Hale’s Ale Pub
Since 1983, Hale’s Ales has produced a wide variety of innovative English style ales for beer lovers of the Northwest. Among those has been the Northwest’s first Pale Ale (Pale American Ale), Amber Ale (Moss Bay Amber), and Seasonal Ales (Wee Heavy & Irish Ale). And, in 1992 Hale’s became the first brewery in the U.S. to produce nitrogen conditioned ales (Cream Ale, Hale’s Special Bitter, and Cream Stout).
The brewery was conceived and designed by Mike Hale with the assistance of head Brewmaster J. Kipling. The remodeled 17,000 square foot building, formerly an industrial hose manufacturing plant, is located on Leary Way in-between the Fremont & Ballard districts of Seattle, and includes a pub with seating for 125 customers. The 30 barrel, stainless steel, gravity fed, all steam-heated brewing system is in full view. The fermenting room sits behind 15′ tall panes of glass, allowing brewery visitors to fully watch the ales in process (there are even mirrors on the ceiling!), yet maintain the sterile environment necessary for Hale’s yeast to thrive. Hale’s employs an age old English brewing method that features an ale yeast that for centuries has been specially adapted for the open-topped fermenters of the traditional English brewery. One of the more pleasant and fascinating sights for a brewer, or any interested viewer, is the bubbly, creamy “head” that develops through the various stages of fermentation. Only these fermenters can accommodate this wonderfully aromatic and vigorous yeast.
Located north of downtown Seattle on Leary Way between the Fremont and Ballard Districts this pub is located in a very low-key industrial like area. Not a lot of glits and glam.. as all brew pubs should be.
Time of Arrival: 4:45 PM
The Atmosphere: the happy hour crowd is about to converge. A few locals already hanging out enjoying the fine brews I walked up to the bar and was greeted by a semi friendly female bartender.
This is a recently constructed pub, the facility is spotless, modern style bar. The décor is typical of a pub, nothing terribly fancy but really comfy. I can see spending several hours just hanging out w/ friends and good beer.
Well to follow suit with what I do, I began my night with the sampler.. the sampler here is completely custom, roughly 1.25 per sample up to 2.00 for the high abv brews. Each sample is 5oz of goodness.. here’s my line up.
I decided I wanted to try a few more…
Okay disregard my numbering here. I got a bit wee tipsy and well kinda lost track of where I was in the numbering. The information remains the same and eventually I’ll come back to this post and clean it up..
Beer 1: Original Pale
Beer Style: American Pale Ale
IBU:
OG: 1.052
ABV: 5%
First brewed on July 4th, 1983, Pale American Ale is the brewery’s flagship, and the Northwest’s premier pale ale. “The Pale” strikes a delicate balance of malts and hops, and is embellished by the distinctive fruitiness of the brewery’s special yeast. A Northwest Classic!
Taster’s notes:
Light golden hues, slight carbonation, malty/hoppy aromas, great balance – I’ve never been a fan of the pale ale’s but this one tops my list. Easy to drink, clean finish. At the top of my list no doubt.
Beer 2: El Jefe’ Weizen
Beer Style: Heffe Weizen
IBU: N/A
OG:
ABV:
Jefe”, translated, means “The Boss”. That’s the position this hefeweizen aspires to. El Jefe pushes the wheat beer category to a new level ~ beyond bland. The flavor profile is “true
Bavarian Style” ~ complex and mouthfilling, with the spicy and fruity influences that only
genuine hefeweizen yeast can produce.
Taster’s Note: fruity aromas, hints of bananas, nice cream colored head, WOW! Mild spices and an incredible flavor. Easy to drink. Beautiful golden copper hues goes down smooth with a clean finish. This Heffe ties for my favorite, Marin Brewing’s Doppel heffe.
Beer 4: Hale’s Special Bitter
Beer Style: Extra Special Bitter
IBU
OG
ABV
Hale’s Special Bitter is a complex, deep amber colored ale that blends a silky smooth body with
Intriguing hop aroma. “H.S.B.”closely emulates the famous “special bitters” of Great Britain.
