Sandy Paws (2009)
Heater Allen Brewing

 

This 22 oz. bottle has been pent up far too long; all that time, Monty (the black 'labradoodle' coverboy for 2009) has been staring mournfully back from the depths of the fridge. After 6 months, my fingers are crossed that this dark lager/'bock' has held up well enough. Poured to a pint glass after a few minutes out of the 'pen', so to speak...

For the record, I had two bottles of this early in 2010 and had a draft pour soon after its December 2009 release...but never reviewed.

A: Lovely pour of dark maple brown, tinged with ruby redness. Dense head of lasting cream, a nearly two-finger sandy (apt?) dollop that falls over a couple minutes to a lasting velvety lid. Broken ribbons of lace drape the glass, top to bottom.

S: Mild earthen spice melded with a light dusting of cocoa. Singed nutshells and a compost-tea earthiness...it's all very pleasant, just a little on the gentle side.

T: Dark cocoa and darker cereal grain. Fudgy cookie/brownie sweetness is just as quickly tempered with more sultry notes of roasted coffee beans and a fairly brazen spice.

M: Oh, so creamy and smooth! Carbonation may have mellowed with some age, but there's still *plenty* of life. Medium body, silky and soft-coating finish.

D: Even with a few extra months in its cage, this puppy still has a wonderful bark. Still a 'wow'-inducing feel and flavor, just as I remembered. Too bad this is a one time concoction (or is it, Heater Allen?); this is certainly close to the the top of my list when it comes to lagers brewed by one of my Oregon favorites. Very well done, Rick!

I like Heater Allen's Sandy Paws dealio: an annually changing holiday lager. 2007's inaugural S.P. was a doppelbock (which I loved) and 2008's was a Baltic Porter (which I missed). Now we have a Bock. Profuse thanks once again to msubulldog25 for the chance to try another Oregon rarity!

A gorgeous thing in the glass: half-inch mocha-colored head on top of an opaque deep milk-chocolate brown, with reddish highlights when held to light. Little striations and strips of lace splashed on the glass after the head thins a bit.

Aroma is predominantly roasty. Flashes of Tootsie Roll and pumpernickel breeze by, but mostly what I get is a husky, nutty coffee-like roastiness.

Flavor favors roast, just like the aroma, but it's thankfully not overdone. A springy hop presence comes through while traces of bittersweet dark chocolate and chocolate milk powder leave their mark. Dash of mineral earthiness to balance; pretty clean-&-dry finish that leaves the flavor of roasted nut/husk on the tongue.

Slick, with only moderate carbonation (which I like); airy; springy. Non-intrusive, but also non-wimpy. Even a little stick in the end, but mostly this is a mouthfeel that lays low and lets the flavor do its thing.

This hits the spot. Heater Allen is the best all-lager brewery in Oregon! Okay, maybe they're the only one, but they really have to be respected for not only being lager-exclusive, but for delivering quality every single time. Here's to their continued expansion (I hope!).

On draught at Bailey's, Sandy Paws is very dark garnet with a small tan collar and skim that leaves light lace.

Smell is pretty soft, fruity sweetness, a hint of roast or black patent malt.

Taste is pretty good, a clean, smooth bock, with a the sweet fruit balanced by a hint of acridness. I didn't realize this wasn't the Baltic Porter version though, so I was put-off at first sip...but once I realized what it was, I enjoyed it.

Mouthfeel is dry and light.

Drinkability is very good, a nice sweetness, more so then usual for the style, almost like a Belgian ester, which I dig. Just enough complexity to keep it interesting, but this one more on the quaffable side of the spectrum, with good digestibility.

22 oz. bottle from Belmont Station poured into UCLA Shaker pint glass 12/28/09.

Dark brown amber/nearly black brew, one finger tan head, slow dissipation, body retained a thin sheet of head, nice lacing. The character of the beer really changed as it warmed, and I thought the higher serving temperature brought out its best qualities. The nose became more chocolate, toffee, a bit of roasted malt and some leather-interesting. The taste feature chocolate, a bit of smoke, mellow hops (not bitter). The mouthfeel actually got better once the beer warmed, carbonation came out and very smooth, not sticky. Though this isn't the most drinkable of styles for me, this brewery should be commended for their pursuit of this style. Lagerlicous-recommended, and I'll be trying other products of this relatively new brewery in the near future.

On tap the Horse Brass today.

The beer pours a pretty dark brown color with exceptional head retention and lots of sticky lacing. The nose is pretty malty, but with a hint of smoke and burnt toast. Flavors replicate the nose, except on the palate I get a lot of smoke and burnt toast. The beer is fairly dry, giving this beer something of a Schwarzbier flavor. Mouthfeel is fairly light, with a fairly long finish. Drinkability is exceptional, and I'm impressed by the amount of flavor I get in a beer with this relatively low amount of alcohol.

This is a very nice beer.