Eel River Brewing 'Twenty' 20th Anniversary Bourbon Barrel Aged Triple Exultation Old Ale. Vintage 2015. 11% abv. 80 IBU. Dark ruby color. Hazy. Fine sediment. Finger of foamy beige head that falls fast to a sustaining collar. Fair retention, excellent lacing. 

Nose of molasses, bourbon, vanilla, sweet bread. Front taste is molasses, bourbon, roasted oak, pungent plum. Aftertaste is bourbon, raisin, plum, black coffee, pecans. Dry finish. Full body. Mouthfeel is hot, boozy, astringent, thick, syrupy, sticky, clingy.

This is an extraordinary BBA brew, a decadent offering that demands moderate enjoyment. You don't chug this one. Rich, thick, tall, strong. Starts sweet, ends dry. Plenty of bourbon and oak as promised, bound by dark malty and fruity depths. Wonderful. This is what a BBA should be. Strongly recommended.

From the brewery:

"Our Triple Exultation Old Ale aged 6 months in single pass, white oak bourbon barrels. Rich notes of bourbon, toffee, toasted malt and ripe fruit balanced by an aroma reminiscent of vanilla, oak, molasses, and caramel."

[source: bottle]

Lost Coast Brewing '25th Silver Anniversary' Belgian Ale. 8.8% abv. 18 IBU. Hazy red-orange color. Finger of white bubbly head that quickly falls to a thin surface. Good retention, excellent lace.

Nose of light fruit, berries, white bread. Front taste of sweet red berries, jammy, yeasty back end. Aftertaste of bittersweet fruit, biscuit, dank earthy sustain, slightly sweet finish. Medium body. Mouthfeel is warm, round, clingy, thick on the back of the tongue.

This is an excellent beer. The aroma and flavor profile bring to mind the also excellent Toaster Pastry, of which I am a big fan. That beer is one of my go-to beers, due to its perfect balance of bready and sweet fruity tastes. Today's beer captures that balance in a meaty Belgian ale. 

Sadly, it's an anniversary ale, which means it cannot become a regular year-round experience. However, the local bottle shop where I found this had several in stock. Two years old. I plan to buy them all. Highly recommended.

From the brewery:

"A Belgian ale brewed with Belgian & American Malts, perfectly balanced with European hops and traditional Trappist Ale yeast for a ripe, rich fruitiness."

[source: bottle]

Full Sail Brewing '25' Pale Doppelbock Lager. 9% abv. 70 IBU. Hazy orange color. Half-finger of tan head. Excellent retention and lace. Nose of malt, sweet citrus. Front taste of bittersweet malt, light fruit, round citrus. Aftertaste of sweet orange, mild bitter fruity hops, bitter earthy sustain. Medium body. Mouthfeel is warm, small-bead carb, tangy back end.

This is a fine beer that crosses category lines. "Pale" and "Doppelbock" seem contradictory, but it works here, with flavors of sweet mellow citrus over a solid malt backbone. Wonderful. Highly recommended.

From the brewery:

"Brewed to celebrate our 25th Anniversary, '25' is a complex, luxurious beer brewed with Vienna Malt and Saaz hops, extended lagering produces full bodied flavors of caramel and honey with a hoppy backbone of white pepper and lemon spice. A beer made for celebration, Full Sail 25 is an elegant Northwest Style Pale Doppelbock."

[source: fullsailbrewing.com]

"So here we are 25 years later. Very humbled, grateful, and amazed that we got here in one piece. Still a mix of beer geeks and boardheads. Still independent. Still trying to find that perfect balance between art and commerce, work and play, inspiration and perspiration. Thanks for supporting us for all these years. And next time you’re in Hood River, stop by for a beer."

[source: bottle]

Mendocino Brewing 'Anniversary Ale' Saison. Belgian Style Spiced Ale. 7% abv. Hazy honey color with velvety white head. Excellent retention, good lace. Nose of sweet bread, mild citrus, flowers. Front taste of grapefruit rind, ginger, cloves, floral hop back. Aftertaste is light fruit, sweet spice notes, bitter citrus sustain, biscuit. Light body. Mouthfeel is warm, small-bead carb, foamy.

This is a very good beer, an nice example of a "French farmhouse ale" saison, or in this case, Belgian style. It has a more abundant bouquet of fruits and spices than most beers in this category, which tend to have such flavors fewer but more prominent. It's clear this beer is aiming for complexity rather than height, and it mostly achieves this. I would have like some of the flavors to shine through more, at least in the aftertaste, but it's still a beer worth having. Recommended.

From the brewery:

"This limited edition classic saison is an unfiltered bottle conditioned ale. It is brewed with star anise, coriander, ginger, and orange peel. Our saison is richly refreshing and artfully balanced with notes of spices and fruit."

[source: bottle]

CAO Cameroon L'Anniversarie Robusto. Smooth wrap with mostly consistent color, a couple of spots off. Bad cut (my fault), good light, excellent even burn. Clean light gray ash that holds well. Creamy Cameroon taste from the first puff on. Medium draw. Consistent taste and burn to the band. Aside from my butchering of the cut, this is a perfect cigar. CAO is the benchmark of Cameroon smokes and it shows here again. This is one of my top choices.


From the company:

"There are many reasons why Cigar Aficionado (magazine) rated CAO Cameroon a 92, but chief among them is its remarkable balance. The sweet Cameroon wrapper and rich, earthy Nicaraguan blend of this top rated cigar are like yin and yang and sun and moon—they were just made to work together."