Hey Beer Geeks if your near Seattle this weekend there is a great event that I learned about from a terrific Beer Blogger Washington Beer Blog – has a great write up about the event Beer for Boobies so click on over and if you can please attend. Big Al Brewing puts out some of the best beer in town. Have a great weekend.
Beers for Boobies – a benefit for breast cancer
featuring Four on the Floor
Where:
Big Al Brewing
9832 14th Ave. SW
Seattle, WA 98106
MAP
When: Saturday, July 10th 5:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Thanks Kendall for the info.
Summer is upon us now and we finally tipped over the 90 degree mark it is time to think camping. With camping there is always the great debate of what beer(s) to bring. This being my first camping trip in quite some time I am have now a whole plethora of new beers to bring on this trip. Cause with camping you always have to brig can beers. The craft beer world has come along way in the past years and there are some rockin beers in cans.
So for this camping trip I am going to be bringing along a mix of great craft brews and all are going to be canned. What’s the big deal you say? Cost is better, no light gets through and less oxidation. In other words great craft beer in a can. Easier to chill in my humble beery opinion. Remember with camping always “pack it in and pack it out.” This is much easier with a crushed empty can.
Got ideas, comments what’s your best camping
beer? Canned or bottled? Let us know.
Wow time goes by so fast these days. I am behind 5 brewery reviews, 4 beer related stories and 3 other sub beer stories what and where shall I start first?
How about this weekend the Washington Brewers Festival is coming up and I am excited to be attending. This will be my 4th year of attendance and every year it seems as thought the beers increase and more and more brewers show up. If you have not been this is quite the event. Be ready for any type of weather Kenmore, WA can be unpredictable. I have been when it is a cold wet March like day. Or go back to the second year I attended and it was hot August roasting. There is a great line up of brews and if you’re in the area Friday night is going to be truly a big event. All special brews from Washington Brewers only this will prove to be a must go to. Note Friday is for 21 and over. The other days your kids are welcome and there are kid play areas.
I for one am excited as I’m volunteering for the first time to help pour. I have poured at many other events but not the Big Fathers day festival. Come by and say howdy as I pour some awesome brews. Later I will be hitting the libations myself and hoping to be sipping some truly awesome beers. I have my list ready of what I am seeking to try.
So get ready this is as they say – “The Mother of all Fathers Day Beer Festivals.”
Washington Brewers Festival 2010 is in 2 days. Full details soon to follow.
Prost…
January, 30 2010
First I need to apologize to all those I bumped into at the festival. If you where there you would understand. Way too many people the festival was so over crowded that it was actually hard to move, think, breath or even gain a semblance of what was really going on. No real lines, no tap lists of what was available only 2 porta-johns in the vicinity. This was a mess from the word go.
Now for the reason I was there the beers and they where great. There were some very interesting names, tastes and funky additions to the brews. Big Al brewing added peanut butter to a stout which was creamy and nutty in the flavor. Elkhead Brewing which has popped to the beer scene with fervor had some excellent brews with the Royal Black Imperial Stout what flavor. Fish Brewing out of Olympia had a Fish beer yes they added Bonito fish (Mackerel family) to a blonde and the beer was tasty. Called a Bonito Blonde it was very good and not much as for the fish taste but a great blonde never less. Georgetown brewing had a Donkey Duex and wow this cherry dubble was the shizzle in my humble opinion. Flyers with a red pepper porter. Laht Neppur adding to the backwards name thing had a “Booter Reer” yes root beer had the aroma some of the taste then the finish fell to the floor. 192’ very new to the scene had Apple ale that hit the mark it was small with aroma but filled with some good green apple flavors. Anacortes brewing with a creamsicle pale it was tasty but also finished off. Grove Street Brewing has a Smoked porter that was barrel aged in Merlot barrels. Oh wow the flavors where magnificent. Water Street brewing also had excellent strange brew they made up single hop pale ale. As you can tell I did not get to try them all I just don’t have the superman liver.
For this beer geek I will be sure to check and see if the event has moved to a bigger location before I go back. The poor crowd management and small area made for bad taste in my mouth experience – no pun intended. I will say I was glad I have finally been to a Strange Brew festival the beers are certainly strange.
