FanPost

Bolts & Beers Volume (ii): Preseason v. Seattle Seahawks

This is the second post in this weekly series in which I intend to introduce some new craft beers from the home of the San Diego Chargers' opponents throughout the season. Just like any preseason, I am using these first few "preseason" posts to iron out some kinks. I also plan to throw some new wrinkles in as the season goes on like head-to-head matchups involving some S.D. brews and I'm thinking of some possible ways to tie in some more football related stuff. Suggestions are welcome.

To reiterate from last week, "as San Diego has practically become the capital of craft beer, I'm guessing a lot of folks at BFTB drink plenty of good beers, but my hope is to introduce some that perhaps you haven't tried before." Maybe some folks from our opponents cities will stop by and offer their thoughts too (spoiler: I doubt it).

This week, the Chargers travel to Seattle to face the Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks. Now, you might be thinking, "Seattle is in the Pacific Northwest, there must be tons of great beers there." Unfortunately that's not quite the case. Although you won't go thirsty in Seattle, it is really the state of Oregon that is pumping out the majority of the more well-known NW beers. One thing the state of Washington does have a ton of is hops. The state is actually responsible for almost 74% of U.S. hop production (that is a sh*tload of hops).

I have one larger brewery that I plan to highlight when the Chargers and Seahawks meet in the regular season, so this week we're going to look at a couple of the smaller, unsung heroes of the Seattle craft beer scene. Think of it like highlighting Max Unger, Brandon Mebane, Russell Okung or Doug Baldwin instead of Richard Sherman, Russell Wilson, and Marshawn Lynch. (I know, boring. In fact, this might end up as one of the more boring posts of the year).

Some of these smaller breweries to take note of are Black Raven Brewing Co, American Brewing Co, 7 Seas Brewery, and Fremont Brewing. Although, I have never had a beer from either Black Raven or American Brewing, they deserve to be mentioned because they have drawn great reviews recently. Next time I'm in the state of Washington, I will definitely be seeking those out.

Fremont Brewing has been pumping out some solid beers since 2009. They're a family owned operation and their beers can be found all around the state of Washington. I was in Seattle for a night earlier this year, and had a couple of decent Fremonts. Their highlights are their bourbon barrel aged beers, namely the Abominable which is an American Strong Ale, and the Dark Star which is an Imperial Stout. The everday drinking man's beers you can find around town are the Interurban IPA, their Universale Pale and they also make a good Double IPA called The Brother. The Universale is pretty meh, but the Interurban and The Brother are solid beers that you should try if you get the chance.

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As far as the last brewery I mentioned, 7 Seas... Several people in Seattle recommended their Double IPA called Ballz Deep. Clever name right? (no, not really). People in a bottle shop seemed to be all about this beer, but I thought it was a below average malt bomb and I wouldn't look for it again. If you like English style beers more, then you might like this beer. I didn't try any of their other stuff after that.

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Next week we go to San Francisco and we'll get into some beers you can actually get your hands on. This will be more interesting, I promise!

Season Disclaimer: I would like to state that I do not proclaim to be any sort of "expert". I am no Cicerone. I am just a lover of good beer, and I try to sample as many new beers as I can get my hands on. I will be talking about what I know from my own tastings and discussions with other beer lovers. Please feel free to comment on any other good beer from these areas as we go through the season. I hope at least a few people read these posts and we all learn a thing or two.

This FanPost was written by a member of the Bolts From The Blue community and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Bolts From The Blue editors or SB Nation.