Days of the Beer, October 29

The beer for today is Mt. Hood Ice Axe IPA.

On October 29, 1792, Mount Hood in Oregon was named after British naval officer Alexander Arthur Hood, by Lt. William E. Broughton, who spotted the mountain near the mouth of the Willamette River.

Mount Hood (called Wy'east by the Multnomah tribe) is a stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc in northern Oregon. It's snow-covered peak rises 11,249 feet and is home to twelve glaciers. It is the highest mountain in Oregon. It is considered the Oregon volcano most likely to erupt (3-7% chance in the next 30 years).

About the beer:

Ice Axe IPA is the Mt. Hood Brewing Co.'s flagship and best selling beer. Pale amber in color and aggressively hopped, Ice Axe is a mouth-filling and well balanced beer. Slight buttery overtones provided by oak-conditioning, gives it a character reminiscent of a fine wine. The mild spiciness and rich bitterness of the brewmaster's carefully selected hops shine through in the flavor and aroma. O.G. 1.060/ 5.9% abv./ East Kent Goldings, Mt.Hood, and Willamette hops/ Five different malts.

The Mt. Hood Brewery is part of the Ice Axe Grill. It began operation in January, 1991. The beer is only available on tap, at the brewpub, or at other places throughout Oregon.



You'll notice many beer related words that have been used in the first part of this narrative.

1. Mt. Hood. Mt. Hood is the name of a variety of hops. Oregon is the second largest producer of domestic (American) hops, behind Washington, and ahdead of Idaho. There are many hops varieties that originated in Oregon.

Mt. Hood is a triploid aroma-type cultivar, the 1983 result of a cross between the colchicine - induced tetraploid female Hallertau mf (USDA 21397) and the USDA 19058M, male plant. It is a half-sister to Ultra, Liberty and Crystal.

An aromatic variety derived from Hallertau with a refined, spicy aroma and clean bittering. A good choice for lagers. (alpha acid: 4.0-6.0% / beta acid: 5.0-7.5%)

2. Willamette. The Willamette River is a tributary of the Columbia River. It is 187 miles long and is entirely in northwestern Oregon.

Willamette is a triploid aroma-type hop, which originated in the mid 1970’s and is a seedling of Fuggle. It is a very popular aroma hop, contributing in 1998 to 18% of the total USA hop crop.

A variation on English Fuggle hops grown in Oregon and Washington. Willamette has a fragrant spicy woody aroma. An excellent American aromatic hops for ales
and lagers. (alpha acid: 4.0-6.0% / beta acid: 3.5-4.5%)

3. Cascade.

Cascade is an aroma-type cultivar which originated as the first commercial hop from the USDA-ARS breeding program. It was bred in 1956 but not released for cultivation until 1972. It reached its peak in 1975 when it produced 13.3% of the total American crop. It was obtained by crossing an English Fuggle with a male plant, which originated from the Russian variety Serebrianka with a Fuggle male plant.

A very popular U.S. variety, with a moderate bitterness level and fragrant, flowery aroma. Cascade is often used in highly hopped West Coast ales that have a citrus-floral hop character. (alpha acid: 4.5-6.0% / beta acid: 5.0-7.0% )

4. Wyeast. Wyeast Laboratories produce yeast that is used in brewing. Wyeast Laboratories is located in Odell, Oregon.

*hops information taken from Beer Advocate*