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.

By Iron Chef Leftovers

After a brief hiatus, we are back with the continuation of the North Sound Brewery Tour.

Stop 4 – Flyer’s Brewing in Oak Harbor

A winding drive from Anacortes down SR20, across Deception Pass, brings you to Whidbey Island and the sleepy little hollow of Oak Harbor, best known for being the home of Naval Air Station Whidbey. Lesser known is that there is also a brewpub in Oak Harbor right on Route 20 – Flyer’s Brewing.

The Beer – Back when Flyer’s first opened, they made great beers – innovative, tasty and worth seeking out. That was not the Flyer’s we experienced. They listed only 6 beers on tap – Blonde, Hefe, IPA, Amber, Brown and Porter, not exactly a killer lineup, but liking their beers, I was ok with that. We found out they only had 4 of the 6 – the Blonde and IPA were not available (I remember the IPA being pretty good). After ordering a sampler, none of the beers were particularly memorable. Sure they were all drinkable, but I wouldn’t run out to find any of them. The Porter was the best of the bunch and it was pretty mild with faint hints of chocolate. The Brown and Amber were so subdued that you could have had them interchangeably without missing a beat (or being able to tell which was which). The hefe had slight citrus overtones, and considering it was a warm, sunny afternoon, was the beer of choice when we ordered the pitchers. Flyer’s has their beers available in 22 oz. bottles at most better bottle shops, but I am not sure if I would go out of my way to seek them out. The lack of selection and lackluster beer made me think that they might be on their way out of the brewing business. As a whole, the beer was not well received by the group – 2 propellers out of 5.

The Atmosphere – Flyer’s from the outside looks like a converted Pizza Hut – right on the corner of a major intersection. Don’t let the outside fool you. The inside has a nice bar area and the dining area is quite sizeable. The restaurant is decorated with an aviation theme (as you would expect), but restrained enough that you don’t feel like you are at TGI McFunster’s. The real highlight was the outdoor patio, which was nearly as large as the dining area and completely packed (as was the dining area, but not as crowded). On a warm, sunny day, being outside was a big bonus – 5 Warm Fronts out of 5.

Dog Friendliness – Flyer’s is a dog’s perfect spot to enjoy a brew with her people. The big outdoor deck is spacious and has plenty of places you can hitch up Fido and with a separate entrance; you can bring the pooch right to the table with you. There were plenty of dogs in the outdoor space and the staff was very happy to bring a water bowl. Flyer’s fetches a score of 5 squeaky toys out of 5. Good girl. Stay.