Two Beers Brewing Company – Persnickety Pale Ale – Beer Review

Found: Bottles
Brewery: Two Beers Brewing Company (Seattle, WA)
Beer Name: Persnickety Pale Ale
Beer Style: Pale Ale
ABV%: 5.7%
Price: $4.99 for 22 oz.

Pour gives two fingers of foam made of medium and small bubbles. Amber in color (picture is darker than true color) and extremely clear throughout. Light aroma of citrus and floral hops. Mildly hoppy in flavor and minute bitter in the middle which was very nice and balance with the flavors. Good, bitter finish. Very light mouth feel, with a medium body but a solid finish. A wonderful Pale Ale!

NW Bearded Brewer's Grade:

CW's Grade:

NW Bearded Brewer - Paul’s Pale Ale – Beer Review

Well it’s about time, right? I know that’s what you all are thinking. I started this blog to explore more about beer and even delve into some home brewing. So far, I’ve taken you through the brew day and adventures in racking to the secondary. Well, fortunately for you (the readers….. few though you may be) I did write a quick review about this beer.

Too much Rock for one hand!  Miss you, Paul!

It’s named, posthumously, for a friend and fellow veteran who passed just this last March. Another buddy and myself put back a sixer of this home brew. This one’s for you, Paul!

Found: Home Brew
Brewery: My house
Beer Name: Paul’s Pale Ale
Beer Style: Pale Ale
ABV%: Around 5% – 5.5%
Price: haven’t calculated price per bottle

Pour gives around ½ finger of foam comprised mainly of super-fine bubbles. Color is a light amber, darkened only by the cloudiness, as this beer is unfiltered. Aroma is very much beer, no major hop notes to speak of. Flavors of light malt, small amount of floral. A neighbor and another friend said they got a little citrus specifically orange. Very light mouth feel, and light in body as well. Good for my first beer. My buddies sure liked it…

NW Bearded Brewer’s Grade:

 (+1 for being home brewed)



Brew Bud Dan: The Real Deal
Jeremy: Grizzly Adams
Mitch: Flavor Saver
Adam: Grizzly Adams

Buddy Average:

(Thanks for screwing up the curve, Mitch!)

Ninkasi Brewing Company - Sleigh'r Dark Double Alt Ale (Winter Seasonal) - Beer Review

Found: Albertsons
Brewery: Ninkasi Brewing Company
Beer Name: Sleigh'r Dark Double Alt Ale
ABV%: 7.2%
Price: $3.75 for 22 oz.

Pour gives 1 finger of Dark Brown and Tan head which has staying power and left some lacing down the side of the glass.  Aroma is full of caramel, maltiness, spicy and sweet.  Flavor is full of spiciness you would expect from a winter beer, and a little sweetness too.  It's a big beer, from start to finish.  A little syrupy, like real maple syrup in the mouth feel and a mild bitterness in the end.  A great beer, perfect for in front of the fire after a day of skiing or snowboarding.

NW Bearded Brewer's Grade:

Beer Review Guide - Repost

So my co-workers have been asking me what the different grades mean.... so I thought I would repost the NW Bearded Brewer Grading Scale.   Thanks for reading....

NWBB

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As a fan of tasty beers, I thought I should learn to enjoy them a little better. Now I'm no Michael Jackson (famous beer author and enthusiast), but I have devised my own word styles to describe various beverages and I think I've come up with quality rating system.


I present to you The NW Bearded Brewer's Beer Grading system!

The Real Deal – This beer meets all your needs, and makes you want to ask for more.

The Grizzly Adams – This beer is a little wild and a little out there. You gotta respect that.

The Flavor Saver – This beer wants to be part of the “cool” group, talking about being a craft beer and full of flavor. Unfortunately, it is still a little douchey.

The Pierre – This beer tries to convince you that it is superior in every way, but in the end it’s just a dirty frenchman.

The Pencil Stache – This beer wants to chat with your kids on the internet. KEEP IT AWAY!

Stay tuned.... This could get interesting.

Images retrieved from: http://thewhalerclassic.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/beards.jpg

Oskar Blues Brewing Company - Old Chub - Beer Review

Found: Bottles
Brewery: Oskar Blues Brewing Company
Beer Name: Old Chub
Beer Style: Scotch Ale
ABV%: 8%
Price: $1.69 per 12 oz

Pour gives just a little bit of tan head, and the brew is dark.... like Darth Vader dark.  Heavy aroma of sweetness, and bread.  Sweet in flavor too, but very delicious.  Definitely tasting that 8% alcohol too.  A little fizzy, with a big body that is almost syrupy.  Sweetness sits on the tongue like hard candy.  My first Scotch Ale, and I'm already a big fan, especially if the rest are similar to this.

