By Iron Chef Leftovers
Stop 5 – North Sound Brewing In Mount Vernon
Just inside the city limits of Mount Vernon lies a very non-descript warehouse looking building that houses the fairly new facilities of North Sound Brewing. North Sound has been open for roughly a year and was an unknown quantity to all those on the trip, making this a must stop location.
The Beer – North Sound had 8 beers on tap when we got there, a sort of something for everyone lineup of the usual suspects – Blonde, Brown, Hefe, IPA, Stout, etc., so we got a couple of samplers to try. Overall, I would say the beers are above average – some of my favorites were the IPA, which had a nice, balanced hoppiness, the Brown, which was a refreshing malty beverage and the Stout , which had a rich, chocolatly presence with a smooth finish. The true standout here, however, was the Cherry Wheat. This beer was not a “beat you over the head with cherry flavor” beer, but a much more restrained, very good Wheat beer with a tease of cherries on the back of the palate. This beer was a huge surprise. You drink it expecting cherries but what you get is a crisp and refreshing, easy to drink Wheat up front with the faintest hit of cherries at the end, giving you a happy ”wow” sensation. This beer was consensus the favorite beer on the trip and really made me wonder why more Northwest brewers are not doing something like this. The distribution for North Sound is keg only and I can honestly say I can’t think of a single place in Seattle where I have seen their beers, so you need to get some growlers to go. Heck, you should drive to Mount Vernon just to get a growler of the Cherry Wheat. Their beers gain a prestigious 5 tulips out of 5.
The Atmosphere – unlike every other place we visited which were brewpubs, North Sound is a tasting room, so there is no real pub feel here. Located in a converted warehouse, the indoor seating contains several tables and a counter and the outdoor patio has a number of picnic tables for your imbibing enjoyment. It is a really straight forward, pleasant location but nothing to really right home about. You can bring in your own food and they have someone selling BBQ in the parking lot frequently, so there is no reason you couldn’t spend a few hour enjoying the fine beers that North Sound produces. Overall North Sound blows in at a 3.5 (out of 5) on the Beaufort Scale.
Dog Friendliness – Having a big patio meant we could bring the pooch to sit with us, which was a huge plus. North Sound has an enclosed parking lot, so it gives you a chance to stretch Rover’s legs without having to deal with the busy street out front. There is no real covered space outside if you wanted to leave the pup outside when you went in for a beer, but that is a minor quibble. North Sound is a great spot to bring your four legged friend and enjoy a beer – 4.5 chases of the tail out of 5.
FlatbreadGarden 