Mollusk Brewing

Mollusk Brewing  20Jan2017

Mollusk in its nice new building on Dexter Avenue

Mollusk is a pub and brewery near the heart of Amazonia. They started in a rather cramped space in SODO and moved recently into their new digs in South Lake Union. I hopped on the 40 (a route that is becoming the brewery bus) to ride the scenic route through Frellard down Westlake to South Lake Union. Mollusk is a couple of blocks off of Westlake on Dexter Ave.

When I stopped in on a Friday afternoon, the place was sparsely populated. The building is new and the restaurant is shiny and pristine and much roomier than the old space. As you walk in the front door you see the bar to the right 

The L-shaped bar with a view of the kitchen to the back

and the brewery behind glass to the left. 

The brew house is behind glass and visible from the central dining area

The center area is seating for the restaurant. The general feel of the place is and up to date restaurant as opposed to the standard urban warehouse so prominent in Seattle. I took a seat at the bar and was presented with a beer list and a beer information sheet plus a menu. I opted for a taster of 6 x 4 ounce samples.

Some of the beers on offer with ingredients and tasting notes

 Tasting Notes:

Artsy Pale Ale (4.7% ABV): Balanced malt and hop aroma. Yellow gold and murky appearance. Sweet, astringent and bitter flavor with balanced malt and hops. Bitter finish. A nice sessionable pale.

Winter Brown (6.3% ABV): Roasty chocolate malt aroma. Clear brown appearance. Sweet and malty with late bitterness. Some roast. Dry bitter finish. A straight ahead brown ale, well brewed.

Icarus Plunged Accidentally IPA (7.0% ABV): An IPA named by committee. A slight dank hop aroma. Pale gold with slight haze. Full body malt and bitter hops. Sweet and bitter, fruity citrus hops. Quick finish, dry and neutral.

Mollusk Critter (4.3% ABV): Perfumey, saison aroma, phenols and fruit. Reddish brown and clear. Sweet, fruity and slightly sour yeast character. Sweet, sour finish. I could drink this all day.

Saison du Mollusk (6.5% ABV): Sweet, estery and phenolic aroma. Clear pale gold. Malty and sweet flavor with a slight bitterness. Saison yeast presence. Dry bitter finish.

Pizzabier (6.5% ABV): Garlic and oregano aroma. Clear pale gold. Garlic and oregano flavor. A hint of tomato? Maybe. Balanced malt and bitterness. Garlic finish. Not my taste in beer.

The beers (l to r): Artsy Pale Ale, Winter Brown, Icarus Plunged Accidentally IPA, Mollusk Critter, Saison du Mollusk, Pizzabier (not shown)

 I had a dish of crispy Brussel sprouts with a lemon aioli on the side – it was good if you like Brussel sprouts like I do. 

Even though the place was sparsely populated the feeling in the room was friendly and I had a nice brief beer related conversation with one of my bar mates. From the bar a patron can see the continual activity in the kitchen – those guys were busy. I enjoyed all of my beers, they were all well brewed and unique in flavor. The Pizzabier was not to my taste because it turns out I don’t like garlic in beer. I took a short walk back to Westlake to catch the 40 back home.