
Flatter than the Brewtea, which accentuates some of the herbality of the hops. Bergamot is at the forefront here, there's less drying from the tea. It's good but not as good as the other one.
Draft

A very mild bitter with a nice dryness from the tea. Light esters and an unidentifiable fruit roundness on top of the yeast. Quite decent.
Bottle

This is really pleasant to drink. You can see the similarity to the Midday, but with that bit of roast added in ups the game. Interestingly, it doesn't have the bitter bite of the Midday. This really tastes like what I'd imagine a dark rice lager to be rather than any other dark lager type, which makes it worth it!
Draft

This doesn't work for me. It has the sourness of an oud bruin, but it feels kind of tacked-on to the base doppelbock, which is kind of inoffensively sweet. The net result, with no funk or depth to balance it out, is a real kind of vinegary simpleness to the flavor.
Draft

Funky saison, up-front sweetly floral, finishing with a bit of horse blanket and bitterness. Not totally sure I get rosemary here other than in some woodiness. Leaves the tongue feeling a bit fuzzy.
Draft

Not bad at all, actually, athough it doesn't do anything to convince me that the "white stout" style isn't a scam. This tastes more like a sweet-ish coffee blonde rather than anything stout. It's a nice kind of toasty flavor but there's no real depth of body here (maaaaaybe that's the point). It is clean and tasty.
Bottle

Starts out feeling a little watery; a lightly sweet, tangy lager. However, there's an interestingly bracing bitterness, almost woody, that dominates the second half of the sip. Appreciate the hit.
Draft

A roasty-cream coffee stout, a little sweeter than I'd prefer, but at least there's a dry finish. Lactose?
Draft at Hoh River Brewery, Tumwater

Cloudy-funky lager, somewhat citrus-infused. There's definitely some heat in this, although it's not as assertive as I'd have guessed with ghost peppers. Of all of these, this is the most drinkable.
Draft at Hoh River Brewery, Tumwater

A lime-forward hop bomb that also seems to have that coconut overtone present in the Happy Hoh. Also: is not hazy at all?
Draft at Hoh River Brewery, Tumwater

An intensely alpha IPA, citrus rind, pine, and ... coconut? Almost?? Seems unlikely, but that's the flavor I'm getting.
Draft at Hoh River Brewery, Tumwater

Amber lager with a significant caramel backbone and aftertaste. Behind all that, a light grassy bitterness provides contrast. It's a very clean and light after the stouts.

Smells like strawberry jam. It doesn't 100% meld into the stout, which is robust and roasty. Note: if you mix this 50-50 with the Mrs. Voorhees it's pretty good.

Decent peanut butter fragrance and flavor; just a bit sweeter than I'd prefer and there's some abrasiveness to the finish. It's fine though.

Toasty, dry brown ale. The swetness is in the interesting spice profile on the finish, almost reminiscent of a root beer? Sarsaparilla? I liked it.
Draft at McMenamins Spar Café, Olympia

Similar to the Ruby Ale but a little murkier, more sour, it has that lactic sweetness you'd expect from the description, but the finish isn't quite as pleasant.
Draft at McMenamins Spar Café, Olympia

Raspberry, lightly sweet, cereal finish. Really pleasant to drink.
Draft at McMenamins Spar Café, Olympia

The most "normal" beer here, it's a sweet citrus/pith hazy that finishes pretty much exactly as it starts. Lingering alpha.

The flattest beer, almost makes me think of a nitro pour. More sour on the finish than the others. Feel murky; I got more of my stout fix from the Conejo Azteca.

Like the Alebrijes, but with the addition of roast and a little coffee. Which makes it an improvement. It's also a little more carbonated, which helps.

A little watery, accentuated by this being mostly flat. A little corn sweetness, with a slightly tart finish.

Tropical hops, fragrant and fruity, dominate the opening here. This beer is bright and crisp and dances on the tongue before resolving into a sweet cereal finish. A little bit essential-oily but it’s nice.
Draft at Gasworks Brewing, Seattle

Black Raven La Petite Mort (2022)
Toffee, butter caramel, wood. Dissipating and dry, this is a beer for sore taste buds. Wonderful.
Draft at Black Raven Brewing Company, Redmond

Extremely clean-tasting pale ale; fragrant, piney, a round, non-specific fruit character that gives this a champagne character. Refreshing, easy-drinking.
Draft at Maelstrom Brewing Company, Kirkland

Has a strong whiff of vodka right up front. This is stronger and less smooth than In Bed, although you can taste the elements in it. The roast remains and a bit of cream, but I missed that buttery finish. Also not gonna lie, I don’t taste the barrel.

