Pacific Northwest Beer Chick

Breweries, Beers & Good Times

1st Annual Bremerton Summer BrewFest 2011 July 27, 2011

Filed under: beer,Beer Festivals,breweries,Micro brew,Pacific Northwest Beer,Washington beer — pnwbeerchick @ 9:07 pm

Beautiful blue sky, 85 degree weather, and 23 micro-breweries…what a great day! Well…for the most part it was.

The first annual Bremerton Summer BrewFest on Saturday was packed full of some of Washington State’s best brewers pouring some of their finest, and quirky, beers.  Over 50 beers were served, sipped, discussed and spilled. But it was quite apparent there are some bugs that need to be worked out before the 2nd annual is held.  Let’s discuss the low points a little later. Right now let’s get into the high point of the day…the beer. Below I have listed my top 5 favorites.

#5 Summer Rain Pale Ale – Battenkill Brewing Co. (5.8% ABV) Poulsbo, WA – This wonderful pale ale is  like orange blossoms in a glass. Sporting a beautiful orange blossom nose and sweet honey finish, Battenkill brews this great summer ale with NW Pale ale malt, Simcoe and Amarillo hops, and a bit of Orange Blossom Honey. Summer Rain is a sweetly refreshing, light and crisp ale and one of my favorite beers of the day.

#4 Curly Tail Pale Ale – Slippery Pig Brewery (5.0% ABV) Poulsbo, WA – Unusual brew, and wicked good. One of Poulsbo’s newest breweries has created a deliciously fun pale ale brewed with 10 lbs of stinging nettles. This dark red ale is a little sweet and a lot sour. Very similar to the increasingly popular sour beers, but not quite as tart. Great job Slippery Pig!

#3 Mt. Walker Wheat Ale – Hood Canal Brewery (4.0% ABV) Kingston, WA – Who doesn’t love gum balls?
Another fun beer making an appearance at the BrewFest, the Mt. Walker Wheat smells like bananas, wheat, and flowers. The taste is just as tantalizing with flavors of banana and gum balls. I know it sounds strange and overly sweet, but trust me…you will have a hard time putting this one down!

#2 Loser Strong Pale Ale – Elysian Brewing Co. (7.0% ABV) Seattle, WA – One of my favorite breweries in Washington created one of my favorite beers of the day. Both my hubby and I loved this beer! Elysian uses quite a few different hops and malts creating a very well-balanced, crisp pale ale that has what I can only describe as a “rice crispy” finish. Medium bodied and yummy!

#1 Yoda’s Green Tea Gold – Port Townsend Brewing Co. (4.7% ABV) Port Townsend, WA – With me The
Force was (Yoda voice) after my first sip of this awesome beer! Brewed with an organic, steamed green tea called bancha, Port Townsend created a truly refreshing, flavorful beer unlike any I have ever had before. I had to take it slow while I enjoyed this brew because it was very easy to forget I was not drinking an iced green tea! MMMmmmmm (Yoda voice again)What a gem!!!!

Now for the low points…unfortunately, the brewers began running out of beer around 3:00pm and still had 6 hours to go! We cut the organizers some slack because, after all, this was the 1st annual BrewFest and perhaps they underestimated what the turnout would be(about 4-5,000 people showed up!). But hopefully next year they will be a bit more prepared. There was absolutely no place to sit unless you found a curb and the only shady spots were under the baby trees that lined the street. There was 1 food cart that served hamburgers and hotdogs but again, no place to sit and eat it and there wasn’t a bottled water or soda in sight. Live bands provided some entertainment, but, for the third time, no place to sit, not even a tree stump, anywhere! Overall, we had a pretty good time and will give it a go next year, but will be bringing my own chair… and umbrella hat… and food.

Cheers!

Liz

www.porttownsendbrewing.com

www.elysianbrewing.com

www.battenkillbrewingcompany.com

www.hoodcanalbrewery.com

Info for Slippery Pig Brewery can be found on Facebook.

 

Upcoming Event: Bremerton Summer BrewFest July 20, 2011

Filed under: beer,Beer Festivals,breweries,Micro brew,Pacific Northwest Beer,Washington beer — pnwbeerchick @ 7:55 pm

Saturday, July 23, 2011
Noon – 9pm

Downtown Bremerton on Pacific Avenue between Burwell and 6th St.

