What's The Dill?

So I woke up in the middle of the night and was trying to figure out what to write about next … When I set out on this little adventure I figured it would be easy to sit down and write two or three times a week to update the content on my blog. Now I find myself blogging about the anxiety of having nothing to blog about! Seriously, I’ve been stressing out about it. You know when you’re half asleep and your mind is racing? Mines like, “What’s the Dill? What’s the Dill? What’s the Dill?” and I’m like “I DON’T KNOW!” It’s been a rough couple of days…

Fortunately I’ve wrapped up summer school and will be on vacation all of next week so I have plenty of time to get back to the drawing board. Jennifer and I are headed out to the Olympic Peninsula to disappear into the rainforest, hike, camp on the beach, and hopefully catch a glimpse of Sasquatch. Random question: What is the plural of Sasquatch? Is it like deer? “I saw three Sasquatch.” I digress.

I’ll be scrambling around all weekend preparing for the trip but will be sure to bid farewell prior to departing as I won’t have cell phone or internet access for an entire week. If you know of any good spots for a What's on Tap? Olympic Peninsula edition, please let me know!

The maiden voyage of What’s on Tap found me at Dad Watson’s in Fremont (http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=14). Owned by McMenamins, it’s an interesting establishment to say the least. Unique artwork and trinkets abound including large wooden prehistoric fish hanging from the ceiling to intricate paintings of serpent like sea creatures and mermaids. We arrived early and parked in the garage directly below the brewery for $10, which was a small price to pay for avoiding the embarrassment of a parallel parking failure in a Mini Cooper.

The bar was quiet for a Saturday afternoon and had the smell of fried food and bad decisions at 1AM which gave it instant credibility. Fortunately for us we wandered in at happy hour and were greeted with $3 pints, $3 hamburgers, and $2 Cajun Tots. Unfortunately, the quality of the beer fell short of expectations and was upstaged by the tots. As an IPA lover the Two Block Walk IPA was slightly flat, a bit too fruity, and not hoppy enough for my taste. I had received an inside tip to order a “Rubinator” which is a combination of their Ruby Red and Terminator Stout so I did. If you’re in the mood for something a little different it’s definitely worth a shot.

The bartender was friendly and offered an unsoliscited joke (Bartender "How many kids with A.D.D. does it take to change a light bulb?" Me "How many?" Bartender "Wanna ride bikes?") which was a bonus. He also told me that I looked exactly like his brother... which was a little awkward. Overall the service was good, the Cajun Tots were a must order, and the beer was okay. Here’s my final assessment:

Atmosphere = 3.5 hops
Food = 3 hops
Beer =2.5 hops
Service = 3 hops
Final Tally= 3 hops
(Scale of 1-5 hops, 5 being the highest mark)

I’m all for creating excuses to drink beer so what better way to do so than to develop a segment on my blog dedicated to just that? Brilliant!

The Northwest has a serious offering of breweries so I fully expect to enjoy this endeavor like a fat kid in Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. Of course, given my affinity for IPA’s and their high caloric content my already roundish mid-section will continue to expand but fear not, I will dedicate another segment of the blog to fitness in an attempt to maintain my figure (at some point).

The purpose of What’s on Tap? will be to visit and review local breweries and brew pubs. I don’t plan on getting too technical rather the intent is to simply express my opinion as a casual patron and assign a score of one to five hops based on beer (obviously), food, and atmosphere. First up on the list will be:

Dad Watson’s Brewery and Restaurant
3601 Fremont Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98103

http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=14

Come back on Monday to see how many hops Dad Watson’s receives! In the meantime check out http://beerme.com/ which offers the most comprehensive guide to breweries worldwide that I have ever seen. Also, please drop a comment with your favorite beer, brewery, bar, etc. Who knows, you might just see them featured in What’s on Tap?...