Brouwer’s Cafe 13th Annual Hardliver Barleywine Festival & 10th Anniversary
The 13th Annual Hardliver Barleywine Festival returns to Seattle’s Brouwer’s Cafe from March 14 – 15. This well received and attended Barleywine Festival is one of the premiere high ABV events here in the Pacific Northwest. Then on March 28-29, Brouwer’s Cafe will be hosting its 10th Anniversary Party with a special bottle and draft release.
Originally dating back to being held at the Phinney Ridge Neighboorhood Center for its first few years it is now held at Brouwer’s Cafe since they opened its doors almost 10 years ago. This year’s event will feature over 45 barleywines so its time to begin preparing for this lineup.
Doors will open each day at 11:00am on March 14th and 15th. But if you want in you better make your preparations early as the entry line for this annual fest can be long and tedious. However, once inside this festival is one that any fan of big, bold barleywines will truly be fascinated with.
This year’s Hardliver Barleywine draft list is quite impressive and will consist of the following.
- Alesmith Old Numbskull ’14
- Almanac Heirloom Pumpkin Barleywine ’14
- Anacortes Old Sebastes ’07
- Amnesia 10th Anniversary BBL Barleyewine
- Avery Hog Heaven ’14
- Bainbridge Old Toe Jam ’13
- Ballast Point Three Sheets BBl-Aged Barleywine
- Big Sky Four Roses Old Bluehair ’12
- Big Time Old Wooly ’14
- Black Raven Old Birdbrain 2013
- Deschutes Mirror Mirror ’09
- Dogfish Head Olde School ’14
- Double Mountain Off the Wagon Belgian Style ’14
- Engine House #9 Barrel Aged Thunder Buddies ’13
- Evil Twin Freudian Slip
- Firestone-Walker §ucaba ’13
- Gigantic Massive! ’14
- Green Flash/Cigar City Candela Rye Barleywine
- Heathen Reindeer Tears Barrel-Aged ‘14
- High Water Old and in the Way ’14
- Iron Fist Raisin’ a Fist ’14
- Laguntias Olde GnarleyWine ’11
- Laurelwood Santa’s Woody ’14
- Lompoc Old Tavern Rat ’14
- Lost Abbey Angel’s Share ’12
- Mad Viking Pillage the Village
- Midnight Sun Arctic Devil ’13
- Midnight Sun Termination Dust Bourbon Barrel-Aged Belgian ‘14
- Mikkeller Big Worster Barleywine
- Old School House Barelywine ’14
- Pelican Stormwatcher’s Winterfest Barleywine ‘14
- Perennial Vermilion Barleywine ’14
- Pike Old Bawdy ’11
- Reel Ales 102
- Reuben’s Brews Auld Heritage ’15
- Seven Seas BBL Old Wheelchair ’13
- Sierra Nevada Big Foot Barleywine ’14
- Silver City Old Scrooge
- Sound Brewery Westland Aged Old Scoundrel ’14
- Southern Tier Back Burner ’13
- Telegraph Rhinoceros Hoppy Red Wine BBL Aged
- To Øl Mine is Bigger than Yours’14
- Triplehorn BBL Aged BYGGVIN ’14
- Uinta Anniversary Barleywine
This is quite the list of barleywines. How does one decide which ones to order? Better start preparing now.
Then on Saturday, March 28th and Sunday, March 29th, Brouwer’s Cafe will be hosting its 10th Anniversary Party. Back in 2005, Matt “Vern” Vandenbergh brought what he had learned from Bottleworks bottleshop, at the time already into its 5th year, and created Brouwer’s Cafe.
It was back on March 23, 2005, when Brouwer’s opened its doors to the public. This is one of Seattle’s best known beer bars that now features over 60 taps, 300 bottles, a wide selection of whisky (and whiskey) and a menu based around the hearty and delicious cuisine of Belgium.
From the beginning the crew at Brouwer’s knew that they had created something special and worked with local breweries to brew a special anniversary beer each year for its anniversary. For its 10-year milestone Brouwer’s has teamed up with Ballard’s Reuben’s Brews.
Teaming up with Adam Robbings of Reuben’s, this anniversary beer is going to be a hophead’s dream. Brouwer’s 10th anniversary beer will be an Imperial IPA that has been named Gobsmacked. This 10% ABV IIPA will be available in a very limited number of bottles, as well as on draft.
To make the 10th Anniversary even more special, the crew from Brouwer’s traveled to Fort Collins, CO to work with New Belgium Brewing on a special beer. This draft only release is a blend that was produced under the guidance of New Belgium’s Eric and Lauren Salazar. After tasting from over 20 different foudres, a special 10th Anniversary beer was blended.
Look for this beer in limited supply for Brouwer’s 10th Anniversary along with a few other delights that will be pulled from its cellar. It looks to be a great time to be in Seattle.
Brouwer’s Cafe
400 N. 35th St.
Seattle WA 98103
About The Author
DJ
D.J. is a Portland, Oregon based writer that spent his formative years in the Midwest. With over 25 years under his belt of drinking beer at festivals across America and the world, he has developed a strong appreciation and understanding of craft beer and the industry that surrounds it. He can be found in any of the great breweries or beer bars that make Portland the best beer city in the world. His writing can also be found in the archives of Northwest Brewing News and can be followed on Twitter and Instagram at @hopapalooza.