Lucky Envelope Brewing

Lucky Envelope Brewing  26Feb2017

Lucky Envelope is a medium walk from my little cottage in Ballard. To get there I walked past Stoup and Reuben’s (on the way home I stopped at Reuben’s to pick up a sixer of the latest incarnation of Crush) saluting smartly but continuing on. The weather was good for walking – cool and a few sprinkles.

Lucky Envelope is a couple of blocks from 14^th Avenue NW on NW 50^th Street. 

The sandwich board place precariously on the trolley tracks on 14th Ave NW. Oh wait, no more trolleys in Ballard

The building matches its light industrial setting in that it’s nondescript and utilitarian. 

A cool blue-gray building on a cool gray day has a warm, welcoming, neon OPEN sign

When you step inside the doors, you see the bar with the beer list clearly chalked above it. To the right of the bar you can see the brew kit and a hard right presents the seating area. 

The bar and the brew kit

The chalked-up beer list. Ales, lagers, a sour, and a guest cider. You are covered

In the summer patrons can sit out on the patio. Upon my entering I was greeted by Cat, who was behind the bar, and after settling in I ordered a flight of six tastes. I was in a lager frame of mind. 

Back row l to r Helles Lager (note clarity), Pilsner, and Black Lager; front row l to r Grapefruit ENIAC, Peanut Butter Porter, and Raspberry Sour

The picture of my flight is incomplete because I was distracted and forgot to snap a pic until half way through. Good thing my livelihood doesn’t depend on my beer hunting performance because my year-end review would be poor based on this performance.

Tasting Notes:

Helles Lager (5.0% 22 IBU): Mixed malt yeast, and hop aroma - beery. Very clear yellow gold color. Sweet malt that dries to a late bitterness with low noble hop flavor is well integrated. Restrained. Bitter finish. GABF bronze medal 2015.

Pilsner (5.3% 28 IBU): Sulfur aroma – probably from the yeast. Pale yellow with a slight haze. Bitter hop with restrained hop flavor. Some malt body but dry. Some sulfur. Hint of lemon. Bitter finish. I think this beer needs some fine tuning.

Black Lager (5.2% 28 IBU): Roast malt aroma. Clear black with red highlights. Roast malt, bitter, some late sweetness. Roasty bitter finish. My favorite of the group. It’s dry, bitter, and flavorful enough to drink a bunch.

Raspberry Sour (5.4% 7 IBU): Fruity raspberry aroma. Hazy red appearance. Sour raspberry, dry thin body. A little watery in the middle then a sweet berry finish.

Grapefruit ENIAC IPA (7.1% 68 IBU): Citrus hop aroma. Bitter citrus hop flavor, sweet malt. The grapefruit is not overwhelming; it just enhances the hops. Bitter sweet finish.

Peanut Butter Porter (8.3% 62 IBU): This beer sounded repulsive to me so I had to try it. Roast malt (almost coffee) aroma with a touch of peanut. Clear black with red highlights. Roast malt flavor, then peanuts. Bitter peanut finish. Not the beer for me.

The brewers at Lucky Envelope prefer malt forward beers but still brew a pretty decent hop-forward IPA. In the past I have found some of their lagers to be cloying. On the other hand that Black Lager (Schwarzbier) is an outstanding example of an American take on the style. The raspberry sour was worth another sip as well.

The walk back home was uphill, but I was well lubricated and my body didn’t squeak.

Machine House Brewery

Machine House Brewery  19Feb2017

A long bus ride, including a transfer downtown in the damp and cold, deposited me at Machine House Brewery. I nearly turned back home while waiting but rallied myself with, “What kind of beer hunter are you?” The stalwart kind, I hope. Machine House is located in Georgetown in a complex that was once part of Seattle Brewing and Malting Company. 

When you de-bus from the 124 at Doris St, the brewery is right across the street. You might be tempted to jay-walk across Airport Way. Take care.

