With two unvisited breweries in Bremerton and a brand new one on Bainbridge, it was time to get back on the bike for Tour de Kitsap, Part Deux. But the plan nearly went horribly wrong when, as the Seattle-Bainbridge ferry left the safe waters of Elliott Bay, a shockingly loud BOOM rang out from the starboard side.  I looked out the window and saw a still-smoking cannon on a nearby skiff, along with its crew of sword-brandishing Seafair pirates.  Were they preparing to board and hold us for ransom?  The ferry captain blasted the ship’s horn in retaliation, which seemed to keep those Rogues of the Sound at bay, luckily for us, and onward we sailed.  Back on dry land, I made a beeline for Bainbridge Island Brewing to calm my nerves with a sampler of their fancy new beers.

Update! May 12, 2013: Have not yet been back to the brewery, but had a couple more of their beers at The Pine Box. They seem to have a good relationship with BIB, so I hope they keep getting interesting new brews from them.

Fanciest flight I’ve seen in a long while — Bainbridge Island, WA

Rob’s Picks
• Locabore Fresh Hop 2012 – 6% – Citrus/piney aroma and flavor. Strong hops! But really smooth, with good underlying maltiness and some grassiness. Light bitterness after all the lingering flavors start to fade. Bit of sweetness on the finish, too.
• Landfall Pale Ale – 6.1% – Nice malty aroma. Floral hoppy and malty start to biscuity finish. Hint of sweetness. (I later heard that the initial batch of Landfall came out hoppier than expected and subsequent batches will dial back on the hops a bit. Oh well.)
• Eagle Harbor IPA – 6.6% – Somewhat floral aroma. Light creaminess on the tongue. Light floral and citrus mix — not in-your-face hoppiness. Light bready finish. Nice lingering flavors.
• Battle Point Stout – 7.1% – Good alcohol aroma. Pretty creamy, with smooth coffee and subtle alcohol flavors, and an underlying bitterness. Pretty drinkable.

The Rest
• Port Blakely Brown – 4.2% – Roasty maltiness and a touch of nuttiness. Very subtle sour mash flavor, and a bit of malty sweetness. Light on the tongue, and not quite dry. People seem to love this one, but it just didn’t jibe with me.
• Estate IPA 2012 – 7.2% – On cask, made with hops grown on the family property. Really smooth, with a great balance of hops and malt. Hop flavor too floral for me, though, but good sharpness to it, with a touch of grapefruit.

All in all, a great new addition, and they’ve done an impressive job of making the space a relaxing spot to hang out.  In addition to the beers I tried, they also had one guest tap, and the Brown on nitro.  Four new beers were still fermenting away — would’ve been nice if they’d been ready, but probably for the best that they weren’t so that I could actually complete the day’s intended ride. So I got back on the bike and took a somewhat scenic route north, crossed the Agate Pass Bridge, then headed west to Poulsbo, where I planned to pay a brief re-visit to Slippery Pig, but instead ended up spending a whopping three hours there.  Jeez.  So much for trying to keep to a schedule.