Fly Fishing Beers

There are no lack of beer reviews on the Web, with many based on a trout fishing theme, but rarely do I find one that matches many of my picks. I run toward IPA’s and Pilsners when I’m not staying hydrated with Rainier, High Life and PBR. I used to only pack these lightweights to the water, and typically stuck with those when I got of the stream, but these days a few of the big-time tasty’s see their way into the cooler, too. Could be a price thing; back in college I could secure a case of R-Dogs for sixteen bucks. These days I might spend ten bucks on a mere six pack of Dead Guy Ale. I’m always on the lookout for new choices and that’s what the following post is about—I’ve lifted a few selections from HammerCreek.com, a techie-driven Web site that originates from the Midwest and carries good information for all of us, no matter our whereabouts. Here’s part of the post. Jump over to Hammer Creek to read the full report. GT

Fly Fishing Beer Blog

Calling myself a beer snob implies a certain level of discrimination I’m not willing to admit to. Granted I’m more selective than in my college years where my decisions were made primarily on funds available. I like to think my palate grew in sophistication over the years, but I’m also not paying for beer with laundry money. Truth is I do prefer certain styles of beer from unfiltered wheat in the summer to porters and doppelbocks in the winter and all will likely hail from a craft or microbrewery. When those boxes are checked I look for the beer to give me a reason to take it home, and name or label art factor in. That said, a beer with a fish or fishing theme stands a better chance than most. So I scoured the World Wide Web and my local beer mart to bring you a list to aspire to. Let me know who I missed and which of these is your favorite in the comments section.

I reached out to all the breweries on the list and some were nice enough to provide merchandise for me to give away. To enter, fill out the form below and include Beer Gear Giveaway in the comment section.

Beer: Alaskan Winter Ale
Type: English Old Ale
Brewer: Alaskan Brewing Company
About(From Alaskan Brewing Company):
Traditionally malty with the warming sensation of alcohol, Olde Ales are brewed in the fall as winter warmers. Brewed in the style of an English Olde Ale, this ale balances the sweet heady aroma of spruce tips with the clean crisp finish of noble hops. Its malty richness is complemented by the warming sensation of alcohol.

Beer: Bell’s Two Hearted Ale
Type: American-Style Pale Ale
Brewer: Bell’s Brewery Inc
About(From Bell’s Brewery Inc) : Bell’s Two Hearted Ale is defined by its intense hop aroma and malt balance. Hopped exclusively with the Centennial hop varietal from the Pacific Northwest, massive additions in the kettle and again in the fermenter lend their characteristic grapefruit and pine resin aromas. A significant malt body balances this hop presence; together with the signature fruity aromas of Bell’s house yeast, this leads to a remarkably drinkable American-style India Pale Ale.

Beer: Trout Slayer
Type: ESB Ale
Brewer: Big Sky Brewing Co.
About(From Big Sky Brewing Co.): They say the best way to shrink a fish is with a ruler, but the best way to grow a fish is with a beer. Montana Trout Slayer Ale is the beer to drink when you’re out knockin’ back a couple of cold ones and tellin’ fish stories. Who knows…the next one just might be the best yet.

Beer: Salmon Fly Honey Rye *Wins award for most beers with fly fishing theme check out the rest of their lineup*
Type: Honey Rye
Brewer: Madison River Brewing Company
About(From Madison River Brewing Company):Madison River Brewing Company presents Salmon Fly Honey Rye. The malted barley used in this unique brew is complimented by the subtle spiciness of rye. Bittering and flavor hop additions help keep this brew extremely balanced. In addition, there is a mild sweetness that dulls any overwhelming rye or hop flavor derived from the pure local Montana honey.

Beer: Bitch Creek
Type: ESB (Extra Special Brown)
Brewer: Grand Teton Brewing Company
About(From Grand Teton Brewing Company): Bitch Creek perfectly balances big malt sweetness and robust hop flavor for a full bodied, satisfying mahogany ale. Like the stream for which it is named, our Bitch Creek ESB is full of character… not for the timid. Check out the video.

