Caldera Brewing Company - Saucer Portals

Caldera’s Saucer Portals hazy IPA presents a bright and hazy yellow-gold color in the glass, topped by a head of pale foam. Look for big fruity notes to jump out in the aroma, backed by secondary herbaceous and floral touches. There’s big citrus here, with candied lemon, tangerine, and orange notes dominating our impressions. Those big citrus aroma notes translate to the flavor as well, with the herbaceous note amplified a bit. The simple 2-Row and Oat malt bill delivers a creamy and smooth feel while lending a wide open canvas for the hops to do their thing. Hop bitterness is low, even for a hazy IPA, but this is expected as Caldera adds most of their hops for this beer late in their brewing process, keeping bitterness to a minimum while maximizing hop aroma characteristics. For pairing options, we’d steer towards light dishes with a citrus component for an obvious complementary experience. Citrus-marinated grilled chicken tacos, delicate white fish dishes with a spritz of lemon, or seared scallops with a citrus beurre blanc sound particularly great. Cheers!

Caldera Brewing Company is one of Oregon’s most storied and important breweries. As a young man, Caldera’s founder, homebrewer Jim Mills, went to work at Rogue – another one of Oregon’s famous breweries, whose Dead Guy Ale is a West Coast icon. Initially a bartender, he ended up eventually working as a brewer’s assistant before being elevated to Rogue’s head brewer in 1994. The next year, he started working on a business plan for his very own brewery, and in 1997 he launched Caldera with himself as head brewer, producing and selling its first beers in kegs.

Initially, Caldera produced their beer exclusively in kegs to service regional draft accounts, but soon demand had developed to the point that a retail expansion was warranted. In 2005, Caldera made the bold choice to embrace cans, becoming the first West Coast brewery – and one of the first in the country – to do so. Aside from the superior protection from damaging light, the cans were much lighter than glass and easily recyclable, helping to fulfill Caldera’s goal of sustainable beer production. In 2011, Caldera opened a brand new 28,000 sq. ft. facility including a full restaurant in addition to a new 30-barrel brewing system. Additionally, their original 10-barrel system remains in use to this day to craft smaller-batch, experimental beers.

Caldera currently produces a wide array of year-round and seasonal beers, in addition to a line of hard seltzers, plus craft sodas and sparkling waters. They believe their mountain water and dedication to using whole flower hops instead of the more common, cheaper, and easier hop pellets, are among their major differentiators, especially with IPAs and other hoppy styles. After enjoying their beers greatly, we find it hard to argue with that! For more info on their brewery and restaurant, visit them at calderabrewing.com.