Aug. 28th, 2009
Hale’s is known for their beer as well as for the Moisture Festival held at the Hale’s Palladium in March. This was a first time visit for both of us and they had 12 different beers to welcome us! I ordered their Troll Porter Meatloaf and Si went with the BBQ Bacon Cheddar Burger. We finished off with a Chocolate Pot de Crème.
The Verdicts:
Hale’s Pale American Ale - “Our flagship – a model of balance. Firm malt body, pleasing hop character. Hops: Clusters & Centennial. OG 1.052, ABV 5.0%”
Si: This was my standard first beer whenever I’d go to the Blue Moon in the U-District. Already a favorite.
Ericka: Good, simple.
Hale’s Cream Ale - “Very smooth, golden ale. ‘Nitro’ conditioned, creating it’s creamy head. Hops: Nugget. OG 1.049, ABV 4.5%”
Si: Flat, uninteresting to me.
Ericka: Banana, metal, smooth.
Hale’s Cream HSB - “Like a trip to England. Classic ‘special bitter’ style, sturdy yet smooth. Hops: Nuggest & Mount Hood. OG 1.047, ABV 4.5%
Si: Very smooth, subtle malt, not my style.
Ericka: Soapy, very hoppy.
Troll Porter - “Brewed big enough to keep the Fremont Troll happy. We sure hope he is… Hops: Chinook, Mt. Hood, Cascade. OG 1.070, ABV 6.9%”
Si: Not my thing. (Said with a very sour, funny face.) I like my chocolate in bar form.
Ericka: Chocolate, smooth, yum. Favorite of the night! And it went well with the meatloaf that was named after it.
Mongoose IPA - “Hopped at four separate points in the brewing process. Very distinctive flavor. Hops: Amarillo & Chinooks. OG 1.060, ABV 5.9%”
Si: Light IPA, familiar standby. But, it’s a meerkat on the label, not a mongoose.
Ericka: Subtle flavor.
Red Menace Big Amber - “Redefining the’amber’ ale category. This one is big, in both malt & hops. Hops: 100% Centennial. OG 1.053, ABV 5.3%”
Si: Malty. I do like this beer.
Ericka: Good basic beer, not fancy.
Hale’s Cream Stout - “As close to a latte that an ale can get. Silky smooth, tremendous with food. Hops: Mount Hood. OG 1.054, ABV 5.2%”
Si: Boring and flat.
Ericka: OK. Smooth, simple. After the Troll Porter, it seems like a Plain Jane.
O’Brien’s Harvest Ale - “A celebration of ale ingredients. Lots of malt & the ‘freshest of the fresh’ hops. Hops: Cascade & Nugget. OG 1.049, ABV 4.5%”
Si: Very malty, incredibly sweet.
Ericka: Good, tasty, strong flavor.
El Jefe - “A true ‘Bavarian Style’ hefeweizen with a fruity, spicy complex character. Hops: US Saaz & Mount Hood. OG 1.052, ABV 5.2%”
Si: Lemons, summer, very light.
Ericka: Reminds me of summer cookies and bananas.
Kolsch - “A ‘lagered’ ale. Straw colored, delicately flavored, a nice welcome to Spring. Hops: Saaz & Mount Hood. OG 1.045, ABV 4.5%”
Si: Like El Jefe but less sweet.
Ericka: Eww. Not my thing. Reminds me of the beer my dad used to drink.
Nut Brown Ale - “A ‘lighter’ entry into the dark ale genre. Medium bodied, roasty character, semi-sweet. Hops: Mount Hood. OG 1.048, ABV 4.5%”
Si: The finish is better and hoppy.
Ericka: Hoppy but good, little sweety.
Rudyard’s Rare Barleywine - “Rich, malty, and strong. Flavors of plum and raisins permeate this very special brew. Hops: Caseade & Nugget. OG 1.094, ABV 9.2%
Si: Malty, but I like it. It’s got a bitterness to it.
Ericka: Good, strong, on the edge of my hop limit. *Extra note: Does not go well with chocolate! Tried it with the Chocolate Pot de Crème and it was not a happy mixing. Much better with the Troll Porter.
Wow, that was a lot of beer. Thankfully, they were sampler-sized, but still. Truth be told, we didn’t quite finish *all* of the beer but we came close.
The service was also a bit disappointing. Distracted and slow more than rude. But, the beer and food were great. The Chocolate Pot de Crème was particularly amazing.
I expect we’ll have to revisit Hale’s in the future. They have a number of very tasting sounding seasonal beers. Their Aftermath Imperial IPA and Pikop Andropov’s Rushin’ Imperial Stout sound very interesting and tasty.
