A Visit to River Mile 38

After discovering the River Mile 38 tap from another collector, and finding out that the brewery was less than 2 hours away, I decided to pay the brewery a visit and to see if I could obtain more taps for some of the Museum's club members. After an uneventful drive in decent weather (for winter), Museum artist Kelly, his girlfriend Lori, and myself arrived at the brewery. I had spoken on the phone with Richard, one of the founding partners, and let him know ahead of time that we were coming. Despite the fact that we arrived 30 minutes before opening time on Saturday, Richard invited us in to talk about the brewery and its history.

As we talked about the history of the brewery, Richard gave me a tour inside. The bar sits to the left as you walk through the door. Ahead is a wall full of merchandise. Past the bar are several tables, with a large roll up door on the right and the brewing equipment on the left. On the wall behind the brewing equipment is a final piece of memorabilia that reflects the brewery's previous incarnation as Drop Anchor Brewing. Behind the bar is the cash register, canning machine, and the taps and tap list. Next to that is the cold storage room.

In my profile post about River Mile 38, I talked about the brewery's expansion that occurred not long after opening. Richard showed me the outdoor seating area that was built during the expansion. On a warm day the roll up door is raised and the outdoor seating area is utilized, offering a beautiful view of the nearby marina.

We moved to the bar once the brewery officially opened and Richard said I needed to try one of each of their beers. So they delivered flights to the three of us to try. My personal favorite was the Scarlet Peach Ale, named after the brewery's iconic mermaid. Light with a hint of peaches, this is an easy drinking beer perfect for a sunny day on the water or just enjoying the view. The Drop Dead Irish Red was probably my choice for runner up. The Scotch Ale, Foglifter, was also great and had me convinced that I needed to bring my dad to the brewery, as Scotch ales are one of his favorites. Hard Over Hefeweizen and Broken Hose Amber continued the run of excellent beers. I am not the biggest porter fan but the Provocative Porter had a nice smoky flavor. The Barleywine was unusual as it used an IPA instead of a stout. I finished with a taste of Tieton Ciderworks Hard Cherry Cider, which was tart and delicious. The brewery keeps the cider on tap as they are a fellow client of River Mile 38's distributor. Although I didn't try any, Kelly said the brewery's Rolly's Root Beer was excellent.

As I began to set up the purchase of taps, Richard asked if I wanted to take some beer home. It turns out the brewery has a canning tool that allows them to can tall boys and attach a label to them. I ordered 2 cans of the Scarlet Peach and 1 can of Capsize Imperial IPA for a friend. I watched as Richard demonstrated the canning process. Two Scarlets to take home!

I greatly enjoyed my visit to the brewery. Richard was a gracious host, and Marissa and Kaelee did a great job serving up drinks and taking care of us. I'm looking forward to making a return trip soon just to try their Blood Orange Wheat Beer called "PEELED", featuring a special blend of hops (Palisade, Simcoe, Mosaic, Citra and Loral) and served with a blood orange slice.