Pacific Northwest Beer Chick

Breweries, Beers & Good Times

Get your pig on! March 9, 2012

Filed under: beer,breweries,Micro brew,Pacific Northwest Beer,Poulsbo,WA,Washington beer — pnwbeerchick @ 8:41 pm

As many of you know I have been a big fan of Slippery Pig Brewing Company since its opening last year. And just when I think “the Pig” can’t do any better, they continue to surprise me! On a recent visit I noticed some great enhancements to the tasting area and got the chance to try some of Dave’s new creations.

The first physical enhancement of note is that the dirt road the brewery sits on has now been renamed “Slippery Pig Way.” This makes the brewery MUCH easier to find for the first timer and is a great nod to the efforts put forth by Slippery Pig’s owners: Dave and Shawna Lambert. After all, not everyone gets a street named after them! The tasting area has had a facelift as well. Still located on the farm the tasting area is now covered with reclaimed beams from the Alamo Theater that was once located in old Poulsbo. Now during any PNW weather we can sit and enjoy a pint.

Do you like scavenger hunts? Ask for a list of the “recycled” objects in the tasting area that highlights the farm and Lambert family history. Oh! And they have pigs!

Now I know you are chomping at the bit for the new beers on tap, so here goes…

Western Red Cedar Lager (6.4% ABV) – This crazy good beer has the most unusual of ingredients…Western Red Cedar tips. You read correctly. Three pounds of them are added at the end of the boil and steeped like tea giving a surprisingly beautiful, spicy flavor. The cedar is definitely present in the aroma and has a sweetness that tastes like it belongs there. I couldn’t get enough of this beer…  and neither could the other customers!

Hildisvini, Battle Swine (9.8% ABV) – One of the craziest beers I have ever had also has the craziest ingredients. Rhubarb, cinnamon stick, raisins, and caramelized squash just to name a few. Battle Swine is unfiltered, full-bodied, thick and syrupy. Lovely sweet, brown sugar and caramel finish. This is definitely a sipper and not for the faint of heart. Battle Swine is a great after dinner beer.

Slippery Pig is also a working farm with a lot of history and character so if you haven’t visited the brewery yet it is definitely worth the trip.

 

Cheers!

Liz

 

 

Beer…the cure for what ‘ales’ you! October 13, 2011

Filed under: beer,breweries,Micro brew,Pacific Northwest Beer,Poulsbo,Seattle Beer,Washington beer — pnwbeerchick @ 9:21 pm

Feeling a bit under the weather last weekend I made the difficult decision to bow out of The Great Pumpkin Beer Fest. Instead,  I decided to take it easy and just visit a few breweries on the peninsula and see what they have in store for autumn.  After all, why let a little sniffle take me completely out of the game?

First stop was Hale’s Ales in Silverdale. I much prefer Hale’s location in Seattle. It just feels odd visiting an ale house in a
mall. Luckily once you’re inside the ale house that feeling goes away.  This month Hale’s is pouring O’Briens Harvest Ale. At 6.9% ABV this is just the warmer I needed to pep me up at bit. This ESB style ale is hoppy and crisp with a toasty finish. It has a
really pretty pumpkin orange color and essence of autumn leaves. Full-bodied and malty, O’Briens is just what the doctor ordered.  I followed up with the H.S.B. (Red Menace on nitro). This was a pretty beer. Smooth, creamy head and a malty
mouthfeel, I detected a hint of toffee. The finish is lightly hopped and very enjoyable.

Next stop was one of my favorite PNW breweries: Slippery Pig in Poulsbo. Now, I know this particular brewery is known for producing some crazy beers…but I think Hog Thai’d is their craziest one to date! And, at 9.5% ABV this baby packs a wallop. Ready for the ingredients? Glazed, smoked summer squash, toasted coconut, and zucchini. This beer starts out smoky and ends the same way. Hoppy, medium to full body with a touch of sweetness from the coconut, this baby would be worth a growler full! Also on tap was their Black Boar Hefe. I have never had a black hefeweizen. I’m talking this puppy is ink black. Black Boar is malty and full-bodied with a slightly sweet-tart finish. According to owner/brewer Dave, the wheat used in Black Boar is sautéed in a wok creating a lovely toasty element. Well done!

