Harmon Brewmaster's Dinner 2013

Given the close proximity of the Harmon Brewery to my humble abode, I rarely find myself there these days.  A well timed email invitation and a willing beerfriend to accompany, I made plans to visit my first Harmon Brewmaster's Dinner.  Five courses with five new-to-me beers promised to be an intriguing event.  Familiar faces and friendly conversation only sweetened the deal.

Course #1: St. Helens Anniversary IPA
While my "go to" Harmon beer has been their Pt. Defiance IPA, it isn't necessarily my favorite.  I tend to check out their seasonal and cask offerings.  I have to be honest, I was a bit leery to try this first sip.  Pleasantly surprised by this moderately malty yet adequately bitter IPA, I enjoyed sip after sip of the Citra and Simcoe notes in this hidden 7.5% ABV.  It was gone before I knew it, and little did I realize, that would become the theme of the night.

Course #2:  Oatmeal Pale Ale
An Autumn favorite I tend to lean towards when the days get shorter is an Oatmeal Stout.  The creaminess of the oatmeal paired with the roastiness of the grain is a winning combination.  This Oatmeal Pale threw me off a bit.  The same creaminess was there, yet the roastiness wasn't.  While that was expected, my taste buds wanted a crisp pale at the sight of this straw colored pint, not a smooth creamy one.  But don't worry, a plan was made to try this OPA once again in order to fully assess its palate worthiness.

Course #3:  North Cascades IPA

The impression that the St. Helens IPA left had me intrigued to see if those Harmon brewers could impress this hophead once again.  A Pro Am selection created by a home brewer, this IPA seemed a bit too malty for my taste.  You see, I like IPAs that just kind of slap me upside the head with a big old helping of lupulin.  The rest of the table enjoyed this beer while I eyed the upcoming promise of an Imperial Red.

Course #4:  Fall Ball Red
Wow.  Even a day later, I can't get this beer out of my head.  Like a first date gone absolutely right, I find myself wondering when I will see this Imperial Red again.  It is hard to focus.  I can't think straight.  I find myself checking taplists around town to see where I might run into it.  The depth and complexity was beyond compare.  A hint of cinnamon and harvest pumpkin amongst the perfectly malted red provided an incredible seasonally perfect ale.  Before I knew it, my glass was empty.  I scanned the table and helped myself to others.  Who would have thought that those components would make such a great brew?  I'm running out of adjectives.  Bottom line:  get some.

Course #5:  Pumpkin Spice Blonde
Seated at a table of Harmon dinner regulars, the buzz was about where the hop ice cream went.  Apparently in years past, the final course was a hop vanilla ice cream paired with a worthy beer.  This year, a sessionable Pumpkin Spice Blonde was paired with praline vanilla ice cream.  When the snifter of my final beer came out, I took a quick whiff and a sip and well, I wasn't that blown away.  After coming off of that Imperial Red high (did I mention I finished off others' samples too?), I was hoping for more.  Then, the ice cream came out.  Silence fell over our table as everyone took a bite of ice cream and followed it with a sip of this blonde.  Reactions were unanimous.  This pairing was the best of the night.  Creamy praline with delicate pumpkin was, without a doubt, perfect.  Again, I finished my beer before everyone else.  The ice cream was long gone too.  And let's not forget, I don't really like sweets.

Rediscovering an old standby can yield surprising results.  Harmon Brewery, you are once again on my radar.  Well done.