http://www.mynorthwest.com MyNorthwest.com delivers up-to-the-minute local news and information for Seattle and the greater Puget Sound area. en-us 15 144 21 http://www.mynorthwest.com http://www.mynorthwest.com/img/lg_mynw_144x21.gif http://www.mynorthwest.com?nid=826&sid=734786 The Sunday Fill is back! Today, after a month plus of no rain, the wind is blowing the grass is wet, the Hawks are playing the Cardnals and the Sunday growler is full of Wet Hop Ale from Two Beers Brewing. Wet hop, or fresh hop ales are made with hops harvested within 24 hours of being plucked from the vine. Wet Hop Ales have an floral, grassy flavor and aroma and tend to be less hoppy that your typical West Coast pale or IPA. Two Beers Brewing gets a nice jump on the wet hop market as Tyler Pickel, a brewer at Two Beers comes from family of hop growers east of the Cascades. If you are interested in fresh hop, or wet hop ales head out to your favorite local brewery and check if they have any on tap. Fremont Brewing, NW Peaks, and Big Al are all brewing up fresh hop ales this fall, and Ballards Noble Fir is hosing a fresh hop throwdown on Satruday December 29th. Sun, 09 Sep 2012 17:46:26 PST http://www.mynorthwest.com?nid=826&sid=732363 This past Friday I received an email in my Life By the Pint inbox from a very unlikely source . I get a lot of beer related emails from breweries around the country, as well as various press releases regarding events, seasonal brews and other general public information. Tue, 04 Sep 2012 20:35:15 PST http://www.mynorthwest.com?nid=826&sid=718549 Recently, some friends and I hosted a group of Englishmen for a week leading up to a joyous beach union of a true English gentleman, and his lovely American bride. Mon, 06 Aug 2012 11:50:01 PST http://www.mynorthwest.com?nid=826&sid=704758 At last its sunny in Seattle. I wait so long for the warm weather, that when it finally arrives, I find myself going a little sun crazy. It just so happens that the same week that I go sun crazy my wife goes out of town. You know what they say, when the cats away the mice turn into Backyard Bachelors. For me, this means evenings afterwork full of beer, bbq, cigars, and music on the back deck. Heres a little run down of my couple days as a Backdeck Bachelor. Evening 1: Easing into it. Dinner was bratwurst soaked in Firestone Walker DBA, then grilled and smothered in homemade, homebrewed chocolate porter BBQ sauce, paired back with its marinade, Firestone Walker Double Barrel Ale. The crispness of the DBA and the balanced nature of its hops and malt cuts right through the juicy pork brat. One DBA became two and two became three as I sat contemplating summer from the greenbelt overlook of my back poarch. Food, check, beer, check. Now some audio accompanyment. The first evenining of my three night adventure as a Backyard Bachelor, I chose the album Tomboy from the experimental artist, Panda Bear. This layered, complex, echoing album was an elegant selection for the evening with just the right amount of beauty and psycadellia. Once the sun went down, it was all Skyrim and Doctor Who until bedtime. Evening 2. All day at work, with the sun beating in the office windows and the blue sky over the Emerald City, my button up and slacks felt more opressive then ever. On the way home, I needed to cut loose, in a truly lupulin fashon. I headed into the local Top Foods and grabbed a Radiant Ale from Ninkasi Brewing. Dinner this evening was delectable. Half pound patty of grassfed, organic beef raised in easter Oregon by extended family members. Fat slab of chedder cheese. Mustard based BBQ sauce smuggled back in a suitcase from Charleston, SC. Spinitch salad, fresh blueberries and a Spring Reign. You can beat that. The flavors of the burger, cheese, and mustard BBQ sauce were increadibly bold and intense, and I was delighted to find that I had picked the right beer. The Radient Ale from Ninkasi is a wonderfully bright beer with the armoa of candied sugar and oranges. The flavor is malty to start and round out like clean mineral water and quality earthy/citrus hops. My musical choice for my second evening alone on the back poarch overlooking the green belt, was John Vanderslices 2007 release, Emerald City. Poetic, gloomy, delicate and hauntingly beautiful. Just how I like an album at twilight. Once the sun went down, it was all Skyrim and Doctor Who until bedtime. Evening 3: The thrid and final night of my sun starved bachlor evenings was another delightful eve full of food, beer and music. Again, I decided to BBQ a hand pressed burger raised in Eastern Oregon. This time while prepairing to grill the burger, I decided I needed something spicy. Something more than Tabasco could provide. Lucky I had reciently purchased a couple Habanero pepers for a chili project, and tossed them on the grill along with a diced onion, and about twelve cloves of garlic. Once it was all nicely chared, I threw them into the blender with a little