Burdick Brewery

Burdick Brewery 23Aug2017

I mentioned in another brewery-visit that Ballard was once connected to West Seattle by Metro through the 15 and 18 bus lines. Now they are cut apart by the necessity of a transfer. But, in compensation Ballard is now connected to South Park by a combined bus route comprising the 28X and the 132. I walked the ten blocks over to 8^th NW to catch the 28X and was deposited about an hour later at the south end of the South Park Bridge.

Burdick has opened a new tap room in July of this year that is off site from the brewery proper. My bus ride took me past the brewery itself, which appeared to be in transition as well. 

Burdick at home in its clearly marked and attractive building

The taproom occupies a small building with its entrance on 16^th Avenue South. The door opens into a U shaped room with a few tables and the bar at the left hand end of the U.

The interior with its U shape and a few scattered tables

The beer list is, for now, marked up on a piece of craft paper next to the bar. Only the names of the beers and the prices are listed. Since the place is new, they are not yet prepared to pour flights, so I ordered three of the five beers on offer as 12 ounce pours. Pints and growlers are also available. I also asked for a taste of the Whiskey Red.

l to r Summer Ale, Whiskey Stout and Brown Ale

Whiskey Red

Tasting Notes:

Summer Ale (4.0%): Clear orange gold. Ester, caramel malt, and hop aromas. Sweet malt body followed by fruit esters and hop flavor. Late bitterness. Bitter finish. Good balance.

Brown Ale (4.4%): Cloudy hazy red brown. Roast barley aroma. Dry full malt body with slight sweetness. Firm hop bitterness. Sweet finish.

Whiskey Stout (8.9%): Opaque black with no highlights. Burnt malt, barrel and whiskey aromas. Sweet malt, burnt malt, ashes, caramel, and vanilla with medium body. Bitter finish.

Whiskey Red (8.9%): Red orange with a slight haze. Whiskey and wood aroma and something perfumey – esters and sweet alcohol. Taste of sweet full bodied malt with very low bitterness. Barrel notes of vanilla and a slight astringency. The alcohol is well hidden. Bitter finish.

I have been postponing this write up because I didn’t feel well on this Wednesday afternoon visit. I have been concerned about putting a negative spin on my review and tasting notes. Burdick Whiskey Stout is one of my favorite beers but was so heavy I couldn’t finish it. The Brown Ale and Whiskey Red were good beers and very malty and sweet, so I couldn’t finish them either. I passed up the IPA in tap because I know from experience that Burdick brews IPAs well. I’ve had Rat City Roller Girl IPA in the bottle, and it’s outstanding. Since my drinking capacity was diminished, the summer ale struck me as a perfect beer for a warm day.

The new Burdick taproom is quite serviceable with a few tables, seating around the walls, and a small outdoor seating area in front of the building. 

Outdoor seating

During the day the interior is well lit due to ample windows. The greeting was friendly and the bar tender was knowledgeable enough to answer my questions about the beers. A few people from the neighborhood stopped in while I was drinking and solidified my impression that this another neighborhood place.

Bottles of Whiskey Stout were for sale but I already have one in my beer cupboard so I passed on that opportunity.

My reversal of the bus ride home on the 132 and the 28X was very quiet and I got a bit of reading done due to the longer transit time at peak hour.