Again sorry for not keeping up with the blog. It has been a struggle. I’m working about 60 hours a week and then trying not to think about anything that seems like work on the weekends. Of course, that means I have been drinking a lot of beer on the weekends, but unfortunately, that also means I have not been keeping up with the blog.

The ultimate goal of 50 breweries in a year was completed in March, about 3 months ahead of schedule. However, I didn’t just stop with 50. My beer passport really wouldn’t hold more than 50 stamps but I keep on plugging away.

So where have I been. Northwest Peaks in Ballard was a stop. Here I had the Challenger IPA, a nice IPA; Luna, a well balanced DIPA; Eldorado Pale, a beer that reminded me of lemon pledge (that that as you will); a ginger beer that had just a hint of ginger so it wasn’t overwhelming like many; a rye IPA that was not particularly rye-like; and a very good stout. As my husband said, “everything they do has a subtleness nothing overpowers you.”

Freemont Brewery was another stop. This one has an interesting back story about how I ended up there. I was working an event around the corner at a new building under construction. It was about 30 degrees out and raining. The building had no walls and a concrete pad that was rapidly collecting water. No way I was going to stand out in that! I waited until my group went on a tour and I collected my sack lunch (classy right) and headed over to Freemont. They were kind enough to let me eat and charge my phone.  Since I had visited before, I decided to do some of the more experimental stuff.  The Dark Heron IPA, the Retrobution IPA, Dark Saison, and Lush were all OK. The most interesting beer by far was the Brett IPA. I tasted like grapes and had a bit of a grape nose due to the use of different yeast. I would recommend it if you are looking for something a bit different.

Then it was back to another one I’d already visited: Flycaster. Flycaster is located right down the street from my office but I only seem to visit when there is a Groupon. I had all their standard beers again: Bonefish Blonde, Hopper Pale, Yakima River Red, Parachute Porter and Imperial Stout. They had a Simcoe Extra Pale and Mosaic Liberty IPA also on draft, as well as an ESB. Both the Simcoe and Mosaic were good easy drinking beers. The ESB wasn’t particularly balanced but I hear they are rather hard to do.

From Flycaster, it is just a hop and skip over to Chainline. This one was another second visit. The best beer here was the Northeast Pale with had great flavor with grassy hops and underlying mint. The Pre_Ride IPA was also a good one with grapefruit on the nose and tongue– if you like citrus this was a beer for you. De-Railer DIPA needed some work– I have in my notes EWWWW. It was vinegary then turned sweet and I was not sure where this was going. Since I find that Chainline generally does a great job, this was an odd one out for me.

I had met the guys from Cairn at a local brewers night so on Easter I found myself without much to do and headed over to Kenmore to check them out. The All Weather Commuter Pale was very light with hints of fruit and floral flavors. It was slightly bitter upfront but finished with very strong floral flavors.  The Sunshine Saison was very true to style. The Hop Traverse #4 was very caramel on the nose and upfront in flavor. But it had that skunked hop flavor that I just can’t stand. Hop Traverse #5, on the other hand, was made with Simco and had a much more grassy nose and not as caramel in nose or flavor. Trail Duck IIPA didn’t have much nose, and was sweet upfront but then had that skunky hop. Seaplane IPA is carried around here a lot and is a very typical IPA. The English IPA tasted very much like tea. The Caprica Six was a Northwest Red that didn’t have much nose but had very herbal flavors with an underlying taste of bubble gum.

Well I had no idea that Cairn sat right next door to Nine Yards, so that was the next stop. We started here with the Gumbo Dry Hopped Ale with was really clean and light with slight floral flavors– this made a good sessionable beer. The Dry Hopped Pale Ale had a skunky sour nose and a sour taste upfront. The Imperial Red Ale was a bit metallic, but was mild and easy drinking. Freedom Milk Stout was really good with lots of coffee yet a milky smoothness. Long Cold was a winter ale that oddly smelled like Dr. Pepper. It was very typical of style with herb and fig flavors.

