PNW
Beer Review
I started drinking my 6-pack of PNW on a Saturday, enjoying it while grilling and watching some Trail Blazer’s basketball. As someone who is accustomed to drinking a beer that is more bitter, I would almost call PNW flavorless, which for a macro-brew, can be an experience that is welcome. Initially, I was a little disappointed that I wasn’t picking up any distinct flavors, but the more I focused on the grill and the Trail Blazers game, the more I enjoyed my PNW beer. It complemented what I enjoy doing to relax perfectly.
When looking into PNW beer, my experience seemed to be the norm. This isn’t a beer that you are supposed to drink out of a special pint glass, or that you add to your beer flight. But if you like to have a beer after a run, when you reach the summit on a climb or hike, or just feel a sense of euphoria hearing the crack of a can when turning on the game or finding a show to stream, this can be that beer that completes these experiences. Being a 16 oz can and a very neutral flavored, it’s not a beer that you will chug without peer pressure either, allowing you to savor these moments.
Looking into PNW more, this is a beer brewed to be affordable, while still supporting the local economy. It’s a micro-brew, brewed to taste like a macro-brew. Being a beer currently brewed in Tukwila, Washington you could call it Olympia 2.0 or Rainier-Plus. And the buck on the can may be just enough to confuse you to make you think that it is coming out of Milwaukee as a spin off or Miller Lite, or maybe even something out of Montana, trying to rebrand Moose Drool. To which I would say, this is the goldilocks balance of both those extremes.
To achieve the most out of my 6-pack, and being incredibly bored as I reach a year being in quarantine, I used this 6-pack as a challenge to have every beer be more enjoyable than the last. I decided that the best way to accomplish this would be to only drink the beer if the daily high temperature was higher than the last beer I had. Even though this was initially a bizarre feat, by doing this, I ended up being much more hopeful for warmer weather and enjoying the anticipation of PNW for the evening on warm days.
I challenge you to do the same and see if you can start looking forward to your next PNW beer like I did. Some ideas that come to mind are only enjoying it when your favorite team is playing, as you reach small fitness milestones on your way to a bigger overarching goal, or while cooking pasta. Whatever it is, if you are a beer drinker, you will likely find PNW as a nice complement to your leisure time.
