pFriem bottles

We got the flanders red and sour blonde in Spokane today. Cant wait to get off work and open one.

 

Had their sour blonde at The Beermongers and really really enjoyed it, light and tart without being too lactic. Awesome stuff, surprised I had never heard of them until we were browsing their coolers.

 

Honestly there are lots of very good breweries in the NW that are virtually unknown outside the NW.

 

Draining a bottle of the Pilsener right now, and a couple of the others in the fridge. Seriously, at $4 for the 16ozers, and $6 for the C&C 12ozers, these beers are among the best beer values n the region.

 

I had the 500mL IPA on Friday and the 375mL Saison today. Both struck me as rock-solid, if non-mind-blowing, renditions of their respective styles. One could certainly do a lot worse while spending considerably more. I've got a Belgian Pale in the beer fridge and I'll be happy to try anything else I see.

 

Actually, I'm finishing the Saison right now, and while not mind-blowing, I think it compares very favorably to any U.S. brewed Saison.

 

Agree. I didn't mean "non-mind-blowing" to be a knock of any kind. Too many people seem to think that if a beer doesn't blow their mind, it's not worth their time. I thought it was a solid, well-made saison and I'd be happy to drink it again. Maybe a little hoppier than I expected, but then Northwest brewers seem to use a lot of hops in even non-hoppy styles.

 

Well said. And damn is that attitude tiresome.

For me pFriem has a certain elegance that elevates their beers pretty high. It feels like every note in the flavor profile is highly thought out in ways many other breweries could never attain. Basically the work of a master craftsman.

And I have to say the pils is incredible.

 

is it safe to assume there will be bottles available at the brewery in Hood River? specifically, the 2 sour ones?

I think I'm having lunch there after we go hiking the Gorge one day next week

 

I'll admit I sometimes fall into this trap as well; around here it's hard not to. My point was more that if you are constantly searching for that next beer that makes your head explode (and I'm not talking about just really great beer here, I mean something truly revelatory), the harder it becomes to find that beer. The more different beers you try, the more discriminating and demanding you're likely to become. For me, there's something really wonderful about just enjoying a good, solid, tried and true beer that's easy to obtain and doesn't cost much. Why get all dressed up when your favorite pair of jeans does the job just as well and is so much more comfortable?

Bottom line, there's a place for both but it seems a lot of people are missing out on the pleasure of simply "having a beer" in their quest for that next Holy Grail experience. But, on the other hand, who am I to judge?

On a pFriem-related note, I had the Belgian-Style Blonde Ale last night (reported a name change to BA a few days ago based on the name as printed on the label, still hasn't been updated) and like the others I've had found it to be a very solid offering. Maybe a little more banana/clove than I like in this style, but still seemed very well put together and nicely balanced with plenty of complexity.