Seattle Beer Week’s End – Part Two
|Saturday, according to Seattle Beer Week‘s event schedule, seemed to be one of the biggest days of the who shebang. However, we had one last day to sop up the fun. This was Sunday. After this day, SBW would be on hiatus until next year. But let’s be perfectly clear, there’s always some craft beer-related fun to be had in the Emerald City. What a town! With places like Beveridge, Bottleworks, Malt and Vine, three Elysians, Stumbling Monk, Latona Pub, Uber Tavern, The Dray, Duck Island, etc etc etc, there really is no excuse for missing out on great beer in this wonderful city.
So, after coming to our second and final hoorah in town, and after being equipped with a wholesome and filling breakfast, we set out on our adventure. This day was the day of SBW’s “Last Call,” a finale to this eleven day celebration of great beer and the folks who love it. Last Call was to be held at the Hale’s Brewpub, where the kick-off ceremonies ignited things ten days prior. We had purchased our tickets in advance to ensure we’d not miss out on what was billed to be the best of the best. However, upon checking with some Seattle beer geeks we knew, it appeared that many were already burned out and their livers were demanding a break. Good thing we’d been living in Portland and were ready to put up a daily fight against the evil liver. We were a bit surprised to find that the organizers were still pushing tickets for the event. Why wasn’t such a supposedly cool event sold out?
It wasn’t until we had arrived in Seattle that we’d discovered that Last Call was running from noon until 5pm. I guess we needed to be on our toes and get quaffin’ early. There were still other spots in town we were set on visiting, so we needed a little warm up.
Maritime Pacific
Sunday’s beer hunt started off a little frustrating at our first two stops. First off, we were anxious to get a taste of some Maritime Pacific brews (MPB). Corey Blodgett, former Oregon brewer at McMenamins (and one of their best to date), was now brewing here, so we were jazzed to try some of his brews. MPB had moved to a new location not so long ago. From their Ballard brewpub just down the street from Hale’s, MPC was now even closer in a new larger space in Fremont. Upon arriving to their Jolly Roger Taproom, it appeared closed, but there were no hours of operation posted in the window (at least we couldn’t find them). After walking around a bit, I called the number from their website. After a few rings, a woman answered “Hello?” “Is this Maritime Pacific?” I inquired. “Um yeah” she replied almost unsure. “What time are you open today?” I asked. A pause. “Um…11” she said before cutting in “Wait, it’s already past eleven. Hmmm. Maybe its 12. I don’t know. I don’t normally work here.” “No problem” I said “Do you fill kegs?” Again a long pause. After several minutes on the phone listening to this confused lady explain why she didn’t know anything about the place, its hours or keg sales (I just wanted to get off the phone), she noted that the bartender had just arrived. At first she said I should talk to him, then she said I should call back because he might not like being bothered upon just walking in. I agreed, but before I could get off the phone, she got him on the phone. “Hello” he said. “Sorry to bother you” I said, “but we’re from out of town for Seattle Beer Week and we’d like to get a keg fill. Do you fill 1/6 barrel kegs? “No. Just Half barrels and quarter barrels. You should go to a smaller brewery for that.” “Ok, thanks” I said. He hung up. Golly! It appeared the woman was trying hard to be helpful, but only leading us to more frustration. And the bartender, he was put off to help someone from out of town interested in spending money here. What was up with this place. We always love drinking MPB beers, but now we were considering not coming back. But we wanted to support Corey. Some advice for employees at any establishment: If you are opening, know the hours. If you are not open and don’t want to be bothered, don’t answer the phone. If you do answer the phone and someone is asking for something you do not offer, either kindly ask them to call back or offer alternatives to what they’re inquiring about. I would have spent money here, but instead, did not.
Brouwer’s Sours
After checking out some chocolate samples at Theo’s Chocolates in the old Redhook Brewery of Seattle’s Fremont District, we jumped across the street to one of Seattle’s best beer establishments. Brouwer’s Cafe, owned by the same folks as Bottleworks, offers out of this world beer for the top notch connoisseur (as well as a world of bourbons, but that would only keep us from more beer). On Thursday May 20, Brouwer’s threw a sour party for SBW that showcased 40 sour and tart beers on tap. A mind-boggling lineup of wild ales, that in this day and age, beer geeks really fancy.
