It makes no sense to endorse a beer from a brewery whose products you’ve never tasted, but we’d sure like to try Epic Strong Ale from Roots Organic Brewing, a brewpub that opened in Portland, Oregon, earlier this year.
The beer is 14% abv and calculated IBUs are 70, but it’s not those numbers that intrigue. The recipe includes 60 pounds of malt smoked over cherry wood then soaked in single-malt scotch, brandy and cherry juice.
The execution may suck – although the early reviews of Roots’ beer indicate otherwise – but that’s not the point. The willingness of brewers – be they American, Belgian or Chilean – to attempt such experiments keeps the category moving forward. Pretty exciting.
UPDATE: Roots closed in 2010.