NW Beer Excursion- Pt 2
Written by Jeff Barber
NW Beer Adventure Part 2
After getting family stuff out of the way, and attending my niece’s high school graduation, my brother, my son in law and I drove over to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho to enjoy the lake and see how the town has changed since my last visit 10-12 years ago. Once a sleepy little resort town on Lake Coeur d’Alene, the town has grown considerably with a beautiful lakefront resort as well as many other shops and retail offerings. One of these is Coeur d’Alene Brewing.
When I visit a new brewery I like to take advantage of “taster trays” most breweries offer so that I can taste a wider variety of their beers. Although not listed on the menu (unless I missed it), the taster offered here was mammoth. Consisting of 12 5oz beers, we shared this among the 3 of us. What we found were that all of their beers were decent efforts and some of them were quite good.
Golden Ale-This beer was too light for my tastes but would be a good beer for those who normally drink macros and want to try a micro brewed beer. It was pretty mild with a slight biscuity malt taste. Finished pretty clean.
Strawberry Hefeweizen-Definite strawberry notes in the aroma and in the initial flavor. Citrus flavors follow the strawberry. This was a very good fruit beer as the fruit was noticeable but not too prominent.
Huckleberry Ale-Strong fruit aroma. Fruit is less noticeable in flavor although there was a noticeable sweetness. Could actually increase the amount of fruit impacting the flavor.
Centennial Pale Ale- Citrusy NW hop aroma, piney hop flavor, pretty well balanced with a slight bitterness in the finish.
Honeymoon Hefeweizen-Very little noticeable aroma. Flavor was also pretty mild as not much clove or banana, typical for the style, was present. A little too mild for me.
Rockford Bay IPA-Mild aroma but strong hop presence in the flavor. Definitely a beer for hop heads like me but I would prefer a little more malt to balance the lingering bitterness in the finish.
Lakeside British Ale-Noticeable malty aroma. Slightly sweet and nutty taste. Very drinkable with some great flavor.
Scottish Ale-Very malty as a Scottish Ale should be with some roasty notes. Very good but could be a little fuller in mouth feel.
Vanilla Bourbon Stout-Strong vanilla aroma. Noticeable vanilla taste followed by roasty, chocolate notes. Very enjoyable but some might think the vanilla could be toned down a little.
Maibock-Sweet up front but well balanced by hops. Bitterness doesn’t linger. Caramel flavors with slight alcohol. This was a very good example of this style.
Quad Hopped Pale Lager-Another beer for hopheads. This was very hoppy but made as a lager vs. and ale. Dry finish. Very enjoyable.
Porter-Very roasty flavor with low hop presence. Roasted malts dominate. Good but not a favorite style.
My favorite beers of the day were probably the Maibock first, Quad Hopped Pale Lager second, and the Vanilla Bourbon Stout and Strawberry Hefe tied for third. I should also note we had great service from Jessi and a very good meal there as well.
