#pfriem

[thedaily-beer]

pFriem Nelson Pale (Picked up at Windmill Farms). A 3 of 4. Lots of good white wine-like notes in the nose on this and other various tropical fruit, too. Not as pungent or bursting on the palate as some, but this is refreshing and light and has a nice profile to it.

[auraeseer]

Pfriem your mind . . .

[whatchudrinkin]

Another Saison

Greg Higgins was the first Portland chef to pair fancy food with fancy beer. His eponymous restaurant opened in 1994 serving farm fresh ingredients and added an extensive list of Belgian beers. There was nothing fancier than a Belgian Tripel in the nineties. I mean, corks? For beer? Wild. 

Higgins forged relationships with brewers near and far. They serve a variety of rare beers from Hair of the Dog. Russian River sends up a keg of Pliny the Younger every March. Higgins is a Mecca for people who can afford fifty dollar steaks with wild mushrooms paired with vintage stout. I’ve never been. I don’t feel like spending twenty dollars on a salad -- the closest to something I would eat.

This year, Higgins celebrates twenty-five years in business and has partnered with Hood River’s pFriem Family Brewers for beer dinners and collaborations, like the anniversary “farmhouse” ale. For a restaurant that prides itself on farm-to-table menus, you’d think they’d want to find a farmy beer to pair with it. 

The saison is fine. It tastes like a textbook saison -- Belgian malts, a few spices like peppercorn and cardamom, and the one yeast strain every brewer uses to seem rustic. It would go great with food, but it’s not particularly adventurous on its own. Maybe I’m being less than generous. It tastes good, no flaws, no glaring inconsistencies. It’s competent, just like Higgins. 

[thedaily-beer]

pFriem Fresh Hop Hazy IPA (Picked up at Windmill Farms). A 3 of 4. I get some of the fresh hop notes on this -- mostly a standard pine and some tropical fruit but a hint of vegetal notes behind it as well. The body is hazy but only just, and this drinks easily -- no complaints here, but also would not stand out particularly as something fresh hop from a pack of hazy IPAs.

[thedaily-beer]

pFriem South Pacific IPA (Picked up at Windmill Farms). A 3 of 4. Bright, clean, and tropical. Lighter body and a touch more bitter than I was expecting, but it carries the tropical fruit and stone fruit quite well.

[thedaily-beer]

pFriem Dank IPA (Picked up at Windmill Farms). A 3 of 4. A lot of tropical fruit and the herbal/resin profile you’d expect in the nose. The body is quite thin and has much the same hop profile, and a moderate bitterness fades in mid-body. Decidedly West Coast, and quite good.

[thedaily-beer]

pFriem Sparkling IPA (Picked up at Windmill Farms). A 3 of 4. Yep, this is massively carbonated -- light body that’s very prickly, and quite a mix of tropical fruit hop notes. The bitterness is hard to pick out from the crispness due to the high carbonation, and this is so carbonated it’s not the most easy-drinking.

[thedaily-beer]

pFriem Family Brewers Double IPA (Picked up at Windmill Farms). A 4 of 4. A great, complex double IPA with mostly tropical fruit and citrus in the hop profile. Some candy-like fruit sweetness in the nose and up front, and extremely well-balanced in the body. The alcohol stays hidden, and this finishes with a nice firm bitterness.