My last stop on my “Feeling A Bit Cruddy Tour” was Valhöll Brewing. I could hardly wait to try the brewery’s newest creation: Hop Fuk Wet Hop IPA. Beautiful Belgian lace floated elegantly above the amber-colored brew. Hop Fuk has a great hoppy aroma, starts out sweet and then pounds you in the face with an oily, full mouth feel. 7.6% ABV. I was very pleased.

I finished up with the very dark, very pretty Punkin Stouty. Served in a goblet, this elegant looking brew is strong (8.8% ABV) but easy to drink. Brewed with real pumpkin and spices, Punkin Stouty is malty, full-bodied and carried notes of brown sugar. Great little sipper.

So after a relaxing day at the breweries and about twelve hours of sleep, I was finally able to shake whatever it was that
ailed me. I guess beer really is the great “cure all.

 

Cheers!

Liz

www.halesbrewery.com

www.valhollbrewing.com

Information about Slippery Pig Brewery can be found on facebook.

 

Americana Music Festival – Saturday September 10, 2011 September 8, 2011

Filed under: beer,Beer Festivals,breweries,Pacific Northwest Beer,Poulsbo,Uncategorized,WA,Washington beer — pnwbeerchick @ 2:39 pm

Where: Poulsbo Waterfront & Marina. Poulsbo, WA

When: 12:00pm – 7:00pm.

Live music, yummy food and great local beer from Slippery Pig Brewing, Sound Brewery, and Valholl Brewing! 

Cheers!

Liz 

www.poulsbomusicfestival.com

 

What to get a viking who has everything… September 1, 2011

Filed under: beer,breweries,Micro brew,Pacific Northwest Beer,Poulsbo,Washington beer — pnwbeerchick @ 10:18 pm

Lo, there do I see my father.                                                                               
Lo, there do I see my mother.
Lo, there do I see my sisters
and my brothers.
I see the line of my people
back to the beginning….grabbing a beer???

Well they are at a Poulsbo, WA gem…Vahöll Brewing. I have wanted to write about Vahöll Brewing for quite some time and last weekend was finally my chance to sit, sample some great beers, and enjoy a chat with the owner, Jeff.

The tasting room is open air and cozy. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable.  And hey…there’s a big Viking on the wall! How can you go wrong with the Viking? The beers are fantastic and give me a feel of the old country…well, Poulsbo anyway.                              

Poulsbo Abbey Wit (5.2% ABV) – Light banana clove nose and flavor. Soft spices with a “bubble gum” finish. Light to medium bodied and very easy to drink. Great beer for a hot day.

Blackberry Wit (5.0% ABV) – Very clean and fruity. Brewed with fresh blackberries, the fruit is not too overpowering. Sweet but not too sweet. A beer that even the most faithful of hop heads would enjoy!

RyPA (5.5% ABV) – My favorite of the day! “Bready” aroma and a lovely hoppy bite. Medium bodied, very clean beer and a crisp finish. I could have had ten of these…ok, maybe five.

Bob’s Amarillo Bitter (7.7% ABV) – Merging over into a darker beer, the Bitter is a lovely balance of hops and caramel. White oak is used during the process giving the Bitter a nice “organic” feel. Ægir would certainly indulge in this beauty.

Blackberry Stouty (7.0% ABV) – Another favorite of the day was this amazingly sweet yet smoky stout. 2lbs of blackberries were dumped into the mix creating a gorgeous fruity aroma and jammy finish. Dark color, full bodied, and great to share with that special someone.

Vahöll  Brewing is another great brewery that is not afraid to take chances with ingredients. Soon to be added to their tap: Crimson
Cove Cherry Rye. I love this brewery and can hardly wait for more of their creative brews.

Now I know this is the third blog I have done on breweries in Poulsbo, but trust me, the beer culture here is really taking off. A darling little Norwegian town with a water view, who wouldn’t want to brew here?

 

Cheers!

Liz

Information for Vahöll  Brewing can be found on facebook.

