Yesterday the new issue of Beer West Magazine (Summer 2011) showed up in my mailbox. In this issue, the Best of the West Coast awards. As with any such list, you likely will not agree with many of the choices. Remember, these things are subjective. Which west coast city is the best beer city, or which west coast brewery is the best brewery, is entirely a matter of opinion. If you think that your opinion about such a topic represents some all-knowing or absolute truth, you have issues.
While it is easy to sit up here in Seattle and feel like the rest of the world pays no attention to us, we must remember that one of the reasons we love Seattle is because the rest of the world pays no attention to us. Still, sometimes it is discouraging when we don’t get the respect we are due. When it comes to giving Seattle its propers Beer West does a better job than most. For instance, the Beveridge Place Pub (blog sponsor) was just named the Best Beer Bar on the West Coast. Not too shabby!
Here are some highlights, including the local faves that made the list. For the complete list, you’ll have to pick up a copy of Beer West. Consider a subscription.
Best Beer Bar – The Beveridge Place Pub. Hurray! Our local “local” took home the cheese! The Beveridge Place got a lovely, full-page write up as well. Cheers to all our friends at the Bev! You deserve it!
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Best Tap Selection – Brouwer’s Cafe. Hard to argue with that one. Whether you like to drink globally or locally, Brouwer’s Cafe has you covered.
Best Beer Adventure – Schooner Zodiac Brewery Sail. Disembark from Boundary Bay Brewery in Bellingham and sail through the San Juan Islands to Port Townsend and Anacortes, with great beer along the way and at every port.
Best Beer+Food Pairing Event – Tom Douglas’ St. Patrick’s Day Beer Blast. Yep. This event is so good that I atteneded it this year with a 101 degree fever. I should have been home in bed, but I’m so glad I wasn’t.
Most Unique Ingredients – Avatar Jasmine IPA from Elysian Brewing. At one point, Dick Cantwell told me that it was his favorite of all the beers he’d ever brewed. That was a couple years back. Maybe he’d just brewed it for the first time. Maybe it really is his favorite. Either way, this is an interesting and amazing beer, in my opinion.
Best Beer City – San Francisco, CA. I suppose it would have been too obvious to pick Portland, especially since that’s the city where Beer West is based.
Best Brewery – Prodigal Son Brewery, Pendleton, OR. Only drank their beer once and thought it was awefully good. This bountiful praise certainly gives me a reason to make a roadtrip. Can’t complain about that.
Best Brewer – Vinnie Cilurzo, Russian River Brewing. Is anyone really surprised? Listening to people pile the love on Russian River is getting a bit old (you guys are beginning to sound like Red Sox fans or something), but the quality of the beer cannot be denied. I must admit that when I walked through the front door of the Russian River pub last September, I was giddy like a little school girl. Vinnie is a serious rockstar and it is pretty much impossible to argue with this pick.
Best Beer Chef – Sean Paxton. Duh. Seriously. Duh.
Best IPA – Russian River’s Pliny the Elder. Double Duh. Regardless of my opinion, or any other opinion, Megan Flynn (editor at Beer West) probably would have needed a Secret Service security detail if she hadn’t picked Pliny the something to win this award.
Best Beer, period – Bridge Creek Pilsner, Silver Moon Brewing. Missed this one last year when we were in Bend. Perhaps that’s a tragedy. Don’t know.
Most Sustainable Brewery – Sierra Nevada, Chico, CA. While many breweries strive for sustainability, and they all deserve kudos, Sierra Nevada is nearly 100 percent powered by its own solar energy project. And that’s just the beginning of the list when it comes to Sierra Nevada’s commitment to sustainable brewing. We visited the brewery not too long ago and it’s amazing.
There are more awards. Find the latest copy of Beer West Magazine and check it out.