Participating Brewers -
7 Seas Brewing • 192 Brewing Company • Anacortes Brewing Co. • Big Time Brewing Co. • Big Al Brewing Co. • Cascade Brewing Co. • Chuckanut Brewery • Crispin Cider • Elkhead Brewing Co. • Elliott Bay Brewing Co. • Elysian Brewing Co • Finnriver Cider • Fish Brewing Co. • Flyers Brewery • Georgetown Brewing Co. • Grove Street Brewhouse • Hale’s Brewery • Iron Horse Brewery • Laht Neppur Brewing Co. • Odin Brewing Co. • Pike Brewing Co. • Port Townsend Brewing Co. • Ram Brewing – Northgate • Red Hook Brewery • Silver City Brewing Co. • Water Street Brewing
Founder Dick Young of Dicks Brewing has passed. He was 56. Here is the rest of the story from The Chronicle Online a Centralia WA newspaper. Dick Young Dick Brewing Co
I was so fortunate to have met and had the time to chat with Dick over the past few years. Have had many run in at both the brewery and at various beer events. Dick will be missed.
5909 Airport Way S
Seattle, WA 98108
206-763-2079
http://www.fullthrottlebottles.com/
Nice bottle shop not so sure about the location. With my trusty GPS I found the place with ease. It was a nice tidy place with a bottle selection of about 500-600 different labels and I was able to find a few that I had not seen. They had quite a Pacific North West selection that I was very impressed with. They also had a pretty big import section. If you’re in the area and need a special brew stop by they might just have it. I know I will be back when in the area.
526 Second Ave.
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 623-1016
http://www.thecollinspub.com
I have seen news/events advertised from this pub for the last few years and had wanted to see this for myself. Parking can be tough so look for it or pay for it across the street like I did. I found the place to be a new/clean look with high ceilings and new local art on the walls with a tap list that rivals the best. Russian River, to local flair with Big Al Brewing, Trade Route Brewing and Snoqualmie Falls Brewing there where also ore around 25 taps of some killer brews. I was impressed the food was a tad higher priced pub food I am sure for the location not far from some of the big banks and buildings in Seattle plus you have the football and baseball crowds walking buy. This is a great place I am sure I will be back. The bartender really knew the beer and how to sell what they had on there current list. They where very helpful and made me time enjoyable.
308 Catherine Street
Victoria, British Columbia
250-386-2739
http://www.spinnakers.com/
After taking a water taxi across the bay we arrived to Spinnakers Brewpub and wow what a view of the entire bay. The beer better be good and after trying the taster tray I was impressed. This was going to be our final meal and beers on our Victoria BC trip. The English bitter was buttery and tasty. The dark ales where also very good and the porter was one fine brew. This place made there own malt vinegar with the beer malts so they had about 5 different flavors from English ale to porter malt vinegars. We found out you can also stay here and over look the bay all night. I am thinking next time we might try to stay here. We found the service to be very good and the food was also excellent. We will be back.
506 Pandora Avenue
Victoria, British Columbia
Phone: 250-361-3310
http://www.swanshotel.com/brewery.php
Buckerfields brewing was a neat place to visit on the top of the place was a hotel Swans and this was a neat old building. We stopped at the bar and had a few of the beers this was the night before the GCBF. We had a Coconut porter which could have used more of the famed Coconut but was still tasty never less. The Swans Oatmeal Stout was pure heaven and I was hoping to remember to bring some back to the states. The service was great and they talked the beers up quite a bit. The also told us of several other places to visit while in town that also had great beers. I think this was one of the best places to visit the Raspberry ale to finish off the night was actually very good and fruit. This is a must stop in Victoria.
450 Swift Street
Victoria, British Columbia CA
(250) 361-1940
http://www.canoebrewpub.com/
My first brew pub in Canada since I have started rating places. I wish I knew earlier back 10 years ago I could have added a few more. Canoe Brewing was a excellent stop on our first day of the trip. Beautiful weather, scenery and the pub was also very good looking and clean. We ended up getting an outside table with the sun on our backs we had a taster try of some of the most excellent ales. I loved the ESB with all the flavors and malt richness this was giving off. Service was not the best she seemed super busy and really could care less we where there. Typical college kid who can careless just wants her tips. Did I mention the prices where pretty high so that was a shock. The dark ambers and porters also had such great flavors. I knew I was in for a great time in Victoria.
