Sound Ursus Speleus

Back in September, a good friend came to visit and brought me some beer from Washington from the gone but not forgotten Sound Brewing.  And on Christmas i finally enjoyed the Ursus Speleus, a 10% Belgian strong dark ale brewed with coffee.  The beer pours a dark black with a tannish head and smells of malts, chocolate, coffee, and notes of fruit and spice.  The flavor is full of those same chocolate and coffee notes with splashes of dark fruit and Belgian yeast to keep it balanced.  Sound, we will miss you.

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Bellwether Second Breakfast

Still remembering and pining for all of the excellent beer imbibed in Spokane a couple of weeks ago, and beginning to notice a definite beer for breakfast theme among many of the brews that made their way into my open hands, open mouth, and open heart.  And so we have the Second Breakfast, a non-traditional Hefeweizen from Bellwether Brewing.  Pouring a nice straw-tinted gold, the 5.7% ABV brew has aromas of banana, bread, and some slight lemon zest.  The flavor has notes of said banana and bread along with some hints of honey, and the aforementioned lemon to keep things crisper.  All in all, it's an easy drinker and a perfect beer for summertime, breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

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Whistle Punk English Mild

In general, i'm a beer after noon kind of guy, though when vacation mode kicks in, sometimes that internal rule gets thrown to the wind, particularly when i come across something that just works for breakfast.  And that brings us to the English Mild from Spokane's Whistle Punk Brewing.  The 3.9% brew pours a lovely transparent and amber-ish brown with a white head and smells of lightly roasted malts, bread, and some very subtle hints of florals, herbs, and tea.  The flavor is earthy and  just slightly bitter, but with hints of caramel and plum, and the aforementioned herbal notes giving the brew an unsweetened tea feel, both in taste and the overall light mouthfeel, a wonderful accompaniment to any breakfast.

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Grain Shed Purple Egyptian

Whenever i travel, it's pretty much a given that i'm going to make it to a brewery or two or fifteen.  That's what i did in Spokane, Washington over the weekend, and out of all of the beer consumed, tried, and tasted, the Purple Egyptian from brewery/bakery called The Grain Shed left all other brews in the dust.  A 6% ABV old ale, the beer pours gold with a frothy, slightly off white head and smells of grain and notes of fruit and molasses.  The Purple Egyptian grains, harvested from the Nile River Valley in Egypt, bring out subtle dried fruit notes to the flavor, that along with the malts makes for an earthy, complex, yet very refreshing beer.  You could drink this one for breakfast...and we did.  I can't wait to get back there again.

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Fremont B-Bomb Bourbon Abominable Winter Ale

My habit of amassing bottles of beer to consume at the end of the year over the holidays yields all kinds of goodies that i'm then spending weeks to catch up on and write about.  Over Christmas of 2017, an amazing friend of mine was visiting from Washington state and delivered a veritable smorgasbord of fantastic brews from the Pacific Northwest.  One of those was the B-Bomb Bourbon Abominable Winter Ale from Fremont Brewing.  Keeping it stowed away in a cupboard for a year was a challenge, as i desperately wanted to try the thing, but i'm glad i did, as it was the perfect brew to spend Christmas Eve with after the kids had gone to bed and we'd finished wrapping and putting out the presents.  This wonderful 14% ABV brew pours a dark brownish black with a light tan head and smells of oak, bourbon, spices, vanilla, coffee, and maybe even a little bit of tobacco.  The flavor is a warming mix of caramel, vanilla, roasted malt, oak, spice, and booze.  I should drink one of these every Christmas.

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Silver City Wonderland Winter Lager

I'm gonna sneak in a couple more winter/holiday brews while i still can.  It's warming up around here, so my window is closing.  Because i have amazing friends (Aleena, you're the best!), i got a little stockpile of Washington beers for Christmas that i've been enjoying immensely.  First at bat was the Wonderland Winter Lager from the always dependable Silver City Brewing.  This 7% ABV Vienna-stile lager brewed with 5 different German and domestic malts pours a lovely brown with a minimal white head.  Aromas of malt, spices, and chocolate abound.  The flavor is malty mix of chocolate notes, caramel, dark fruit, molasses, and spice, with just a hint of booze.  What a fantastic winter time brew!

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Elysian Dark O' The Moon Pumpkin Stout

Pumpkin ale season is pretty much done now, but i thought i would sneak one more in before we're up to our elbows in holiday ales.  Elysian was always one of my favorite breweries to sample when in the Pacific Northwest, and although they've become part of the evil empire, they still put out good stuff.  Case in point, the wonderful Dark O' The Moon Pumpkin Stout.  Pouring a dark, brownish black with a tan head, the (now) 7.6% ABV stout smells of pumpkin, spices, cinnamon, and malts.  Thick and smooth, the flavors of pumpkin, nutmeg, malt, and cinnamon abound, with the cinnamon notes really taking front and center, all with a decently bitter finish.

