February Spring Seasonals from Pyramid and McTarnanhan's

Spring is beginning to, well, spring, and it's a good time to start thinking about seasonal brews for Spring. Personally, I plan on enjoying as much of Kona Brewing's Pipeline Porter as I can before it disappears in March, but in the meantime, Pyramid Brewing's seasonal Spring Fling will be appearing on shelves in the first week of February, and there have already been sightings of this hoppy pale ale made with Two-row and Caramel malts, and hops that include Nugget, Willamette, and a new-to-me Cascade/Fuggle hybrid. This one goes away in March too, so I suggest grabbing it while you can; it's a bit sweeter (the Caramel malt?) than some Pale Ales, so some folks are being very pleasantly surprised by it. At 5.2% ABV, this one almost qualifies as a session brew. Spring's imminent arrival is making me interested in a six pack of Pyramid's Audacious Apricot which, for no particular reason, I very much associate with spring and summer and picnics.

Pyramid Brewing is also hosting the February launch of fellow Portland, Oregon brewery McTarnahan's spring release of Sling Shot pale ale, also made with 2 Row Pale, and Caramel malts, and Nugget and Cascade hops. It's got an ABV of 6.2% but it might be kind of fun to compare with Pyramid's own Spring Fling. The Sling Shot launch/release party is in Pyramid's Seattle brewpub on February 3, at 1201 1ST Ave South, Seattle, Wa 98134 from 5pm to 8pm.