Guest Trip…to Victoria
I was really up for a Boondoggle after Christmas and after some investigation decided Victoria was the place I wanted to go. The weather was set to be perfect and a long ferry ride through the San Juan’s would be just the ticket to erase any Christmas stress I had. We (My wife and daughter) boarded the Washington State Ferry Chelan at 7:40 am and rode through picturesque channels and views of Baker. I suggest this ferry ride for anybody who has not done if before. Upon arriving in Sidney BC, our first stop was Nanaimo, 60 miles away….Generally that translates to 1-1.5 hours, but with the traffic lights, etc it took about 2 hours.
Our first brewery was Fat Cat Brewing. Fat cat was started by Rob and wife Bunny. Rob started as a homebrewer and today has a 11 bbl brewhouse. He brews 5 beers. Today we got to sample his Honey Beer (FREE). Normally honey beers are really light and floral. This one was bolder and more complex. Rob stated he uses a “sap” honey from New Zealand. He allowed us to taste the honey(FREE). It was unlike any honey I have ever tasted. Malty and rich. I purchased a 22 oz bottle of IPA and some honey beer for further investigation. He also set me up with some yeast (I am a homebrewer). (FREE)
My next brewery was Longwood Brewpub. Longwood is a large lodge building with rich wood accents throughout. Upstairs is the restaurant and downstairs houses a large Pub with a large bar, room for 20 tables or so and an area for billiards. All the beers are English…most hand drawn. I had the sampler (4)
Pilsner….not a great Pilsner a bit heavy on diacetyl (butterscotch)
Longwood Blonde Ale… Low on hop flavor but a good session beer…
IPA… An English IPA. Probably around 30-40 IBU hop flavor but nothing like NW IPAs
Scotch….one of their cellar beers. Warmer about 48 degrees. Malty and sweet. Good
After Nanaimo we made the 90 minute trip to Victoria. I had planned on visiting all the breweries in the area, but due to work schedules and the Boxing day holiday, I could not visit them all. I was unable to Visit Driftwood brewery, Lighthouse Brewery, Phillips Brewery and Vancouver Island Brewery. All are production breweries.
My first stop was Swans (Buckerfields Brewery). Swans was a converted Grain house right in the heart of town. Wood floors, brick walls and exposed ceilings. This is truly a British pub with Beer engines and an attention for Real Ale …I ordered a sampler of 6
Artic Ale… A blonde ale. Very light in flavor and a slight hint of diacetyl
Bitter, More of a special bitter…very sweet and low hop flavor. The English fellow next to me stated that this was his favorite beer in all of Canada. Not my favorite, but a well built beer.
Pandora Pale Ale… Drier than the bitter and a little more hop flavor.
Appleton Brown Ale… Low on carbonation (hand drawn). Sweet, malty and very tasty. The low carbonation allowed you to taste each element in the beer.
Swans Extra IPA... Medium bodied IPA with good hop character. English hops, very different than the Three C hops of the NW
Swans Oatmeal Stout... Unlike the nitrogen infused Stouts of the states, this was hand drawn..and still remained very creamy to the tongue. Sweet, hints of chocolate and slightly roasty. A very good stout.
Canoe Brewpub….Industrial style building…not sure if it was an old building previously or fashioned this way…Exposed ceilings, multiple floors. I stepped into the pub…newer style bar with a TV. Appears to be a nice pre-function area before you are seating for dining. I ordered the sampler
Red Canoe Lager… This is a classic pils…clean, malty and a snappy finish. I really really liked this beer.
Sirens Song Pale Ale… Classic English pale ale. English hops dominate. Earthy
River Rock Bitter… an English ESB,a bit lighter in flavor than the pale ale.
Beaver Brown Ale, English IPA…you can really taste the English hops. I was not a fan of this beer..I have to be honest…I am not a great fan of many of the UK hops.
Next stop was a very very short drive to Spinnakers. From the website, it looked like a very nice place to visit and dine. It sits on the inner harbor and the views (well, I was there in the evening) would be very nice… I took a spot in the lobby bar area…just a small spot to wait for dining. I ordered a sampler of six.