 

Velkommen tilbake til Poulsbo! August 4, 2011

Filed under: beer,breweries,Micro brew,Poulsbo,Washington beer — pnwbeerchick @ 11:08 pm

So, hubby and I headed to Poulsbo, WA for a little brewery action as we heard tell a few new breweries that recently cropped up are making a splash. Not ones to pass on a chance to experience a new brewery we eagerly made our way back to the little Norwegian town we love so much. Turns out, the rumors are true! Located within minutes of the downtown area and just blocks
from each other, Sound Brewing and Slippery Pig Brewery are carving names for themselves in the micro-brew scene. Each brings their own styles to the micro-brew table and I see both really going places.

Sound Brewing opened its doors earlier this year and so far is doing relatively well. Sporting a very chic tasting room, Sound Brewing serves up equally chic beer.

Dunkelweizen (5.0% ABV) – Pretty amber color and toasty aroma. Slightly sweet, caramel and malty with a clean finish.

Kristallweizen (5.0 % ABV) – Golden color and nice wheat aroma. Clean and easy to drink, Kristallweizen reminds me of a light tasting, blonde ale.

Poundage Porter (5.5% ABV) – Dark brown color with a hard alcohol and dark chocolate aroma. Toasty, bitter dark chocolate, coffee. Great porter for chilly nights.

Dubbel Entandre (8.0% ABV) – A bit high in alcohol, this beer tastes a bit stronger than expected. With hints of fig and brown sugar, the taste is sweet, malty and full-bodied. Not for the meal, strictly for sipping.

Bevrijder Belgian Style IPA (7.0% ABV) – Ok “hop heads,” here you go! The Bevridjer (bev-ryder) is chock full of hops and citrus notes. Hints of honey grace this pretty beer and beautiful Belgian lace coats the glass on the way down. For an IPA, the Bevrijder is very easy drink and quite enjoyable.

Koperen Ketel Belgian Style Pale Ale (6.0 % ABV) – Dark honey color and aroma. Lightly malted with soft caramel hitting the palate. Light to medium bodied. Can drink with a meal, but probably more enjoyable on its own.

Monk’s Indiscretion Belgian Specialty Ale (10.0% ABV) – Hold on to your rosary beads! Monk’s indiscretion is dry hopped creating a beautiful hoppy aroma yet sweet, honey like flavor. Citrus notes sharpen up the sweet a bit. This beer is not for the faint of heart.

O’Regan’s Revenge Irish Red Ale (5.5 % ABV) – My favorite beer from Sound is the Irish Red. An aroma of hazelnuts and autumn leaves start this beer off right. Slight sweet and toasty with hints of caramel, the Irish red finishes clean and crisp. Lovely beer!

Located just a block away from Sound Brewing Co and down a quiet, dirt road sits one of the most relaxing and serene breweries I have ever been to: Slippery Pig Brewing. The tasting area is in the brewer’s front yard and the smell of the grasses and fresh flowers swirl around in the breeze. Slippery Pig is also one of the most unusual breweries I have encountered as they incorporate local, quirky ingredients like dandelion, stinging nettle, and rhubarb in their beer creating one-of-a-kind style and taste. You are sure to be greeted by the two resident dogs as you approach the tasting area. Oh, and the owners are really nice!

Dandelion Bitter (5.2% ABV) – Who knew a common weed can produce such a tasty brew? Brewed with actual dandelion the Bitter is light bodied and slightly bitter with a very pretty floral note. A great beer for sitting around a camp fire and chatting up friends.

Rhübbel Double Rhubarb (6.5% ABV) – A combination of two of Slippery Pigs brews, Rhübbel is double fermented creating a gorgeous floral, hop aroma and a soft tart flavor. It finishes clean and sweet.

Rhubarb (6.5% ABV) – Dark amber color. Brewed with fresh rhubarb, the sweet-tart character of the vegetable smooths outs the bitterness of the hops creating a unique beer.

Curly Tail Pale Ale (5.0% ABV) – A favorite of mine at the recent Bremerton BrewFest, Curly Tail is brewed with 10 lbs of stinging nettles creating a wonderfully sour ale. Dark red color and medium body. One of Slippery Pig’s best!

