Burke-Gilman Brewing

Burke-Gilman Brewing 26Aug2018

Burke-Gilman Brewing is on NE 45^th Street near the U-Village. Riding the bus from my house would take an hour so I decided to bus part way and walk from 45^th and University. Still took forever, but the weather was clement, the day was young, and the walk to the brewery was downhill.

The brewery is housed in a newly constructed building, which looks to be mixed housing and retail. 

The brewery as viewed from across the street

To get to the entrance you step past a fenced off outdoor seating area with picnic tables. 

The front door with some bicycle friendly parking

As you step through the front door you see the bar (with a tap list behind) immediately in front of you. 

This is what you see as you first enter. If you walk too fast, you'll go head-first over the bar

To your left is a large seating area and to your right you see storage and restrooms. 

The end of the bar and the indoor seating area

The hand written tap list is augmented by a plasma screen listing of the beers and ciders on offer with ABVs but no IBUs. 

The hand written tap list behind the bar

The greeting from behind the bar is NW friendly, offers of tastes are forthcoming, and the information flows freely. Tasters, pints, growler fills, and crowlers are available. I did my usual flight (selection of 5 in this case) and regretted having such a long trip back home so that I couldn’t try more.

L to R: London Brown, Burke Stout, Troll Tårer, Local Pale, and Philsner Pils.

Tasting Notes:

Philsner Pils (4.6%): Pale yellow and clear. Pilsner malt and noble hops in the aroma. Dry, authoritative bitterness and Czech hop flavor. Late sweetness just before the swallow. Hoppy bitter finish with a touch of sulfer. I could drink a lot of it.

Local Pale (4.5%): Slightly hazy orange. Fruity tropical hop and some pine hop aroma. The flavors are tropical hop and malt sweetness up front, which segue into bitter piney hops. Finishes dry and piney and bitter. Made with local hops and malt.

Troll Tårer (5.6%): Slightly hazy orange. Phenolic peppery aroma and some orange (maybe the color is influencing my perception). The first sip yields sweet malt, phenolic yeast, and a late balancing bitterness. Dry bitter finish. Troll Tårer is the Norwegian farmhouse ale. Fermented at 94 °F! Lots of peppery and smokey phenols. Amazing beer.

London Brown (3.6%): Clear red-brown, almost black color. Some roast malt aroma. Watery roast malt, sweet malt, and late hop bitterness. Finishes dry and bitter. This reminds me of a mild ale and is suitable for quenching thirst on a hot summer day. Don’t let my watery comment fool you. If you haven’t had a DIPA prior to one of these, the body will be just fine.

Burke-Stout (5.2%): Opaque black, no highlights. Touch of roast in the aroma but mostly subtle sweetness and some hop in the nose. Sweet malt, roast, and bitterness in order of perception. Finishes dry and bitter with burnt malt. Full body.

Every beer I tried was well made and dry. The bitterness levels were appropriate for the styles and the hop bitterness made its presence known. Any beer offered on the tap list I would try with no hesitation trusting that it would be true to style and well executed.

I sat at the bar and sipped my beers while listening to the conversation of the small group of people (including the brewer-owner from Populuxe) inside drinking. A larger group of people was drinking outside on the patio. This seems to aim to be a neighborhood taproom for the Laurelhurst area, but it is well enough located with easy access to be a destination as well. The wood paneling used extensively in the bar and seating area plus the low ceilings give the place an intimate feel. If I lived in the neighborhood, I might find myself in here drinking a pint of whatever is new or whatever is my favorite at the moment. Probably the Pils or the Brown.

After I finished my beer I trudged back up 45^th, up the hill, to 45^th and University once again to catch the 44 back home. The walk was good for me but I was pretty much spent by the time I reached home. Next time I go I’ll take the bus all the way. The annoying bit is that this brewery is in the north end of town but because it is east of me, travel time on public transit is an hour, which is about the same as to any other brewery in Seattle except maybe the extreme south end.

Elysian Capitol Hill Brewery

Elysian Capitol Hill Brewery 4Apr2018

Elysian on Capitol Hill is the original location opened before they embarked on a campaign of world domination. I walked there from McMenamins and I had reached McMenamins by walking up the hill from downtown.