After leaving Nine Yards, it was clear that 192 Brewing was next door to it. We started here with the Shed Light which had a slightly floral nose and tasted very Kolsch like. The Wally Hop was a good IPA with good flavor but a slightly offputting skunky smell. The Amber Rye was very sweet with rye undertones; for a rye it was surprisingly easy drinking. The Nilla Stout was also very light with a nose that had just a hint of vanilla. The Shticky Blonde Ale didn’t really taste like a blonde to me. The Lake Trail Pale was very pale without much nose or flavor.

I should also mention that during these escapades I also visited the new Lagunitas tasting room in Seattle. Unfortunately they weren’t yet brewing their own beer so it didn’t merit a write up. My plan is to head back at some point when they are.

There are so many breweries today that it seems you need to be the good in order to separate yourself from the bad. You need to be conscious of your true consumers versus those that are not.

So I spent the last two days going to brewery nights at local brewpubs. I had to write this blog to distinguish between the good and the bad.

My first brewer night was fantastic. I asked for a sticker. I explained my need for an upcoming art project and how I would use the sticker. (I am covering an old trunk with beer stickers and then laquering over.) They loved the idea and asked me to put their sticker front an center. They asked for a picture when the project was done. They told me about their beers and brewery. I told them about this blog and how I used to write for the paper in Florida. They invited me to the brewery for a tour, to meet the brewer and told me to give them a call. Right now, my current plan involves this weekend and their brewery. What a great introduction.

Brewery number 2 gave me a couple of stickers and, when I tried to explain why I needed them, they didn’t seem to care. I joked about why they weren’t giving away t-shirts and theey blew me off. I watched while they begged other tables to try their beer. I had everything on tap. I didn’t get a thank you. On thee way out I tried to talk to them again. They were pouring a secret beer from a growler, I wasn’t even offered a taste. Here is the clear definition of the good versus the bad.

A good rule of customer service I learned years ago was “you never know who your customer is or what they do.” I’m the real customer. I will remember how you treated me versus how you treated the customers who could have cared less. I’m writing this blog. Wondering who they are–good brewery Cairn in Kenmore. bad Stoup in Ballard. It’s not hard.

And that’s the end of this one!

Stop 48 found me at Odin Brewery just a few miles away from IKEA, my real destination. Since IKEA is Swedish, it seemed oddly appropriate to stop by Odin on the same day. Odin bought out Hillard’s and some of the brews still bear that name. Just keep in mind that they are brewed at the same facility.

The most ubiquitous of the Odin beers is Asgard IPA (are you seeing a theme here). I’ve seen this brew at several locales around town. It is a very traditional IPA and thus a good substitute on any menu for something even more common like Sierra Nevada. This beer is crispy and has a slightly citrus nose. Earthy flavors are prevalent upfront but more citrus can be found at the end. A good IPA for any occasion.

Boombox IPA didn’t have much of a nose. This had a lot of caramel flavor from the malt but it still had a nice bitter finish. It was a bit too sweet for me but not a bad beer.

Gimli was an Oatmeal Pale. I really like this style of beer but rarely see it out and about. It had a very toasty flavor and light hop. Overall the beer was very earthy. I love the smoother mouthfeel that oatmeal always gives a beer.

Thors Equinox Strong Ale lacked as much of a nose as I would have expected from this style. There were lots of nice earthy flavors when you actually got to the taste, though. At 9.0%, it was strong but didn’t have that overwhelming alcohol finish that some strong ales do.

Abbey Single Pale had lots of herbal flavors up front but finishes a bit on the bitter side. The beer is also fairly malty toward the end. I found it quite refreshing and had a pint.

Odins Gift was an amber that seemed very weak to me. I expected more of the toasty and caramel flavors of an amber but didn’t even get a hint of those. It was a very mild beer.

Para Porter had a nice coffee nose but was a bit unbalanced. It was a bit on the bitter side and needed a bit more sweetness to balance it out. It just had a bit too much of that bitter, old coffee flavor. It wasn’t a bad beer; I just think it could be improved.

