Barrel-aged Beers Move from Wood to Stainless

Today we filled some kegs with two different barrel-aged version of the Pro-Am Barley Wine we brewed in Burien back in August 2008.

One was in a Syrah barrel from DeLille Cellars since November of 2008. The other was in a Heaven Hill bourbon barrel since April 2009.

Both are tasting awesome. We look forward to getting the kegs carbonated and ready to serve, perhaps as early as October 1.

Batch #200 Brewed in B-Town

Our batch #200 is in the fermenter in Burien. We dreamed up a recipe that we thought would be worthy of this latest brew house landmark. It is a bold and hoppy red ale loosely based on the 1492 Imperialist Red Ale that graced our taps some months ago. But with this batch we cranked up the gravity to 20.0 (get it?) and boosted the bitterness to 70 IBUs, essentially arriving at an Double Red Ale...We thought you'd approve!

Look for a dry-hopped cask of it in West Seattle the Third Thursday in August. It should be pouring in Burien a week or so before that. Stay tuned for details.

August Barrel-aged Beer Release

It's that time of the month again...time to release another barrel-aged beer from our growing collection of rare one-off beers stored in the depths of our brewery in Burien.

In West Seattle we'll trot out five gallons of blended sour beer. We took two different beers (Red and Blonde von Boorian) and aged them each for nine months in French oak barrels that had been inoculated w/ Brettanomyces yeast. This served to sour both beers, each in their own way. Then we blended the two together to create something that turned out to be greater than the sum of its parts.

Our Burien beer will be the No Doubt Stout aged in a Woodford Reserve bourbon barrel. There are mild hints of char owing to the way bourbon barrels are prepared and a wee bit of vanilla imparted from the oak. It's not very boozy, but still begs to be sipped slowly and savoured.

Both kegs will be pouring starting Saturday, August 1st. Don't wait too long, though. They usually disappear pretty quickly.

Barrels Brought to Burien from DeLille Cellars

Two Fridays ago we trekked out to Woodinville, WA and met up with the winemakers at DeLille Cellars to taste them on a few of our beers, sample some of their wines, and haul home a few of their retired red wine barrels.

The result was that we left there with four barrels from three different barrel makers, all French, that we'll use to age some of our beers in over the upcoming months.

At present we're about ready to fill a few kegs with barley wine aged in a DeLille barrel that was used to make their 2003 Syrah. Once we get the kegs carbonated we'll let you all know about a release date.

Another Reason to Check Out Burien...

Only in B-Town...

Cask Third Thursday in West Seattle

This month's cask beer from Burien will be pouring in our West Seattle pub beginning at 3:00 on Thursday, July 16.

Patrons will be the first to taste, HELLMOUTH IMPERIAL IPA, the latest in our series of Imperial-style ales. It is essentially a dry-hopped version of our Imperial von Boorian, but brewed with our standard house yeast instead of the Belgian strain we use for the von Boorian series.

The name refers to "a focal point which serves as a portal between earth and Hell. The Hellmouth attracts demons and other supernatural creatures, becoming a "hot spot" for supernatural activity." We thought that was a pretty good description of what happens when we ferment a 7% ABV beer in Burien!

Dry-hopped with Amarillo and Cascade.

Omar Rocks the Beer Garden...Again

Last night's shenanigans in the Elliott Bay Twelfth Anniversary Beer Garden with Omar Torrez Band:

Omar will play under the WS stars again tonight. Don't miss this opportunity to shake your groove thang...and it's FREE!

Video Clip of New Burien Tank Delivery

Here's a video clip of one of our new tanks being hauled into the brewery in Burien. Each fermentation tank will hold ~600 gallons of beer and roughly double our current capacity.

The tanks were manufactured by Interior Stainless of Summerland, BC. That's Jim from Interior in the yellow shirt and Head Brewer Doug Hindman steering the fork lift. Lead Brewer, John Gerretson, operated the camera.

Out With the Old

Today we moved one of our open fermenters out of the brew house in preparatation for two NEW fermenters that are scheduled to arrive in Burien tomorrow!

The new tanks will make it possible for us to brew more beer and to brew some of your favorite Imperial / Strong / Double recipes more often...think Demo, Riot, Hoppus Callosum, Imperial von Boorian, Pro-Am

Imperial IPA, and Hellmouth Imperial IPA.

Per Capita Beer Consumption Maps

Check out these maps documenting Per Capita Beer Consumption
by STATE
CA = 28.4 gallons
WA = 28.7 gallons
OR = 31.5 gallons
by COUNTRY
USA = 81.6 liters (21.6 gallons)
Germany = 115.8 liters (30.6 gallons)
Czech Republic = 156.9 liters (41.4 gallons)

Cask Second Wednesday in Burien

On tap in Burien this month for Cask Second Wednesday is a keg of Dry-Hopped IPA.

