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HB ‘murrican Schwarz:
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I'm very much enjoying the seemingly greater variety of festbier-style oktoberfests. I can't say anything about true accuracy, but some of these are really quite drinkable. Picked up some 4Hands and Mother's last week. 4Hands is really good. Today's is Sierra Nevada's collab. Really enjoyable.
 
Day 9, rain starting up again, so back at Denali Brewing. Having a spruce tip IPA.

They give you cards to check off number of beers you've had. Dram shop laws, Alaska style. You get 36 oz. total, so pours are only 12 oz. Three beers and you're done.
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Spent the morning walking around Talkeetna. They've had the wettest summer in years and the rivers are swollen.
 

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Today’s flight North into the Washington hinterlands offered three choices of brews. I grew up here, so you would think that my Seattle based airline would maybe center their choices around NW styles. Alas, the flat footed menu selectors didn’t get the message. No problem, let’s try the newly formulated Fat Tire. An oddly named brew for a 737 jumbo jet. At least we didn’t get served Flame Out or Crash-n-Burn!

New Belgium recently “fixed” their recipe, like Coke did when they made New Coke. Maybe less a mistake in the beer world where there is so much competition, but it leaves you wondering why not just offer up a new brew to sell, so we can sample both.

Made lighter, this seems closer to Firestone Walker 805 to me. Maybe they are long-fully looking at those dozens of black 805 half racks in the cold case and want a chunk of it.

5.2% ABV, no head, no lacing, brighter and less flavorful, this version to me pales in comparison to their original flagship recipe. Great thinking. Bring me an 805….

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Back at the hotel, a real Northwest Favorite, “Vitamin R” Raaain-neeeerrr-beeeeeer….! That should perk up the ears of any Northwesties out there!

I think most Rainier is produced possibly at Irwindale or Milwaukee, as the old Georgetown facility is now an alt-art-hippie commune of some type. I can’t get near the place, but still in commercial use I believe.

At one point around the turn of the century (1900-or so, THAT century) Rainier was the biggest seller up and down the West Coast, the Seattle brewery cranking out tons of beer to satisfy much of the Northern California area, even up to Alaska. There were independent bottlers throughout the West, and with the new rail service, you could get brewery-fresh lager darn near anywhere.

This would be considered a typical and nondescript adjunct lager by today’s standards. Always good to slug down a pounder when I’m in the Northwest though, for old times sake. Hey wait a minute, these aren’t pounders- 24 ounce, these are A POUND AND A HALF!!! Love it!

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Day 10 on AK trip. Last night in Talkeetna before we head to Seward for 3 nights.

Denali Brewing has 2 locations here: The tasting room 10 miles south of town, where we had visited the past 2 days. They also have a brewpub in the town, and we checked that out tonight. Interestingly, the brewpub doesn't seem to be subject to the same dram shop restrictions found at the tasting room. Here, we got full 16oz pours and no bingo card for them to check off # of beers consumed. Perhaps the state has less restrictions on brewpubs. Funny, as the tasting room also served food, albeit pizzas and apps.

I had a pint of their stout on nitro, followed by a golden ale with dinner. Had a nice kobe burger and wife had 1/2 chicken dinner. Food was good.

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Final “Brew-Review” for the night brings us another Northwest favorite Red Hook Long Hammer IPA. Last review not because I’m done drinking, no way. Wife is using my power cord, so I have to plunk this out quick!

Reading said can, I see Red Hook is also now brewed in New Hampshire and Oregon. So I’m not sure who owns who or who’s brewing for who or whatever else they are doing. I can say, this is a classic NW favorite, been brewed here for years, a solid West Coast IPA, decent head, even leaving some on my Solo cup. Sure wasn’t there with the Rainier I just chugged….!

6.2% ABV, nice and predictable, along the lines of a Stone IPA. You will like!

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