Coconut Jamaican Rum Stout was definitely a beer for the coconut lover. It had a lot of coconut– on both the nose and tongue! There was almost too much coconut and made it taste a bit fake. I really could also get a only a hint of the rum flavors.

If you find yourself in Tukwila, stop by and grab a beer. They also have barbeque. 

 

I, unfortunately, don’t make it down to the U District as often as I would like. The traffic is generally terrible and takes forever. This was the case a few nights ago when my 20 minute drive took an hour and a half.

One of my favorite authors was doing a book signing sponsored by the UW Bookstore so I had to go. Before the signing, I had to eat so I decided to go to Big Time Brewery which was just a few blocks down the street.  I hadn’t been there in about a year, but I remembered both the beers and pizzas were great.  Click here to read that review. 

It was as I had remembered. I didn’t do a flight as I had tried most of the standard beers but I did have to try the Galactigasim IPA.  I had to admit that the name intrigued me. Honestly this is one of the best IPAs I have had in a while.  Light, refreshing, and a great combination of grassy, citrusy, and earthy– this beer was a rare treat.

I have become a bit bored with IPAs recently as one seems to taste exactly like the rest. This was not the case here. Very unique and very thirst-quenching– I suggest that anybody whose a fan of IPAs give it a try.

The other great thing about Big Time are there pizzas.  They have a light bubbly crust with lots of cheese.

The staff here is fantastic too.  They messed up our order and were very apologetic, both making sure we still got or food in time for the book-signing and making up for it by providing a few round of beers. I love a place that takes responsibility for their actions. They must also do a good job of maintaining staff too– the same bartender was working as the last time I visited a year ago. She looks a bit like Anna Kendrick so I remembered her.

I really do enjoy Big Time. I just wish I could make it down to the U District without wanting to pull out my hair so I could visit more often.

So this brewery was another one found by the use of Groupon. You really have to love the Groupon app around here. There is pretty much always a deal on a brewery or winery. You can also find out about new breweries this way too. This Groupon was kind of your standard brewery one-a flight, a pint and then something to take home. This one got me two flights, two pints, and two take home pint glasses.

The flight started out with a very good Saison, Moon Safari. This beer was very light in color with good herbal undertones and a nice hint of orange.  I am really getting back to my Belgian style beers. I went for this one for my pint too.

Condenser Pale Ale was a bit too much on the malty side for me. The hop taste on this one was also a bit like medicine.  Not my favorite and it also had an odd nutty taste that I couldn’t quite characterize.

Pocketful of Gold IPA was a very traditional IPA. It was slightly sweet upfront and finished with mostly grassy flavored hops, but there was just a hint of citrus.

Trios Farmhouse was very herbal on the nose. I found this beer a bit harsh. I would describe it as an “in your face”beer.

As I am not a fan of cream ales, Limiter didn’t do much for me. Station to Station was a great Imperial Porter though. At only 7.9% it was still very drinkable. The coffee flavors were well balanced with sweetness.

The Dog Gone IPA was also very traditional and I didn’t find it radically different from the Pocketful of Gold. It only seemed to be a bit more bitter with slightly stronger hop flavors.

The Silver Brown Ale was one of the oddest beers I’ve had in a while. A long discussion ensued as to what it tasted like. It had an odd nose with a little brunt smell that was still sweet, but there was also something metallic. The taste is something akin to barbeque sauce or chipotle peppers (without the heat). It is also sort of like burnt caramel or sugar. It’s not a bad beer just hard to describe. Overall it has a sort of smoky taste.

Decibel is a little out of my way to make it a regular stop. It’s also in a part of town I rarely, if ever, visit.  Without food options, there is not much draw for the other of area person. However, I am sure it makes a great local hangout.

 

I didn’t do any flights on my recent visits to Ghostfish and Schooner Exact brewing.  I had been to both just prior to joining WABL. I actually ended up there because it was a holiday Monday and for whatever reason, lots of places were closed.

