I’ve had a bit of a brewery posting blockage because of Big Al Brewing, but it’s time to purge the system. When my friend and I showed up, they were out of four of their year-round brews, so most of the taster tray consisted of seasonal and “local hero” beers. I’ve been meaning to return and try out the Irish Red, Smoked Porter, IPA, and Abbey Wheat before writing up this post, but haven’t gotten around to it. When I do, though, I’ll update this post.

Big Al Brewing taster tray — Seattle, WA

Rob’s Picks
• Papa Charlie’s Pale Ale – pretty standard pale ale, but good. 4.2%
• Tutta Bella Amber – nice and drinkable (goes right down), but again, pretty standard. 5%
• Local Hero #7, Belgian Pale – really nice! Smooth, to a great finish. 6.6%
• Belgian-style Tripel – Similar to LH7. Not quite as good, but still good. Doesn’t have the great finish. Doesn’t taste like it’s 9%. Dangerous!
• Winter Warmer – nice little winter brew, but once again, pretty standard. 7%

The Rest
• Winter Mint – Minty fresh! No need to brush in the morning. Actually, the mintiness isn’t too strong. It’s interesting as a taster, I think, but I’d probably get sick of it if I had a whole pint. 7%

So, Big Al seems to have pretty strong seasonal/small batch beers and standard but good year-rounders. (I’ll see if this theory holds up on my next visit…) Ahhh, feels good to get that out. Now I have only five or six more brewery posts to write, and I’ll be feeling regular again.