Craftylicious
Gigantic Brewing and Widmer Brothers Brewing, Portland, Ore.
Style: American Wild Ale
Stats: 5.7 percent ABV, 33 IBU, 12.75 OG
Available: 22-ounce bottles for limited time in limited markets, including Seattle.
My thoughts: I head down to Portland, or Beervana, every few months and whenever I do I wander over to a local bottle shop to find something I can’t find outside of Oregon.
I still remember stumbling across a beautiful lager from Heater Allen, a small lager-centric brewery in McMinnville, Oregon. That’s always a great feeling.
Last weekend, it was Mazama Brewing. I found a grand cru, an IPA and a saison d’etre from the small brewery out of Corvallis.
But I didn’t want to review a beer here that nobody could find, so I went with this collaboration between two Portland breweries I admire: Widmer for its consistency and Gigantic for its experimentation. Seemed like a good marriage.
Craftylicious is the fourth of six planned beers in Widmer’s 30th Anniversary Collaboration Series, which pairs the stalwart brewery with up-and-comers in the Oregon brewing family. Gigantic is definitely the latter, with brewers Van Havig and Ben Love consistently pushing the boundaries of craft beer.
A partial kettle-soured beer, Craftylicious is good if not great. It’s got a nice tartness and has more hop character than most sour beers. A citrus nose and up front flavor gives way to a slight bitter finish. It was a nice beer to just sip and sit back and enjoy the unusually warm spring weather in the Rose City.
I had higher expectations for this beer — which might have been met on draft — but overall it was a good beer and a good marriage between these two breweries.
From the brewery: “Craftylicious is a unique, bright, partial kettle-soured beer that’s tart, hoppy, citrusy, and perfect for late summer. Named for the “craft vs. crafty” debate among some brewers and beer geeks, Craftylicious pushes the boundaries and challenges perceptions with a beer that manages to be craft, crafty, and delicious all at the same time.”
— Aaron Swaney
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
