In 1880 A. S. Estabrook built the first sawmill in Wind River Valley, a waterpower concern on Carson Creek in Skamania County, Washington. The following year, a company built a good-sized steam sawmill where the town of Carson now stands. The lumber industry has since left Carson, but Backwoods Brewing Co. pours craft beers and serves delicious pizza for flannel-wearing folk in the town. Backwoods’ taproom sits at the gateway to the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Old Man’s Pass and Mt. St. Helens. Wind River Highway runs directly through Carson leading to world class fishing, hunting, hiking, mountain biking, berry and mushroom picking, sledding, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and beautiful scenery. While only at 469 feet above sea level, Carson looks and feels like a mountain town, which in addition to making world-class craft beers, we adore this brewery. In celebration of the Backwoods Tequila Cut double IPA keg we scored, possibly the best IPA ever made, we present a flight of Backwoods we call Craft Beer Crosscut 8.12.18: A Flight of Backwoods Brewing.
Backwoods Gifford Pinchot Pilsner
5.1% ABV, 10 IBU
The Gifford Pinchot National Forest is one of the oldest National Forests in the United States. Included as part of the Mount Rainier Forest Reserve in 1897, this area was set aside as the Columbia National Forest in 1908. It was renamed the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in 1949. Backwoods co-owner Kevin has a fondness for the forest as well as pilsners after a visit to Prague, the capital of the Czech republic and home to many a pilsner. Kevin brewed his GP Pilsner the Czech way with Czech Saaz hops for a spicy floral aroma with grassy notes and a clean, crisp finish. It’s the perfect beer after a day hiking in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.
Backwoods Blueberry Wheat
5.2% ABV, 20 IBU
Backwoods purposely didn’t load up their Blueberry Wheat ale with blueberries, but rather sought to find balance between fruit and hops, which they accomplished. Yes, the aroma is all blueberry with some malt sweetness. The taste, on the other hand, has a typical wheat beer character with just slight blueberry. The finish is lightly sweet then moves into the dry bitter area from the hops.
Backwoods Trail Hazer IPA
6.2% ABV, 38 IBU
Made with more than 5 pounds of hops per barrel, Backwoods Brewing’s Trail Hazer is a citrus-crazed IPA thanks to Simcoe, Ekuanot, Vic Secret and Citra hops combining their tropical forces. It pours a hazy yellow with a medium head. Aroma is sweet, juicy, fruity malts. Trail Hazer has a medium body that is easy drinking with juicy malts trekking on the tongue that ends with a hoppy finish. It’s surprisingly bitter considering the low IBU.
Backwoods/Brothers Cascadia Out of the Haze IPA
6.5% ABV
For one collaborative beer, Backwoods Brewing and Brothers Cascadia Brewing Co. desire to break free from the haze, both physical and mental. The two breweries embraced their classical training and brewed a traditional Northwest style India Pale Ale. Their collaborative beer, Out of the Haze IPA, has turned society’s heads with its clarity, as well as the amazing hop bill of Simcoe, El Dorado, Citra and Mosaic hops for all the fruit flavors with a slightly bitter finish.
Backwoods Tequila Cut
10% ABV, 65 IBU
Backwoods has a series of small-batch, limited-release beers: The Hidden Stash Series features unique, wood-aged beers. The second beer in the series pours from Peaks and Pints’ Western red cedar tap log: Tequila Cut. The tequila wood-aged IIPA blends citrus notes from the IIPA with the smooth fruit and spice notes of the tequila. It’s freaking amazing! It’s smooth, with light tequila, some agave sweetness and a solid hoppy backbone to balance it.