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Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin Ale

I was a little torn about writing about Elysian Brewing, as i'm no fan of the continued AB InBev acquisition of smaller craft breweries.  It feels like selling out the little guy.  But, good beer is good beer, and Elysian's Night Owl Pumpkin Ale is a good beer.  And we are knee deep in pumpkin spice season anyway, so i suppose it's worth noting.  Pouring a hazy, amber-ish gold with a crisp white head, the 6.7% ABV brew smells of pumpkin and your usual assortment of pumpkin spices like nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, and allspice.  The flavor is slightly sweet, the spices playing well with notes of caramel and molasses in a smooth and easily drinkable beer, a perfect, albeit corporate, Fall brew.

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Bale Breaker Topcutter IPA

I can tell that summer is beginning to leave us behind.  Not because it's getting cooler or anything ridiculous like that.  Here in Central Texas, we've got 90s and 100s in the forecast for the next two or three months.  What i'm talking about is the arrival of Oktoberfests and pumpkin ales on the store racks.  It's generally the first clue.  But, with it being as hot as it is here, i'm still jonesing for the more summery brews, specifically from the Pacific Northwest, as i drank a lot of them up there last month.  Bale Breaker Brewing Company's Topcutter IPA is pretty much everything you need in a tasty IPA.  The beer pours a nice and hazy gold with a crisp, white head and smells of citrus, fruit, florals, and pine.  A whopping combination of four different hops gives the brew a fairly complex feel, the mix of citrus, fruit, and floral notes moving back and forth between subtly sweet and bitter.  Drink this 6.8% ABV delight in the sunshine.

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Silver City The Giant Made of Shadows Belgian Strong Ale

Still celebrating the beer i enjoyed in Washington a month ago, and still wishing i'd smuggled some of it back to Texas, my possible favorite from my time in the Pacific Northwest is another astounding brew from Silver City (quite possibly my new favorite brewer from the region).  Encouraged by their delicious creations brought to the Bremerton Brewfest, i snatched up a few samples of their wares to drink with my friends before vacation ended, highlighted by the fantastic and wonderfully named Belgian strong ale, The Giant Made of Shadows.  Pouring dark with a slight crimson hue, the beer smells of dark fruits and malt, with those same dark fruit flavors swirling nicely with notes of toffee, coffee, and molasses.  As a fan of dark Belgian ales, this one was right in my wheelhouse, and the 9.9% ABV kept me nicely sated.  Please start selling this in Austin.

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No-Li Wrecking Ball Imperial Stout

I am still very much missing the beer i was able to drink when i was in Washington state a few weeks back, not that my Texas brews aren't great (they are!), but there sure were some wonderful beers to imbibe during my visit.  The Wrecking Ball Imperial Stout from No-Li Brewhouse in Spokane was one such beer.  Pouring dark black with a tan head, the stout smells of chocolate and roasted malts.  Flavors of malt, chocolate, toffee, and dark fruit abound in this full bodied, 9.5% ABV brew, a wonderful way to wind down as the sun sets.

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Sound Brewery Bombshell

Pretty much every trip i've made to Washington over the last few years is at least somewhat influenced by the wares of Sound Brewery.  And while Silver City is quickly becoming my favorite from the Puget region, the good folks at Sound are dear to my heart and make some damn fine beers.  The Bombshell is a Belgian style blonde ale and pours a beautiful gold that just captures the sunlight.  Aromas of yeast, citrus, and spice abound and mesh nicely on the tongue with some very subtle hints of grass and banana.  And it's surprisingly easy to drink, considering its 7.3% ABV.  Think of it as a kind of light Tripel if you will.  Good summer drinking.

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Silver City Tropic Haze IPA

So, i've been back from Washington for about a week now, and man am i missing it.  The cooler weather.  The fantastic beer.  Good friends.  The cooler weather (worth mentioning twice).  Of the numerous brews i got a chance to try over my trip (hooray Bremerton Brewfest!), the mainstay for the week was the Tropic Haze IPA from Silver City Brewery.  It's a perfect summer beer.  Pouring a hazy gold with a foamy white head (and dig on that lacing), the brew smells of yeast, bread, and spices, with a ton of fruit notes.  Flavors of grapefruit and citrus mash with hints of pineapple, orange, and more all against a hoppy backbone that finishes with just the right amount of bitter bite.  And despite its 6.4% ABV, i could drink these all day long.  Stay tuned for a whole bevy of brews from the Pacific Northwest over the next few weeks.

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Tacoma Brewery Crawl 2015!!!

