Beer of the week: Pendleton Pale Ale, Rogue Ales, Newport, Ore.
Published 3:10 pm Friday, April 15, 2016
Pendleton Pale Ale
Rogue Ales, Newport, Ore.
Style: Pale ale
Stats: 5.2 percent ABV, 30 IBU
Available: Six packs at Issaquah Brew House and other select locations
My thoughts: I love Crater Lake. I remember hiking around the rim of the great lake as a kid and standing in awe of the beautiful blues of the lake and the craggy peaks jutting out above it in the distance. I also love Olympic National Park. And Mount Rainier National Park. And North Cascades National Park.
The National Park system is a beautiful creation of one of my heroes, Theodore Roosevelt (Roosevelt signed legislation to make Crater Lake and four other parks National Parks while he was president). That’s why this beer is really piqued my interest … that and the fact that it’s the 100th birthday of the National Park system and April 16 through 24 is National Park Week.
A little background first: Rogue and Pendleton, a Pacific Northwest fabric company, teamed up to make this beer and celebrate Crater Lake and all National Parks. Pendleton has a history of honoring National Parks, having created the Glacier Stripe blanket to honor Glacier National Park 100 years ago. (Quick aside: I purchased a comfy, colorful Pendleton blanket in Seaside, Oregon, for my wife to celebrate our anniversary, so I’m a bit biased toward Oregon and Pendleton.)
The beer itself is OK. It’s hard to make a pale ale that stands out in a crowd and makes a beer drinker say, “Wow.” Rogue is always of the highest quality, so you know that you’re going to get a solid pale ale when you pick this beer up. But I recommend buying a six pack of this beer to support our country’s most amazing gift: the National Parks. Tip back a can and know that a portion of the proceeds is going to the National Park Foundation.
From the brewery: Rogue Pendleton Pale Ale is a light, refreshing pale ale brewed with hops and malts grown on Rogue Farms in Oregon. Inspired by Pendleton Woolen Mills’ National Parks Collection, this beer is brewed to honor Oregon’s iconic and stunning Crater Lake National Park. So grab a Pendleton blanket, head outdoors, and enjoy a Pendleton Pale Ale.
— Aaron Swaney
