Lazing on a Sunny Afternoon
Apr 22 '03
The Bottom Line Portland Oregon Honey and SLO Blueberry Ale are good brews for a sunny afternoon and interesting alternatives for light beer drinkers.
A few months ago I stated that winter was my favorite brewing season due to the creativity and originality of seasonal brews available. But could there be any better time to enjoy a beer than on a hot sunny afternoon? It’s not summertime yet, but temperatures in my area did briefly approach triple figures last week, so what perfect time to enjoy a couple of brews.
The two beers I enjoyed were SLO Blueberry Ale and Portland Oregon Honey. Thinking back to proxam’s comment in a “Favorite Hard to Find Beer” review, I’d say the same thing, these are not my favorite beers and not particularly hard to find, the second one especially. I actually picked them up as part of a 10 beer multi-pack, just because I was in the mood to mix things up a little. I had tried both of these beers once before, without reviewing them. I remember being impressed by the SLO Blueberry, but disappointed by the Portland Oregon Honey. Something I’ve learned in my time at The Yard House is that both of these beers are extremely popular which was my main incentive to check them out in more detail.
SLO Blueberry Ale
SLO stands for San Luis Obispo, a beach city half way between Los Angeles and San Francisco. SLO Brewing Company opened as a brewpub in 1998, expanding to a microbrewery in Paso Robles 10 years later. Their Blueberry ale claims to be the best selling blueberry ale in the country, hardly worth disputing, and is “created with pale, malted barley, European hops, and special aromatic hops and a subtle touch of blueberry in the finish.”
The beer pours to a bright golden color, well carbonated with moderate head formation. There’s a sweet flowery aroma with a touch of candy and blueberry in moderation. The palate is very light for an ale with blueberry flavors appearing immediately but not overwhelmingly. The blue flavor runs throughout, bringing with it a touch of prickly spice and just fading towards the finish, while there’s a touch of sugary sweetness in the middle and balancing crisp dryness in the finish.
This is a pretty straightforward blonde ale but the blueberry flavor works really well. It’s unique in it’s choice of flavoring and just seems to have the right amount of fruit. You’ve probably heard me say before that I’m not a fan of fruit beers, but this is one of the few that I have enjoyed. If you want a good light beer digression and if you like the sweetness and spice of blueberries, this is definitely worth a try. I rate this beer at about a 3.5.
Portland Oregon Honey
Portland Brewing is pretty well known among beer fans and was one of the pioneers in the craft brewing movement. Their beers are available in all but a few states. Portland Oregon Honey claims to be the original honey beer, something I doubt severely since honey has been used in brewing for hundreds of years. It’s brewed with white clover honey, two-row barley malt and Willamette hops.
Oregon Honey pours to a pale yellow hue, heavily carbonated with a moderate head formation, and a sweet malty aroma with honey certainly noticeable. It’s light to medium bodied on the palate, well carbonated with a smooth middle and light crisp bite in the finish. The honey comes through well but doesn’t dominate, offering traces of sweetness throughout. Some grassy herb notes appear up front with a nicely balanced hop bitterness and touch of citrus in the finish.
Overall this is pretty good and does exactly what I expect from a honey beer. It’s light, dry and crisp with hints of honey sweetness. It’s not my kind of beer but works well as a garden beer and is a unanimously popular choice for someone who only drinks light beer or doesn’t care for bitterness. I rate Portland Oregon Honey as a 3 star beer.
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Member: Andrew Smith
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