Pine Box Can Derby
Leave a CommentYesterday afternoon/evening I went to my favorite new bar, The Pine Box, for the Pine Box Can Derby, part of the Seattle Beer Week 2012 festivities. There was a great crowd on hand for this inaugural event. Many folks had built their beer can car at home, but there were also $2 wheel sets available for purchase.
It quickly became clear that the cars built with a solid wood base attached to the wheels (with a beer can simply glued on top) had a huge advantage over cars with wheels attached directly to the can. The bedazzled Brew Dad car dominated many of the round-robin race heats, but was overpowered in the final heat by the fastest car of the day, the Suck It Express.
While some folks were sipping on canned beers during the event, I couldn’t resist the 33 unbelievable taps. During the event I enjoyed Beer Valley Delta 9 IPA, Great Divide Colette Farmhouse Ale, Elysian Split Shot through Bourbon Hickory chips in the randall, New Belgium 10/10/10, and Evil Twin Yin Imperial Stout. Good thing I took the bus!
I think I’m going to chill out for a couple days before Wednesday’s Homebrew Chef / Firestone Walker event at Brouwer’s. Can’t wait for that one!
More Pictures
Seattle Beer Week 2012
Get ready for Seattle Beer Week 2012. The 4th annual event begins next Thursday May 10th, and runs through the 20th. 
When I first heard of Seattle Beer Week a couple years ago, I thought it was a celebration of Seattle’s breweries and beer. While there are plenty of events featuring beers from Seattle and greater Washington, the majority of events feature beers from elsewhere. California and Oregon are always particularly well-represented, and owners and brewers from some of their finest breweries will descend next week upon America’s Best City for Hipsters.
Seattle Beer Week 2012 already has over 100 events, and even more will be added in the next week. Basically any brewery or bar can come up with a fancy marketing name, throw a keg on, and say they have a SBW event. It’s therefore necessary to carefully review each event description to identify truly special events vs. events that are really not events at all.
Last year I went to a couple brewers nights at local beer bars and was underwhelmed. The brewery brought their standard offerings, which I’ve had many times, and then maybe one special cask. 90% of the people at the bar didn’t even know a special event was happening.
My favorite event last year does not appear to be on the schedule this year. Last year’s Beer and Brats in the Outfield held in “The ‘Pen” at Safeco Field, featured 6 craft beers and unlimited food, all while watching a Mariners game. Hopefully we’ll see this event again in the future.
Here are my picks that I’m really looking forward to this year, although I won’t be able to hit all of them. Check out the full calendar at Seattle Beer Week.
Friday 5/11 All Day Back in Black at Brouwer’s. A night of the biggest of the big, and the blackest of the black Stouts from around the way.
Saturday 5/12 11:00 AM-03:00 PM Pig Roast and Homebrew Competition at Quinn’s
Saturday 5/12 11:00 AM-07:00 PM Tour de Pints #4 This year’s Tour will take us past some of Seattle’s iconic locations as we bike 20+ miles to and from some of the most defining pubs, taverns and taprooms Seattle has to offer.
Saturday 5/12 03:00 PM-08:00 PM Pine Box Can Derby at The Pine Box.
Sunday 5/13 05:00 PM-08:00 PM IRON BREWER TRIPLE HEADER! BPP chooses the secret ingredient, THEY brew the beer, YOU decide the winner! Black Raven vs Odin – blackberry & lavender; Seven Seas vs Port Townsend – coconut & lemongrass; Silver City vs Airways – apricot & almond
Tuesday 5/15 07:00 PM-10:00 PM Firestone & Frans Beer & Chocolate at The Pine Box; $55 (reservations required). Would love to hit this, but need to save up my Firestone for Wednesday at Brouwer’s.
Wednesday 5/16 03:00 PM-10:00 PM 4th Annual Firkin-Firkin at Elysian Capitol Hill. Firkin Firkin is a fantastic event. Last year was WA vs. CO. This year 8 Seattle area breweries are taking on 8 San Diego area breweries to see which city has the most kick-ass Cask!
