30th Birthday Brewery Stroll

This post is about 2 months overdue now, but I wanted to just post a few photos from my 30th birthday party. A group of my good friends and I set out to make it to six breweries in the Fremont/Ballard area and we made good on that promise. Here's the proof and some thoughts to go along with it.

We started off on a high note at Fremont Brewing, which never disappoints. Had the new Bonfire session winter ale and the Sister imperial IPA, both are fantastic.

Molly and Bobby with the birthday boy, gettin' pumped

More of the crew

Then we strolled over to the Asgard Tasting Room by Odin Brewing. Not the most mind blowing beers in Seattle and the place doesn't have much character yet as it's still fairly new. But, Thor's Equinox is a great brew.

Cassie and Molly tryin' to get service from the lady bartender who did not care for other ladies it seemed

Next up was the funky ol' Outlander. Hands down one of the oddest brewpubs in Seattle, both in terms of the place itself and the wacky small batch beers they make. For some reason, I really like the place. Only the 2nd time I'd been there since their opening. Had some low ABV ESBs and other English style ales that were awesome.

Us chillin' in the weird upstairs of the Outlander, which is basically some dude's rec room. Note devoted Miami Hurricanes fans Matt and Jess watching the game on their phone

After that, we took a long stroll to Ballard and stopped first right by the Ballard Bridge at the fairly new Peddler Brewing. Guess what, they like bicycles. Details get a bit fuzzy past this point. Beer here is good, though. I like that they try some more diverse styles than a lot of newer breweries.

Joe Shoop bein' all Joe-ic (TM)

Yep

While Jim, Justin, and Cassie (Bless their lil' hearts!) made a side trip to pick up some pizza from Zayda Buddy's for us, the rest of us stroll on to the very new Stoup Brewing. The tap room has a very cool vibe. Feels very Ballard, whatever that may mean. Beers are uncomplicated and very solid. I recall the porter being very good. Keepin' my eye on these guys to see what they put out next.

Just a lil' cool bathroom light fixture selfie at Stoup, don't worry bout it

Then we made it to the final stop, conveniently 2 blocks away. Reuben's Brews! Next to Fremont, they might make my favorite beers in Seattle. We got there just before last call and this is the only photo I snapped. Cannot remember the dog's name but he was adorable and shook my hand.

Dirty Thirty Brewery Stroll accomplished. Thank you to Cassie and all my friends for making it a great birthday.

Rare Midwestern Beer Round-Up: Surly Darkness, Surly Smoke, and New Holland Dragon's Milk

Greetings! Once again, I've returned from a prolonged blogging absence to share some thoughts on beers. Wow, it's been since August? Good grief. Practically missed a whole season. Lots to get caught up on, starting with a bit of a hodge podge post centered around some rare Midwestern beers I've enjoyed lately.

The photo above is the incredible haul I received for my 30th birthday (yuck!) in November from my generous Minnesotan in-laws, The Dufresnes. Jim did the legwork of acquiring the beers and Nora schlepped them out here on one of her regular business trips to Seattle. Huge thank you to both of them. A truly special gift consisting of Surly Darkness, Surly SeVIIn (which I reviewed awhile back here) and 2 bottles of New Holland Dragon's Milk.

Let's get to the reviews!

Surly Brewing Co. - Darkness 2013
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
ABV: 10.3%

Thoughts:

Yep, that's a bottle of Surly's ultimate rare beer, Darkness. Yes, that means my father-in-law bought a ticket and stood in what I can only assume was a massive line just for the opportunity to buy a few bottles of this much-hyped monster beer. For that, I salute you, good sir!

Onto the beer. Well, I'm pretty sure this was the first time I've had beer that has score of 100 on Beer Advocate and I gotta say, it fully lived up to the hype. It has that typical Russian imperial stout kind of dry, malty feel to it, but then there's SO MUCH depth more to it. It rolls around your taste buds and just has a party in your mouth. There's chocolate, coffee, maybe some vanilla, and what sort of tastes like chocolate covered fruit in there, too. And the alcohol is hidden very well, even at 10.3%. The only other Russian Imperials that I've had that come close to being this good are Firestone Walker - Parabola and the barrel aged version of Old Rasputin. Darkness takes the top spot, though, no doubt about it.

Rating: 5/5

 

New Holland Brewing Co. - Dragon's Milk
Style: American Imperial Barrel Aged Stout
ABV: 10%

Thoughts:

New Holland is based in Michigan and is one of those hyped Midwest breweries that us West Coasters get jealous about like Founders, Great Lakes, and well, Surly. So I was pumped to try this, especially since it's a barrel aged stout in a 12 oz bottle, which is the perfect amount of a strong beer for when you're just having a beer at home and not looking to bust open a 22 ouncer of some 12% monster beer and fall asleep on the couch by 8:30....ahem. Mr. Dufresne described it as similar to chocolate milk, and that pretty much nails it. Super smooth mouth feel, lots of chocolate, oak, vanilla, and then a big ol' hit of bourbon. Awesome beer.

Rating: 4.25/5

Surly Brewing Co. - Smoke 2012
Style: Baltic Porter
ABV: 8.2%

Thoughts:
I brought this bottle back with me from my trip to Minnesota last December and it aged gracefully for a year in my cellar aka kitchen cabinet. I cracked it open a couple weeks ago and it was worth the wait. Just another fantastically layered and complex beer from Surly. Beer Advocate calls it a Baltic Porter, but it says Lager on the bottle. I'd say it's a mash up of both styles, a modern take on the classic German Rauchbier style. The smoked flavor, which practically tastes like smoked meat, is more of a compliment to the chocolate, roasted malt, and brown sugar flavors that are in the forefront of the beer. As the beer warms a bit in your glass, all these flavors come out even more robustly and the effect is kinda like drinking a delicious porter in front of a campfire while eating maple bacon. Something like that. Great, now I'm hungry.

Rating:  4.5/5