I had been thinking about doing an overnight bike trip on the Kitsap Peninsula to visit something like seven breweries, but never got around to it. Then one of the breweries closed, and I suddenly felt a sense of urgency in getting out there. So, when a friend suggested a one day ride to Poulsbo, I suggested a few breweries we could check out, and the next morning we pedaled our bikes onto the Seattle-Bremerton ferry. The plan was to take side roads to Poulsbo, visit the three breweries there, and then decide which return ferry to take, either Bainbridge or Kingston.

We rolled into Sound Brewery around 12:30, and as we methodically made our way through their taster tray, the taproom got busier and busier. There were a few drops of rain, as well, but fortunately it stopped before we headed out.

Update! 12/25/2013: I’ve had a couple more beers by Sound in the past year and a half, and yes, I’m way overdue for another visit, but the big exciting reason for this update is The Pour Fool used my picture in his post on the top 20 breweries in Washington! The picture got sized down quite a bit, but still, I think this means I’m now famous. Right?

Before the crowds arrived at Sound Brewery — Poulsbo, WA

Rob’s Picks
• Reluctant IPA – 6.4% – Caramel amber color. Big caramel and biscuity maltiness, with almost as big floral and spicy hops. Big but balanced, and flavors linger nicely.
• Entendez Noel 2013 – 11.4% – Light sweet alcohol and malt aroma. Awesome sweet caramel flavor with light alcohol edge. Doesn’t taste 11.4%. Ridiculously good. I hope I can track down some of the scotch barrel aged version.
• Quadrupel – 9.5% – I think the name might be “Quad Pro Quo.” Dark color but light, smooth mouthfeel. Sweet, almost brandy-like aroma. Interesting mix of sweet caramel, plum and other fruit, with light alcohol and tobacco edges. A sipping, thinking beer.
• Entendez Noel 2012 – 11.4% – Pretty big tripel. Caramel, alcohol, banana/clove flavor mix with some sharp malty barley wine-ish notes. Pretty smooth for 11.4% though. Coriander flavor, too, but no spices added.
• Latona IPA – 7.5% – I assume they made this for the Latona Alehouse anniversary, but I didn’t ask, for some reason. Crisp and bitter, with a nice light maltiness. Lots of citrus as it warmed up a little.
• Humulo Nimbus – 8.5% – Double IPA. Great citrus aroma. Crisp and citrusy, with a nice malty sweetness. Really drinkable for such a strong beer.
• Tripel Entendre – 9.9% – Sweet caramel and banana aroma. Surprisingly light, with great banana/clove and caramel flavors. No alcohol edge, but well-balanced anyway. Yum!
• Monk’s Indiscretion – 10% – Belgian specialty ale. Strong citrusy aroma. Great sweet citrusy taste. Subtle alcohol edge. Pretty amazing.
• Poundage Porter – 5.5% – Nice and dry. Dark maltiness with a bit of bocky sweetness and slight caramel edge. Some coffee and dark chocolate notes, as well. This won some GABF award a week or two later.
• Ursus Americanus – 6.5% – American Stout. Thick and smooth, with a good coffee flavor. Not just for breakfast.
• Koperen Ketel – 5% – Belgian Pale Ale. Banana/clove aroma. Light on the tongue, with a bit of banana/clove start to nice breadiness. Very subtle bitterness.
• Dubbel Entendre – 8% – Very light and drinkable, with not too much of that bocky sweetness. Slight banana/clove flavor. Dry coffee finish. Nice complex beer.

The Rest
• Bevrijder – 6.5% – Belgian IPA. Pretty bitter, with stronger banana/clove flavors than the Koperen Ketel.

Most of the other customers at the taproom seemed to know each other and were pretty friendly, which gave the place a good vibe. So yeah, it was a great start to what ended up being a five brewery day, and they had some cool glassware for sale. A win-win situation.