Dean Westling explores the local beer industry one pint at a time

We are approaching a glorious time in Seattle and not just because the sun has returned, the days are getting longer, and there is a super hero AND a super villain battling it out in the Emerald City. (Awesome, right?) The glorious time I am referring to is Seattle Beer Week, an entire week of micro brew fueled fun.

With well over a hundred events taking place all over Seattle, this week can be one of the most overwhelming weeks in the city. But it's a good overwhelming feeling, not like tax season, the holidays, or the moment you realize the Ms are not going to redeem themselves. More like the week leading up to vacation, when you have to get all your projects done at work so you can full on relax.

In order to help you make sense of Seattle Beer Week, we have hand selected (rather than machine selected) a few of the events that we are most excited for, many of which we will be at! (an * indicates we WILL be there, come hell or high alcohol)

*May 10th, 5:00pm SBW Kickoff Pt. 1, Elysian Capitol Hill Seattle Beer Week Kicks off with the tapping of the official 2012 SBW Beer Split Shot, an espresso milk stout brewed by Elysian Brewing Company. Come rub elbows with your fellow beer geeks, including the Life by the Pint crew and enjoy a pint or three. Seattle Beer Week organizers will be making a speech at 6pm to mark the beginning of a wonderful week of beer events across the city.

May 11th, All Day, Back in Black, Brouwer's Cafe Do you love stouts? Do you love hard to find beers? Then you must love hard to find stouts! Every year Back in Black Stout Fest at Brouwer's is one of SBW's most popular events. Come sample large batch, small batch, hard to find, crowd favorites, stout golden-boys (I'm looking at you Parabola) and everything in between. My favorite stout of 2011? Empire Strikes Black from Sierra Nevada. I had to try that one on principal. This year if they have a stout titled "Nectar of the Nights Watch", or "Toasty Targaryen" I might just buy the whole keg. On principal.(#nerdjoke)

*May 11th, 4:00pm, Terminal Gravity vs Double Mountain, Noble Fir Large events like Back in Black, are a big part of Seattle Beer Week, but for me an equally big part is enjoying the smaller events such as Terminal Gravity vs Double Mountain at the Noble Fir. Two wonderful Oregon breweries going head to head, hop to hop, and pint to pint at the Noble Fir in Ballard. If you have never been to the Noble Fir, you are missing out. An unpretentious, mellow, charming beer bar on Ballard Ave where you can sip hard to find beer, watch the Ms, and thumb through the best travel/adventure library I have ever seen outside of a bookstore or university.

*May 12th, 2:00pm, Life by the Pint Brewery Crawl, NW Seattle NW Peaks, Hilliard's, Maritime, Hale's, Fremont Brewing...and friends. You know you want to join! For more information, head here: Life by the Pint Brewery Crawl: NW Seattle Edition.

*May 14th, 6pm, West Sound and East of the Mountains Brewers Night, Naked City Taphouse As if I needed another reason to visit one of North Seattle's premiere beer spots, Naked City Taphouse went ahead and created one anyway. They will be pouring beer from 8 different breweries hailing from the less traveled regions of the state. With so much great beer being produced within Seattle city limits, it's easy to forget what else is out there. This event will remind you. I'm almost certain you'll be able to try at least one beer you've never had before, and may not see again in these parts for some time. I don't know about you, but I always get excited about the prospect of trying rare and hard to find beer. Brewers from several of the featured breweries are scheduled to be on hand.

*May 15th, 5:00pm, 4th Annual New Brewer's Night, Park Pub There are a lot of newer breweries on the scene who have been working their asses off to make a name for themselves. So show a little local support and go out and have a pint from youngsters NW Peaks, Hilliard's, Twelve Bars, and Church Key Can Company.

*May 16th, 7:00pm, SoDo Bros, Fiddler's Inn The boys from Schooner Exact, Two Beers, and Epic Ales will be pouring their South of Downtown beer in NE Sea-town. I will be there in hopes of getting another taste of the Oyster Stout from Epic Ales. It is one of those beers whose flavors are haunting. When I sampled it at Cask Fest, I was shocked at how much this beer effected me. Now I can't get it out of my head as its woody, sour, briny flavors haunt and titillate my dreams.

*May 17th, All Day, SOUR FEST, Brouwer's Cafe SOUR FEST! An event so pucker-tastic, so eye squintingly sour-ific it can't be explained. Well..sure it can. Tons of sour beers. More than you can try. If sour beers are your thing (as they are mine!), this is your event. Arrive early, as this event gets hoppin'. Pun not intended. Lupulin levels tend to be on the low side at Sour Fest. (#beernerdjoke)

May 18th, 8:00pm, Beer Cocktails, Liberty An exploration of beer and liquor. It sounds strange, I know, but beer cocktails are delicious when prepared correctly. This is the kind of beer event that you will only find during SBW. Check it out and get inspired.

So those are our recommendations for Seattle Beer Week. Be sure to check out the SBW website for more information on the events above and some of the more fancy happenings.

Remember when planning your own event calendar that this week is all about having fun and enjoying the wonderful micro culture here in the Emerald City. So try something new, enjoy an old favorite, expand your beer world, be safe and have a great time!

Cheers!

(Post and Photos by Dean Westling and Jeff Soderquist)

Related 2011 posts:

Seattle Beer Week Has Arrived, Prepare for Pints

The First Third, Seattle Beer Week Review