$15 advance tickets, $20 at the door (military discount tickets are $15 at the door)

**Entry includes a tasting cup and five tokens good for 5.5oz tastes each

**Additional tokens may be purchased at $1.50 each or four for $5

 

www.washingtonbeer.com/bremerton-summer-brewfest/

 

 

 

chicks love Dick’s…Brewing company! July 11, 2011

Filed under: beer,breweries,Micro brew,Pacific Northwest Beer,Washington beer — pnwbeerchick @ 8:05 pm

Sometimes the most nondescript buildings contain the best little surprises. Case-in-point is Dick’s Brewery located in a residential area of Centralia, WA. The brewery is in the plainest of buildings with a simple sign out front. If you blink, you may miss it.

Dick Young began brewing Dick’s Danger Ale from his deli, NW Sausage and Deli, in 1984 as a home brewing hobby. In 1990, he began selling Dick’s Danger Ale to the public and the beer took off. Sadly, Dick recently passed away but the brewery and deli are still going strong producing some pretty tasty beers and serving it alongside some of the freshest meats, cheeses, sandwiches and salads in the area. They also have the largest beer sampler tray I have ever seen so be sure and bring someone to share it with…it really is that big!

Golden Ale (5.5% ABV) – Sweet and lightly hopped, Golden Ale is straw in color and light to medium bodied. Tastes a bit like
honey candy with a nice, crisp finish. This beer would go great with summer BBQ cuisine.

IPA (5.5% ABV) – Chinook and Tomahawk hops amp up the flavor creating what Dick’s considers “one of the hoppiest IPA’s on the market.” And they aren’t kidding!  Hoppy aroma and taste with a grapefruit rind and caramel finish. Medium bodied, this
is a true, butt-kicking IPA.

Hefeweizen (4.0% ABV) – Caramel color and filtered. Banana aroma with a “bready,” sweet taste. Medium bodied and spicy finish. Yummy!

Best Bitter (5.5 % ABV) – Dark caramel color. Magnum hops and caramel malt create a nicely balanced, hoppy, malty brew.  Best Bitter has a caramel flavor and a peppery finish.

Pale Ale – (4.0% ABV) – Extremely easy to drink, the hops are so light that if I didn’t know better I would not realize I was drinking a Pale Ale. Caramel essence and light, with a malty, crisp finish. This beer reminds me more of an English Ale than a Pale Ale.

Irish Ale (5.2 %ABV) – Beautiful red color with an essence of scotch and candy. The Irish Ale is slightly sweet with a touch of
hazelnut. The Irish Ale was one of my favorites.

Mountain Amber Ale (5.0% ABV) – My favorite beer of the day, the Mountain Amber Ale has a pretty straw, honey, floral aroma. The floral carries over into the taste and finishes crisp, sweet and clean. Mountain Amber is very easy to drink and would go great with any meal.

Danger Ale (4.5% ABV) – Dick’s flagship is also the most popular. Black malt gives the Danger Ale it’s pretty, dark cherry-brown color and smooth texture. Magnum and Mt. Hood hops creates a nice smoky, toasty taste and medium body. This is a great autumn beer.

Belgian Tripel (9.0% ABV) – Hard-alcohol aroma and medium to full-bodied, the Tripel is honey golden in color with a banana candy flavor and aroma. Be careful, this baby is very high in alcohol.

Lava Rock Porter (6.2% ABV) – Toasty and full of chocolate aroma and flavor, this porter would be perfect next to a cozy fireside.

Dick’s is brewed on-site at NW Sausage and Deli and while the deli produces its own house smoked sausage and deli products. Have a seat in the diner or out on the pretty garden patio and enjoy a sandwich, salad or a pint.

Cheers,

Liz

www.dicksbeer.com

www.nwsausage.com

 

 

Coming soon: Dick’s Brewing (finally), Sound Brewery, Slippery Pig Brewing, and The Olympic Club… July 7, 2011

Filed under: beer,breweries,Micro brew,Pacific Northwest Beer,Poulsbo,Tacoma Breweries,Washington beer — pnwbeerchick @ 12:55 pm
 

This isn’t your grandmother’s “tea time.” July 1, 2011

Filed under: beer,breweries,Dogfish Head Beer,Micro brew,Uncategorized — pnwbeerchick @ 5:42 pm

Just when I thought Dogfish Head Craft Brew Ales has done it all…they surprise me again with another amazing concoction.  While browsing through a local beer store I stumbled upon one of Dogfish Head’s rarities, Sah’Tea. Of course the label on the bottle is gorgeous but after reading the ingredients I was a little leery of what was inside.   Boy was I wrong!

