52 Weeks: Peaks Brewpub, Port Angeles, WA

Peaks Brewpub is the All-American pub

Week 22 of 52

Peaks Brewpub

130 S. Lincoln St.

Port Angeles, WA 98362

Rank: 3.5/5

Type of Establishment: Beer Bar and Brewery

Visit: Our first stop back in civilization after 3 days in the wilderness, drinking warm beer and soaking up the sun. A cold beer was all we wanted! That and a nice hearty meal of solid food – burgers sounded wonderful.
BEERS ON TAP —>

Wanda Fuca Gold Pale Ale

Trainwreck IPA

Ed’s Big Ass Red

Mt. Pleasant Porter

A Glorious Tap List at Peaks Brew pub!

Guest Beers:

21st Amendment Brew Free or Die IPA

Oskar Blues Old Chub Scotch Ale

Port Townsend Hop Diggity

Left Hand Sawtooth Ale

Deschutes Inversion IPA

Humbolt Hemp Ale

BOTTLED/CANNED BEER:

Surprisingly, these guys have a pretty amazing bottle selection. Not only can you purchase beer to drink at the bar – you can take it home with you. At the prices we saw, you might actually beat the grocery store prices.

Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

Lagunitas Undercover Shutdown

Stone Ruination IPA

Oskar Blues Collective: Ten Fidy, Old Chub, Gubna, Gordon, Dales and Mama’s Lil Yella

many others……

FOOD OPTIONS:

Lets get it straight: I’m from the Midwest. You don’t have to throw me a big menu to make me happy. If you own a bar and you have wings and burgers – you did your job.

Peaks has a small menu but they cover all the bases. Wings, chili dogs, soups, burgers, chicken sandwich and chili. That will fill a menu, and any hungry man’s stomach. Add to that a veggie burger and you make almost everyone happy (except hip Seattle people who can’t handle traditional pub fare – we had some of those with us).

In any event, I went with the mother of all menu items: the works. Double beef patty, four cheese slices (swiss and american), onion, pickle, bacon, tomato – all on a beautiful crusty kaiser roll (seriously the bun is really good).

Verdict: The burger did the trick. Wish I had tried to the wings though.

BAR OPINION:

Full disclosure: I like dive bars. I even like crappy bars. As long as you have some kitchy decor, interesting cold beer, and food from the grill – you will probably keep me happy.

Peaks hit all of those things on the head, even if not so squarely. But, as an added bonus, they have a brewing setup right in the pub, pumping out hand crafted ales! Can’t beat that.

The brewing setup at Peaks

The bar owner is also a brewer. They have pumping out beer for a number of years now. While some are pretty bad, there are a few bright spots on the house tap list.

Lets start with the bad. The Porter was basically an amber of sorts. It had little flavor, almost no smokiness and actually tasted like it had gone bad. The same could be said about the Pale Ale, which lacked significant flavoring. I would not recommend giving either a try.

The Big Ass Red is worth a flyer if you are looking for something with a punch. It has a aged malt flavor that is almost tart. The hop character is identifiable and the alcohol hidden quite well. Not an outstanding beer, but worth a go.

The Trainwreck IPA is the best in show. In fact, I would actually recommend this beer to many an IPA fanatic. A sweet, viscous bodied ale, the beer is dry hopped with the neighbor’s back yard grown hops. The ABV on this one is unknown – but its pretty high. If you intend on sitting around and eating, start with this one. If you like it, I would recommend sticking with it for the balance of your meal.

The bar itself is well-decorated. The kitchy feel is supported by a bevy of old images strewn across old coolers, mirrors and walls. The vast collection of church keys invites the eye for at least a good half-hour.

The brewery is located in the rear of the pub. Its enclosed with two glass sides facing the customers. So, you can get a great look at real-time brewing. The brewer was on the premises the whole time we were there, making a batch of our favorite – Trainwreck IPA.

Peaks has a nice-sized TV (though we were stuck watching women’s soccer -hmmmm…) and a full-sized pool table on the premises. There is quite a lot of space, including large tables that can accommodate at least 15 people.

The bar staff was excellent. I was so very impressed with the way Becky (I did catch her name) was able to juggle the task of handling all beer pouring, order taking, cooking and babysitting the couple drunk middle-aged guys sitting at the bar.  She managed to get us beer as we needed it, deliver our food quickly, cook it thoroughly, and keep the drunkies at bay. She gets an A+.

In sum, Peaks is a worthwhile stop. I have been to Port Angeles a few times and have never found a place worth visiting. This is it. When we are in the town again – we will make another stop.