Archive for July 13th, 2009

• Started w/@foamybeer My Cherry Amore Wheat. Decided the chilly Catskill weather calls for a Brooklyn Black Choc from the cellar. Yummy! #

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Brewery: Widmer Brewing
Location: Portland, OR
Style: Pale ale

The Favorite Sessions series continues with the Widmer Drifter Pale Ale. I had been hearing good things about Widmer on Teh Internets so when I ran into a couple of 6 packs during grocery shopping, I decided to pick them up. I got this pale ale as well as the Widmer Drop Top Amber (review coming soon). Of the two, this was definitely the winner. Both are solid ales, but if I’m looking for something with a bit of flavor punch but with (a slight above) session level ABV – this is my new beer.

Pours a lovely amber gold with a medium foamy white head. The head disappears fairly quickly, but I find that to be the case with a lot of sessions, There is a nicely balanced hop/malt scent with citrusy hops as dominant aroma. This is a medium bodied ale – not too dry or hop bomby. It’s mostly a citrus hop taste making it much less bitter than a lot of pale ales. You get a touch of bitterness in the after taste but not the kind of whollop many pale ales bring to the table. The slightly sweet malt undertone helps keep this under control and keep it in a nice simple session ale realm. OK – technically the 5.7% ABV puts this slightly out of true session territory, but for those who prefer their beer to be craft vs. BMC, a 5.7% beer is actually a session brew.

It’s a perfectly balanced simple ale for a summer night when you want something with flavor and a slight kick, but do not feel the need to be challenged or extreme. An absolutely perfect deck/BBQ beer,

Brewery: Widmer Brewing
Location: Portland, OR
Style: Amber ale

When I picked up the Widmer Drifter Pale Ale, I decided to also grab a six of the Widmer Drop Top Amber Ale. In the end, the Drifter definitely won the day, but the Drop Top is certainly a solid utility ale.

This has a nice deep copper color with a foamy white head that falls quickly. As one would expect from an amber, the aroma is basically malt with a slight bit of hops. It’s a light-medium bodied beer making it a great deck/BBQ beer. The malt flavor plays out nicely with a balance of light hoppiness. This is perhaps the very definition of a utility ale. Nothing massively special – just a perfectly simple and drinkable beer with flavor. There is a bit of fruitiness from the interplay of the mild hops with the malt.

Really nothing more to say about this than definitely worth the buy if you’re looking for a simple solid amber.