This sassy blonde is seasoned with coriander, peppercorns, and grains of paradise. Who knows what’s next? 5.1 percent alcohol by volume. For the second batch he used grapefruit and rosemary. The first batch was flavored with fresh cranberries and sage because that’s what piqued Luke’s interest when he visited the market one day. The base beer is the same, but the added flavors change each time they brew a batch, depending on what looks good at the market that day. Slightly sweet and fruity, it finishes dry and just a bit tart, but what sets this saison apart from others is the use of market-fresh ingredients: herbs, fruits and spices. The name is an homage to the late, great Bob Ross, the beloved PBS art instructor known for painting happy little clouds. They’ll always offer a coffee beer, though it may not be the same every time.Ĭrisp and refreshing like a Pilsner, but hoppy like an IPA, it packs a bracing wallop of resinous, floral character. (Downtown, 2116 Western Ave.) Note: Market Fresh and Happy Little Clouds will be a regular part of the lineup. The best place to drink it or fill a growler is at the brewery’s taproom. Look for it at local bars that focus on good beer, like The Pine Box in Capitol Hill ( ), Beveridge Place Pub in West Seattle ( ), or Brouwer’s Café in Fremont ( ). Saison is a style of beer that lends itself particularly well to this kind of playfulness.”įor now, Cloudburst Brewing’s beers are only available on tap-no bottles or cans. “I’m excited to experiment with whatever I can find there-what’s just coming fresh, what’s about to go out of season, and everything else. “It’s so cool being this close to Pike Place Market,” says Luke. One of Cloudburst’s regular offerings is Market Fresh Saison, a beer with a dynamic recipe that takes advantage of the brewery’s location near the market-and its seasonal ingredients. There is always something to admire about consistency-it takes skill and attention to detail-but I also like to experiment, to be creative.”Īfter all, Luke is the brewer who created Elysian Brewing’s Gourdgia on my Mind, a one-of-a-kind pumpkin-peach ale that gained notoriety when Budweiser seemingly mocked it, though not by name, in a television commercial using pumpkin-peach ale as an example of an overly fussy beer. “As a brewer, I didn’t want to open a brewery just so I could make the same beer over and over again. Leading up to the opening, local beer fans were dizzy with anticipation, recognizing that Luke was the creative mastermind behind some of Elysian Brewing’s best-loved beers such as Space Dust IPA and Dayglow IPA, as well as more imaginative beers like Split Shot Espresso Stout and Punkacinno Coffee-Pumpkin Ale.Īccording to Luke, whimsy and imagination are themes at Cloudburst Brewing. The 7,200 square-foot space is primarily dedicated to the brewery, but the small, beer-only, 21+ taproom instantly became a popular destination for neighborhood regulars and beer lovers from across the city. Luke opened Cloudburst Brewing this past December, just one block north of Pike Place Market in the former home of Elliott Bay Bicycles on Western Avenue. 206.602.6061 ) in Seattle was not an act of rebellion against his new corporate overlords he had been planning his departure for months. His decision to open Cloudburst Brewing (Downtown, 2116 Western Ave. The sense of shock was even more pronounced among Elysian Brewing’s employees, who were unaware that getting gobbled up by the beer behemoth, often viewed as the arch enemy of small and independent breweries, was even a possibility.īy the time the acquisition was announced, Steve Luke, then the brewer at Elysian Brewing Company’s Elysian Fields brewpub near CenturyLink Field, was far beyond daydreaming about opening his own brewery. When the story broke in January 2015 that Anheuser-Busch had acquired the Elysian Brewing Company, one of Seattle’s oldest and best-loved craft breweries, beer lovers reacted like it was a death in the family.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |