Friday 24th June 2011
Bob Thompson
I caught the no 2 trolley bus from downtown to this pub. Please see my photograph of it coming up Spring Street to the stop. I think it gives a good idea of how hilly Seattle is, and you can just see Puget Sound in the background above the bus.
I caught the bus to the Union/13th Street stop from which it is a two block walk to the pub at 1221 E Pike Street. This is a well established Seattle brewery and is well known in and outside of the city. Because it is situated on a hill it has several levels. I entered at the upper level and descended to the bar area.
There was a great selection. Firstly the regulars: The Immortal IPA (6.3%) an Indian Pale Ale style, Dragon's Tooth Stout (7.4%), The Wise Extra Special Bitter (5.9%), Perseus Porter (5.4%), Prometheus IPA (6.7%), a North Western USA style and The Men's Room Original Red (5.6%).Then there were the seasonals: Laser Pale Ale (5.4%), Bête Blanche Tripel (6.9%), Trip IX Down Under IPA (6.3%), a beer that uses only Australian and New Zealand hops but does have the addition of Passion Fruit (??), and Raconteur (4.8%), which is an attempted recreation of the erstwhile Yuengling's Porter from Pennsylvania. I can remember drinking Yuengling's Pale Ale but not Porter.
The next selection was of beers from the Elysian Field brewpub, down near King Street station and the sports stadiums. There was Elysian Fields Pale Ale (4.8%), Idiot Saison (6.3%), Slight Return Pale Ale (3.1%), The Great Pumpkin Imperial Pumpkin Ale, (8.1%), Akhnaten Fertile Delta Farmhouse Ale (7.0%), a rather pretentious name for a somewhat pretentious ale which contains pulped dates soaked in Metaxa Greek brandy, and White Woods Wit (5.2%), a Belgian style wheat beer.I had a taster tray, see photo above, which consisted of Immortal IPA, The Wise ESB, Perseus Porter, Loser Pale Ale (replacing Avatar Jasmine IPA) and The Men's Room Original Red. I liked the Immortal IPA a lot and so was very pleased to notice that it was also available on cask. I ordered a pint and it was even better than the usual version. Prometheus IPA was the other cask beer, so I had a pint of that as well, also fantastic. The brewery itself is on the lowest level, see photo right.
Important Information:
Elysian Fields at Capitol Hill, 206 1221 E Pike Street, Seattle WA. 98122. Tel: 206 860 1920
Open: Mon 11.30-24.00; Tues to Fri 11.30-02.00; Sat 12.00-02.00; Sun 12.00-24.00
This pub is in the Pike/Pine district and it is easily reached from Downtown.
The following buses run from different points in the city centre: 2, 10, 11 and 12.
The common denominator is that you alight from all of them at the nearest stop to
12th Street and the brewpub is one block away.