As part of my recent trip to Seattle, my brother Dan and I visited Brouwer's Cafe, a restaurant and beer lover's paradise in the Fremont district of Seattle. Brouwer's is owned by the same folks that run Bottleworks, the specialty beer store where I bought my first legal beers back in 2008.
Brouwer's isn't much to look at outside - they have some small tables on a patio but for the most part a non-descript building. Inside is much cooler - There's a huge bar, lots of tables, and an area for live music. They have an extensive cold case behind the bar, and a neat second floor area that overlooks the main floor. Dan and I were seated off to the side, and I was actually sitting on the music stage.
Brouwer's has an amazing beer and whiskey list. They have more beer on draft than most supermarkets have bottles; and at 13 full pages, their bottle list reaches almost 400 variants. They focus on Belgian beers, but certainly do not neglect other offerings. With a draft list this badass, I figured I had to try some neat local brews - stuff that I can't get back in DC. Since Dan and I were already planning to head over to Fremont Brewing Co.'s beer garden, we each limited ourselves to three beers each...got to save room for later.
To start, Dan ordered a Boulevard "Saison-Brett", which is a totally solid choice, one that I myself would have made if not for a rather intriguing selection from Ballast Point - the "Wahoo."
The Wahoo is a white beer made with chilies, ginger, and lime. It's very light, only 4.5% ABV, and has an interesting golden grey color that's really neat. The beer smelled like lime Tostitos, which honestly didn't do it any favors.
It ended up being delicious! It's a super drinkable, sessionable beer with a zing of ginger spice zing and a little bit tartness at the end. But very light, something you'd want to take in cans to the beach on a hot day. The spice keeps it interesting but the levity keeps it drinkable.
Next up is Fort George's "Divinity," a 5.1% ABV Belgian pale ale made with berries.
Well, it definitely has a nose of blueberries! Pretty neat if you ask me. Normally I'm not a huge fan of the lambic / fruit beverages, but this ended up being pretty great. It had good strong notes of Belgian pale yeast, exceptionally velvety smooth, like an herbed iced tea. It had a great malty finish with tons of lingering fruit flavors on the palette. I'd drink this again, for certain.
And for my last beer, I wanted something a little stronger. Enter the "Reason be Damned", an 8.2% ABV Belgian abbey ale from Stone Brewing Co.
It's got a classic dark honey / amber color to it, with some faint notes of yeast and alcohol on the nose. It's definitely an abbey ale - tastes like strong Belgian malts with some sugary yeast in there and a nice syrupy consistency. There's some straw flavors on the finish which is cool as well.
To wrap it all up, Dan and I split a delicious lamb burger with French fries and chipotle mayo dipping sauce. The food alone was worth the trip to Brouwer's, and I'm sure I'll be back to try many of the other things they have to offer!
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