Press Release
The Washington Beer Commission is proud to announce the beer list for the 6th Annual Belgianfest beer tasting festival at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center (Pier 66) on Seattle's waterfront. The event will feature 42 Washington Breweries pouring more than 100 unique, innovative and delicious Belgian style, Washington brewed beers.
Belgianfest will have two sessions on Saturday, January 31, beginning with a Noon - 4:00pm session, and followed by 5:30pm - 9:30pm session on Saturday evening.
The Bell Harbor International Conference Center is located at 2211 Alaskan Way, Pier 66, Seattle, WA 98121. Tickets are available now atwashingtonbeer.com and are $35 in advance or $40 at the door (per session). This event has sold out the last five years and advance ticket sales are brisk. The afternoon session is already 75% sold!
Belgian style beer is perhaps the most unique of all of the beer styles. As you look over the list of Washington Breweries and their Belgian style names imagine beers with flavors of orange zest, vanilla, toffee, cherries, chocolate, raspberries, citrus, apricot, or peppercorns, just to name a handful of the flavors infused in these amazing brews. This is a perfect way to get warmed up a day before the Seahawks take on New England in the Super Bowl on Sunday!
Complete event info is available at: washingtonbeer.com
2015 Belgianfest Beer List
American Brewing
Edmonds
1) Saison Rouge
This Saison is light, crisp and spicy with a slight reddish hue from the addition of pink peppercorns. Limited Release. 6% ABV
2) Stupid Sexy Flanders
Deep red in color and more tart than sweet on the tongue, this sour is a playful wink at the traditional Belgian Style Flanders Brown Ale. Aged in red wine barrels with raspberries. 6.5% ABV
Anacortes Brewery
Anacortes
1) Raspberry Roulette
Tart and dry, light bodied red ale with a nutty, toasted finish. Inoculated with lactobacillus and 21lb (per bbl) of local organic raspberries. 4.1% ABV
2) Broken Link Sour
Made with oats, wheat, honey and black pepper. Brewed in collaboration with homebrew brothers, Nathaniel and Benjamin Porter. Soured in barrels for 9 months. 6.2% ABV
3) Imperial Flanders
Imperial Red Ale hopped with Perle, Mt Hood and Cascade varieties aged with black cherries and blended from 4 different barrels. 9.5% ABV
4) Jaune Aigre (shoon ay'-gra)
Sour blonde ale collaboration with North Sound Brewing. 6.2% ABV
Big Al Brewing
Seattle
1) Time Capsule August 2014
A hopped farmhouse ale fermented with 100% Brettanomyces. Generation additions of Apollo hops were added to the secondary. The subdued funk and deep tropical and citrus fruit flavors created through primary fermentation with our house Brettanomyces strain are complemented by the bright and citrusy Apollo hop varietal. 7.3% ABV
2) Time Capsule September 2014
This Saison is styled after the classic thirst quenching farmhouse beers produced in the French-speaking region of Belgium. Our house saison strain packs this beer with spice and citrus, leading to a dry finish with a subtle floral hop character. 6.8% ABV
3) Time Capsule October 2014
Dry-Hopped Sour. This mixed-culture sour ale was open-fermented and thereby inoculated with our breweries indigenous microflora. The funky aroma gives way to tart, complex fruit flavors and has enough residual sweetness to create a balanced sour ale. As a BelgianFest exclusive, Falconer’s Flight 7 C’s hops were added to the secondary introducing grassy, citrus notes to the already complex aroma. 7.8% ABV
Black Raven Brewing
Redmond
1) Raven de Garde
