Fort George's Stout Month Is Underway

February in Astoria, Oregon can mean only one thing to those who love a fine craft brew. It is a symbol of joy such as when Punxutawney Phil comes out of his hole and graces the world with an early spring. This is the kind of joy that only Fort George Brewery’s Stout Month can bring to warm the cockles of our wintry hearts.

In conjunction with the expansion of the brewery and tasting room, Fort George gives us so much to be excited about this month. Some are pleased to know that February the shortest month of the year and should breeze by without any problems, while some might need to get their butt in gear and get over to Oregon’s North Coast for some of the states best dark and roasty brews before the 28 days of the month pass us by.

Fort George co-founder Chris Nemlowill just announced the lineup of Fort George stouts pouring for their month of murky mayhem. Here, my friends, is the rather impressive list:

Spank Stout

The Spank Stout is back and better than ever! With plenty of caramel and honey malts fronting this beer plus roast and black barley forming the backbone, this brew is made to balance out the impending heat of four different types of peppers, namely Anaheims, Pasillas, Habaneros, and Jalapenos. We threw 30 lbs of peppers into the rolling boil to impart a well-balanced heat to this great brew. What starts off as a slight heat on the tip of your tongue soon turns into a roasting revelation to the taste buds. 5.1% ABV

The Murky Pearl Stout

Right before we transferred this beer to the fermentor, we ran the wort through two bushels of Willapa Bay Oysters, which infused the beer with the briny oyster juice. Although you cannot taste an immense amount of oyster in this stout, you can taste a hint of salty goodness that lingers. Drinking this beer is truly like kissing an ocean of stout. 7.5% ABV

Badda BOOM Stout

A remake of the Badda Bing Stout made for last year’s Stout Month, this year’s has turned out even better. Using the Belgian yeast strain from the Cheers to Belgian Beers Festival in Portland, Oregon on April 30th, we decided to put 20 lbs of cherries and 20 lbs of raspberries in the fermentor to create a delicious flavor-filled stout. The fruit was combined with a wonderful malt bill that creates a wave of delicious flavors including honey, roast, and chocolate. This beer is a truly unique experience. 7.1% ABV

Cavatica Stout

An immense, bold, black as night, American stout beauty; Cavatica is no dry Irish anything; one sip and you’ll surely take notice of what you’re drinking. The name honors this brewer’s affinity with arachnia. Be forewarned, this beer will stain your clothes. This is Fort George’s house stout that has gained a reputation for being mighty and contagious among the locals. 8.8% ABV

Bourbon BBL Cavatica Stout

What could make our Cavatica Stout even better? Bourbon! We let our house stout condition in used Maker’s Mark American White Oak Bourbon barrels. There in the dark, bourbon-enriched barrel, our stout soaked up as much Oaky bourbon quality as it could before we sent it off to the bright tanks. With an up-front bourbon taste backed by our dark, malty stout, the Bourbon Barrel Cavatica is a deliciously potent brew that demands a taste. 9.8% ABV

Coffee Girl Stout

Dry-hopped with 6 lbs of freshly roasted Organic Guatamalan coffee beans from Astoria Coffee Company, the beans give this Imperial Stout a bit of a fruity taste along with hints of hazelnut, cream, and Dark Chocolate. The beans conditioned with the beer in the bright tank for a week and a half and in that time, the beans and brew evolved into something spectacular. 9% ABV

Kentucky Girl Stout

A special Aged batch of last year’s Fort George’s Coffee Girl Stout, an imperial stout dry hopped with eight pounds of Ethiopian Haile Selassie Sidamo coffee beans roasted by Zetty McKay. The beans give a bit of a roasted blueberry nose and finish. The beans aged with the beer in four roses bourbon barrels for over a year. 9.9% ABV Only one keg available, it will go fast.

***Guest Stouts***

This is the A-List of Stouts, hand-picked for Stout Month. A different stout will be released every Tuesday of the month. Other guest stouts will float between the public house and the tasting room. Fort George’s new tasting room will be open on Fridays from 3PM – 8PM and Saturdays from 1PM – 8PM.

Deschutes The Abyss – 2010 (Release date: 2/1)

5th Release. The Abyss has immeasurable depth, inviting you to explore and discover its rich, complex profile. Hints of molasses, licorice and other alluring flavors draw you in further and further with each sip. you will want to slowly savor each and every ounce. 11% ABV

Bear Republic Old Baba Yaga – 2009 (Release Date: 2/1)

Named for the witch who guarded the fountain of life and death in Russian folklore, the black depths of this Russian Imperial Stout hold coffee, licorice, and bittersweet chocolate flavors. 11.5% ABV

Oskar Blues Ten FIDY – 2010 (Release date: 2/8)

This titanic, immensely viscous stout is loaded with inimitable flavors of chocolate-covered caramel and coffee and hides a hefty 98 IBUs underneath the smooth blanket of malt. Ten FIDY (10.5% ABV) is made with enormous amounts of two-row malt, chocolate malt, roasted barley, flaked oats and hops. Ten FIDY is the ultimate celebration of dark malts and boundary-stretching beer. 10.5% ABV

Laurelwood Moose & Squirrel – 2011 (Release date: 2/15)

Dark as night, thick and rich. Big roast and coffee flavors dominate this beer. Russian Imperial Stouts were first brewed for the Russian royal court. Today, this is one of Laurelwood’s most highly anticipated winter releases. 8% ABV

Stone Imperial Russian Stout – 2010 (Release date: 2/22)

Brewed in the authentic historical style of Imperial Russian Stouts, this beer is massive. Intensely aromatic (with notes of anise, black currants, coffee, roastiness and alcohol) and heavy on the palate, this brew goes where few can – and fewer dare even try. The style originated from Czarist Russia’s demand for even thicker English stouts. Expect their version of this mysterious brew to pour like Siberian crude and taste even heavier! 10.8% ABV

Mountain Sun Stoked Oak Bourbon Stout – 2010

Homebrew contest champion turned Mountain Sun (Boulder, CO) Brewer, Scott Overdorf, masterfully balanced numerous malts, vanilla, and oak to create an intriguing barrel aged flavor. 7.2 % ABV

Beer Valley Black Flag – 2010

Black Flag Imperial Stout, the first beer released by Beer Valley Brewing, is a monstrously huge beer brewed for beer enthusiasts who want to test the edge of sensory perception. Brewed with 8 different malts and 4 different hop varieties to give it depth and complexity, Black Flag Imperial Stout delivers an extreme beer drinking experience like no other beer on the planet. 11% ABV

Rogue Double Chocolate Stout – 2010

Double Chocolate Stout is an evolution of Rogue Chocolate Stout, which is flavored with imported Dutch bittersweet chocolate. In 2010, Double Chocolate Stout received a Gold Medal at the World Beer Championships. Double Chocolate was also a standout at the 2010 Pacific Northwest Brew Cup. 8% ABV

North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout – 2010

Produced in the tradition of 18th century English brewers who supplied the court of Russia’s Catherine the Great, Old Rasputin seems to develop a cult following wherever it goes. It is a rich intense brew with big complex flavors and a warming finish. 9% ABV

Available only in the tasting room.  See you there!