NWBB Grade:






CW Grade:

Dick's Brewing Company - Dick's IPA - Beer Review

Found: Bottles
Brewery: Dick's Brewing Company (Centralia, WA)
Beer Name: Dick's IPA
Beer Style: India Pale Ale
ABV%: 5.5%
Price: $1.49 per 12 oz

Pour gives a nice golden, amber color with just a little haziness.  Definite floral hoppiness hits the nose.  Flavor gives more of these hoppy notes from the head and a hint of citrus as well.  Smooth mouth feel, very light and some bitterness sits on the back of the tongue.  Just a very good beer.

NWBB Grade:    

   

 

Wild Dawgs.... I think I love you....

...but I want to know for sure! 

Yes I'm singing, because I've found the best place in town for a really good dog... correction, dawg.

Unbeknownst to many of you out there in internet land, I have been unemployed for several months and recently was hired by the best company around. This means I have money coming in… hooray, more beer.

One night, CW and I were perusing a local magazine called Sizzle and she pointed out that there is a “hotdog” joint just down the road from my work. We’re talking a 5 minute walk that serves local and other northwest brews. Just the name of the restaurant made me want to go there, “Wild Dawgs”.

During my lunch hour a few days later, I meandered my way towards destiny. Sure, I’ve had a hot dog, a bratwurst and even the ever destroying chili dog. Let me tell you right now, I’ve never had a Wild Dawg until now.

The restaurant is a small place with several tables and chairs, with a few places right up at the bar. I met one of the owners and the brainchild of every dawg creation, Esteban. He greeted me right away, and asked if I had ever been in before. "Nope, I'm a newbie..."

My gracious host.... and hot dawg genius!

After explaining where I heard about his establishment, and asking for the best dawg he had, Esteban set me up with a Hot Mama. Chorizo, cilantro based sauce, fresh tomatoes, sriracha for some extra heat, and crumbled potato chips on top, and it was all served in a big fluffy bun. You know when you get a German sausage in a hoagie bun, and there is still too much bun left over, not the case here at all. Esteban gave me a quick tutorial on polishing off this behemoth. You have to cut it in half and it makes it easier to handle. Plus your first bite is from the middle where all the goodness has been piled up.

The Hot Mama

I am literally lost for words on how to describe this dawg, save Epic! Let’s put it another way, it was so good that I took my wife there for dinner later that day. All CW could manage to get out while eating her dawg was, “Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmhhhhh!”

Yeah, and did I forget to mention the beer (also another reason I returned in the evening). They had Fremont Univerale Pale Ale and Golden Hill’s Lizzy’s Lager on tap. Fuggetaboutit! I was in freaking heaven!

Hot Mama with a Lizzy's Lager, a delicious combination

There’s been some controversy over the Wild Dawg’s Logo, and some negative reviews on Urbanspoon. Let me just same something about this. The logo is extremely clever, and if you are so bent out of shape about the marketing for this particular place why don’t you take your children to a “restaurant” where their mascot is a creepy clown who seems like he’s getting a little too touchy feely with the kids.

It's a W people... c'mon!

As for complaints about the prices and the dawgs themselves… shut your mouth! You want a regular hot dog, there is a hot dog stand literally 150 feet from the door of Wild Dawgs. Go spend $5.50 on a dog and a soda. Me? I’ll spend an extra dollar or two on something truly unique and delicious with fresh ingredients, and enjoy a tasty cold beverage of my choice while I’m at it.

Now back to the beer.

Brewery: Fremont Brewing Company
Name: Universale Pale Ale
Style: Pale Ale
Found: Wild Dawgs
Price: By the Pint
ABV: Unk


The pour left about a finger of white foam with medium and large bubbles. The head dissipated pretty quickly all but a thin layer sitting atop the brew which gave off nice floral and some citrusy notes. The taste was dead on for pale ale. This brew was light and refreshing, not a big body, and a nice touch of hoppy bitterness in the end.

NW Bearded Brewer’s Grade:

Brewery: Golden Hill’s Brewing Company
Name: Lizzy’s Lager
Style: Lager
Found: Wild Dawgs
Price: By the Pint
ABV: Unk

Lizzy's Lager

Pour gave a finger of foam full of small and tiny bubbles. The head did eventually disappear, but what was waiting below is the prize I was after.  Nice dark amber color and completely clear (there was some chill haze in this photo). Malty and caramel flavors, but very light and crisp mouth feel. Nice body and smooth all the way to the end.