Sah’Tea is based on a 9th century Finnish beer, Sahti, which was made with juniper berries, rye, and hot rocks. The beer was
boiled in wooden tanks by heating river rocks in a wood fire until white-hot and adding them directly into the tank. Dogfish Head, being who they are, cannot pass up a chance (or challenge) to craft a beer using the same techniques and ingredients as the originators. Like the Finnish recipe, Dogfish Head brews Sah’Tea using rye and Finnish-foraged juniper berries. To put their own signature on the brew, Dogfish adds their own twist on the 1,200-year-old recipe by adding a tea type blend of black tea, chai tea, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and black pepper…yes, black pepper. To further replicate the Finnish brewing process, Dogfish caramelizes the wort by throwing in white-hot river rocks and then ferments the beer with German Weizen Yeast. “So what’s it like” you ask?

An exotic aroma of spiced tea and raisins swirl around the nose. On first sip I caught flavors of nutmeg, cinnamon, coriander, banana, and sweet potato. Sah’Tea is medium bodied and well-balanced with a black tea and spice finish. Dogfish Head founder and President, Sam Calagione, describes Sah’Tea  as “a banana bread-like, unique beer.” And he’s not kidding! Sah’Tea is a lovely, exotic, unique beer.

Overall? I truly enjoyed this unusually splendid brew I don’t think I would pair this beer with food; it’s just too tasty! Oh…and it’s
9.0%ABV so be careful…be very, VERY careful. Being one of Dogfish Head’s rarity beers I would suggest running out to your nearest beverage store and picking up a bottle, or 3 or 4. You won’t be sorry!

Cheers!

Liz

www.dogfish.com

 

 

Something’s fishy in Olympia! June 24, 2011

Filed under: beer,breweries,Hard Cider,Micro brew,Organic Beer,Pacific Northwest Beer,Washington beer — pnwbeerchick @ 10:04 pm

Attention vegetarians, vegans, and lovers of all things organic: Have I found the brewery for you!

Located in downtown Olympia, WA Fish Brewing Company has been crafting beer since 1993 beginning with its first brand, Fish Tale Ales. The Brewery is housed in the historic Skoog Building which once housed the Olympia Knitting Mills. The building is beautifully adorned with murals making it very hard to miss. In 2001, Leavenworth Biers began brewing under Fish’s roof and in 2004 Spire Cider joined the group. At the turn of this century, Fish began brewing their Organic line of beers.

Located directly across the street is the Fish Tale Brew Pub serving Fish’s entire line of beers and ciders, and the food is to die for! The décor is simple and a little retro. They even have a “living room” where you can grab a book off the shelf and enjoy a brew. But first things first; let’s talk about the Organic line of Fish brews.

Organic Blonde (4.0% ABV) – What a pretty beer for summer! Gorgeous golden color and delicious honey, wheat and floral taste really put a smile on my face. The Blonde is nicely balanced and Glacier hops and a dab of rye gives this light bodied brew
just the right touch of citrus and spice.

Organic Wild Salmon Pale Ale (5.0% ABV) – This lightly hopped gem has a beautiful caramel color and orange blossom aroma.  Yakima Cascade hops and 4 organic malts balance this ale very nicely and it finishes crisp and clean. Yum!

Organic Amber Ale (5.0 % ABV) – The first of the Fish Tale Organic line, the Amber Ale is sweet, malty and smooth with a lovely hint of hazelnuts. Fish creates this lovely amber using 3 different malts and Hallertauer hops.

Organic India Pale Ale (6.7% ABV) – As many of you know by now, my hubby is a “hop head.”  Well, needless to say this brew was his favorite. Dark honey in color this IPA has a beautiful hoppy aroma and taste thanks to New Zealand hops. There is a slight sweetness and wonderful clean finish. I really enjoyed this IPA.

Fish Brewing also has an incredible menu with homemade, organic dishes and uses nothing but the freshest ingredients. They even make their own sausage!

