What's on Tap: 5/31/2007

With summer right around the corner, Seattle is starting to see some of those tasty warm-weather offerings from the local breweries. We will be calling out some of our favorite summer beers over the next few weeks for you to enjoy. We sure would not want you drinking barley wine all summer...

Two of the most unique summer beers in town come from Elysian. Their Jasmine IPA is flavored with jasmine flowers, and their Yuzu Belgian Style Golden Ale is brewed with the Japanese yuzu fruit.

The Jasmine IPA makes for a very interesting take on the traditional IPA. The beer has a very sweet, flowery aroma that is quite inviting. You can definitely taste the influence of the jasmine in this beer; it is not just for show on the ingredient list. Which is great if you like jasmine, not so much if you don't. Still, you should definitely try this beer because of it's uniqueness, but it may not be your favorite beer to grab this summer.

The next time you head down to the Mariners game, stop into Elysian Fields before the game for a pint of this.

The Yuzu Belgian Style Golden Ale is a golden ale brewed with spicy Belgian yeast and juice from the yuzu fruit. The result is a pretty damn good summer beer that pairs well with seafood. The yuzu adds a unique mandarin orange/citrus taste that goes along with the spicy yeast and some pine flavors. It is quite refreshing.

You can often find this beer at Elysian Tangletown during the summer, but you should be able to get it right now at Kisaku; a sushi joint right across the street on 55th. Kisaku just happens to be one of the best sushi joints in the city, and the only non-Elysian place to serve this beer. Just thinking about it on this 80 degree day makes us want to go grab a few pieces of Copper River and a pint of this.

Got a favorite summer beer? Leave us a note!