2012 Preseason BEER THREAD!
by seattlebruin on Feb 22, 2012 3:21 PM PST
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PrintSo we haven't had one of these in a while and atobin22 in the OT just pointed out that Half TIme Beverages in NY will ship beer to you, which has inspired me!
Since we haven't done this in a year or so, what new brews have impressed you since then? Any new brewers specifically?
What about palette changes? Right now I'm not too into sours, but super into lighter beers, mainly saisons, black ales & black IPAs, and really dark Belgian-style IPAs.
Any neat festivals? I just went to Stone's Winter Storm, which is basically an excuse for them to pour everything in their cellars and had the really outstanding 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout a few times (which somehow is even better than it sounds).
Lastly, what beers can you not get where you are that you really want? This is what inspired this FanPost, as Southern Tier still doesn't distribute in California so I can't get delicious, delicious Iniquity. Also Three Floyds, but I'd rather have Southern Tier by a mile - I'm just glad that we now get almost everything Great Divide does.
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I will respond in earnest later...
For now, IMPORTANT
In honor of it being the end of the Mayan Calendar, the Elysian is doing THE 12 BEERS OF THE APOCALYPSE. If you wanted the first one, Nibiru Yerba Mate Tripel, YOU HAVE MISSED IT (I had it last week, it was okay). Pouring since last night, we have Rapture Heather Ale. It will be followed by Fallout Green Cardamom Pale Ale on March 21st.
Does this mean I will get to try one or two when I am in Seattle?!
by seattlebruin on Feb 22, 2012 3:34 PM PST up reply actions
It depends!
The good news is that they’re bottling them! The bad news is that they were already out of bottles by the time I got there, but presumably you could get someone to pick up a bottle for you.
by JY on Feb 22, 2012 3:37 PM PST up reply actions
If it's like the Yerba,
they’ll bottle more and it’s actually somewhat easy to nab one in like early/mid March after all the “must have it now” people are satiated
Okay is a pretty good way to describe Nibiru.
I love the concept, but man do I hope the execution improves.
by Aaron Campeau on Feb 22, 2012 3:55 PM PST up reply actions
So, anyone that actually wants Rapture Heather...
get on it. I went in for a pint last night and they were down to bottles. Tap was completely drained.
by JY on Mar 7, 2012 11:17 AM PST up reply actions
It's really, really good.
Miles better than the Nibiru.
by Aaron Campeau on Mar 7, 2012 11:26 AM PST up reply actions
Continuing to respond to myself:
Fourth Beer of the Apocalypse has been announced:
It’s the end of the world as we know it! Come celebrate with us as we release the fourth of our 12 BEERS OF THE APOCALYPSE :: PESTE Chocolate Chili Ale. Peste will be available on draft and in bottles with labels featuring the artwork of comic artist Charles Burns from his weirdly apocalyptic Black Hole series.
by JY on Mar 7, 2012 1:01 PM PST up reply actions
Really into right now:
-Barley Wine
-Coffee Porters
-Oatmeal Stouts
-Winter ales (yes, still)
What I’ll be into when the weather changes:
-Pale Ales
-IPAs
-ESBs
-Still barley wine because it rules, duh
I’m just a seasonal kind of guy with everything I like. Music, beer, food, etc.
by sanford_and_son on Feb 22, 2012 3:43 PM PST reply actions
Would you like me to add that I was with my old boss, whose son works as a bartender there?
so not only did we have it, we got it essentially for free?
by seattlebruin on Feb 22, 2012 3:56 PM PST up reply actions
I believe it was released as a seasonal in 2007.
So no.
by Aaron Campeau on Feb 22, 2012 5:34 PM PST up reply actions
12th Anniversary, 2008 I think
supposedly they have lots left… but it only comes out at Stone anymore
by seattlebruin on Feb 22, 2012 5:35 PM PST up reply actions
Why?
Why do they do this? It was wildly popular. I do not know anyone that didn’t love it. The day I went to the store and knew it was gone I honest-to-god teared up. I cannot believe that it wouldn’t sell well as a seasonal, or even non-annual special release.
So why not do it again? They’ve done it for other anniversary beers. What makes this one off-limits? It’s baffling.
by Aaron Campeau on Feb 22, 2012 5:40 PM PST up reply actions
My favorite recent discovery is New Belgium Lips of Faith Cocoa Mole
It is, in nearly every way, the perfect beer for me. It’s sweet without being cloying and heavy, the cinnamon and chili are unorthodox beer flavors that are integrated in perfect fashion and the spiciness masks the very strong alcohol content almost completely. I have never bought an entire case of (expensive) beer before, but I am sorely tempted to do so in this instance.
My love affair with Baltic porters continues, and I find them to be an excellent style for this time of year in the Northwest. I’ve also been happy to see that a lot of more widely-available craft breweries have been getting a lot more adventurous in their efforts; Widmer W’12 Dark Saison is a perfect example of this, as is Sierra Nevada’s Ruthless Rye.
Ruthless Rye is an excellent segway into another development that’s been nice to see; with the IBU/ABV wars of IPAs seemingly fading, I’m noticing many more varieties of IPA popping up. Black IPAs were the first, and now rye IPAs (not exactly unconventional, but definitely more prevalent now than before. Widmer has been killing it lately with their Rotator series and they’re fast becoming one of my favorite of the larger craft breweries.
It’s odd, because it seems like the craft beer industry is addressing a lot of the concerns I had about the direction the market was heading almost instantaneously. Whatever the reason, I’m pretty happy because I am as excited about beer as I’ve been in a while.
Where did you get the Cocoa Mole at?
I haven’t been able to find it anywhere.
by wyte_lightning on Feb 22, 2012 4:58 PM PST up reply actions
Lips of Faith in general, I haven't seen commonly.
There’s a friend of mine who always tends to show up when we’re hanging out, bomber of some crazy Lips of Faith thing in his hand. I’ve only ever seen them at Fred Meyer, and that was only one or two of them.
by JY on Feb 22, 2012 5:01 PM PST up reply actions
Even 99 Bottles doesn't have it (per the site)
Has four other Lips of Faith, but not the Cocoa Mole.
by wyte_lightning on Feb 22, 2012 5:03 PM PST up reply actions
I picked it up at Full Throttle Bottles in Georgetown.
Also had it on tap at Naked City.
by Aaron Campeau on Feb 22, 2012 5:04 PM PST up reply actions
Speaking of Naked City, what do people think of their beers?
I tend to enjoy them, particularly the hoppier of their selections, but I’m possibly also biased because my brother-in-law is the GM.
by Chris Hafner on Feb 22, 2012 5:34 PM PST up reply actions
If that's the case, then man, I need to make it to Hopvine more often.
by JY on Feb 22, 2012 5:33 PM PST up reply actions
I live pretty close to the Hopvine, love beer and almost never go there.
I think the problem is they are priced a little too high. They are kinda positioned between being a normal ale house and being ‘nice’. I wan’t them to be the Canterbury with a good beer selection, instead they are a Smith with a good beer selection.
I remember it being more in the $5.00 range for some reason.
I guess I’ll have to check, shucks. Partly I just miss the Eastside in Olympia, with $2.50 pints on Thursdays.
Live in SF or New York for a while, and you won't have any issues with prices in Seattle ever again!
2.50 for real beer? Ya, in 1985.
On the other hand you just gotta find yourself an Open Bar somewhere
And hang out in Chinatown. Don’t know about SF, but NY is one of the cheapest places I’ve ever visited!
Wait what?
we pay like $7-8/pint easy in San Diego
by seattlebruin on Feb 23, 2012 9:07 AM PST up reply actions
I'm not opposed to paying more for good beer.
It’s just one the things about the Hopevine that grades it out lower for me personally.
The only way I get beer that cheap is that the waitresses at the Tap Room love us and gave us one of the $1 off every beer cards
by seattlebruin on Feb 23, 2012 10:56 AM PST up reply actions
A few places in Spokane will give you 5 dollar pints as long as it isn't really special beer.
Jones Radiator usually has stuff like Avery’s more standard offerings for 5 bucks a pint. I’m fairly certain I got an 8oz The Abyss for $4.50 somewhere too.
