image courtesy of Paul David Gibson's flickr pageIt's understandable for those of you looking at the current weather forecast and pondering a walk or stroll through the cornfields. How about a trip over to The Green Frog Café (1015 N State Street) for another Brewers Night?

This time James and company have requested Mike Hale's brewer Hale's Ales educate Bellingham on what a mature beer should taste like. The whole things kicks off tonight at 6pm.

We won't bore you any further with words. Rather here's the list, with descriptions, of the beers being featured at this event.

Supergoose IPA (7.1% ABV, 72 IBU)

Supergoose IPA takes the Mongoose idea a bit further -- more hops, more malt, higher extract. It features three of the leading edge, newest Yakima hop varieties: Amarillo (lots of these), Centennial and Simcoe. Backed by its huge malt structure, the resulting combination of flavors sets a benchmark for big craft-brewed India Pale Ales.

O'Brien's Harvest Ale

First brewed in 1988, O'Brien's Harvest Ale is a much anticipated autumn classic and one of the Northwest's original seasonal ales. For the last 21 years Hale's brewers have ushered in the fall season by crafting a delicious, hearty seasonal ale that features generous amounts of select hops. This year's O'Brien's Harvest Ale is a reintroduction of the recipe we used in 2007 which was a Silver Medal winner at GABF.

Hale's Special Bitter (HSB) (4.7% ABV)

Hale's Cream "HSB" is a complex, deep amber colored ale that blends a silky smooth body with an herbal aromatic bitterness. Of all the ales we make it is the one that most closely emulates the famous "special bitters" of Great Britain.  In honor of a great friend and Hale's brewer, Hale's Special Bitter is labeled "Tom Sheimo's Favorite".  Ingredients:Pale malted barley, Crystal, and Black malts, Cluster, Nugget and Mount Hood hops, Hale's special yeast and filtered water.

Red Menace Big Amber

"Red Menace Big Amber" is out to revolutionize the world of Amber ales--this one's big (like the name says!), full flavored and hoppy. Taste one and you'll want to join the party.  Ingredients:Pale malted barley, Caramel and Carastan malts, a handful of Black Malt, and 100% Centennial hops, Hale's special yeast and filtered water.

Troll Porter (6.9% ABV)

When you set out to make a beer that's gonna keep a troll happy, it better have a lot to chew on. This one does. Troll Porter pushes the porter category to a new edge--big, complex, quite black with herbal hop influences--enough to keep that grouchy old troll off your back, at least for a while...  Ingredients:Pale malted barley, Carastan, Caramel, Chocolate, Black and Special Roast Malts, Nugget and Mount Hood hops, Hale's special yeast and filtered water.

Get out there and drink some!

Cheers

About The Green Frog

In what may have been the very best hair-brained idea that James Hardesty and Nate Carlson ever had, what percolated in their brains on a fateful afternoon in the Spring of ’05 turned out to be the seed that turned into The Green Frog. The idea was to recreate the weekly gatherings at Carlson’s house that were simply known as Wednesday Night BBQ’s. Lots of friends hanging out, drinking beer, eating food, and playing music together. Those are the things that brought them all together and they just felt like there was something they could do in the public realm that might be enjoyed by even more folks.

For over 5 years the duo ran the Green Frog Cafe Acoustic Tavern in a tiny room on Bellingham’s famed State Street. What was once their idea took on a life of it’s own, created instead by the community of musicians and appreciative listeners that made up the crowd. It became known as a beacon of quality shows and as the best beer selection around. In essence, it was exactly what Hardesty and Carlson had hoped for.

About the Photo’s Author

Paul Gibson originally hails from Carlsbad, New Mexico, so it’s no wonder he prefers the Northwest’s cooler temperatures and its vast selection of hoppy delicious beers. As a kid, he first started taking photos with an Instamatic of his friends on their BMX bikes. Now he takes photos of beer, breweries and on occasion street photography, events and concerts—minus the Instamatic. You can see more of his photos on Flickr (www.flickr.com/photos/p_d_gibson ).