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.