Normally I'm a wine snob (see "Sideways"). About a week ago, I got to be a beer snob. You see, my dad's birthday is coming up and, at 84, he has everything he wants, so comestables and potables are the order of the day. So I went to the local beer store (yes, there's a local beer store). But the snob appeal of beer seems different. The language is similar (they speak of fruits and so on, though they talk about hops and yeasts a lot), but there's something about beer that forces a non-pretentious conversation.

Anyway, I wound up with six local brews:

  • Deschutes Brewery Cinder Cone Seasonal Red Ale (Bend, Oregon)
  • Fish Brewing Fish Tale Organic Amber Ale (Olympia, Washington)
  • Dick's Brewing Dick Danger Ale (Centralia, Washington)
  • Elysian Brewing Zephyrus Pilsner (Seattle, Washington)
  • Skagit River Brewery Steelie Brown Ale (Mount Vernon, Washington)
  • Pike Brewing Kilt Lifter Scotch-style Ale (Seattle, Washington)

What amazed me about these was that I'd only tasted three of them previously (the Fish Tale, Zephyrus, and Kilt Lifter). Generally I seek out local brews.