Wednesday 5/16 06:00 PM-11:00 PM Firestone /Homebrew Chef Dinner at Brouwer’s Cafe. 8 courses prepared by the renowned “Homebrew Chef” Sean Paxton paired with 12 beers from one of my favorite breweries, Firestone Walker. My wife and I have our tickets and can’t wait for this one. $125/pp. A few tickets are left as of today.
Friday 5/18 04:00 PM-08:00 PM Barrel Night at Fremont Brewing. Special night of tastings from Fremont Brewing’s Barrel Room including B-Bomb, Kentucky Dark Star, The Lamb (Brett Saison), Flanders Red and Lambic. Yes, please.
What events will you be attending during this year’s SBW?
Churchkey vs. Mama’s Little Yella Pils
On a nice day, some people set-up lemonade stands. I set-up Pilsner stands. That’s right, on Friday after work I set up a blind Pilsner throwdown in my cul-de-sac, featuring Churchkey Can Co. Pilsner vs. Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella Pils.
As many of you may be aware, Chuchkey Can Co., founded by Portland-native Justin Hawkins and actor Adrian Grenier of Entourage fame, just released their first beer 2 weeks ago. Churchkey is contract brewed right here in Seattle at Two Beers Brewing. I’ve been anxious to try it so I jumped at the chance when I saw their beer show up at my local bottle shop.
Packaging
Churchkey’s unique packaging, including their flat top steel cans complete with free churchkey opener, garnered all of the attention. The neighbors unamimously agreed they would be more likely to grab a 6-pack of Churchkey over the Mama’s at the store based on packaging alone.
The beer
I then hid the beer behind a cardboard box and poured blind samples of “Beer A” and “Beer B”. Beer A, the Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella Pils, elicited comments such as “good finish”, ” nice, sweet”, and “I could drink this all day.” All comments were positive.
Beer B, the Churchkey, drew far more varied opinions. My wife said the Churchkey was “better, richer, with a honey taste”, while another neighbor liked it because it had a more flavor than Beer A. The folks who were not fans noted a dry aftertaste, stronger hop profile, and, according to one participant, the taste of the steel can.
The vote
Our panel, which consisted of 4 women and 3 men, preferred the Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella Pils by a vote of 5-2.
So what do you think of Churchkey?
Pale Ale Throwdown!
I’ve done a few head-to-head beer matchups recently, but it’s been awhile since I’ve conducted a full-blown throwdown with 5 blind beers. The last time was an Imperial IPA Throwdown, but this week I tried out some phenomenal Pale Ales. Here is the good-looking lineup:
Once again, this was a blind tasting. Beers were poured into glasses by my lovely wife and labeled A-E. The identities of the beers were not revealed until the very end.
Beers (L to R): Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Fort George Oatmeal Pale Ale, Deschutes Red Chair, Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale, Fremont Universale
Beers A, D and E (Sierra Nevada, Dale’s and Fremont) looked very similar, with a gold-orange color. Beer B, The Fort George Sunrise Oatmeal Pale Ale, was much lighter with a straw color, while Beer C, the Deschutes Red Chair, had an amber color.
Before I get into the results, which may surprise you, first a disclaimer. Taste is subjective. I rated the beers simply on how they tasted to me. As some regular blog readers may recall, I drank massive amounts of Kool-Aid growing up, and have quite the sweet tooth. Although I now love hoppy styles such as IPAs, my palate generally gravitates towards beers with at least some malt sweetness balance.
Here are the results:
1) Deschutes Red Chair NWPA
ABV: 6.4%
Appearance: Amber
Flavor: Mild hoppiness, fruity, with a sweet caramel malt balance
Rating: 4.5/5
Overall: Upon my first taste, I knew this was my familiar seasonal companion, Red Chair. Nice carbonation, coupled with a perfect blend of malt and hops make this a fantastic beer. This incredibly balanced beer was the clear winner for me.
