Powerhouse Restaurant and Brewery

Powerhouse Restaurant and Brewery  02Mar2017

We made our annual trek down to Puyallup for the Sewing and Stitchery Expo. I spent the time marveling at the sophisticated machinery and all the marvelous fabrics. My reward for squiring my wife through the show was a stop at the Powerhouse. We drove a few blocks from the Fairgrounds to the restaurant and found a space in the small parking lot. We climbed the steps and went in the front door.

The picturesque brick building that houses Powerhouse

 From the brewery website, “The Puyallup Substation where the Powerhouse now resides was constructed for the Puget Sound Electric Railroad in 1907, supplying the current for the southern leg of the Interurban Electric Trolley that ran from Seattle to Olympia.” The restaurant is a lovely old brick building filled with heavy duty electrical equipment. When you walk in the front door, you see the bar and beyond that the seating area filled with booths. 

Inside the front door you see the bar and beyond that the restaurant seating. Above you can see underside of the floor for the second level seating.

You have to pause in front of the bar to view the beer list but a beer list is also present at each table. 

The beer list.

I looked at the beer list and ordered a flight of tasters, and then we looked at the menu to order dinner. I washed down the fish tacos with a variety of beer.

Clockwise from 12 o'clock Up Plum Kriek, Amber, Porter, More Power DIPA, No Fruit, and Powerhouse IPA

Tasting Notes:

Up Plum Kriek (5.5%): Sour and barrel aroma. Red and hazy appearance. Initial sip is sour, followed by cherry, and funk. Sour cherry finish. Delightful.

Tim and Tristans Amber Adventure (6.0%): Hop aroma. Cloudy red-gold. Taste is sweet malt, bitter, hop flavor, all well balanced. Late bitterness. Clean bitter-sweet finish.

Roasted Porter (6.4%): Roast malt and coffee aroma. Opaque black with red highlights. Taste is roast malt and coffee followed by sweet malt. Sweet bitter finish.

More Power DIPA (7.1%): Strong hop aroma, very pine. Hazy red-gold. Sweet malt, bitter hops and piney hop flavor. Bitter finish. Too easily drinkable.

No Fruit Was Harmed IPA (7.5% 90 IBU): Fruity citrus hop aroma. Very cloudy, pale yellow appearance. Fruity sweet malt with hoppy flavor. The bitterness does not present as 90 IBU. Sweet finish.

Powerhouse IPA (6.6%): Flowery hop aroma and maybe some esters. Gold and hazy. Sweet malt, perfumed hops, bitterness. Bitter finish.

The powerhouse has high ceilings and the brick extends to the inner walls. The seating area is cozy and warm, and there is additional seating on an upper level. Occasionally a train roars by on the tracks right outside the building. We ordered and shared a sundae and I sipped to determine which of the above beer s went best with ice cream. 

Vanilla ice cream with caramel and chocolate sauce topped with whipped cream and cherries.

I liked the Up Plum Kriek best while the Powerhouse IPA was a close second. The porter might be a good choice if you like coffee – I don’t. I have been surprised over the years how well pale ale pairs with ice cream.