Road Trip Review – Beers You Can’t Get in Seattle

By Iron Chef Leftovers

I have been lucky to taste a number of beers lately that are not at all available in Seattle and I figure that I would write about them in case you are able to come across any of them in your travels. I have rated them on a 5 point system:

5 out of 5 – Do whatever you have to in order to get this beer, even if it means breaking laws, selling your soul to the devil, or flying 3000 miles to drink one.

4 out of 5 – A fantastic beer. Actively seek this one out if you can or find a friend who can ship it to you.

3 out of 5 – Perfectly drinkable, but unremarkable. If someone handed you one, you wouldn’t shy away from it, but I wouldn’t spend time or money trying to get hold of it.

2 out of 5 – Drinkable, but not that enjoyable. Might try it again to give it another shot, but then again, probably not.

1 out of 5 – Don’t bother with it. There are beers better out there.

A good number of these beers are winter beers and are available now.

Thirsty Dog 12 Dogs of Christmas (Akron, OH) – malty nose and initial palate, hints of cloves and cinnamon on the finish. A nice beer for a cold day or a holiday celebration with the smell of pine in the air.

4 out of 5 sled dogs

Great Lakes Brewing Christmas Ale (Cleveland, OH) – slightly malty with subtle spice on the nose. Flat on the palate, with hints of malt and allspice on the back end.

3 out of 5 tannenbaums

Great Lakes Pumpkin Ale (Cleveland, OH) – Pumpkin Pie spice with faint hint of pumpkin on the nose. Spice notes disappear quickly and nearly no pumpkin on the palate. Really flat and disappointing.

1 out of 5 sad jack o’lanterns

Southern Tier 2xIPA (Lakewood, NY) – Lemon and citrus notes. Moderate bitterness with a citrus (not grapefruit) finish. Not quite a West Coast IPA but definitely more hopped than a BIPA. A good beer to introduce someone to the DIPA style.

3 out of 5 chautauquans

Harpoon Winter Warmer (Boston, MA) – Cinnamon and malt on the front of the palate, nutmeg on the back, but not an overwhelming spice that lingers pleasantly on the tongue. A fine beer on a cold, blustery day by a warm fire.

4 out of 5 chestnuts roasting on the open fire

Buckeye Brewing AltBier (Lakewood, OH) – slightly malty and hints of yeast, dry crisp finish and an amber color. Better with food, but not an all-around unpleasant experience.

3 out of 5 old beers

Brooklyn Brewing No2 (Brooklyn, NY) – Belgian yeast and citrus peel on the nose, nicely yeasty and malty on the front of the palate, giving way to a citrus and spice followed by smoky brown sugar and molasses with increasing sweetness from the hint of honey on the back of the palate. The honey is more prevalent as the beer warms.

5 out of 5 bridges

Brooklyn Winter (Brooklyn, NY) – Malty notes, more of a Scotch Ale (and not a good one at that) than a Winter, syrup notes, no balance. Really disappointing considering how good No2 was.

1 out of 5 bums hanging out under the bridge

Granville Island Maple Cream Ale (Vancouver, BC) – more ruby than yellow thanks to the inclusion of maple syrup. Maple notes barely noticeable on the nose and plate giving way to a smooth, crisp finish on the beer. Very nicely balanced and not overwhelming with maple.

4 out of 5 Oh Canada’s

Granville Island Lions Winter Ale (Vancouver, BC) – Vanilla notes give way to superb malitness. The use of vanilla is well restrained – it takes a couple of sips to figure out what you are tasting and the booziness does not linger. A good beer to crack open by a roaring fire, and probably my new favorite winter beer; reminds me of a good cream soda. I would drive to Vancouver just to get more of this beer.

5 out of 5 roars

Steamworks Brewing Great Pumpkin Ale (Vancouver, BC) – Liquid pumpkin pie – roasted pumpkin, allspice, cloves and cinnamon balanced nicely in this beer. You almost want to drink it as part of an ice cream float. For the second straight year, I got the last pint at the brewery.

4 out of 5 spice racks