2) Fremont Universale Pale 
ABV: 5.6%
Appearance: Gold-orange
Flavor: Not as sweet as Red Chair, but still some mild sweetness to balance out the Columbus, Centennial and Cascade hops.
Rating: 4/5
Overall: This nicely carbonated brew has clean, balanced flavors and is an easy-drinker.
3) Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale
ABV: 6.5%
Appearance: Gold-orange
Flavor: Mild bitterness, with slight fruit sweetness, dry finish
Rating: 4/5
Overall: Carbonation was lower than the others, which hurt this beer.
4) Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
ABV: 5.6%
Appearance: Gold-orange
Flavor: Very mild woody hop flavor with a slight malt balance
Rating: 4/5
Overall: Better carbonation than Dale’s. It was very difficult to rank the Dale’s and Sierra Nevada. They were very evenly matched for my palate.
5) Fort George Sunrise Oatmeal Pale Ale
ABV: 5.5%
Appearance: Straw color
Flavor: A lot of citrus hop bitterness, with a dry aftertaste
Rating: 3.5/5
Overall: Very bitter compared to the other beers, but tons of flavor and a nice carbonated mouthfeel. The OPA is a great choice for hopheads that enjoy bitter beers with little malt balance. Cool can, but I feel like I’m drinking a Four Loko.
So, what do you think of the results? Let’s hear your thoughts/rants on Pale Ales and the results in the comments. Cheers!
Celebrate 2 Beer Holidays on Saturday
Ready for the big holiday this weekend? No, I’m not talking about Easter. In case you need any extra motivation to drink, Saturday, April 7 is both National Beer Day and Session Beer Day. April 7 is historically significant because it was the day in 1933 that ended Prohibition, when brewing and the sale of beer under 3.2% ABW (4.0% ABV) was legalized. The 21st Amendment, which repealed the 18th Amendment, was later ratified on December 5th of that same year.
Celebrating these holidays is easy. Simply visit your favorite watering hole for a beer, or crack one open at home. Observe both holidays by making that beer a lower-alcohol session beer, defined by Session Beer Day founder Lew Bryson as a beer less than 4.5% ABV.
Here are some tasty local brews that weigh in at less than (ok, some are equal to) 4.5%. Cheers!
Fremont 77 Select Spring Session IPA (4.0%)
IPA
Foggy Noggin Bit O’Beaver (3.4%)
English Bitter
Black Raven Morrighan Stout (4.4%)
Irish Dry Stout
Hale’s Kölsch (4.5%)
Kölsch
Maritime Pacific Old Seattle Lager (4.3%)
Munich Helles Lager
Odin Freya’s Gold (4.5%)
Kölsch
Snoqualmie Perfectly Great Amber (4.0%)
American Amber / Red Ale
American Blonde Ale (4.5%)
American Blonde Ale
Fish Tale Organic Blonde Ale (4.0%)
American Blonde Ale
Cask Fest Recap
When I prepare for the great beer festivals we are blessed to have in the Pac NW, I usually set some guidelines, or rules, to ensure all goes smoothly.
My Cask Fest 2012 rules were:
- DO NOT DRIVE!
- Arrive early!
- Get tickets to the early session.
My Cask Fest 2011 rules from last year were:
- Go to the early session
- Bring a functioning camera
- Exit the bus at the proper stop on the way home
Last year was a disaster. I went to the night session. I arrived just 10 minutes early and there was an enormous line. My new phone had no micro SD card, leaving me without a camera. And, after having 20 big beer samples, I exited the bus at the wrong stop, which was rewarded with a 4 mile walk home.
Fast forward to 2012. Well, I again broke the rule about going to the early session. In my defense, I had an early session ticket but needed to sell it to attend my son’s baseball activities. However, I did well on all the other rules: I brought a functioning camera to provide you with pictures, I took the bus both ways and exited at the proper stop!