Elysian is in an attractively updated three story building that may have once been retail or a warehouse. 

The brewery with the front door behind that car

The taproom is well lit by the surrounding windows which afford great view of street life from the restaurant seating. As you enter the front door you see bar in the middle of the room and seating areas to your right and left around the bar. 

Interior view as you enter the front door

Above the bar is a beer list with just the beer names and no further information. 

The beer list above the bar

A list of beers offered along with brewing details and tasting notes is available at the bar to aid in your beer selection. 

The detailed beer list with tasting notes

Tasters, pints, growler fills, and some bottles-to-go are available. I studied the beer list and selected five for a flight of tasters.

l t r: Zephyrus Pilsner, Tempus Fugit, Just a Cloud, Elysian of Boom, and Raspy Whisper

Tasting Notes:

Zephyrus Pilsner (4.7%, 38 IBU): Slightly hazy gold. Muddled, beery aroma. Sweet malt, drying to astringent bitterness, and no noticeable hop flavor. Bitter finish. Maybe the beer was off or my tasting apparatus was compromised by my visit to McMenamins.

Tempus Fugit (4.9%, 60 IBU): Slightly hazy yellow gold. Tropical fruit and piney hop aroma. Bitter hop, medium malt body, and cracker malt which is dry but with slight residual sweetness and a touch of sour flavors. Bitter finish. The hop flavors match the aromas.

Just a Cloud Belgian Wit (4.6%): Clear gold (where’s the typical haze for a wit beer?). Coriander and perhaps some pepper aromas. Coriander and orange flavor and light body. No bitterness. Sweet finish.

Elysian of Boom (7.7%): Cloudy gold. Tropical fruit hop aromas. Big fruity and piney hop flavor and bitterness. Full body. Sweet malt drying to a bitter finish.

Raspy Whisper (3.8%): Hazy pink. Dusty raspberry and chocolate aromas. Sour raspberry, chocolate, and salt flavors. Sour raspberry finish.

My trips to all four Elysian brewing locations included tastes of the Zephyrus Pilsner. The sample at this location was the only suboptimal one. The Tempus Fugit is supposed to be a lager hopped with American hops perhaps like an IPL. It tasted like an IPA and most of the fine malt and the lager character were covered by the big hop flavors. The Just a Cloud lacked the cloudiness of a Wit beer, and the Belgian yeast character I anticipated was missing or subdued. Elysian of Boom was a tasty IPA, well executed. When I saw the raspberry, chocolate gose, my first thought was, “Oh boy,“ and then I thought, “All those things together? What’s next?” But, when I tasted it, it all worked. 

The taproom on this cloudy rainy day had only a smattering of people scattered around the seating area and at the bar. I could have stayed longer and had a larger helping of that Raspy Whisper but I was beered out and I just wanted to go home to get dry.

But before I could dry out I had to walk back down the hill to 3^rd Avenue to catch the D-Line. The trip home was uneventful but I was disappointed that all my walking had not produced enough steps to reach my goal.

McMenamins Six Arms

McMenamins Six Arms 4Apr2018

McMenamins Six Arms is on Capitol Hill in a little ad hoc brewery district.

McMenamins front entrance on Pike

I walked within a block of Optimism Brewing, walked past Redhook Brewlab, and later walked a few blocks to the Elysian original location. The smell of brewing in the air brought home the proximity of these breweries.

McMenamins Six Arms is a small brewery among some small trendy businesses and fits right into the neighborhood. As you enter you can see the bar and main seating area, 

Bar and seating area to your left upon entry

and to your right is a stairway up to a second floor seating area. 

Seating area to your right and the stairway to upper level

No beer list is visible but a beer list (and a separate cider, wine, and spirits menu) and food menu are provided at each table. 

Beer menu at my table with a couple more selections on the ovreleaf

I studied the beer list and picked a couple of beers to wash down my lunch of chips and cheese dip. 

Bobcat Pale

Idahoan Double IPA

Beer is offered in tasters, 8 ounce glasses, pints, growlers, and some canned options.

