Peroni Nastro Azzurra Birra Superiore

While Spring is taking its time settling in Southern Oregon, Northern California is quickly welcoming summer, with temperatures already breaking 90 degrees.  I joined my mother and brother in a farm-to-fork, locally owned, slow food movement focused walking food and history tour in mid-town Sacramento today, and after a couple of hours and a couple of miles in the mid-day heat I was ready for something refreshing and not too boozy.  Enter a fantastic, family owned Italian deli and a bottle of Peroni Nastro Azzurro Birra Superiore. 

Peroni Nastro Azzurro Birra Superiore was a transparent, weak yellow un the bottle, violently carbonated with a spritzy head.  CO2 carbonation dominated the nose with a slight minerality, although a wimpy sweet malt could be detected.

Peroni Nastro Azzurro Birra Superiore opened with a carbonated, mineral start.  Light wheat and wet straw notes were detectable, but the whole experience was mostly characterized by little more than sparkling water.

All things are luminescent in their intended context, and there isn't a beer I am aware of that would have been a better pairing with light exercise, lightly sautéed sage and veggie ravioli, and a blazing sun.  The complete lack of hops and a dominant effervescent minerality made for an incredibly thirst-quenching, if two-dimensional tasting.

After the walking tour, we poured into Pyramid Brewing's Sacramento Ale House for a flight, consisting of Outrageous Apricot Ale, Spring Seasonal Curve Ball Blonde Ale, Haywire Hefeweizen, Thunderhead IPA, and the pub house exclusives Crystal Wheat, Alehouse Amber, Draught Pale Ale, and Brewer's handles Livewire Imperial Hefeweizen and Uproar Imperial Red Ale. 

I'm sure I will have the opportunity to give Pyramid's standard line proper tasting consideration, but here are some brief thoughts on the ale house exclusive ales-

Pyramid Crystal Wheat- The hops and wheat flavors were a bit more pronounced than the Haywire, with the yeast stepping to the side and the body and carbonation just a bit crisper.  Of course, the color was beautifully clear.

Pyramid Alehouse Amber Ale- The malt profile was a bready wheat bomb with an almost smoky quality.  The hops were only present enough to lighten the malt, and the ale ended on a dry, pizza-crust extended fade.  Pyramid Alehouse Amber Ale was far from a bad ale, but didn't do anything that dozens of other low-cost ambers do.

Pyramid Draught Pale Ale- Poured from draught, the pale ale was extremely creamy in body, with lemon and citrus notes cutting through. Draught Pale Ale, like many lighter ales relying on hops as a core component of body served on draught, came off flat.  Good, not great, but I can't think of a time where this would be preferable to a bottle or regular tap. 

Pyramid Livewire Imperial Hefeweizen- Having never had an Imperial Hefeweizen, I was caught off-guard by the much larger malt profile and pinier hopping.  Livewire tasted closer to a pale ale with a hint of wheat than a big hefeweizen.  

Pyramid Uproar Imperial Red Ale- Uproar Imperial Red opened on a well-balanced pine note that quickly settled into a semi-dry biscuit malt that balanced the beer rather than overwhelming the hops.  Although less complex than many takes on the Imperial Red I have tried, Uproar was the standout of the ale house exclusive taps. 

Pyramid Breweries Apricot Unfiltered Wheat Ale

While in Seattle two summers ago on a brewery crawl with Crystal, we managed to hit Pike Street Brewing, Elysian Brewing, and finally stumbled upon Pyramid Brewing's out-of-the way Seattle Alehouse for flights.  As one of the lower priced beers seemingly available in every store on the west coast, we went there more out of a completionist's obligation than excitement, and were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food and how it paired with their beers.  In addition to the year-round varietals, all well worn by my palette, they had quite a few more interesting beers available only in their alehouses.  I left Pyramid's Seattle Alehouse with a renewed respect for their brews, so it was with nostalgia that I picked up a bottle of Pyramid Breweries Apricot Unfiltered Wheat Ale.

Pyramid Apricot Wheat Ale poured a cloudy, pale yellow into the glass (I'll avoid the obvious descriptor of "apricot colored") with a wispy white head.  The nose was entirely dominated by the smell of dried apricots.

Pyramid Apricot Wheat Ale was surprisingly crisp and dry up front, with barely detectable hints of wheat.  As the carbonation receded, my mouth warmed up to a body of semi-sweet, candied apricot.  The apricot flavor sustained for a solid ten seconds, slowly fading into dryness with hints of wheat just barely coming through.

I  typically don't like wheat beer.  I typically don't like fruit flavor beer.  I like this beer.  The dryness of the ale, complimented by the softness of the wheat and the reasonable ABV, make this a beer equally suited to refresh yourself in the heat of summer or sip on and warm up in the winter months.  The prominence of the apricot prevents me from making this a regular in my rotation, but Pyramid Apricot Ale is always a welcome visitor in my fridge.

Pyramid Breweries Outburst Imperial IPA

My calendar says Spring officially began two weeks ago, but it's only in the last few days that the clouds have given way to pure sunshine and the temperature has risen above 70, so it's time to pull out Pyramid Brewing's Spring seasonal release, Pyramid Outburst Imperial IPA.

Pyramid Outburst Imperial IPA sat slightly hazy orange in the glass with no observable carbonation and topped with a thin, sticky white head.  The ale had a perfumed, nectarine and mango fruitiness to it.

Pyramid Outburst Imperial IPA opened surprisingly bright considering the lack of carbonation, with a nectarine front backed by a very subtle bitter hop that mellowed into a sweet, tropical fruit body.  Outburst ended on a surprisingly dry finish.

I have to applaud Pyramid for putting out as ballsy and boozy an ale as this that is both highly drinkable and very affordable.   This ale comes close to reaching the greatness of the best Imperial/Double IPAs around without a boutique price-tag or feigned exclusiveness.  The only thing I would change is making this a year-round beer, as it is certainly worthy of all four seasons.

Pyramid Breweries Snow Cap Winter Warmer

Not that I won’t stumble across something I can’t say no to, and this year of beer won’t be complete until I open my bottle of Deschutes Jubel 2010, but today marks the final seasonal winter beer I front-loaded into my collection for tasting; Pyramid Breweries Snow Cap Winter Warmer. 

Pyramid Snow Cap Winter Warmer poured a clear cherry wood color into the glass, highlighted by light carbonation trails and capped by a loose, cream-hued head.  The nose was a complex mix of vanilla, light coffee, and flowery hops supported by a cigar background.

Pyramid Snow Cap Winter Warmer had a medium-bodied start where the hops never really took hold before the tobacco and seared meat flavors dominated.  Coffee and a slightly burnt popcorn taste made an appearance as the ale faded.

Pyramid Snow Cap Winter Warmer is a more complex and challenging beer than most of the winter seasonals I have tried, and the heavy coffee and tobacco flavors will likely turn off the weak at heart, but is a refreshing break from the overly hopped, candy sweet approach many breweries take and tastes like a 2am bar crawl in a bottle.