water, cider vinegar, liquid smoke, and salt, then blended until smooth. The result is a spicy, smokey, roasty paste that will have your ears ringing with heat. I call it, Chaz It Up (Chaz is an alter ego of mine that has mastered a creepy wink). Now, some sauteed mushrooms, chedder cheese, grilled white corn, strawberries, and its time for the beer. This night I went with a beer that is new to me, Dumb Luck from Lazy Boy, a bitter pale ale. By no means was this a bad beer, but the bottle I had purchased was pretty much flat. Ad to that, my tastebuds were on fire from the Chaz It Up, and I hard a hard time, really getting into this beer. So it goes. Twin Shadows newest release Confess was on the sterio as I endulged in my final night as a back deck bacheleor. What a fantastic album, moody and dark with an overarching new wave vibe. This one isnt leaving my iPhone all summer. I can tell you that now. I am glad to have my wife back in town. It was lonely at home with just my xbox, guitars, BBQ, micro 22s, albums and thoughts. By the final night, after prepairing such a delicious meal for myself, I realized, these sorts of luxuries are not fun all alone. A partner in is necessary to share the joys of summer BBQs, good albums and fine beer with. Without someone else, these things fell less special. More temporary, in a way. Memories are stronger when shared between loved ones in homes full of happiness. I hope you have been enjoying this wonderful summer weather with someone you love! And if not, I hope you are making the best out of being a Backyard Bachleor! Cheers! Tue, 10 Jul 2012 18:40:29 PST http://www.mynorthwest.com?nid=826&sid=701018 Is there a more patriotic day than the 4th of July? Nope. Is there a more patriotic brewery than American Brewing in Edmonds? No sir. Is there a more patriotic way to spend your 4th of July than at American Brewings 4th of July Celebration? No way! Food, check. Beer, double check. Buzzed up Life By the Pinters celebrating the independence of our great nation, triple check! Brewing fine ales since Januray 2011, Skip Madsen and Neil Fallon have found a home for American Brewing near the docks in Edmonds. With a top notch IPA, a world class scotch ale, an earthy black oatmeal stout, and a thirst quenching blonde, American Brewing has something for every beer quaffing national holiday reveler. The 4th of July Celebration at American Brewing will be so over flowing with hoppy, foamy patriotism, that the red white and blue pride might be overwhelming. That is a risk Ill gladly take. So brush up on the Consitiution, don your Uncle Sam hat, and head down to American Brewing in Edmonds this 4th of July. Party starts at 12:00 and rocks till 8. Cheers. For more information head over to: http://www.americanbrewing.com/ Sun, 01 Jul 2012 16:32:51 PST http://www.mynorthwest.com?nid=826&sid=695717 Last weekend marked the unofficial beginning of summer as brewers from all corners of the state rolled keg after keg of delicious brews to Marymoor Park and into the tasting glasses of eager drinkers. Tue, 19 Jun 2012 22:49:51 PST http://www.mynorthwest.com?nid=826&sid=685116 Diamond Knot Living and working in downtown Seattle, there is no shortage of excellent breweries and beer-centric bars and restaurants at my disposal that I tend to neglect what exists beyond city limits. With the start of a new year, I resolved to branch out; to explore and experience the breweries which dot the landscape of this great state. Three months into 2012 however, I had yet to make good on this resolution, which is why I was elated when a good friend of mine suggested we meet up in Mukilteo to have dinner at the Diamond Knot Brewery. Having visited the brewery on a handful of occasions in the past, I looked forward to indulging in a few brews while enjoying one of their signature entres served on a hot stone. Located just 30 minutes north of Seattle, the brewery is situated on Front Street between the Mukilteo Ferry Terminal and Lighthouse Park. Its not hard to see why Diamond Knot has such a devoted following. The brewpub’s location allows one to enjoy any number of classic Pacific Northwest activities before heading into the brewery for a pint or two and a bit to eat. Spend the afternoon combing the rocky beach front of Lighthouse Park, watching the ferries come and go, marveling at the nearly century old Mukilteo Lighthouse, and if the weather is cooperating perhaps enjoying an ice cream cone from Ivars’ walk-up stand. When your done exploring the area and its time to enter the brewpub to quench your thirst, you’ll be greeted by a laid back atmosphere that is customary of our region and a distinctive nautical themed décor. Shells of their complimentary peanuts blanket the floor, while photos line the walls depicting historical events. Don’t be alarmed if there is a bit of a wait, as I said before, Diamond Knot has quite a devoted following. Just put your name in with the server and grab a