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.