The Ale List: Lulu, ‘Straffe,’ Rakau debut at a pub near you

Lulu (6.9 percent ABV, 39 BU) was brewed in honor of the birth of Head Brewer Kyle Larsen’s second daughter, Love (pronounced “lou-vay), and is the second in a limited series. The Lulu blushes with additions of hibiscus, pink peppercorn, and pink rosebuds, while an earthen tartness mingles with floral and tangerines aromas.

Draft Magazine chose Lulu as a Draft Pick in the May/June 2014 issue. They write, “Lulu’s a fair-weather charmer, tempting the tongue with a spritzy, ever-so-slightly tart tip.”

‘Straffe’: Logsdon serves up its first tripel

The debut tripel (8.8 ABV) from Logsdon Farmhouse Ales will be available at stores and select beer bars this week, brewmaster Dave Logsdon said Thursday. Straffe Drieling — “wonderful triplets” in Flemish — celebrates three mountains and three young women.

The label depicts the Three Sisters peaks of central Oregon, and states that the ale celebrates the mountains as well as “the rare event and exceptional outcome” of Dave Logsdon’s triplets’ birth.

“We’ve had it on tap in the tasting room for a couple of weeks, and the response has been good,” he said. The labels came in Wednesday and the Logsdon crew packed and shipped on Thursday.

The Logsdon tasting room is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. The brewery is located at 4785 Booth Hill, about a mile east of Highway 35; turn at the Mt. Hood Lumber Co. mill.

It’s ‘ruh-cow’: Pfriem brews single hop Rakau

With the usual ringing of the bell and “Welcome to Pfriem!” Pfriem Family Brewers issued its 50th new release last week, its Rakau Single Hop pale ale.

The Rakau (“ruh-cow”) is part of Pfriem’s series, started 18 months ago, in which a new single hop is brewed every few months using base beer that is unchanged and a different hop introduced.

This time it’s one from New Zealand. Brewmaster and co-owner Josh Pfriem said the south Pacific nation generally produces “big, tropical, fruit-forward hops, unique crazy flavors you can’t get out of Yakima or Willamette Valley, and we’re exploring that.”

Pfriem said his Rakau brew has “an invigorating herbaciousness” that starts with tones of peach and strawberry, and leads to a bit of mint and a wild zing at the end.” The Rakau will be on tap at the brewery, and at selected local establishments including Volcanic Bottle Shop.

The single hop series is “a great way to explore hops from a brewer’s stand point,” Pfriem told the gathering at the pub on March 20. “We get to share with you guys what the hops taste like, and we reintegrate them with our beers.”

Meanwhile, Pfriem’s flagship Blond Ale is currently featured on the rotating taps list at Vancouver’s Craft Beer Market, the largest craft beer purveyor in Canada. The market’s list is weighted to Canada, Belgium, and Washington state, with a dozen or so Oregon brews mixed in.

Pfriem has brewed Leuven pale ale for the Cheers to Belgian Beers event in Portland May 30-31 (oregoncraftbeer.org) at Metalcraft Fabrication, 723 N. Tillamook; the event is free, but 21-and-over only; there is a $15 charge for a stemmed glass and five taste tickets. This year’s featured yeast is Leuven pale ale, described as “a vigorous top-fermenting Belgian style strain producing a distinctive spicy character” that lends itself to pale, dubbels and brown ales.