So I have actually always wanted to go to a Pyramid brewery location. The last time I tried was a few years back while in Sacramento. The downtown location closed at 7 pm on Sunday night which seemed a bit absurd and we didn’t make it. They were actually latching the door by the time a friend and I got there. Who would ever think that a brewery, no matter where it was located, would close so early?

Well, I finally got my chance to check out the Seattle location after a Sounders game. The brewery is located just a couple of blocks away from the stadium and the game ended around 7 pm, so it seemed like a perfect opportunity.

I am not sure why I have always wanted to check out a Pyramid location. I have only had a couple of their beers and haven’t been impressed. Well, I still wasn’t impressed after finally making the visit.

I did a flight and, because it was a game night, it was a set flight. As you probably know by now, I really hate set flights and it didn’t help at this brewery that I just got to try the standards. Don’t get me wrong, none of the beers were bad– it’s just that none of them were exceptional.

The flight started with the Pyramid Hefeweizen. This is one of the few Pyramid beers I had actually tried before. This beer to me isn’t much of a hefeweizen. The banana and clove flavors are very subdued and the malt is the major aroma/taste. This is a very wheaty beer. If I’m going to go with a mass produced hefeweizen, please give me a Widmer.

The next beer was a seasonal, Sno Cap. This beer was fantastic on first taste and smell. The nose was of chocolate and this beer tasted like a dessert. However, the oddest thing happened with this beer– the more I drank it the less it tasted like chocolate. I am not sure if the taste and aroma were lost by merely being exposed to air or the taste is a one time deal. Anyway, I loved this beer at first and was bored with it by the time I finished a 4 oz glass.

The Apricot Ale was true to name with taste and smell of apricots. This beer had the same problem that most fruit beers do– too much fruit and too little beer. To me, a fruit beer should be a beer that is enhanced by the flavor of the fruit. It should not be an excuse to make beer Kool-Aid.

The Thunderhead IPA didn’t have much nose and was also weak on any hop taste. The taste was more sweet than hoppy. This beer really could use more hops.

The Ale House Amber was the last in the flight. This beer didn’t have much nose but was toasty and caramel in flavor.

So, I am willing to give Pyramid another chance next time I am down by the stadium but I am really hoping for something spectacular next time.