A Foursome From Eel River

In honor of Earth Day coming up, I wanted to feature some Earth friendly topics. Coincidentally, a family friend was coming down from Fortuna. What better way to get the whole thing started than to try an assortment of beers from the first certified organic brewery in the United States?

I have heard many good things about Eel River from a couple of people so I was excited about trying these beers. I sent an email to the family friend and requested the following beers: Triple Exultation, Organic Raven’s Eye Imperial Stout, Organic India Pale Ale and Organic Porter. I knew I had a big task ahead of me, since drinking one bomber a day is usually my limit.

As opposed to going over each beer individually, first I have to set the scene. I have allergies, and they get bad. Last week, they were bothering me, but not too bad. Tis past weekend they really got going and that was when I began tasting these.

The Triple Exultation was where I started and more than anything I couldn’t get over how watery this beer was. it looked the part and the alcohol was definitely present, but I searched for the flavor and it just wasn’t there. I followed this with the IPA which I really liked. Very similar to Lagunitas IPA, this was my favorite of the 4 I sampled. With the Imperial Stout, I again noticed a similarity to Lagunitas same brew. The stout wasn’t pitch black, more of a deep brown, fairly clear. Unfortunately, the watery character returned. I finished the foursome off with the Porter after letting my head clear of my allergies for a couple of days. I liked this beer, but again, I couldn’t pick up all of the beer. What I could taste, I liked, but it just seemed watery.

Now, I realize I had some congestion, which could affect my ability to taste the beers, but the food I ate over the time tasted fine. So what’s the deal? Did I happen to open a couple bad bottles? Was my ability to taste beer hampered by the body’s inability to cope with pollen? Did I get the real Eel river experience? Is Brian right, all organic beers suck?

Based on what others have told me about Eel River beers, I have a hard time believing I got a real dose of what the brewery could offer. So this is a “will be continued” situation. I have been finding some of their beers at local brew stores, so I might have to take another stab at this. Let me know if you’ve had anything from eel river and what you think.

You can see the 4 beers I tried in order, left to right (Triple Exultation, IPA, Raven’s Imperial Stout, Porter). Click them for ridiculously large images.