John and me outside of Wingman Brewers

A little over two weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to escape all responsibility and obligation for a cool 48 hours and spend a weekend in Tacoma, Washington, hanging out with two of my oldest friends, hitting a few local breweries, and drinking way too much beer.  I never wanted it to end.  All that being said, and to avoid getting all mushy about my buddies, let’s get on to the brews!

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Puget Sound Porter

Harmon Brewery & Eatery
After a morning jaunt to the car museum in Tacoma (which was awesome by the way), our first brewery of the day was Harmon Brewery & Eatery, a brewpub where we loaded up on greasy, delicious food and wetted our whistles on their straightforward selection of brews.  No frills here, just good beer.  My flight consisted of five beers, the Mt Takhoma Blonde Ale, Pinnacle Peak Pale Ale, Brown’s Point ESB, Point Defiance IPA, and the Puget Sound Porter, my favorite of the bunch…so much so that I had to get another pint just to be sure.

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Beer flight at Wingman Brewers

Wingman Brewers
With our bellies full, we headed to Wingman Brewers, a facility that felt the most like a brewery to me, as there was an industrial feel to the whole thing.  This joint was probably my favorite of the afternoon, and my flight consisted of the P-51 Porter, Big Baby Flat Top Imperial Stout, Maple Hazelnut Big Baby Flat Top Imperial Stout, Doppelbock, Ace IPA, and a guest tap featuring the Salted Caramel Stout from Portland’s Breakside Brewery.  Everything here was high-flavor, high-hops, high-alcohol, and I easily could have spent all afternoon just sipping away.  My favorite beer from Wingman was probably their Ace IPA, though that Salted Caramel Stout on the guest tap was absolutely delicious…a beer I could drink all night.

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Beer flight at Odd Otter Brewing

Odd Otter Brewing
And then we got to Odd Otter…and that’s where things got interesting…and kind of drunk.  This brewery likes to experiment, and some of their concoctions seem off the wall, but taste fantastic, and they’re like nothing else.  My flight consisted of the Coconut Chai Porter, Poppa Otter’s Bacon Breakfast Stout, Momma Otter’s Pancake Porter, Jolly Otter ESB, Otter Nonsense IPA, and the Ottermellon Hefeweizen.  I also managed to get a taste of their Bacchus Blonde, a blonde ale aged in pinot noir barrels.  My favorite of the bunch was probably the Jolly Otter ESB, but that may just be because my taste buds were fried, and it was the simplest.  Anyway, the Odd Otter is a very cool place…you should go.

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Pacific Brewing & Malting Co.
As things were getting hazy by the time we hit our fourth and last brewery (though we had originally intended to do one more), I decided to lay off the beer flights and just settle for a good pint instead.  Pacific’s fine selection actually made my decision kind of difficult, but seeing as I had spent most of the day imbibing the darker stuff, I went for the Grit City Porter, a dark full-bodied brew that went down way smoother than it had any right to.  The taproom was bright, airy, and friendly, and…maybe we should have started here.  Also, this is where my phone died, so no pictures.

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Ace IPA insignia

And after that we were done.  Well, not actually done, as we went to grab some dinner, and then went to some place called Dorky’s…where I had another Ace IPA!  And then there was the Sunday morning drinking before heading to the airport, but that’s another story.

So, get to Tacoma.  They have beer there.

Silver City Imperial Stout

Yesterday i got back from an all too fast weekend trip to Tacoma to hang out with some old friends and hit up a slew of breweries (more on all of that at a later date).  My final libation came in the form of a 9.9% ABV Imperial Stout from Silver City Brewery out of Silverdale, Washington.  The beer is dark black with a brown and tan head, a thick and full bodied stout that smells like chocolate, coffee, dark fruits, nuts, malts, and maybe some hints of molasses.  The taste is pretty complex, a mix of said aromas with some bitterness and bourbony-like notes on the back end.  This brew is fantastic...and i drank a bottle of it at nine in the morning...What?  We were about to head to the airport.  I love this beer.

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Propolis Sahti

Let's go ahead and finish my Washington beer extravaganza with really interesting offering from Propolis Brewing out of Port Townsend.  The Sahti is a traditional Finnish style ale brewed with juniper berries.  It pours a dark and reddish color with a creamy beige head and some decent lacing on the glass.  The aroma has hints of banana and coriander mixed in with the aforementioned juniper berries.  The flavor is a little different.  When the beer is brewed, the mash is filtered through something called a kuurna, a device made of juniper twigs lining a wood trough.  The taste is complex, a fine mix of really bready malt and yeast, some fruit and pine notes, and an undercurrent of licorice.  It took several instances of going back to the well before i began to appreciate it.  This is not something you would want to drink everyday, but as a pre or post dinner treat, it's a good way to go.  Viva la Washington beers!  We'll be back to tasting from the rest of the country next week.

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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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