La Conner Brewery - A Beer Mixup 

Wednesday, October 27, 2010 -
After spending a wonderful day in Friday Harbor, hubs and I decided to just drive around to the coastal towns just north of Seattle.  As we were driving through La Conner, I spotted a brewery so we decided to drop in and do a tasting and get a snack.

La Conner Brewery was decorated in wood and had a clean, but rustic, feel about it.  Cozy in size, it was modern, warm and inviting.  We sat at the bar and saw this beautiful display of taps - all brewed on-site.
The bartender was welcoming and very friendly as we settled in and started asking about the brews.  She was happy to provide us with pours of all their products to help us determine which one we would like to savor in a pint glass.  All of the pours were basic beers, not too developed in flavor.  There were:
  • Brown, classic in all ale characteristics
  • IPA, Northwest-style at 7%
  • Wheat, the classic Germany-style Hefeweizen
  • Pale, featuring Yakima Valley hops
  • ESB, which had a rich caramel malt flavor
  • Pilsner, which featured hops from Czeck Republic
 

I settled on the ESB for my first pint as I was looking for a rich beverage to quench my thirst.  As we sipped our first beer, we perused their menu which was utterly fantastic.  Some great items, not to mention the beautiful open kitchen with the wood fired pizza oven in the middle.  I watched enthusiastically as the chef hollowed out dozens of sugar pumpkins, which he informed me were going to the chicken pot pie bowls for tomorrow.  
Since I couldn't get that as a snack, we settled on appetizer to split - artichoke and smoked cheddar dip.
Doesn't this just look creamy and delicious?  Trust me, it was!  The artichokes were finely chopped and mixed with jalapenos and red peppers.  The smoked cheddar was fantastic, as was the seasoning of red pepper flakes (my go-to seasoning) giving it an extra kick.  My ESB complimented it beautifully, and after saying so, I was informed that ESB was also part of the mixture.  A warm and creamy dip accompanied by crisp tortilla chips - perfect snack for mid afternoon.

I was happily snacking along and realized that my pint needed a fill, so I ordered a Hefeweizen...and a clear mix up occurred.  The glass I received didn't look anything like a Hef - where was my cloudy in appearance cold beverage?  Unfortunately, I think the taps were labeled incorrectly.  I guess, if I wanted a Hef, I should have ordered a Pilsner.  I couldn't get the nerve to inform the bartender it was labeled incorrectly, because she was so sure of it (side note - our bartenders had turned over at this point.)  I sipped the Pilsner without saying, and we wrapped our fantastic time (with a minor mishap) at La Conner Brewery.

It was the perfect place to drop in and get some local flair, local food and brews on our anniversary.  I left with a happy stomach (and I believe, a confused bartender...)

Would have you said something, risking the chance of insulting the bartender?  I just couldn't do it - I didn't want to be "that girl" correcting their lineup.

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