Tasting Notes:

Bobcat Pale (5.2%, 41 IBU): Cloudy orange-gold. Malt with piney and slightly tropical fruit hop aromas. Flavor of piney and woody hops, malt richness, sweetness followed by drying bitterness. Malty bitter finish. Paired well with chili con queso dip scooped with taco chips.

Idahoan Double IPA (8.1%, 67 IBU): Hazy beige. Big tropical hop nose. Sweet and hop candy malt and restrained hop bitterness. Slightly minty. Bitter sweet finish. The aroma did not connect with the flavor. I wonder if a hazy DIPA is the best platform for a single hop (Idaho 7 in this case) beer.

Even though McMenimans Six Arms is located in a what’s-happening neighborhood, the inside is homely and quiet. It’s a great place to relax on a cool rainy day and enjoy some bad-for-you food and a beer or two. The greeting from at the door was laid back and friendly. The place was well occupied but not packed full on a Wednesday afternoon. Customers varied from individuals with their phones to young couples to small work groups. The décor is typical for a McMenamins with lots of wood and the usual 60s and 70s art on the walls. I could have stayed longer to dry out from my rain soaked walk up the hill from downtown, but I had another brewery to visit. After I finished my beers I walked to Elysian to sample whatever they had on offer.

Elliott Bay Brewery West Seattle

Elliott Bay Brewery West Seattle  27Feb2018

A well-worn path leads from our house in Ballard to the Junction in West Seattle. It used to be called the 15 but lately the route has been broken into the D-Line and the C-Line. I’ve been riding the bus to the Junction and visiting Elliott Bay Brewing in West Seattle since it opened in 1997. That route even played a role in an Annual Pub Crawl.

The C-Line dropped me at SW Alaska Street and California Ave SW from which point the walk was half a block to the Brewery. 

The brewery sits mid-block near a pedestrian cross-walk

As you enter the front doors you see the bar to your left and seating to the right and straight ahead. A stairwell leads up to a second level seating area as well. 

The view as you step inside the front entrance including a suspicious member of the wait-staff

The tap list is high above the bar as well as distributed on menus at every seating spot. I studied the beer list and picked 5 for a flight of 4 ounce tasters. Pints and growler fills are available. I sat at a high table, ordered some food, and enjoyed the beer and food.

l to r: Red Von Boorian, Alembic Pale Ale, Elliott Bay Brewing Dry Hopped IPA, Chocolate Porter, and Opacity Black IPA.

Tasting Notes:

Red Von Boorian (5.3%, 19 IBU): Hazy orange-red. Ester and peppery phenol aromas. Candy sweet, esters, and phenols in the flavor. Sweet and slightly bitter finish.

Alembic Pale (5.3%, 41 IBU): Slightly hazy red-gold. Malt and piney hop aroma. Sweet malt drying to bitterness with piney hop flavor. Bitter dry finish.

Elliott Bay Brewing Dry Hopped IPA (6.0%, 95 IBU): Clear dark gold. Fruity and piney hop aroma. Malt (dry), spicy hops, and bracing bitterness. Bitter finish. An old school IPA

Chocolate Porter (6.8%, 33 IBU): Deep clear brown with red highlights. Roast malt and chocolate aroma. Chocolate, roast malt, ashes, late bitterness. Bitter sweet finish. I paired it with the cup o’ chocolate cake I had for desert.

Opacity Black IPA (5.2%, 30 IBU): Clear brown-black with red highlights; not opaque. Spicy hop aroma. Spicy hop bitterness, dry malt, some roast. Bitter finish.

Elliott Bay Brewing West Seattle has a saloon atmosphere similar to Big Time or The Bergschrund. The wood and brick interior has an old time feel of the Seattle of the mid-20^th century. The greeting from behind the bar is friendly and polite. The service was prompt but it was not tested by any large number of patrons. Attendance was thin but steady. When I asked about one of the beers, the bartender dug out a massive ring binder to look up the information. The food was not fancy but good and filling.