I actually do like both of these breweries.  Ghostfish is very interesting in that everything is gluten free.  I generally don’t like gluten free beer (Greene’s is an exception) as the beers often taste odd. The beers at Ghostfish are actually quite good and I order them out regularly. Their pale ale is my favorite as it has an interesting nutty flavor.  I actually had a few of them last summer while seeing Barenaked Ladies at Marymoor park in Redmond. I even got the lady behind me to give one a try.  I am also a fan of the grapefruit IPA. On this occasion, I had the Shrouded Summit Wit which is herbal and citrusy.  You wouldn’t really know this wit is gluten free unless someone told you.

Ghostfish has also added food–all gluten free.  We did the vegetable nachos which were very good. I was surprised at the array of vegetables which included sweet potato.  The pizzas looked quite good. I am going to have to go back and give them a try.

After Ghostfish, I headed about a mile down the road to Schooner Exact.  This brewery also has quite good food. I didn’t eat on this trip but have in the past.  The first time I ended up here was after a baseball game as it was listed in a magazine article as a great brewery near a baseball stadium. If you see this article, it is a great brewery but a good 2 miles from the stadium. On my first occasion, I walked. I will probably never do that again. However, that was how I found Ghostfish too.

The beers here are always good and true to style.  Many of the local restaurants carry their beers so I decided to have something a little different and tried the Evergreen IPA. Not quite as piney as I had hoped, it was still a very good IPA.

If you are gluten free, I highly recommend Ghostfish and, for everyone else, Schooner Exact is always a great bet. If you visit them on a weekend, it also a great place to spend a few hours as there are several small urban wineries located within the same shopping center. Have lunch and a beer at Schooner then visit a winery or two.

I had been hearing great things about Resonate brewery for a while. In fact, they even occasionally deliver lunches to my office through an in-office food service. However, I had never had a chance to visit.  Resonate sits in a location that would be an absolute nightmare during the week so it had to be a weekend or holiday visit.  It was New Year’s Eve and I was in the mood for pizza, so this sounded like the time to go.

First I have to mention the pizza. It was fantastic. We got the Medusa which had Mama Lil’s pepper on it, along with olives, feta, tomatoes and a few other veggies. The peppers made this pizza great– there was just the right amount. This pizza was spicy without being overwhelming.  The crust is great too– light and airy with lots of bubbles. I don’t know why but I always love pizza crust bubbles. We had already decided after having the pizza, that the beers wouldn’t even matter. We were definitely going back.

We did enjoy the beers too.  I really liked the Faithfull, a Belgian pale. The beer had all the best of a Belgian (herbal nose and flavors) while still getting a bit of hop.  The Revolver #2 Pale Ale was another good beer. This one had a bit of toasty malt on the nose and tongue and was lightly hoppy. It did have a bit of my least favorite and skunky flavor hop, but it was mild and balanced well with other flavors.

Fear of the Dank was very citrus on both the nose and tongue with lots of grapefruit. It was still mild and easily enjoyed by people who aren’t big fans of citrus flavor.  I had a lot of hope for Red Sector, a red IPA.  I find this is an underdeveloped style and really enjoy them when done well. This was not one of my favorites.  The beer had a good nose but it was a bit sweet on first staste and then had a very skunky, hoppy end. It was strangely unbalanced– like two beer trying to be one.

Atomic Punk was very mild and had a very odd citrus like taste.  It was sort of indescribable and overall just an odd beer.  Comfortably Numb was a double IPA. It was a bit sweet up front with a tinge of grassy hops. My husband liked this best and it was well balanced.

So after the pizza and beers, a plate of breadsticks went by– so we had to get them too.  The breadsticks here look similar to those from Little Ceasars. However, they are not covered with a weird greasy butter-like substances. These have a mild coating of oil and are served with a red dipping sauce. Another great hit!

Resonate, I will be seeing you for pizza and beer again soon. 

