A Detailed Look at Seattle Beer Week - May 19-29, 2011 - UPDATED (5/18)

 

Seattle Beer Week is now just a few hours away.  I wanted to give you an extremely detailed run-down of all the events, so you can plan out your week to get the most out of it.  There are loads of great events to chose from.  Here we go!

UPDATED!  5/18/2011

Seattle Beer Week starts tomorrow!
Even more great events have been added.  New (or moved) events since our last update are indicated by a red asterisk *. 


Day 1 - Thursday, May 19th:

All Day-Growler Madness: Stone Brewing Co. at Super Deli Mart (9051 35th Street SW, Seattle, WA).  Stone will be tapping a cellared keg of Double Bastard and maybe a few others.  10% off all Stone bottled beers. 

11:00AM

-Elliott Bay IPA Feast at Elliott Bay Brewing - West Seattle (4720 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA).  Five Elliott Bay IPAs on one sampler tray.  Come get your IPA on. 

4:30PM

-Boundary Bay Brewery Appreciation at Collins Pub (526 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA).  6 tap handles, showcasing beers from one of Seattle's finest breweries for over 15 years. 

5:00PM *

-*Lazy Boy Brewer's Night at Blaefire (1801 Hewitt Ave, Everett, WA).  There will be $10 beer flights and Lazy Boy schwag giveaways. 

5:30PM

-Seattle Beer Week kicks off with the tapping of the official Seattle Beer Week beer, brewed this year by Maritime Pacific Brewing Company (1111 NW Ballard Way, Seattle, WA). 

-*Schmaltz & Vine at Malt & Vine (16851 Redmond Way, Redmond, WA).  Taste beers by Coney Island's Schmaltz Brewing, including 'Human Blockhead'- a 10% Imperial American Bock, a 7-vintage vertical tasting of Jewbelation, and see Donny Vomit of Coney Island fame. 

6:00PM

-Seattle Cask-O-Rama at Beveridge Place Pub (6431 California Ave. SW, West Seattle, WA).  Cask beers from all Seattle breweries participating in Seattle Beer Week will be on the bartop!  Come on by and have a cask!

-Pike Brewer's Dinner at Emmer & Rye (1825 Queen Anne Ave N, Seattle, WA).  This is a food and beer pairing dinner, featuring the food of chef Seth Caswell and beers from the Pike with Charles and Rose Ann Finkel.  The menu is yet to be announced. 

-Hales Brewer's Dinner at DeLuxe Bar & Grill (625 Broadway Ave E, Seattle, WA).  A beer and food pairing between DeLuxe Executive Chef, Beth Fuller and Hales beers.  A four-course menu has been prepared.  Contact DeLuxe for tickets and info or call them at (206) 324-9697.  The cost is $35 per person (tax and gratuity not included). 

-North End Kick Off at Fred's Rivertown Alehouse (1114 First St, Snohomish, WA).  If you're in the North end and can't make it down to Seattle for the Beer Week kick off, come celebrate it at Fred's.

-Schooner Exact Night at The Beer Junction (4707 42nd Ave SW, Seattle, WA).  Come enjoy some Schooner Exact beers at The Beer Junction. 

-Upright Brewing Night at Old Town Alehouse (5233 Ballard Ave N, Seattle, WA).  Upright is a Belgian-inspired brewery using Northwest ingredients.  Come on out and have a few at Old Town Alehouse. 

-*Bayern Brewery Night at 74th Street Alehouse (7401 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA).  Bayern's owner & head Brewmaster, Jurgen Knoller will be on hand to open an Oak Firkin of his new Cask Summer Bock beer.  He has driven the firken himself from Missoula, MT to be here for this event. 

-*Colorado Invades Ballard at the Barking Dog Alehouse (705 NW 70th St, Seattle, WA).  All Colorado beers will be on tap at the Barking Dog.  There will be taps from New Belgium, Left Hand, Oskar Blues & Boulder Brewing.

7:00PM

-Alaskan Brewery Smokin' Beer Dinner at Julia's on Broadway (300 Broadway E, Seattle, WA).  An enticing menu, paired with beers from Alaskan Brewery.  You can see the full menu HERE. 

-Seattle Beer Week Kick Off Stop 2 at Brouwer's Cafe (400 N. 35th St, Seattle, WA).  The kick off party rolls on at Brouwer's! 

