The batch #1 Fred makes a lot more sense. My second glass of Dissident was the real winner though! I want to die in a pool of that beer.
It was the one-off of Dissident that was aged in pinot noir barrels. Not sure if it was part of the 2010 batch or if it was just brewed specially for use in collage. Our table asked if there was any chance we could get more of the dissident. We were all very surprised when we were all given seconds of the beer! Great service!
My understanding is that they did a specific brewing of all 4 of the beers for this project. Since 2010 Dissident was in brewed and in barrels since early 2009, my suspicion is that they re-brewed the recipe more recently for Collage. Alternatively, could be a preview of what the 2012 release might be like? They did mention that for the Collage blend, they did not add any cherries to the Dissident component. Dang, I wish I'd thought to ask for one of the batch 1 bottles
I'm truly curious: Is Collage good? It seems almost no one is talking about it after the dinner, and the highest praise has been 'worthy'. For a beer from brewers with Deschutes and HotD's pedigree, "I kind of like it" or "it's not a disaster" isn't good enough, and I'm getting the impression people aren't sure what to say. (Out of fear of reprisal?) I need to try it for myself, obviously, but it's kind of concerning since I've had some doubts about this one considering the amount of time from tank to release and the apparent low yield. Unless people aren't talking about it so there's not a mad rush on the 'best beer evar!". At which point, carry on.
Stopped at the pub for late lunch. Looks like they have 25 cases left as of 12:45. Unfortunately, they won't serve just the Dissident variant, you can only get the whole line-up.
I really enjoy it. I thought it was the second best beer of the night, and only because dissident was so damn good.
Assuming this won't make it to Thursday (the earliest I will be able to get some there)? And yes, that is a poorly worded actual question.
Last night was a blast. Had a great table and the food certainly didn't disappoint. It was almost unfair to start off with that Dissident variant. I won't ever look at the beer the same! I also thought the Stoic was very good. Hell, the same can be said for all of the beers. My first sip of Collage had a huge dissident nose and after a couple swirls it was Stoic and then Fred. Glad I was able to secure 3 bottles so I can avoid the rat race here in Seattle
3 bottles isn't enough sir. I plan on getting my hands on as many of these things as I can. Collage just screams to be cellared
I think the beer is good. I haven't had it from the bottle yet but enjoyed it at both FredFest and the Collage Dinner at Wildwood (huge accolades to Wildwood for the event - professional service and amazing food at its best). As stated before, the major aroma and flavor component for me was Dissident. It has a sour nose and initial taste but then the sweetness comes in. I'd say get some if you have the chance, it should cellar well given its provenance and initial profile.
I guess we were all just too hung-over this morning to get the hype train rolling properly... (Let's keep in mind, this beer was not actually officially released until 4 hours ago.) I've had it on tap three times now. I think it's good; you can go read my review. (I do think the single barrel Dissident was better, but what can you do?) I imagine we'll open a bottle on Sunday and see how that compares to the tap version.
Don't I know it. I at least have those to fall back on. Should be able to get another 3-4 up here without any trouble. If anyone is willing to head back to the pub for a few I'd be forever grateful!
Sorry for taking so long, but here's my writeup on the dinner. Food porn included. http://samsbeeradventure.wordpress....-of-the-dog-collaboration-dinner-at-wildwood/
Nice write-up Sam. Thanks for the pic! Hard to believe, but I'm even more jealous after taking a look. Damn work...I would have loved to have gone to this.
Thanks for not being specific about which person "giggled" when tasting that pork belly confuit. Oh damn, that was good.... If it wasn't for the fact I'm working my way through the Walking Dead graphic novels, I think I would have been dreaming about that plate. Melt in your mouth good. Hmmmm....
This is starting to show up in Seattle - not sure how much, but its at Whole Foods so its likely to be in dozens of stores across town.
Since this thread seems to have morphed from discussing the dinner into a general Collage thread, I might as well mention that the bottles are out. There's a six bottle per person limit over the weekend (if there's any left on Monday we'll open it up), but at $12/bottle I don't expect too many people are going to want more than 6 anyway.
It wouldn't been the first time that the brewpub has been stingier with bottles than other shops in town.
Drinking a Collage now. Definitely a lot of Dissident initially. At first I was getting some maple syrup and smoaky flavor after the tartness but there's a lot of lingering bitterness now that's killing that flavor. It's a nice beer. I'm not sure about $11/bottle nice, but it's just money.
I'm wondering what direction the beer will take with age. It's so Dissident forward that with age it could mellow while getting more tart, or it could bring out the Adam and Fred influences. Should be interesting to watch as it evolves. It's an expensive experiment but I'll grab a couple more bottles while I can to see what happens. Love the 2 breweries so it's not like I'm going to lose confidence in either of them if the beer goes another direction.
I'm not sure what this is going to do over time, but given that Adam, Fred, and Dissident are all beers that have proven to be long term cellar candidates, I see no reason to think that Collage wouldn't.
