To get the party started, I visited New Belgium Brewery's table for a taste of The Trip #1. Settling down on my beach towel in the shade, I admired the golden, honeyed color of the opaque beer and the gentle smell of apricots and hops. The medium-weight beer washed over my tongue with a nutty sweetness and left behind a taste of lemon and orange. The smooth feel and mild hops perfectly complimented the weather and the festive feeling I often associate with drinking outdoors. It's not complex, but definitely enjoyable, with 8% alcohol and an IBU (bitterness rating) of 40. Overall The Trip was a great deal, my favorite 1-ticket economy beer for the day.
Next I stepped it up with Rogue's Captain Sig's Deadliest Ale. Pooled in the center of my glass, the color appeared chestnut in the center while the sun glinted off the golden edge. A nutty nose followed through on the palate, complimented by a high note of lemon. Though it felt surprisingly light for being so dark, it had more bitterness than flavor. With 6.2% alcohol content and an IBU of 75, I don't feel the need to drink this 1-ticket beer again.
After the Rogue, and with the weather growing warmer and the garden more crowded, I craved light beer. So I went for white. Blanche de Bruxelle from Belukus looked milky in my glass, the pale lemon-juice color more cloudy than clear. I inhaled banana and floral scents and thoroughly enjoyed the crisp refreshing mouth feel. It seemed to fizz then dissipate in my mouth, like champagne. At only 4.5% alcohol and 20 IBU, it was my favorite overall beer of the day, one I intend to seek out at other locations. Blanche de Bruxelle proved the perfect accompaniment to a festive summer day, well worth the 2 ticket price.
I also enjoyed Trade Route Brewery's Mango Weizen, though I'm not on the hunt to buy it. The fruit beer is perfect in small doses, but I think the concentration of mango could easily overwhelm in too tall a glass. The cloudy yellow beer tasted juicy and tart, but I found myself wishing for a cleaner, dryer palate. At 5% alcohol and 15 IBU, it's almost more juice than beer. In the end though, the fun fizzy tongue and long finish left me enjoying this 1-ticket weizen even after my glass was empty.
Alagash Curieux, a boubon-barrel aged Belgium triple, is more than just a tongue twister, it's a damn fine brew. The barrels, previously used for Jim Bean, lend the beer notes of vanilla and caramel. This 2-ticket beer clocks in at 10% alcohol and 30 IBU. It's a pretty beer up and down, from the golden opaque color to the sweet, toasty flavor.
California Cider Company's Ace Joker Strong Cider was a great palate cleanser. It tasted surprisingly light for having 8% alcohol, but perhaps my acuteness of taste was fading. The translucent cider resembled a white wine more than beer. I loved the crisp, refreshing feel of fruit acidity and the delicate apple and floral flavors. This would be a fabulous sipping cider out on the porch, and at only 1 ticket, I sipped steadily from my beach towel perch.
As my afternoon wound down, the garden filled up. The grassy grounds surged with happy and boisterous people, everyone enjoying themselves, even as the lines grew longer. Too soon it was time for a journey back home to curl up for a pre-fireworks nap.
If you're at all interested, go in 2010! I recommend showing up to the Seattle Center at noon so you can get in line for the happy hour deal of 5 bonus tickets. The garden really starts filling up around 2, so it's good to have a spot staked out by then. Bring friends, basque in sunshine and fill your stomach with snacks-on-sticks and bubbly brew. I'll be next to you on the grass, staring up at the sparkling space needle, and together we can toast our country's greatest summer celebration.
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