Mixed 12

So as I have said before I love my home-brew shop Corvallis Brewing Supply for instance just yesterday I emailed them to see if needed supplies where available and in mere minutes I got an email from Joel (the owner) that yes they did have these and that I could once again spend my money on Spaten Optimator (ah what a fine brew it's like crack to me). Anyway a couple of weeks ago I purchased, or rather my wife purchased, one of Joel's now famous to me anyway "mix sixes" usually this consists of 6 bombers (22oz) of higher priced specialty beers. The last mix six that I purchased had fine brews from both Ninkasi from Eugene, OR and Beer Valley from Ontario, OR I actually still have the a bottle from Beer Valley of the Imperial Stout, which I''m keeping for this Memorial Day. This particular mix six was actually a mixed case of 6x2 beers from Decheutes and 6x2 beers from New Belgium breweries. I worked out a deal to share the beer with a cooworker thus reducing the price and giving both of us 1 beer each of most of both breweries popular beers. Here is the list from Joel.

New Belgium

Mighty Arrow, Pale Ale, 5.2% ABV, $1.45 / 12 oz. btl

Heaps of fresh Cascade and Goldings hops with a sweet honey malt backnote. Named after the famed Border Collie, Arrow, who was "boss" of the brewery for quite a few years. Sound familiar?

Mothership Wit, Organic Wheat, 4.8% ABV, $1.45 / 12 oz. btl

Taste bud sensation with citrus and coriander spice and thirst-quenching tartness.

Blue Paddle, Pilsner-Lager, 4.8% ABV, $1.45 / 12 oz. btl

Czech-style bier with fresh Noble hops and crisp malt breadiness.

Abbey, Belgian Dubbel, 7.0 % ABV, $1.45 / 12 oz. btl

Horse chestnut red color, rich, smooth and elegant!

Spingboard, Blond, 6.2 % ABV, $1.45 / 12 oz. btl

Contains Gogi berries, Wormwood and Schisandra for a Chinese herbal smorgasbord!

Trippel, Belgian Style Ale, 7.8 % ABV, $1.45 / 12 oz. btl

This deceptively strong ale has fruitiness overtones and complex malt and spice character.

Deschutes Brewery

Mirror Pond, Pale Ale, 5.0 % ABV, $1.65 / 12 oz. btl

Classic brew with heaps of Cascade hops.

Inversion, India Pale Ale, 6.8 % ABV, $1.65 / 12 oz. btl

Layers of soft caramel malt and huge amounts of hops

Bachelor, Extra Special Bitter, 5.3% ABV, $1.65 / 12 oz. btl

Toasted malt profile and soft, balanced hop bitterness.

Obsidian, Stout, 6.4 % ABV, $1.65 / 12 oz. btl

Smooth and black with rich roastiness and lingering espresso and chocolate flavors

Black Butte, Porter, 5.2% ABV, $1.65 / 12 oz. btl

Easy-drinking dark beer with chocolate and assertive hoppiness

Cinder Cone, Red, 5.4% ABV, $1.65 / 12 oz. btl

Spring seasonal beer on the way out for summer! Reddish hue supported by caramel malts and smooth Amarillo and Tettnang hops!

Tonight I'm sampling my first beer the New Belgium Trippel. It pours a straw color with a half inch white head. Aroma is fruity maybe a bit citrus . Flavor is not what I would expect from a trippel some fruity almost raisiny flavors but there is a great deal of alcohol heat left in this beer (I would think aging would remedy this) this heat covers many of the subtle flavors that may be hidden. I have never actually had a trippel but Spaten Optimator is a Doppel and it has more complexity in the sense that it has more of a malty backbone, a wonderful aroma, and that signature Belgian raisiny grainy flavor. I would expect a trippel to be even more of this only with more kick. I'm not going to say this beer is bad actually as I write this the beer is warming and I'm getting more flavors over time, I think however it should have more of a malty background (could benefit from a decoction mash) and definitely some more aging. I'm going to give this beer a 7/10.