Fair Isle Brewing 25Jan2020
936 NW 49
th Street, Seattle WA
Fair Isle brewing opened January 23
rd 2020 and is
located in the Ballard Brewery District a short walk from Lucky Envelope,
Populuxe, and Reuben’s Taproom. It’s a little over a one mile walk from my
house.
Fair Isle intended to open in the summer of 2019, but as the
vagaries of building and permitting dictate the much-anticipated event happened
a bit later. The new brewery is located in buildings which formerly held an
electric company and an orchid farm. The building is nondescript and painted
Seattle camouflage gray.
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| This is the brewery building. I have been in the building previously when it was an orchid farm. |
As you step in the door you see seating areas to your
right and left and the bar in front of you.
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| Your view as you enter the door and look a bit to the left. |
Beyond the bar are barrels
presumably holding beer to which the mixed fermentation micro-organisms are
working their magic.
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| Beyond the bar in the back of the main room |
The space is appropriately barn-like (in feeling if not volume)
with exposed wood beams and wood lath ceilings.
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| Looking at the bar toward the back of the room to get a glimpse of the ceiling and exposed beams. |
The tap list is printed on
paper sheets available at the bar and cashier station.
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| The house beer list |
House beers are mostly
saisons of varying strength and composition. Also available are guest beers,
impressive in their range from lagers, ales, and mixed fermentation beers;
guest wine; and guest ciders.
 |
| Guest beers, cider, and wines |
Beers are available in various serving sizes from
0.18 liter (180 ml) to 0.5 liter. Flights are not available but you can get a
splash of beer to taste to help you decide. Fair Isle bottles some beer and at
this writing only Bobbi was available in 375- and 750-ml bottles. I ordered
several 0.33-liter (~12 oz) servings but I would have gotten better mileage by
ordering 0.18-liter (~6 oz) servings. I sat at the bar sipping and trying to
take tasting notes. No food is currently available in the taproom.
Tasting Notes:
Petra (6.2%): Slightly hazy gold. Citrus and lactic
aroma with spicy phenols and just a touch of BO. The taste is a full bodied,
slightly sour, malty beer with citrus flavors (lime?). Finishes dry and
pleasantly sour. This is a complex beer with no single characteristic standing
out.
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| Petra |
Elliot (4.8%): Very slightly hazy yellow gold. Lemon,
lactic, and funky aromas. The flavor starts with a light malt body, a slight malty-grainy
astringency, followed by spice and funk. Finishes sour and slightly astringent.
Less complex than Petra with plenty of mystery to decipher.
 |
| Elliot |
Gemma (6.3%): Hazy gold with a thick head. Lactic and
fruit and funk aromas. The flavor of this beer is complex and good and
surpasses my weak ability to pick out flavors to describe. It has a light malty
body and flavors of flowers and herbs. Finishes sour, astringent and sweet.
Lovely.
 |
| Gemma |
Winona (5.7%): Slightly hazy yellow. Fruity and
lactic aromas. Light body with sour funk in the middle. Finishes astringent and
sour. An easy drinker.
Bobbi (7.1%): Poured from a bottle. Slightly hazy
yellow-gold. Fruity hops, lactic, smokey rubbery phenols and funk aromas. Lemony
tart, malt body and sweetness with a slight hop bitterness. Finishes sweet-tart
and funky.
 |
| Bobbi - poured at home |
Each beer I tried was well made or blended – the flavors
were bold but complex and balanced. I may have to return soon to try some of
the selections from Jester King, a legendary brewery in Austin, Texas. The
place was lively with people but not as packed as I had feared – I found a seat
at the bar pretty quickly upon arrival. The bar was well staffed in
anticipation of curious people turning out in numbers for the opening days. The
atmosphere in the taproom was relaxed I think in part because of the lack of a
television or loud sound system in addition to the warmth of the decor. I am
not a big fan of mixed fermentation beers even though I went through a lambic
beer phase a few decades ago. I do appreciate a well made mixed fermentation
beer and the beers from Fair Isle are on the right track even if they don’t
quite match the mastery of the Belgian brewer-blenders. The tap room is 21+ and
pets are not allowed inside.
I picked up a 375-ml bottle of Bobbi on the way and then a
short walk of about a mile led me back home.
