Mrs. Vintage and I recently had the opportunity to travel to the Pacific Northwest, specifically the Bremerton area of the state. The first trip was so we could spend Christmas with our daughter and son-in-law (youngest daughter made the trip as well). The second trip was in early January so we could welcome Grandchild #1 to the world. Good times had by all.
During these visits my son-in-law and I made a determined effort to try several beers from (mostly) local breweries. Sadly, I was unable to take notes on all of them. I can however make a few recommendations (and one I would advise against) should you ever make the voyage to the Land of Gray Skies and Soggy Yards.
Narrows Brewing Co. Galloping Gertie (Golden Ale): Narrows Brewery is located in Tacoma, Washington and is named for the Tacoma Narrows Strait of Puget Sound. They have quite a variety of year-round and seasonal beer, but I decided to try their Galloping Gertie Golden Ale. Oh, historical note: Galloping Gertie is the name of the Tacoma Narrows bridge that tore itself apart in 1940 due to high winds.
Coming in at 5.2% ABV and an IBU rating of 30, Galloping Gertie would seem to be a good choice for my tastes. Sad to say, I was disappointed. It’s not a bad beer, but it was pretty bland. More like a lager than an ale. Very thin mouth feel and little in the way of flavors. This is a beer you can have several of in one sitting, but it will not leave much of an impression. Now, I don’t want to say that ALL of Narrows Brewery beers are bad; I’m just saying I wasn’t too impressed with the Galloping Gertie.
2 Belches: 
Silver City Brewery Ridgetop Red (American Amber): Silver City Brewery is located in Silverdale, Washington. I’ve had the good luck of trying several of Silver Cities ales, but Ridgetop Red is my absolute favorite. With an ABV of 6% and an IBU rating of 15, Ridgetop Red is a very smooth yet surprisingly flavorful. Their website says there’s a hint of caramel, but I can’t say that I noticed it. This beer does have a pleasant balance of sweet and bitterness. I would rate the mouthfeel at a medium, with just the right amount of carbonation. If you are passing through Washington and only have time to try one beer, you can’t go wrong with Ridgetop Red.
I give it 4 belches:
Sierra Nevada Sidecar (Orange Pale Ale): Pretty much found everywhere in the States, Sierra Nevada has two breweries. The original brewery was founded in Chico, California in 1979. Even though this brewery is in California, it’s north of Sacramento, so as far as I am concerned it’s in the Pacific Northwest.
Sidecar comes in at 5.3% ABV and an IBU rating of 35. It’s a pale ale with moderate bitterness and a bit of orange tartness to round it out. I found that each swallow started off smooth but ended with a pleasant tang. The flavoring is not so overwhelming that you couldn’t enjoy several Sidecars in one sitting. Mouthfeel was medium with some carbonation.
I award it 4 belches:
Iron Horse Brewery Irish Death Dark Ale: Iron Horse Brewery resides in Ellensburg, Washington. My son-in-law introduced me to this ale when he and my daughter drove back to Colorado to visit family. He thought I might like this ale, so he brought it with him. He was right because I did enjoy it immensely. But I wasn’t into blogging then so I didn’t take notes. So when we visited them in December I made sure to grab a bottle or two so I could study this beer in more depth. All in the name of science, of course.
Iron Horse Brewery’s signature beer is Irish Death, an ale that is self-described as a “dark, smooth ale”. For once, the hype lives up to its description. Irish Death is an almost black ale, with a strong 7.8% ABV and a very low IBU rating of only 12. Despite its low IBU, it is in no way, shape or form a bland beer. However, unlike most porter or stout beers, there is no hint of coffee. This probably means that the malts used in making this ale are not roasted.
Irish Death has a medium mouth feel, with strong malt flavors and a hint of chocolate.
I really, really enjoy this ale and therefor I’m going to give it my first ever 5 belch rating.
5 belches:
Feather Falls Casino Volcano Mudslide (Sweet Stout): Feather Falls Casino is based out of Oroville, CA. Volcano Mudslide has a 6% ABV and an IBU of 20. I have no idea what other beers Feather Falls Casino brews, but I would rather have my balls mashed flat with a wooden mallet than drink this sludge again.
For one thing, for a sweet stout it’s not really all that sweet. It’s not bitter, not sweet, not malty, not anything. It just tastes bad. I found the taste of this stout offensive, so I am going to give it my dreaded “I’d rather have a stick in the eye-socket than drink this beer again” rating.
1 stick in the eye socket: 