Unless I'm smoking something, $4.50 pints are pretty common for 'standard' micro brews.
But I’m really not such a huge cheapskate that paying a $1 more bothers me. It’s just that if I can find the beers I like at other places for slightly cheaper AND I like the atmosphere better, there isn’t a big reason for me to go to the Hopvine all that often.
Anyways the big reason for me not to go to the Hopvine is that I don’t like the live music they often have. Still I’ll probably make an effort to go there just to try out a some beers I wouldn’t otherwise get my hands on.
Eastside club is pretty impressive.
The Redhot in tacoma does $10 growler fills on Mondays, which is pretty good for the budget-minded beer geek as well. Fewer taps than the eastside, but they’re very well chosen, in my opinion.
The Eastside is peerless in my experience.
40 taps, most at are $3.75. Just went down today and was reminded that they have Pliny on tap for $5.75.
The Eastside makes me want to quit my job and move back to Olympia.
I love the Hopvine.
Nothing good has ever happened at The Canterbury.
by sanford_and_son on Feb 23, 2012 8:09 AM PST up reply actions
I have friends who loved The Canterbury, and now no longer want to go to it
because the wait staff remembers what happened the last time they were at The Canterbury.
by JY on Feb 23, 2012 9:58 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
The Beer Junction in West Seattle
Also has it. I haven’t tried it yet, as I didn’t see it until I was leaving the store after having procured something else. :/
They know us by name there
Not sure if I should be proud or ashamed.
Can hardly wait til they move to their new digs, though; should give them more room. For more beer. Everyone wins!
Nice, I was going to ask about Ruthless Rye
I’ve seen it a couple places recently but didn’t know if it was worth picking up.
On another note, Koko Brown is chilling fresh from the store. Well, half of it is in the pantry, any preference for drinking it cold or room temp? They also still had 3-4 6packs of Pipeline, on sale since it’s the last of it’s kind for a while, but it was in the cooler, and went into a semi warm car for 5 hours. So I may have killed it, but will still drink it, so that’s another temperature question I guess.
Last purchase was a 6 pack of Rogue Hazelnut Brown
by Craptastic-J on Feb 22, 2012 5:17 PM PST up reply actions
I think Koko Brown is definitely a beer to have cold, or at least chilled
by Aaron Campeau on Feb 22, 2012 5:24 PM PST up reply actions
Are you sure?
Or are you hearing things?
Because you’re insane.
I'm siding with Aaron in the "Great Koko Brown Debate of '12"
I still like Pipeline better, but Koko is damn good too.
by Craptastic-J on Feb 24, 2012 10:21 AM PST up reply actions
I rarely pop into these threads, but I recently found Koko Brown, and LOVE it, ice cold, ice cold glass. Almost slushy.
Best “sneaky good kinda chick beer” I can think of.
I've put away the whiskey and the chainsaw and gone responsible. I'd like to say "Danny Kelly made me do it!" but that would be a lie. I chose to shave, put on a suit and tie and pretend I'm more important than I really am...
by Tyler Jorgensen on Feb 23, 2012 9:54 PM PST up reply actions
It's the coconut.
You either like it or don’t. The taste really throws me off, but I understand the bias.
I normally like coconut, but I wasn't wild about Koko Brown.
I might have had it at the wrong temp or something.
If I remember right the time I had and hated it, it was pretty warm.
All the accolades on this site are making want to get some and try it chilled.
Do you have a favorite Baltic porter you can recommend?
The style sounds delicious, but I’m not sure I’ve had one.
Also, I completely agree with your observations on Widmer. I had pretty much written them off a few years ago, and I can’t really drink their hefe anymore, but both the Brr and the Rotator IPAs have been genuinely distinctive, interesting, and tasty. I really enjoy what they’re doing.
by Chris Hafner on Feb 22, 2012 5:32 PM PST up reply actions
In addition to the Victory recommended below
both DuckRabbit and Foothills make pretty nice Baltic Porters seasonally in North Carolina. Give them a shot if they become available in the west.
I picked up a six pack of Ruthless Rye for the first time this past weekend and absolutely loved it.
If you really like rye beers, Founders makes an excellent one as well, called Red’s Rye PA.
The New Belgium Cocoa Mole is one of the best new beers I've had in a long time.
And definitely my favorite Lips of Faith series beer that I’ve tried, which is saying a lot because there are quite a few good ones.
by sanford_and_son on Feb 23, 2012 8:07 AM PST up reply actions
Agreed on the W'12.
W’11 (Russian Imperial Stout) was a hit with everyone I ever saw try it, and W’12 seems to have matched it. Good on Widmer.
by RunningFool on Feb 24, 2012 10:25 AM PST up reply actions
Bangarang. Found a bottle of Cocoa Mole.
Game time.
I'm late, but I just wanted to say that I completely agree with this -
I’d been yabbering about the IBU wars and it seemed like it was only getting worse. The other thing, which you touched on above, was the development of tiers in the craft brewing world – Widmer made so-so “better than Miller” things and an inexplicably popular hefeweizen, and you needed to go to newer, more niche brewers for something more interesting. That wasn’t a terrible situation, but it’s amazing to see the first generation breweries step up, even if it’s just in the limited edition series – Full Sail, New Belgium, Sierra Nevada, etc. It’s like the Ports, the Souther Tiers and the Elysians proved that there was a decent sized market for something beyond amber ales and then the old guard decided to try their hand at it too. Or maybe, they decided to actually sell/bottle things they’d always made but the general public never saw.
I had some Cocoa Mole at the Elysian last night where it was on tap.
Pretty damned amazing. Like Mexican Hot Chocolate, but boozy instead of creamy.
by JY on Mar 7, 2012 11:19 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
After living in the Bay Area for a couple years
I feel like the Seattle beer scene went kind of weak. My favorites continue to be big double IPA’s, but I’ve also started to enjoy some Winter beers like Snoqualmie’s Avalanche Winter Ale or Maritime’s Jolly Roger.
If you want to have beer brought to you, you have to get to know this Scooter the Beer Guy. If you’re nice to him or tip him well he’ll give his card and you just text him your seat and he’ll deliver beer when ever you want. On Mariners off days he use to work at the Spokane Indians games. He gave me his card there, but I’ve since lost it. Also if you sit in the Terrace Club you can fill out cards and they will bring you beer a couple times a game.
On lunch I was able to grab a growler of the Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Barleywine.
Should I be excited to drink it?
I don't know how to quantify beer tastes
but since I turned 21, the favorites I’ve had are Pipeline Porter, Lagunitas Sucks and Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA.
I'm glad your tastes include Pipeline because it is amazing
by seattlebruin on Feb 24, 2012 9:35 AM PST up reply actions
Did you know?
Pipeline is brewed by Redhook.
by twelveoutof10 on Mar 1, 2012 8:59 PM PST up reply actions
On the mainland, yes. More like "brewed at" than "brewed by," though, I suppose.
From wiki:
“Kona Brewing Company runs its flagship brewery in Kailua-Kona on Hawaii’s Big Island which produced just over 10,000 barrels in 2008. Kona Brewing Company also produces its bottled beer and mainland draft beer at Widmer Brothers Brewery in Portland, Oregon and Redhook Ale Brewery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, as part of its partnership with Craft Brewers Alliance, Inc. (CBAI). Kona Brewing Company crafts its beer using CBAI’s "bricks and mortar," synergizing with these breweries’ scales and efficiencies while controlling all aspects of the brewing. This partnership grants the company access to the Anheuser-Busch distribution network, which, according to Hawaii Business Magazine, “has the most technologically sophisticated distributor system in the country, with computer terminals in thousands of independently owned distributors and its own network of wholly owned distribution branches.”9"
by sanford_and_son on Mar 2, 2012 8:21 AM PST up reply actions
Mmm, marketing speak.
I never read the wiki or anything. I just drank the pipeline draught at the brewery, which is surprisingly small, while the bartender explained how everything in a bottle is made on the mainland.
Apparently if you go to the store on the island and buy a sixer there it is still actually made on the mainland and shipped onto the islands.
by twelveoutof10 on Mar 2, 2012 6:23 PM PST up reply actions
We were lucky enough to rent a house next door to the owner of Kona Brewing last time we were on the Big Island
and he said that the reason they do that is because it’s far, far cheaper to make and bottle it on the mainland and ship it back – if they bottled it on the Big Island he said it’d probably cost 30% more than it does.
