After visiting Reuben’s Brews, my cousin and I walked down the street to this brewery. It was closing up for the evening, but my cousin and I were able to talk the guy working into letting us have one beer (and one growler and bottle to go) before they closed up. Thank you to the brewing intern working there for letting us stay slightly past closing time for me to enjoy this beer and buy some beers to go. I loved the feel of this brewery and tap room, as it had a very small an intimate setting.

Location: On tap and served in a regular tumbler glass at NW Peaks Brewery and tap room in Seattle, WA.

Numbers: 5.25% ABV, 160 Calories

Ingredients: Malts: ESB, Munich, Crystal, Wheat, Black; Hops: Apollo, Liberty, Halertau, Columbus; Yeast: American ale.

Appearance & Aroma: It’s pretty dark, brick red in color, and appeared to be pretty clear when I held it up to the light. It had a thin creamy head on it, which left a good amount of lacing on the glass. There was a lightly malty aroma with some fruitiness to it.

Taste & Feel: The body was medium and the mouthfeel was smooth with just a bit of crispness. The flavor up front was a lightly caramel maltiness with some lightly sweet breadiness. In the middle, more of the caramel maltiness came through, with more fruitiness in the background. There was a little bit of earthy and spicy hop bitterness and flavor in the finish, and some light fruitiness and a maltiness lasted for a brief time in the aftertaste.

Food Pairing: This beer had a good amount of maltiness and fruitiness, and therefore, I’d pair it with something light, like a pork loin that could work together with the malty and fruity flavors.

Overall Impression: This beer had a bit more fruitiness than I was expecting in a red ale, but it worked together nicely with the caramel maltiness and hop flavors. Overall, I thought it was a pretty drinkable beer with a good mix of flavors. I wish I had the opportunity to stick around a little longer and try more of their beers, but I did manage to get a bottle to bring back with me.

My Rating:

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