 

So for the next few  stops, I went downtown. The nice thing about living where I do is that I can catch the bus right down the street and be downtown in about 40 minutes without dealing with traffic. I often have to go downtown for work but rarely do I get to visit anything other than office buildings. Since I had the week off, I decided it would be a good time to actually go to some of the downtown breweries.

My first stop was a repeat– Pike Brewing. You can read the first blog here. I didn’t repeat the flagship beers but did a specialty and seasonal flight this time. This flight did include Space Needle IPA, but I think I covered that well earlier.

The No. 4 session IPA was very light on the nose but a bit on the bitter side for a session IPA. The malt imparted an earthy taste and the hops added a bit of flower. I wouldn’t really consider it all that sessionable though because of the amount of bitterness.

Old Bawdy was a barley wine. Not my favorite style of beer; however, this one did credit to the style. It had a nice toasty, malty nose with a bit of alcoholic taste which can be a bit overwhelming on many barley wines. It was very drinkable as barley wines go.

Entire was a barrel-aged stout. There was a lot of bourbon on the nose and it had good bourbon and vanilla flavors. I actually found the bourbon a bit too over the top and thought that it masked too much of the flavors from what would  have been a pretty good stout.

Octopus Ink was a black IPA.  I am a big fan of black IPAs and this one did not disappoint. The nose was nice and hoppy and those hop flavors were not overly bitter. You still got lots of the coffee flavors from the malt. It was well balanced and not as licorice like as many black IPAs seem to be.

Diamond Knot’s Winter Ale as the seasonal guest tap. This was a bit more flavorable than many winter ales. It had good coffee like undertones.

The next stop was a new brewery, Old Stove.  This time I stuck to a mainly IPA based flight. The first beer was the Fallout Citra Ale. If you read my blog, you know that citra is my favorite hop, so I couldn’t pass this one up.  It had a nice grapefruit nose and strong grapefruit flavor. It was very light in both color and mouthfeel. This would be a very easy beer to drink and great for a hot sunny day.

The Galaxy SMASH pale was the next.  It was a little grapefruit but a little funky. The taste up front was that of a slightly spoiled grapefruit. At the end was an odd candy like taste. It wasn’t my favorite.

Psycho 78 had a very mild taste and was very easy drinking.  There was a slightly sweet, candy-like nose.

Lionel’s Session IPA was also a very easy drinking beer.  There was a slightly sour lemonade taste at tof the end of each sip that made it very citrusy.

Two Pronged Crown had a nice grassy, citrusy nose. There was again a lot of grapefruit in this beer that reminded me of the Citra but this flavor was much heavier. The beer also had a heavier mouthfeel.  This was also a bit more bitter up front but this tempers quickly.

Finally, the Piston Hondo double IPA was a bit sweet at first but then the bitter comes through..  It is better balanced than a lot of doubles  but the flavors in this one didn’t seem cohesive but more like two separate tastes.

Next stop was Cloudburst. I am not sure why but I have been trying to get to Cloudburst for quite a while.  I have been getting facebook notifications and emails from them since they opened about a year ago. Unfortunately though, I never made it in until now.

Cloudburst didn’t offer flights so I got a few 12 oz beers to try.  O Pioneer was dubbed a Vermont style porter. Not sure exactly what that means but to me this beer was a very solid porter. The coffee and sweet flavors were well balanced.

Younger Us was a great Belgian syle beer.  There were a lot of herbal aromas and flavors, along with lemon and orange.  This beer was very easy to drink and quite flavorable.

Fun Fun Party Wow has about the oddest name I have ever seen.  I would love to find the backstory on this one.  It makes me think of some crazy Japanese game show.  This IPA was a bit on the bitter side.

Close Encounter was the easier to drink of the IPAs I tried. it has just enough bitter to make it a solid IPA without being pretentious.

Last stop was the Elysian bar on 2nd Avenue.  There are so many Elysians I thought I needed to clarify.  I might have had the worst beer I’ve ever had here. It is apparently called Gorillas on Bikes.  Imagine your grape koolaid from when you were a kid mixed with a decent IPA along the line of Sierra Nevada. Have you gagged a little yet? Apparently it had just come on draft and the waitstaff was yet to find someone who liked it.