NW Bearded Brewer’s Grade:

NW Bearded Brewer in the News!

Last weekend was the inaugural Summer's Here! Brewfest in Coeur d’Alene. CW had told me about it and we had planned on going together, but she bailed at the last minute. No worries though, Dos Equis Dan to the rescue! Ta da da!

Dan is always up for an adventure… especially when tasty brews are involved. So after dropping of a month’s worth of trash at the dump (the thing’s we do for friends), we left the Evergreen State for the Panhandle of the Spuds.

Getting to CDA isn’t very hard but we made a few wrong turns after we got off the highway. Dan said he knew the way, but I didn’t believe him. Thank goodness for smartphones. We finally pulled up to the Kootenai County Fairgrounds. Both Dan and I were confused, because we saw lots of little kids and signs for a Shriner’s Circus. Fortunately once we were through the gates a man with a fez said, “Brewfest? That way”, and pointed us in the right direction.

Once we arrived at our destination, I was completely blown away. There was a live band with guitars, trumpets, and even a trombone. Beach balls being knocked around over the crowd, and along the edges were many volunteers dispensing wonderful liquids of all styles. There was even a wine table…. but this is a beer blog, dang it!

Among the breweries represented were Budweiser, Shock Top, Sam Adams, and a few others. I immediately gravitated towards the Wallace Brewing Company’s table. This table was manned by two members of the distributing company used by WBC. All the other tables were covered by volunteers for the event.

Unfortunately, I didn’t bring a camera (it was in CW’s purse at home) or even a pen. I would try the beer and have to run up to the front and ask the nice ladies running the cash box for a pen. I think they got sick of me asking, but c’mon… if I come up once and go back for more beer, might I come back again to write some more notes? Anyway, they were great sports and I really appreciated the pen!

So obviously, I felt like a schmo because I was completely unprepared. I’m a beer blogger, man! I should be prepared at the drop of a hat. I saw another person there with a pad, pen, and a pretty sweet camera. When I asked him if he was doing a beer blog he told me, “No. I’m with the Coeur d’Alene Press.” We spoke for a minute and he asked me a few questions about what I thought of the event, and about what I thought of the beers. It was up the next morning. I was so excited, but I realized that he didn’t use my handle “NW Bearded Brewer” but rather just referred to me by name. Ah well, any press is good press right?

Enough gushing about my minute and a half of fame…. let’s get to the beer.

Again, my apologies for the severe lack of pictures…

Wallace Brewing Company (Wallace, ID)

Vindicator IPA - Big bitter and good floral hops


    




The Dirty Blonde - Light mouth feel, some hop notes but not over the top.








Odell Brewing Company (Ft. Collins, CO)

90 Schillings – 5.3% : Dark brown, malty, sweet, great mouth feel and flavor. My favorite for this trip.










IPA – 7% : One finger of foam, great hop nose and flavor, and a great balance bitterness.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Overall, a wonderful event in a great town.  The thing I can think of to improve it is to have more brewers or representatives from the breweries there to talk about their beer.  Sure, reading a pamphlette about the beer is fine, but you don't get the passion and love that went into that beer from a piece of paper.  The brewers pride and committment to the craft always comes out in the brew, but when they're there decribing it too you... it just tastes better (as if that's even possible).
 
Slainte!
 
NWBB

Golden Hills Brewing Company – Brewery Tour

So we recently re-opened our NW Bearded Brewer and Cider Wench Facebook page.  I found a little surprise waiting for me… a message from the Golden Hills Brewing Company in Airway Heights saying that I could come up and visit.



I’ve had some of the brews from Golden Hills before, but I had never really paid much attention to what I was drinking in those days.  For shame…

A while back, the Cider Wench and I went to an event called “Begin” at the MAC, the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture.  There was live music, some tasty tidbits, and some Golden Hills brews.

On tap at the museum were two brews from Golden Hills, Ben’s Brown and Clem’s Gold.  CW and I both had one of each, and both were absolutely delicious.  Ben’s Brown was very dark, very smooth and CW’s new favorite beer.  Clem’s Gold wasn’t as dark but very tasty.  Unfortunately we were unprepared for any formal reviews, but we definitely remember that we enjoyed them both.

