Visiting Seattle - Fall 2018

I’m 90% sure that I’ll be there. I’m also planning on spending New Years weekend in the City of Subdued Excitement. Have your people call my people.

 

Probably a dumb question but is there any lambic available in Seattle?

 

Not sure if either would qualify as "Lambic", but check out Propolis and Garden Path, if you see 'em.

 

pFriem’s barrel-aged fruited sour beers are the closest to local lambic that I can think of.

 

Was hoping for some 3F or Tilquin if possible?

 

You could try Brouwer’s Cafe. Their online bottle list says that they have both, but I don’t know how often the list is updated.

https://www.brouwerscafe.com/bottle-list/

 

Look for Deschutes The Ages. They call it a Belgian-inspired geuze, which may not be exactly what you're looking for in a lambic, but it's damn good and certainly in the neighborhood. I had my first bottle of it tonight, and thought it was one of the best beers I've had in a good while. I made one visit to Belgium, and fondly remember drinking geuzes in Brussels. That doesn't make me an expert by any means, but this beer did remind me of that experience. It's well worth seeking out. I'd guess Chuck's might have some. I picked mine up at The Beer Junction in West Seattle a week or two ago.

 

Tilquin is usually available at most bottle shops.

 

Oh. We thought you meant locally made versions. A quick check of the websites of the "recommended beer bars/bottle shops" in the OP of this thread should steer ya right.

 

I visited a couple breweries I had never been to, and had a few tasty brews.

Big Time Brewing

Really cool old neon sign caps the top of the building. It was their 30th Anniversary party. Packed house, special vintage beers being unearthed from the cellar, and they even popped a bottle of 2016 CCBBOMB.

-Dirty Thirty, a blend of equal parts sour ale aged with grapefruit zest and fresh IPA. Collaboration with Dirty Couch Brewing. Big citrus flavors, and the stone fruit esters from the yeast really tied everything together. Finishes with a crisp sour snap, and a hint of oak.

-2018 Old Wooly Barleywine. Pretty standard old-school American Barleywine. Bitter C-hops and sweet, hearty malt backbone.

Ravenna Brewing

This little place has an aesthetic that I dig, with a rustic/industrial vibe and a tap list that showcases impressive depth and skill.

-ESB. Balanced, sessionable and flavorful. I can see why it has won multiple WA Beer Awards.

-Nitro Barrel-aged Coconut Vanilla Porter. Creamy texture and well-integrated flavors.

-Norway Nectar Farmhouse IPA. I really liked the complex yeast flavors with the Mandarina
Bavaria hops. Nicely done.

-Oak Fermented Darkness Falls Stout-style sour. Reminded me of Cuvée de Tomme by Lost Abbey. However, this beer is much less sharply tart, and has a touch more roastiness. This and Norway Nectar were my favorites.

 

Yeah, I think Ravenna gets overlooked a lot because it's kind of over in the wilderness north and east of the U District, but I've enjoyed the stuff I've had from them, and as the two above me mention, the brewery has a great vibe to it, and folding a visit to the brewery in with a walk through Cowen/Ravenna parks makes for a fantastic afternoon. Wish I had taken more advantage of it when I lived right nearby (same could be said for Big Time, for that matter)!

 

I don't think I've been back since the first weekend they were open, but I should try it again. It's just too weird getting a drink where I can still see the hospital!

 

Maybe they'll be doing deep cleans/maintainence/freshening up type projects?

It does seem odd to close during this time of year, especially since January is usually the slow month of the year.

 

My wife and I drove past Burgundian yesterday and wondered what was happening. To be honest, we haven't been there in years. The staff and service there were pretty awful the last few times we went. We just wrote them off. There are too many good places to go these days without having to put up with shit from Burgundian and Brouwer's staff.