Elysian Brewing Co: The Wise ESB

I had no idea what I was getting into with this beer. As mentioned in my last post I had never sampled Elysian Brewing Company prior to last weekend. While grabbing a couple of their brews, I snagged a beer called "The Wise". I'm not sure if I was misreading the label, was caught making assumptions, or was simply not observant, but I thought this was going to be a wheat beer. "Weizenbier" in German is wheat beer and I'm sure you've all noticed that breweries like adding 'weiz' or 'weis' at the end of their beer names to indicate the wheat ingredient. So when I saw "The Wise" I guess I just assumed wheat.

After pouring the brew, I realized this isn't a wheat beer. The Wise pours a light copper-brown like color. Actually reading the label, Elysian Brewing Co does conspicuously display "ESB" on the label and describes flavors and ingredients. Quickly readjusting my expectations, I'm thinking that I'm going to get a ultra bitter ale with tons of hops. While there is an initial hop burst, the mouthfeel is surprisingly smooth and thin so as not to overwhelm your palate. I actually find it to be a nice touch with this ESB as I've notice some beers in this genre are too bitter without any balance. The Wise does have some caramel malt to compliment the bitter hops and overall is a quite drinkable ESB. While not your typical extra special bitter, I kinda like it. I guess sometimes you just stumble into something nice. Cheers.

Elysian Brewing Co: Dragonstooth Stout

Hanging out with a fellow beer lover last weekend. It's always fun to grab some beers before we head out for the night. So that was the plan.

My friend suggested some Elysian beer. A Seattle brewery that I had never had before. Having lived in the northwest for a few years I wasn't opposed to trying some Washington brew.

One of the beers we grabbed was the Dragonstooth Stout. Sorta a strange name for a beer. Maybe Elysian Brewing Company was going for a dark name to match this dark beer. This is a thick brown-black brew with a foamy light brown head. No light penetrates the liquid and the taste starts out mighty strong. However this is an oatmeal stout, so despite the roasted coffee flavors there is also a sweet aftertaste. The sweetness is almost a creamy orange-cream type flavor and it balances out the initial bitter taste.

Because of the relative limited availability of this brewery, combined with the strange labels and names, I'm not sure when I would have tried Elysian Brewing Company. But I'm glad my friend suggested it, because Dragonstooth stout is a solid brew and definitely worth trying again. I guess that's what friends are for. Cheers.

Pike Brewing Co: Pike Pale

Did you think I would only buy one bottle of beer from a brewery that is an old favorite of mine?

Well the obvious answer to that rhetorical questions is a resounding 'no'. I now present another Pike Brewing Co review. The Pike Pale ale:

As just stated this is a pale ale. Let me first try to help you from being confused at the liquor store and the pub from mistaking this beer with another style. The label proclaims "Pike Pale" and "Pale Ale" but also has the phrase "heirloom amber ale" prominently posted on the lower portion of the label as well. To further confuse your mind and senses this brew has a very strong German brew aroma. Immediately after cracking the bottle, a powerful smell brought me right back to my days and nights at German beer gardens. Specially, the scent evoked the familiar fragrance of German pilsners and lagers. Even on first taste this pale ale tastes like a traditional German lager. Only after a full gulp do the after tastes of hops and bitterness overtake the soft malts and German flavored yeasts. As the beer warms even more malt flavors emerge. This effect combined with the larger flavors makes the beer taste like a solid amber lager. Potentially explaining the 'amber ale' langugage. While my taste buds could be off tonight, I wouldn't be surprised if this beer would confuse fellow beer enthusiasts.

All of that being said, you've probably gotten the sense that this beer is pretty easy drinking pale ale. The brew is definitely light on the hops and very low on the bitterness scale. There are also some nice bready flavors but nothing very intense and has a medium mouthfeel. So while this pale ale seems to borrow aspects for other beer styles it all works pretty well together. If you give it a shot, I think you'll find the interesting combination enjoyable. Cheers.

Pike Brewing Co: Naughty Nellie Golden Artisan Ale

Sometimes a stroll down memory lane can be by accident. As I was roaming down the aisles of a local liquor store over the weekend I ran into a display of 220z bottles of Pike Brewing Company beer. I was surprised to see bombers from this brewery staring me in the face in the Golden State. I use to drink Pike brew back when I lived in the Seattle area, and even then it was difficult to find in bottles. Mostly I would stumble into a pint or two at a local restaurant close to Pike's Place Market. Excitedly, I snatched up a couple bottles.

I started with Naughty Nellie's Golden Artisan ale. This is an american style golden ale which at times is dubbed an american style blonde ale. Whatever you want to call it, this beer is tasty. Pike is able to make a great session beer that is easy drinking but full of flavor. Not very bitter the malts comes through very nicely. The beer has a very light malt flavor which exhibits a touch of a honey taste. The soft malt flavor works so well it made me question for a second my satisfaction from caramel, dark, and roasted malt flavors. Overall the malted barley creates a smooth taste when slugged down. A slight grapefruit citrus aftertaste along with a grassy hop flavor round out a full sip. There's great balance all around a makes for a easy to drink ale.

While I never visited Pike Brewing Co in my six years in Washington, I'm glad the brewery found me again in California. I forgot how much I enjoy their beers. Cheers.