Anniversary Preview: WA: Seattle: Brouwer's Cafe celebrates 11 years, March 24th. What you need to know.

Tomorrow, March 24th, Brouwer's Cafe is set to celebrate their 11th Anniversary. As with any anniversary, it's a time to celebrate while raising a glass to toast owner Matthew Vandenberge and his staff.

Since 2005, when Vandenberge opened Brouwer's Cafe, it has remained a destination for brewers and supporters alike. From its Belgian-inspired menu to the plethora of faucets from which over 65 beers originate, there never been another place like it in the United States. All the more reason to pull up a chair and enjoy a glass of something special.

More on Brouwer's Cafe, as told by owner and its 1st employee

Announced on their website, the Cafe is happy to announce the following draft and bottle options, available tomorrow.

Brouwer’s Café is proud to announce the starting line-up for our 11th Anniversary featuring Hu11abaloo 11PA brewed by Seattle’s own, Cloudburst Brewing. Also available from Cloudburst will be:

• Cloudburst Hu11abaloo 11th Anniversary IIPA Cask
• Cloudburst Darkenfloxx™ Nitro. "... with Lighthouse Coffee and Hazelnut Oil inspired by one of our favorite George Saunders stories"
• Cloudburst Happy Little Clouds Pilsner
• Cloudburst House Guest IPA
• Cloudburst Phenomena IPA

In addition to those, we’ve pulled a *few* things from our cellar to round out our offerings:

• HUB Brouwer’s VI Army of Darkness Imp. Stout. Black as a moonless night, Army of Darkness emerges from the Hopworks cellar after 9 months in Bourbon Barrels.  What was once a roasty, fruity, warming stout has become chocolatey and smooth.  Caramel and vanilla dominate the nose, while the Bourbon barrels impart and mildly drying finish.  Big, black and bold all around, this beer embodies darkness in the best way possible.
• Fremont Brouwer’s VII Old Bridgerider Barleywine Bottlepours. We are a family-owned microbrewery founded in 2009 to brew small-batch artisan beers made with the best local ingredients we can find. Located in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, we turn wine into beer, dream into Haiku, yodel in Esperanto and drink more Underberg than the Brouwer's Matts. To celebrate the 7th Anniversary of the Iconic Fremont Beer Haven, Brouwer's, we brewed this monster English Barleywine with floor-malted Maris Otter barley and Noble hops. Half was aged in bourbon barrels for 6 months, blended back together, bottled, and then we waited... and waited... for 16 months... through both the 7th and 8th Anniversaries. Now it is ready. Of course, please age this beer, but do try it today, and keep in mind, Brouwer's is not your typical beer mecca and this is not your typical American Barleywine.
• Flyer’s Brouwer’s VIII 140 Shilling Scotch Ale
• Reuben’s Brouwers’s X Gobsmacked IIPA (Batch #2) "... Gobsmacked is British slang which literally translates to mean extremely surprised or astonished - and that's what we are trying to achieve with this brew! Gobsmacked Imperial IPA exudes peach notes in the nose, with a cane sugar sweetness in support. Tangerine comes through in the mid palette, with grapefruit in the finish.  A smooth, soft and juicy body provides balance in the finish.  Gobsmacked Imperial  IPA clocks in at 10.0% ABV and 80 IBUs and will be available at Brouwer's ..."
• Boneyard Notorious IPA3. This ale pours a clear amber color with a light white head. Huge grapefruit and pine aroma lead to flavors of citrus, tropical fruits and honey. Hops are abundant and explode from the glass while balancing amazingly well with the malts. So balanced in fact, it’s dangerous!
• Black Raven King Dandy ’14 Barreled Pit Fruit Sour. It will be called "King Dandy" this is a name based on the locally sourced Pluots used to feed the bacteria. The varieties of Pluot were "Dapple Dandy" & "Flavor King". The beer has never been poured anywhere except my mouth so this will be its debut and it may end up staying a one off....maybe not though, sours can be a crap shoot sometimes.
• Breakside Safeword Triple IPA. Once a year, we release this hoppy behemoth that used over 9 pounds of hops per barrel of beer, got two separate dry hop additions, and clocks in at over 11% alcohol. You need to have a deeply masochistic streak to desire this much hoppiness in your beer. It is a tongue-scraping, aggressive beer with more punch than anything else we make. Safe Word will push you to the limit of how much hop and beer you can handle, but we think you’ll like it enough to keep coming back. The tropical, grapefruit and dank notes of some of our favorite hops make this a pleasure that is hard to refuse. Just know when to say stop. Malts: Two Row, c20L, C40L, CaraPils. Hops: Columbus, Cascade, Cetennial, Citra and Simcoe. 11.1% ABV 100+ IBU.
• Eggenberg Samichlaus Classic. Only once brewed in on December 6 this strong beer is internationally the best known beer of our brewery, with a large following among the growing number of beer connoisseurs. The very costly and long-lasting production process (10 months in the storage cellar), making it a real rarity. Santa Claus may be many years in bottle, older vintages gain complexity and receive their creamy warm aftertaste.
• Engine House #9 Wild Tacoma Fruited Sour: Black Currant
• Finnriver Cider in the Rye Barrel-Aged Cider ’14
• Fremont Bourbon Barrel Aged Darkstar '14. Our Imperial Oatmeal Stout aged in 15 year old single use Kentucky Bourbon Barrels. The roasted and chocolate malts complement the smooth oats to bring you a stout delight wrapped in gentle embrace of Bourbon Barrel aged warmth. A touch of sweetness dances in balance with the hops to finish with a wave and then she’s gone.
• Great Divide Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti Imp Stout. CHOCOLATE OAK AGED YETI IMPERIAL STOUT is another revered incarnation of our legendary imperial stout. We toned down the hops a bit to allow cocoa nibs to contribute some pleasing bitterness, while vanilla notes from the oak combine with the cocoa to create an aroma and flavor akin to a gourmet chocolate bar. A dash of cayenne keeps things lively, adding just a bit of heat to the finish. Another great Yeti? Hell yes.
• Hair of the Dog Adam ‘13. Adam is a recreation of a historic beerstyle. Originally made in Dortmunder, Germany, it was the first beer I produced when I opened Hair of the Dog. Rich in flavor, Adam is best served as a dessert beer. It is great with chocolate or cigars, or just a warm fire and good company. It has 10% alcohol by volume and 50 IBUs. (Click on the picture for a larger view.) Wondering about the age of your Adam? Check the Adam vintage guide. 

Short, sweet, and to the point - Cloudburst's Hu11abaloo 11PA is made with Chinook, Citra, Mandarin, and Mosaic hops. 

Brouwer's Cafe is located at 400 North 35th Street in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood. Doors open at 11 am.

About the Photo’s Author

Paul Gibson originally hails from Carlsbad, New Mexico, so it’s no wonder he prefers the Northwest’s cooler temperatures and its vast selection of hoppy delicious beers. As a kid, he first started taking photos with an Instamatic of his friends on their BMX bikes. Now he takes photos of beer, breweries and on occasion street photography, events and concerts—minus the Instamatic. You can see more of his photos on Flickr (www.flickr.com/photos/p_d_gibson).