More Beer Is Tasting Berry Good Indeed

Summer may be almost gone, but the berry beers just keep coming.

Fruity, wheaty, light-bodied brews - frequently a big hit with novices new to the microbrew world, as well as some grizzled veterans (as you’ll learn if you keep reading) - continue to show up in new varieties on tap handles and store shelves.

Portland Brewing’s Wheat Berry Brew, flavored with Oregon’s trademark marionberries, is proudly billed by the apparently unsuperstitious micro as “Product No. 13” from its brewers.

Not overly sweet, with a fairly dry finish accompanied by some lingering berry notes, the crisp brew struck one taster as almost more like a hard cider than a beer.

Fellow Portland brewery Widmer, whose hefeweizen (unfiltered wheat beer) may be the most commonly dispensed draft microbrew around these parts, has just introduced its Widberry Weizen.

Filtered a bit more than the hefeweizen, the slightly cloudy, rose-colored Widberry is made with wild Oregon black raspberries, known as “black caps.”

It’s already available in Coeur d’Alene (try Capone’s), and should start showing up on some Spokane taps in September.

Another raspberry offering, Black Dog Honey Raspberry Ale, comes from Bozeman-based Spanish Peaks. The thinnish beer delivers a little raspberry taste, but less honey.

And while it isn’t exactly a berry beer, some mention should be made of the distinctive Saxer Lemon Lager out of Lake Oswego, a Portland suburb.

Pale golden, full of lemon flavor and aroma, its citrusy sweetness is nicely balanced by a clean finish. Think of it as lemonade for adults. Without the sidewalk stands.

Pete’s beats Hank’s honey

Regular readers will recall a couple of previous mentions in this space about the long-awaited Henry’s honey wheat beer from Blitz-Weinhard.

Well, we’re still waiting. Latest word has it that the beer is ready to roll, but the label is still being cleared with federal regulators.

In the meantime, those of you with a hankering for honey might want to check out the new Pete’s Wicked Honey Wheat.

While it’s politically incorrect in many microbrew circles to praise “contract brewers” like Pete’s (and Spanish Peaks), who hire bigger breweries to produce beer from their recipes, the Wicked wheat isn’t bad stuff at all.

It’s unfiltered, with a rich caramel color and some spicy hoppiness. The honey pretty much stays in the background before developing pleasantly in the aftertaste.

Calling all catchers

If rye is more your style, Redhook Rye, formerly a seasonal “Blueline” specialty of the Seattle brewery, has joined the regular Redhook lineup.

It has a slightly spicy, grainy, tart taste, with some sweetness in its finish. Another unfiltered beer, the bottle advises: “Many rye drinkers ‘relax the yeast’ by laying the bottle on its side and gently rolling it, to release the rich grain flavors back into the ale.” (Sure, you look silly, but it works.)

The brewery boasts that Redhook Rye “promises to become a serious contender against hefeweizen.” Look for it on tap at Salty’s and C.I. Shenanigan’s, and in bottles at the Viking (and hopefully in some supermarkets soon).

And our own Fort Spokane Brewery is bringing back its popular seasonal rye beer for a late-summer run. As well as at the downtown brewpub, it will be featured on draft during the first few days of the “PigOut in the Park” food fair in Riverfront Park over the long Labor Day weekend.

The final word

Speaking of fruit beers, some excerpts from a recent letter from a thoughtful reader named Sheri:

“I like Rick Bonino’s beer column a lot, but he did really irritate me a while back. He said something about fruit beers being strictly for beginners. Get a clue, Rick. Fruit beers range from nauseatingly syrupy to winy. Don’t lump them all together.

“I’ve been drinking beer for 20 years, and spent three years in Germany … I like a rausch with a pork roast as much as I like an apricot ale after a summer’s day of yard work.

“We all know wine snobs; let’s try not to turn into beer snobs.”

Amen.

, DataTimes MEMO: On Tap is a monthly feature of IN Food. Rick Bonino welcomes reader questions and comments about beer. Write to: On Tap, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210. Call 459-5446; fax 459-5098.