The Great American Ale Trail - Christian DeBenedetti [21]
KEY BEER
While Pike’s excellent Pale, IPA, XXXXX Stout, and Kilt Lifter Scotch Ale made the company famous, new releases such as Pike Dry Wit are gaining notice from the likes of legendary Chez Panisse chef, Alice Waters. It’s a wit, or unfiltered, Belgian-style white beer spiced with Nugget and Cascade hops, dried orange peel, coriander, chamomile, and organic lavender (5% ABV).
QUINN’S
1001 E. Pike St. • Seattle, WA 98122 • (206) 325-7711 quinnspubseattle.com • Established: 2008
SCENE & STORY
There are times when the only question is this: Where to find a great burger? For those moments of doubt, this Capitol Hill eatery a block off of Broadway created the secret answer, only available by request and “never, ever” printed on the menu: the Ultra Burger. A hefty, hand-formed patty of natural, barley fed beef, the Ultra could include—in addition to foie gras and “depending on the chef’s mood,” says manager Reagan Vaughn of chef-owner Scott Staples—oxtail, braised short rib, or whatever he feels like.
For $30, this beauty comes piled with beef-fat fries topped with fontina fonduta cheese and demi-glace—a highbrow poutine. Pair this with a great fresh beer and life, for a moment, is complete. The cool, 1900s converted-loft feel of the place, with its big windows, only enhances the effect. Beyond the Ultra, there’s roasted bone marrow (a specialty), slow-roasted pork ribs, Idaho trout, and beer-battered fish-and-chips, among other seasonally driven dishes. Order the marrow and at least one Ultra Burger for the table.
PHILOSOPHY
Life is short—order wisely.
KEY BEER
There are fourteen taps and seventy bottles featuring the latest Elysian, Maritime Pacific, Odin, and Naked City brews, cask-conditioned ales, a wide selection of Trappist ales, and burger-friendly nectars like Russian River’s Pliny the Elder.
Woodinville
RED HOOK BREWERY & FORECASTERS PUBLIC HOUSE
14300 NE 145th St. • Woodinville, WA 98072 (425) 483-3232 • redhook.com • Established: 1981
SCENE & STORY
Red Hook is one of the cornerstones in the church of Pacific Northwest craft brewing, but there was little hope things would go as incredibly well as they have. Founders Paul Shipman and Gordon Bowker started out inauspiciously with a Belgian ale brewed in a converted transmission shop in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood. Locals dubbed it “banana beer” and fewer than 1000 bbl sold in year one. But Blackhook Porter and Ballard Bitter, released in 1983 and 1984, respectively, changed them from laughingstock to growing concern, and in 1987 the E.S.B. (Extra Special Bitter) became a clarion call to beer drinkers around the region. Bowker went on to found a little coffee shop called Starbucks, and today the brewery is a huge national brand with three plants and national distribution through Anheuser-Busch, an arrangement that irks some craft beer industry watchers and no doubt fills others with envy.
The Woodinville operation is a big draw for Seattleites and area beer lovers for the al fresco movies and concerts, $1 tours of the brewery, and a bite in the brewpub (Warning: hit-or-miss food; slow service). The best way to visit is on bike. Each year the Haul Ash Tour de Brew commemorates the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. It’s a round-trip ride from the brewery in Woodinville to Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood—where it all began—along the verdant Burke-Gilman Trail.
PHILOSOPHY
Loosely? “Ya sure, ya betcha,” as the Ballard Bitter labels once read in homage to the area’s Scandinavian roots. These are clean, malt-forward beers taking off on British styles (mostly) with admirable fresh Pacific Northwest hop character.
KEY BEER
Just as good as it was back in ’87—if not better today—the 5.5% ABV Redhook E.S.B. is a throwback to the English Extra Special Bitters, redolent of toasted malt with a pleasant sweetness