Just Clap Your Hands

There has been a long-running debate about bottles versus cans and we're going to provide the definitive answer.  By "long-running debate" we use the New York Times standard so somebody probably talked about it somewhere. That somewhere was at the most recent Qualia Coffee beer swap. It was less a debate and more a conversation with the general consensus being that there will likely be a shift away from bottles and towards cans in the coming years. Of course, we agreed with this consensus because we have no real idea what we're talking about. Dumbarton's knowledge begins and ends with knowing you can typically purchase beer in cans or bottles.

Dumbarton's Beer has no dog in this fight. Meaning, we don't own or have a financial interest in an aluminum factory or a glass blowing plant (disclaimer: we have been to the Corning Museum). On occasion we are asked if there's an official DBB Policy Statement on cans or bottles and there is not. Our rationale is that we are focused on the beer and not the container. If it doesn't impact quality and flavor you can sell it to us in plastic baggies. How much would a dime bag of beer run us?

At 4:45pm this afternoon the executives at Dumbarton's Beer determined the time for a policy statement is at hand. The statement is as follows:

We like cans.

It was a warm spring day inside the beltway. The kind of day that makes you want a cool beer and a barbecue. In preparing to set up the grill we gathered the appropriate tools - charcoal, newspaper, grill scraper, one can of Dale's Pale Ale. Step one: remove grill cover. Step two: open beer. That's when the apple landed on our proverbial head. The can cracked open like a beer commercial was being filmed in the backyard. It made that distinct can opening sound that, back in the day, you saw between innings of your televised baseball game. The sound that on television makes even Genessee Cream Ale desirable.

Cans are cool. They're not hipster cool or emo cool but old school cool. In opening that one can of Dale's we were instantly transported to cool. Drinking beer from a can must be the equivalent to cruising the strip with your best girl in the Boss 429. It's Bad Company writing the song Bad Company. It's the Hulk Hogan beating Andre the Giant. It's losing three straight Super Bowls and having the balls to come back for a fourth. In short, it's American.


PS. We were drinking beer from a bottle during this writing.

More Local than Starbucks

Nick Cave is weird

Seattle, WA - home of Starbucks, Microsoft, and Boeing. I'm sorry, what was that about Boeing? Oh, just as well given current events.

In the four days of our trip we learned that it does not rain all the time in Seattle, they do have a lot of coffee, and the rumors of craft brew heaven appear to be true. We also learned that there was a dry spell during the filming of Sleepless in Seattle so all the rain scenes are fake and we found where the boats from Deadliest Catch dock in the offseason.

Our plane landed this past Monday at 2p, fully in tact, and by 4p we were bellied up to the Pike Pub & Brewery. Located in the Pike Place Market, the pub boasts no less than 6 brews made on site along with several guest brews on draft. There's a myriad of bottles to choose from as well. We decided to play it close to the vest and drink only the brews made on site. The Double IPA was good but not as good as the Kilt Lifter or the Stout. The Trusty Assistant strongly recommends the XXXXX Stout and the Monk's Uncle, an abbey style ale.

Beer

We followed our trip to the brewpub with a stop at the Seattle Police Museum. It was not raining at the time but it was cool (several locals commented on the abnormally warm weather) so we stopped for a spring jacket along the way; highlighting our pathetic weather softness. The museum has pretty much everything you would expect to find in a police museum - guns, badges, handcuffs, and billy clubs. I swear it was a museum and not a kinky strip club. After trying on several police caps and gun belts we noted a cool display on prohibition and the capture of many famous gangsters. We also found an early breathalyser machine (perhaps the museum could raise funds by selling it to MPD).

Dork

On Wednesday it rained so we dined at the Elysian Brewing Company. Elysian is a bit more professional than Pike, which is not necessarily better or worse just different. We enjoyed the Dragonstooth Stout and the Mens Room Ale - it's a beer; no seriously. We enjoyed the Mens Room more than any other mens room we've tried. It was so good we decided to try Mens room in other parts of the city. Somewhere, Chuck Berry is giggling.

We can sum up Seattle in one brief line uttered to the hotel bartender. Thursday was the three-hour boat tour in the rain. In fact, it rained all day Thursday and into the evening. The tour was great but the weather sucked so we finished the trip by watching NHL playoffs at the hotel bar. A gentleman sits next to the trusty assistant and asks the barkeep about brews on tap. After hearing the rundown the gentleman complains that he can't get a regular beer on draft (we assume he meant national brew like Budweiser or Coors Light). That got us thinking...

The Northwestern, we promise

Every pub and restaurant we visited was dominated by pacific northwest brews on the tap. We mentioned  guest brews at the brewpubs. The boat tour had a bar with five local brews on tap. The hotel bar was four locals and one national. Again, the hotel bar had four locals on tap. The Irish pub was a push. The big names were available but primarily in the bottle.

The same can be said for coffee. Yes, Starbucks dominates the market but it is still local. However, we found several local chains and what appeared to be several local one offs that reminded us of our own Qualia Coffee.

Obviously, this was not a scientific study but it was scientific observation (prove it wasn't). At the end of the day we were pleased with the easy access to local fare. It doesn't hurt that the locals were very friendly and the vibe of the city is everything we remember from Singles. OK, we haven't seen Singles since we were in high school and wearing Docs but nostalgia counts for something and perception is reality; so we've been told.  So, thank you Seattle. We look forward to our next visit.

One last thing - Check out the Seattle Art Museum if you're in town. You will not be disappointed.

It Was A Yeti - I Seen Him

Smell My Yeti Smell!

Not only is it Yeti but it's the youngest of the Yeti lineage. Of course, we're referring to Great Divide Brewing Company's Espresso Oak Aged Yeti. This is one of several Yeti brews, of which, we have tried none so there isn't much for us to go on by way of comparison. That said, we did score a fancy glass for this brew. Perhaps it's time to take pictures with a quality camera and not on the kitchen counter (those are some fancy looking electrical outlets).

This is one dark brew. If you stick your hand in the glass you won't be able to see it. The aroma is mild coffee and sweet - like the cafe mocha we drink every morning. Yes, we are coffee wussies here at Dumbarton's Beer. This Yeti is also quite robust. The coffee flavor is most prevalent in a strong malt body. We didn't find much of the "vanilla oak character" but we didn't really miss it. The carbonation is in the medium range and it finishes with a nice warmth.

Generally, we're coffee stout fans and the Yet is near or at the top of this genre. It's the kind of beer you can sip your way through two or three bombers before you realize what you've done. The folks at Great Divide recommend this brew with breakfast foods so we may just open another bottle in the morning.