Fair Isle Brewing

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.