MUKILTEO, WASHINGTON

Inside a former bus garage-turned-pub, DIAMOND KNOT BREWING COMPANY became a brewpub during 1993. North of Seattle along the rustic Mukilteo waterfront, this tiny maroon-trimmed hole-in-the-wall alehouse opposite the marina is situated in a wood-beamed brick-floored parlor-styled dining hall with high ceilings and small loft.

The bantam bar space has a TV, as does the tucked-in front dining space across from the kitchen. A great neighborhood bar with beer trays and nautical paraphernalia lining walls, Diamond Knot’s menu included pizza, salad, or surf ‘n turf and its slogan was the brewpub-friendly ‘fermenting change in taste.’ There are also a few local Diamond Knot-related brewpubs (B2 Alehouse; Camano Lodge; Lincoln Avenue).

During late-morning December ’09 taste test, watched the locals (long-suffering local football team, the Seattle Seahawks) defeat horrid St. Louis Rams while sampling a few goodies. Firstly, I decided to have liquid breakfast, sipping sweet pinkish opaque dessert treat, Wyder’s Raspberry Cider, an easygoing red apple-ripened cranberry-tart berry-soured winter warmer.

A well-rounded tap selection of homebrews made my stay highly memorable. Silken lemon meringue-y cinnamon-ginger-spiced gourd-daubed nitro-injected Stingy Jack’s Pumpkin and banana-fronted vanilla-backed cinnamon-spiced caramel-malted cherry-tinged Industrial Ho Ho Winter Warmer brought about Seasons Greetings.

For the semi-exotic Hefeweizen, perfumed banana-clove subtlety gets overrun by cinnamon-spiced apple-pumpkin sweetness and heather-softened chamomile-mint freshness. Using a pre-Prohibition lager recipe, soft rye-influenced yellow-fruited corn-sugared Summer Blonde proved soothing. Caramel-malted black tea-embittered pumpernickel-tinged phenol-spiced aspirin-wafted E.S.B. and nebulous hazelnut-spiced mocha-wavered herbal-honeyed Brown Ale whet my appetite for heartier servings. Dry-roasted coffee-burnt hazelnut-teased Possession Porter and soft Irish-styled barley-flaked cream-sugared nitro-injected Steamer Glide Stout easily sufficed.

But hopheads were not to be denied, as there were three fine India Pale Ales available. Lighter thirsts will choose butterscotch-candied apple-sugared honey-spiced banana-pear-nectarine-cantaloupe-dangled Shipwreck XXX over richer hop-fueled tangerine-peach-spiced apple-ripened alcohol-burnt pine-finished Industrial X IPA and woody-hopped light-spiced yellow-fruited apple-candied pear-browned India Pale Ale.

Unafraid to give nearby competition an even chance, Gig Harbor’s 7 Seas British Pale Ale offered amiable orange-soured floral-spiced crystal-malted apple-grape fruiting.

www.diamondknot.com