Bitter… sweet and clean. This is how I envision an English Bitter
Kolsch… This was a VERY good Kolsch. Many attempt this style and diacetyl dominates. This was clean. Lazy summer days drifted in my head
Spinnaker Ale… Not sure the exact style of this beer, but it would be a very good session beer.
20’ Late Hopped Pale Ale… I wish I had time to order a couple sleeves of this. Very good beer. Not hopped like a NW beer. But clean, and a nice hop profile
IPA… Not an IPA in my eyes. More like a nice hopped blonde. Good summer beer.
Nut Brown Ale… A good simple brown ale. A bit thin, not memorable, but a decent brown.
I did have a chance to have one more beer from a restaurant I visited. It was called Race Rocks Ale. Made by Lighthouse brewery. This was my favorite beer of the trip. Dark chocolate, but light on the palate. Much like a Dick Danger but much better. Gonna have to see if I can find this beer in the states.
FTC Information: Good Beer Trips and shaqfeasel are not affiliated with the breweries listed in this post or the Washington State Ferry System. Unless otherwise specified, all items were purchased by Good Beer Trips or shaqfeasel.
Introducing Shaqfeasel
I’d like to take a moment to introduce Ron M, aka Shaqfeasel (and Shaqfoo). Ron is a fellow Beer Geek, Beer Traveler, and Homebrewer. He will be guest posting from time to time, bringing a wealth of knowledge on the brewing process and the different types of beer. Welcome to Good Beer Trips Shaqfeasel!.
Trip to the Fridge: Goose Island Christmas Ale 2009
We saw the Goose Island Christmas Ale 2009 a few weeks ago at our local QFC. Being in the Christmas spirit we decided to buy a bottle despite it’s $8.99 price tag. Lush C didn’t like it, but I did. I thought it was a decent brown ale, a little dry and not as smooth as I prefer. I couldn’t say that it was one our favorite winter beers of the season. Perhaps it needed a little more aging, as the bottle states it can age for up to five years.
Brewmasters Notes:
Every year to celebrate the holiday season, we brew up our Christmas Ale, and with each year we change the recipe slightly so that you have something special to look forward to. Traditionally, our Christmas Ale is a complex brown ale that develops well in the bottle for up to five years.
Website Description:
Style: Brown AleAlcohol by Volume: 5.7
International Bitterness Units: Change year to year
Color: Chocolate
Hops: Change year to year
Malt: Pale, Extra Special Briess, Dark
Color: Amber Brown Clarity: Clear Head: Cream colored and bubbly. Aroma: Sweet,malty, and a hint of hops Body: Medium Bodied, fairly well carbonated Flavor: very malty, hint of grain, nut, and spice Finish: Dry, bitter hop and malt flavor.
Consensus: Try it if you don’t mind the price.
FTC Information: Good Beer Trips is not affiliated with Goose Island Brewing. The beer reviewed was purchased by Good Beer Trips.
Trip to the Fridge: Scuttlebutt 10 Below
The Fridge
Welcome to the new segment called Trip to the Fridge. We will be going to our Beer Fridge, selecting a beer, and telling you about it.
For our first trip we selected Scuttlebutt Brewing Company’s Winter Seasonal 10O Below.
Website Description
Style: imperial dunkelweiss
Aroma: crisp citrus
Taste: medium body with a rich chocolate finish
Hops: mt. hood & american sazz
22 ibu’s.
7.4% alcohol by volume
Good Beer Trips Description
Color: Brown
Clarity: Cloudy
Head: Lingering tan
Aroma: Roasted Malt and hues of coffee
Body: Medium Bodied
Flavor: Sweet and rich malty with a hint of chocolate.
Finish: Slightly bitter from hops and chocolate
Lush C – I like it. A little dry to keep it form being too sweet. Good beer at a good price.
Eric – I like it, It starts off really good, but seems to get sweeter the more you drink.
Consensus: Try it while you can.