Beer: Lost Trout
Type: Brown Ale
Brewer: Third Street Brewhouse
About(From Third Street Brewhouse): Lost trout. It’s a real problem in these parts. Legend has it this species flowed aplenty out back in the brewery creek, while others say the trout left town years ago. Where have all the trout gone? Maybe to those fancy creeks in the city, maybe to the local fish fry, or maybe – just maybe – they’re living a life of crime on the streets. The legend of abundant trout in the creek seems a bit fishy, but know what isn’t? Lost Trout Brown Ale. Truthfully delicious.

Beer: Hopfish
Type: IPA
Brewer: Flying Fish Brewing Co
About(From Flying Fish Brewing Co): At the request of you hopheads, we produced this I.P.A. with a deep golden color, plenty of hop bitterness balanced by malt sweetness. Because of the extensive dry hopping, there’s a floral and citrus hop finish. It’s then lightly filtered to maintain the appropriate body and flavor. The beer features a combination of American, English and German malts to balance the large amount of hops. The HopFish also uses three hop varieties at five different times and has been dry-hopped for two weeks with 22lbs of Nugget hops.

Beer: Thirsty Trout Porter
Type: Porter
Brewer: Dark Horse Brewing Co
About(From Dark Horse Brewing Co): This porter pours dark brown, nearly black with a nice off white head. The aroma is very rich in roasted chocolate malts and coffee beans. Lots of caramel with a mild sugary sweetness. The flavor starts very strong on the chocolate malt side, but mellows out in the middle with some nuttiness and fruit notes, finishing with floral hops. Medium in body with moderate carbonation.

Beer: Calico
Type: Amber Ale
Brewer: Ballast Point
About(From Ballast Point): A rich, copper ale with a case full of gold medals. Our Calico Amber Ale takes its inspiration from traditional English ESBs. Four types of malts give it a bold complexity, and our proprietary yeast strain lends it a fruity, madeira-like richness. However, it’s the American hops that give this ale a distinct bite and floral aroma that have earned it just about every major beer medal.

Beer: Deschutes River Ale
Type: Golden or Blonde
Brewer: Deschutes Brewery
About: (From Deschutes Brewery) Once called Riviere des Chutes by French Trappers the Deschutes River feeds our beers and souls alike. Merci.
Here’s one that’s clean and refreshing enough for the long haul, but fully graced with hop aroma, malt heft and clear craft passion. Sit back, relax, and let the subtle pleasures reveal.

Beer: Dortmunder Gold
Type: Dortmunder Style
Brewer: Great Lakes Brewing Co
About(From Great Lakes Brewing Co): When we first started brewing Dortmunder Gold in 1988, he was a born crowd-pleaser. Not long after that, he became a judge-pleaser, collecting gold medals at multiple national beer festivals. But you’ll never hear our Dortmunder Gold brag. Much like his hometown of Cleveland, Dortmunder Gold has old-school working-class style with a new-school artisan pedigree.

Beer: Dancing Trout Ale
Type: German Wheat
Brewer: Bayern Brewing
About(From Bayern Brewing, Inc): Dancing Trout Ale is a German Wheat Ale, the filtered version of a true Bavarian Hefeweizen. In Bavaria this beer would be called a Kristall-Weizen (Crystal-Wheat) because of its clarity. Dancing Trout Ale is brewed with malted wheat, pale and carmel malt, and moderately hopped using the best quality hops from Germany. Unlike its British and American counterparts, Dancing Trout Ale is brewed in the Bavarian tradition: aged a minimum of 28 days, versus 7-10 days for the average ale.

