145. Mt. Hood Brewing – Hogs Back Stout Cask

I had a free morning to explore Oregon and had a choice – do I head west and see the coast, or east and see Mt. Hood. Being from the flatlands of the midwest, I went to Ridgeline Lodge on Mt. Hood. It had some incredible views and it nice and relaxing. I was a bit surprised the ski lift was open and people were able to ski there during the end of July. I’ve attached a picture on the right so you can see how cool it was.

During my trip, many of the brewers had suggested I hit the Horse Brass Pub while in Portland. So on my way back from Mt. Hood, I stopped there. The brewers told me that it was set up like a traditional English pub, complete with many cask beers, a nice selection of local craft beers, and even darts. They also told me that the owner has been very supportive of the local brewing community and the Horse Brass was the first pub to carry beers from many local breweries and brewpubs. So, I sat down for a nice lunch, complete with a cask pulled stout from Mt. Hood brewing. The menu said it is an English style stout, so it’s a bit sweeter than an Irish stout. It also said it was 4.5% ABV.

When it arrived, it was deep black in color and had a creamy off-white head. There was a very slight chocolate malt aroma to it.

The body was fairly light to medium and it had a very creamy, smooth mouthfeel. The flavors up front were a bit sweet and chocolatey, but it finished with a slightly burnt malt bitterness. The bitterness seemed to come mostly from the burnt malts, as I couldn’t really pick up on any hop bitterness.

It was a nice, smooth, flavorful beer and the cask definitely added to a great creaminess. It was light in alcohol, so it was a nice selection at lunch. It went great with my burger, but I could see the chocolate and burnt bitterness really going good with some BBQ burnt ends.

Overall, it was a nice English style stout, pulled from the cask in traditional English style, in a nice English pub. Thanks to those who suggested it, it was a great lunch.

My Rating: ★★★☆☆

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Author: kkozlen

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