Kona Brewing is basically an Oregon company, by the way – the current owner’s from here, lives here half the year, and bought it from another Oregonian a few years back. Small freakin’ world.
by pdb on Mar 2, 2012 6:25 PM PST up reply actions
Yes.
Interestingly, and not part of my original story, I too met a man who claimed to be the owner while enjoying fireworks last year on the fourth.
I got the same story from him. I wonder if it was the same guy, though I think I recall saying he was a ‘partner’ and therefore may be one of two people who own the operation.
Either way, they certainly make a good product. I had a pint of their oak aged stuff (can’t recall the brew, sadly) that really was the first oak aged beer I had ever tried.
by twelveoutof10 on Mar 2, 2012 6:28 PM PST up reply actions
Does anyone else new beer?
I’ve done for do far, all fairly successful (though I have an over-carbonation issue). How do you get ideas for what to brew? Are clone brews ever as good as the real thing? How quickly do you re-brew a past success?
by yuniform on Feb 22, 2012 4:35 PM PST via Android app reply actions
Since I make those same silly typos all the time, I will not make fun.
For your carbonation issue you might want to make sure everything is cleaner and look at different yeasts. Some clones are good some not so much. It all depends on who wrote the recipe. I get my ideas and information from beertools.com. I’ve made some good double IPA’s a Scotch and a big red ale. I have not really brewed in a while I should fire everything up again.
Brewers I can't get which is stupid:
Kuhnhenn, Bells, Three Floyds, Surly, Cigar City, AleSmith, Founders, Hill Farmstead
Possibly Alpine as well. Can’t remember.
How good is Cigar City?
I have a buddy in NY shipping me some East Coast beers and wasn’t totally clear on what to ask for.
Most of what Goose Island makes, including Bourbon County which RAAAGEEEE
by Aaron Campeau on Feb 22, 2012 4:41 PM PST up reply actions
Also I haven't seen it in awhile, but I haven't looked for it in awhile.
So perhaps we can no longer get it. Which would be weird since we can always get Matilda and that other who cares one
I think they decided to go the artifical scarcity route, which means they can spit-shine my taint
by Aaron Campeau on Feb 22, 2012 4:45 PM PST up reply actions 3 recs
Some breweries do the same out here, too
we get everything Dogfish does except 120 Minute, which is of course infuriating
by seattlebruin on Feb 22, 2012 4:48 PM PST up reply actions
I'd always thought that was a weird ABV thing
by Aaron Campeau on Feb 22, 2012 4:51 PM PST up reply actions
I should probably take advantage of the Dogfish Head brewpub that's an hour away.
I bet they have 120 on tap.
by Craptastic-J on Feb 22, 2012 5:22 PM PST up reply actions
Only occasional tastings, right?
’Cause the first time I had 120 was during San Diego Beer Fest.
by seattle_since_81 on Feb 23, 2012 2:48 PM PST up reply actions
I really wish AleSmith had PNW distribution.
by Chris Hafner on Feb 22, 2012 5:34 PM PST up reply actions
I personally think AleSmith is kinda overrated
besides Speedway, there’s nothing of theirs that I particularly covet
by seattlebruin on Feb 22, 2012 5:40 PM PST up reply actions
They tend to be overly sweet, at least the ones I've had.
But god, Speedway. So good. The good pub in Palo Alto has it in bottles.
They get it in Portland, how much harder could it be to get to Washington?
Can they not cross bridges or something?
From what I recall of a slightly boozy conversation I had with an employee last year, they're taking baby steps.
But I think the idea was to move north before moving east, so it shouldn’t be too long before they’re in Washington.
Surly is awesome! I'm biased towards microbrews in cans, though. Love 'em.
Next time I go to Minnesota I may have to stock up and/or ship some back.
by sanford_and_son on Feb 23, 2012 8:13 AM PST up reply actions
Have you tried the 21st amendment black IPA?
We get that and their less interesting stuf in cans. I’m not a big black IPA fan though so I can’t comment on quality.
Back in Black! Yep, I really like it.
I like most of 21st’s beers except for that Watermelon one. Steer clear of that one.
Their Bitter American is a great session beer for chillin’ or watching sports and not wanting to get totally wasted.
by sanford_and_son on Feb 23, 2012 10:13 AM PST up reply actions
It peaked my interest, but the sixers are the same price if it's the Back in Black or the American.
I’m just not sure the value’s there for a session beer.
Cigar City's Maduro Brown and Founders' Reds Rye
were two beers I picked up in my last Halftime order. I hadn’t tried any beers from either brewery before but I really enjoyed both of those.
Strangely, I get Bells in Yuma, AZ
It is a delight. All of it. Two Hearted is an obvious favorite, and the Oberon tastes like summer delicious forever.
by Ballard Erik on Feb 24, 2012 10:29 PM PST up reply actions
The Leschi Market has and interesting selection.
I picked up a bottle of Dogfish Head Pangea and a couple of other taste beers there.
Kona doesn't distribute in Illinois. I would like access to Koko and Pipeline.
Deschutes doesn’t either, and that sucks. Basically, I need to set up a beer exchange with the West Coasters since I get all the Southern Tier, Founders, Three Floyds, and Goose Island that I want.
And to do a better job of answering your questions,
I’ll seek more saisons and sours in the summer but otherwise my habits don’t change radically.
Had Great Divide Smoked Baltic Porter a few weeks ago and rather enjoyed it, as well as Three Floyds Black Sun Stout. The Black Sun Stout is a dry hopped stout which means it has more floral hoppiness than you’d expect and it made for a really nice balance.
I see Founders and Brooklyn (from the other thread) all the time
But never pick any up cause I didn’t know much about them. I will have to rectify that soon. After I burn through all the Kona I just bought today.
by Craptastic-J on Feb 22, 2012 5:31 PM PST up reply actions
I see Southern Tier all the time here in Vermont.
But I’ve never tried it. Now I am intrigued.
CougCenter In Reid We Trust, Twitter!
by Craig Powers on Feb 22, 2012 5:33 PM PST up reply actions
Yep. Lots of Smuttynose.
CougCenter In Reid We Trust, Twitter!
by Craig Powers on Feb 22, 2012 7:34 PM PST up reply actions
Southern tier has some really nice brews.
Iniquity is my favorite so far but if you like the fall/winter stuff Pumpking is the best pumpkin that I have tried in my life.
JY might be able to give you ideas on other brews from them as he lived in NY for a while.
All of my experience has been bottle conditioned. He’s had the tap.
Not as much advice as I would hope.
I was dirt poor when living in New York and only drank rarely. I found one good bar that had a variety of taps, all the offerings served in smaller glasses, but I only learned of it at the tail end of my tenure there, which sucked.
by JY on Feb 23, 2012 7:35 PM PST up reply actions
Damn!
It’s so good when I’m lucky enough to find it here that I was hoping you would be able to tell tale of how much I was missing by not having it on tap.
Answers!
Random Beer News: It seems like Pliny the Younger is making the rounds lately – I believe Naked City had it on tap recently, and the Red House in Renton will have it on tap the afternoon of the 27th.
Recently Wins/Misses: I really enjoyed the HUB Abominable Winter Ale. The first time I tried it it felt like I was biting into a delicious beer-candy. I really didn’t enjoy Dogfish Head Noble Rot – it just wasn’t particularly distinctive and tasted like something between a beer and wine, but taking the least interesting bits of each. It was surprisingly bland for a DFH beer. DFH’s Chicory Stout was really tasty on first sip but got a little less impressive as I worked through it – seemed like it faded into just a straightforward smoky dark beer, but I’m looking forward to having more and reevaluating it.
Palette Changes: I’m pretty consistent from season to season, which means that my preferred styles are, as usual:
Imperial Stouts
Porters
Saisons
Sours
IIPAs
Black IPAs
Dark Belgians
Barleywines
Good saisons just make me so happy
they are like drinking summer in a bottle without it tasting like celery
by seattlebruin on Feb 22, 2012 5:47 PM PST up reply actions
Love Allagash.