This Northern France inspired strong pale hybrid has gone through a six month secondary fermentation with the “wild” yeast strain brettanomyces lambicus, then dry hopped in order to meld bright fresh hop aroma and accent with aged wild yeast character. Pear and citrus hops play with tropical fruit, smooth earth, and light hay flavors from the wild yeast. 7.4% ABV
2) Bourbon La Petite Mort
This Belgian inspired strong abbey brown ale was brewed with a Belgian Ardennes yeast strain. Additional time and barrel aging has brought out flavors of dark fruit such as plums and raisins, deep caramel notes, bourbon and vanilla. 11% ABV
Boundary Bay Brewery
Bellingham
1) Dubbel
Boundary Bay's Trappist-Style Dubbel is a gorgeous, golden-amber color with a light tan head. Aromas of Belgian candi sugar, toffee, and pretzel greet the fortunate imbiber. At first sip, there is a light spice and very present earthiness on the palate, with toasted pretzel and dried fig flavors present, filling all the surfaces of the tongue with a number of flavors. The complex, lingering finish is bitter and sweet at once, not quite a singular balance, but something much more dynamic. The yeast, of course, is the star of this beer's song, but the Belgian and German specialty malts are solid back-up singers! The assertive strength of this beer, will get you through these long NW nights, or any gloomy NW time for that matter, just be sure to let it warm in the glass a bit to experience the fullest flavors. 25 IBU 8% ABV
Der Blokken Brewery
Bremerton
1) Castover Belgian Style Ale
This deep golden yellow Belgian has a sweet honey nose with subtle hints of green apple. It's combined with more fruitful notes and delicate malt flavor, balanced by light hop bitterness and completed with a floral finish. 8.5% ABV
2) Margaux Belgian Tripel
This Belgian strong ale was special brewed for the Seattle Belgianfest. It has well-balanced notes of malts and hops with a pleasant spiciness and slight sweetness. 9% ABV
Dick's Brewing
Centralia
1) Dick's Silk Lady
A light and refreshing Belgian-style ale, the mash includes a small quantity of Munich and caramel malts for a delicate body and pale color. A fair amount of top quality wheat malt gives this beer its crispness and drinkability. It is hopped sparingly for minimal
bitterness and mellow hop flavor and aroma. We ferment with a classic Belgian yeast strain which gives this beer unique fruity esters.
15 IBU 5% ABV
2) Dick's Grand Cru
Intensely fruity and complex Belgian-style ale. A full mash with a ton of malted barley is required to reach the high gravity required for this style, along with a special classic Belgian-style malt. Noble hops are added sparingly to the kettle. During the long boil kettle sugars are added in the Belgian Tradition which lends to unique flavors in the ferment which is monitored as the flavors develop. The beer is chilled and aged before being kegged & bottled. 25 IBU 9.9% ABV
Elliott Bay Brewing
Burien/Seattle
1) Organic Dry-hopped Hop Von Belgian-style IPA
Inspired by some of the early renditions of IPAs coming out of Belgium, like Urthel Hop-It and Houblon Chouffe. Flavored with generous quantities of organic Chinook, Simcoe, and Cascade hops.
2) Saison Folle (aka Mad Season)
Dry, light-bodied Belgian ale, showcasing the flavors of our Belgian yeast strain. Hints of tropical and citrus fruit meld with mild spice notes from the use of flaked rye.
3) Blended Sour Red Von
A sturdy Belgian-style Red Ale blended with a measured amount of some sour beer from our Burien barrel program.
4) Mink the Mischief Maker
The Belgian yeast and American hops make pleasant mischief on the tongue, a sleek and pretty animal. Grapefruit, faint grass and spice, medium-round body and dry finish.