A really excellent stout. Starts out a little more taster than expected, but resolves to malty, bitter caramel finish. Not sweet.

This doesn't scream peanut and it's even less distinct than in the treat, but it does seem to make the difference in cutting the sweetness of the Bar. The finish is still sweet, but it's just ever so much more interesting getting there.
Draft at Matchless Brewing, Tumwater

Matchless Bar (2025)
Chocolate, whiskey, an unapologetically sweet finish that thankfully isn't syrupy. Sports a pretty mellow finish for such a young beer.
Draft at Matchless Brewing, Tumwater

Thin, only lightly sweet, but with a nutty finish and some mellow cacao. It doesn't really make me think of a candy bar, but it seems all the more drinkable for it.
Draft at Matchless Brewing, Tumwater

A chocolate-umami stout, although I wouldn't go so far as to say I tasted truffle. It's not unlike candy cap beers I've had before. Faintly sweet and flat, as one might expect from a cask.
Cask at Ilk Lodge, Olympia

Chocolate caramel, a bit of roast. Unsweet. Probably the most balanced beer of the bunch? But maybe, also the most expected.
Draft at Ilk Lodge, Olympia

Woody stout, roasty and on the verge of smoky. Just sweet enough to be interesting, but there's an unusual vegetal quality to the roast.
Draft at Ilk Lodge, Olympia

Medicinal, rooty, bitter. Kind of empty of body, but clean.
Draft at Ilk Lodge, Olympia

Cereal lager with a bit of grassy funk on the finish. Lightly vinous.
Draft at Ilk Lodge, Olympia

A lot. Bourbon, tobacco, coffee, fireplace. Umami, complex finish, and not necessarily in a pleasant way.
Draft at Black Raven Brewing Company, Redmond

Pine-resin opening, almost over the edge on pungency, but this does resolve into a more mellow caramel finish. Fizzy, a touch sour.
Draft at Watts Brewing Company, Woodinville

Cereal sweet lager; Helles-like, with hints of apple up front and a brackish, sweet finish. Really drinkable!
Draft at Well 80 Brewhouse, Olympia

Banana, clove, white pepper. Classic Hefeweizen flavor.
Draft at Well 80 Brewhouse, Olympia

Coffee and sweet cream. Roast is somewhat dominant and gives this a slightly charred flavor combined with the lactose.
Draft at Well 80 Brewhouse, Olympia

Extremely intesnse, sweet booze; raw-tasting, maple, dried fruit. Somewhat too over-the-top to really love.
Draft at Well 80 Brewhouse, Olympia

Caramel-forward, boozy but mellow. Light notes of stone fruit, but the caramel is dominant. Just a bit of bitter fire on the finish, which may or may not be preventing this jumping up a level. Otherwise delicious.
Draft at Skep & Skein Tavern, Olympia

Sweet, richly cereal lager. A touch funky/cloudy in flavor on the finish. Still, this was probably the best of the flight.
Draft at Bickersons Brewhouse, Renton

Creamy, thick stout. Maybe has lactose? It's sweet in an out-of-balance way and tackier on the finish than I expected.
Draft at Bickersons Brewhouse, Renton

Tastes like a coffee Vienna lager with some smoke/hops backbone adding bitterness. Slightly sour finish.
Draft at Bickersons Brewhouse, Renton

There's something a bit vegetal about this sour, like rhubarb without strawberry. It has a nice cereal finish but it's hard to enjoy.
Draft at Bickersons Brewhouse, Renton

Citrus-grapefruit hazy. First impression is that this is sweet - not syrupy, but with a bit of a candy/cereal sheen. A little herbaceous: mint, thyme? Clean finish.
Draft at Bickersons Brewhouse, Renton

Exactly like drinking a blueberry muffin. Clean, sweet, bready finish. Probably needs you to be in the exact right mood.
Draft at Black Raven Brewing Company, Redmond