Had that tonight! They make a lot of good Belgian beers.
CougCenter In Reid We Trust, Twitter!
by Craig Powers on Feb 22, 2012 7:35 PM PST up reply actions
Allagash is a fantastic brewery.
I just do not like Allagash White at all.
I can see that.
I didn’t like it at first, but I’ve come around to the White because it is frequently in my refrigerator (Gf loves it). As far as their four-packs go, I prefer the Tripel, but it is 3 bucks more.
Toured their brewery last fall and they do some pretty awesome things, including making beers with airborne yeast (forget what the technical term was for it).
CougCenter In Reid We Trust, Twitter!
by Craig Powers on Feb 22, 2012 7:46 PM PST up reply actions
This seems like a perfect segway - favorite lighter beers?
- Saint Somewhere Saison Athene
- Dupont Avec Le Bon Voeux
- Flying Dog Woody Creek White
- Lost Abbey Carnevale
- Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere
- New Belgium Lips of Faith Biere de Mars
by seattlebruin on Feb 23, 2012 9:14 AM PST up reply actions
I had one of the Abominables not too long ago.
It was solid, definitely, but I wasn’t quite as impressed by it as you. In general though, I’m pretty impressed with HUBs output. Their Cascadian Dark Ale was probably the one I liked the best, but there hasn’t been a below-average brew of theirs that I’ve tried.
by JY on Mar 5, 2012 9:08 PM PST up reply actions
I continue to be impressed by everything Fremont Brewing is doing.
I like PNW IPA’s and they hit the mark with all of their IPA varieties, especially their summer seasonal — Summer Solstice Pale Ale — which is probably the cleanest and most refreshing hoppy pale ale I’ve ever had. But everything I’ve tasted from them has been good, even when it’s a style I don’t usually like (wheat, dark) as everything tends to be on the dry side and really fresh. It’s also where Chris Ray brewed his beer last year.
If you are ever in Fremont I recommend heading over to the brewery. It’s in a little warehouse close to Stone Way and 35th by the ‘Fremont Dock’. They have a laid back beer garden a couple days of the week with $4.00 imperial pints and you can get $8 growlers anytime.
by stredarts on Feb 22, 2012 6:44 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
I agree, Fremont Brewing is doing great things so far. I love the Abominable and their IPA and Pale ale are great.
Been meaning to get some growler fills there. It’s really only 8 bucks at any given time? That is a deal.
by sanford_and_son on Feb 23, 2012 8:17 AM PST up reply actions
Yeah, as long as you already have a growler most of their beer is $8.
Did you have the Bourbon Barrel Abominable? At some point they had a batch with blackberries which was really good. I think they have a bunch of one offs with various fruit right now so its a good time to check them out before that is all gone.
Their website:
http://www.fremontbrewing.com/
Awesome.
I’ve only had the regular Abominable, but anything that comes from a bourbon barrel is pretty much guaranteed greatness. Love that style. I’ll keep my eye out.
by sanford_and_son on Feb 23, 2012 10:45 AM PST up reply actions
I just saw this on their twitter feed.
Arise, Fremont minions. UBG starts @ 4pm w/ RUM-SOAKED OAKED DARK STAR on cask. Bombers of B-Bomb still left, too. http://fb.me/CN7ldUyM
From the link:.
CASK: Rum-Soaked Oaked Dark Star is a mixture of blackstrap rum, toasted oak chips and Imperial Oatmeal Stout. To celebrate, we’ll be playing Rum, Sodomy and the Lash on loop in the brewery for the rest of the weekend. You’re welcome. … $6/goblet
Sounds pretty good.
I was checking out Halftime Brewing's site....
and here’s a couple quick recommendations for beers from the East coast breweries available on there.
Ommegang’s Three Philosophers—This has quickly become one of my favorite beers over the past year. Belgian style quadruple with a subtle cherry accents. I highly recommend this.
Weyerbacher’s Quad— I first discovered this brewery earlier this year after stumbling across their Merry Monks’ Ale on tap in Philly. The brewery took over a local bar’s taps for a tasting night so I got to sample some of their best, and I fell in love with their Quad and Sierra brews. I’ve had trouble tracking down Sierra since that night, but Quad seems to be found everywhere around here.
Dogfish Head’s Raison D’etre—I think everyone is more or less familiar with Dogfish Head, because of their 90 minute IPA. However, this is one of their better beers that I’ve become attached too over the past year.
I believe Ommegang’s Three Philosophers is readily available in the NW.
Usually for about 12 bucks or so.
by sanford_and_son on Feb 23, 2012 8:18 AM PST up reply actions
This thread makes me so incredibly sad. People just don't respect beer here in Spain, but I finally found a microbrewery called Domus.
So if any of you ever come to this part of the world, then you obviously must go to Toledo (all those people who come to Spain and only see Barcelona and Madrid are insane and missing out—Toledo’s the best city in the country). And when you’re in Toledo, you can try Domus.
I’m sure there are others, but it’s the only microbrew I’ve discovered so far in Spain, and it’s pretty damn good. If you’ve been spoiled by the insane options that we have in the States, it probably won’t impress so much. But if you’ve been around for a while drinking nothing buy Mahou or, god forbid, Cruzcampo, it’s incredible. The IPA is not what I expected. It’s not super hoppy like most American IPAs, and the alcohol content is only 6%, but instead it has a very strong citrus and pine flavor. Crisp and refreshing!
But you're in Spain so I still think I'd trade
by seattlebruin on Feb 23, 2012 9:15 AM PST up reply actions
Watching the Mariners is damn near impossible though!
Unless you’re unemployed. Which a lot of people are. But probably not too many expats.
Yeah I've have the exact same feeling, I miss PNW beer here.
But holy shit I’m going to Toledo on Tuesday so I will have to check it out. Especially after a couple months of Alhambra and Cruzcampo in the south. Thanks for the tip.
Alhambra's probably my favorite of the main Spanish beers, and the Reserva 1925 is a pretty decent lager and not too hard to find.
But it’s a real treat to have something different. I can’t remember where exactly I found the Domus, but the website has a list of bars that carry it. Have a blast in Toledo!
Holy shit the macrobrews in Spain are bad.
Mahou and San Miguel are gross.
by Mariner John on Feb 23, 2012 12:31 PM PST up reply actions
I assume it's similar to my Italian experience.
We had bring-a-bottle parties about every other night (off nights in bars) during my time in school there. Naturally, it being Italy, you’d get about 2 dozen bottles of red wine each time. There was, however, one lonely six pack of Moretti that just shuttled from party to party. No one wanted to drink it, but no one could justify throwing away viable alcohol.
There was a club that had free drinks pretty regularly
The choices were sangria (which they were always somehow out of), beer and soft drinks. The vouchers became useless pretty quickly once we discovered how awful the beer was.
by Mariner John on Feb 23, 2012 1:06 PM PST up reply actions
Note that I was able to find Spanish drinks that were perfectly fine, just commenting on the beer.
I miss euro shots in particular.
by Mariner John on Feb 23, 2012 1:12 PM PST up reply actions
A sideaffect of the fact that Spanish people don't drink straight liquor is that you can order a whiskey no mixer
And after the bartender’s jaw drops to the floor, they’ll just go ahead and give you a whole glass full of whiskey and charge normal mixed drink price (like 4-5euros).
Tired it out today in Toledo, and pretty good.
I was definitely surprised by the amount of citrus flavor, not the same as an IPA from back in the states but enjoyed it. A nice welcome change, thanks again
I know the 2011 batch of 120 minutes was ruined but does anybody know about the recent explosion of availability of the 90 minute?
I used to only be able to find it in specialty stores but now I’m finding it in 4 packs at grocery stores not to mention on tap at bars that I would never expect to ever find it at.
Firestone Walker Velvet Merlin oatmeal stout and Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye
are two brews I’ve picked up in recent weeks and have enjoyed quite a bit. I’d like to get more into sours after having positive experiences with my first few bottles, but the prices can be pretty off-putting. I did try Duchesse de Bourgogne on tap in Ballard last week, though, and it was fantastic.
Firestone Walker has some damned nice brews.
I haven’t seen either the oatmeal or the merkin yet. Apparently I am now on the search.
