Ah, the sweet artificiality of the New Year — the reassurance of a clean calendar, of resolutions for self-improvement. And then you pick up the newspaper, and that pure artifice of the change of year, that vagarious demarcation of another arbitrary moment, is rendered meaningless by the inexorably continuing chains of events that know no boundaries defined by pages in a calendar. (Remember, the Chinese and the Jews have their own calendars, no less arbitrary, no more meaningful.) It’s no wonder revelers seem to work so hard trying to have a good time as the countdowns began. Today, Peaks and Pints offers a beer flight of crisp, refreshing bliss. Enjoy Craft Beer Crosscut 1.3.18: A Flight of New Year Chill as you load up your smart phone calendar for this new year.
Lost Coast Humboldt Logger
5.1% ABV, 7 IBU
When you visit Northern California’s Lost Coast, you step foot onto the slopes of the tectonically active King Range with gnarled madrones and Douglas fir, wild sword fern, rocky beaches of compressed shale and greywacke — basically submerged in nature’s bounty, blissfully absorbed in a transcendent landscape. The same can be said about Humboldt Logger lager, brewed by nearby Lost Coast Brewery. When you sip this crisp German-style lager, you are enveloped by the subtle sophistication of Noble hops — Tettnang Tettnanger and Hallertau Mittelfrüh — with floral herbal spicy notes, and German Weyermann Pils malt with pleasant malty sweet flavor and gentle honey notes, you’re basically submerged in crisp, refreshing beauty.
Fort George Big Guns
4.2% ABV
India pale ale is, naturally, a hopped-up version of a pale ale, but many consumers are leery of ordering a pale. It sounds so ’90s to them. Enter the India session ale, or ISA. Fort George’s Big Guns is basically an ISA, an insanely drinkable session IPA as bright and clean as a pilsner, while cutting a hoppy swath of citrus zest, a little pine and tropical fruit aromas. It’s definitely one of the lighter beers even among session IPAs; almost drinks like a small beer it’s so light.
Boneyard Diablo Rojo
5.5% ABV, 30 IBU
Boneyard Beer’s Diablo Rojo is not a malt bomb. First, the Cascade hops in this red ale are Oregon-grown on Crosby Hop Farm, and have a lighter, more delicate flavor than their acidic cousins from the high desert of Yakima. Second, this deep amber ale is extremely well balanced and very drinkable. Yes, the taste is caramel malts, subtle grassy hops and piney resin — but, again, all well balanced and easy drinking. It appeals both to the hop lover and non-hop lover.
Bale Breaker Field 41
4.5% ABV, 38 IBU
Hops have long defined life at B.T. Loftus Ranches in the Yakima Valley. Back in 1932, Kevin Smith and Meghann Quinn’s great-grandparents founded the family hop farm that’s now run by their older brother, Patrick. Meghann and her husband, Kevin Quinn, and younger brother were keen homebrewers. Wouldn’t it be natural to start a brewery on the farm? The trio took down three acres of the farm’s Field 41 and built Bale Breaker Brewing Company, which is surrounded by fields of hops. Bale Breaker’s Field 41, obviously named after the field, is heavily dry-hopped with Simcoe and Cascade, but this pale ale drinks easy with a smooth bitterness. Light and refreshing, it’s the perfect beer to end this refreshing flight.
Firestone Walker Easy Jack
4.5% ABV, 47 IBU
Firestone Walker Brewmaster Matt Brynildson traveled to Germany and spent several days in the Hallertau region, the birthplace of hops dating back more than 1,000 years. There, he hung out at small family hop farms and worked with the farmers to secure an ample supply of Mandarina Bavaria and Hull Melon — two backbone hops for Easy Jack. This kickback beer spotlights those spicy, leafy hops; plus a dose of oats smoothes out the sip.