Elysian Brewing
Seattle
1) Bête Blanche
Bête Blanche is extremely drinkable, blonde and somewhat treacherous. Brewed entirely from Pale malt and augmented in the boil with clear Belgian candy sugar. Bittered with German Northern Brewer and finished with Styrian Goldings hops. Fermented with Belgian ale yeast. 36 IBU 7.4% ABV
2) Bitch In a Barrel
Our Bête Blanche aged in oak for 10 weeks
3) Saison Gris
180 pounds of crushed Pinot Gris grapes were added to a light to medium-weight Saison built on pale and white wheat malts and Polaris and Equinox hops. The result is a really nice hybrid of saison yeastiness and grape, with perhaps a soupçon of pinkish color. 25 IBU 6.3% ABV
4) Sour Grapes
Sour Grapes is a kettle-soured Berliner Weisse-style beer to which was added a hefty bucket of tart and tiny verjus grapes. 3% ABV
5) The Perfessser
We suspect the Brewers, with plums and brettanomyces, pale, Cara Hell and wheat, and German Northern Brewer and Styrian Goldings to bitter and finish, at the Capitol Hill brewery. 6% ABV
6) Mr. Yuck
Mr. Yuck Sour Pumpkin is a little mellower than usual. It was brewed with pale, Weyermann Munich, unmalted wheat and flaked barley, incidentally bittered with Fuggles, with pumpkin in the mash, kettle and fermenter. 5.9% ABV
7) Andre The Giant Double IPA
This Imperial Belgian-style IPA is solidly built (not to say toned) on pale, caravienne and dextri-pils malts, bittered with Chinook and finished with Mosaic and experimental 366 hops. 74 IBU 8.3% ABV
8)Marché le Public
Pro-Am Saison designed by homebrewer Collin of Vancouver BC and selected by us at a competition organized by Beer Thirst, our distro in those parts. Pale, Wheat, Honey Malt, Oats, Citra Hops. 6.3% ABV
Fish Brewing
Olympia
1) Reel Ales Monkfish
Nectar color with a sweet malty flavor and subtle hop aroma. Fruity and spicy esters impart a heavenly complexity to this light bodied delight. 9% ABV
Fremont Brewing
Seattle
1) Rye Saison
Our twist on the traditional saison incorporates rye malt providing an earthy balance to our fruity Belgian yeast. The Rye Saison takes your senses on a journey though clove, pear, pepper, banana, and so much more. 30 IBU 7.3% ABV
2) Fremonks Tripel
A deceptively dangerous brew, Fremonks Tripel is a dry and enticing golden ale with flavors of lemon, spice, honey, and apple. It goes down smooth, but packs a serious punch. 40 IBU 9.8% ABV
3) Sour Weisse
Sour Weisse is touched by lactobacillus through a traditional souring process where we let this naturally occurring bacteria - found on all barley - have free reign of the wort in the kettle overnight before we boil it and ferment with our house yeast. It’s like a lactobacillus playground (until we kill them during the boiling process). This all-natural process lowers the pH of the wort giving it a pleasant tartness. We then ferment out any residual sugars with our house yeast so the beer finishes dry and delicious. 9 IBU 4% ABV
Gallaghers' Where U Brew
Edmonds
1)Monk Tripel
Heavy, fruity, and goes down smooth. Need a little pick me up from this Winter weather? At a 9% ABV this tripel will warm you up in no time flat.
2)Belgian White
Light and easy, this sessionable Belgian is reminiscent of long Summer days. A hint of citrus and sweetness, the Belgian White is a crowd-pleaser. 5% ABV
3) Belgian Black
Mixing it up for these dark-season nights, this mysterious Belgian is bold, rich, and well worth a try; a well-rounded, toasty back-drop to that classic Belgian taste. 6% ABV
Georgetown Brewing
Seattle
1) Le Coq Rouge:
Fruity and effervescent with a soft malt character, Le Coq Rouge is crisp and clean with a dry finish. This farmhouse style ale is moderately spiced with grains of paradise and bitter orange, and uses Acidulated malt to give the beer a pleasant tartness. Also brewed with Pilsner, White Wheat, and Vienna malts, Tettnang and Hersbrucker hops. 35 IBU 8.9% ABV