FTC Disclaimer: GoodBeerTrips is not affiliated with Scuttlebutt Brewing Company. The Beer in this review was purchased by GoodBeerTrips.
Belgianfest
Woo Hoo! Just purchased our tickets for the Washington Beer Commission Belgianfest on January 23, 2010. A festival of Belgian style beer from Washington breweries. The Washingtonbeerblog has updated information on this event, and you can still purchase tickets online or select ticket outlets. While you are at it, check out WABL, we are members, and it is a fun organization to join. Cheers, and hope to see you at Belgianfest!
2010 Belgianfest
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Session 1: 12-4pm
Session 2: 6-10pm
The Engine Room @ Georgetown Studios
5890 Airport Way S.
Seattle, WA 98108
Map
Belgian style beer featuring Washington breweries
Admission:
$30 advance tickets
$35 at the door
Separate tickets required for each session
Admission includes a tasting glass and ten 4oz tastes
Designated driver admission is $5 and available at the door only
We accept cash and check only
21+ only
Seaside and Gearhart, Oregon
On Monday, I made a day trip down to Seaside and Gearhart, Oregon with my Mom. Seaside is an active little beach town, full of candy stores, tourist shops, arcades, and a beautiful beach. Unfortunately, they do not have a brewery or brewpub. I wasn’t feeling much like shopping, so we just drove down the main drag, 1st Ave, and then head to the Cove, at the south end of town to see what the surf was like. Back in my high school and college days, you would have found me here in my wet suit catching waves on my Body Board. On this day, it was bright and sunny, and the waves were looking pretty good. We watched a handful of surfers take their turns on the green Oregon waves. In the distance, you could see the Point was really breaking, and a few surfers were catching some really nice hollow waves.
I digressed. This is a beer blog not a surf blog. After leaving the cove, we drove by Goose Hollow at the Cove,. A small little pub that I had visited before, and remembered had a pretty good beer selection. They were closed, darn, so we continued on. We ended up at the outlet mall, where we went to the Wine and Beer Haus, a small beer and wine store. Not as large as some of the other Beer stores I’ve been in, but they had a good selection of craft beers from around the US. I picked up six bombers (If you buy six you get a 10% discount on your entire purchase) including a Black Butte XXI and a Stone Double Bastard. We had a nice chat with Jeff the owner, who said that he and his entire staff try every beer that comes in, so that they will be able to answer customers questions. He mentioned that they have been receiving about 5 new beers every week. Seaside locals and tourists are in good hands here, they have your Good Beer needs covered.
By this time, I was pretty hungry and thirsty. We hoped back in the car drove a few mile north to coastal resort town of Gearhart. Our destination was McMenamins SandTrap.
The SandTrap is perched above the historic Gearhart Golf Links 18 hole golf course. They have a large restaurant and bar, with a large outdoor deck. They also have meeting and event rooms. The building looks large enough to be hotel, so I wonder if something is in the works there? When you walk in you know you are in a McMenamins. The lighting is dim, with lots of wood, stained glass windows, and paintings on the wall. Straight ahead you see thee great view of the course and the surrounding mountains. There is a small room with a few larger tables and roaring fireplace. Off to left is another room with several booths, and to the right is the large square bar. Seems like no matter where you sit, you get a great view. The menu, like all McMenamins, is pub fare, this time with a little more seafood. We enjoyed a crab fondue, and I had a steak sandwich. Both of which were pretty darn good. They do not have brewing equipment on site, so their beer is brought in from other McMenamins locations. They had all the standards, plus Kris Kringle and a Chocolate Milk Stout on Nitro. Couldn’t complain with the selection. I really enjoyed the SandTrap, and can not wait to bring Lush C there. It is a must stop for any Good Beer Trip to the North Oregon Coast.
Beer Sampler:
Hammerhead (pale ale) – light amber, lingering white head, and a slight floral aroma. Crisp, light bodied, sweet with a citrus hop finish. Fairly well balanced. A nice pale ale.