Improved logistics
Last year the line to get into Fisher Pavilion had still not cleared even an hour after the beginning of the festival. This year, a half hour before opening workers walked through the lines to proactively take care of will-call tickets, and to exchange wristbands for tickets. They even opened the doors to the festival 15 minutes early (although the beer didn’t start pouring until the official start time of 5:30pm), which gave everyone a chance to get settled. Most of the attendees, myself included, used the opportunity to get in line at Black Raven, which develops legendary long lines at WA beer festivals. There were easily 100 people in line at Black Raven before the beer even started flowing.
Mmmm … pretzels 
Given the high gravity beers being poured, I think the food selection was a little sparse. There was a Dante’s Inferno hot dog stand outside which required you to exit the building. I stayed inside and visited the Brave Horse Tavern booth on multiple occasions for a piping-hot $4 pretzel with assorted mustard sauces. Damn, those pretzels are good.
The Beer
In years past, we received the familiar wood tokens used at all WA Beer Commission festivals. For this year’s festival, put on by the Washington Brewers Guild, we received a punch card good for 25 samples. The statement printed on the card drew laughter from several attendees: “Ask for smaller tastes so you can sample many different beers.” Um, yeah right.
With over 80 cask beers available, I was only able to sample a small percentage of available beers. Once again, Black Raven brought their A-game: I really liked the Bizarleywine (sweet, boozy, woody) and Snickerdoodle Stout (smoky). The Wisdom Tweaker had a huge citrus aroma, but came off a bit orange cleaner-like in the flavor department.
Fremont’s also known for awesome festival beers, and they did not disappoint. The Kentucky Dark Star was smooth bourbon deliciousness, while the Winey Brother was a tasty Imperial IPA.
I also really enjoyed Georgetown Lisa’s Chocolate Stout, Naked City Podunk IPA, North Sound Hop Chops IPA and Sound Wheat Whiskey Dubbel.
Shut out
Remember the tip about attending the early session? Here is why. Many of the beers run dry during the early session, and never make it to the evening. This year, I was shut out of some beers I really wanted to try such as: Big Al Flanders Red, Naked City A Dude in Every Port and Schooner EXACT Apricot Sour Brown.
Overall, this is still one of the best festivals of the year. Remember to get your tickets early next year.
Pictures
WA Beer March Madness Champ Crowned! Also, post your own Final Four.
There are a lot of fantastic beers in WA state, but only one can earn the title of Thirsty in Seattle’s WA Beer March Madness Champion of 2012. Congrats to Iron Horse Quilter’s Irish Death for winning this year’s tournament!
Hats off to runner-up Emerald City Dottie Seattle Lager and their fans. That title game was incredibly close with over 1,300 votes cast and a margin of victory of less than 2% of the vote.
The active participation of blog followers, breweries and WA beer enthusists exceeded my wildest expectations. Over 15,000 votes were cast during WA Beer March Madness 2012. I had a lot of fun, I hope you did too, and we will definitely be making this tournament an annual tradition.
Post your own Final Four
Did your favorite WA beers make an early round exit? Did some get snubbed by the selection committee and not even make the tournament? Here is your chance to show some love for your fave brews. Post what WA beers would be in your personal Final Four (and the Champion) in the comments.
Final Brackets
WA Beer March Madness: Championship Voting
We started with 68 beers and are now down to 2! Congrats to Emerald City Dottie Seattle Lager and Iron Horse Quilter’s Irish Death on their Final 4 semifinal victories.
WA Beer Championship Game 2012 voting is now open (see bottom of post) until 10:00pm PT Monday, April 2.
WA Beer March Madness Voting Schedule
WA Beer Championship 2012 – Click to enlarge.
Voting open through 10:00pm PT Monday, 4/2!
WA Beer March Madness: Final Four Voting
Make sure to follow Thirsty in Seattle on Facebook or Twitter to receive updates on results and notification when voting opens for each round.
