Sip Northwest, Spring 2019

We do find that by also embracing more traditional methods we can produce beers with a level of complexity nuance and food friendliness much more often associated with our winery neighbors says Matt Van Wyk of Alesong 53 S I P N O R T H W E S T C O M with immense personality inspired by the primitive nature of beers ancient origins the brewery is named a er They utilize 10 barrel fermenters and during spontaneous fermentation season their own coolship for individuality and a sense of place in their beers While the bottles can be tricky to come by Barbarian has taprooms in both Boise and Garden City There youll fi nd wonderfully antiquated options like a patersbier o en referred to as the Trappist monks lawnmower beer Ever changing options include a dark sour graf or apple beer called Dark Tower and Red Sonja a four barrel blend of sour red Flanders ale We also make gruits which utilize herbs and botanicals Long says Gruits predate the usage of hops so brewers used other plants to help fl avor and preserve the beer Barbarians maltster Mecca Grade Estate Malt practices floor malting from its Madras Oregon headquarters An old means of turning and germinating the grain that predates most industrial ways it is labor intensive but prized for the deep fl avors it can produce Moreover it fi ts hand in glove with Barbarians traditional approach In Honor of Agriculture Up in Blaine Washington so close to the Canadian border you can see it ATWOOD ALES turns out rustic beer om a century old working farm As the towns f irst and oldest brewery Atwood takes pride in the fact that it produces farmhouse beers om an actual farmhouse and barn much like youd encounter in the French or Belgian countryside The old world qualities of Atwood extend into the environmental realms of stewardship and even biodynamic practices Here spent grains are spread in the hop fi elds wastewater is used for irrigation and native plants are introduced to uphold the biodiversity and overall health of the watershed This is the kind of pre industrialized farming that is practically ancient yet forward looking in terms of sustainability Atwoods beers honor the agricultural modus operandi Mainstay beers like the Lodge session ale and Grange farmhouse ale are sprightly relatively low ABV wonders that are perfect for a ernoons in the fi eld Even the Dark Harbor an oyster stout made in collaboration with Drayton Harbor Oyster Co in Blaine comes in at a modest 5 percent alcohol by volume The label also produces a broad range of seasonal experimental and sour options Experience Tradition Back at Benedictine Brewery the monks are sipping tripels and encouraging patrons to join them in some festive holiday caroling Theres a smile on every face in the building due in large part to the warm atmosphere and tasty beers but at least partly because folks are engaging in something older than the mechanical clock The motto at Benedictine is quite fi ttingly taste and believe Like many of its old world counterparts its worth the visit out as these breweries are alike in their pursuit of high quality but also so in terms of limited availability many not distributing beyond their walls Plan your next beer adventure around the labels that adhere to the very philosophies that birthed the industry Those leading the charge om Belgian fanatics to full blown monks are eager to share in their creation Atwood Ales