Drop by the Burien pub TODAY at 3:00 for the tapping. The keg pours 'til she blows...

Music in the Beer Garden This Weekend

Beginning on Thursday night, July 9th we'll be bumping out the BEER GARDEN in front of the WS pub and serving beers plus menu items under the sun and stars. Music on both Friday and Saturday night will be provided by Omar Torrez, a perennial pub favorite. Listen to some of Omar's music.

The beer garden will be open all weekend during the 2009 West Seattle Summer Fest! Check out their web site for the rest of the weekend's musical line-up.

July Food Specials : Burien

Appetizer: Mussel and Clams $12.95
One pound of mussels and clams steamed in Pilot Light with BBQ spices, double smoked sausage, bell peppers, yellow onions, corn, red potatoes, herbed butter and pickled jalapenos. Served with queso fresco cheese bread.
Pairs nicely with Klondike Gold

Salad: BBQ Salmon Salad $12.95
A natural salmon filet rubbed with BBQ spices then grilled and served on top of a bed of baby spinach tossed with avocado lime vinaigrette, fried red onions, lime marinated corn, queso fresco, radishes, green onions, sliced avocado and dill crema.
Pairs nicely with Hop Von Boorian

Sandwich: Stuffed Blue Cheese Burger $10.50
Two patties of all natural ground angus stuffed with crumbled blue cheese and caramelized onions then pan seared until the inside is a melty gooey treat. Topped with bacon and sautéed mushrooms and served on our spent grain bun slathered with chipotle aioli, crisp romaine, more caramelized onions and beefsteak tomatoes. Served with sweet potato fries.
Pairs nicely with B-town Brown

Entrée: Chipotle New York $14.95
An all natural 6 ounce New York strip steak marinated in chipotle salsa and grilled to your specifications. Topped with chipotle corn salsa, queso fresco butter and served with corn on the cob, house-made refried pinto beans and sweet potato fries.
Pairs nicely with Imperial IPA

Dessert: Peach Raspberry Pie-let $5.95
Juicy ripe peaches tossed with local raspberries and baked in an individual pastry crust and topped with sweet streusel topping. Warmed and served with Husky Deli vanilla bean ice cream.
Pairs nicely with No Doubt Stout

July Food Specials : West Seattle

Small Plate: Luna Weizen Steamed Shellfish with Orzo $8.95
White gulf prawns, clams and mussels steamed in a rich tomato garlic broth with orzo pasta and fresh herbs. Finished with a shot of out Luna Weizen and fresh lemon. Pairs nicely with Luna Weizen

Soup: Gazpacho $5.95
A traditional chilled Spanish soup of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, peppers, garlic, olive oil, lemon and fresh herbs. Refreshing on a hot summer day! Add four grilled white gulf prawns for $3.00. Pairs nicely with Pilot Light

Salad: Santa Fe Steak Caesar $12.95
Chopped romaine hearts tossed with tortilla strips in a zesty Southwestern style Caesar dressing topped with two flame broiled steak brochettes, fresh avocado, our house-made pico de gallo, radishes, cotija cheese and lime. Pairs nicely with Hoppus Callosum IPA

Sandwich: Tuna Avocado $9.95
Line caught albacore tuna combined with red onion, celery, mustard, mayonnaise, herbs and spices on toasted sourdough along with lettuce, tomato, pickles and fresh avocado. Served with our seasoned fries. Pairs nicely with Wit von Boorian

Dessert: Strawberry and Blueberry Shortcake $5.95
Our house-made shortbread topped with fresh strawberries and blueberries tossed with gran marnier and topped with whipped cream. Pairs nicely with No Doubt Stout

July Seasonal Beers

Anniversary Beer - Double Pilsner style with a few basil-flavored kegs for fun
Black IPA - A black ale dry-hopped with Amarillo and Cascade pellets
Organic Coffee Stout - Available every Saturday and Sunday in Burien
Organic Demolition Ale - Our original, Bronze-medal winning Strong Pale Ale
Hellmouth Imperial IPA - A version of our Imperial von Boorian brewed w/ house yeast: 7.5% ABV
Hoppus Callosum - Double IPA weighing in at about 8.4% abv
Imperial von Boorian - A dry-hopped strong-ish Belgian-style Pale Ale
Klondike Gold - Malty and mild with hints of German Helles bier
Red von Boorian - Ruby-colored and slightly tart Belgian ale (made w/ organic ingredients)
Rye IPA - New recipe from Brewer Dan in West Seattle using flaked and malted rye.
Sunnydale Pale Ale - Refreshing summertime ale brewed with experimental hops and malt
Wit von Boorian - Refreshing ale brewed with coriander, chamomile, and orange