During a fairly long bike ride on one of the hottest days of the summer, a friend and I stopped by the Powerhouse Restaurant and Brewery, where about a block away I managed to pedal over some broken glass and get a flat tire. Doh! Fortunately, I had a patch kit. Unfortunately, neither of us had a pump. Double doh! My friend graciously strapped my wounded tire to the back of his bike and pedaled to a nearby bike shop to get it fixed while I lounged inside the air-conditioned restaurant and sampled their beer. I’m still not quite sure how I managed to swing that deal, but I ain’t complaining.

Powerhouse had ten beers on tap and offered five-glass samplers. The lovely waitress suggested we order two samplers to try all their beer, but we had too much biking left to do. A nearby table did opt for that — I should have invited myself over, squeezed in all sweaty from the ride — I’m sure they would have been very accommodating.

Update! September 10, 2011:  A friend of mine and I stopped by the Powerhouse after hiking at Mt Rainier, and we sampled three more of their beers.

Powerhouse Brewing sampler tray — Puyallup, WA

Rob’s Picks
• Belgian White – 4.2% – nice bready blonde with a hop bite and bit of a spicy/lemony finish
• Roasted Porter – 6.1% – Good strong roasted coffee/chocolate aroma and flavor. Subtle alcohol flavor, too. Slightly oily on the tongue but tasty and quite drinkable.
• Scottish Ale – really smooth, good caramel flavor, not too flat. Very nice.
• Imperial Pale Ale – seasonal – good taste, smooth, hoppy. I like.

The Rest
• Honey Wheat Ale – 4.5% – Server recommended this one. I was nervous, but ordered it anyway, unfortunately. Suspicious peach color. Sour and somewhat bitter and that’s about it. Very little flavor. Did they forget the honey? Couldn’t finish it. Server asked me if I liked it, and I said, “No.” He charged me for it, anyway.
• Powerhouse Pale Ale – okay, but pretty hoppy. Not that that’s a bad thing, but I’ve gotten used to less hoppy pale ales. Go figure.
• IPA – a bit hoppier version of the Pale Ale. I would prefer it to be a little crisper, but it’s okay.
• Four Alarm Stout – interesting. Initially very light, but then has a good, complex finish. Decent but could be better…

Nice spot, the Powerhouse. One of the best things going for Puyallup, as far as I can tell. But then I had to put my tire back on and hit the road.

Bike Maintenance 101: re-attaching the rear quick-release tire