A little history about Golden Hills Brewing Company …

The president is Bernie Duenwald.  Bernie grew up in Eastern Washington and even graduated from Reardan High School.  Bernie worked for a company selling malt to different beer companies.  He was sent to the Seibel Institute to learn about making beer as to better serve his customers.  In 2006 Golden Hills Brewing Company had its first beer on draft.

Golden Hills Brewery

I met Bernie at the brewery in Airway Heights.  The garage doors were open and I could see the copper clad brewing setup as I pulled up.  Bernie was sitting at a long table reading a newspaper and a half-full glass of beer close at hand.  After some introductions, I explained a little more about our blog and why I was interested in speaking with him.  As the self-dubbed NW Bearded Brewer, I am interested in different styles and types of beer, but especially those of the Pacific Northwest and more over the local beers I can get right here in Spokane.

Golden Hills Brewing Equipment

Bernie and I talked for a while and he showed me the brewing setup.  He explained the brewing process a little more to me and the differences between each part of the brewing equipment.  Besides the equipment used to brew the beer, there were also two large fermenters, one 30 Barrel and one 60 Barrel.  A Barrel, I learned, is around 31 gallons.  That’s a whole lot of beer!  I was fortunate to see Bernie’s test batch setup.  I hope to make my own multi-level brewing system someday and so I was very eager to see what he used.

Large Fermentors

Bernie told me that the mission of the Golden Hills Brewing Company was to fill a niche in the craft brewing industry.  As he explained it most large breweries produce lagers exclusively, and that craft brewers make ales specifically to distance themselves from the “big guys”.  While ales are generally known for their big flavors, lagers have great taste and are incredibly smooth which makes them more drinkable.  Bernie’s thoughts that a craft brewery that produces lagers would be a refreshing option for beer drinkers that some find some craft beers are too strongly flavored. The hard part is convincing diehard fans of the large breweries to try a “craft beer”, and to convince people who enjoy craft beer to try a lager.

Bernie's Setup for Test Batches of Beer

Bernie has an established clientele here is Spokane, and he’s trying to make a push over in the Seattle area.  He said he’s taking kegs every week to the Puget Sound area, and hopes to find a distributor over there to work with in the future.

Golden Hills has three main beers that they produce, Clem’s Gold, Ben’s Brown, and Lizzy’s Lager.  Recently they unveiled a batch of new beer in Reardan, WA, called Em’s Easy.  Bernie described it as Golden Hill’s answer for the light beer drinker.  The keg ran dry at Em’s premiere, but fortunately Bernie said that there was some leftover in a keg from another location.

Found:  Golden Hills Brewing Company (Airway Heights, WA)
Brewery:  Same
Style: Lager
ABV: 4.5%
Price:  Check these Eastern, WA restaurants, or if you are in the Seattle area, check these out.



Pour gave a small amount of white foam with medium and small bubbles.  Color is bright and golden, and a little hazy.  Bernie explained that this batch of Em’s was unfiltered, but if they go into full production Em’s Easy will be as clear as the other beers brewed at Golden Hills.  Bernie also said that once filtered the color should become darker, almost an amber color.  Aroma didn’t really give me much.  I could smell the beer, but there were no powerhouse hop notes.  Again, this is a lager and not an ale.  There was plenty of flavor of grains like the barley used at Golden Hills.  Mouth feel gave the feeling you could drink this beer all day long at a picnic or at the beach.  Extremely refreshing, crisp and clean.

NW Bearded Brewer’s Grade:



I had a wonderful time at Golden Hills, and Bernie was a terrific host.  If I see the Golden Hills label on a tap in the future, I’ll make sure I get a pint.

We have love for The Goat too!

Leila is always raving about The Flying Goat. Countless times I have drooled over her posts on their amazingly delicious looking pizza. The way she describes this place, it is hard to believe it is in Spokane, especially a quiet neighborhood on the west side of town. We finally had to make the trek across town to try it out…and WAS NOT DISAPOINTED! We both loved it! Immediately when we walked in we felt like this was a place we wanted to be at every Friday night (Leila I now understand why you are there all of the time!).

After reviewing the drink menu (way too many beers to choose from) and asking about the pizza special, we decided on their special for the week. It was packed with lots of yummies, including locally made sausage, onions and roasted red peppers. Oh wow was it good! Probably one of the best pizza’s I have had in a long while.

The bread sticks are pretty darn tasty too!!! And OH so cheesy!

But hey, this is a beer blog…so where is all the beer info you might be thinking. They have a MUG CLUB! Stan was uber excited about this. Signing up entitled him to his beers served in this niffy mug, a growler of beer and some pretty awesome discounts (sure is a shame we don’t live closer).



