Triple R Brewing

Triple R Brewing 17Dec2017

Triple R is a Seattle brewery to which I have never paid a visit. I hiked up to NW 85^th Street and then caught the 45 over to the Roosevelt District. Triple R is in an alley near Roosevelt just off NE 65^th Street.

The Triple R Brewing Alley Tavern is, indeed, located in an alley running parallel to Roosevelt in a retail area. 

The alley entrance to Triple R

The door opens into the cozy main taproom with a stairway up to a second level seating area. 

Step through the door and check out the bar and seating areas

The brew kit is hidden away in the back. The bar is immediately in front of you as you enter and the tap list is on a monitor above the taps to the left side. 

A monitor with the tap list including the pub crawl killing Yeti

The greeting at the bar is friendly and familiar. Tasters of 6 ounces (a flight of 6 tasters is available for a flat price), pints, and growler fills are available. I ordered one six ounce taster of each Triple R-brewed beer (only three available at this writing) and sat at the bar to sample my beers and watch the Seahawks get their lunch eaten by the Rams.

From l to r: Golden Smash, Fall Ale, and NW Pale

Tasting Notes:

Triple R Golden Smash (6.6%): Described as a Belgian Golden Strong Ale. Clear pale gold. Fruity, peppery, Belgian aroma some dank hop. Sweet malt, fruit, and smoke with late bitterness and a hint of lemon. Bitter sweet finish. Much better as it warms.

Triple R Fall Ale (4.5%): Described as a specialty smoked beer. Clear bronze. Fruity hop aroma and roast malt. Sweet malt, smoke (coffee like), roast malt. Late bitterness and hop flavor. Sweet sour finish.

Triple R NW Pale (5.25%): American pale ale. Slightly hazy bronze. Unusual hop and sweet malt aroma. Bitter taste and a dry, wort-like malt flavor. Bitter finish.

The tap list of guest beers demonstrates the level of achievement to which Triple R aspires. The list today included Great Divide’s Yeti, a beer that caused a staggering and collapsed end to one of my annual pub crawls. The guest beers are fine examples of their styles. The beers that Triple R make are uneven and works in progress. The Golden Smash is quite good and I ordered a second glass. This tavern is newly opened in July and the guys who run the place have not yet been able to quit their day jobs.

The seating area is inviting with a lot of wood to add warmth. A garage door – closed against the winter weather – promises cool breezes and an open atmosphere in the summer. A steady trickle of customers (appropriate for a Sunday afternoon even with a Seahawks game on the tube) came in to buy pints or filled growlers while I enjoyed my beers.

I hit the bus stop just as the 45 was pulling up and rode back to my Ballard neighborhood. I then walked the mile from 85^th to my house just to get some exercise. No D-Line today.