I dig Hopworks more with each of their beers I open. Last night, after a long drive to Seaside, Oregon, I cracked open a bottle of Deluxe Organic Ale (DOA).
I’ll be honest. I wasn’t in the best environment for tasting. It was late; the motel room was, shall we say, “cheap”; the only cups available were the small plastic ones covered in plastic. So, the barriers were stacked in front of this beer before it was even poured.
Luckily, DOA is aggressive enough to overcome those barriers. It pours dark with a thick, rich head that sticks around for the duration. I’ll pass on saying anything about the aroma because it was fighting a little off-gassing from the plastic cup.
On the palate it’s a well balanced beer that’s bitter enough to keep your attention but has enough malty depth that it’s not all high notes. There is just a hint of sweetness and the finish was slightly drying. All around a very pleasant beer to sip from a plastic cup while watching cable on a scratchy cheap motel bedspread.
While I’m on the coast beating the heat this weekend, I’ll stop into some of the local breweries and lift a pint or two. Check back for more beer month updates. There’s only six days left! Try not to be too excited.
Why didn’t you just drink out of the bottle? Or is that not allowed?
I dunno. Force of habit? But you’re right, all beer in the motel room will be from the bottle from this point forward. It’s more gritty that way, right? Gritty!