2) Donkey Deux
A Belgian Dubbel style ale brewed with 110lbs of Candi Sugar, fermented with traditional Belgian yeast and cask conditioned, DD is big on classic Belgian flavor. 15 IBU 8.4% ABV
Hale's Ales
Seattle
1) Guapo's Saison
The second edition from the original, brewed specifically for Belgianfest last year, this year's beer has some improvements: a lower alcohol content and a dry finish. This should make for the perfect palate-cleansing beer to counter some of the 'hop bombs' you'll find at this festival. We fermented this golden ale with traditional saison yeast, under slightly lower temperatures, to reduce the various esters sometimes contributed by these strains while keeping the mojo just right for the yeast flavors to stand out. We've also dosed in brettanomyces into the secondary fermentation tank to funk some things up a bit. This beer will taste slightly tart, and will also have some yeast haziness, but is sure to be full-flavored. 5.2% ABV
2) Gold Rush
Our palate bomb! 11 percent and aged to perfection, this employs the same saison yeast strain as Guapo's saison but under different melodies. A strong golden ale, perfectly bright and full of nuanced layers of flavor, malty sweet, ester rich, spicy (as in spice rack, not picante), light bodied, alcohol presence for support, and a vibrant aroma. 11% ABV
Hilliard's Beer
Seattle
1) Oak Aged Saison
Oak Chardonnay barrel aged version of our saison. 7.5%abv
2) Sweet little rye
Light and refreshing farmhouse ale with rye malt that adds a slightly spiced finish. 4.5% ABV
Holy Mountain Brewing
Seattle
1) Bonne Nuit
Belgian-style Strong Ale. Brewed in collaboration with our friend and beer-itual advisor, Jerome Seipp, Bonne Nuit is brewed in the tradition of the great Belgian strong ales, and magnificently hopped in the American tradition with Centennial, Cascade, and Columbus. 10% ABV
2) The Ox
Farmhouse ale with citrus zest. 7% ABV
Lantern Brewing
Seattle
1) Wallonia
A lightly tart and barely funky Saison aged in oak. 4.9% ABV
2) Des Moines
Belgian style Dark Strong Ale, rich and sweet with hints of caramel, toffee, and raisin. 8.9% ABV
3) Bonneville
Belgian style Pale Strong Ale, hoppy, complex, delicious, and enjoyable. 7.2% ABV
McMenamins
Seattle
1) Ambrosia Berry Belgian
This unique ale is brewed with raspberries and boysenberries using a
favorite Belgian yeast strain. The result is a complex layering of fruit
flavors and spicy phenolics. 6.97% ABV
2) Two Block Walk
A big, full bodied Imperial Amber loaded with Chinook hops. The use of a Belgian Abbey II yeast strain adds wonderful fruity and spicy flavors and aromas. 88 IBU 7.75% ABV
Menace Brewing
Bellingham
1) The Belgian Pickle
A Belgian style wheat single hopped with Sorachi Ace and fermented with Bella Saison yeast. The Sorachi Ace hop brings out a nice dill and lemon character that blends nicely with the Belgian yeast character. 22 IBU 5% ABV
2) Saison
The Menace Saison brewed with Vienna and pale malt along with Willamette and EKG has a great balance of malt, hop and Belgian character. Pineapple and peppercorn to taste and finishes dry.
20 IBU 5.5% ABV
3) Farmhouse Pale
Fermented at a high temp to extract the most out of the Bella Saison yeast, this Belgian style farmhouse pale is flavorful and bold. 20 IBU 5.3% ABV
Odin Brewing
Tukwila
1) Belgian Table Beer
Light refreshing Belgian session beer. 5% ABV
2) Fauxboise-Sour Raspberry Ale
A tart Belgian style ale fermented with raspberries. 5.6% ABV
Paradise Creek Brewery
Pullman
1) Culture Shock
A Belgian-style wit bier we aged in a red wine barrel, along with a touch of Brettanomyces and Lactobacillus to give it something special. A little bit of funk and tartness accentuate the citrus, spice, and wheat. Incredibly complex yet still refreshing! 18 IBU 5.4% ABV
