  Bipolar Bear says, "I like it".

Then we had Squatter's Big Cottonwood, Amber Ale.  Now, despite our similar naming, Ambear does not enjoy Amber Ales... so instead of expressing my dislike for Amber's, I'll just say that for me it seems that all Amber Ales are the same Amber Ale.  And they all taste bad...

Next!  The Wasatch White Label Belgian Style.  The note are silly, but I'll just say really quick before getting into those that White beers are an odd breed which I have minimal experience but they always
seem clean but a bit bland... now my notes.  Clean? Interesting, strange smell and taste... capers again? artichoke? What's going on?!

And finally, Wasatch Polygamy Porter... the anti-Porter.  Yes, it was the end of the night.  Yes we had already sampled 6 other beers.  But, it just tasted to us, after knowing the fullness and roasty notes of McMenamins' Porter, like it was lightly carbonated water with a bit of porter flavoring.  "Kinda tastes like dirt after a doughnut", notes Abbear.

The most surprising thing we found in Salt Lake, right

And so our wonderful visit ended, as did our great American excursion.  After this we left Abbear's lovely apartment in Utah and booked it back to wonderful, green Oregon.  The bears had taken captives from Missouri and we went to find asylum in the most beautiful place in the world, the Willamette Valley.  The End... sort of.

God descending on Utahn Mountains next to our car...