Same beer.
They couldn’t get label approval for “Velvet Merkin” in some dumbass pussy state so they changed the name.
by Aaron Campeau on Feb 23, 2012 7:41 PM PST up reply actions
When I hear about the reasons for the name change I also learned something!
Something I kind of wish I hadn’t!
by Aaron Campeau on Feb 24, 2012 7:32 AM PST up reply actions
Well, that is just silly.
Which state?
by sanford_and_son on Feb 24, 2012 8:11 AM PST up reply actions
I saw the Velvet the other day and almost picked it up.
Will have to go back for it now. I’m excited, oatmeal stouts are great beers.
Beer response
The best thing I’ve had this year was probably Perseverance from Alaskan. Birch syrup and fireweed honey in an Imperial Stout. Tasted like smoke and burnt cream. I only got my hands on one though and man was I sad when I couldn’t find it again. I don’t know if it was just unlike all the other beers I’ve had or if I really liked it that much, but I think it was both.
Anyway, beer tastes have shifted away from overreliance on the IPA to increased variety, which is less to say that there were beers I wasn’t willing to try before, and more to say that I just wasn’t trying them. The first few porters and stouts I had disappointed me I guess (they tasted watery somehow?), but I had Full Sail’s Imperial Bouban Barrel Aged Porter a couple weeks back and I could just drink that all day and night. Otherwise, whatever is in season, I’m willing to give a shot.
Preserverance is yet another to add to my search.
I’m with you on the IPA’s. (Probably a bit odd since I’m a pretty heavy hophead) The influx of the breed has pretty much made them the “Lab” (dog reference) of beers recently. Don’t get me wrong; I love my lab. I just don’t see the need for 12 thousand of her around. I won’t go so far as to say that the populace diminishes her in any way. It’s more a “Hey, some other breeds need love too” kind of thing. How about a nice black lager or something?
I have yet to have a bourbon-barrel aged beer that is not spectacular
For some reason, that really works well.
by pdb on Feb 24, 2012 8:59 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
I just wouldn't think that flavor would mix with pretty much any beer, though
Usually with things like this there’s at least one variety where you think “this was a good idea but the execution didn’t quite work out”, but with bourbon-barrel aged beers I have yet to find that one exception.
I actually tend to really dislike bourbon-barrel aged sours.
Way, way too much.
by Aaron Campeau on Feb 24, 2012 12:26 PM PST up reply actions
Seattle area barley wine fans might already be aware of this event,
but I’ll just leave this here.
by sanford_and_son on Feb 24, 2012 11:22 AM PST reply actions
well I know what I'm doing one day this weekend and what I'm not doing the next day
by Aaron Campeau on Feb 24, 2012 11:40 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
I'm considering just doing some urban camping in West Seattle for the weekend, somewhere within stumbling distance of BPP.
by sanford_and_son on Feb 24, 2012 11:46 AM PST up reply actions
I live about a mile from that place.
I am debating going there this evening, but am not sure after last night’s champagne shenanigans that I really need to aggravate anything. :/
Session beers.
We discussed the Bitter American a bit earlier from 21st Amendment, but does anyone else have any other recommendations either dark or light in this area? Affordable sixers are also a plus.
Also, this Texan beer I tried last week is unbelievably smooth and would be just perfect for watching baseball on hot days.
Real Ale Firemans #4 Blonde Ale (scroll down)
No distro here of course, though so :(
by sanford_and_son on Feb 24, 2012 11:40 AM PST up reply actions
I am a big fan of Full Sail Session
They make two varieties year-round and a red for the holidays. It’s really good stuff and pretty reasonably priced.
I really like Full Sail.
Notch makes a nice series of sessions (their Cerne Pivo is outstanding) but they’re a small outfit out of Ipswich, MA and with limited distribution, so obviously of little help to most people here.
On a major Pike Kilt Lifter kick as my go-to session beer
moderately affordable sixers, but the alcohol’s a bit higher than I’d want in a true session beer.
Fish Organic Amber, Pipeline porter.
For the lighter stuff, if you’ve got a growler, I’ve seen Chuckanut pilsner and Georgetown’s Roger’s Pilsner around recently, and both are quite good. Not bottled, though.
This time of year you can find Deschutes Green Lakes organic ale around, and that’s a good, sessionable thing.
Is the Pike available outside seattle?
I know the Georgetown has a pretty limited distribution. Some interesting names to hunt for though, thanks!
Things that have Deschutes printed on the side of the six pack
by seattlebruin on Feb 24, 2012 11:31 PM PST up reply actions
Are not always sessionable, although tasty.
But yes, Deschutes is well trod ground around here. Expanding horizons and such.
If you do not mind spending a few extra bucks:
by Ballard Erik on Feb 25, 2012 7:40 AM PST up reply actions
Mm, I've seen it but I'm really not in to fruit beers.
Sounds like more of a sipper than a session. How strong is the peach?
Not very.
I’m also not a huge fan of fruit beers but this one is really well done, at least worth a try.
by Aaron Campeau on Feb 26, 2012 11:41 AM PST up reply actions
I agree.
Light enough to be a session, the peach kind of gives it a tart crisp feel. I love a well done fruit beer, and hate the syrup bombs. This one is good.
by Ballard Erik on Feb 26, 2012 2:21 PM PST up reply actions
Is anybody finding Pipeline Porter still?
I haven’t been able to here and I don’t know if I should keep looking or not. Is it long gone by now?
I just found 4 6packs on clearance sale in Virginia
So, it is still out there, but the discount tags on the ones I found lead me to believe they were possibly the last in the world. And I know Virginia probably does you no good, but maybe some other places had some held back
by Craptastic-J on Feb 24, 2012 5:54 PM PST up reply actions
The clerk at Total Wine said
“Oh shit, I didn’t know we had any left”
Sorry, only 7-8 months or so till it comes out again right?
by Craptastic-J on Feb 26, 2012 3:54 PM PST up reply actions
They still have it at Trinity Market on Roosevelt!
Probably doesn’t help you in Montana though.
by Mariner John on Feb 29, 2012 10:49 PM PST up reply actions
They had Pipeline at the company party!
And it was completely skunked =[ I wanted to cry. Store your beer properly people!
Beer
I recently tried Damnation from Russian River which was quite good. I tried Dark Rain from Bridgeport because a friend picked it up. I wasn’t really a fan of that one. I also had Shark Attack Double Red Ale from Port Brewing. That one was quite good. Oh yeah, I also had a six-pack of Ruthless Rye recently that I enjoyed.
I echo Matthew on the beers that are hard to find out here. Especially Bells and Founders. Though finding beer is harder now that I am back out in Walla Walla for school. Oh well, I will be back in Seattle soon.
Whenever I can get my hands on Russian River I buy it.
Desecration, Temptation, both Plinys, just great.
by Ballard Erik on Feb 25, 2012 3:32 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
I'm mildly obsessed with Russian River, even if they do put Comic Sans on their beer labels for some awful, awful reason.
Really want to visit their brewpub in Santa Rosa some day.
by sanford_and_son on Feb 27, 2012 8:11 AM PST up reply actions
My theory about the Comic Sans:
they only want people who know to look for their beer buying their beer because if you don’t know what a sour is you’d think it was terrible.
by Aaron Campeau on Feb 27, 2012 9:02 AM PST up reply actions
Teachers like using Comic Sans, right?
Maybe they want to appeal to teachers.
by sanford_and_son on Feb 27, 2012 9:13 AM PST up reply actions
I don't know.
I am a teacher and I hate it.
by Ballard Erik on Feb 27, 2012 11:52 AM PST up reply actions
It's amazing, better even than Pizza Port
by seattlebruin on Feb 27, 2012 9:21 AM PST up reply actions
Are all Pizza Ports good, or is there a hierarchy?