As I was eating a group of Seattle Police came in and I thought maybe some trouble was going down. But nope, they came in for lunch and were sitting peaceably in the back. I didn’t look to see if they were drinking beer and I assumed that they weren’t. I was reminded of a time Renee and I vacationed in Northern California. The forest was burning and masses of fire fighters were in the area to deal with the fires. We stopped at Eel River Brewing to eat when twenty or thirty fire fighters came in for dinner, all sitting at one table. They did not drink any beer because I noted that they were all drinking soda. I think what the two groups, the police and the fire fighters, had in common was a need for non-fussy food that is tasty, filling, and served in large quantities.

Everything I said about the Lake City Elliott Bay Brewing applies to the mother ship in West Seattle. The service is good, the food is tasty, the beer is well made, and the prices are reasonable. I polished off the beer and food and headed out to catch the bus back to town. I just missed the C-Line and so I walked down a few blocks to West Seattle brewing to stop in for a pint. The C-Line also stops near there, so I was able to catch a bus about a block away, ride into downtown, and catch the D-Line back home.

Elysian Taproom

Elysian Taproom 11Feb2018

Elysian has a production scale brewery in Georgetown to which they have added a taproom. I took the D-Line downtown and caught the 124 to get to the Lucile bus stop just across Airport Way from the joint.

Elysian Taproom inhabits a part of huge building that is in two parts. The anonymous looking street front is pedestrian unfriendly and the taproom entrance is tucked behind the bridge to Georgetown where Airport way crosses the railroad tracks.

The nearly hidden taproom

The production brewery is at one end and walled off from the warehouse part. The warehouse holds barrels and fouders, ingredients, and the taproom. As you enter the front door you see barrels and seating,

The view as you step through the front entrance

and to your left is a continuation of the seating plus the bar.

Plenty of seating, more barrels, and the bar

Above the bar are banners proclaiming the beers on offer and representative samples of merch.

Beers available to drink

A list of beers offered along with brewing details and tasting notes is available at the bar as well. Tasters, pints, growler fills, and some bottles-to-go are available. Sunday is happy hour prices all day, so my flight of 5 tasters was $10. I chose 5 and retired to a tall table to sip and write.

l to r: Zephyrus Pilsner, Prometheus IPA, Oak Aged Ambrosia, Barrel Aged Avatar, and Perseus Porter.

Tasting Notes:

Zephyrus Pilsner (4.7%, 38 IBU): Hazy gold. Combined noble hop and pils malt aroma. Sweet malt, bitterness, and noble hop flavor. Bitter sweet finish. The beer list gives a Starting Gravity 1.050, which with a stated ABV of 4.7% back-calculates to a finishing gravity of 1.016. No wonder the beer is sweet.

Prometheus IPA (7.8%, 71 IBU): Slightly hazy amber. Perfumey fruit-pine hop aroma with some dank. Piney fruity hops, bitter, malt presence in the flavors. Bitterness is restrained. Bitter-sweet finish.

Oak Aged Ambrosia (5.9%): Clear bronze. Honey, malt, alcohol, and barrel aromas. Sweet malt, vanilla barrel, late bitterness. Slightly astringent sweet finish. The beer list gives a Starting Gravity 1.068, which with a stated ABV of 5.9% back-calculates to a finishing gravity of 1.024. The beer is very sweet.

Barrel Aged Avatar (9.9%): (Avatar Jasmine IPA aged in gin barrels) Hazy orange. Herbal, barrel, and phenolic aromas. Sweet malt, juniper, late bitterness, citrus. Sweet finish.

Perseus Porter (5.4%, 25 IBU): Opaque black with red-brown highlights. Burnt malt, almost coffee aroma. Flavors of sweet malt, roast malt, and bitterness. Bitter sweet finish.

If you look at my reviews of Elysian Tangletown and Elysian Fields (but why would you?), you can see that I have sampled Zephyrus Pilsner at all three spots. And, my tasting notes are pretty similar. I hope that means that the beer quality control leads to consistency and that my taster is reliable. There are alternative scenarios I care not to consider. The samples I tasted were all well made with no apparent flaws. Whether the reviewer liked the beers is purely subjective. In my subjective opinion I really liked the Oak Aged Ambrosia and the Prometheus IPA.

