Wednesday 5th of March 2008 03:39:49 PM

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Stix Brewery is lucky.

Not only does it sit next to Lake Union providing a wonderful view and backdrop for its customers, but it also has brewer Tomas Munoz who is doing some exciting things with his brews.

With 16 years experience in other Washington brewpubs (and 6 medals from the National American Brewers Association and the Great American Beer Festival) "El Guapo" is becoming innovative.

Stix (with it's half dozen pool tables) offers the regular (and expected) Golden Boy ale, IPA, Amber/Red & Pool Shark Porter (that reminded both wife Persimmon & I of smoked ham, believe it or not quite tasty!) but also serves up Old Stixxxxxxxx BarleyWine that was fruity but not obscene...

...and finally, deserving of a paragraph all its own, there was Old Bruin that defied description. Fruity, yes but malty & a bit heavy as well with a full front & middle & a quick, crisp finish. But what was the fruit?
Honey? Apricots? Neither of us could tell until our 23 year old son joined us (a surprise!) took one sip and pronounced, "Hmmm...cherries."

Well, duh!

Then "El Guapo" (Mr. Handsome he proclaims himself) sidles up to the bar to reveal that he insists the bartender squirt just a touch of cherry syrup before the pour. Cherry syrup???? Yep - we thought the same thing and, had we known that before the taste, we would have declined but, this is a remarkable tasting beer. Certainly a dessert brew that rests clean and refreshing on the tongue and the back of the throat.

With the introduction of obscenely expensive hops & bottle costs up as well, Munoz believes (as do we) that brewers are going to have to start innovating the industry again & perhaps find new ways to bitter & flavor their brews. Now I'm not suggesting that cherry (or hazelnut or vanilla or any other) syrup is the answer but with skyrocketing prices, alternatives must be found. The beer-makers & drinkers will most assuredly cry "Foul" at first but unless new ways of brewing are discovered, many breweries and brewpubs (like Stix) may find themselves out of business relegating us once again to the days of yore when Budweiser and its brothers will be our only choices.

Old Bruin and that little drop of sweetener just might be preamble to a new brewer's world.

Try one for yourself and decide, what's next? After all without experimentation and innovation, we'd still be drinking, through a straw - or perhaps chewing - bread soaked in water.