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!