Tag Archives: washington

Brews Brothers (Vol 3) – Parallel 49 Brewing

by Mike

Brews Brothers was born two years ago as a 12 case collaboration mixed pack.  The first two packs were collaborations within the province of British Columbia.  Volume One was a Blues inspired pack and year two was a Rock and Roll theme. This year things have changed as it is now a 4 bomber pack in Collaboration with American breweries.

 

This year the theme is Old School Rap and the entire West Coast of Canada and the USA has been involved.  It is almost like an Extended Cascadia colab.

This years Brews include from North to South:

49th State Brewing (Anchorage, AK) – Gettin’ It, a Northern Farmhouse Style Beer
Scuttlebutt Brewing Company (Everett, WA) – Baby Got Back, a Hoppy Hefeweizen
Gigantic Brewing Company (Portland, OR) – Blazing Arrow, a Tawny IPA
Green Flash Brewing (San Diego, CA) – What’s Golden, an “East Meets West” IPA

 

What’s Golden, an “East Meets West” IPA

This creation of Parallel 49 Brewing and Green Flash Brewing out of San Diego California pours an orange colour with a white head.  The aroma consists of mango, citrus, very fruity, caramel and a floral finish.  The flavour is of caramel, resin, citrus, grapefruit, tropical fruit, pine and bitterness.  The alcohol content comes in at 6.5%.  This is a really juicy beer and has everything you like from East Coast and West Coast Beers.

Beers Namesake

Blazing Arrow, a Tawny IPA

This creation of Parallel 49 Brewing and Gigantic Brewing out of Portland Oregon pours a cloudy copper colour with a tan head.  The aroma consists of pineapple, tropical fruit, juicy fruits, caramel and floral hops.  The flavour is of pineapple, tropical fruit, melon, juicy, caramel, mild dank hops and mild bitterness.  The alcohol content comes in at 6%.  I really enjoyed this beer and I would drink it again if I found it!

Beers Namesake

Baby Got Back, a Hoppy Hefeweizen

This creation of Parallel 49 Brewing and Scuttlebutt Brewing from Everett Washington pours a golden colour with a slightly white head.  The aroma consists of banana, bubblegum, citrus, wheat and floral hops.  The flavour is of banana, citrus, bubblegum, earth, herbal hops and mild bitterness.  The alcohol content comes in at 6.5%.  This was a tasty beer but my least favourite beer of the 4 but mostly as I am not a fan of Hefeweizen’s as a rule.

Beers Namesake

Gettin’ It, a Northern Farmhouse Style Beer

This creation of Parallel 49 Brewing and 49th State Brewing from Anchorage Alaska pours a slightly cloudy golden colour with a white head.  The aroma consists of yeast, lemon, candied pears and grain.  The flavour is of bready malts, grain, yeast, lemon, pear and grassy hops.  The alcohol content comes in at 7%.  This is more of a sweet saison than a farmhouse ale but that does not change the fact that it is a well made ale.

Beers Namesake

I have tried all three Brews Brothers collaboration boxes and reviewed two now.  This one was just as good as the others and well worth picking up in the liquor stores now!

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Dawn Patrol Pacific Ale – Aslan Brewing

by Mike

From Bellingham Washington’s Aslan Brewing comes their “Dawn Patrol Pacific Ale”. The beer pours a copper colour with a white head. The aroma consists of floral hops, citrus, pineapple and some rye malts. The flavour is of citrus, pineapple, rye and bready malts with a herbal finish. The alcohol content comes in at 5.3% with an IBU of 18. I enjoyed this beer but I had hoped for a little more in the fruit notes. I look forward to trying more beer from the brewery.

Commercial Description:  This beer is mild yet complex in its delivery. The hop presence is noticed by subtle flavors of pineapples that meld beautifully with the slightly spicy and minty character derived from the use of Rye malt. A somewhat recently pioneered style, this Pacific Ale is delivered unfiltered to accentuate its fresh farm to glass, unprocessed, organic qualities.

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Stoup Brewing – Seattle

by Mike

My second stop on my walking tour of the Ballard Neighborhood of Seattle was Stoup Brewing.

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Stoup Brewing is a brewery I had never heard of but was highly recommended by almost everyone I talked to at Hilliard’s Beer and on the walk to the brewery.  The tasting room is pretty small but well laid out with a bunch of tables and a bar area with lots of chairs.  They do have an outside patio but I missed out on checking it out.  Their bar area is interesting as their cooler area is located inside a brightly orange painted cargo container.  All six of the beer I tried in the tasting room were really high quality beer and I wish I had brought a growler or two with me on this walking tour!  Stoup Brewing only offers beer to drink in the tasting room and growler fills so if you would like to try their beer and you should then you will have to head to Ballard.

This is a pretty small operation with a small brewery located beside the tasting room.  Multiple small tanks helps pump out a pretty good number of different brews ensuring you would never get board drinking here.

On top of really good beer and a great looking brewery this place had a really good vibe with lots of friendly people and amazingly friendly and helpful staff.  They really made me feel at home and made sure I enjoyed my short stop into their brewery.

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Stoup Brewing
http://www.stoupbrewing.com/
1108 NW 52nd Street
Seattle, WA 98107
206.457.5524

Crikey IPA – Reuben’s Brews

by Mike

From Seattle Washington’s Reuben’s Brews comes their “Crikey IPA”.  The beer pours an orange colour with an off white head.  The aroma consists of pine, resin and earth.  The flavour is of citrus, tropical fruits, pine, resin, some caramel and earth.  The alcohol content comes in at 6.8% with an IBU of 53.  This is a very good IPA and if you find yourself in Seattle make your way to the brewery in the Ballard neighborhood.

Commercial Description:  Focusing the hop profile on tropical fruit, juicy citrus and pine makes this IPA stand out. This brew is focused on hop flavor and aroma, with the malt backbone supporting role.

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Hilliard’s Beer – Seattle

by Mike

On a recent trip to Seattle I set out to check out a few breweries located outside of the Downtown Core.  I decided on the Ballard neighborhood as there was a high concentration of breweries and one brewery in particular that I have been enjoying locally in Vancouver for a while.  That brewery was Hilliar’s Beer and it was my first stop.

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When you arrive you first notice that they have a nice patio out on the side of the brewery.  Once inside you find a tasting room and that shares a room with the brewery.  Starting with the tap room you find a nice little bar with a bunch of different beer to try.  They also have a few big re-purposed tables and chairs.  You are able to get growler fills here as well as buy tall cans of their products and some other swag.

Basically right behind the bar area you will find the fermentation tanks.  off to the side the actual brew house can be found.  For the amount of Hilliard’s Beer making it up to Vancouver is was very surprised to see how small this operation really is.  Inside their cooler they have tanks as well as lots of kegged products.

Not everything that Hilliard’s Beer brews is available in Vancouver and I found a few really good ones on tap that were quite exciting.  I look forward to the next time I end up in Seattle as I will make sure to stop back in for a glass or two of beer.

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Hilliard’s Beer
http://www.hilliardsbeer.com
1550 NW 49th Street,
Seattle WA
drink@hilliardsbeer.com
Brewery / Taproom Phone: 206.257.4486