2) Daily Dubbel
A Belgian-style Dubbel ale, on the strong end for the style. Very complex, with malty aromas of biscuit and toast. Heavy on the dark fruit and caramel flavors derived from the Belgian yeast as well as our house-made candi sugar. 18.6 IBU 8.6% ABV
3) Stocking Stuffer
A Belgian-style Quadrupel that we aged in 45 year old tequila barrels. House-made candi sugar and Belgian yeast define this beer with assertive dark fruit, spice, and caramel flavors, with a little extra kick and oak that pairs together beautifully! 21 IBU 11.4% ABV
Peddler Brewing
Seattle
1) Night Rider Dark Saison
Brewed with dark roasted wheat malts and fermented using a French saison yeast, this deceptively dark beer bursts with flavors of pepper, spice and citrus. Ending with smooth roasted finish. 20 IBU 8.3% ABV
2) Night Rider Dark Saison, Oak Aged with Brett (First Session only)
This complex aged beer starts with spicy, tart, and roasted flavors and finishes dry with hints of oak and bourbon. 20 IBU 9.2% ABV
3) Belgian Dubbel
A medium bodied ale featuring classic Belgian flavors and a sweet malt base. 16 IBU 8.3% ABV
4) Belgian Style Dubbel, Aged with Brett & Green Apples (Second Session Only)
A Belgian style ale aged with tart green apples and a secondary Brett fermentation. The result is a dry malt background that gives way to flavors of apple and pear before ending with a moderately sour finish. 16 IBU 9.1% ABV
Pike Brewing
Seattle
1)Pike Monk’s Uncle Tripel Whiskey Barrel Aged
38 IBU 9% ABV
2) Pike Tinkertown Tart
Cranberry infused Pike Monk’s Uncle Tripel. 38 IBU 9% ABV
Propolis Brewing
Port Townsend
1) Spruce
Golden Saison brewed with Spelt and Spruce- 7.5%
SIP Magazine's "Best Belgian Ale" 2014- Best of the Northwest
2) Achillea
Farmhouse Dubbel brewed with Yarrow- 7.5% ABV
2) Zephyros
Golden Saison-Brett, brewed with Elderflowers & Spelt - dry-hopped with Rakau Hops
Pyramid Breweries
Seattle
1) Pyramid Dubbel
Belgian Brown Ale
Rainy Daze Brewing
Silverdale
1) Klaas Vaak
A Dark Strong that has additions of roasted Rye and Crystal Rye.
Thus adding to the already complex beer it is. 30 IBU8.1% ABV
2) Bewildered Stout
A Belgian inspired Stout, starting with Belgian Pale Malt, Flaked Barley, chocolate and roasted malts and some Dark Candi Syrup. 27 IBU 9% ABV
Ram Brewery
Seattle
1) Ram Barrel Sour
A blend of oak-aged sour beers. 5% ABV
2) Ramification
A dark strong abbey-style ale. 8% ABV
Ramblin' Road Brewery
Spokane
1) Barrel-Aged Midnight Rambler Sour Dark
Sour Dark ale aged for 1 year in Dry Fly Whiskey barrels with figs, Brett, and Lacto. 9% ABV
2) Barrel-Aged Mosey-On Golden Strong
Golden Strong ale aged for 7 months in Barrister Winery Cab & Merlot barrels with local apricots, Brett, and Lacto. 7% ABV
3) Barrel-Aged Vagabond Sour Farmhouse
Funky sour farmhouse ale aged for 8 months in Barrister Winery Cab-Franc barrels with local Rainier Cherries, Brett, and Lacto. 6.5% ABV
4) Barrel-Aged Kerouac Imperial Farmhouse
Imperial farmhouse ale aged 6 months in Barrister Winery Merlot & Sangiovese barrels with yellow plums, Brett, and Lacto. 8.5% ABV
5) Wild Card IPA
100% Brett fermented IPA brewed with loads of Simcoe, Cascade, and Centennial hops! Big citrus, pine, and tropical fruit hop flavors and aromas. 85 IBU 6.5% ABV
6) Red Rover Sour Red
Bold sour red ale bursting with ripe berry flavors and aromas that gently fade into a dry toasted almond finish. 7% ABV
7) Plowed Farmhouse Ale
Funky tart light farmhouse ale brewed with our house blend of Saison & Brett yeast strains. 6% ABV
Redhook Brewery
Woodinville
1) Ella Ardennes
A spicy Belgian blonde ale brewed with a touch of rye malt and Ella hops from Australia. Pale Malt, Rye Malt
2) Ella Ho