beer from the bartender to sip while you wait. I recommend the Industrial IPA, their most well known brew, or my personal favorite the Hefe-Weizen; a wonderful American interpretation of a German classic with distinct notes of banana and cloves. Diamond Knot doesn’t depend on their quality hand-crafted beers alone to attract patrons; they have serve an array of dishes on their menu including the unique dining experience of serving several signature dishes to dinners still in the cooking process on a hot stonegrill. I’ll be the first to admit that I was a bit wary of ordering an item served raw requiring me to finish cooking it my first time visiting the brewery, but I quickly fell in love with the interactive process, and now only order entrees served on them. On this particular outing, I enjoyed the Beerish Dip, which consists of thin sliced sirloin, plenty of swiss cheese and hearty Light House Ale Au Jus. Whether you’re looking to experience a new brewery, or planning on enjoying an afternoon at Mukilteo’s Lighthouse Park, Diamond Knot’s brewpub is well worth a visit as delicious beers and food awaits you. If you happen to be just passing through the area in route to Whidbey Island via the ferry don’t forget to hop on in to fill a growler or pick up a 22oz bomber of your favorite ale. Whatever your reason for venturing into Diamond Knot’s brewpub, you won’t be disappointed. Tue, 29 May 2012 22:00:33 PST http://www.mynorthwest.com?nid=826&sid=680543 Seattle Beer Week Kick Off pt 1, 5/10/2012 Friends and fellow beer geeks alike descended on Elysians Capitol Hill Brewpub to celebrate the official opening of Seattle Beer Week 2012. With the SBW folks on hand and cheers from the crowd, Elysian kicked off the night by tapping a special cask version of Split Shot the official beer of Seattle Beer Week. Generously poured samples flowed through the crowd, as the aroma of espresso beans filled the air. Life By The Pint has already given Split Shot our stamp of approval in our review of it, but its worth mentioning again just how good this beer is. While enjoying a couple pints of it with a few close friends, we simply could not get over how complex the beer is, bold espresso flavor and notes of chocolate, its robust and bitter character grows on you with each sip. I commend Elysian for deciding to brew a beer that might not be universally received by the hop-loving masses of the Emerald City. Dont get my wrong; I love a good IPA as much as the next guy. Currently the market is, dare I say, oversaturated with them and its refreshing to see something different take center stage. Delicious beer aside, perhaps my favorite thing about Seattle Beer Week, is how excited and passionate people feel about it. Seemingly everyone had a smile on their face opening night, from the event organizers, Elysian wait staff, down to the devoted beer loving patrons. Seattle is blessed to have such a thriving beer-centric community, and Seattle Beer Week is meant to celebrate us all. West of the Sound and East of the Mountains, 5/14/2012 I love a good brewers night. Mingling with brewers, sampling hard to find beers, and the thrill of winning and losing raffles. Its just good, clean fun, and no one does a brewers night like Naked City Taphouse in Greenwood. Monday night, Naked City invited 18 of the states smaller breweries from beyond the I-5 corridor to participate in the West of the Sound, East of the Mountains Brewers night. In order to get the full experience, I had one pint from West of the Sound and one from East of the Mountains, as well as a couple of the best raw oyster shooters I have ever had. My pint from West of the Sound was a double dunkel from Sound Brewing called WWII. WWII is smooth, boozey, woody all with the creamy soft mounth feel of a dunkelweizen. Next, I ordered up a pint of Solar Winds Pale from Northern Lights Brewery in Spokane. For a pale, this beer is hoppy, which was a great complement to my oysters from Talyor Shellfish Farm. This hoppy, crisp pale ale has an armoa of earthy hops and biscuty grains. As for the raffle, I won nothing. But a friend at our table won a t-shirt from Roslyn Brewing, so we did not walk away empty handed. This was a great event, not soley due to the beer, raffles and oysters, what makes this event special is the brewers. I have found that small brewers, men and women who pour their life savings as well as their time, effort, and passion into brewing have a sense of urgency. They cant sit back an rely on 22oz bottle sales, they have to get out in the field and interact, pitch their beer, and make sure consumers know their name and recognize their brand. There are several larger breweries in Seattle that do not have to put in the face time with their custormers, as they are establised well enough, that it is not a priority to them. Something is lost with this attitiude. Drinking local is just as much a socal responsiblility as it is an economic one. Getting to know