Again we decided to do a flight and to stick to more seasonal and unusual beers.  The first beer was Boom.  This beer had very mild hop flavors and a very earthy nose.  It tasted a bit like sour dirt. Not my favorite.

Bi-Frost is a winter seasonal.  This beer had a nose that was very coppery and the taste starts out very metallic.  This is then followed by a grassy aftertaste that lingers and finishes sweet. Although complex, I don’t find that the tastes really go together for me.

Fezzik has a very herbal nose but the coppery color seems a bit contradictory to the aromas and taste.  This is very reminiscent of St. Barnabas Noel.  The flavors are strongly herbal and end with Christmasy nutmeg like tastes.

Elk Frost was very maple syrup-like on both the nose and in taste.  There are some herbal flavors that take a back seat to the maple.

Finally, Fix smells like chocolate syrup. The tastes are strongly chocolate with coffee in the background. I would describe this beer like a mocha on acid.

Well there was one more stop in 2017!

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One of the best things about this area is there are so many wineries and breweries that participate in great Groupon offerings.  I try to take advantage of as many as I can. I don’t often do the breweries that I have already visited as the Groupons almost always include a flight but sometimes the offer is just too good to pass up.

This was the case with Beardslee Public House.  I have only been there once but fondly remember the place– not because of the beer but because of the awesome mushroom soup. This mushroom soup is absolutely fantastic with cream floating on top. You just know by how great it tastes that it is loaded with calories and fat.  However, you have to make the sacrifice. It sounds like I am a great lover of mushroom soup but the truth is, I actually generally hate mushroom soup. Don’t pass up the mushroom soup if you visit!

The beers here are actually quite good too.  I wasn’t impressed the first time I visited  (read the blog here) but they did seem to gain in complexity and flavor profile.  I think my first visit was just a few days after they opened so that does make sense.  The flagship beers are still all there so I am just concentrating this blog on the seasonal and special brews. Even though our Groupon technically meant we should have gotten two of the regular flights, our great bartender Paul, who obviously thoroughly enjoyed his job, offered us one of the seasonals. This was a great bonus so I thought this should be the focus of this blog.

I started with the Widow Maker Wit.  I am not sure if I am redeveloping a taste for Belgian style beers but I am again finding them quite tasty overall. It could be that they are coming more into their own or they are just a welcome change from the Pacific Northwest’s love of IPAs. This beer had a very mild herbal flavor with just a hint of citrus. It was very well balanced and the most beautiful bright yellow color.

The Citra Pale was a very solid pale ale with a nice nose of citra. It was a tad bit on the bitter side but overall the hops were quite balanced.

The Greenleaf IPA on cask was quite a surprise for me. Generally I am a strong advocate of NOT putting IPAs on cask. In general, it kills the hop flavors in the IPA leaving you feeling like you are drinking some sort of tea.  However, this beer actually was better on cask. The lack of carbonation really brought out some of the more subtle grassy and flowery flavors in the hops. Thus the beer goes from a very typical IPA to a much more complex beer on cask.

Four Ginger IPA is only for those who like ginger. The ginger hits you up front and doesn’t let go. There is still a bit of typical hop flavors at the end of each sip. Only order this beer if you like ginger!

The Triple Demon IPA was quite well balanced for a triple. It was a bit on the sweet side but you still got enough hops that it wasn’t unpalatable.

Finally there was the Knotted Porter. This was a great, typical porter with a well balanced coffee and sweet flavor profile..

Along with our flights, we also got a couple of pretzels apparently made from spent grain. Another great use for leftovers and another great reason to visit.  The pretzels came with three dipping sauces– homemade mustard, a sweet honey, and a smoked gouda. All of these were fantastic. Therefore, visit Beardslee for both the food and the beer!

 

 

If you read my previous blog, you know that I am off to get 50 stamps in order to complete my WABL (Washington Beer Lovers) Passport.  Unfortunately, life got in the way so I couldn’t keep you up to date on all my stops, so I started with 35.