We started with 68 beers and are now down to 4! Final Four voting is now open (see bottom of post) until 10:00pm PT Saturday, March 31. For each matchup, vote for the beer you think should advance to the WA Beer Championship 2012 game!
WA Beer March Madness Voting Schedule
Final Four – Click to enlarge.
Voting open through 10:00pm PT Saturday, 3/31!
Cask Fest Preview
Looking for WA Beer March Madness? Scroll down to next post or click here: WA Beer March Madness: Elite Eight Voting
The 2012 Washington Brewers Guild Cask Fest takes place 
this Saturday, March 31 at Seattle Center Fisher Pavilion. This is one of the most anticipated festivals of the year, and I can’t wait. I hope you have your tickets, because online tickets are sold out for both sessions (12-4pm and 5:30-9:30pm), and it sounds like tickets are gone at most ticket outlets, if not all.
Below are some quick tips and beer picks.
Tips
- DO NOT DRIVE! Most festivals give you 6-10 tokens. Cask Fest gives you 20 (although the guild website says 25 tastes, so it could even be 25), and these are big beers. If you use all of your tokens, and I plan to, you will leave hammered. Plan to ride the bus, take a cab or arrange for someone to pick your drunk ass up.
- Arrive early! The check-in logistics could use some work at this festival. Last year there was a huge line to get into the evening session and, one hour into the session, the line had still not cleared.
- Get tickets to the early session. OK, it’s too late to do anything about this one. Heck, even I’m going to the evening session again (son has baseball in the afternoon). Many popular beers run out during the early session, and never make it to the evening session. But there’s a glimmer of hope. Some breweries, such as Georgetown, are busting out different beers just for the second session.
Beers
Cask Fest will be a great opportunity to try the cask version of these beers from WA Beer March Madness, including 4 of 8 beers currently in the Elite Eight!
- 7 Seas Ballz Deep Double IPA (Elite Eight)
- Iron Horse (Quilter’s) Irish Death (Elite Eight)
- Georgetown Lucille IPA (Elite Eight)
- Snoqualmie Steam Train Porter (Elite Eight)
- American Double Dry Hopped Breakaway IPA (R32)
- Big Al Hop Villain – Dry-Hopped (R64)
- Boundary Bay IPA (R64)
Below are some other beers that look intriguing:
Black Raven Wisdom Tweaker (Double Citrus IPA)
Will need to try their Snickerdoodle Stout and Bizarleywine too
Diamond Knot Herbert’s Legendary Cask Festival Ale
Gotta try the annual Herbert’s beer
Elysian Great Pumpkin Ale
Somehow missed this at Pumpkin Fest last year
Epic Ales Smoked Brine (Oyster Stout)
Always interesting to see what crazy stuff Cody has cooked up
Fremont Kentucky Dark Star
They don’t say if this was bourbon barrel-aged like last year, but a must-try nonetheless
Georgetown Lisa’s Chocolate Stout – second session
A beer for chocolate lovers
Issaquah Brewhouse Contraband IPA
Last year’s version had a nice fresh hop flavor balanced with plenty of malt sweetness
Naked City Dude in Every Port
Their booth was empty during the night session last year. Hopefully they’ll have more beer this year
New Belgium
It still seems weird they are represented at all of the WA festivals, but I really like Ranger IPA and need to try the cask version. Might need to hit Cocoa Mole too.
Pike Brewing Space Needle IPA
My first chance to try the beer that “won” the competition to be the official beer of the Space Needle’s 50th Anniversary
Schooner Exact Apricot Sour Brown
Was very impressed with a sample of the apricot sour at Schooner during WA Beer Open House. Also highly recommend their Double Dry-Hopped Bravehorse Ale
Silver City Fat Woody (Oak Barrel Aged Scotch Ale)
Sweet bourbon goodness
Sound Brewing Wheat Whiskey Dubbel (Belgian Dubbel)
Sound already makes a mean Dubbel. Will be interesting to taste the twist with Whiskey
So, what beers are sounding good to you? Here is the Full Beer List. Cheers!
