8 local, Washington Brewers Festival medal-winning beers

Published 1:30 am Sunday, June 26, 2016

By Aaron Swaney

Special to The Herald

We are truly blessed with some great breweries here in Snohomish County. Evidence of that is the recent Washington Brewers Festival and the number of medals Snohomish County brewers brought home.

Here’s a look at the victorious beers. Fortunately you can still catch most of them on tap at the respective breweries.

Gold

Wild Willy Wee Heavy

Sound to Summit Brewing, Snohomish

Don your manliest kilt and brace for the impact of this beer. At 13 percent ABV, there’s nothing “wee” about this heavy, which won a gold medal in the British Strong Ale category. Wee Heavies, also known as Scotch Ales, are robust, big malt bombs and Sound to Summit’s cranks that to 11. That said, Wild Willy, inspired by Oskar Blues’ Old Chub, is smooth. Nose of cherry and vanilla continue through as you drink it, leaving a slight alcohol and smokey finish. This is a beer to sip. Great job by Sound to Summit head brewer Grady Warnock. Available by the schooner at the brewery.

Mierda Fuego

Middleton Brewing, Everett

The general problem with chili beers is they are too hot and intense to be refreshing. Middleton Brewing head brewer Geoff Middleton seems to have solved that problem with this beer, which took home gold in the Chili Pepper Beer category. Instead of just soaking peppers in the fermenter, Middleton added a batch of green bell peppers to the boil. The result is a pale ale with a fiercely fresh pepper nose but a rounded, light chili flavor and mild burn on the finish. The real difference, according to Middleton, is the addition of cilantro to add balance. Great beer. Available year-round at the brewery.

Silver

Firetrail Ale

Whitewall Brewing, Marysville

Brewed to celebrate Marysville’s 125th celebration, this beer, which brought home the silver in the Smoke Beers category, is an English Strong Ale brewed with cherry malt and aged on Spanish cedar. Available at the brewery for a limited time.

Anniversary Ale

Whitewall Brewing, Marysville

I wrote about this already, but the Marysville brewery’s barleywine aged in Jim Beam bourbon barrels won a silver for Wood & Barrel Aged Strong Beers. Available in bottles at the brewery and at select bottleshops.

Crucible Kettle Sour

Crucible Brewing, Everett

TyranaSour, a raspberry kettle sour that is a bright, fruity take on a kettle sour, won the brewery its first medal, a silver, in the Specialty & Historical Beer category. Available at the brewery.

Blonde Ale

Diamond Knot Brewing, Mukilteo

I also recently made this beer one of my Beers of the Week. Light and refreshing, DK’s blonde, which won silver in the Golden or Blonde Ales, has become so popular the brewery decided to start canning it. Available on tap at the brewery or in cans at grocery stores and bottleshops.

Bronze

Nellie’s Nectar

5 Rights Brewing, Marysville

This true-to-style Bavarian wheat beer won bronze in the German Wheat and Rye Beers category. Available on tap at the brewery.

Life Changer

River Time Brewing, Darrington

This Scotch ale, one of the brewery’s flagship beers, took bronze in the Scottish Shilling Ales category. Available year-round at the brewery.