When we arrived at Brouwer’s Cafe, the selection of sours had considerable dwindled from Thursday, but was still amazing. One thing that has kept Brouwer’s from really kicking ass in our opinion, however, is the somewhat sterile atmosphere and the barkeep’s rush to get us to order. When there’s several dozen beers on the menu, a person, especially a beer geek, likes to think it over. Our server asked us three times if we were ready to order. The place was nearly empty and we were in no rush, but felt the barkeep, sort of a beer-know-it-all wanted us to make up our minds and quickly. Finally, after being coaxed a bit, I ordered a glass of 2006 Cantillon Lou Pepe Kriek. Served in a 6 ounce glass for $6, this was another issue with Brouwer’s: price gouging. Now, a four year old Belgian Lambic is something you don’t just find anywhere, so I wasn’t going to squabble over the cost of this fine beer I’d likely not try again on draught for some time. However, later perusing the beer menu, we noticed most brews were exorbitantly priced. The cheap stuff was $5 for 12 ounces, and a handful of domestic sours from Cascade Brewing (one of our favorite breweries, mind you), including the Spring and Winter Goses, were each priced at $9 for 12 ounces. We didn’t even bother asking what the bottles from Hair of the Dog in the clear glass cooler were selling for.
When my partner Margaret went to use the restroom, the server at Brouwer’s continued pushing. I’d already settled in front of my Lou Pepe Kriek. “Do you know what she wants yet?” he asked. Was I the spokesperson for Margaret? Was she incapable of ordering her own beer? Was he really in that much of a hurry to sell the overpriced beer being offered? “I’m sorry. You’ll have to ask her” I responded. When Margaret reappeared, he continued on her until she finally made it clear that she would let him know when she was ready to order. When asking the bartender what she could expect from Avery’s Sui Genesis, he said “It’s tart and sour.” Really? A sour beer is sour? Wow. Thankfully it was a spectacular beer with a deep amber and soft off-white lacing. At over 10% ABV, Sui Genesis according to Avery (and we find this spot on)is “a complex ale, aged and artfully blended from several types of oak barrels, and displays a delightful lactic sourness complimented by hints of brett, oak, and acetic. Intricate yet bold, deeply complex yet surprisingly refreshing, Sui Generis was crafted in the tradition of perennial Tap Room favorites De Vogelbekdieren and Voltron.” The second release in Avery’s Barrel Series, this one was almost worth the $9/glass price tag. Almost.
Don’t get me wrong, Brouwer’s is a wonderful living museum of beer, but another experience of ours there was tainted by a pushy and seemingly arrogant bartender and prices that we’ve come to liken to highway robbery. Maybe we were wrong about the server. Maybe he wasn’t all that bad. So, I tried to make conversation with him and his correspondences played more like quips. He appeared to have no interest in what we said. Annoyingly he sang loudy along with the Kurt Cobain who blasted on the stereo (We love Nirvana, just not listening to an out of tune bartender croon along with them). When I told him we were going to Last Call at Hale’s, he acted put off that someone would consider going there and not staying to drink $9 glasses of Oregon beer. “Maybe we’ll come back after the other event” I told him. To this he responded “It will probably be too busy here by then.” …or not.
Overall, we were stoked to try a small glass of four-year-old Lou Pepe Kriek and a snifter of Avery Sui Genesis. However, we’ll likely avoid Brouwer’s in the future. Too bad, because their beer selection is to die for.
To be continued…
That sucks about MPB. I’ve heard good things about MPB, I have to wonder if the owners are not aware of their staff having poor attitude.
I am not too suprised about brouwer’s, I have heard similar complaints. I can’t stand the attitude, and unfortunately I think it’s fairly frequent in seattle… it’s that notion they are so popular they no do not need to provide friendly customer service. I’ve only been to brouwers once, it was loud, nearly impossible to find a table, and I also recall the same impatient service. I was hoping that a return during non peak times would be different, but maybe not…
$9 for a 12oz. Festina Peche is just insane! It’s not even an expensive or hard to find beer.
Brouwer’s is notorious around town for the awful, too-hip-for-you service and their mind-boggling prices. Most of their festivals simply aren’t worth attending for the combination of high-prices, obnoxious crowds, and begging-to-be-punched servers. Of course, I’ve had similar problems on every visit to the Green Dragon and other PDX beer-spots.
