The Beer Retard

We should probably just called it Tomme Arthur Week in Seattle. I already wrote about Tuesday’s events at Bottleworks and Brouwer’s on the Bottleworks blog. In addition, both Naked City and Collins Pub are hosting Tomme events. Naked City is having a brewer’s night tonight from 6-8 pm. Tomme will be on hand as Naked City taps kegs of Devotion, Red Barn and Serpent’s Stout. On Wednesday night, Collins is hosting a beer dinner featuring several courses paired with Port and Lost Abbey beers for $70 plus tax and tip. I talked to owner Seth Howard on Friday and he said there were still 10-12 spots left. If you’re interested, call Collins (206-623-1016) and see if there are any spots left.

Also happening this week:

Tuesday 2/03: Idaho’s Laughing Dog will be featured at Beveridge Place. Someone from the brewery will be there and their new Alpha Dog Imperial IPA and RyePA will be poured.

Thursday 2/05: Hale’s is honored with a brewer’s night at Beveridge Place. Mongoose IPA, Troll Porter, Kölsch and others will be available.

Sunday 2/08: Pike is hosting a vertical tasting of its Old Bawdy Barleywine. The tasting is $18 ($15 for WABL members) and includes pours of the ’94, ’96, ’97, ’06, ’07 and ’08 versions. Space is limited, so RSVP to mstclair@pikebrewing.com to save a spot.

I’m excited about Lew Bryson’s new blog, The Session Beer Project. He’s decided to champion the brewing and enjoyment of flavorful beers under 4.5% ABV and I’m with him all the way. There have been many, many times when I’ve been out drinking all day and the big beers have started taking a toll on me.

Sure, sometimes you’re just having one or two beers after work and you can choose an 8% double IPA and a 10% Belgian tripel. With a meal and plenty of water, that’s no big deal. But if you’re planning a four stop pub crawl or tasting at least 8-10 beers at a festival, it’d be nice to be able to have several beers, enjoy the taste of every one and not get hammered– and hungover the next day.

For almost a year, I’ve been saying how much I’d like to see a Seattle session beer festival. All the festivals here are packed with double this, imperial that, with everything at 7% ABV or higher. There are always a few solid, lower alcohol options, but those are in the minority. How cool would it be to go to a beer fest and have 20 samples (hopefully most of which were flavorful and interesting), and come away with nothing more than a slight buzz? Okay, some people might not think it’s a good thing, but it sounds great to someone who likes to try as many beers as possible.

Seattle breweries don’t make many true, year-round session beers. Maritime Pacific’s Old Seattle Lager is 4.3%. Pike’s Weisse, Hale’s El Hefe Weizen and Big Time’s Coal Creek Porter are all right at 4.5%. There are several beers between 4.5-5.0%, such as Elysian’s Fields Pale Ale and Zephyrus Pilsner, Hale’s Red Menace and Cream Ale, Georgetown’s Roger’s Pilsner and Pike’s Naughty Nellie. Of the beers at or under 4.5%, the Coal Creek Porter is the only one I drink with any regularity.

So I’m carrying the flag for Bryson’s cause here in the Pacific Northwest. Maybe we can get local brewers to consider making styles we don’t normally see in these parts: milds, bitters, a variety of lagers, etc. Who knows? If this movement gains momentum, maybe Seattle Session Fest will become a reality.