Southern Oregon Brewing Pin-Up Porter

I'm going to keep things local this week (Southern Oregon); I've been enjoying hop-bombs the last few days,so decided to go to the dark side today with Southern Oregon Brewing Co.'s Pin-Up Porter.

The thin stream of Southern Oregon Brewing Pin-Up Porter poured a dark brown similar to black coffee into the glass, turning pitch black as it filled up with a clumpy tan head.  The nose was dominated by a smokey-sweet, kalua pork with a hint of coffee.

The first taste was an unexpected treat, with a hop front adding brightness and lightening the malts that followed without being aggressive.  The core taste of Pin-Up Porter was dry cacao, with an ending that brought the the sweet and smoky meat nose to the tongue with a slow fade on the moderate sweetness. 

SOB Porter isn't a big or aggressive beer... it's more interested in being soft, nuanced, and flavorful without changing the basic Porter formula.  I wasn't sure I was in the mood for a Porter, but I'll have to make sure to add the occasional SOB Pin-Up Porter to my rotation when out in town... I guess there's a reason it's featured in almost every bar in Southern Oregon!

Southern Oregon Brewing Nice Rack IPA

Another brew from Southern Oregon Brewing Company... this time one of my favorite varietals!

Southern Oregon Brewing Co. Nice Rack IPA poured a golden amber with some haze.  The head was a little thin and white, and the nose was herbs and citrus. 

In tasting, Nice Rack IPA had a mellow start, orange flavored hop-notes dominated but never really took a hold of my mouth like a strong IPA normally does.  There was no real bitterness at any time, and the malt just provided a slightly sweet backing to the warm marmalade flavor.

SOB's Nice Rack IPA is an incredibly drink-worthy session beer, with enough nuance and flavor to stay interesting without ever becoming overbearing.  While I wouldn't say it exemplifies a great IPA, it certainly is a great beer.

Southern Oregon Brewing Gold Digger Northwest Lager

Another day, another brew from Medford, Oregon's Southern Oregon Brewing Co.  Having covered  their Woodshed Red Ale, Nice Rack IPA, and delicious Pin-Up Porter I'm moving on to their final year-round offering, Southern Oregon Brewing Gold Digger Northwest Lager.

Southern Oregon Brewing Gold Digger Lager poured a gorgeous golden honey color in the glass, with a fizzy white head more than two fingers thick and active carbonation trails throughout.  Gold Digger smelled like backed bread, oats, and very subtle hints of banana.

Southern Oregon Brewing Gold Digger opened with a pleasantly carbonated front and a hint of apple.  The bulk of the Gold Digger taste was a more nuanced barley profile than the typical lager, and it ended with some sweetness coming through  and lingering.

I'm not a fan of lagers, so this is my least favorite of the four SOB brews I've tried, but this is the best lager I have tried so far on the blog and is a good, well balanced beer I wouldn't refuse.

Southern Oregon Brewing Co. Woodshed Red Ale

A few years ago, while at a food and art walk in downtown Medford, I stumbled across a couple of guys pouring beer from a hastily converted cooler-cum-kegerator to a mostly disinterested small crowd standing in line for pizza.  Never one to turn down a free beer tasting, I introduced myself and tasted all three of their offerings... a golden ale, a pale ale, and a porter.  The guys were genuinely nice, their pours were more than liberal, and the beer was surprisingly refined considering no one had heard of them.

Fast forward to 2010, and Southern Oregon Brewing is one of the largest and most ambitious brewers of beer in Southern Oregon with one of the most impressive brewing facilities and coziest tap rooms around.  Which brings me to the 22oz. bottle of their Woodshed Red Ale.

Poured into the glass, the Woodshed Red surprised on a couple levels... first and foremost, it was barely red at all!  It poured with a large head that dissipated within a minute, and was more of a dark amber in color with a significant amount of effervescence.  The nose was pleasant and had a sourdough odor to it.

Upon drinking it, I was immediately confronted with an aggressive hops assault with a nearly champagne-like lightness and effervescence.  This quickly subsided and the subtle malt backbone gave hints of whole wheat bread and orange liqueur.  As quickly as it came on, the ale had a relatively short linger and was surprisingly unbitter on the finish given the hop profile.

The SOB Woodshed Red Ale is a bold beer up front, but (wisely) leaves before overstaying it's welcome.  This probably too big a beer to convert a non-beer drinker, but it is an incredibly drinkable session beer that brings big flavor without coming across as too heavy or thick. 

ABV 6.3
IBU N/A
OG N/A
TG N/A