Fish Brewing Vicious Circle Amber Ale

Nothing says class like drinking beer out of a plastic cup.  While visiting the beach on a chilly summer weekend in Washington, our previsions consisted of a smattering of state beers, one of which was the tasty Vicious Circle Amber Ale from Fish Brewing Company.  The beer pours a reddish amber with a light and quickly dissipating head and smells of grain, earth, and some hints of dark fruit.  The beer's flavor is pretty typical of an amber ale, but with some pine notes.  The brew finished not too sweet and not too bitter, and all around was a nice libation to warm up to and listen to ocean.

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Elysian Loser Pale Ale

I've got about three or four more Washington beers to move through before hitting up brewers' wares from the rest of the country and world.  I just had so many tasty ones while visiting there last month, that i have a veritable arsenal of brews to choose from.  Elysian Brewing Company puts out a celebratory pale ale called Loser that's dedicated to the area's legendary Sub Pop Records.  The beer is a murky gold with a white head that smells and tastes of pine, citrus, and grapefruit.  It's a dry and bitter 7% ABV pale, but balances out nicely with the sweet malts.  Enjoy one in the sunshine.

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Hale's Ales Kolsch

Still moving along on this Washington train of beers i dipped into last month, and one of my absolute favorites has to be the Hale's Ales Kolsch from Hale's Ales Brewery.  While imbibing a large number of different brews at the Bremerton Brewfest on an unseasonably hot day in the Pacific Northwest, the real standout of the afternoon was this wonderful German style ale.  It's refreshing and delicious and was a perfect concoction to drink on such a hot Saturday.  The beer looks of golden straw and smells sweet like honey.  The taste is predominantly sweet with hints of wheat and malt, and i easily could have spent all afternoon drinking this beer.  It's probably one of the best Kolsch style brews i've ever had the joy of drinking.  And, it has the notable distinction of being the only beer at the fest that i came back for seconds of.  Oh, how i wish i could get this in Texas.

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Narrows Giant Pacific Octopus IPA

IPA's in general seem to be somewhat of an acquired taste.  I know plenty of beer lovers who can do without a dosage of heavy hops.  Sometimes it can just be too much.  As a hophead myself, i'm usually game for all the spiciness and bitterness a good IPA has to offer, but every now and again, i come across a relatively smooth offering, something high on the citrus notes and with maybe even a little sweetness in the mix.  The Giant Pacific Octopus IPA from Narrows Brewing Co. in Washington is just such a beer.  There are definitely enough spicy hops to go around, but this murky, orange brew rides high on its aromas and flavors of orange peel, grapefruit, and hints of lemon.  Some subtle malty sweetness rounds the whole thing out.  This is a great and relatively strong beer (7.2% ABV) to enjoy outside on the patio on a hot day.

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