and recognize brewers for their craft adds a whole new aspect of understading to the wonderful brewing culture that stretches across the Evergreen State. Sour Fest, 5/172012 Is there a style of beer that is more polarizing than sours? I dont think there is, you love them, or you dont. It seemed to me that everyone in the Seattle metro area who loves sours headed out Thursday for one of the most popular events of Seattle Beer Week, Sour Fest at Brouwers. I arrived around 5pm, and waited in line for 40 mins to get in the door, which was better than I expected actually. Once inside I wasted no time, diving into 12oz glasses of sour beers. First up was Lompocs Sour Willy, which I thought was a little weak, watery and not a lot of flavor. It wasnt all that sour, and I wanted something really puckery and strange. Who in Seattle do you go to for strange brews? Thats right, up next was Bog from Epic Ales. Smokey, earthy and tart, it was a odd combination of flavors that really came together to make an intersting glass of beer. Then I moved on to the Tart Lychee from New Belgian, a person favorite of mine, though I thought this years batch was a little less tart than that of previous years. My final sour was Horses Tounge Sour Wheat from Anderson Valley, a fantastic sour beer. It contained all the best parts of a sour and a wheat, crystal clear, tart up front with a smooth back end. I look forward to Sour Fest at Brouwers all year, as it is a truly one of a kind event in Seattle. I am already looking forward to next years event. Seattle Beer Week 2012 I can say with confidence was the greatest SBW yet. I had a great time chatting with fellow beer enthusiasts, sampling new beers and enjoying the fruits of the micro brew world. I hope you had a good SBW as well. Regardless if you made it to an event, I hope you tried something new or just savored an old favorite. After all its beer, not rocket science, and beer is about enjoying your life. Cheers! (Post and Photos by Dean Westling and Jeff Soderquist) Mon, 21 May 2012 21:07:08 PST http://www.mynorthwest.com?nid=826&sid=677420 On Saturday, May 12, thirty adventurous beer lovers gathered at the NW Peaks Brewery Base Camp, and prepared for a journey that would prove to be challenging, eye opening, and a damn good time. I am happy to announce that the Life by the Pint Brewery Crawl, NW Seattle Edition, was a outstanding success as the beer was cold, the sun was hot, and the companionship was beyond measure. The Brewery Crawl started at NW Peaks, the smallest operation on the crawl, where Dr. Peaks, aka Kevin Klein, poured sampler after sampler and pint after pint for the growing number of participants relaxing in the warm sun in the Base Camp. NW Peaks offers four beers on tap which change frequently and area all top notch brews. During the Crawl Dr. Peaks was pouring Magic Brown, Hannegan Red, Esmeralda and Redoubt Red. The reds were tasty, the brown was delicious, but the favorite seemed to be the Esmeralda, a take on an English Pale, brewed with molasses, corn, Apollo hops and Goldings hops. Like all NW Peaks beers this is a different sort of beer. It is light on the hops and contains an unusual sweetness and smoothness, a result of the corn and molasses. And like the other three beers on tap at NW Peaks, it is a beautiful beer, an earthy yet crystal clear tan color. After a round of samplers and pints, the Brewery Crawl Crew of pint pounding palate pleasers, waved good-bye to Dr. Peaks and his Base Camp, and moved around the corner to Hilliards Beer for more delicious "cool ones". Arriving at Hilliards we were blessed with a welcome break from the sun (spoken like a true Seattlite) as the cool concrete floor and slight breeze of the brewery brought everyones temps down a degree or so. Hilliards is an inviting location which feels vast and intimate at the same time. Pils, saisons, ambers, ESBs (extra special Belgian), and malty blonds provide something for everyone at Hilliards Beer. I had the saison which was delicious, but the Pils and the ESB seemed to be popular with the Brewery Crawl Crew. After a solid 45 minutes of laughs, stories and beer talk, the Crawl Crew was rallied and departed, with sights set for Maritime Pacific. It was this portion of the crawl that the crew was the largest at just over 30 people, enough to fill a half city block. It was a testament to the brewing culture of the great Emerald City that so many people were interested and enthusiastic about trying something new and relying on the local brewers to make the afternoon memorable. Arriving at Maritime Pacific we settled in for some sliders and, you guessed it, pints of brew. Maritime has recently re-released their Seattle Beer Week beer from last year, Decompression Ale, an American strong, which I had to order. Tis the season right? A few pints, a few pitchers and were were on our way down the Burke-Gilman trail to Hales Ales. Arriving at Hales Ales we were lucky to find that