Tap Handle #117: Hale's - Cream Ale

I remember sitting in Ivar's Salmon House on Lake Union in Seattle with my family last fall, gazing at the one Ivar's had on tap...I really liked it. Then I obtained one in perfect condition. This is a very heavy tap because it's ceramic, unlike most taps which are resin or wood. Since it's ceramic, it is prone to chipping or cracking. If you notice the label says Seattle and Spokane, that's significant because it is no longer brewed in Spokane.

Hale's Ale was founded in 1983 in Colville, Washington by Mike Hale. After a trip to England in which he worked alongside brewers there, Hale returned to the Northwest and opened his brewery with a pale ale, later adding a Special Bitter and a Porter. Business took off, and in 1986 Hale opened a second location in Kirkland and introduced 3 more ales, including a Stout. Business was so good that Hale continued to have supply problems, and was forced to move the Colville location to an old school building in Spokane in 1991. In 1995 the Kirkland operation was moved to the Fremont/Ballard District of Seattle, and the Spokane location was closed. The Seattle location also allowed Hale to open a brewpub on the site. Currently Hale's is distributed across the Northwest and bottles four varieties year-round, as well as offering seasonals on tap.

Hale's Cream Ale is a blond Dublin-style ale, smooth and creamy and using Yakima hops. Weighted average on ratebeer.com is 3.0 out of 5.

Hale's Official Website