In 1997, Maritime Pacific Brewing opened a taproom adjoining the brewery and named it the “Jolly Roger” in honor of our most popular holiday brew. Couched in a cozy, warm atmosphere complete with a “pirate” flair, it is here in the Jolly Roger Taproom that you will fully appreciate the extensive variety of fine Maritime Pacific brews along with our delicious, reasonably priced entrees designed especially to complement them!

Time of arrival 6:00pm

Small whole in the wall with a great atmosphere, the décor reminds me a confiscated pirate ship, lots of flag and maritime décor. The place was packed with locals. They could tell by the way I was dressed that I am a visitor here.

So here I am ready to embark on my next review. Of course, I begin with a sampler of beers. At Jolly Roger’s taproom, you select which brews you want to sample. I love that! (5) 6 oz tasty samples!

Beer 1 – NightWatch Dark Ale
ABV: 5.5%
IBU: N/A
Taster’s notes: easy malty notes, gorgeous amber hues persistent head, easy drinking and extreme lacing. Good hints of ABV at the back end. Smooth and extremely drinkable! Smooth finish. Im falling in love with this amber.

Beer 2 – Salmon Bay ESB
Beer Style: ESB (Extra special bitter)
ABV: 5.5%
True English bitter, rich malty flavors and good balance of hops at the back end. Good lacing, copper hues and great carbonation. A top contender for my list of favorite ESBs.

Beer 3 – Islander Pale Ale
Beer Style: American Pale Ale
ABV: 5%
Taster’s notes: beautiful blonde color, subtle flavors, easy drinking. Very tasty pale ale!
Light refreshing and with a surprisingly hoppy finish.

Beer 4 – Imperial IPA (no name)
Beer Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 7.5%
Taster’s notes: Hoppy Blast! Without questions this Imperial IPA rivals all other Imperials in terms of flavors. I am a little disappointed to see that this is ale is only 7.5% but in terms of flavors, this one will have the hop heads singing the happy hoppy song!

Beer 5 – Bosun Black Porter
Beer Style: English Porter
ABV: 5.5%
Taster’s notes: PITCH BLACK, fantastic oaty flavors, not overly malty good balance and easy to drink. I cant say that this brew knocked my socks off but I didn’t dislike it. Those of you who know, I am not a huge fan of malty beers and ever-so-often I’ll crave a good stout, this one is one I’d reach for. My favorite stout.. is still CoreBrewing’s Horse-Around Stout!

The Food:

Roasted Jalapeno Caeasar

Spicy and very pungent. Outstanding flavors – crisp romaine, spicy jalapeno dressing topped with ancho tortilla strips and crumbled cojita cheese. Recommended pairing is the imperial IPA. The imperial IPA was in the sampler and let me tell you, it’s a heavenly combination. Ya sure it’s a classic combination (spicy foods with IPA) but it’s a classic for a reason!! Boy this salad has some heat on it!!

Sautéed Clams and Mussels Vera Cruz

Local fresh clams and Penn Cove Mussels sautéed in a spicy tomatoe fumet with chorizo and roasted chilies finish with queso fresco. WOW. Need I say more? Did you see the pictures? Man o Man, if you dig clams and mussels, this is it! Spicy little morsels of chorizo in a mountain of tasty clams and mussels. The broth.. Incredible! I can barely type! I am stuffing my face as we speak! Paired w/ the Imperial IPA, this dish is out of site! This dish is insane! Rocks my world!

Korean Glazed Yellow Fin Tuna

Sushi grade Hawaiian Ahi brushed with a house made Korean style glaze then fire grilled to a medium rare, served with a picked Asian cabbage (kim chee style) and fresh grilled asparagus. Okay.. yet ANOTHER kick ass dish here. Unbelievable flavors here. At a quick glance the glaze looks to be a bit overpowering but WOW, it’s such a beautiful subtle flavor that compliments the fish. Spicy yet mild this dish is fantastic. I paired this dish with their Island Pale ale, the flavors compliment each other VERY well. HAPPY TUMMY! The picked veggies (kimchee) was well prepared, kimchee is not for everyone but these pickled veggies was a good compliment to their Korean style glaze. Fantastic dish!

Overall impressions:
As you see, what’s missing from this review is CoreBrewing’s featured brew babe. There were a few ladies here visiting but none working here. The few that visited drank either a heffe or a pale ale. I would imagine that they came to hang out w/ their boyfriends and were not here specifically for the brews. Nonetheless, this is my first stop where the food and the beer were top notch! A must for anyone visiting the area. Come for the beer and food and cross your fingers for the babes. A++

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