Since I don’t have a picture of the beer, are you feeling lucky, punk?
I love going to Elysian’s location near the stadium since they have a great staff, good food and an extensive beer list. One of the benefits of their list is that they tend to have stuff on tap at any given point that I have not tried before, which keeps it interesting, and generally means that I will order those beers (the exception is when they have Dark of the Moon on tap – that is what gets ordered). A recent trip to Fields was no exception as I stumbled upon “Good, Bad & Red.” I can’t find Elysian’s description of the beer , so I can tell you it is 6.2% ABV and 35 IBU is made with 4 hop varieties including Cara, C-77 and Columbus, and is only available on tap.
The beer pours a beautiful rosy red color. The nose is awash in malt and barley complimented with a heavy dose of citrus. The initial sip is a hammer of grapefruit and citrus peel followed by a mellow malty sweetness and just a hint of bitterness and barley at the very end. Despite its low IBU, this beer was very hop forward with its citrus flavors, but not bitterness, so I think that this one is a nice compromise for hop heads and casual beer drinkers alike. As it warms, the grapefruit remains the dominant up-front flavor with the sweetness and citrus peel much more restrained. The finish becomes dominated by the malt and barley with just a slight hint of bitter hop resin.
Overall this beer was a nice change of pace from what I usually get at Elysian.
Elysian’s Good, Bad & Red saunters into town with an inspired performance of 3 Blondie’s out of 5.
Ed Note: In case you don’t get it, Blondie was Clint Eastwood’s character’s name in “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.”
Driftwood Brewing is a long time brewer out of Victoria, BC, who started distributing their beers to the US a few years ago. They make some pretty nice, albeit expensive stuff in a small but diverse lineup. Fat Tug IPA is their required entry into the crowded Northwest IPA market. It clocks in at 7% ABV and 80 IBU and is available in 22 oz. bottles for about $9.
From the brewery’s website:
Brewed with the hop aficionado in mind!
Fat Tug is a northwest style India Pale Ale with an intense hop profile with notes of grapefruit, mango melon and passion fruit. Sufficient malt is there to provide support. At 7 % alc/vol and 80+ IBUs this beer delivers on the promise to satisfy anyone with a thirst for all things hoppy!
Fat Tug is an orange IPA with a lovely cream head. You won’t mistake this for another type of beer as you a hit with a wall of hops when you get within about a foot of it. Upon closer inspection, there are strong notes of grapefruit and citrus, a delicate, slightly floral aroma hanging in the background, and even then, it is barely noticeable and slight hints of grain. The first sip hits you with lots of bitter citrus peel and green hops giving way to a more pleasant grapefruit palate that lingers for a happy minute or so. After a few sips, the bitterness becomes more muted and the beer is a very stereotypical NW IPA (and that is not a bad thing). As it warms, it is a bit more floral but it complements the rich hoppiness that is Fat Tug.
I really like this beer but there is nothing outstanding about it, especially at its price point – it is a fine entry from Driftwood, but not spectacular enough to set it apart from its competition. I don’t think that I would ever refuse this beer if someone poured it for me, but I don’t know that I would run out and buy it again as it is priced on the upper end of a crowded IPA market. I would recommend picking one up if you have never had it and decide for yourself.
Driftwood Fat Tug IPA sails into port with a respectable 3 Theodore Tugboats out of 5.
A few potentially fun cooking related events will be happening around Seattle in April.
On April 9th, chocolate guru, Autumn Martin will be doing a free event at the Book Larder in Fremont promoting her new book: Malts & Milkshakes: 60 Recipes for Frosty, Creamy Frozen Treats. I am sure there will be some tasty treats to sample during the event. It runs 6:30 -8.
On April 28th, Book Larder is hosting former Top Cheftestant/Heartthrob Fabio Vivani for a book reading/signing from 4-5:30. Reservations are required and are $25, which includes a copy of Fabio’s book, Fabio’s Italian Kitchen.
And one not food related:
On April 29th, the UW Bookstore is hosting Bill Mullins to talk about his new book, Becoming Big League: Seattle, the Pilots, and Stadium Politics at 7PM in a free event. The focus of the evening is on Seattle’s one year wonder, the Pilots.
From Chuck’s FB Page, what the evenining looked like. Also a rare photo of the elusive Iron Chef Leftovers in his natural habitat.
Chuck’s Hop Shop in Greenwood recently hosted a bottle swap night. What is that you ask? Well, 24 people brought in at least 22 oz. of something rare/vintage/can’t get it in Seattle and shared it with a group of strangers. The group was split into 2 tables of 12 people each with the intention of that each table would get to taste 12 beers. Well, there was a lot of passing of bottles between tables and Chuck kept bringing out bottles from his personal stash, so, needless to say, I tasted way more than 12 beers that evening. It was an amazing opportunity to taste some stuff that I probably would not have gotten to try otherwise and there were some great conversations about the beers going on at our end of the table. It would have been nicer with a slightly smaller crowd, but based on some conversations I had with some new friends, I think we will try a CSE bottle share with fewer people at some point in the near future.
