In 1978 the white lab coats at the Hull Hop Research Institute in Germany introduced their creation: Hallertau Perle hop but often referred to simply as Perle. They successfully crossbred Northern Brewer hops with the easily to remember 63/5/27M hop for all of Germany to enjoy, and eventually the United States, especially Oregon. The small to medium size cones are ready mid to late season after a moderately vigorous growing cycle without out much fear of wilting, mildew and disease. Science! Perle is known for adding a traditional, German-like quality to beer and is popular for its minty and spicy character plus reasonably strong bittering characteristic. The Perle hop is also popular with brewers because of its storability. Today, Peaks and Pints offers a flight of craft beer with Perle in their recipes: Craft Beer Crosscut 6.4.17: A Flight of Perle.
Uinta Cucumber Saison
6.2% ABV, 19 IBU
Will Hamill wanted to brew the country’s best craft beer. So, in the winter of 1993 he moved to the country’s least beer-drinking state, renovated a mechanics garage in Salt Lake City and named his brewery after the nearby mountain range that nobody could pronounce (you-in-tah). Uinta’s Cumber Saison is brewed with rye, wheat and oats and some caramel malt for sweetness. Uinta head brewer Isaac Winter uses German Perle and American Vanguard hops for a balancing bitterness. He blends a few different saison strains that he likes to ferment, and ferment warm. Winter add cucumber puree late in fermentation to help preserve the aromatics while allowing the yeast enough time to ferment out any sugar that may be in the puree. There is 20 percent gin-barreled saison in the blend — Old Tom Gin barrels charred out Chardonnay barrels — from Salt Lake City’s Beehive Distilling. Taste is banana, yeast, cucumber, gin, lime and light funk — although the cucumber and gin kind of wash away the saison side of this beer.
Sierra Nevada Summerfest
5% ABV, 28 IBU
The Sierra Nevada Summerfest is made with 2-row pale and Munich malts and Perle and Saaz hops. A crisp summer lager that has been around for more than 15 years, the Sierra Nevada Summerfest also lets you know that you’re drinking a real beer. With a full flavored tang hop kick, this pilsner style lager is another classic from Sierra Nevada. With light malts and light hops and spice, the crisp big bubbles make an excellent refreshing summertime lager. The lemon and malt aftertaste are very well balanced making this one of our favorite summer beers. Less-experienced drinkers may find the hoppy finish a tad too bitter, but they’ll come around.
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
5.6% ABV, 38 IBU
A tip of the cap to the iconic Sierra Nevada Pale Ale that makes all the others in this flight possible. First brewed in 1980, Sierra was the craft that started appearing next to Bud and Miller handles, thus shifting the beer landscape of what people wanted to drink. It was a victory of flavor over, uh, liquid. It has a deep amber color and an exceptionally full-bodied, complex character. Magnum and Perle gives this this craft beer a clean, bitter taste. Generous quantities of premium Cascade hops give the Pale Ale its fragrant bouquet and spicy flavor.
Double Mountain Kolsch
5.2% ABV, 40 IBU
Founded in 2007 in Hood River, Ore., Double Mountain Brewery built its empire around two-row pilsner malt sourced from British Columbia. We’re a big fan of pilsner malt — it imparts a definite smoothness to the brew, including its Kolsch. A tribute to the style of beer native to Cologne (Koln), Germany, this beer is a very light straw pour with just a touch of haze and a decent egg-shell-white head. A little pepper crosses the nose along with sourdough bread, biscuit and light hops. Firm, tangy hops come through on the palate — Sterling and Perle — which is a nice combo of soft malt, fresh grain, spicy pepper and citrus. The finish is light and refreshing.
Founders Sumatra Mountain Brown
9% ABV, 40 IBU
Brown? Really? Drinks more like a porter. Imperial? Definitely. Founders’ bold, imperial brown ale gets its body from a team of malts including Caramel malt for sweetness, flaked barley for dense foam, a bit of Chocolate malt for its deep color and Aromatic and Munich malts to add even more depth. German and Perle hops add a touch of bitterness to balance the malty sweetness. The flavor isn’t overly sweet, instead offering a balance of roasted coffee, cocoa and a nice amount of that caramel sweetness. As the name suggests, the coffee flavors come from the addition of Sumatra beans, imparting rich coffee notes without becoming too roasty or overly fruity. If you tend to reach for a coffee beer you won’t be disappointed here.
