Every Labor Day weekend my parents come up to visit and I always have to find something new and exciting to do. Several months ago I had discovered Diamond Knot Brewing Company in Mukilteo on the waterfront. I figured that would be a good place to go on Saturday. Luckily there was also a very low tide so we went to the lighthouse park and wandered through the tide pools and fed sea worms to sea anemones because nature is twice as much fun when it’s eating other nature. The Brewery is right by the ferry terminal in a lovely old wood and stone building. Each table has a diamond knot epoxied to it. While you might think it’s some form of sailor knot, it’s actually just decorative. Go figure. I told them to bring us root beer with lots and lots of foamy Head on it and we ordered some appetizers as well.
The Body is rich and creamy with a classic root beer flavor. There’s a bit of vanilla and some nice spices and the whole thing is beautifully proportioned. The Bite is solid from a bit of spice and good carbonation, yet it’s still smooth in your mouth. The Head is the one failing. It is non-existent. Despite two attempts to get anything, in the time it took them to pour it and bring it to me it was gone. The Aftertaste is nice caramel and sassafras with a bit of wintergreen that lingers for quite awhile, which is a very good thing.
Oh yum. This is without a doubt the best tasting brew I’ve had in from a brewery in Washington to date. But the Head, where did it go. The server tried twice to get me some with some foam, any foam, but their tap wouldn’t allow it I guess. Sad day. No Seal of Approval. Their food was really delicious and their main courses looked truly epic. This place is one worth going back to.
Onion rings, chicken wings, and artichoke crab dip. All of them amazing.
The second root beer of my Idaho road trip, and the last of the summer road trips. This is made by the 
Back in August, after my previous road trip was over, a family reunion took place in Boise, ID. That meant another road trip which of course meant more root beers to find. My searching found two along my route. The first was Cloud Nine Brewery in Boise itself. I went Friday night with my sister, brother-in-law, and two of my younger brothers (I have a big family). It’s a nano-brewpub built in a little strip mall and has only been around since 2012. Nevertheless, it is rather highbrow as to their food and brews, using organic, locally sourced ingredients. The root beer itself comes in snifters, which is something I can get behind, as long as it’s amazing brew.