A handful of drinkers were in the taproom today but the crowd thinned during the time I finished my flight. The experience of drinking in a true warehouse space unmitigated by lowered ceilings or fake walls is a bit cold. On a summer day when the patio is accessible through the garage doors, drinking would be much more attractive.

The greeting from behind the bar was friendly and the bartender was knowledgeable and helpful. The crowd was typically Seattle in its insularity.

After I finished my flight I took a short walk to Machine House to have a half pint of real ale. Then I flagged down a 124 back to town and on to the D-Line home to dinner.

Urban Family Brewing Second Trip

Urban Family Brewing Second Trip 04Feb2018

Urban Family Brewing has new ownership as of early 2017. I wanted to try out the beers and see what has changed since my last trip in 2016. A short bus trip on the D-line and a mile walk in the semi industrial district around Fisherman’s Terminal led me to the brewery.

Outwardly not much has changed. The building is still the same warehouse space as before with an upgraded garage door to open during clement weather. 

The front entrance is still pretty nondescript

As you step through the front door you are confronted with the same seating area immediately before you and the bar area to the left. 

The view immediately after stepping in the front entrance

Near the front door looking toward the bar through the seating area

What has changed is the number of barrels stacked between the seating area and the brewing area. The tap list is now a big screen terminal but the taps and cold storage are in the same place.

Monitor screen with tap list. The low light setting on my camera does not capture this image well.

 I ordered a flight, sipped, noted and then ordered another flight.

 l to r: Island Crusher (pineapple), Duality (nectarine), Preservation (raspberry and blackberry), and Last Train Imperial Porter

Tasting Notes:

Island Crusher (6.2%): Hazy gold. Lactic aroma with some pepper. Sour, orange-juice like texture, light body. Sour slightly astringent finish. A thirst quencher.

Duality (8%): Slightly hazy gold. Ester and sour aroma with warmth, and nectarine. Medium body, sweet sour dried nectarine flavor. No ethyl acetate. Sweet sour finish.

Preservation (6.5%): Slightly hazy purplish red. Sweet berry perfume, esters, and lactic aromas. Sour, sweet, raspberry flavors with medium body and lactic acid. Slightly astringent sweet finish.

Last Train (11%): Opaque black. Burnt malt and a slight fund in the aroma. Burnt malt, sweet malt, dry, candy, bitterness and some funk – phenols(?). Bitter finish.

l to r: Saison Magnolia, Replicator (IPA), Fruit Snacks (IPA), and Karate Church (Pale). 

Saison Magnolia Batch #2 (7%): Slightly hazy gold. Slight aromas of esters, phenols, and lactic. Sweet, savory, medium body, slight phenols, low bitterness. Bitter sweet finish.

Replicator (8%): Very hazy yellow. Dank tropical fruity hop aroma. Sweet full body, fruity hop flavor. Very low bitterness. Bitter sweet finish.

Fruit Snacks (7%): Hazy light yellow. Esters and pine-sol hop aroma. Sweet, bitter (low), full body, esters, fuity-piney hops. Sweet bitter finish.

Karate Church (5.8%): Hazy yellow. Piney hops (turpentine). Full body, sweet, bitter, piney hop. Sweet finish.

I am not sure what the business model is for Urban Family. They attract a neighborhood clientele but they also bottle. Are they seeking a wider audience than lower Magnolia? The beers are still as good as they were before the ownership change, but most of the attempts I tasted fell short of outstanding. I enjoyed the beers I had, bought a couple of bottles of the fruited beers, but I was not wowed by anything. I hugely enjoyed the raspberry beer, but I am a sucker for raspberry beers. I love nectarines and the Duality was close enough that I felt I should buy a bottle to try at home, but the nectarine flavor was subtle at best.

Bottles of Duality and Preservation for off-premises consumption

Today was the NFL championship game, so the place was filling up with patrons to watch the big game. Would a normal Sunday attract the same crowd? I suspect so. The tap list had plenty of variety with something for just about anybody, which should keep a local drinker happy. I think Urban Family would do well to perfect one or two reliable recipes to have on hand all the time so that the experimentation skeptics would have a go-to beer. I guess that what is telling is that none of the beers I had today were replicates of the beers I tasted in 2016. Recipes need constant tweaking and perfecting before they become reliably drinkable and enjoyable refrigerator beers.

