- From the Ft. George blog
- Not a Ball jar
Of all the brew I swilled during my month of Oregon beer, I’d say that the most consistently pleasing came out of Fort George Brewery in Astoria. Over the month of July I tried the ultra-summery hop-less Spruce, which used pine tips in place of hops, the smoky Illuminator dopplebock with its pop-tart tones of fruit and wheat, and the dry effervescent raspberry goodness of Divinity.
Most importantly, when I visited the Fort George brewpub, I discovered Vortex, my all time favorite IPA. Here’s what I wrote:
Vortex is extraordinary on the palate. The first sip brings a bold hit of chocolate, with a little of that hops dopiness, like you just bit the corner off a pot brownie. Then, a rolling fruitiness rises with raspberry and banana tones. Along with the fruit comes a wave of bitterness. But the awesome thing about the bitterness is its wave-like quality—it comes on slow, peaks, and fades, leaving very little mouth drying astringency.
If you haven’t had a chance to sip any of the beer coming out of Fort George, stop by Green Dragon [928 SE 9th] tonight to meet the brewers and sample some of their refreshments.
They’ll be sampling Vortex, Divinity, a wit called Quick, and Spank’s Stout, a very intriguing chili stout brewed with “30 pounds total of Pasilla, Anaheim, Jalapeno and Habanero peppers.”
The event kicks off at 6 pm. I’ll probably bring my Fort George Ball jar “growler” and beg them to fill it with Vortex. Who knows, maybe they will.
I have loved almost all of the beers I have had from Ft. George. However, when I stopped at their pub in astoria and had a Vortex IPA, it was TERRIBLE. I don’t know if I got unlucky or what, but it was seriously the worst IPA I have ever tasted. Back luck or different tastes I guess. For a point of reference, my favorite IPA is probably Total Domination.
Truthypup, I once had a bad batch of Vortex at their pub too. Interestingly, I was there only for Vortex and when they ran out we went down the road to Rogue, which was also serving Vortex. At Rogue, it tasted fine. Granted, this could be because of a number of factors–including, but not limited to, having a third pint of Vortex.
Hey martin, what was wrong with it? I remember just smelling it and it smelled terrible, like off, not just like malt and hops.