Many of the breweries I cover here are breweries that I have sampled at the local beer festivals held in the Northwest. I have long had a 210 sticker affixed to my coffee mug and another on my fave brew bucket. I recently relocated to a town that puts 210 as one of the third closest craft beer stops.I had reservations, however, that this brewery and taproom is located inside of the Angel Of The Winds casino. Naturally, I was expecting the lack of intimacy and the small community feels that most NW taphouses provide. I was also concerned that I'd have to fight the stench of cigarette smoke. Most modern casinos are very well vented, but never perfect.
Still, expectations must be real... this is a casino.
True to form, we prefer to haunt beer spots in the afternoon. We are old and are expected back at the "home" by 6... Maybe not, but we like to have beers in the afternoon all the same. This made parking a much better prospect, and of course, the valets are glad to assist you with a nice gratuity. The casino proved to be like most other, modern, well vented, and totally devoid of any real clue as to the time of day.
After a self-guided tour and quick loss of ten bucks on a slot, we wandered into the 210 to imbibe in the craft of frosty malt wonderfulness. We usually find sitting at the bar lacks the intimacy we like when we are out, however, the barstools were cozy the bar wide and somehow separated from the bustle of the casino. 210 offers a pretty typical beer menu, but for me, any craft menu that has at least 2 IPAs 2 Pale Ales and at least 1 Stout and 1 Lager is off to a great start. They offer 4 IPAs but one was not currently available. The *menu is pretty cool and by itself a reason to return. We settled for a great plate of nachos cooked in the pizza oven.
A plus for me is to be able to enjoy the craft in the company of the three-pot system and several 3barrel fermenters bubbling merrily away as we enjoy the very beer fermenting before us!
I began my normal grilling of the manager/ beer-tender over typical craft geek questions about hops, notes... etc. The manager was not a brewer, however, was happy to share the actual server's notes so I could read up. I like that willingness to do the best for me.
I was offered as many samples as I wanted, I finally settled on the Pin-Splitter IPA. This is the lighter beer pictured here. This was a dry but floral smelling sip, easy on the IBU but just enough to linger a bit. This went well with a good pile of nachos!
My second selection was a double IPA (damn if I can remember the name). Doubles are hit-and-miss for me. They can tend to be a little thick and sweet and under hopped. The 210 double was a nice surprise, the amber color was nice and deep with a light head. The sip was not exactly dry; enough sweetness to remind you its a double, ABV as I recall is less than 8, and the hoppiness bitter just cut through the residual sugar leaving a pleasant second taste on the tongue. I would drink this with a pulled pork sandwich or pork belly sliders. It needed more saltiness than the nachos could provide.
My only real complaint was drinking from plastic cups, this is fine if I'm at the Gorge, a rodeo or a wild home kegger. I prefer a nice goblet or even a standard pint shaker.
Randa and I found it to be a nice experience, it allowed us to overcome some preconceived biases. Can't wait to return for more of the beer and food menus.
*https://www.menupix.com/menudirectory/menu.php?id=30070391
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