I had the opportunity to visit The Ale Apothecary last Friday during a weekend trip to Bend. I must say, I highly recommend visiting if you get the chance. Paul is a very down-to-earth guy with some very interesting ideas and aspirations for his beer. All beers are fermented in oak barrels. All with wild yeast/bugs. He's experimenting with open fermentation. He talked about getting a coolship. He wants to experiment with a sour stout. And the location itself is beautiful. Out in the woods on the way to Mt. Bachelor. I got to try (and buy some bottles of) Sahalie & (the beer formerly known as) La Tache. Very good, funky beers, to be sure. It'll be interesting to see how they age. Make sure to call or email ahead of time, as visits are by appointment only. But again, definitely worth a visit.
Paul was at Beermongers today giving tastings of both Sahalie and La Tache. They were both interesting sour saison style beers. I did feel like they were a little light on taste (but I had just come from the Block 15 tasting at Belmont Station, so maybe it's just tough competition). At any rate, definitely a new brewer to keep an eye on. Also, they had some bottles of both for sale at Beermongers so I imagine you can still swing by and grab some if you're interested.
Yeah, I don't think they're real punch-in-the-face-with-flavor type beers, but they do have a lot of interesting "funk" undertones, which I love in saison/farmhouse styles. Barnyard, horseblanket, dirty socks, etc. I also like stinky cheeses, so that probably explains my affinity for those flavors. When I was out there Friday, Paul said one of his friends had described the aroma of one of the beers as "pooey, in a good way." Also, Roscoe's posted on their fb that they have bottles of Sahalie, if anyone's looking.
Saw bottles at Belmont Station today. Anybody who knows me is aware that I'm a big farmhouse fan, but for $24 a bottle I just couldn't pull the trigger. I'm not stingy by most definitions, but when 750's of Demon's Farm ($15), Tilquin Gueuze ($19), and 3F Gueuze are within 10 feet I'm going to choose otherwise every time.
Wow. Yeah, I probably wouldn't pay that either. He was selling the Salahie for $17 at the brewery. $15 for (the beer formerly known as) La Tache.
Ha! I was going to start a similar thread as I visited that same weekend (Sunday) and came away very impressed with what he's doing. I haven't opened my beers yet but I'm dying to do so. Anyone visiting Bend should definitely make a point of calling him and stopping by. You won't find another brewery quite like it.
What's the story with this place? Family will be visiting me next weekend in Portland and we are going to Bend Friday evening through Sunday. I'd like to bring them somewhere unique and interesting. I see it's appointment only... How exactly does that work?
Well, the story for this place can be found here in blog-dom. The appointment only requirement is due to the fact that I'm a one-man show and the brewery is on our property in the mountains west of Bend...no pub, no real tasting room. If you're going to make the trip, you might as well be able to see the brewery! The concept has been to set out to design a brewery that functions totally different than today's typical American brewery models in an effort to promote that 'process' is equally important to creating unique flavors as are ingredients. Ingredients, for the most part, are ordered out of a catalog; process emerges from the brewers experience, needs, and creativity. With all of this, the intent is to produce well-balanced, subtle & complex flavors that are impossible to come by with short-cuts; the time and dedication to this leads to the price point. (I am doing all I can to avoid 'punch-in-the-face' impact, BTW. Plenty of options out there already!) In order to control growth and maintain this concept, I offer Ale Club memberships that allow me to produce unique small-batch beer for interested and dedicated folks...without having to go through the retail mark-up. Plus, much like the movement in food, I can establish a personal relationship with my consumer which benefits us both in a multitude of ways. All in all, it's my effort to help the beer consumer and brewing industry define terms that are becoming more and more important as we move past the craft-brewing revolution and into the future of artistic interpretation of hand-made beer.
Heya Paul.... Glad to see you checking in on the interwebs!! I've had both La Tache and Sahalie and both were very tasty... IMO not "buggy and bretty" but wonderfully tangy/lemony and lactic. Set up an appointment, the short drive to the mountain brewery is worth it and is only about 10-15 minutes from 10 Barrel ... Very interesting to see how something so small can be done with a lot of hard work and a big heart. My trip in July was eye opening. Cheers, Toby.
When I visited you likened your operation to visiting a chef and having them personally prepare, and plate everything for you versus going to a chef's restaurant and having their minions assemble the chef's vision in the kitchen. I think that's a very apt description and from the labels on your bottles to the champagne knot down to the beer the personalization seemed there for me. Have to mention how awesome Sahalie was. Neither the nose nor the flavor betray the 9.83% ABV. The hop profile is lovely and seems to perfectly compliment the funk. Great stuff. Makes me very glad I didn't leave with just a single bottle.