Do they each brew their own or is there a centralized brewing location?
by Craptastic-J on Feb 27, 2012 2:48 PM PST up reply actions
Looks like Solana Beach is the original and the smallest
And Carlsbad is the HQ, and all of them brew their own stuff. So I answered some of my questions with 20 seconds of research. Still curious about the perceived quality between the branches.
by Craptastic-J on Feb 27, 2012 2:52 PM PST up reply actions
Port Brewing/Lost Abbey is the best
It’s a spinoff of Pizza Port that is on its own now. And their beer is fucking fantastic. I tried their Older Viscosity at Brouwer’s one time and I think it might be the best beer I have ever had. And I’m primarily an IPA guy. Pretty much all of the Port Brewing beers that I have tried have been fantastic. I’ve also had a couple of the Lost Abbey stuff and they were both pretty good.
Pretty confused about where I went in San Marcos in 2005 that was a brewpub and had a similar name to Pizza Port, and pretty sure I visited Pizza Port Carlsbad as well
And this muddies the waters cause Port Brewing didn’t open till 2006, and I’m not sure if they serve food. So I’ll just retire my inquiry due to digging deeper only causing more confusion and put all of them on the list to go back and try for possibly the second time (As well as Santa Rosa’s own Russian River Brewpub).
Thanks for your help
by Craptastic-J on Feb 28, 2012 3:59 PM PST up reply actions
Not a restaurant
the point of Pizza Port is pizza + beer
by seattlebruin on Feb 28, 2012 4:33 PM PST up reply actions
Oops, my mistake
Just wanted to emphasize how awesome their beer is.
My favorite is Carlsbad, but that's because it's the biggest
I don’t think there’s much of a hierarchy – each one has their own head brewer, but Port Carlsbad is the one best known for their beer. Ocean Beach and Solana serve a lot of what Carlsbad brews
by seattlebruin on Feb 28, 2012 4:34 PM PST up reply actions
Awesome, that's the answer I was hoping for
To the top of the list you go Pizza Port Carlsbad
by Craptastic-J on Feb 28, 2012 4:54 PM PST up reply actions
Here are some of my suggestions I haven't seen yet
Golden Ale:
PranQster (awesome Belgian, affordable at about $10.00 a 4 Pack).
Get your hands on anything from Jolly Pumpkin Brewery
IPA:
San Tan Hop Shock great piney citrus IPA
Just Outstanding IPA - Kern River name says it all
American Wilds:
Lips of Faith – Le Terroir
aged and dry hopped? Yes please. Also get your hands on Lips of Faith Eric’s Ale.
These are probably the best beers I have had in the past 12 months. Including too many to count by the Bruery
I'll toss in a vote
For Southern Tier. I’ve been enjoying the living shit out of their creme brulee, aside from the fact that 22oz is almost too much. I gave their chocolate stout a shot, too, but did not find it terribly chocolatey.
Samuel Smith’s also makes a strawberry ale that is possibly one of the best fruit beers I’ve ever had. I hear the raspberry is good too.
"I gave [Southern Tier's] chocolate stout a shot, too, but did not find it terribly chocolatey."
This is the most befuddling of things that I have ever attempted to fuddle. I’ve had actual 100% cocoa chocolate that is less chocolatey than Choklat.
Absolutely.
I cannot drink that beer without feeling the need to check my insulin levels.
by Aaron Campeau on Feb 26, 2012 8:27 PM PST up reply actions
I just didn't taste it
I might have been expecting something more obvious like the creme brulee, which is incredibly strong in the caramel department to me. Maybe I will give it another shot.
Maybe my tongue is broken. :(
I am with Matthew, Aaron and Aron on this one
I’ve never tasted a beer that screamed CHOCOLATE as much as Choklat. Give it another try, I guess?
by seattlebruin on Feb 27, 2012 2:38 PM PST up reply actions
*puts hand to forehead*
Another try?! Oh! The calamity! :D
The next time I’m in the mood for a good stout, I just may do that. :)
I know
it’s a punishment, but whatever, you earned it this time
by seattlebruin on Feb 27, 2012 7:38 PM PST up reply actions
I love Sam Smith's
But I’m not really big on fruit beer. I guess I should give it a shot sometime.
Also, I love how Sam Smith’s bottled beers contrast with their on tap offerings. I studied abroad in London a couple of years ago and Sam Smith’s has the cheapest bars in London. And everything they have on tap is mediocre to bad.
I just went back to the Beer Junction
To pick up some more Choklat so I can fulfill my punishment.
The Smith’s beer comes in strawberry, raspberry, and cherry. I think I will take the initiative and compare them to lambic, but with more of a beer flavor. If you’re not a fan of fruit beers, maybe split it with someone who is? It’s a $6 mistake if you don’t, and a $6 bonus if they do. :)
As for my second round of Choklat…
I do taste the chocolate in it this time around. Since it is freezing ass cold outside, I got a bottle at room temperature, and proceeded to drink it at the same. I also made sure that I had not had anything else strongly flavored prior to drinking it, as I cannot remember under what conditions I had it before (but strongly suspect it might have been post-drinking other beers). There is indeed choco flavor, but I taste the flavor of a super dark stout in it more than chocolate, which is not the case with ST’s Creme Brulee’, which just reminds me of a Dairy Queen caramel sundae. :/
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot '12 barley wine is top notch. It's on the hoppier, slightly bitter side of barley wines.
Didn’t make it to BPP over the weekend. I must rectify that this week.
by sanford_and_son on Feb 27, 2012 2:05 PM PST reply actions
America's 100 best beer bars of 2011
I can only speak to the Philadelphia and Seattle + some thoughts on Portland, but they nailed those so this might be a good list for other cities as well. Seattle was perfect, their 4 were what I think are the 4 best bars in the city. Although no way does the Monk have 20 taps. More like 10.
Yeah, that pretty much nails the best Seattle beer bars, for sure.
That reminds me that it’s been at least 3 or 4 years since I’ve been to the Stumbling Monk. Time to change that.
by sanford_and_son on Feb 27, 2012 3:34 PM PST up reply actions
I cannot adequately convey the glee I feel in seeing that Brouwer's was left off of this list
by Aaron Campeau on Feb 27, 2012 3:43 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
To you and Aaron: how would you rank Bailey's with the four Seattle bars listed?
I don’t know how it happened, but I’m more familiar with the Portland bars on the list than the Seattle ones.
I've only been to Bailey's once, I think
if it’s what I remember I’d put it on par with the the four Seattle bars.
Beveridge Place is better because it’s bigger and allows dogs
Stumbling Monk is slightly worse. Similar set up, but Monk has less tap turnover.
Naked City is slightly better because Naked City beers are great and they have all the locals, plus more space. Naked City is dinged a bit in my view for the food menu though. Not enough cheap snack eats.
Uber is a little better. The best at tap rotations, but more foreign focused. Similar seating and outside food constraints.
by Matthew on Feb 27, 2012 5:57 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Naked City's food menu is a huge plus in my estimation.
But I do agree that cheaper, appetizer-y food would be most welcome.
by Aaron Campeau on Feb 27, 2012 6:44 PM PST up reply actions
They have good food, no doubt
But by serving food it does mean that I can’t bring in food. I assume.
Their pretzels are damn delicious.
I've been talking to my brother-in-law about exactly this for months.
For what it’s worth, Naked City just put in a new kitchen and over the last few weeks have been in the process of redoing their menu. Not sure yet how much cheaper appetizer-type food they’re going to put in, but at least now they have fries.
by Chris Hafner on Feb 28, 2012 8:39 AM PST up reply actions
They have fries now? Wow. That always seemed like a point of prideful defiance on their part.
Like, “No fried food here. Nope. Never. It’s so bad for you! Now, how ’bout a beer?”
by sanford_and_son on Feb 28, 2012 9:07 AM PST up reply actions
Chicago is pretty well spot on.
As sb can attest to, Hopleaf is my stated favorite in the city. Maproom is a great spot, and I’ve been meaning to get to Sheffields for quite some time (and I have no excuse as it is walking distance from me). Firkin is also a sweet spot but calling it Chicago is laughable. It is in Chicago like Everett is in Seattle.
I've been to 2 of the 3 listed for San Diego.