The specialty here is cask-conditioned ale or as CAMRA would call it, Real Ale. No food is offered but it is available to go at nearby restaurants.

The entrance is easier to find when the photographer doesn't jerk the camera

The entrance to Machine House is set back from Airport Way through a side door that is easily missed. As you enter you see the bar and seating to your left and right. The beer list is clearly visible chalked up behind the bar. 

The bar behind which you can see the beer list

The seven cask engines are clearly visible and well-marked at the bar. The ambiance is converted industrial space with the high windows adding a lot of much needed daylight. No flights are offered so I ordered four half-pints (10 ounces) with no intention of finishing all of them. I chose low ABV beers to minimize the discomfort of the long bus ride back home.

Tasting Notes: 

Dark Mild (3.7% 20 IBU): In the 18^th and 19^th century mild meant beer that was not aged. Now it means a low ABV thirst quencher. This one is dark brown to black with red highlights and clear. Fruit and roast malt aroma. Bitterness, roast malt (almost coffee like), and dry with late bitterness. Slight malt sweetness. Bitter finish. Good body for such low alcohol.

Dark Mild

Winter Sun Pale Ale (4.0% 40 IBU): Clear pale yellow. New hop aroma, citrus. Sweet malt, heady hop flavor with late bitterness and a slight astringency. Thin body. Bitter-sweet finish.

Winter Sun Pale Ale

Porter (5.4% 20 IBU): Clear reddish-black. Roast malt and fruit aroma. Slightly smoky roast malt and sweet. Low bitterness and fruit. Smokey finish. According to the brewery no smoked malt was added.

Porter on the right next to the Dark Mild for comparison. Both are suitably dark and the Porter has reddish highlights

Elm Hill Bitter (4.3% 24 IBU): Clear reddish gold. Citrus and piney hop aroma. Sweet malt, bitter hops and citrus hop flavor. Medium body. Bitter finish.

Elm Hill Bitter taken at a low angle to capture the clarity

Machine House understands cask-conditioned ales better than any other brewery in the city. Their beer is as fine as any I have had in England. Many drinkers find cask ale to be too warm and under carbonated. The ideal serving temperature for real ale is 55 °F with carbonation levels of 1.1 to 1.8 volumes. Cask ale balances the interplay of malt, hops, and yeast and the warmer temperature combined with low CO₂ allow the drinker to taste all components. The balance can be shifted to highlight any particular one, but all flavors should be present. And, Machine House does this very well – their dark mild is the best in Seattle, in my opinion. If you go, please, approach the beer with an open mind and don’t expect the hop and malt assault of West Coast IPAs – although you can find that here if you want. The IPA, which I didn’t sample, is hopped to 66 IBU.

I didn’t over-partake and the bus ride home was anxiety free. For the most part.

The Pike Brewery

The Pike Brewery  17Feb2017

A quick ride on the D-Line into downtown Seattle had me within a couple of blocks of The Pike Brewery in the Pike Place Market. 

The iconic Pike Place Market

Since 1978 Charles and Rose Ann Finkel have imported fine beers from England, Belgium, and Germany as Merchant du Vin with a goal to educate beer drinkers to the possibilities beyond industrial pils. 

Walking south on 1st Avenue

They started The Pike brewery in 1989 and it is one of the older breweries in Seattle. The Pike is a brew pub serving food, wine, cider, and their ale along with guest ales. The atmosphere captures the old of the market with the new of current small scale brewing. Funky and up to date.

You can get there from here

As you enter from First Avenue you see an open area that is the upper part of the Pike space. Stairs carry you down to the host station and behind that the dining area and the bar. 

Stairs with lots of chotskies

The bar and some of the seating area are visible from the stairs

I sat at the bar. When you sit down, a server presents you with a beverage list and a menu. Flights of tasters are offered in a limited way – six tastes of the year-round beer offerings or six tastes of the seasonal ales and one guest. I picked the latter, and the guest was Reuben’s Roasted Rye.

