Tom B.
Yelp
Man, these guys are just killin' it, and the evidence is everywhere you look. It's just about the beer here, they don't have a kitchen and they don't pour much other than their own brews. But if you're a beer lover there's definitely nothing else you need.
They're still in the same place where they started a few years ago, but they have completely transformed it. They added extra space to the tasting room, then some more, then opened a wall, then branched rooms off of that new room, and there's outside seating, and so on, and so on. It's just an anonymous little office park building, and they're a dime a dozen in the 425--but there guys have made it into a thriving, bustling spot where people can come hang out and enjoy really good beer.
Now, you CAN order in pizza and otherwise get fed here. They've got you covered that way. So it's not like a beer endurance challenge or anything. It's just that they don't make the food themselves.
The staff are really funny and friendly and easy to talk to about beer, whether you're a geek with a million little questions of a newb with a million basic questions or somewhere in between. They're super busy most of the time, to be fair, but you can be sure you're getting the beer you want and you'll understand what you're drinking.
The expansion actually has big ramifications for them as a business. They're something of a cult brewery, if you didn't know, and there are a lot more people wanting to try their beers than there are beers available. They can't get kegs to everyone who asks for them, so, the farther you get from Redmond, the harder it is to find their stuff pouring. Their bottling is extremely limited, but their reputation extends nationally and even internationally, and for everybody who cracks a bottle of BR, there are 25 people scattered everywhere wishing they could have had some.
A very nice problem to have, right? But still a problem that takes a massive commitment to remedy. And they've made the commitment. They're massively expanding their brewhouse, and the storage, labs, bottling, and everything else that goes with that. By the end of 2014 they'll be producing way more, and doing it way more efficiently with much more advanced equipment. This is *such* great news, for them and for us.
As it stands now, their lineup runs to big ales, with high grav, big bodies, strong flavors, and powerful aromatics. They try everything, though, from traditional styles that you might not have even heard of to sours and fruit beers and stuff that they just totally made up that has no recognized style classification. They're true creative spirits in this way. Most importantly, they succeed in the beers they make. You'll never come in here and drink something just because it's weird and one of a kind--if they do have a weirdly singular beer pouring when you come in, it'll also be good, maybe even amazing.
Another thing to know is that they barrel-age a ton of different things. This means bigger beers with even more powerful flavors, and it also means waiting months or even years to get to try them. For the average drinker, this might or might not make you impatient. It does mean they have special releases of beers that only come out one day a year, and you have to keep your ears peeled if you want to try them. Their barrel room has windows on two sides, so you can always see the beers becoming one with the wood, taunting you with their deliciousness and making you wait.
Best of all, they like to have fun. Last night, while they were cleaning up after brewday, there was a disco ball spinning above the fermenters, and Kool and the Gang were playing on the hi-fi. I've got nothing but love and compliments for these guys, and I wish I could get my hands on at least one glass of everything they make.