McMenamins description: “Hammerhead’s signature cascade hop nose and intense hopped flavor blend nicely with the caramel tones from the crystal malt”
Chocolate Milk Stout on Nitro – dark, thick lingering creme head, and a sweet roasted malt aroma. Creamy, full bodied, roasted malt flavor, more hop flavor than you’d expect,. A little sweet, and bitter chocolate finish .
Disclaimer: GoodBeerTrips.com is not affiliated with McMenamins. All beer and food was paid for by Mom.
Fish Brewing – Olympia, WA
It was another beautiful sunny Northwest winter day, perfect for a drive to the coast to visit my Mother. On the way, to Long Beach, WA, I decided to make a brief pit stop in Olympia. South of Seattle by about 60 miles, it is an easy drive for a quick Good Beer day Trip. Once home to Olympia Brewing there are now two breweries/brewpubs in downtown serving up fresh and tasty local artesian beer: Fish Brewing and McMenamins Spar Cafe. It must be the water. I only had the time to go to Fish today; I will be back to Spar another time.
Opening in1993, Fish is Olympia’s oldest brewpub. It has grown in considerable size since those days when the brewery and pub (the Fishbowl) were in the same building. Now, the brewery is located across the street opening up for a larger pub and the brewing capacity to brew Fishtail Organic Ales, Leavenworth Biers, and Spire Ciders.
As you enter, you are greeted by a large half rectangle bar, above which is a large beautifully carved fish. There are many tables that can be moved together to accommodate large groups and several pub height tables. There are two side rooms one with easy chairs, couches, a gas/wood stove and a wall of mugs. There is additional seating upstairs. The menu is Northwest pub fare with plenty of fish and local shellfish. We are never disappointed with what we order. On this occasion I had their seafood chowder which was choked full of clams, scallops, and potatoes in a zesty tomato and stout based sauce. Their beer selection is wonderful with many Fish and Leavenworth beers and Spire Ciders on tap. Don’t forget to check out the Fish Market where you can buy beer and gear to go.
Beer Sampler:
Holiday Spiced Dark Wheat (Dunkelweizen with pumpkin pie spice) – Amber brown, cloudy little to no head, and a sweet and spicy aroma. Medium bodied Sweet, malty, hoppy, and spicy. Very pleasant and well balanced.
Organic India Pale Ale – clear golden, little head, and a floral aroma. Light bodied, crisp, and well carbonated. Sweet malty flavor, finishing with a bouquet of floral hops. Well balanced, a good NW IPA.
Disclaimer: GoodBeerTrips.com is not affiliated with Fish Brewing. Unless otherwise noted, all food and beer was purchased by GoodBeerTrips.com
Dad Watsons (McMenamins)- Seattle, WA
It was the day after Christmas , and the sun was out. What a beautiful day for a walk about. We went to to the zoo, to see animals at play. All a while keeping our thirst at bay. We ended up at Dad Watsons, oh what a treat. Kris Kringle was the beer I hoped to meet.
photo by Eric
Dad Watsons is one of three McMenamins brewpubs in Seattle. It is located in the quirky Fremont neighborhood, the self claimed center of the universe. Although it is in a newer building, they have done a good job making it feel like an old British pub. There is reclaimed wood throughout, Indonesian inspired wood art, and McMenamins signature paintings on the walls. You can enjoy a pint at their large question-mark shaped bar, in their large booths or on their patio (when the weather permits).The menu is typical pub food, which good, but not great. The hand cut fries are exceptional and they have the option of Tater Tots! On tap they have the McMenamins staples (Ruby, Hammerhead, Terminator Stout) plus locals like Billy Club IPA, Paeter’s Porter, Wheat, Gold Star and Hank the Tank Nitro Stout. There is also a full bar featuring McMenamins fine spirits an wines.
I have to admit, I am a big fan of McMenamins. Sure, they are a bit corporate, but you have to love what they do: breweries, pubs, hotels, music venues, movie theaters (with Beer), distillery, winery, historic building restorations … etc. Their hotels have been the choice of stay for many of our Good Beer Trips. They are like an adult Disneyland, where you can drink, eat, watch movies, enjoy soaking pools, and sleep. Once you are there, you don’t need to leave. Check them out for your next trip to Portland, Bend, Forest Grove, McMinville or Centralia.
