(SpoCOOL) A Spokane Blog

When two breweries love each other very much, they come together and make collaboration beers. In that sense, Deschutes seems to be a bit promiscuous, running around town, making brews with some of the more prominent breweries.

Its current collaboration is the Collage Conflux Series No 1 -- Collage for short -- which they worked on with Hair of the Dog. The result comes at a price, clocking in at around $12 for a 12 ounce bottle, but it is also very, very good. And that's even well before the recommended aging time.

Just to give you some idea of the complexity that went into the Collage: This is a mix of Deschutes's Dissident and Stoic, and Hair of the Dog's Fred and Adam. (Hence the collage reference in the name.) The barrel aging list is the length of an essay, and includes whiskey-, cognac-, and pinot noir-barrels.

So how does it taste? Sour, complex, and pretty damn good. It has a brown color with red hues, unlike anything I've seen before, with a slightly tan head. Sniff, and the cognac and wine barrels are evident straight up front, with citric notes toward the end. 

Tasting it is a project in itself. You can probably spot your favorites in there, though, to me, the Dissident came to mind first. That's not so much because of the sourness -- the Collage is sour, but not as crazily as I had expected -- but more the cherry flavors. There is also a surprising malt kick here which I assume could come from one or both of the Hair of the Dogs. This is all laced in a vanilla like sweetness, possibly from the bourbon or cognac barrels.

This is a sipper, at 11.6% ABV, so take your time and enjoy it.

The Collage is instantly promising, and I can only assume it will age well as the flavors settle over the coming year. It's not a cheap investment, but it's worth the price, excellent as it is. Run out and get it. (BeerSpy doesn't seem to be working for me right now, but it's worth checking out anyway, if you need help finding the beer.)

Or, as it is, shrimp cheese in a tube.

It's a fact of life that tubed food is pretty common in many European countries -- and, I assume, other continents also -- and often times the tubes contain what many might consider odd foods. Like shrimp cheese, although I, personally, don't understand why anyone would consider that to be particularly "strange" or "gross". Haters will hate!

We found a tube from Kavli, the producer which came up with the so-called "melt cheese" concept in the 1920s, in Poulsbo. Yes, they have been producing oddly flavored cheeses in tubes since the twenties, and they still haven't received a Nobel prize for it. The world just isn't fair.

Anyway!

Describing the flavor is kind of difficult. It doesn't taste quite like cheese, nor does it really taste like shrimp. The aforementioned haters might use the word "artificial" and they might very well be right. That aside, I can't help but being a fan of the flavor. Maybe it's nostalgia, I don't know, but smear this on a good piece of loaf, and you got a sandwich going.

I think more food should come in a tube, but that's a discussion for a different time. Strike if you find a tube of shrimp cheese. It'll probably be labeled "Rekeost", or "Räkost" if it's the Swedish branded version.

Make today a tubed food day!

The Inlander reports Viking Tavern has closed down. That's too bad, obviously, but we suppose the Viking isn't the craft beer destination it once was, with a new generation of places taking its place. Most of them even have windows.

In Opposite Land, the Spokesman tells us Iron Goat's taproom has opened to the public. Its beers has been rather fondly embraced by most, so make sure to check them out.

Liquor License Stalker reveals Ramblin' Road Craft Brewery will be opening at 730 N Columbus. We'r not quite sure how their backstory went -- they were apparently once located in some shape or form on the west side -- but you can like them on Facebook.

And hey, just for good measure -- sign up is still going for #SpoBREW2ART. Release your inner artists, all over beer... Or something...

Two hours of Kristen Stewart? You bet you'll need a drinking game.

Take a shot whenever any of the following happens...

... every time a character from or reference to another fairy tale is made.

... every time Kristen Stewart slips up on her accent.

... you notice there are eight dwarves. I will repeat: Eight -- 8 -- dwarves. What the hell?

... every time the fairy tale rule of three's and seven's are broken.

... when you wonder why there are two Snow White movies out at the same time.

... every time the Huntsman's face is shown in slow motion.

... you wonder why the dwarves -- possibly all eight of them -- aren't played by actual dwarves, but rather "regular" sized actors. (All respect to Nick Frost, but Warwick Davis he is not.)

... you ask yourself why you didn't watch Prometheus instead.