(And I guess you could technically say 4 because there is Toronado down here, so 3 out of 4). I still need to make it out to Blind Lady. O’Brien’s was the bar that I had the tasting of DFH 120 Minutes, and I just went out to Hamilton’s a couple of days ago. Both of them are pretty small, but their selections are pretty amazing.
by seattle_since_81 on Feb 27, 2012 7:38 PM PST up reply actions
Not a fan at all of the bars they picked for San Diego
I like all three, but they would also be pretty clearly on my list of second-rate bars compared to Toronado, Neighborhood and Churchill’s
by seattlebruin on Feb 27, 2012 7:40 PM PST up reply actions
basically I am saying that seattle_since_81 is a San Diego newbie and should drink morreeee
(let’s do an LL beer day down here sometime soon)
by seattlebruin on Feb 27, 2012 7:41 PM PST up reply actions
Yeah, thanks jerk.
Definitely, but you are always out of town.
by seattle_since_81 on Feb 29, 2012 3:47 PM PST up reply actions
Where is Brouwer's?
I love that place. They always have over something like 60 beers on tap.
Admittedly, I haven't tried the ones listed.
So consider my statement as having an asterisk, but I have a hard time seeing how a place with 10 beers on tap could ever beat Brouwer’s.
It beats it by not being unsufferable
by Matthew on Feb 28, 2012 4:31 PM PST up reply actions 3 recs
What do you not like about it?
I mean, I guess it’s not that great of a bar, but the beer selection is always good. Maybe I put more emphasis on the beer than the bar. I have some friends that live nearby and we enjoy going there to try interesting beers.
I would like to try the other places on the list, though. When I move back in May.
A rundown:
Their food is good.
Their selection is good, but nothing irreplaceable.
Their pricing is not good.
They far too often play music at a volume that makes you raise your voice to converse with people sitting next to you. That’s a death knell for me and bars.
Their beer festivals, though they have many, suck. The point of a festival should be being able to sample many beers. Forcing you into buying oversized samples at oversized prices (ahem, sour fest) ruins the whole deal. They had it right with the Barleywine fest.
There’s never enough seating.
It gets hyped all to hell.
Objectively, it’s a fine enough bar, but 80% of the visits I’ve made (quite a few) involved:
-standing around for 20 minutes looking for a place to even drink
-find a place and find little to nothing to drink at sessionable prices*
-have to almost yell so that people sitting across can hear me
-the bill inevitably ends up outpacing my enjoyment by half
*I don’t normally care about this, but if I had to get to Fremont, find parking, and then wait so long for a table, now I have time invested. Which means I don’t want to do two beers and leave.
Basically, Brouwer’s : Fremont :: Tap Room : CBD. Both are great concepts and have bis selling points that are totally ruined by perfectly matching everything that’s wrong with that neighborhood
by Matthew on Feb 28, 2012 6:47 PM PST up reply actions 2 recs
The Stumbling Monk is the bees knees
I used to live about a block away, and it lives up to its name, when you can walk. :/
Brouwer’s I find too expensive, too strong given the fact that I have to drive there, and just in general not a very comfortable place – for me, anyway. Oh, and the music gets really loud there sometimes, even when there are hardly any people there, which I find unacceptable.
That's fair
Yeah, it isn’t really the place for longer drinking bouts. I normally go there with some friends who live a couple of blocks away and we just wander down there to try some new beers. The seating can be a problem, but, again, I only go there when I’m already in the area, so I just hit up something else in the area. I hadn’t really thought about the music thing before. Now that I have, it has definitely bothered me before. I don’t know, maybe I am being bar-starved, having lived primarily in Walla Walla since turning 21. I will certainly have to try the others on the list.
Having had more than a few "drinking bouts" there
I will respectfully disagree.
Then again, I don’t just go to bars to drink or get drunk. The atmosphere, the people who work there, and whatever music they do or don’t play and at what volume are fairly paramount to me. When I lived by the Monk, they played a lot of Radiohead and Tom Waits, and the two dudes that own the place are just super nice. The people who run and work at establishments I frequent mean a lot to me.
Maybe it’s because I’m old.
I always enjoy Brouwers a lot more in the afternoon.
If I go to watch a game at the George and Dragon, it’s a great place to have a beer and some food. If it were even 50% as tolerable the rest of the time I’d really like it.
by Aaron Campeau on Feb 29, 2012 9:02 AM PST up reply actions
And yet sometimes even then,
with like 20 customers, they have the music turned up to the point where I have to raise my voice to be heard. It’s totally unacceptable to me. Fuck that place and the people who run it.
by Matthew on Feb 29, 2012 9:51 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
I am not as down on bars that play loud music as you are
but it’s completely out of place at Brouwers. I expect metal being blasted at the Lava Lounge or the Tin Hat or something, but not at a fancy Belgian beer bar.
by Aaron Campeau on Feb 29, 2012 9:55 AM PST up reply actions
It's two parts.
One is that, as you state, it’s incongruent with the expected atmosphere.
The other is personal. I’m a quiet person by nature and I also no longer have perfect hearing (thanks, teenage rock concerts). When I have to strain to hear others and repeat myself so they can hear me, I get socially tired. It’s not about the type of music or even that it’s music. I just cannot handle conversing over loud background noise.
Especially at a place with so many sit down tables and a good menu.
People go there to eat. With other people.
by abender20 on Feb 29, 2012 12:12 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
That makes me realize precisely what it is about Brouwer's that annoys me:
So much of the things that happen there seem to happen due to a “because we can” mentality. The music, the way they do festivals, etc. They’re constantly packed and don’t see a reason to stop doing things people don’t like, which bugs the shit out of me.
by Aaron Campeau on Feb 29, 2012 12:48 PM PST up reply actions 2 recs
I prefer not to hang out at places that have some deadbeat bouncer checking IDs at the door.
Just a personal preference, but I find that to be a good barometer of whether or not I feel comfortable at a bar.
by sanford_and_son on Feb 29, 2012 12:39 PM PST up reply actions
So the one entry from KC is only a mile from my place and I've never been.
I know what I’m doing this weekend!
I'm in Mexico until June
and one of the biggest complaints is being unable to find much good beer, there are a couple Mexican beers I like, but I haven’t been able to find a single IPA, what I wouldn’t do for a Racer 5 right now. Oh well it’s still worth it to stay out of Seattle until the weather gets beautiful in the Northwest.
The best beer experience I had recently was a fresh hopped Ninkasi draft.
Total Crystalization IPA. Kind of unbelievable how good it was.
This may have already been mentioned before
But I also want to recommend the Coconut Porter from Maui Brewing Company, and 1st Amendment’s Watermelon Ale. Both oddly good summer beers. Or maybe I was just so excited to find both of them during the summer, that’s the association I have. Whatever the case, I heart them hard.
I don't think I've ever known a beer more polarizing than Hell or High Watermelon.
I hate it – haaaaaaaate it – and I know I’m not alone, but I know an equal number of people that absolutely love it. Never have I met anyone that said “yeah, it’s ok.”
Which is to be expected, I suppose. And makes it one that’s definitely worth trying.
by Aaron Campeau on Feb 29, 2012 9:04 AM PST up reply actions
I agree with this.
I absolutely loathe the stuff, but I have a friend who’s staunchly on the other side of the equation. At the very least you should try and grab one to figure out where you stand on it. I’m not a big fruit beer person, but all the discussion about them in this thread has made me want to explore that niche a bit more.
That's kind of funny
I don’t know anyone who REALLY likes it, nor anyone who hates it. I merely find it a decent summertime beer. I have the feeling it may be an association thing for me.
I think maybe to anyone who is not a fan of fruit beer, it might not be great.
I will normally drink anything that’s not super hoppy, so I don’t know what that says about my standards. Heh.
I have been frequenting the Jolly Roger Taproom in Ballard recently and it has been exquisite.
Maritime is great.
How come you can do all this other great shit, but you can't lie the fuck down and sleep?
I really like that place.
It has a major bonus over its predecessor in that it does not smell overwhelmingly of bleach.
by Aaron Campeau on Feb 29, 2012 9:05 AM PST up reply actions
That's funny
When I read JAH’s comment my first thought was “That place is horrible because it always reeks of bleach – why do people like it?” Glad to hear it’s changed.
Yep, it's a brand new space.
Smae general area, but on the other side of the Ballard Bridge.
by Aaron Campeau on Feb 29, 2012 9:28 AM PST up reply actions
The music is a little loud but the food is amazing and the beer is great.
