Elliott Bay Brewhouse & Pub: 5 of 52

Elliott Bay Brewing Co. -5th place of 52 weeks.

5 of 52

Elliott Bay Brewhouse & Pub
255 SW 152nd St.
Burien, WA

Rank: #3 of 5

Type of Establishment:  Brew Pub/Brewery with full kitchen.

BEERS ON TAP (at time of visit) —>

House Beers:

Alembic Pale
B-town Brown
Highline IPA
Luna Weizen
Demolition Ale
Black IPA
Hop Scotch
No Doubt Stout
Nitro Gulden Von Boorian
Riot Ale
Hop Von Boorian
Red Von Boorian
Brandy Barrel Brown
Imperial Stout

Guest Beers:

Ace Cider
Cask Conditioned Diamond Knot IPA
Lindemans Framboise

FOOD OPTIONS: Pretty much anything that your heart desires with the consideration that you are in a bar.

STAFF OPINION: Attentive and helpful, but not entirely knowledgeable about the beer offerings.

Approximately 12 miles south of the Beer Blotter Headquarters, within earshot of Sea-Tac Airport, lies an establishment that its members had never before set foot in.  This day, we changed that.

The collective has been to the West Seattle location on several occasions, but this was a first to the Burien location.  I’m really glad we went, really glad.  This place is great…and big.  Spacious indeed.  There is a lot of room to breath.  The ceilings are high, the bar is long, and every corner you go around reveals a new room.  Did I mention it’s big?

I think the reason the atmosphere most resonated with me was that it reminded me of the Independence Brew Pub (RIP) in Philadelphia.  It was a long time Sunday ritual for me to grab some food at Reading Terminal Market and then relax with a good pint around the corner.  I’m sad it’s gone, but I’m happy I found a replacement.

A few notable highlights include the dueling, full size shuffleboard tables and the beautiful, glass enclosed, sunken brewing room in the back corner.  Seriously, the brewery is like a display at a museum.  Sadly, the brewing was done for the day when we were there.  Reason enough to go back I presume.  It might be a bit odd to watch the brewers work from above, behind glass, as if they were attractions in a zoo, but it might be really cool too.  To be determined.

Lucky for us, the grandiosity didn’t end there.  The beer and food menus packed a substantial list of offerings for whatever mood may strike.  A great variety of beer styles were pouring, both in-house brewed (lion’s share) and guest beers (both local and international).  Food offerings included burgers, sandwiches, soups, salads, fish & chips, tacos, brunch items…and it goes on.

Beer was on the mind this day, so our food order was left at a very large and delicious Bavarian Pretzel with honey mustard.

For brews, we went with the sampler.  It was our choice of five, excluding the Brandy Barrel Brown and Imperial Stout (boooo!).  The choices were…

Sampler Tray @ Elliott Bay Brewery!

Black IPA – 6.3% 60 IBU – Very bitter up front, lots of bakers chocolate on the finish. Dry hopped w/ Cascade & Amarillo.
Hop Scotch – 8% scotch ale, 66 IBU – Dark amber, a lot of sweetness, slightly boozy, some fruitiness, tastes almost aged, barleywine like.
No Doubt Stout – 6.3% 32 IBU – Coffee oils and acidity, lots of sweetness, malty finish, possible arrested fermentation.
Nitro Gulden Von Boorian – 7.3% 30.6 IBU – Well made Belgian golden with a wonderful nose of yeast and mild fruit and coriander. Why you would put this on nitro vexes me.  My Belgians need prickly carbonation.
Riot Ale – 7.6% strong pale ale, 77 IBU – Slightly buttery, best carbonation yet, European hops in the nose.

You may be wondering where all the great stats above came from.  Well my friends, I present to you, the best part of my entire experience at Elliott Bay Brewhouse…the Beer Bible!  This thing isn’t just lying around, so be sure to ask for it.  I kinda wanted to just sit there all night and read it from front to back, but that would have been just a little too nerdy.

We had the fortune of meeting the owner, Todd, who was a very gracious host.  Many thanks to Todd for the good beers, good times, and for answering our many questions!

Elliott Bay is King County’s first all organic certified brewer.  Go there!

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