SuperSonic Pale Ale
McMenamins Breweries-Anderson School, Bothell
Style: Pale Ale
Stats: 5.8 percent ABV, 41 IBU
Available: Pouring at this weekend’s Washington Brewer’s Festival.
My thoughts: Kevin Durant may have just won an NBA title with the Golden State and the Thunder may still be calling the Dust Bowl home, but one brewery is keeping the spirit of the SuperSonics alive.
Tom Furey, head brewer at McMenamins-Roy Street, created this beer to pay homage to the former glory days of Seattle hoop stars like Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp. This weekend, McMenamins-Anderson School will be pouring the beer and others at the Washington Brewer’s Festival.
Furey, who adopted Seattle sports teams after moving to Seattle from Montana, decided on a pale ale because of its iconic Northwest heritage. The beer is made with Centennial and Idaho-7 hops, before being dry-hopped with Mosaic.
It’s a light, slightly fruity pale ale with a whisper of a hop finish, perfect for sipping on a warm summer day while you read the latest on the city of Seattle’s efforts to bring back the yellow and green.
From the brewery: The SuperSonic is super special. It uses a blend of hops, but showcases the Idaho-7 hop, which is fairly new to the market. Once an experimental variety, this is hitting the brewing world by storm. It sports subtle tropical flavors and aromas like guava and mango. This beer utilizes those flavors with light malts and a clean ferment to let the hops do the talking.
Other local beers to try at Washington Brewer’s Festival:
In Charge DIPA, At Large Brewing; B.O.B. (Blood Orange Blonde), Beardslee Public House; Bourbon Vanilla Porter, Circle 7 Brew Works; Flintlock New England-style IPA, Crucible Brewing; Armed Love Spiced Wheat, Decibel Brewing; Mukilteo Nitro Brown, Diamond Knot Brewing; Fn Spruce Tip IPA, Foggy Noggin Brewing; Dairyland Chocolate Stout, Haywire Brewing; Fennel Seed &Cucumber IPA, Middleton Brewing; Hot Irish Kolsch with Jalapenos, River Time Brewing; Irish Pale Ale, Scrappy Punk Brewing; Vapour Trail Imperial IPA, Skookum Brewery; Raspberry Pilsner, Sound to Summit Brewing; Red Mason Rye, Watts Brewing; Sprung Spring Saison, Whitewall Brewing.
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