Seattle Beer Destinations

Seattle beer destinations Last September my sister Jenny and I took several visits to the Beer Junction, the jam-packed, beer nexus of West Seattle. With hundreds of beers organized by category and weekly tastings highlighting a single brewery, the Beer Junction topped most beer stores by a country mile. I never imagined they could improve.

A move up the hill into a larger space revealed just how much they could change while retaining their easy-going, affable approach. The small taproom has tables and its windows open onto California Avenue.

I sampled a Fort George Spruce Budd Ale, a hop-free creation from Astoria, Ore. My passes with the coastal brewery were middling at best last time, but this ale made with 120 pounds of spruce needles sent Fort George racing up the charts. With the spruce needles replacing the hops, the slightly sweet beer tastes akin to a cream ale. Golden orange, this tastes quite sweet but is balanced by some intriguing citrus notes. Spruce Budd is pitch perfect for summer days, even if they’re just spent reviewing the Beer Junction’s stock.

Visitors can grab any of the eight draft pours while they peruse the selection, which has grown to intimidating levels. More than 1,000 brews fill the giant coolers that line the walls, with a mix of local, regional  and national (the manager told me that Southern Tier, an old favorite based in western New York, sells  like crazy).

As more people flock to craft beer, they deserve better spaces to congregate. The Beer Junction felt more like a gathering place than a bar or store. I stopped in twice this time, gathering all sorts of treasures from Cascade, Alaskan and Big Sky (see previous post).

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On my last day in Seattle, I took some tourist stops. After a quick King County Water Taxi trip across Elliott Bay, I stepped up to Pike’s Market for some local wild salmon lox at Lowell’s, then left downtown behind for the 41-second ride to the Space Needle observation deck. After 20 minutes of whipping winds and great views, I descended.

My map offered basic directions to Capitol Hill, a neighborhood across Interstate 5. I would not let a few steep hills deter me from visiting Elysian Brewing. They were quite steep, but Capitol Hill was relatively easy to navigate. Nashville has truly frightened the pedestrian out of me. In Seattle, I never once feared a driver would plow through a stop sign. It just never happened and in a few miles of walking, I stopped expecting danger at every crosswalk.

At 13th Avenue and Pike Street, Elysian came into view, occupying much of a city block with its brew facility and full-service restaurant. Opening at 11:30, the dining and bar looked out onto the massive brew kettles.
The bar housed s a pretty extensive spirits collection.

But only beer held sway on this Monday. The taps had a blend of standards, rarities and unexpected seasonals. I went straight for The Wise, and ESB brewed to 5.9 percent with 59 IBUs. The hops spring from this creamy, amber-hued ale. Using Cascade, Chinook and Centennial, the bitter character is amplified, throwing off note of grapefruit and lemon meringue. The Pacific Northwest hops push the style into fresh places. If British ESBs seem too mild, then The Wise has an answer for you. The body is pretty light and crisp; it won’t be confused for pale ale.

 Upon the friendly bartender’s recommendation, I skewed toward a rarity : Bifrost, Elysian’s winter ale. Bifrost eschews the tradition of dark, spicy winter ales for something strong in alcohol yet light in body. Orange flavors run up against a grapefruit strain with highlights of lemon pepper. The fine maltiness effectively masks an alcohol content announced as 7.5 but like tops 8 percent (the bartender’s words; he also said it’s his personal favorite Elysian beer). Who can argue with a beer that borrows its name from Norse mythology (Bifrost is the Rainbow Bridge spanning Asgard and Earth?

Shame on me for pegging Night Owl as an imperial stout - too many dark ales with lazy names led to my assumption. Of course it turned out to be Elysian’s standard pumpkin ale, new to the taps for 2012. How the fall seasonal reached pint glasses in August, I don’t know nor will I question that. When the clove, cinnamon and nutmeg emanating from the nose, I didn't ponder long.

Night Owl is lush. Clean, near and with a delightful pumpkin backdrop, this ale works on the taste buds like few others. Few pumpkin ales demonstrate this level of spice balance and pumpkin presence.

With three beers down and the next water taxi leaving in an hour, the time to leave hit. But the bartender noted that the entire return trip was downhill. It was a nice treat for my rapid return to the bayfront. But I'm pretty sure I would have hike further uphill for a brewery like Elysian.