In 1996, Jeff Schons and Mary Jones founded English-focused Pelican Brewing Company in Pacific City — Oregon’s only oceanfront brewpub. Celebrating its 21st year, the brewing company has created tasty treats such as Kiwanda Cream Ale, India Pelican Ale, MacPelican’s Scottish Ale, Tsunami Stout and Doryman’s Dark. Founding brewmaster Darron Welch and Pelican have won more than 300 awards including the 2014 World Beer Cup Champion Small Brewing Company and Brewmaster of the Year, and last month snapped up 10 medals at the 2017 Australian International Beer Awards. Tonight, Pelican Brewing will be the special guest at Peaks and Pints’ Lodge Meeting. Expect a flock of tasty Pelican craft beer, including a keg of Father of all Tsunamis. In conjunction, Peaks and Pints offers a five Pelican beer flight we call Craft Beer Crosscut 6.15.17: A Flight of Pelican.
Pelican Kiwanda Cream Ale
5.4% ABV, 25 IBU
If you love Pelican Brewing Company’s flagship beer Kiwanda Cream Ale, you’re not alone — it’s one of Pelican’s most award-winning brews with 21 honors, including 13 gold medals. Inspired by one of America’s traditional indigenous 19th century beer styles, Kiwanda Cream Ale is a nod to founding brewmaster Darron Welch’s love of history and reputation for brewing beers as they are intended to be. Pelican is the first known craft brewer to honor the early American beer. Made of all local, hand-sourced ingredients — Two-row malt, flaked barley, Mt. Hood hops, CaraPils malt, pure local water and pure ale yeast — Kiwanda Cream Ale is pale gold with a fruity, floral hop aroma, golden color, refreshing body and clean, snappy finish.
Pelican Udder Tugger Milk Stout
5.4% ABV, 30 IBU
With more cows than people in Tillamook County, it was perhaps inevitable that Pelican would eventually create a milk stout. 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. It’s soft and subtle — a summer milk stout, if you will.
Pelican Five Fin Pilsner
5.3% ABV, 45 IBU
Inspired by the crystal clear waters of the six Tillamook County rivers and named for the five ocean-going species of fish benefitting from the salmon recovery effort, Five Fin is a uniquely West Coast take on the classic pilsner beer style that grabbed a silver medal at the Great American Beer Festival in 2016. Bright and zippy with a bold hoppy flavor and aroma, Five Fin is crafted with a unique blend of Cascade and Sterling hops from the Pacific Northwest and Mandarina Bavaria hops from Germany. The new pilsner marries the hop-driven flavors of tangerine, pineapple, and lemon zest with classic spicy, floral notes, all balanced against a toasty malt character.
Pelican Tsunami Export Stout
7% ABV, 45 IBU
Armed with a legion of medals, including a bronze at the 2017 Australian International Beer Awards, Pelican’s Tsunami Export Stout is a world-class example of what a foreign extra stout should be. With a color only a few minutes from midnight and a thick but clean pour, Tsunami’s bouquet shows off a fascinating balance of sweet and dry, with a touch of caramel that livens up roasted coffee notes. Big, roasty cocoa flavors dominate, with Magnum and Willamette hops imparting floral and peppery flavors with gentle bitterness. All elements combine in a rich espresso-like finish.
Pelican Dirty Bird IPA
7% ABV, 65 IBU
But sometimes wonderful, delicious things come as a result of mistakes. The Pelican Brewing brewers accidentally dumped a darker colored bag of malt into their Pelican IPA and out flew Dirty Bird IPA, which just grabbed a bronze medal at the 2017 Australian International Beer Awards. Dirty Bird nests a rich copper color with hoppy, piney and lightly citrusy, with caramel and roasted malts in the back nose. It’s full bodied, nicely carbonated and semi sweet, with a delicious, assertive bitterness from the extensive use of Pacific Northwest hops for notes of pinecones and citrus zest to balance the caramel malts. Dirty Bird reminds of an old school Northwest IPA.
