My short absence has not been idle – I was on beer vacation! It was planned as a regular family reunion, but unexpectedly turned into a beer vacation, which is perfectly fine with me.
Day 1: Meet with Casey Klahn of The Colorist, who has the most beautiful backyard ever. Got to see some of his originals and his awesome new studio-in-progress. He has cute kids and gave me beer. Thumbs up!
Walnut Brewery Old Elk Brown Ale: a nice red beer, tastier by far than Killian’s. Ratings for a non-dark beer… M: 7 N: 6.5
Day 2: Family reunion in beautiful Leavenworth, WA. Found out that I have the same birthday as this handsome fellow, my great-great-grandfather the horse-wrangler.
Also found out that I’m related to an excellent botanical artist, Catherine Watters. My family rocks.
Leavenworth is a Bavarian Village, and has tons of good beer on tap. Here’s what we drank:
Big Sky Brewery Moose Drool Brown Ale: chocolatey, mild, complex, and dark for an ale. On tap at Gustav’s, which makes kick-ass cheeseburgers. Non-dark beer ratings… M: 9 N: 8.5
Boundary Bay Imperial Oatmeal Stout: served room temp, it’s dessert-sweet and rich, like a mild black russian. On tap at Ducks and Drakes. M: 9 N: 9
Elysian Perseus Porter: complex, better than Guinness. On tap at I forget which beer garden. M: 7 N: 7.5
Hales Brewery Sleeping Maiden Porter: deep, rich, tasty. On tap at, and made exclusively for, Gustav’s. M: 7.5 N: 7
Deschutes Brewery Black Butte Porter: smooth and mild, a typical porter. On tap at Gustav’s. M: 8 N: 7
Day 3: Drove to Dayton, WA to visit my grandmother, a 96-year-old firecracker with a 20-year-old sense of humor. Visit Palouse Falls. Successfully take photos without falling in.
Day 4: Visited Little Goose Dam and its fish ladder. I’ve never seen salmon so big.
Day 5: Dinner at Skye Book & Brew in Dayton. It’s an awesome little mix of cafe, coffee shop, and bookstore. Their brewmaster makes excellent beer that is only available on tap at this restaurant. They have $1 pints on Monday night. ONE DOLLAR. I love this place.
S. McTaggart Scottish Ale: dark, complex, and earthy with a hint of cocoa. Non-dark beer ratings… M: 9 N:9
Pataha Creek Porter: light for a porter, smooth, complex, and bitter. M: 7.5 N: 7
Tucannon Honey Wheat: not dark beer at all, but Grandmother liked it, so I had to try. Sweet and tasty.
Startin Starveout Stout: I had this on my last trip to Dayton, and it was delicious. They aren’t making it right now. Shame.
Day 6: Pick wild blackberries. Dinner at the Weinhard Cafe. Awesome food.
Deschutes Brewery Obsidian Stout: full, smooth, thick, nutty, and sweet. M: 9 N: 8.5
Day 7: Had beer on tap at Squatters Pub Brewery in the Salt Lake City airport while waiting on a layover.
Squatters Polygamy Porter: mild, smooth, with a small bite. M: 7 N: 5
Squatters Captain Bastard’s Oatmeal Stout: complex but verrry bitter and sour, smells like coffee. M: 6 N: 5
That’s it! Hope you enjoyed my beer vacation as much as I did.
Wow, what a trip! I love that are of the country. Ah well, there’s no place like home, so welcome back!
I saw a documentary on the glacial flooding of the Pacific NW. Fascinating stuff. I find the mini documentary on micro breweries just as interesting. Is there a book in your future? ;D
Hubby has decided to become a vintner. I don’t know why. I’ve seen him drink alcohol 3 or 4 times in the 20 years I’ve known him. Do you brew at home?
You and your friend take great pictures! Especially the one of the D. Falls. I may have to rip that one of you and me for a little portrait of me on my web site. If you don’t mind, I’ll crop out the better of the two, and just have my mug.
Room temp. on tap at Drakes? On my way!
Ohhh that would be sooo wonderful to meet Casey! I bet you had a great time!
It would also be wonderful to learn so much about your family history!
Thank you for sharing this with us!
*HUGS*
Lisa – I agree that the geological history of that area is fascinating. I’ve been going there all my life and had never heard about it until now! And a book… no plans for that! ;) I don’t do any brewing, just drinking. I wish your hubby (and you) good luck with the endeavor. You’ll be a taster, I presume?
Casey – Thanks! Sure, go right ahead with the photo. Lovely scenery in the background, too. And have one at Drakes for me!
Angela – It was a blast to meet! I’m afraid most bloggers never get to meet unless there’s a convention for it or someone happens to be travelling in the right place. It was a great trip. Thanks for your comment!
1.) Am extremely jealous. Why oh why am i poor with no vacation time left??
2.) The salmon were running at Little Goose??? They weren’t there last time and although I got pretty tired of the zillions of times Mom & Dad made us visit salmon ladders when we were growing up, I miss it now and wish I could’ve seen ’em ladder-jumping this time around.
3.) I did not know Leavenworth was a Bavarian beer heaven! How did the Bavarians end up there??
4.) I
It won’t let me post my other commments… booo!! 4.) I
I don’t know why it’s doing that… I don’t think I have a character limit. I’ll look into it.