Beer Sampler:
Kris Kringle – Cloudy, rust brown ,with a sweet floral aroma. Medium bodied, sweet malt flavor followed by a floral bitter hoppy finish. I enjoyed it, but not as well as I have in years past.
McMenamins description:“this hearty robust ale has a bold malt profile and generous amounts of hops that definitely make this a winter warmer.”
Sleepy hollow nut brown – Amber brown, clear, with a rich nutty aroma. Sweet malt flavor with a hint of nut. I look forward to trying it earlier in the season next year.
McMenamins description:“… classic autumn seasonal, this nut brown’s chestnut color and medium bodied will cast a spell on you.”
Paeter’s Porter -. Dark, obscure black, with a malty chocolate aroma. Medium bodied, roasted malt and chocolate followed by a hoppy bite and finishing with a rich malt aftertaste.
McMenamins description:“classic American porter with a rich chocolate flavor and mild hop aroma .”
Hank the Tank Nitro Stout– Tall,dark, with a creamy smooth head and a dark roasted malt aroma. Smooth, full bodied, dark roasted malt flavor, leads to hint of vanilla and and a smoky oak finish. A very good beer to finish the night on.
McMenamins description: “a dark ebony colored stout dry hopped with whiskey barrel oak chips for a nice subtle addition.
Disclaimer: GoodBeerTrips.com is not affiliated with McMenamins. Unless otherwise noted, all food and beer was purchased by GoodBeerTrips.com
Boundary Bay Brewery and Bistro – Bellingham, WA
After nearly two weeks off with the flu, I was more than ready to hit the road for a quick Good Beer Trip. We headed 90 miles north from Seattle to Bellingham, Washington. Home to our Alma Mater Western Washington University, where Lush C and I first met, and two great breweries; Boundary Bay and Chuckanut. We make it to Bellingham about 10 times a year, and split our visits between the two. This trip we opted for Boundary Bay Brewery and Bistro.
Boundary Bay is by far one of our favorite brewpubs. Their beer is exceptional, the atmosphere is great, and their food is tasty. Their only downside is that their service is hit and miss (after a rushed start we got good service this visit). It is located in an old brick building in downtown B’ham. You have the choice to sit in 21+ pub, the family friendly dining room, or the outdoor patio/deck (during the summer months). We prefer to sit in the pub, and on this trip we were lucky to find a table. The pub is large and open, with high ceilings with a small bar area that has good view of the the glass enclosed brewery. They theme is nautical with a sail on the ceiling and a small boat on the wall. On this visit, they were decorated for the holidays with a large tree decked with cool glass ornaments that looked like pints and growlers, wreaths, and lights.
Their menu is full of local, organic and natural pub fare of sandwiches, burgers, pizza, soups and salads. You may notice the lack of fries, but their roasted potatoes fill the void, and are tasty. Lush C opted for the Salmon Sandwich and I went for the Beef Stew. Both were very yummy.
Now, onto the main event, the Beer. Lush C didn’t waste any time and ordered a Cabin Fever, and I decided to get their six beer sampler.
Beer Sampler:
Blonde – a cloudy blonde with a slight fruity aroma. Light bodied malt flavor with a slight peppery floral finish. Decent, but not a favorite of mine.
ESB, Best Bitter – Orange with a sweet floral aroma. Sweet and malty with a hoppy finish. A near perfect session beer if it were only a little better balanced.
Inside Passage IPA – Cloudy orange with a floral aroma. Nicely balanced malt with a floral hop finish. A classic Northwest IPA.
Amber – light amber with a citrus floral aroma. A smooth roasted malt flavor with a enough hops to keep it from being to sweet. Very well balanced.
Scotch – Dark amber with a sweet aroma. Very well balanced. Sweet, but not to sweet, malty and just enough hops. A favorite of Lush C’s.
Imperial Oatmeal Stout – Dark Black with a sweet alcohol aroma. Medium bodied, sweet and malty with a hint of chocolate and a sublte hop flavor. Not overly complex, but still delightful.
