Beers Of The Pacific Northwest
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Geoff Reeves

In April Amy and I flew to Seattle to visit her brother and sister-in-law. 
Seattle you say? What's the second thing that comes into your mind when
you think of Seattle? It better have been beer. The Pacific Northwest is a
hotbed of microbrewing. I don't have time to even begin to relate all the
fun stuff that we did but I'll tell you about a few highlights.

First let me mention a few beers I tried without making too manycomments. 
After all I brought back a bunch of these beers for the club and I want you
to be able to form your own opinions. Some of my favorites were Pikes Place
draught hefe weizen which was excellent and their IPA which though cloudy
was fruity and fresh. Full Sail is a popular micro-brews from Hood River
OR. Also from Oregon I tried Deschutes' "Black Butte Porter" which was a
little sweet but clean and satisfying.

The Red Hook product line has improved measurably over the years and their
ESB and Red Hook draft stout were both good but I was most impressed with
the Wheat Hook Ale. It had a real ale character but you could also really
taste the wheat.

From further afield my favorite may have been Warthog Ale from the Big Rock
Brewing company in Calgary Alberta. A wonderful label and wonderful beer. If
"Outlaw Lager's" slogan is "sometimes you feel like an Outlaw" I wonder if
"Warthog's" would imply something similar.

My two best beer experiences were outside Seattle though. We stopped in for
pizza at a place in Friday Harbor in the San Juan islands in Puget Sound. They
served a draft porter from Hale's Brewing that was heavenly. Of all the beers I
had Hale's impressed me the most. (Of course they're only available on draft!)

The other great experience was sea kayaking and finding oysters in a shallow
bay. We later cracked them open and I washed them down with Hart Brewing's
"Espresso Stout". Mmmm. It's an experience not to be missed!