This beer was early Hale’s brewer Tom Sheimo’s favorite ~ taste it and you’ll understand why. Interesting spotted cream head, beautiful amber hues. Nitrogenated ESB, very smooth with a great balance. I am on the fence if I really liked the cream ESB, I might have to drink another pint for 5 before I can decide. After 8 5oz samples, my judgment becomes a bit hazy.. all I know is that I love beer.
Beer 5: Cream Stout
Beer Style: Cream Stout
IBU
OG
ABV
Cream Stout is smooth and chocolatey, slightly sweet, with a subtle “coffee-like” flavor. The use
of several varieties of dark malts help achieve a complex roundness. This jet black brew can
be enjoyed with a hearty dinner or as a meal in itself. Hmmm.. so this is as close as a alcoholic latte you can get! Almost smells like a cup of starbucks coffee. Gorgeous tan head, ultra persistent. A coffee blast with hints of chocolate. Easy to drink and would pair excellent with a vanilla dessert.
Beer 6: Super Goose IPA
Beer Style: Imperial India Pale Ale
IBU
OG
ABV: 7.7%
For an imperial IPA, its not ultra bitter, its surprisingly smooth with a clean finish, beautiful orangey cooper hues, and a very lovely cream color head. Surprisingly persistent. I can see myself polishing off a keg of this stuff. Its easy to drink and pleasing for my hoppy palate. A bit weak on the ABV but you drink this one for flavor.
Kolsch: German Style Lagered Ale
OG: 1.045
ABV: 4.5%
Taster’s notes:
Beautiful light golden hues, subtle aromas, almost too subtle to a point where I could barely pick them out. A bit too light for me, after drinking the pale ale and cleaning my palate, the flavors of this beer was a bit too subdued.
Troll Porter
OG: 1.070
ABV: 6.9%
Delish coffee and chocolate aromas. The flavors did not disappoint, very smooth and easy to drink. Surprising light with a clean finish, this porter is a top contender on my list. Without question, I’d be happy to purchase a growler of this bad boy and take it home with me. For anyone who fears the dark beers, I would definitely encourage you to try this one.
Hale’s Cream Ale
OG: 1.049
Abv: 4.5%
Incredibly smooth, golden ale, nitro conditioned with an AMAZINGLY creamy persistent head. I didn’t get a chance to clean my palette after the imperial IPA so there maybe some contamination going on. Regardless, I am enjoying the smooth clean taste. Easy to drink with a clean finish.
After 9 5oz samples, I was a bit tipsy. Yes indeed. It was hard for me to write this review as I had to hit the restroom a few times, breaking my train of thought.
The Food:
Chipotle Chicken Wings – Baked Spicy wings with Chipotle sauce served with blue cheese dip and veggies.
Tasting notes: Good smokey flavor, not a whole lotta heat behind it but ultra TASTY! I guess im hungry after consuming 40+ oz of beer. Nonetheless good flavor and texture. You would think that you would miss the “fried” aspect of the wings but its good. I don’t think you would miss a beat here. Dunked in blue cheese, these wings are virtually irresistible!
Hand-toss pizza
Pepperoni, sausage and mushrooms
Decent pizza, nothing to write home about.. wait, I guess I am writing home. I suppose what I am trying to say is that if you’re visiting here, there is no big need to try this pizza. I was talked into it by one of the patrons. I should have known better and went for the home made beef stew.
Overall impressions:
The bartender was a cute but she was unfortunately not very friendly and did not display a good knowledge of brews. The bar was busy but not to a point where she had a good excuse for to spend a little time chatting up with the patrons. Funny that she was surprisingly friendly just before I settled my tab… come for the beer – try something off the entrée’ list and skip the happy hour menu. I am definitely coming back to try out more brews.
Note to self: Next time I will use the restroom before I leave, you could only imagine the pain on my face when I got caught this after drinking 45oz of beer and at least 3 large glasses of water!
Tags: beer, Brew Pub, Food, Hale's, Pizza, Review, Sampler, Seattle, Wings
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