Brewery #15: Salmon Creek Brewery

Kyle and I stopped at Salmon Creek on the way to a Blazers game in Portland. They opened at 4:00 and we got there at 3:59 so when they let us in we were the only people in the bar for at least the first half hour. Even with the place empty, I really enjoyed the feel of the bar and the waitress was really friendly. She was very proud of the brewery and told us all about the awards they had won and how their small town brewery from Vancouver that no one had heard of beat the popular Seattle brewery Pike Brewing Co. in some kind of brewing competition.

We met the owner's wife who had a bat that had different types of bad beer written on it like Bud Light, Coors and Miller Lite and apparently when people ask, "Can I have a Bud Light" she brings out the bat and says, "I'll give you a Bud Light". Yes, a little creepy, but she really is a charming old lady.

The sampler at this place was intense. There were lots of specialty beers with flavors I haven't tasted yet and everything was really pretty tasty. If, for some reason, you are ever in Vancouver, WA (not Canada) I would highly recommend stopping by. There's also a specialty beer store next door where we found the delicious Kona beer that I have been trying to track down for about a month. That made me very happy.

Golden Ale (4)
This beer is very sweet with a great flavor. The only thing a little off about this beer, and actually all of the beers, was that is wasn't cold enough. Another hour in the fridge and this beer would've been perfect.

Scottish Ale (4.5)
This one is a slightly sour amber. I really liked the malts in this one.

IPA (3)
This IPA has a hint of orange in it. Kyle did not like this one but I thought is was ok.

ESB (4.5)
I used to really not like ESBs but I have recently changed my mind. This one was delicious, I think even better than Redhook's. I, unfortunately, don't know beer well enough to describe these flavors but it's a really good beer.

Sweet Stout (3.5)
This one has a sweet, coffee flavor. I can really taste why they call it a "sweet" stout. I really like the little twist it gives to most stouts I've had.

Thunderbolt Porter (3)
Not my favorite porter. It was missing a lot of that flat coffee flavor I've come to appreciate in this type of beer.

Salmon Clause '06 (3?)
This one has the most distinct flavor I've noticed in a beer. There are all kinds of spices in this beer. I can taste coriander and maybe even some nutmeg. I give it a 3 because the flavor is so unusual I'm not sure if I like it or not.

German Alt Bier (2.5)
This one has a funky taste. There's a unique sourness to it that I can't describe adequately but it's really not my favorite.

Most of the beer at this place was delicious. I'd definitely give it an overall score of 4. I actually kind of surprised I haven't seen this brewery on tap in more bars around Seattle. I hope that they are given the opportunity to expand so that I don't have to drive 3 hours to Vancouver to enjoy it. The brewery food and character also gets a 4 for a total score of 8. This one was great!