Hubby asked me which Organic beer was my favorite. I could not give him a definite answer because they were all amazingly good! Fish Brewing Company crafts the freshest, cleanest beer I have ever enjoyed and it is quickly becoming my favorite brewery in Washington State.

Cheers!

Liz

www.fishbrewing.com

 

 

The Great White North Hits The Lower 48! June 13, 2011

Filed under: beer,breweries,Canadian Beer,Micro brew,Pacific Northwest Beer — pnwbeerchick @ 10:57 pm

One of the perks of being the PNW Beer Chick is that I occasionally get a chance to sample upcoming or newly released beers.  Last week I was given a sample of three of Canada’s very own Alexander Keith’s Nova Scotia Style beers and the opportunity to join in a virtual tasting. It was loads of fun sampling the brews while chatting live via webcam with the brewmaster himself; Graham Kendall.

Alexander Keith emigrated from his native Scotland to Nova Scotia (“New Scotland”) in 1817. In 1820, he started up Keith’s Brewery at the tender age of 25. The brewery has been running continuously ever since making Alexander Keith’s one of the oldest breweries in North America.  Just recently Anheuser-Busch began brewing three of Alexander Keith’s beers; the Nova Scotia Style Lager, Nova Scotia Style Pale Ale, and the Nova Scotia Brown Ale, while Alexander Keith’s Canadian beers will continue to be brewed in Nova Scotia.  Alexander Keith’s is now available in 22 states in the United States.

So how’s the beer?

Nova Scotia Style Brown Ale (5.4% ABV): Dark brown color and strong honey nose. This brown beauty is full-bodied but not too heavy. The Brown ale is sweeter than I expected with caramel notes and a slight toasty finish. Not bad.

Nova Scotia Style Pale Ale (5.4% ABV): I was a bit disappointed with this beer. I enjoy hoppier pale ales and this one was just too weak for the PNW palate. There were a few floral notes and a soft wheat flavor, but this pale ale resembled a Budweiser more than a pale ale. Bummer.

Nova Scotia Style Lager (5.4% ABV): My favorite of the three was the lager. This beer is dark honey in color and has notes of caramel and wheat. Crisp and clean this lager is a great spring/summer beer.

While I enjoyed the virtual tasting, I have to be honest and say that these beers are good, but I don’t think they will appeal to the  PNW beer enthusiast. I’m a sucker for tradition and legacy but I’m afraid Anheuser-Busch is producing something that resembles a product they already brew. I hope Alexander Keith’s continues their long legacy in Canada and wish them the very best of luck in the U.S.!

Cheers!

Liz

www.AlexanderKeith.com

 

doing cartwheels for somersault! June 6, 2011

Filed under: beer,breweries,Micro brew,New Belgium Brewing — pnwbeerchick @ 8:58 pm

Ah, the beauty of summer! Sunshine, warm weather, blue skies, picnics, shorts and t-shirts…oh wait, I live in the PNW. Well, the
calendar may say we should be hitting summer, but the weather in the Pacific Northwest is dictating otherwise. Leave it to New Belgium Brewing to bring that summer feeling to even the gloomiest of regions! Somersault is that little bit of liquid sunshine.

With a beautiful dark golden color and lightly hopped aroma, Somersault immediately pleases two of the five senses. Centennial and Cascade hops create a sweet yet citrus flavor. New Belgium then sneaks a touch of
apricot, ginger root and oats into the mix creating an elegant, smooth, fruity beer.  Somersault is 5.2% ABV and medium bodied so you can enjoy this beauty all summer long.

Cheers!

Liz

www.newbelgium.com

 

 

 

Slummin’ it in Bellevue. May 16, 2011

Filed under: beer,breweries,Micro brew,Pacific Northwest Beer,Washington beer — pnwbeerchick @ 8:14 pm

Hubby and I decided to spend the day in Bellevue, WA to see how the “other half” lives (tongue firmly in cheek). Turns out the “other half” is doing just fine. Beautifully maintained streets, high-end shops, and six-figure vehicles are everywhere. It reminded me of Beverly Hills, CA. Oh, and they have two great beer establishments within just feet of each other. I’m speaking of Rock Bottom Brewery and the Tap House Grill.

Rock Bottom, one of CraftWorks Restaurant & Breweries many brands, has two locations in Washington State; Seattle and Bellevue, and 32 other locations across the country. Ok, I know, they’re a chain brewery but, unlike many chain breweries all Rock Bottom beers are brewed on-site and each location has their own distinct style.

Kölsch (5% ABV) – One of my favorite styles of beer, Rock Bottom’s version has a lovely sweet, peach aroma and a crisp, floral flavor and a light hoppy finish. What a great beer for spring.

White Ale (ABV unavailable) – Unfiltered and brewed with coriander and spices, the White Ale has a pretty clove aroma and flavor with floral notes and a crisp finish. This is another great springtime beer.

Rock Bottom IPA (ABV unavailable) – Wow! Talk about hops! But don’t be fooled, the taste is not a strong as you might think. The flavor starts out strong, but a subtle maltiness mellows it out nicely giving this IPA a soft, caramel and citrus finish.

Hop Bomb IPA (6.8% ABV) – Dark golden color and hop aroma, this IPA has the great grapefruit flavor hop heads crave and finishes crisp and clean. Hubby enjoyed this one.

Lumber Jack Red (5.8% ABV) – Great dark amber color and sweet honey aroma and flavor. The red is medium bodied and has a nice subtle fruity finish. This was my favorite beer of the day.

Fire Chief Red (6% ABV) – A toastier version of the Lumber Jack Red, Fire Chief is malty, crisp and has a flavor that reminds me of autumn. This beer would go very nicely on a cool evening next to a bonfire.

The Rock Bottom is beautiful and chic. And the food? Delightful.

After our fantastic lunch we walked about 50 paces away from the brewery to another chic place, the Tap House Grill, to have a pint…or 160…on tap! The Tap House Grill carries various styles of beer and cider from around the world. The wall of tap handles can be a bit overwhelming so take a look at their beer menu. The menu divides the beers on tap by style such as “Ales,” “Wheats,” “India Pale Ales” and “Belgians.” Still don’t know? The Tap House has a variety of sampler trays which includes 4 six-ounce glasses and each tray has a different personality. The Northwest Sampler includes beer brewed in the PNW and the World Tour tray includes beers from around the world. Or, if you’re feeling a bit “adventurous” let the bartender decide for you with the Bartender’s Pick Sampler.

So after a long day of shopping at Neiman Marcus and Jimmy Choo stop in to either one of these great hot spots to kick up your Louis Vuitton heels and enjoy a pint.

Cheers!

Liz

www.rockbottom.com/bellevue

www.taphousegrill.com

 

The British are Coming! April 30, 2011

Filed under: beer,breweries,British Beers & Ciders,Hard Cider,Micro brew — pnwbeerchick @ 5:03 pm

Okay, I admit it! I was one of the sappy folks who could not wait to watch the Royal Wedding! I love a good wedding and nothing tops seeing a gorgeous “commoner” marry her prince. (Sigh) How romantic! So I looked for a beverage that would get me in the spirit of this “fairytale” event, but what to choose?

Tea? Trendy. Bass Ale? Nah, too common. Boddingtons? Newcastle? Too predictable. Then it hit me… what better way to celebrate this happy event than to drink Prince William’s beverage of choice; Cider!

I’m sure many of you are saying “but PNW Beer Chick…cider isn’t beer!” I know, but some of the oldest and most respected beer breweries also dabble in ciders. And why not? Dating as far back as Ancient Egypt, it is one of the oldest fermented beverages in the world and still one of the most popular today. Now, I didn’t grab just any cider. It had to be British. Otherwise what was the point? I wanted something that screamed Great Britain so to me the choice was clear… I grabbed a bottle of Samuel Smith’s Organic Cider.

Samuel Smith’s has been producing some of the Britain’s finest beers since 1758 and it is the oldest brewery in Yorkshire. Best known in the U.S. for their Oatmeal Stout, Nut Brown Ale, and Old Brewery Pale Ale, I was quite excited to find they also made cider. Organically grown apples are used to create a crisp, sweet (but not too sweet), yet slightly dry cider that would make the Prince himself smile. It is light bodied and is perfect for spring, but could easily be a year round cider.  Samuel Smith’s Organic Cider is only 5% ABV, but so delicious it would be quite easy to get carried away.

So, to celebrate “the greatest event of the 21st century”, put on a ridiculously large hat or your favorite morning tux, pour a Samuel Smith’s Organic Cider, and raise a toast to the happy couple!

Cheers!

Liz

www.samuelsmithsbrewery.co.uk