New beers at Saraveza
by Beeraroundtown ~ June 22nd, 2009. Filed under: New Beers.I dropped into Saraveza yesterday to meet with the Taplister crew and have a few brews. If you haven’t heard of Taplister yet, check it out, an online database of draught lists by bar in Portland. They have also put out a app called Beer Signal for the iPhone/iPod to check tap lists on the go and meet up with friends over a pint. While still in the early stages I hope this catches on, live on-demand tap lists sure sounds good to me.
Now onto the beers. First up was Rogue’s new release John John Dead Guy. I’ve often wondered why Rogue hasn’t really got on the barrel aged band wagon… especially since they have their own distillery. Well, now they gone and done it. John John is Dead Guy aged in their Dead Guy Whiskey barrels for 6 months. Preface, I don’t groove on Dead Guy, it’s always a grab bag, usually to much diacetyl, sometimes hot with alcohol, so my hopes weren’t all that high on this, but ordered it up anyway, so you results may vary. Overall I didn’t find the barrel added much to this, mild oak and a touch of booziness, but lacked some of the vanilla and smoke I was hoping for. Soft and subtle, fair enough, no need to go overboard. I’m not sure if I’ve ever had Dead Guy Whiskey, maybe I should try it to give a proper review of this. In the end I didn’t get a whole lot out of this that Dead Guy doesn’t provide.
Next up was the new Cascade Nightfall Blackberry, maybe a replacement for their previous blackberry sour? A whole different beast for sure, if you didn’t jive on the original Blackberry, make sure to give this a shot, a big step up. Nightfall pours like carbonated Powerade, red/purple with a tall pink head. Imbibing a chalice of this purple stuff in 
public might make some uneasy, not the most manly beer around… unless you are Prince, then you could just pour this stuff all over yourself while singing Purple Rain and the ladies would just start undressing while you wail some sick solo on your phallus shaped guitar. So unfair what stardom will get you. Anyway, Cascade’s new creation is another to seek out, while not as sour as some of their offerings, a great tartness pulls all the fresh flavor from the berries. The oak barrel provides enough woodiness to keep the brain on track, this is beer, not juice, remember that. Acidity stays pretty mild like most other Cascade beers. Try this one out for sure, I’ve heard the brewery also has it on tap from their Solstice party last Saturday.
Anyone else try either of these? Thoughts?
June 23rd, 2009 at 10:31 am
Derek,
Had the Nightfall Blackberry Friday night at Baileys and I too thought it was really outstanding. I haven’t had their other Blackberry yet so I can’t compare.
My thoughts on the John John are pretty par with yours. I got a hint of the vanilla and smoked oak, but I thought it was really subdued. Maybe it needed more time in the barrels.
June 23rd, 2009 at 12:46 pm
Oh… do know the alcohol percentage on the John John? It didn’t seem strong enough to warrant 8oz pours, but maybe they just did that because of its high rareness of kegs. I’m sure Rogue wasn’t selling those kegs too reasonable.
June 23rd, 2009 at 2:52 pm
@ Bo
It can’t be too much more than a normal Dead Guy, which weighs in around 6.5%.
June 24th, 2009 at 7:01 am
Bo,
Yah, i’m not sure on the % of John John, but I think Josh is probably correct. It did taste a bit boozier then normal, but then again, I’ve had regular Dead Guy taste pretty hot just due to batch variation.
June 26th, 2009 at 4:38 pm
I thought I had a sensitive palette (if not necessarily a discerning one), but how you managed to pull blackberries out of Cascade’s, or anything out of the John John is beyond me.
I’ve had the Nightfall Blackberry twice, first at Bailey’s the day it went on, and again at Raccoon Lodge on summer solstice (where I wasn’t told what I was given until after I tasted it)… both times I failed to discern any blackberry flavor; in that sense, it’s very similar to last year’s (also couldn’t taste any blackberry), but in stark contrast with both the Kriek and Apricot (at least last year’s), which are unmistakably such. Maybe it’s because I’m used to such strong-flavored blackberries in the latter half of August that anything which doesn’t approach that just doesn’t exist to me.
John John I got at at Horse Brass when it was first released (a full imperial pint, no less), and… it was just weak… thinner and less flavorful than a normal Dead Guy (whatever that flavor may be), with a barely-discernable whiskey-”essence.” I’m shocked that this spent 6 months in a barrel… if I hadn’t been told it was barrel-aged, I would’ve never assumed as much.
Ah well… they can’t all be winners. Now back to Raccoon Lodge for the Summer Solstice IPA (on cask if it’s still available) and the 8 Monks.
-anónimo