8:00PM

-Seattle Beer Week Kick Off Stop 3 at Pyramid Alehouse (1201 1st Ave S, Seattle, WA).  The party's still rollin' - now at Pyramid Alehouse near Safeco Field. 

-*Carnies & Cronies at the Unicorn (1118 E Pike St, Seattle, WA). Come see Zak from Schmaltz brewing & Donny Vomit of Coney Island fame.  Coney Island Ales & Unicorn corndogs. 

9:00PM

-Seattle Beer Week Kick Off Stop 4 at Naked City Taphouse (8564 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA).  And the party is still rolling.  Are you still standing?  24 Taps - 12 will be devoted to Naked City Beers and 12 to beers from other Seattle area breweries. 

-Heavy Metal Beer Bash at Highline (210 Broaday Ave E, Seattle, WA).  Come enjoy some heavy metal from: Lightning Swords of Death, Saviors and Black Queen.  There will be pint specials on metal-themed beers such as: Back in Black IPA, TNT Doppel Weizenbock and Helmet Pale Ale. 

10:00PM

-Heavy Metal Beer Bash at The Galaway Arms (5257 University Way NE, Seattle, WA).  Come enjoy a show with live, local heavy metal bands, along with brews from Left Hand, 21st Amendment, etc. etc. etc.

Seattle Beer Week Starts Tomorrow

Seattle Beer Week is here!  In just over 24 hours, things will kick off with the very first event, the Elliott Bay IPA Feast at Elliott Bay Brewing in West Seattle starting at 11:00AM.  Personally, I'll be at work, so I can't make it to that one.  The first event I will likely attend is the 5:30PM Seattle Beer Week kickoff at Maritime Pacific Brewing Company - brewer of this year's official Seattle Beer Week beer.  After that, I may head over to Brouwer's Cafe for 'Seattle Beer Week Kickoff - Stop 2', starting at 7:00PM. 

On Friday, I won't get the chance to attend many events besides my monthly homebrew club meeting.  This month is our annual 'swap meet', where members can swap/trade/sell brewing equipment.  I also plan to bring a few beers an ciders to trade or just share with my fellow brewers. 

Saturday will keep me busy too with Beer & D'oh Nuts at 99 Bottles in Federal Way at 10:00AM, followed by Keggs & Eggs with American Brewing at the Brave Horse Tavern starting at 11:00AM.  Later, I'm thinking of attending the World Class Brewer's Reunion at Pike Brewing Company, which begins at 2:00PM. 

Do you have your strategy for Seattle Beer Week planned out yet?  With an average of 12 or more events each day, you're sure to find something you'll enjoy.  So rest up tonight, for tomorrow Seatlle Beer Week begins!

Drink responsibly and stay safe out there.

Beveridge Place Pub's 9th Annual Barleywine Bacchanal

This past Friday and Saturday, I attended the 9th annual 'Barleywine Bacchanal' at Beveridge Place Pub in West Seattle. For those who aren't familiar with barleywines, they are basically strong ales. To help you understand what an American Barleywine is supposed to be, here are the BJCP 2011 Style Guidelines for American Barleywine.

This event features 50 different barleywines, with at least 24 of them on tap at a time throughout the five-day festival, which kicked off on February 25th and runs until March 5th.

Over the course of 2 days, pacing myself carefully, I was able to try 21 of the barleywines at the fest. Below is a roundup of the brief tasting notes I took for each (in Alphabetical order).

Boulder Killer Penguin '09 - Boulder Beer, Denver, CO:
-A bit wine'y/cider'y - this came through in the nose as well
-Not very hoppy. A no-no according to BJCP style guidelines.
-Even though an '09, it tasted like it needed to age more/longer.

Boundary Bay Old Bounder '10 - Boundary Bay Brewing Co., Bellingham, WA:
-Inviting nose with slight citrus notes.
-Very well balanced, but nicely hoppy.
-Good hop/citrus character.
-Clean finish.

Deschutes Mirror Mirror '10 - Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR:
-Fairly well balanced, but a bit too much on the malty side (by BJCP guidelines).
-Decent/middle of the road, but no 'wow' factor (bland).

Deschutes Mirror Mirror '09 - Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR:
-Extremely simiarl to the '10 Mirrir Mirror, but even maltier.
-Not hoppy enough.
-A bit 'bland'.