Front row (l to r) Pike Space Needle, Pike No. 4, and Pike Old Bawdy - 2012; back row (l to r) Pike Hopulus Erectus, Pike Octopus Ink, and Reuben's Roasted Rye

Tasting Notes:

Pike Space Needle (6.5% 58 IBU): Clear gold. Piney hop aroma and malt. Medium dry body, bitter with low hop aroma. Esters. Bitter sweet finish.

Pike No. 4 – Session IPA (4.2% 26 IBU): Pale gold with a slight haze. Fruity hop aroma. Sweet, ester, citrus hops with late bitterness. Medium dry bitter finish.

Pike Old Bawdy – 2012 (9.9% 90 IBU): Clear red-brown. Low aroma (too cold?). Rich malt and hop aroma upon warming. Sweet, dates, esters (banana and stone fruit), followed by hop bitterness. Bitter finish.

Pike Hopulus Erectus (11% 90 IBU): A triple IPA. Fruity pine hop aroma. Red, slightly hazy. Sweet, citrus, bitter. Bitter sweet finish. A well brewed beer when so many things can go wrong.

Pike Octopus Ink (8.3% 80 IBU): Black with red highlights and clear. Hops and roast malt aroma. Bitterness and roast malt contend for front flavor. Bitter sweet finish.

Reuben’s Roasted Rye (7.0% 80 IBU): Clear reddish brown. Rye aroma? Roasted grain aroma for sure. Astringent rye, dry, and bitter flavors. Piney citrus hops. Bitter finish.

I have enjoyed many a fine pint at the Pike and attended a number of beer education functions as well. Pike has brewed well-made beers in the English style for over two decades. The brewery has been an incubator for brewers, several of whom have achieved celebrity status. Charles and Rose Ann Finkel have done great service to the beer culture in Seattle and deserve great praise. I wish them many more years of robust business, because I want to be able to drink there many times in the future.

I walked out without my hat, went back and got it, and then caught the D-Line back home.

Elliott Bay Brewery Lake City

Elliott Bay Brewery Lake City  15Feb2017

Looking across Lake City Way at Elliott Bay Brewery

On a day that otherwise contained a routine errand, Renee offered to drive me to Lake City (it’s on the way home) to stop at the Elliott Bay Brewery. We were able to snag a parking spot right in front of the joint – surprise! – maybe because a Wednesday after lunch time is a good time to hit Lake City. The establishment fronts right on the sidewalk and yet is clearly visible perhaps due to its decent size. Elliott Bay Brewery is locally owned and has three current locations. Besides Lake City it has locations in West Seattle and Burien. All locations have food.

As you enter the front doors you see the entrance to the downstairs event space in front of you and to the left is the host station. Beyond the stairs you see the bar with the beer list prominently chalked above the bar.

The chalked up beer list above the bar

 Restaurant seating is scattered around the room. We chose a window seat overlooking picturesque (well, maybe not so much) Lake City Way with its constant stream of traffic. We were presented with a comprehensive beer list and menus. 

The comprehensive beer list with plenty of information

I chose a flight of tasters and we ordered the pretzel plate. The pretzel was ginormous.

The flight with the helpful list: (l to r) Elliott Bay Pilsner, Lake City Way IPA, B-Town Brown, Chocolate Porter, and Fauntleroy Imperial Stout

Tasting Notes:

Elliott Bay Pilsner (5.0% 20 IBU): Clear gold. Hoppy malt aroma. Crisp dry malt with bitterness at the back of the tongue. Good hop flavor. Dry bitter finish. My perception of the bitterness level was greater than the IBU level would suggest.

B-Town Brown (5.2% 19 IBU): Clear reddish brown. Roast malt aroma. Dry roast malt flavor with late bitterness. Some fruit notes. Bitter dry finish.

Chocolate Porter (6.5% 33 IBU): Roast malt and chocolate aroma. Opaque brown with dark red highlights at the bottom of the glass. Very dry, roast malt, slight chocolate (suggested by the name?) late bitterness. Roasty, dry-bitter finish.

