Peaks and Pints Six-Pack 4.9.19: Parabola and Pals
THE WALDOS SPECIAL ALE, Lagunitas Brewing: The Waldos’ Special Ale landed today. The Petaluma, California brewery brews this seasonal triple IPA as a tribute to the Waldos, the group of kids who attended San Rafael High School in the early 1970s. The kids received their name because they would hang out leaning against a wall. The Waldos are most well known for being the founding fathers of 420. They created the slang term as a covert way to gather after school at 4:20 p.m. to smoke weed. Dude, Waldos’ Special Ale is dank and sticky. 11.9%
CRUISING ALTITUDE IIPA, Crux Fermentation Project: This imperial IPA is brewed with Pilsner and Caramel malt, with a bunch of Strata hops with a floral dusting of Galaxy hops. Aroma is malty and citrus. Initial taste is slightly sweet with tropical fruit and citrus. Crisp and clean with a mild bitter finish. 8%
PARABOLA 2019, Firestone Walker Brewing: It’s a little early for our weekly Fancy Pants Sunday column where we champion high ABV, complex and delicious craft beers, but Firestone Walker’s Parabola is, indeed, fancy. It’s a beer of darkness and immensity, a barrel-aged beast that is routinely ranked as one of the top beers in the world. This Russian imperial oatmeal stout is aged for a full year in Heaven Hill barrels, developing flavors of rich, chewy roasted malts, charred oak and bourbon-y vanilla. Parabola bares its teeth with its impenetrable black hue and soaring alcohol, yet its bite remains refined with a silky, balanced finish. 14.5%
MEXICAN LAGER, Reuben’s Brews: From the moment you shove your nose in a pour of Reuben’s Brews’ Mexican Lager, you’re immediately greeted with all the notes you’d expect from a traditional Mexican beer — grain husks, dried maize and a strong whiff of sulfur. This lager is crisp with light malt notes, slight corn sweetness and, of course, low bitterness. 4.8%
DANK AND STICKY, The Hop Concept: Crafted to convey the adjectives comprising its name, the beer is hopped with tons of C’s — Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, Comet, and CTZ (a Columbus, Topaz, Zeus hybrid) — as well as Amarillo, Mosaic, Simcoe, and Eureka. Those last ones have made a splash and are said to bring on notes of pine, mint and stone fruit. All of that are apparent, along with the herbaceous little sumpin’ that earns the beer its “dank” descriptor. Melon is also pronounced at first sip, as is a sharp, almost peppery spike giving way to a resiny finish that goes for miles. As the beer warms up, a caramel sweetness plus notes of peaches and persimmons join the party. 8.5%
BOARD MEETING, Port Brewing: Playfully named after communal sessions spent riding waves, it’s an 8.5% ABV beer that, unlike most brown ales, is very hop forward. Even more West Coast character is provided by the addition of coffee sourced from San Diego roasters, Ryan Brothers Coffee, as well as cocoa nibs from popular San Francisco chocolatier TCHO. 8.5%
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