Review: Baerlic Brewing, Portland Oregon

BAERLIC BREWING, PORTLAND OREGON
Baerlic Brewing in SE Portland was the fourth and final brewery we visited on Saturday, January 24th 2015. We had not been back to Baerlic since it opened and they have refined their recipes considerably since then. This was a great surprise. In the interim, we have been able to try their beers at a few festivals recently which was partly reason to revisit their location and provide you with this review.

The brewery is located in the Ladd’s Edition neighborhood next to a large sports bar called Blitz on SE 11th. It should be pointed out that the brewery doesn’t have a kitchen, so no food available to order other than table snacks and they ‘highly’ recommend that you purchase something from one of the multitude of nearby restaurants and bring your own food in. There is also some great outdoor seating that is used year round. The inside seating area and bar area are bright, open, spacey, and have lots of seating available. Behind the bar they have a large board with the available beers on draft (see pictures) and they do have taster trays available to order as well as pints, growler fills, and off sale kegs. Their merchandise is along the front wall and they have some pretty cool things to purchase if you’re looking for swag.

They do offer brewery tours of this location, so call or email them for details. When we got there, we were able to get a table near the bar, and we ordered a taster of everything, or as we like to call it “tasting the rainbow”. The bartender was really friendly and asked us about our experiences with their beers and when the last time was we were there. She spent the time to talk about each beer from her own perspective, which is really cool and appreciated by those tasting. As you can see from the pictures below, they had 10 drafts available the day we were there, and the review starts with the left picture and goes left to right below.

2235 SE 11th Ave
Portland, OR 97214
Ph: 503-477-9418
Web: baerlicbrewing.com
Email: beer@baerlicbrewing.com
Face: www.facebook.com/baerlicbrewing

Cavalier Classic Cream Ale Baerlic Brewing Company • Cream Ale • IBU: 20 • ABV: 5.7% • OG: 1.056 MALTS: 2-Row, Dextrin, Himalayan Basmati Rice HOPS: Czech Saaz, Cascade This cream ale has slight aromas of citrus, banana’s, and slight hoppiness. The head is white and leaves a nice lacing in the glass. The front mouthfeel balance between the hops and malt builds is pretty decent and the citrus marries well with the biscuit back end. There is a slight vegital and spice present throughout.

Invincible Baerlic Brewing Company • IPA • IBU: 73 • ABV: 6.7% • OG: 1.067 MALTS: 2-Row, Crystal 60° L HOPS: N. Brewer, Cascade, Centennial, Amarillo This is a clean copper colored IPA. The nose presents a bit of fruit and resinous pine. The front mouth has a considerable sweet malt and the mid/back mouthfeel has pronounced dry-grapefruit peel like bitterness.

Primeval Baerlic Brewing Company • NW Brown Ale • IBU: 70 • ABV: 6.8% • OG: 1.072 MALTS: Pale, Dextrin, Crystal, Wheat, Choc. HOPS: Nugget, Cascade, Centennial This brown ale pours clean, mid-brown/amber color, white head that falls quickly. The nose has hints of chocolate, toffee, bread/biscuit and a bit of coffee. There isn’t a lot of bitterness present on the front mouthfeel which was surprising considering the IBUs. The body is actually lighter in approach, with a slight sweet and semi-dry finish.

Noble Baerlic Brewing Company • Oatmeal Stout • IBU: 60 • ABV: 6.3% • OG: 1.062 MALTS: 2-Row, Munich, Black, Chocolate, Bob’s Red Mill rolled oats HOPS: Nugget, Cascade This stout pours with a full 40+ dark brown finish, mid-tan thick head that lingers on the rim. The nose is super toasty with chocolates and coffee. The creamy front mouthfeel is pleasant and the mid mouth has a bit of nuts, chocolate, sweet toffee, and even a bit of spice. There is a light dry finish.

Eastside Baerlic Brewing Company • Oatmeal Pilsner • IBU: 50 • ABV: 6% • OG: 1.058 MALTS: Best Pilsen, Bob’s Raw Oats HOPS: Santiam, Czech Saaz Nice straw-yellow coloring and small bubble white foamy head that clings to the rim. The nose is all fruit, dry-spice and hops, and lingering oats/grains. The front mouth has a bit of spice/hop with a bit of pine. The mid to back mouthfeel dries out with a rounded oat/grain full body. There is a hint of honey on the mid and back as well that brings the sweet balance forward.

Arctos Baerlic Brewing Company • NW Winter Red Ale • IBU: 73 • ABV: 6.5% • OG: 1.062 MALTS: 2-Row, Vienna, Crystal, Chocolate HOPS: Chinook, Cascade, Centennial, Willamette This amber pours with a slight white head and decent orange-red hue. The nose is somewhat nutty, sweet with sugar and slight citrus or pine sharp hops. The front mouth is somewhat bitter and sweet with spices ranging from pine needles to tropical fruit. The mid and back mouth has a somewhat dry finish and the balance between the sharp bits and malts really coming out.

Thunderbolt Baerlic Brewing Company • Robust Oatmeal Porter • IBU: 50 • ABV: 6.8% • OG: 1.068 MALTS: 2-Row, Vienna, Chocolate, Dextrapils, Oats HOPS: Nugget, Willamette This is a dark brown/black 40+ SRM hue and slightly tan head. The foam does leave a nice lattice on the glass rim. The nose is toasty nuts, vanilla, chocolate and some fruits. The full body comes through on the front mouthfeel and the oats that this is brewed with give it a distinct chewy character. There is a lot of body with this that hints to a ‘milk stout’ type of beer with lingering notes of vanilla on the palete.

Hop-Lic Baerlic Brewing Company • Hefeweizen • IBU: 20 • ABV: 5.5% • OG: 1.053 MALTS: Organic Wheat, Organic 2-Row, Organic Oats HOPS: Organic El Dorado, Organic Citra This is a collaboration beer with Hopworks. It’s a traditional unfiltered Bavarian Hefeweizen with a pure straw-yellow color, yeasty lemon nose that has hints of hops. The front mouth is strong with banana and citrus esters. It’s made with second use bourbon and brandy barrels but those characteristics are really subtle and don’t really present on the front, but are slight on the back and after taste.

Exbeeriment Baerlic Brewing Company • IPA w/ Brettanmyces • IBU: 70 • ABV: 7.2% • OG: 1.067 MALTS: 2-Row, Crystal 60° L HOPS: N. Brewer, Cascade, Centennial, Amarillo This is a one-off version of their Invincible IPA made with Brettanomyces Bruxellensis replacing the house ale yeast strain. The pour is light amber hue, white head that drops quickly. The nose is strong wild yeast and citrus. The front mouth does have a slight sour and bitter bite, the grain build is present with some wild yeast funk present. The bitter and wild profiles linger for a bit.

Noble Oatmeal Stout on Nitro Baerlic Brewing Company • Oatmeal Stout • IBU: 60 • ABV: 6.3% • OG: 1.062 MALTS: 2-Row, Munich, Black, Chocolate HOPS: Nugget, Cascade This nitro pour of their oatmeal stout is a nice creamy glass of chocolate malts and oats. The 40+ SRM and mid-tan pillowy head let you know it’s a strong beer. While the Noble has a bit of chew from the oats on the front and mid mouth, the nitro pour of it enhances that aspect of the beer a bit. The malt build and milky-lactose aspects of this beer also come into play, making it a great beer to sip.