What's Brewing? Outlander Brewery & Pub

Located in the bustling Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, Outlander Brewery and Pub seems almost quaintly nestled away.  On a tip from a reliable beer lover, I headed up to see what all the buzz was about.

Greeted with Dragan's friendly smile and a beer board full of goodies to try, I started off with the Hop Bomb and Oatmeal Stout.  While initially disappointed to see only one IPA on tap, I quickly changed my tune.  Outlander's Hop Bomb, weighing in at 9% ABV, was superb.  Strong hops throughout, with a smooth yet noticeable malt structure, made this my favorite of the night.  The Oatmeal Stout poured a dark black pint.  Hints of dry oatmeal led to a balanced palette pleaser.  With the crew chomping at the bit to go on a brewery tour, we filled our glasses once more and headed downstairs.  This time, I tried the That's What's Up Brown and Smash Nelson Pale.  The Brown was slightly sweet but extremely easy drinking.  The Pale had pleasant citrusy notes. 

 

Now that we were all well hydrated, the brewer, Nigel, led us on a late night tour of their facility.  A homebrewer gone pro, he explained how they made it happen.  Brewing every other day while rarely repeating their recipes earned them some serious street cred in my book.  Even though Outlander only opened their doors a few months ago, it is difficult to get a seat in their converted house pub on the weekends.  That being said, an expansion to use the second floor for seating is in the works.

By definition, an outlander is a stranger or foreigner.  Ironically, their namesake is the exact opposite feel of the place.  Dragan and Nigel are a couple of down to Earth guys that just happen to make some pretty tasty beer.  Stop by, chat them up, and have a pint for me.

outlanderbrewing.com