Winter’s over, and so are the short bike rides to local brewpubs. Instead, my friend and I hopped on a bus to South Everett and took a long bike ride to the otherwise local Big Time Brewery. Stayed mostly on bike trails, too — the Interurban to the North Creek to the Sammamish River to the Burke-Gilman. Hadn’t gone on a ride in a month, and so Big Time was a welcome end to the 30 mile ride.

Update! February 15, 2012: I tried Whiny the Complainer, their Pliny the Younger consolation brew, when I was at Naked City, and while I don’t usually include beers tried outside of the brewery or brewpub, I’ll make an exception here, because how can I not include a beer named Whiny the Complainer? May 12, 2013: A few more beers at other bars (including the 2013 Whiny release at Pine Box) as well as a visit or two to the brewpub.

Sampler tray at the Big Time Brewery and Alehouse — Seattle, WA

Rob’s Picks
• Whiny the Complainer 2013 – 10.8% – Floral aroma at first, but with an alcohol component as it warms up. Floral hop flavor predominant, but plenty of herbal/spicy/bit-o-citrus hops going on, too. Good strong malt backbone and edgy caramel finish. Gets better as it warms up!
• Lift Ticket Winter Ale – 7% – Dark hoppy amber. Spicy nose. Mix of caramel and herbal/spicy hop flavors. Crisp with a good bitter balance.
• Dark Days Cascadia Dark Ale – 6.3% – Thick for a CDA, but its rich roasty maltiness and strong hop profile (five different hops) make it a luscious beer. Good bitter bite, too.
• Makisupa Stout – 6% – Really creamy and smooth. Great chocolate flavor with a subtle touch of rye. (Flaked rye and oats in addition to a bunch of malts.) Nice undercurrent of alcohol flavor and bitterness.
• Maine Thing Pale Ale – Solid maltiness with caramel notes and great hoppy balance.  Good lingering northwest pale ale finish ;)
• Trombipulator Belgian Trippel – Good caramel/alcohol balance.  Coriander flavor, too.  Strong malty base.
• Old Rip Oatmeal Stout – Good thick stout.  Strong coffee flavor, slight alcohol edge, somewhat dry finish.
• Whiny the Complainer 2012 – 9.1% – Triple IPA. Good hoppy IPA. Piney and malty, with an unfiltered fullness. Nice spiciness on the tongue and subtle citrus/grapefruit flavor.
• Prime Time Pale Ale – Good caramel flavor. Somewhat hoppy, but not particularly so. Smooth and very drinkable.
• Coal Creek Porter – 4.5% – Nice! I like the smokiness. Coffee and chocolate flavors not overpowering — great balance. Yum!
• Sunbreak Blonde – seasonal – 4.1% – Light and citrusy, not too bready. Great summer beer.
• Big Dance Imperial Amber – seasonal – 8.1% – Strong taste with great caramel flavor. Dance party in your mouth!
• Hop on Pop Imperial IPA – seasonal – Least floral of the three IPAs on tap. Smoothest, too. Really nice. A good full-bodied IPA.
• Breakfast Cereal Killer Oatmeat Stout – seasonal – Mmm, so thick and creamy and smooth and chocolatey and coffee-y. A great meal.

The Rest
• Millennium Falconer Pale Ale – Citrus aroma.  Citrus/floral hoppy start, though it’s heavier on the floral side.  Good maltiness.  Bitter finish.
• Atlas Amber – Big caramel flavor, but not too interesting to me. Fairly typical amber.
• Bhagwan’s Best IPA – 5% – Very floral, good hop bite, but too floral for me.
• Scarlet Fire IPA – seasonal – 6.4% – Not quite as floral as Bhagwan’s Best, more complexity to the flavor. Interesting.
• Saison Grisette – seasonal – Very light, with a slight sour Belgian taste. Pretty good, but a little lacking in body for me.
• Buck Mulligan’s Dublin Stout – seasonal – 4% – Nitro pour. Smooth and light, but a bit watery and slightly sour. A very, very different stout than Breakfast Cereal Killer, but not in a good way…

I made an effort to take a better picture this time. Hope you like it.