The display of barrels was impressive and I hope a long term aging program is in progress. None of the beers I had today shouted barrel aging and no designation appeared on the tap list. I didn’t ask. I guess I should have but that bank of barrels looks promising.

I cleared out as soon as I was done with my flights so I could get home to finish making dinner.

Lagunitas Brewing Seattle

Lagunitas Brewing Seattle 14Jan2018

Lagunitas has conveniently located themselves in Ballard near Peddler Brewing and the Bergschrund. I walked down there of a Sunday afternoon to sample some beer, especially those brewed on site.

Lagunitas front entrance and a good look at all the window space

Lagunitas is located in that semi-industrial area of Ballard near Leary Way. They have taken over the former Hilliard’s space. Hilliard’s sold themselves to Odin, abandoned their building, and put it up for sale with most of the brewing equipment intact. The idea was for the buyer to have a turnkey system ready to commence brewing as soon as possible. Lagunitas put a lot of effort into fixing up the taproom space, opened in January of 2017, and produced their first brew in July of 2017. At the time I visited they had two locally produced beers, a coffee stout, which I avoided, and a brown ale. As you enter Lagunitas you see the entire taproom in an attractive open space arrangement with the bar right in the middle.

A view from inside the door with the bar, brew kit, and way back seating

On the far wall is the beer menu with plenty of choice. 

The tap list

The greeting from behind the bar is friendly, energetic, and knowledgeable. Beer menus are also readily available at the bar. I studied the list, inquired as to what was brewed on site and ordered a flight of four 5-ounce tasters. 

l to r: Pils, Touch and Go Brown, 12th of Never, and Wet Hop Fusion 2000

Trial sips of various taps were offered freely.

Tasting Notes:

Pils (6%): Clear gold. Bready malt and Saaz hop aroma. Malt flavor is dry almost sour, balanced bitterness, and hop flavor of Saaz. Bitter dry finish.

Touch and Go Brown (6.5%): Slightly hazy brown. Esters and perhaps some peppery phenols. Toasted malt (not burnt) flavors, sweet, medium body. Low bitterness. Slightly sweet slightly bitter finish. This beer is in mild territory but is above the usual strength for that style.

12^th of Never (5.7%): Slightly hazy pale gold. Tropical, fruity hop aroma. Dry malt, medium body, tropical hop flavors and then moderate bitterness. Bitter finish.

Wet Hop Fusion 2000 (5.8%): Slightly hazy pale gold. Tropical fruit aroma. Leafy, vegetal flavor up front with basil and melon touches. Malt body and moderate bitterness. Bitter finish.

I sat at the bar and watched the bartender in frenetic motion. The taproom filled with youngish couples, groups and families. I should mention that since I am ancient, most people look young to me. The beers brewed by Lagunitas off site (Pils, 12^th of Never, and Wet Hop) were all well made as might be expected from a mature brewery. The brown ale was good but lacked something in the middle of the journey from sip to swallow. Initially sweet and finishing sweet, the in between was thin and the sweetness gave out for just a blink.

Sunday was bright and clear and the windows in the taproom made for a bright cheery room. The seating areas were well occupied if not full and the pool table was in use.

I finished my flight and cleared out. Lagunitas Seattle is a place in which I feel uncomfortable. Even if they weren’t owned by Heineken, I wouldn’t find myself in this taproom very often. Lagunitas reached for national distribution early in its lifetime and has been trying to establish a national footprint even before they were bought out. Expanding that footprint is a model I call world domination and it fits into the AB InBev, Molson Coors, and SAB Miller business models. Having ranted all that nonsense I must say that if you are a fan of Lagunitas beer, you should visit to taste your favorites on draft.

On the walk back home I stopped at the Bergschrund for a black saison before climbing the hill back to my house. Along the way I helped out a couple who were looking for the Ballard Farmers’ Market. Of course, I steered them in the wrong direction. Never take direction from a slightly inebriated old guy.