Lake City Way IPA (6.0% 75 IBU): Reddish gold with a slight haze. Fruity lemon hop aroma. Very dry hop assault tasting of citrus. Medium body and late sweetness. Bitter citrus finish.

Fauntleroy Imperial Stout (9.2% 44 IBU): Opaque black with a slight red hue at the bottom of the glass. Sweet fig and roast malt aroma. Medium dry, burnt malt, late bitterness. Bitter dry finish.

Elliott Bay has been brewing beer since 1997 and the insights learned in that time show in the beer. All of these beers were well made – very dry and flavorful. The lack of cloying sweetness means I could drink a lot of any of these beers before I noticed how plastered I had become. The food was good but no fine dining experience, which suits my taste. I am not sure that a convenient public transportation option exists to get me to Lake City from Ballard – east west trips are usually problematic. I guess I will find out when I visit Hellbent Brewing.

Pyramid Ale House

Pyramid Ale House  27Jan2017

I grabbed the D-line bus to downtown then picked up a random bus in the bus tunnel to the Royal Brougham stop. A medium hike up and over the loop that takes cars and pedestrians above the railroad tracks, and voila, I was there at Pyramid Ale House across 1^st Ave South from Safeco Field.

The front door is welcoming even though set back from 1st Avenue

I have stopped here many times to have a pre-game nosh and beer. Service, when a baseball game is scheduled, is usually efficient but not hurried and seating is usually available. I find the limited menu sufficient for my food needs. The beer is usually good.

Kitchen to the right, second level seating to the rear above, and the bar with the beer list to the left

As you enter the front doors you see the host station in front of you, to the side you see the gift shop, and behind the host station is the bar, kitchen and restaurant seating. Restaurant seating is on two floors and all around the open area above the bar. The beer list is above the bar and is not readily apparent. 

Another brew kit behind glass

When you sit, you get a menu and beer list right away, so a visible beer list is not that important. I ordered a flight and the hummus plate.

(l to r) Blond Alt Beer, Nitro Red, McTut Stout, Winter Bock, and Barrel Aged Snow Cap

Tasting Notes:

Blond Altbier: Fruity malt aroma. Gold color with slight haze. Sweet with balanced bitterness and full body. Malt character is crisp pils in nature with noble hops. Bitter sweet estery finish.

Nitro Red (6% ABV 60 IBU): Piney resinous hop aroma. Clear red-brown. Dry with bitter resinous hop flavor. The hop flavor is mostly nugget derived. Turns out I don’t like nugget hops.

McTut Stout (5.8% ABV, 40 IBU): Burnt malt aroma. Opaque black appearance. Dry, roast malt, hop bitterness and some hop flavor in that order. Medium to full body. Bitter finish.

Winter Bock (7.4% 35 IBU): Sweet malt and noble hop aroma, both faint. Red brown and clear. Sweet, crisp, malt with bitterness following. Touch of noble hop aroma. Bitter sweet finish. Some hints of sulfur – OK for a lager.

Barrel Aged Snowcap (7.0% ABV, 47 IBU): I don’t like Snowcap from the bottle – it always tastes under-pitched to me. This beer has a sweet alcohol and bourbon aroma. Dark brown and clear. Sweet and malty with vanilla from the barrel. Slight bitterness. Sweet bitter finish. The barrel aging has transformed Snowcap into a drinkable beer.

Pyramid is no longer locally owned. I know because I attended the last share-holders meeting when Magic Hat took over after buying all of the extant shares. It is currently owned by Cerveceria Costa Rica, a unit of the Costa Rican company Florida Ice & Farm Co. For a time after Magic Hat acquired them Pyramid did not brew at the Seattle site. For some time brewing has happened at the Ale house and the beer brewed on site has yet to disappoint. I can’t give much guidance on the food, but the hummus plate was good and filling.