I took some brief notes on the beers, so here is an incomplete list of what I had:
Terrapin Moo-Hoo Chocolate Stout – Brought to the tasting by yours truly, so there will be a full review of this beer forthcoming.
Surly Abrasive Ale – A giant hop bomb, lots of citrus; exactly what I love in a hoppy beer. Score : 4 out of 5 Brillo Pads
Dogfish Head Faithful – Disappointing; some currant flavor but it seemed flat. Had a weird lavender finish. Score: 2 out of 5 Pearl Jams
Jester King RU55 – Not a fan favorite. Funky sour (but not in a good way) with hints of wood (like chewing on a 2×4, not aged in a barrel). I am wondering if the bottle was bad. Score: 1 out of 5 Comedians
Breuery Melange– Loved this beer. Major oak with lots of vanilla and malt character. Reminded me of a fine sherry Score: 5 out of 5 Mash-ups
Breuery Black Tuesday – More mellow oak than Melange (Melange is a component of this beer), but harsher. I think it needs to age to mellow out a bit before being fantastic. Score: 3 out of 5 Mondays
Big Sky Ivan the Terrible – I had been looking forward to trying this one. Lots of malt, chocolate and coffee. Delicious. Score: 4 out of 5 Czarist Swine
Troeges Nugget Nectar – lots of hops and citrus but it seemed overly fizzy, would love to retry it though. Score: 3 out of 5 Hummingbirds
Goose Island Bourbon Country Cherry Rye Stout – very complex beer. Rye barrel and cherry dominate but there were lots of subtle character too. Would love to retry on a clean palate. Score: 4 out of 5 Covered Bridges
Sam Adams Utopias Anniversary Edition – had Utopias once before, but this blend was even better. Not really a beer and more like a high end cognac or port. Score: 5 out of 5 Sir Thomas More’s
Hill’s Farmstead – was looking forward to trying this one also, but it was like drinking an ashtray – smoky with no balance. Tasted like someone was burning down the Farmstead. Score: 1 out of 5 Barns
Three Floyds Rye ‘da Tiger – gets a bonus point for the name, but was a delicious rye hop bomb. Would love to put it up against Laughing Dog, Reuben’s and Anacortes to see who would win in a blind tasting. Score: 5 out of 5 Survivors
Cascade Bourbonic Plague – Lots of oak with a mild sour finish. Have to pick one of these up for the cellar. Score: 4 out of 5 Bring Out Your Deads
Stone Double Bastard 2008 – the bottle was gone and tasted like wet cardboard. That is the danger of aging beer; you never know how it will turn out. Score: 1 out of 5 Inglorious Basterds
Arcadia Big Dick’s Old Ale 2010 – Was too light for the end of the night, reminded me of an Imperial Pilsner. Score: 3 out of 5 Too Easy, I Won’t Even Go There
I want to thank Chuck and his staff again for hosting such a wonderful evening and look forward to doing it again.
From Chuck’s FB Page, what the evenining looked like. Also a rare photo of the elusive Iron Chef Leftovers in his natural habitat.
Chuck’s Hop Shop in Greenwood recently hosted a bottle swap night. What is that you ask? Well, 24 people brought in at least 22 oz. of something rare/vintage/can’t get it in Seattle and shared it with a group of strangers. The group was split into 2 tables of 12 people each with the intention of that each table would get to taste 12 beers. Well, there was a lot of passing of bottles between tables and Chuck kept bringing out bottles from his personal stash, so, needless to say, I tasted way more than 12 beers that evening. It was an amazing opportunity to taste some stuff that I probably would not have gotten to try otherwise and there were some great conversations about the beers going on at our end of the table. It would have been nicer with a slightly smaller crowd, but based on some conversations I had with some new friends, I think we will try a CSE bottle share with fewer people at some point in the near future.
I took some brief notes on the beers, so here is an incomplete list of what I had:
Terrapin Moo-Hoo Chocolate Stout – Brought to the tasting by yours truly, so there will be a full review of this beer forthcoming.