Cabin Fever (English Strong Ale) – nice auburn brown with a sweet carmel aroma. Full bodied, malty, sweet, slight hops and a hint of spice. Very smooth and well balanced. It gets the job done! A nice Winter Warmer.
Disclaimer: Goodbeertrips.com is in no way affiliated with the Boundary Bay Brewery and Bistro. All beer and food was paid for by Goodbeertrips.com.
Winter Beer Fest – 2009
It was a cold Friday night in December, and we were off to the Washington Beer Commission Winter Beer Festival at Hales Brewery in Seattle, Wa. For me, it was like returning to the scene of crime. Last year, I did not do a very good job of pacing myself, and ended up over indulging. I had forgotten to calculate the higher alcohol content of Winter Beers and based my token limit as if it were a Summer Beer Fest. What a mistake. I was in sorry shape by the time I made it home, got sick (on the dog), and blamed it on the food (There is some good drunken logic). The goal this year was to simply enjoy myself, but be careful, and not go to far.
Lush C and I took our friend Carl, for his first time, and met up with Toni and a Nate who were at last years shindig. Thanks to our encouragement all of them left as WABL members. I came armed with a bunch of business cards that I printed up an hour before. I was ready to hand them out to potential new readers. I ran into Kendall from WashingtonBeerBlog and had a nice conversation on their recent trip to Hood River, and got a few tips on starting up a new blog.
This year’s festival brought together 34 Washington Breweries and 86 beers. With so many different beers it was hard to decide what to drink. I wish I could have tried them all, but that would not have been feasible nor a good idea. The hands down favorite was the WABL special Mocha Stout by the Northgate Ram, featuring Café Vita coffee and Theo’s Chocolate. Oh my, this beer was incredible. It was dark, rich, malty and creamy smooth. The coffee and chocolate was perfectly balanced. For Lush C and I it wasn’t a surprise that we loved this beer, but for Toni it was. She had admitted early in the evening that she really wasn’t a fan of stouts, and that she only really liked Guinness, but that has now changed. She loved it, stating “it’s better than Guinness” and “(the flavors) dance on my tongue”. It’s so cool when you can convert someone, with one beer!
Snipes Mountain’s Cask 08 Bourbon Pumpkin Death was probably my second favorite of the evening. It was another big dark winter beer with a sweet aroma. It was very rich and malty sweet. It was very well balanced and the bourbon didn’t overpower the beer. Can’t say I could taste the pumpkin (or the spice) though.
A new kid on the block, 7 Seas Brewery, brought Port Royal Export Style Stout. Excellent! It was nicely balanced with dark malts, enough hops to keep it from being too sweet, and finished very smooth. When I got caught taking notes, the server (darn, didn’t get her name) told me to right down “prettiest girl here”, of course I wrote down “2nd prettiest girl here”. After I gave her my newly printed GoodBeerTrips business card, she introduced me to Mike Runion, Owner and Chief Executive Everything. They encouraged me to come visit their brewery. It looks like I’ll be taking a trip to Gig Harbor sometime soon.
Here are some of my notes:
Fremont Brewing Abominable Winter Ale – Dark brown with a malty aroma. Sweet, rich and malty. Very good.
Water Street Brewing Burr’s Frosty Winter – Dark orange, and a bunch of scribble (funny thing is, this was my first beer). Good.
Chuckanut Brewery Dunkel Lager – Nice, crisp dark lager.
Three Skulls Ales Winter Poison – Dark brown , sweet malt aroma, and a smooth malty finish. Liked it.
Big Tine Yukefest. Sorry, no notes. I was feeling pretty good by this point and was in a very social mood and got into a good conversation about our beer trip to Austin.
Right before it closed we decided we were ready for some food. We went around to the other side of the building to the Hales Restaurant. I finished the evening off with Chicken Parmesan and Red Menace Amber. Thanks to Lush C, who was an excellent designated driver, we arrived safely home. I’m happy to say that the dog was safe too.
Good Beer Trips 