We were feeling extra daring this particular evening (maybe it was the 4 glasses of beer) but we decided to try their Beer Float . Yes, a float made with beer. Strange right? But wait, it was actually VERY yummy! We had it with a porter, so it had a very rich and creamy mocha like taste. Maybe not something you would have that often, but for sure a dessert I would love to have again.



Over all, we have nothing but amazing things to say about this place and we have only been there once (I imagine we might be spending many summer evenings here). The beer selection was great and the food was superb. Spokane has many Pizza joints, but honestly The Goat has them all beat.

Northern Lights Brewery - Brewery Tour

You know you've arrived with neon!

My neighbor’s wife came by a few months ago and asked me to take her husband out for a little bit while she got his “surprise” birthday party ready. There was snow on the ground, and neither of us were currently working, so it was the perfect opportunity to follow through with a visit to the Northern Lights Brewery. I’ve heard people talk about this place for a while now. Nate was brewing his version of their Chocolate Dunkle, and my old high school classmate Adam raved about the Dunkle as well.

After a treacherous journey through the snow, Jason and I finally arrived. Interesting side-note, there is a distillery right next to the entrance. The neon lights inside the building drew us in like flies to a bug zapper. We bellied up to the bar, and there were only a few other people in the booths around us. Let me just say this, I absolutely love samplers! You get to try all the beers a brewery has for a really great price.

Northern Lights brewery has a plethora of beers to try, 11 on this particular trip. Since there are so many, I will keep my comments about them short and Jason will be my guest grader….

He's already tipped over, and we haven't even started drinking

Imperial – ABV: Unk

Very good beer. Floral and Hoppy, but balanced with a little bit of bitterness.

NWBB Grade:

   

Jason’s Grade:

 

Crème Ale – ABV:  Unk

Very light, with a little wheat. A great beer for those who like their sleighs pulled by Clydesdales.

NWBB Grade:

Jason’s Grade:




11 beers?  Yes please... Long Live the Sampler!

Pale Ale – ABV:  5%

Super fine hoppiness and a hint of bitter in the finish

NWBB Grade:

 

Jason’s Grade:

Amber Ale – ABV:  4.75%

Medium body with good flavor.

NWBB Grade:

Jason’s Grade:

Crystal Bitter – ABV:  5.5%

Clean, with medium bitterness, a little bit of copper, good body and very drinkable. My favorite of the day…

NWBB Grade:

Jason’s Grade:






So we’ve reached the halfway point of this incredible journey into beer debauchery. Knowing we would have to drive home at some point, we decided that some food might be a good idea. We ordered the World Sausage Sampler with Pale Ale Mustard, and that was just what we needed. The sausage was amazing but the real star was the Pale Ale Mustard. No French’s or Heinz… no sir. This was old world, peppercorn, give me a side of sauerkraut type mustard. Seriously, try it and if it isn’t absolutely everything I just described…. You know what, you’ll thank me anyway. Now back to the beer!



World Sausage Sampler.... so delicious!

Gemelli Coffee Stout – ABV:  Unk

Stout born of the marriage of fantastic beer and locally roasted coffee, it was like a coffee with alcohol, strong and sweet, dark and roasty. Jason said he wouldn’t be able to finish a whole pint.

NWBB Grade:

Jason’s Grade:

Blueberry Cream Ale – ABV:  4.5%

Very strong berry flavor in the beginning with a medium body and a sour finish.

NWBB Grade:

Jason’s Grade:

 



A festive view at the fermentor tanks at NLB

IPA – ABV:  7%

Hoppy kick to the face! Sweet body and a heavy bitter finish.

NWBB Grade:

Jason’s Grade:

Stellar Stout – ABV:  5%

Opaque in color, super sweet and syrupy mouth feel. Some chocolaty flavor, and Jason noticed some fruitiness in the finish

NWBB Grade:

Jason’s Grade:

Chocolate Dunkle – ABV: 6.5%

A little chocolate but now overpowering and more balanced than the stellar stout. Not too sweet either, just a hint, just right.

NWBB Grade:

Jason's Grade:

This was a great day for being the NW Bearded Brewer. To finally experience a local brewery that isn’t even 10 miles away from my house. The beers here are fantastic, and the food is really good too. We were probably there for three and a half hours. It got so late that Jason’s wife called me and asked me how much longer we were going to be, because the party needed to get underway. Oops… time flies, right?

Oh, I almost forgot to mention the excellent stache on one of our servers…. Awesome!

Stache Envy... you have to love the handlebars.