My husband had to take a trip to Tacoma so I decided 35 would begin there at Harmon Brewery.  This one has been around a long time and has a really nice locaiton right downtown on Pacific.  If you haven’t been it has decent food and beer, but is often quite crowded. This was not the first time I had tried to make this a stop– plan accordingly and avoid Friday and Saturday evenings. I went this time on Sunday afternoon and it was still busy but seats were readily available.

Since this was a stop that I hadn’t made before, I did a flight.  I mixed some of the standards with the seasonals. I started with the Toasted Coconut Porter.  This didn’t have much coconut flavor when I first tasted it, it actually tasted more barrel aged. However, after sitting about 10 or 15 minutes the coconut really came out. There are also some good underlying chocolate flavors. If you like Mounds bars, this would be the beer for you.

The Pinnacle Peak Pale was a very solid pale ale. It was a bit on the hoppy side with grassy flavors that made it bordering on an IPA.

The Puget Sound Porter was also a very solid beer. All of your typical porter flavors but this one was a bit more heavy and chocolatey, bordering it on a stout.

The Point Defiance IPA was not a favorite. The primary hop was centennial which I have found is the one hop I really don’t like. To me, it tends to give beer an almost skunk like nose and flavor. This beer was also very bitter.

St. Helens Anniversary IPA, on the other hand, was quite good.  This still had those underlying centennial hop flavors but they were much better balanced. The flavors were of grass and citrus. Apparently, this beer is brewed with some sort of hop that is only available a short time out of the year. The bartender didn’t know the name so if anyone does, let me know.

The Sleep and Deep Winter Ale was very typical for a winter ale. There was a hit of bitterness at the end but the predominant flavors were from the malt. I find winter ales generally tasteless and bland.

After that sampler, it was off to Odd Otter which is just at the other end of the street.  I have to say I love the name of this brewery. I also find the mascot (an otter with glasses) very cute. I have had a few of their beers at festivals and events so was looking forward to giving them a try.  Again, since I hadn’t been before, a flight seemed the way to go.

I started wtih the Otzel Quatzel Pale. I found this beer very bitter and that bitterness really lingered. I wasn’t impressed with this one. The second beer, Nottersense IPA, was also very bitter and I didn’t find it radically differnt than the pale ale.

Muggles SMASH was a bit better balanced. Although still quite bitter, it was much betteer balanced with a hint of sweetness from the malt

The Kentucky River Otter was something very different.  It was a barrel aged sour.  I didn’t think I would like it. However, I found that it was quite tasty. I expected the bourbon flavors to overrun the sour but they didn’t. The sour and bourbon both can through for a unique flavor experience.

The Odd Udder Milk Stout was a good stout with chocolate and coffee flavors and an underlying milky sweeetness.  The Comrade Otters Imperial Chocolate Stout was even more chocolately and very sweet.

Last stop was pretty much right next door at Pacific Brewing. I had met one of their reps locally and had been meaning to make it down there for quite some time.  Since I was right next door, I didn’t really have an excuse.

I did another flight since I’d only had about two of their beers.  The Dirty Skoog IIPA had a very nice nose but tasted way too bitter there was a real need for more sweetness to balance. The Potomac Citra Pale was very grapefruit on the nose and tongue. The citra hops really gave good flavor but again there needed to be just a hint more sweetness to provide balance. The Ruston Way IPA had that skunky flavor I don’t find appealing in an IPA and also needed some balance.

The Coco Porter was another great coconut porter. This one was a Mounds bar in a glass from the very beginning! Exactly what I expect and want from a coconut porter.  I ended with another really unusual beer, the Chocolate Blonde.  This beer from all appearances was a typical blonde but all you had to do was smell to take in the chocolate.  The chocolate  dominated the flavor profile but it you tasted really hard you could still get some of those underlying herbal flavors in a blonde.

Well next blog coming soon– as we continue on the countdown to 50!