Diamond Knot Icebreaker '09 - Diamond Knot Brewing Co., Mukilteo, WA
-Light nose.
-Smooth and well balanced.
-Mildly hoppy - like drinking a strong 'Pale'.
-Clean finish.

Dick's Barleywine '10 - Dick's Brewing Co., Centralia, WA
-Nice hop nose.
-Smooth and well balanced, but hops still come through.

Elysian Cyclops '09 - Elysian Brewing Co., Seattle, WA
-Strong nose.
-Comes across as too malty on first sip, but balances out more on subsequent sips.
-Not hoppy enough.

Fish 10 Squared '10 - Fish Brewing Co., Olympia, WA
-Inviting/hoppy nose.
-Nicely hoppy.
-'Slaps' you a bit on first sip, but smooths out as you drink more.

Flying Dog Horndog '09 - Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, MD
-A good 'middle of the road' barleywine. Not a 'standout' but decent.
-Good balance.
-Lightly hoppy nose.

Hale's Rudyard's Rare '10 - Hale's Brewery & Pub, Seattle, WA
-Average taste.
-No 'wow' factor.
-Something tastes 'off' in the aftertaste, but I can't quite place it.

Hopworks Urban Brewery Noggin Floggin '10 - Hopworks Urban Brewery, Portland, OR
-Very strong nose - almost like liquor.
-Strong alcohol flavor.
-Not very hoppy.
-Also tasted a bit 'off' in aftertaste.

Left Hand Oaked Widdershins '10 - Left Hand Brewing Co., Longmont, CO
-Decent balance, but a little too far on the malty side.
-VERY strong Oak flavor - it overpowered this barleywine & lingered in the aftertaste.

Lost Abbey Angel's Share '10 - The Lost Abbey Brewing Co., San Marcos, CA
-Very inviting nose with hop and cognac notes.
-VERY smooth.
-Decently balanced, but too light on hops (according to BJCP style guidelines).
-Nice cognac notes.

Naked City Cluster Cuss '10 - Naked City Brewery and Taphouse, Seattle, WA
-Very 'grainy' - tasted like the raw grain it was made from.
-Grainy nose - not very inviting.
-If nothing else, this one was clearly far too young. All I tasted was raw barley/grains.

Scuttlebutt Old No. 1 '10 - Scuttlebutt Brewing Co., Everett, WA
-Light nose and flavor.
-Good balance.
-Nice hop flavor
-Slightly sour on the aftertaste (not unpleasantly).

Seven Seas Wheelchair '10 - Seven Seas Brewing Co., Gig Harbor, WA
-'Spicy' and malty.
-Not very hoppy.

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot '09 - Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA
-Smooth flavor.
-Well balanced.
-What Bigfoot 'should' be. As expected.

Sierra Nevada Black Barleywine '10 - Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA
-Well balanced.
-Smooth - almost like drinking a black 'Pale' ale.
-My preference is still for Bigfoot over this one.

Silver City Old Scrooge '10 - Silver City Brewery, Silverdale, WA
-Smooth flavor.
-Well balanced, but a bit on the malty side.
-Not hoppy enough.

Speakeasy Old Godfather '09 - Speakeasy Ales & Lagers, San Francisco, CA
-Nice hop nose.
-Good hop flavor.
-Slight cognac notes - very pleasant.

Stone Old Guardian '10 - Stone Brewing Co., Escondido, CA
-Strong belgian flavors.
-Prounounced 'spearmint' type flavor (you read that right!)

While it didn't strictly adhere to the BJCP style guidelines for an American Barleywine, my favorite selection from the list above was Lost Abbey Angel's Share. It was a very inviting and easy to drink barleywine. The cognac notes in the nose and on the finish were very pleasant. I had to restrain myself from splurging on a $42 bottle of the '08 Angel's Share before leaving!

My other favorites from the above list were Boundary Bay's Old Bounder, Dick's Barleywine and Speakeasy's Old Godfather. Each had a unique character that may not have fully come through in my brief tasting notes above.

It's been a blast, but this is only the beginning! In just two weeks (March 12th), Brouwer's Cafe kicks off their annual Hard Liver Barleywine Fest. See you back here on March 13th, were I'll run-down the barleywines on tap there.

As always, drink responsibly and stay safe out there!