Let’s face it, 2017 has been a dumpster fire. We could fill an entire novel with all the tragic and unfortunate events that have proved to be a major bummer over the past 12 months, but will instead focus on turning the page, moving on and looking forward to a brighter future. New Year’s Eve is an occasion to drink with friends (if you wanna), to dress up in your nicest duds (if you wanna), to laugh your ass off (if you wanna), and to remember all of the good things that happened over the past 12 months (yes, there were some). Peaks and Pints offers a chill night of no cover charge, free champagne toast at midnight, 10 ciders on tap and a beer flight we call Craft Beer Crosscut 12.31.17: A Flight Of New Year’s Eve Toast. Throw on some flannel and come laugh and drink with us.
Breakside Beachcomber
9.2% ABV, 25 IBU
Portland’s Breakside Brewery has tiki on the brain. Its strong golden ale Beachcomber with fresh ginger and Belgian yeast strains ages 11 months in Caribbean rum barrels, developing rich notes of coconut, molasses and burnt sugar. Breakside thought the flavors pointed so clearly toward tiki cocktails that the brewers decided to make a cocktail beer out of it, aging the beer on vanilla bean, toasted almond and a bit of lime zest. Mahalo!
Avery The Maharaja
10% ABV
Avery Brewing’s The Maharaja is derived from the sanskrit words mahat, meaning “great,” and rajan, meaning “king.” Much like its namesake, this imperial IPA is regal, intense and mighty. With hops and malts as his servants, he rules both with a heavy hand. The Maharaja flaunts his authority over a deranged amount of hops (Columbus, Centennial, Chinook, Simcoe and Amarillo): tangy, vibrant and pungent along with an insane amount of malted barley — fashioning a dark amber hue and exquisite malt essence.
Founders Backwoods Bastard
11.2% ABV, 50 IBU
That Founders‘ Backwoods is boozier than its little Dirty Bastard brother is only a side note; the big distinguishing factor of this scotch ale is that it is aged in bourbon barrels, with great undertones of vanilla, bourbon, oak and dark fruits. It’s smooth and creamy, with the mouthfeel of a milk stout and the body of a scotch ale. Let this sweet Bastard sit for a few minutes for a richer taste as it gets warmer, reducing the sugar-sweet fresh-out-of-the-fridge impression and replacing it with a complex depth. The alcohol cuts away any aftertaste while dominating the aromatics. It’s almost like drinking a fine neat.
Destihl Dosvidanya
12.5% ABV, 84 IBU
Like a Russian Matryoshka or “nesting’ doll,” the secret of Dosvidanya Russian imperial stout lies locked deep within her mysterious and elaborate wooden layers. The hidden soul of this oak bourbon barrel-aged beer that Destihl Brewery said “Dosvidanya” (“goodbye”) to several months before revealing, is its rich flavors like dark chocolate, toffee, black cherries and coffee along with robust and roasty maltiness that finishes dry. Expect aromas and flavors of roasted malt, alcohol, oak, bourbon and chocolate.
Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale
7.2% ABV, 100 IBU
Stone Brewing‘s Arrogant Bastard is less-than-amber but more-than-pale IPA with a little “oomph” in the malt and hops department. The malt profile of Arrogant Bastard, while not overwhelming, definitely has a good backbone of caramel, rich, and somewhat raisin-bread type toasty flavors. It has more richness than your standard IPA. This malt body is balanced with a very aggressive-tasting hop treatment using the Chinook, giving it a West Coast citrusy bitterness, but also contains a more rich, herbal, and maybe even a bit of a “rough” pungent element.