Sprung (4.5% ABV) – Flowers, honey, coconut…what more can a girl ask for (except for chocolate). Medium bodied and has a slight high alcohol character. Sprung is a gorgeous, crispy beer with a nice smoky finish.

Two more Poulsbo breweries have also made a mark: Battenkill Brewing Co and Valhöll Brewing. Stay tuned for Poulsbo Breweries #3 featuring these two wonderful breweries. Wow! Four great breweries in the same small town! As Poulsbo’s brewing scene continues to grow, so does my love for this wonderful little town.

Cheers!

Liz

www.soundbrewery.com

Information about Slippery Pig can be found on Facebook.

 

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
 

Velkommen til Poulsbo! November 30, 2010

Filed under: beer,Micro brew,Pacific Northwest Beer,Poulsbo,WA,Washington beer — pnwbeerchick @ 9:50 pm
Tags: , ,

This year I decided to spend the long holiday weekend in Europe. Ok, that was a slight exaggeration. I actually spent a day in the darling little European town of Poulsbo, WA, but you can’t blame a girl for dreaming. Located on Liberty Bay, Poulsbo is a picturesque Scandinavian storybook village complete with Viking murals, antique stores, gift shops, and the Sons of Norway lodge and the world-famous Poulsbo Bakery. Poulsbo also has two great pubs for the weary shopper to grab a bite and a pint.

My first stop was the Hare and Hounds English Pub on Front St. Decorated rather sparsely, the pub is a bit brighter than I’m used to seeing in an English pub. The walls are painted in very light tones and the tables and chairs are basic.  The restaurant resembled a sidewalk café more than a British pub.  The bar area is adorned with British beer cans and bottles and soccer towels hang from the walls and ceiling. Though the pub did not give me the “rustic” British pub feeling I love, it is a pretty establishment nonetheless. The menu consists of the English pub standards like fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, and ploughman’s lunch. But, the chicken and rice soup was unbelievably great. 

The beer tap selection was a pleasant mix of different beer styles. Again, Hare and Hounds carry some British pub standards like Guinness, Harp, and Newcastle, but microbrews from the Pacific Northwest dominate and are constantly rotated.  As for their bottled beer selection, I was quite impressed. Large bottles of Samuel Smith’s and Samuel Smith’s Raspberry is available along with bottles of Young’s Double Chocolate Stout and other British favorites.  Our bartender, Dan, was extremely friendly and very beer savvy.  He was a delight to talk to while enjoying my lunch and a pint…or two.

My next stop was just a small walk up the street to Tizley’s Europub. If you want a cool “rustic” vibe you will surely find it at Tizley’s. Located on the 2nd floor of one of Poulsbo’s many adorable Bavarian style shops, Tizley’s charm begins on your walk down a small alley to the staircase that leads you upstairs into the middle of the pub.  There is a very casual, old world feel throughout and there is outside balcony seating for lunch, dinner, or the relaxing afternoon pint.

Tizley’s serves just about every type of Bavarian Schnitzel possible along with other European favorites such as Sausage and Peppers, Black Forest Ham sandwich, Beef Boxty and of course, the traditional Goulash.  But my favorite reason for coming to Tizley’s is their wide selection of European and microbrew beers.  Like Hare and Hounds, Tizley’s also rotates their beer selection so you always have a fresh pint of whatever is in season.

But the true beer treat of the day was the Cherry Rye from Poulsbo’s newest brewery, Valhöll.  Poured by way of a hand pump, Cherry Rye was a strong yet smooth beer with just a hint of dark cherries. Delicious! Valhöll Brewery is still under construction but will be opening soon on Front St. just doors down from both pubs. In the meantime you can enjoy their beer at both Hare and Hounds English Pub and Tizley’s Europub. And trust me, as soon as Valhöll opens I will let you all know!

Winter is a great time of year to visit Poulsbo…and during Oktoberfest…and Viking Fest. Pretty much anytime of year is a great time to visit Poulsbo and its great pubs!

Cheers,

Liz

www.tizleys.com                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

www.valhollbrewing.com

 

 
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