Dick's Brewing Company - Working Man's Brown Ale

Pouring a medium-brown hue with flashes of orange and red with good clarity and a head of beige foam, this English-style brown ale offers up quite a malt-driven aroma. Look for notes of caramel, toffee, toasted bread, molasses and a bit of brown sugar. The aroma notes come forth on the palate, too; we picked up plenty of toasted, caramel, and toffee tones along with a touch of dried fruit esters which seem to well up from the malty core, and a nice dollop of hop-driven spice. Hop bitterness is fairly low, but it's plenty to add balance to the malt character, which maintains only a very light residual sweetness. On the light side of medium-bodied, this brown ale is an easy drinker and is super sessionable. For food pairings, the brewery recommends smoked bacon-wrapped meatballs, beer-braised pork loin, and barbecued chicken, as well as cheese and meat in general. Cheers!

The story of Dick's Brewing Company goes back to the founding of Northwest Sausage & Deli by Dick Young in 1983. Having spent his adult life in the meat business, working at Chehalis' Midway Meats in high school and founding Dick's Meats in Rochester after graduation, Dick had made the decision to specialize in producing and smoking sausages and other meats. Not long after opening, he started selling sandwiches at the facility, turning it into a destination for those looking for high-quality grub and leading him to his next venture: brewing.

Unable to remain still for long, Dick began homebrewing in a major way in 1984, eventually building a 3-barrel brewing system in the back of the deli. By 1992, the popularity of his homebrew (he was exceeding the legal homebrewing production limits) led him to the decision to open his own dedicated brewing company, which opened its doors as Dick's Brewing Company in 1994. A brewhouse was built next to the deli and production was located there until 2008. In that year, Dick opened a new, larger brewhouse, followed by a Tasting Room on premises in 2009.

Sadly, Dick passed away at his cabin that same year, but the family business is still going strong under the leadership of his daughter, Julie. The brewery produces seven year-round brews plus five seasonals and a variety of limited-production beers. Dick's original 3-barrel brewing system is still used for pilot batches to this day. For more info on the brewery or NW Sausage & Deli, call 360-736-1603 or visit them at dicksbeer.com.