Too bad about Maritime: great little pub with some of the best food you’ll find in a bar even if the beers aren’t terribly remarkable.
Hey guys,
sorry that your experiences at the places mentioned. MPB, I haven’t visited frequently since their move and never inquired on their kegs to go (keg fills).
Brouwer’s depending on who you are (in regards to experience and patience) is a mixed bag. If you are new to the scene, then I would only advise going there with a experienced companion since they don’t do samples. This isn’t to say you should ignore your impressions but I would say give it another shot.
Comparatively, I recall when I reached out to Alan (HOTD) regarding a Friday visit and all I got a “be here by 4PM or don’t show up”. Needless to say I am still a fan despite the whole “I could care less if you are here” attitude.
PS, Alan that was then and things and I understand your motives for the statement.
Hope to see you sometime in Seattle again, or worse case bump into you the next time I am in PDX.
Cheers
Re: Brouwer’s: Only been there once, but I had a nice time, was treated right. It looks like they had a bunch of sours on for a festival and charged a lot for those; lower down on the menu the prices are still high but not totally unreasonable.
Re: Hair of the Dog: Whoa, whoa, whoa, there Paul. Alan was going to open his door specially for you, on his own time (late on a Friday of all things!)? That’s *way* different than not being open at the posted hour, and not knowing when you’re open, and turning away a paying customer. Doesn’t sound like “I could care less” attitude, sounds like, “I’m trying to get home to the family, but I’ll accommodate you if I can” attitude.
Angelo – Sucks you had bad experiences at both.
Thoughts on Brouwer’s:
Sterile atmosphere – sure, it ain’t a cozy little bar. But this place is perfect for the festivals and when you come with a large group. It’s a modern beer hall of sorts; different, but I have grown to like it. That said, I don’t come here for a quiet after work beer.
Servers – Yep, many of them have the “too cool for school” attitude. I usually come with groups of friends and the table service has gotten much better over the years. The female servers in particular are all great these days.
Prices – we were all pretty amazed by the prices they were charging for this festival. I don’t remember them being that high in the past. There were a few nice values (NB BW 10 at $5/glass!), but too many $9 beers. Their regular list is usually reasonable for regional/domestic craft. Bottles and many Belgians are indeed always expensive I believe.
Sounds like you talked to some clueless people at Maritime. They open at noon on Sundays according to their website. As you said, they should have just let the phone ring.
Bill – A quick clarification regarding Alan and HOTD. When I first reached out to him (back in 2006) I was put off by his statement. But over time I have learned to appreciate his honesty and willingness to put family first when the week is over. My perspective of what he does changed, after I spoke to enough brewers who set me straight but good.
For the record every time I am in town during normal HOTD business hours, I have made it a point to call and see Alan. The man has my respect to be sure.
In retrospect, probably not the best personal example.
Cheers
Brouwers Cafe is one of the most amazing bars I’ve ever frequented in th US. Anyone with negative comments CLEARLY has not worked in the industry and have their nose in the air. Grow up and get your F ing nose out of the air!!! Dumb ass.
@ Amanda
Though your emotional and not so thoughtful email really doesn’t deserve much of a response, I will grant you one. I believe in being honest and forthright. If you’ve read Brewpublic, and it sounds like might not have previously, you’d see that the majority of what we do is promote craft beer. We usually forgo writing up the unpleasantries unless we think it will actually contribute to change. There honestly is no excuse for poor customer service and price gouging. If you believe that having a great beer selection constitutes or justifies sub-par and pushy customer service or prices that exceed just about everyone else in the industry/community, than your emotive and judgmental words may carry weight. Our purpose in critism is to hopefully induce change for the greater good. Unfortunately, it is my opinion that you come across as obviously emotionally tied to someone who works there or are not of a rational mindset where quality customer service or price/value is very important. I feel if you are going to charge exorbitant fees in a customer-service based industry, than the customer service should be exemplary. If a retailer doesn’t value customer service (and, realistically, all should), than the price of a pint better be damn cheap. Either way, thank you for taking the time to read Brewpublic. We hope you’ll continue to visit and notice more of our work.