Beer Sherpa Recommends: Beachcrest Brewing
Over the holidays Sally and I retreated to the surprisingly sunny and warm Coast near Pacific City. This is of course Pelican Brewing territory, and it seems as if that coastal titan has dampened competition, which is thin on the central coast. Fortunately, a new player arrived about a year ago, and I’m happy to report the beer is excellent, the space warm and inviting.
Beachcrest is located at Salishan Lodge in Gleneden Beach south of Lincoln City.
Beachcrest Brewing is the project of Matt and Amy White, a pair of musicians who arrived from Colorado to try their hands at beer. Matt has a background in homebrewing, and as the project became more tangible, began learning about commercial production. I was impressed with his range. Although he appears to like boozy brews (only one of the thirteen beers was below 6%), he demonstrated skill with a range of styles, including lagers and Belgian beer.
The focus is on modern hoppy ales, though, and this is a welcome approach on the coast, where they’re rare. (Pelican is a case in point. Although Darron Welch has allowed hazies to come out of his tanks—under protest, I have to imagine—most of the IPAs and pales sparkle with clarity and pack a bitter punch.)
Matt’s hoppy beers are slightly-overcast to thickly cloudy and are characterized by lush tropicality. Herbie’s Hazy Pale was light, spritzy, and surprisingly dry, while Siletz Bay IPA was fuller and more intense. I also tried a blueberry milkshake IPA that tasted like … a blueberry milkshake IPA. (You’ll know whether that appeals or not.)
My favorites, though, were the Dubbel, which was a perfect example of a tough style, and the imperial stout. So often dubbels are overly sweet, too phenolic, or just boring. Beachcrest’s was dry, had bread and cocoa notes, and was dangerously drinkable. Devil in the Lake, the imperial stout, was aged on Elijah Craig barrels, but the bourbon wasn’t overdone. It offered a boozy complement and a fair whack of vanilla, and they harmonized wonderfully with the chocolatey malts. Again, what made it work was the attenuation. It was dry enough that, after polishing off my goblet, I was ready for a second. (I resisted and grabbed a couple bottles instead.) So often by the bottom of a glass of these beers I am experiencing sugar shock and want a gallon of water. Rare are examples that remain drinkable after a few ounces.
It was the day after Christmas, and Matt was brewing—a hopeful sign that folks have begun to find their way to this most welcome new arrival. Definitely pop in if you find yourself in the area—this is a brewery to watch.