Fremont Brewing

Fremont Brewing  04Nov2016

I think we're in Fremont

I’ve been seeing pictures of Dark Star on my beer tasting themed Facebook pages, which pushed me to plan a trip to Fremont Brewing. Fremont has been building a well-deserved reputation for brewing prowess. I jumped aboard the 40, which dropped me in downtown Fremont to make a short walk to the brewery.

Another Fremont landmark difficult to miss

The brewery and tap room presents a prosperous looking face toward N 34^th Street. The taps and the beer list are readily apparent as you enter the building after passing the outdoor seating area. 

Stand back, pick your beer, and then step right up

Looking left from the entrance

I wanted to try the Dark Star but I hadn’t read the fine print on line, so when I saw it was 14.5% ABV I decided on a 4 oz. taster because I am a light weight. I also wanted to try the spice version and skip the coffee version. I ordered a couple of other tasters to make a flight.

Left to right: sour with lime, IIPA randal, Dark Star, and Dark Star Spice Wars

Tasting Notes:

Sour with Lime (4% ABV, 10 IBU): Cloudy pale yellow. Lime and sour aroma. Straight forward sour flavor of lime. Refreshing.

The Brother IIPA randaled with fruit (8.5% ABV, 90IBU): Dark gold, slightly hazy. Fruity and dank hop aroma. Fruity, hoppy flavor with a long, bitter finish.

Dark Star (14.5% ABV, 50 IBU): Labeled as an oatmeal stout. Opaque black color with a tan head. Rich roasty chocolate and biscuit aroma. All of those aromas are in the flavor and the alcohol is well hidden. Absolutely delicious.

Dark Star Spice Wars (14.5% ABV, 50 IBU): Opaque black color with a tan head. Some spice in the aroma – suppresses the biscuit aroma. Spicy flavor added to the flavors of Dark Star. The spices seemed to bring out the alcohol and decrease the smoothness of the base beer.

Looking right from the entrance

The indoor seating area has a lot of space for when the weather turns wet and cold. The outdoor seating area is pleasant in sunny weather, and it had more patrons seated enjoying beer than were seated inside on this clear day. I enjoyed my beer and book indoors in the quiet. If you are in the Fremont area, seek out Fremont Brewing to try some beer. Their everyday beers are well made and interesting, and they usually have some of their limited releases on tap. From here I set out to walk to Hale’s Ales.