I can’t remember the first time I went to Elliott Bay Brewing in West Seattle. It was after I started collecting logo glassware, but before I started scribbling down my tasting notes. They didn’t sell glasses then — the bartender said they had a mug club, but it was full. That’s about all I remember from that visit. Years later, the 2008 brewery tour went to the Burien location, where we got a pretty cool tour and I finally got a logo glass. Then quite by accident in May 2012 I ended up at their new Lake City Way brewpub, but the only thing I drank was water. So I’d been to all three of their locations but hadn’t yet done an “official” visit. And then my little job ended a bit early one warm late July afternoon, and as I walked home I decided a short bike ride to West Seattle was just what I needed.

Hoppy flight at Elliott Bay Brewing — Seattle, WA

Rob’s Picks
• Hop von Boorian – Hazy golden color. Kinda sweet, with bit of banana/clove flavor and good bitterness. Nice balance.
• Anniversary Ale #15 – Slight floral aroma. Light and a bit hoppy, slightly sweet, somewhat bitter.
• Demolition Ale – Grapefruit citrus hoppiness with good malty base. Quite smooth, with lingering bitterness.

The Rest
• Hop Harvest Fresh Hop IPA 2012 – Light citrusy aroma. Grapefruit flavor and bitter. Solid maltiness but just too bitter for me. Some sugary sweetness on the finish, but doesn’t really go well with the rest of beer.
• Elliott Bay Dry-Hopped IPA – Somewhat floral, with some caramel sweetness. Lingering bitterness. Maybe a little too light on the tongue for me.
• No Doubt Stout – Chocolate aroma. Good dry chocolate/coffee flavor. Not too thick. Pretty good, but something about it just gave me doubt. Hard to put my finger on it.

They had eleven or twelve beers on tap, but I stuck with the one flight of tasters in order to get home at a reasonable time. I guess I’ll just have to check out one of their other locations again to fill out this post some more.