Flying Lion Brewing

Flying Lion Brewing 31Dec2017

New Year’s Eve day was sunny, so hopped the D-Line as is usual for most of my trips. Downtown in the tunnel I caught the LINK light rail to the Columbia City Station, which put me in a half mile walking distance from Flying Lion Brewing. Flying Lion is on Rainier Avenue South.

Flying Lion is in a small old school shopping mall (it has a parking lot) in the middle of the retail area of Columbia City. 

The Flying Lion amid the shops of the tiny strip mall

The brewery is in a retail space, which makes for a very tight fit in the building. As you enter the front door you are smack in the middle of the seating area facing the bar. 

The view as you enter the front door. I am standing in the seating area, the bar is apparent, and part of the brew kit is visible in the back

The beer kit is in the back of the space and seems much too limited to produce the full range of beers on offer. The greeting from behind the bar is friendly and the bartenders I have encountered at Flying Lion are knowledgeable and willing to answer questions. 

The tap list is to the rear of and above the bar. Flights of 5 ounce pours, schooners, pints and growler fills are available. 

The tap list with the bottom rows washed out by the sunlight. I am out of the habit of shooting in sunlight

I picked four beers for my flight and later asked for a five ounce pour of the quad.  

From l to r: Call it a Day Pale Ale, Chocolate Milk Stout, Baby Boy Belgian Tripel (randal with grains of paradise and bitter orange peel), Doppelbock

Barrel Aged Belgian Quaddammit

I sat at the bar, sipped beer, watched the Seahawks, and talked to the bartender and other patrons.

Tasting Notes:

Call it a Day Pale (5.8%): Clear gold. Ester, malt, and piney hop aroma. Flavor of yeast esters, malt body but dry, soapy hop bitterness, but little hop flavor. Bitter finish with a touch of sweet. The bartender said that they use Centennial hops because they are readily available.

Chocolate Milk Stout (5.0%): Opaque black with red highlights. Roast malt and chocolate aroma. Roast malt and chocolate flavors, full body, bitter and sweet. Sweet finish with a drying bitterness.

Baby Boy Belgian Tripel (7.0%): Randal with grains of paradise and bitter orange peel. Slightly hazy yellow. Musty, fruity and phenolic aroma. Rich full body malt, musty spice and orange flavor, sweet and meaty with phenols. Sweet bitter finish.

Doppelbock (8.0%): Clear red brown with red highlights. Hint of roast malt aroma. Sweet malt, full body, low noble hop flavor with very low bitterness. Very smooth with a sweet finish.

Barrel Aged Belgian Quaddammit (12.4%): Clear red brown with red highlights. Sweet alcohol, ester, and barrel aroma. Flavors of barrel (vanilla and astringent wood), sweet malt, esters, and caramel. Sweet finish. Very smooth with the alcohol well-hidden, which makes it very dangerous.

Sunday the Seahawks were playing a must-win game against Arizona and I was expecting a crowd in the taproom. Indeed, as I approached the front door I saw bodies pressed against the door and through the front windows I saw a bunch of people. Once I got inside I saw that the people were all together and the people pressed against the door were actually active kids, not adults ready to overflow into the parking lot. Soon the kids reached the hyperactive stage of boredom, which forced the parents to bundle them up and clear out. Quickly and temporarily I was the lone customer – something I’m used to on my Sunday afternoon visits. Later some regulars came in to drink beer and converse, not showing much interest in the game. My observation after several visits is that like so many small Seattle breweries the Flying Lion serves a mostly local customer base.

I finished my flight and ordered a half pour, which was 5 ounces, of the Barrel Aged Belgian Quaddammit. I nursed it as is appropriate for a 12% beer and I thought about how good it was. I liked it as much as I like Fremont Kentucky Dark Star, another big beer at 14% but just as smooth and just as deceptive as to its true strength.

I inquired about any special one off beers that they might have bottled but they don’t bottle or can. I guess much of the beer goes out the door in customers’ bellies just like the beer in mine as I headed out into the sunny cold afternoon.

I had to run the last block to catch the light rail into downtown. The joke was on me because I waited about 15 minutes to catch the D-Line back home. I needn’t have run; I had plenty of time.