I was in the mood for a slightly longer Seattle bike ride and so headed north to Hellbent Brewing, just a couple blocks north of the Lake City Way Elliott Bay Brewpub. Didn’t know too much about them except the head brewer had worked at a few other breweries, and, well, I have to say I was pretty impressed with the what they’ve done. Hellbent is in a former machine shop that’s been totally redone, with a nice long bar, lots of taps (some their beer, the rest other local brews), a view into the glassed-off brewhouse with lots of big, shiny new stainless steel equipment. There’s a better view of it, too, from the second floor, which also has a pool table, dartboard, and Big Buck Hunter. Lots of big screen tvs, a nice patio, plus food trucks pretty much daily. They went all out opening this place.

The road to Hellbent Brewing is paved with good fermentation. Ha! — Seattle, WA

Rob’s Picks
• Olympic Hills Spring Ale – 5.4% – Herbal and earthy hops, light biscuit malt, and some bitterness on the finish.
• Funky RED Patina Red Ale – 5.3% – Caramel and biscuit malts with light herbal hops. Good mix.
• First Born IPA – 6.5% – Big grapefruit and citrus, light piney hops. Bit of tropical fruit, too. Solid underlying caramel.
• Moon Tower Stout – 6.4% – Smooth coffee and chocolate with some dark chocolate bitterness.

The Rest
• Fresh Hopped Pale Ale – 5.8% – Piney, minty, some grassiness, with caramel base. Somewhat bitter finish. Bit of sugary sweetness as it warms.
• Jasmine Wheat – 5.1% – Sweet start, with a bit of bubblegum. Herbal and light earthy hops, touch of spiciness, to light bready and jasmine finish, with light bitterness.

This was my first time biking to Lake City Way. Pretty nice nine mile ride. Looking forward to doing it again.