Story by Anneka Miller
Photos by Tess Jewell-Larsen

In this wondrous land of microbrews, it can be hard to decide what to take home from the refrigerator case. To give our fellow beer lovers some guidance, we gathered together three passionate brew judges and six standout spring brews. The beers were selected based on their unique Northwest style and use of local hops. With one exception, the beers fall into the India Pale Ale or Northwest Pale Ale style, refreshing and hoppy, perfect for Spring Break.
The brews were tasted blind and scored on a scale from one, “bad” to five, “awesome.” After compiling the scores, the two top beers were Hop Valley Brewing Company’s Alphadelic IPA and Hop
works Urban Brewing’s Organic Secession CDA (Cascadia Dark Ale). Also in the running brews from Beer Valley Brewing Company, Laurelwood Brewing Company, and Terminal Gravity Brewing. 
All the beers can be found at Market of Choice or the Bier Stein in Eugene. The Organic Secession CDA and Deschutes Brewery’s Red Chair NWPA are seasonal brews and are only available until the end of March.
Prost!

The Judges

Don Iler, a food science major with a fermentation science focus, hails from Oregon State University. (We won’t hold that against him.) He declares Deschutes Brewery’s The Abyss the best brew of all time. His current favorite brew is Full Sail’s Session dark lager. He says his first beer was “a Kölsch drunk under the shadow of the Cologne Cathedral. I was seventeen and the world was still full of promise.”
Grant Patzer, an OSU food science major with a fermentation science focus, began his love affair with beer in the winter 2007 when he discovered seasonal microbrews. He avows Deschutes Brewery’s Hop in the Dark the best brew of all time. The future looks bright for Patzer and brew. “I hope to enhance my beer knowledge, but never lose the real reason for a good beer: relaxation.”
Mat Wolf is a journalism major from our own University of Oregon and Ethos Magazine’s Managing Editor. He drank the worst “stuff,” masquerading as beer, called Efes in the Middle East. Thankfully, it didn’t ruin his relationship with the brew, which has been going strong since his first Pabst Blue Ribbon. He knew it was a true love affair when he was “vomiting into the Missouri River after a bender in Montana in 2002.” We’re glad a bear didn’t kill him. His go to brew is Deschutes Brewery’s Black Butte Porter.

The Brews

The Results

DI – Don Iler; GP – Grant Patzer; MW – Mat Wolf

1 (bad) ——— 2 (okay) ——— 3 (good) ——– 4 (great) ——– 5 (awesome)
Hopworks Urban Brewing (HUB) Organic Secession Cascadian Dark Ale (CDA)

• Appearance: “Dark, clear, good head” – GP
• Aroma: “Roast, hop spice” – DI
• Taste: “Acid, coffees, chocolate, Cascadia” – MW
• Mouthfeel: “Rich but not velvety” – DI
• Overall Drinkability and Balance:  5 – DI; 4 – GP; 5 – MW
• Average Rating: 4.7

Hop Valley Brewing Company Alphadelic IPA

• Appearance: “Light straw, good carbonation” – GP
• Aroma: “Citrus and grapefruit” – GP
• Taste: “Hop forward, crisp, citrus-y” – DI
• Mouthfeel: “Tart and light” – MW
• Overall Drinkability and Balance:  4.5 – DI; 4 – GP; 4 – MW
• Average Rating: 4.2

Beer Valley Brewing Company Leafer Madness NWPA

• Appearance: “Light color” – MW
• Aroma: “Floral and resin-y” – DI
• Taste: “Crackerish, but in a good way” – MW
• Mouthfeel: “Light and refreshing” – GP
• Overall Drinkability and Balance:  3.5 – DI; 3 – GP; 4 – MW
• Average Rating: 3.5

Laurelwood Workhourse IPA

• Appearance: “Lion’s mane gold” – MW
• Aroma: “Hoppy but not floral or citrus” – GP
• Taste: “Good lingering hob bitterness” – GP
• Mouthfeel: “Sweet and thick for an IPA, a little clunky” – DI
• Overall Drinkability and Balance:  3 – DI; 3 – GP; 3 – MW
• Average Rating: 3

Deschutes Brewery Red Chair IPA

• Appearance: “Golden brown” – MW
• Aroma: “Malty, slight hop spice” – GP
• Taste: “Overly bitter on the aftertaste, slight malt sweetness” – GP
• Mouthfeel: “Crisp, refreshing” – DI
• Overall Drinkability and Balance:  3 – DI; 2 – GP; 3 – MW
• Average Rating: 2.6

Terminal Gravity Brewing IPA

• Appearance: “Thick and powerful” – MW
• Aroma: “Bubblegum, fruit, faint flowers” – DI
• Taste: “Alcohol and malt” – GP
• Mouthfeel: “Think and blanket-y” – DI
• Overall Drinkability and Balance:  1 – DI; 2 – GP; 1 – MW
• Average Rating: 1.3

Originally published on March 11, 2011.

Gallery • 5 Photos

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Judge Don Iler samples one of the night’s brews.