Surly Abrasive Ale – A giant hop bomb, lots of citrus; exactly what I love in a hoppy beer. Score : 4 out of 5 Brillo Pads
Dogfish Head Faithful – Disappointing; some currant flavor but it seemed flat. Had a weird lavender finish. Score: 2 out of 5 Pearl Jams
Jester King RU55 – Not a fan favorite. Funky sour (but not in a good way) with hints of wood (like chewing on a 2×4, not aged in a barrel). I am wondering if the bottle was bad. Score: 1 out of 5 Comedians
Breuery Melange– Loved this beer. Major oak with lots of vanilla and malt character. Reminded me of a fine sherry Score: 5 out of 5 Mash-ups
Breuery Black Tuesday – More mellow oak than Melange (Melange is a component of this beer), but harsher. I think it needs to age to mellow out a bit before being fantastic. Score: 3 out of 5 Mondays
Big Sky Ivan the Terrible – I had been looking forward to trying this one. Lots of malt, chocolate and coffee. Delicious. Score: 4 out of 5 Czarist Swine
Troeges Nugget Nectar – lots of hops and citrus but it seemed overly fizzy, would love to retry it though. Score: 3 out of 5 Hummingbirds
Goose Island Bourbon Country Cherry Rye Stout – very complex beer. Rye barrel and cherry dominate but there were lots of subtle character too. Would love to retry on a clean palate. Score: 4 out of 5 Covered Bridges
Sam Adams Utopias Anniversary Edition – had Utopias once before, but this blend was even better. Not really a beer and more like a high end cognac or port. Score: 5 out of 5 Sir Thomas More’s
Hill’s Farmstead – was looking forward to trying this one also, but it was like drinking an ashtray – smoky with no balance. Tasted like someone was burning down the Farmstead. Score: 1 out of 5 Barns
Three Floyds Rye ‘da Tiger – gets a bonus point for the name, but was a delicious rye hop bomb. Would love to put it up against Laughing Dog, Reuben’s and Anacortes to see who would win in a blind tasting. Score: 5 out of 5 Survivors
Cascade Bourbonic Plague – Lots of oak with a mild sour finish. Have to pick one of these up for the cellar. Score: 4 out of 5 Bring Out Your Deads
Stone Double Bastard 2008 – the bottle was gone and tasted like wet cardboard. That is the danger of aging beer; you never know how it will turn out. Score: 1 out of 5 Inglorious Basterds
Arcadia Big Dick’s Old Ale 2010 – Was too light for the end of the night, reminded me of an Imperial Pilsner. Score: 3 out of 5 Too Easy, I Won’t Even Go There
I want to thank Chuck and his staff again for hosting such a wonderful evening and look forward to doing it again.
A couple of times a year, the brewers from New Belgium and Elysian get together and brew a beer in a collaboration series called “Hop Trip”. These beers are generally unusual and pretty good. In honor of fresh hop season, they brewed an Imperial Fresh Hop, basically a fresh hop double IPA. I couldn’t find much info on the beer other than it was 8.6% ABV and ran $6.99 for a 22 oz. bottle.
The beer pours hazy orange in color. There is light grain on the nose, but it is dominated by citrus and green hops with hints of spice in the background. The initial taste is potent – burnt orange peel and citrus juice on the front end followed by green hops and resin with a long, slightly bitter, grapefruit finish that lingers with a slight sweetness. This beer is a great balance of sweet and bitter with huge citrus character. This is definitely one that you don’t want to drink if you don’t like a big hoppy beer, but it is complex and assertive and should please just about any hop head.
Elysian Trip XIV Imperial Fresh Hop meanders down the road with a smooth 4 Winnebagoes out of 5.
March Madness is upon us and there is more going on than just basketball. There are at least 2 beer related competitions going on in Seattle.
First up is the Thirsty In Seattle Beer March Madness. This is just a paring of 64 beers in a bracket and you vote on the better beer. It seems to be somewhat random parings and I don’t think I agree with some of their selections (some breweries have multiple entries, some do not), but it is what it is, so vote early and often.
If you happen to be voting, please consider voting for my friends at the newly opened Populuxe Brewing in their matchup against Foggy Noggin’s Bit O’ Beaver. Populuxe is getting smoked right now and they could use some help. If you haven’t been to the brewery, you should stop by. They have really good beers and the owners are nice people. You can also stop by Ballard’s only wine tasting room, Domanico Winery, across the street (OK, my shameless plug is done).
Also consider their Ballard neighbors, NW Peaks, in a tough matchup of their Redoubt Red vs. American Brewing’s Caboose Oatmeal Stout. Both are fantastic beers and worthy of moving on in this competition.
The other pairing that was tough for me was Reuben’s Imperial Rye IPA (which has been previously reviewed on this site) against Anacortes Old Sebastes. If it was any other Anacortes beer, I probably would have voted for Anacortes, but Old Sebastes is their beer I like the least, and I have a beer crush on the Imperial Rye, so you can guess how that one went. I feel like a guy cheating on his hot wife with an even hotter girlfriend with this matchup.
Opening round voting ends March 22nd at 10 PM
The other and, in my opinion, more fun March Madness is going on at the Latona Pub. Their annual March IPA Madness started last night. Each Monday and Friday for the next couple of weeks, they will be tapping 3 beers. The most popular beer from those 3 advances to the final 4. You will most likely find yours truly at the Latona on March 25th when they are tapping the Anacortes IPA. It should make easy work of its 2 competitors – Triplehorn IPA (although I have never actually had it, I may have to size up the competition) and Laurelwood Workhorse IPA. The Final Four tapping is April 2nd.
FlatbreadGarden 