Beer: Trout Stout
Type: Stout
Brewer: Fish Brewing Company
About(From Fish Brewing Company): Full bodied, complex, and top hat black, Trout Stout boasts a distinctly dry roasted flavor and exceptional malt character. Here, hops play a subtle supporting role. Commanding center stage is a hearty ensemble of five varieties of malt. Roasted unmalted barley joins these to achieve this rich ale’s signature coffee-roasted flavor.

Beer: Cutthroat Porter
Type: Porter
Brewer: Odell Brewing Co
About(From Odell Brewing Co): Not quite a stout but definitely no lightweight, Cutthroat Porter is smooth and robust. Inspired by the classic London porters, we use dark roasted malts to create a deep, rich color and flavor that hint at chocolate and coffee. We named it Cutthroat Porter as our tribute to the Colorado state fish – with its own rich heritage and unmistakable dark coloring. And while we’re big fans of small batches, here’s to the currently threatened Cutthroat population reaching mass quantities.

Beer: Golden Trout Pilsner
Type: Pilsner
Brewer: Mammoth Brewing Company
About (From Mammoth Brewing Company): Crisp and refreshing as a high Sierra stream, Golden Trout Pilsner combines a light malty body with a floral hop finish. Pilsner malt, Vienna malt, and Sterling hops make this a beer of exceptional flavor. Named after the state fish of California Golden Trout Pilsner is a regular companion to many a fishing tale.

Beer: Winter Ale
Type: Scotch Ale
Brewer: Rush River Brewing Co (For me, a local favorite)
About(From Rush River Brewing Company): Our classic Winter Ale has been pouring for years. Based on a Scotch Ale recipe of ours, this dark ale packs a punch. We load the grain bill to emphasize maltiness with a sweet finish. This beer is also generously hopped for balance. A perfect pint for the cold of Winter.

Beer: American Beauty
Type: Imperial Pale Ale (all are good, but a Grateful Dead Dancing Bear needed to make the list)
Brewer: Dogfish Head
About(From Dogfish Head): American Beauty, an Imperial Pale Ale inspired by the Grateful Dead, captures the spirits of the band’s 30 years of touring and recording. Dogfish Head and the Dead both built their followings by connecting directly with beer lovers and music lovers, so we asked those loyal fans to help drive the recipe. For more than 1,500 ingredient suggestions, organic granola was tops. It was the main course in millions of parking lot meals and is a sweet and toasty complement to the barley and all-American hops.

Beer: Waterkeeper
Type: Hefeweizen Ale
Brewer: Sweet Water Brewing Company
About(From Sweet Water Brewing Company): Perfect for a float down the Hooch or just grillin’ in the backyard, Waterkeeper Hefeweizen is our go to summer brew. Picks up with notes of banana and clove and light enough to drink all day.
**Beginning almost a decade ago we began working with Chattahoochee Riverkeeper to help them in their mission of protecting the river which provides clean water for millions of folks in the southeast (quite possibly you and definitely our brewery!) Learn more about the Waterkeeper Alliance HERE
As expected, I missed a bunch of fishing related brews. Here are some reader recommendations!
Beer: Zonker Stout
Type: Stout
Brewer: Snake River Brewing Co.

Beer: 20” Brown
Type: Brown
Brewer: Cascade Lakes Brewing Co.

Beer: Steelhead EPA
Type: Extra Pale Ale
Brewer: Mad River Brewing Co.

Beer: Damnation
Type: Golden Ale
Brewer: Russian River Brewing Co.

Beer: Austrian Alpine Lager
Type: Lager
Brewer: Crafty Trout Brewing

Beer: Brown Trout Stout
Type: Stout
Brewer: Snitz Creek Brewery

Beer: Old Chub
Type: Scotch Ale
Brewer: Oskar Blues Brewery

Beer: Cutthroat Pale Ale
Type: Pale Ale
Brewer: Uintah Brewing Company

Beer: Stonefly IPA
Type: American Style IPA
Brewer: Saucony Creek Brewing Co.

Beer: Sockeye Red IPA
Type: IPA
Brewer: Midnight Sun Brewing Co.