we had beat the Tour de Pints crew of 50+ people, which means the beer was poured quickly from the friendly staff of Hales and space was abundant. At Hales I had the Supergoose Double IPA, as was delighted as always with its citrusy bitter, caramel sweet flavors. But the big hit at Hales Ales was the Tres Fem a Belgian style golden ale with sour cherries. It was truly a delightfully drinkable sweet and sour ale with just the right amount of fruit flavors. Departing Hales Ales we began the longest trek of the Crawl, a 1.3 mile stroll down the Burke-Gilman trail and the banks of the ship canal. Saturday was a beautiful day and after 4 pints, this was a welcome bit of exercise. We even stopped to dip our feet in the water and take in the passing boats. Then it was on to Fremont Brewing. First off, I love Fremont Brewing. The atmosphere is low key, the beer is top notch and it always seems to have the right amount of people just hanging out. In a 2011 Best of the Year post, Jeff and I both gave our Best Beer of the Year award to Fremont Brewing. Jeffs favorite was the Summer Solstice, mine was the Bourbon Abominable (AKA B-Bomb), which recently won a bronze medal at the World Beer Cup. I was delighted to find that both of these magnificent brews were on tap at Fremont Brewing. The B-Bomb is a rich and delicious beer with intense caramel, vanilla, chocolate, bourbon and oak flavors. The Summer Solstice is a perfectly hopped summer beer with notes of tangerine. Once again Fremont Brewing treated us right. WRAP UP: Beer of the Day: Second Place is a tie between Hales Tres Fem and Maritime Pacifics Decompression. Both fantastic beers. First Place goes to Esmeralda from NW Peaks! Brewery of the Day: Second place goes to Hilliards Beer and their cool warehouse brewery. First Place is a TIE between Fremont Brewing and NW Peaks! Both fun, casual, welcoming neighborhood environments. The Life by the Pint Brewery Crawl, NW Seattle Edition was a perfect way to celebrate one year of beer blogging. It has been exciting, exhausting, and a true learning experience. Tue, 15 May 2012 18:37:48 PST http://www.mynorthwest.com?nid=826&sid=673964 Each year a brewery is selected to craft the official beer of Seattle Beer Week. The past breweries have included such Seattle staples as Hales Ales and Maritime Pacific who brewed an IPA and an American strong ale respectively. This year the official beer is Split Shot from Elysian Brewing, and it just may be the finest of them all. The Elysian Split Shot Espresso Milk Stout creates a fanfare for the senses as it blends bitter flavorfull espresso from Lighthouse Coffee with smooth chocolaty ale from the great Elysian Brewing. This is the first of the SBW Beers that has not had an intense hop profile common on the West Coast, and yet captures the essence of Seattle maybe more so than the extremely hopped beer of previous years. My favorite aspect of Elysians Split Shot is one that hits the senses first, the aroma. Much like sticking your nose into a bag of chocolate covered espresso beans, the deep earthy aroma of espresso and creamy chocolate invade the nose and begin a chain reaction of chemicals in the brain, resulting in a deep desire to consume the aromas source. The color is a deep obsidian with a tawny, thick head of foam which stays present for a long minute or two. The flavor of Split Shot is of decadent chocolate and bold espresso. The combination is so well blended that it is some what difficult to tell where one starts and the other begins. They seem to be one in the same; not split at all, but one unified shot of flavor. I was a little surprised at how relatively light this beer is. It is not over loaded in the sugar department as I assumed it would be. Instead, it is light and creamy, with medium-low carbonation. My second favorite aspect of Elysians Split Shot is the after taste. It is robust and bitter, slightly chocolaty with a full espresso flavor. Several minutes after my final sip, I could taste the bold coffee flavor of the Lighthouse espresso, a unique lingering flavor that had me wishing for another 22oz. After my wonderful introduction to Elysians Split Shot, I have placed this beer on my "Must Drink" list. When I am at a bar, and give a look down the tap handles or menu, and I see a "Must Drink" beer, I order it. No need to continue looking, no need to read the rest of the menu. There are only a few beers on my "Must Drink" list, two from Sound Brewing, one from Double Mountain, for example, and I am always thrilled when I can add another to this elite group. When you are out experiencing Seattle Beer Week, make sure you try Elysians Official Seattle Beer Week Beer, Split Shot, or grab a bottle at your favorite bottle shop. And If you are available, check out the Kick Off pt. 1 at Elysian Capitol Hill, Thursday night at 6pm, where Split Shots will be flowing like milk and honey in the city of coffee and beer. Cheers. Tue, 08 May 2012 22:34:06 PST