Ah, Father’s Day, when all patriarchs become Clark Griswold on vacation and all filial conversations become sentimental diatribes: “Enjoy this, kids. Someday when you have families of your own, you’ll wish you had several hours together in the back of a cop car like this, just to sit and talk.” One of the best presents a father can get is a car full of sleeping kids so he can get home in time watch the Mariners/Rangers game with his favorite beer, which can be had at Peaks and Pints today. We crafted a craft beer flight for dear ol’ dad — at least satisfying five different kinds of dad with said game on at noon. Take a break from your annual day of trading shoulder punches with dad followed by wings at Hooters and head to Peaks and Pints for Craft Beer Crosscut 6.18.17: A Flight of Father’s Day.
Scotch Dad
Oskar Blues Old Chub
8% ABV, 25 IBU
Scotch whiskey loving dad is sure to enjoy this one! Oskar Blues’ Old Chub is a celebration of malts. The Scottish style ale is brewed with copious amounts of crystal and chocolate malts, and a dash of beechwood-smoked malts. The cola-colored beer features a dense, tawny head; a creamy mouthful and hints of raisin are noticeable in the bouquet, even if it is slightly crowded by the strong malt scent and smokiness. On the tongue expect caramel, chocolate and lightly roasted malt. Complex and rich, it finishes with a whisper of smokiness that calls to mind a fine single malt scotch.
Joke Dad
Pelican Udder Tugger Milk Stout
5.4% ABV, 30 IBU
There’s just something so liberating about embracing the groan-inducing riff, the painfully obvious observation, the high-five that begs to be left hanging. The dad joke is often a joyously degenerate form of punnery, and the beer geek in us grabs onto those cheap puns and runs with ’em. It doesn’t hurt that the beer world loves a good pun, or a bad one, more than just about any other industry outside of maybe nail salons and lube and filter joints. No better example is Pelican Brewing Co.’s Udder Tugger Milk Stout. Stupid, perhaps, but you’ve got to smile when you order this one. Brewed with lactose and debittered black malt, Udder Tugger sports a deep black color and a rich roast profile. Aromas of baker’s cocoa and toffee-like caramel combine with a slightly herbal hop character for a milk stout with dark chocolate character but not as sweet as others in the style. Why did the cow cross the road? To get to the udder side.
Barbecue Dad
Viven Smoked Porter
7% ABV
There’s just not much we shove in our pie holes that we Americans can claim a clear title to. Sandwiches? British and, concurrently, Russian. French fries? Belgian. Meatloaf? French, though they’d call it something like le galantine de boeuf and probably wouldn’t have a problem ceding that one to Betty Crocker, anyhow. We Americans do have one food that’s all ours, which crosses all socioeconomic boundaries and is eaten everywhere: Barbecue. And, nobody operates a grill like craft beer loving middle-aged barbecue dad. Barbecue dad smells like smoky delicious barbecue when you hug him and he will certainly enjoy the complimentary flavors in this beer, such as Viven Smoked Porter. Brewed at De Proef, Viven Smoked Porter renders our 5-ounce taster glass a deep dark color that allows almost no light to pass, save for a ruby glow at the edges. The nose provides a multicultural beery experience — offering up notes reminiscent of sweetish English porter, the chalky-meets-chocolaty dryness of many classic domestic craft porters, a little Belgian yeastiness and even some German rauchbier notes. Viven Smoked Porter hits the tongue with gentle, balancing sweetness, giving way to a much drier, roasty middle, then into a woody, smoky, almost chalky character where notes of espresso and dark chocolate linger before fading out. It could be the ideal addition to barbecue dad’s amazing sauce recipe.
Lawnmower Dad
Founders All Day IPA
4.5% ABV, 42 IBU
Backyard Dad is out there scraping moss and keeping the grass lush and trimmed – cool him down and refresh his spirit with session IPA. Founders All Day IPA is light, crisp and refreshing as heck on a 72-degree day. This beer is not only a great summer beer but it’s also a great beer to bring the old man into the craft scene if he hasn’t made the jump already. It has the hoppy characteristics of an IPA, but light on the alcohol side for the style. It’s heavy on the citrus and medium on the pine resin, with a very light bready malt character.
Military Dad
Narrows Lead The Way IPA
7.2% ABV, 80 IBU
Narrows Brewing Company brewed Lead the Way IPA, in honor of the Pointe du Hoc Foundation, which supports the special operations warriors of 2nd Ranger Battalion, stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Brewed with NW 2 row malted barley, hopped with all Yakima hops including Magnum, Willamette, Columbus and S07270, and triple dry hopped; the last addition being whole hop Cascade. Military dad will salute its bitterness and citrus peel notes. It’s an easy drinking IPA for 7.2 percent so military dad can easily get up early and run 10 miles with his rucksack.
