Our Beer Club met at the Pyramid brewing Mactarnahan's taproom for the September gathering. It sounds like changes are in the works for the building name an for some of the beer. They will be keeping some the of the Pyramid names and expanding some under the Mactarnahans name.
The facility is very nice and the patio is a great place to spend a summer evening. Steve and Scott had the fish tacos and Steve claimed they were excellent. Todd and Rob had the the Chipotle chicken tacos which were also good. Now on to the beer.
Crystal Wheat - (Pyramid) This beer bounced all over the ratings. We heard comments from "chick beer" to good summer beer. I thought it was too sweet tasting bu the best comment was from Scott, "I'd drink it but I'm sure there is something better!"
Haywire Hefeweizen - (Pyramid) This is a decent Hefeweizen. Rob said it was is favorite Hefe in town. Steve was the first to finish the sampler but said he likes the Widmer better.
Lipstinger - (Mactarnahans) Wow, this is a pretty complex beer. Many flavors especially with the peppercorns. It is a complex beer but the flavor is very smooth.
Audacious Apricot Ale - (Pyramid) Okay the guy who likes apricots does not like this one. The guy who does not like apricots does like this beer. The best comment is it "smells like a candle." If you want a sweet fruity beer this is for you.....Not sure what else to say.
Mactarnahans - This is the standard Mactarnahan's offering. It is classified as an amber beer. It is good in its own right but can't compete with the Alaskan Amber. This beer has been used to improve many rounds of golf in the Portland area.
Draft Pale Ale - (Mactarnahans) I'm not sure how this works but if you put Mac's Amber on Nitro you have a Pale Ale! This is super smooth and easy drinking. Beautiful Pale ale with a creamy head. If you've never tasted it then it is worth the trip to NW Portland.
Grifter IPA - (Mactarnahans) This is a good IPA that is well balanced and better than most IPAs.
Juggernaut Red - (Pyramid) This was a tough call. Steve thought it was a blend between the Amber and the IPA. It is easy drinking with good flavors but the "red style" is always hard to define.
Snow Cap Winter Ale - (Pyramid) This beer started out good but somewhere along the lines the tastes changed and by the end of the sampler it fell out of favor. It is drinkable but not any ones favorite.
Ale House Amber - This is kind of a blend between an amber and a Belgian wheat. This amber is sweet and for some reason it is not quite right. This beer does the opposite of "grow on you".
Thunderhead IPA - This is more of the standard IPA. It is a little more bitter and not quite our style.
Thomas Kemper Root Beer - Scott and Rob ordered this one. They both liked it and did not think it was too sweet and it was not bitter. It was brewed on site but....the alcohol content is very low.
Over all the group had a good experience here and would recommend it for any gathering. The desserts were also good. Somehow we ended up with an extra brownie. I don't know the name but it had way too much ginger and molasses. Small samples were okay but non of us felt we could finish a serving by ourselves.
Until next time,
Todd
No comments:
Post a Comment