Belgianfest happens this Saturday at Seattle Center’s Fisher Pavilion. We just recently concluded a ticket giveaway contest where we asked people which beers most excited their beer-loving palates. Many of their picks mirrored my own.
You can read about all of the beers pouring at Belgianfest here. Get more info and tickets here.
Below, I provide my list of the top ten beers I’ll be seeking out. Let’s face it, narrowing it down to just ten beers when presented with this kind of amazing beer lineup is a bit of a fool’s errand. But, that said, I did find ten things to recommend. There are a lot more beers I am looking forward to trying, but I wanted to keep the list short. And, of course, 10 is such a nice round number.
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
I’m also looking forward to trying beers from some of the newer breweries that I have yet to visit, like Blewett Brewing in Leavenworth and Dystopian State Brewing in Tacoma.
So, having dutifully explained all the caveats, here are my top ten picks for Belgianfest 2017:
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
- Aslan Brewing – Illmatic IPA. Read the description. At first, this one sound a bit too odd. But then read the description again and suddenly it all starts to come together. My mind races, it sounds amazing.
- Beardslee Public House – Grapple Belgian Tripel. A traditional Belgian-style, strong ale brewed with deeply American hops. I have a weak spot for Amarillo hops and can’t wait to see if they shine through a big beer like this.
- Black Raven Brewing – Hoppy Table Beer. When I think of Table Wine, or Table Beer, I think of something rather mundane. Not bad, but solid in an unremarkable but totally acceptable way. Good enough. Well, this is Black Raven and they never play it so safe. And while you’re there, they’ll have some other great stuff on tap, too.
- Bale Breaker Brewing – Calecon Saison. Why? Have they done anything wrong yet? Seriously. I’ll try this one just to find out if they have done anything yet that is not excellent. I just keep waiting for them to screw something up. Showoffs.
- Flying Bike Cooperative Brewery – Free Rye’d. In general, I like rye beers. This one, brewed with juniper and sage, sound particularly delicious. Actually, sounds kind of savory.
- Postdoc Brewing – Brett Alpha Factor IPA. This one sounds very interesting indeed. A barrel-aged IPA, inoculated with Postdoc’s house Brettanomyces culture, dry-hopped with Citra hops, and then barrel-aged. It sounds like a tropical jungle full of oak trees.
- Propolis Brewing – Any of them, all of them. Especially if you’ve never had beers from this uncommon, beloved Port Townsend Brewery. Their beers are beautiful and rustic, refined and adventurous. Wild but also civilized. Their beers always make me gasp, and then smile.
- Schooner Exact Brewing – Amarillo Saison. Are you sensing a theme. I admit that I’m a bit of a hop freak. I’m a big fan of hoppy saisons and Amarillo remains one of my favorite hop varieties.
- Three Magnets Brewing – Second Anniversary Sour Red Rye Ale. I love a good sour red ale. As I said, I love rye beers. Can’t wait to find out if I love this one twice as much. I’ve heard good things. That’s all.
- Urban Family Brewing – Of Both Worlds. Another hoppy saison. This one from what I classify as one of Washington’s most under-appreciated breweries. Reading the description, and knowing Urban Family’s beers, I cannot imagine it being anything but good.
Happy hunting. I hope that my list will at least get you moving. More importantly, I hope it helps you find your favorites.
Cheers to our sponsors, like..