Waiter gave us beer taster platter for spilling head on our table and had the cook set up lamb even though we’d got there ten minutes before the kitchen closed. I didn’t smell a lick of bleach.
How come you can do all this other great shit, but you can't lie the fuck down and sleep?
I picked up a bottle of Rogue's Mocha Porter tonight and really enjoyed it.
Anybody tried their oatmeal stout?
I just received a 2003 Schneider Aventius as a gift.
I’m almost intimidated by it.
Anyone in the UK
If you can get ahold of some of The Kernal Brewery’s IPAs I can’t recommend them strongly enough. I was over in London in December and I think their IPAs are the closest you can get to a West Coast style IPA there. I was also at the Horse Brass in Portland and they had Racer 5 IPA from Bear Republic on cask and I it was extremely good.
I completely glossed over the last question of this post.
Yuengling. We cannot get it here in Seattle, and I love it. Sadness.
I tried some Yuengling last time I was on the east coast, it struck me as a good summertime beer.
Better than Bud/Coors/Miller, etc but still kind of underwhelming in that macro lager kind of way.
by sanford_and_son on Mar 1, 2012 10:11 AM PST up reply actions
I think it's just BEER
If that makes sense. It’s what I think of when I think ‘beer’. Nothing fancy, really drinkable, just a nice bottle of beer. And yeah, great in summer. :)
It's good to like Yuengling because it's usually the only non-shitty beer on tap in the mid-Atlantic
Talking restaurants and such, not places with bigger beer selections. So Yuengling is usually my fallback when the choices are miller/bud/coors. Well, Yuengling and Sam, both are decent and likeable and a step on the beer snob ladder.
In Central Oregon
So I pretty much drink what is brewed and on-tap locally. Boneyard Brewing has a good RPM IPA and they tell me its coming back soon is their Bonafide Pale Ale. Light golden colored dry hopped pale ale that is magic.
Double Mtn out of Hood River’s Vaporizer is a great spring/summer beer. I also recently tried some of Anderson Valley’s beers and they are pretty tasty. Higher ABV’s but dont taste overly strong, which could be a bad thing I guess!
Any thoughts on Oakshire brewing?
Keep seeing O’Dark 30 around and wondered if anyone’s had it (a dark IPA).
Oakshire's awesome!
They brewed a special beer in partnership with the Oregon Daily Emerald, which is the student newspaper at the University of Oregon (and my precious baby). (Incidentally, the beer was delicious.) I don’t think I’ve had a better amber than theirs, and their Overcast Espresso Stout is drink-from-the-pitcher-worthy.
by thehemogoblin on Mar 6, 2012 1:29 AM PST up reply actions
Oh wow
I just remembered something.
Anyone here old enough to remember BEER? It was one of the many white-label generic products that came out in the early early 90s. We drank it with all sense of irony and poverty in college…
Absolutely
I drank a ton of that stuff in high school, not with any sense of irony but because it’s what we could afford and what we could get our hands on. We always called it Beer Beer, not just BEER. Ah, the days when Rolling Rock was a step up…
by pdb on Mar 2, 2012 6:22 PM PST up reply actions
I remember those days, too!
I honestly couldn’t tell you what it tasted like. We were punks and didn’t care. I was a Bartles & Jaymes person myself, mostly. haha!
I just had Caldera Brewing's "Pilot Rock Porter" with my pizza tonight and it was pretty solid.
It was one I would definitely have again, and it was more than welcome on a gray, cloudy, drizzly day.
I finally tried my first sour
2012 La Folie Sour Brown Ale from New Belgium. I honestly can’t decide if it’s awesome or foul.
I went to Paradise Creek in Pullman yesterday...definite favorite there is the Hop Hammer IPA
Any suggestions on where I should try next for beer out in Wazzu land?
Used to live there, and Rico's (downtown) was probably my favorite hangout.
by Bart's Evil Twin on Mar 5, 2012 9:10 PM PST up reply actions
Rico's was the fucking best
How come you can do all this other great shit, but you can't lie the fuck down and sleep?
So I see Fish Brewing has a new Organic Oatmeal Stout
just had a taster – was decent, but not mind-blowing. Need a full pint.
"Decent, but not mind-blowing" has been my experience with Fish Brewing so far.
by JY on Mar 5, 2012 9:46 PM PST up reply actions
I see that a lot. They make it easy, as so many of their most widespread beers
are decent at best. I’m looking at you, organic pale ale.
Winterfish is a distinct and very good beer. Could someone else take the concept and do it a bit better? Yeah, maybe, and I’m shocked others don’t. Their XIPA is pretty good, though that’s not a genre I’m familiar with or generally like. My endorsement may act as a deterrent for true hopheads.
Kona does this too, with some so-so beers, an out-and-out awful one, and then some very good sessionable things and a transcendent Hawaii-only seasonal or two. I don’t think Fish has anything approaching transcendent, but they have some very good every day brews. It helps that I essentially never consume anything of theirs in bottle. Always growler/tap. Actually, the one bottle I had in the past year – a bomber of 10 squared – it was several standard deviations worse than on tap. Maybe that’s their problem.
The bombers I see of theirs are always substantially more expensive, so that's a deterrent.
I tried the Red. It was decent, but I usually really like Reds these days and this only provided the “oh, I’m drinking an all right beer!” sensation, which was hardly worth the mark-up of a few bucks.
by JY on Mar 5, 2012 10:48 PM PST up reply actions
I really like their amber, for an amber.
Also worth noting is that they have two other brewery lines, Leavenworth and Spire (producer of the single best cider ever)
I agree with this. Their amber is one of my favorites.
Same w/the Blonde ale. These are two styles that many people hate – largely because there are so many bland, worthless versions of both.
And yes, I’m including Leavenworth and “Reel Ales” when I talk about Fish. They’re the same company and they’re all brewed at the same place.
Yeah, I'm curious to try the oatmeal stout, but I too have never been super impressed by any of their beers so far.
Last night I had Full Sail’s Extra Special Barney, which was exceptionally balanced and just overall really, really good. And it was only like 3.99 for a bomber. It might be getting a bit scarce now, but if you see it, get it.
by sanford_and_son on Mar 6, 2012 8:14 AM PST up reply actions
I heard good things about their Poseidon Stout.
The main complaint seems to be that their beers lack nuance. Usually drinkable but rarely interesting. That’s only a problem because they tend to be the same price point as the interesting beers.
This does not bother me that much.
Reminded me of Shock Top or Blue Moon, and not in a positive way.
Bunch of recent beers:
Oak Aged Yeti – Great Divide brewing – C- Too sharp. Decent mouthfeel/body, but oak aging anything will give it some of that. Just disappointing overall.
Koko Brown – Kona – B+ I don’t absolutely love it, but I’m surprised how much I agree with Aaron’s assessment up the page. Interesting flavor, not too coconutty (I actually hate the taste of coconut) and a body that’s Digard-esque. Russ Meyery.
No Equal Amber – Red Hook – B. Not amazing, not terribly complex, but it’s an amber. Thought it had enough flavor and smoothness to differentiate itself from the crowd. It’s not great, but a good session beer.
Fearless Super Scottish – B-. Malty, warming but not too memorable. Wanted this to be better. Lots of toffee and caramel, but not much complexity.
Awww, this fell off the front page. Give it more recs, people!
by sanford_and_son on Mar 14, 2012 8:50 AM PDT reply actions
So I have a tradition that I drink Pipeline Porter as my beer of choice on the first day of the NCAA Tournament
does anyone else have similar weird beer traditions?
So Fort George brews from Astoria are now available in Washington.
I’m particularly curious to try to the Oatmeal Pale Ale. Sounds tasty. What say you, Oregonians? Solid brewery?
by sanford_and_son on Mar 20, 2012 12:43 PM PDT reply actions
I just found a bomber of Choklat at a QFC
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
by JY on Mar 20, 2012 8:01 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
My god, I don't know if anyone else made to Bottleworks over the weekend to pick up their 13th Anniversary Ale, but it is like top 10 beers I've ever tried.
Brewed by Stone. Truly special. They might still have some bottles left!
11 percent, too! Lovin’ it.
by sanford_and_son on Mar 26, 2012 7:13 PM PDT reply actions
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