Welcome to the Old Town Alehouse!
Hours

Open at 11:30 a.m.
seven days a week.

Close at 10 p.m. Sun & Mon,
11 p.m. Tue-Thur,
and Midnight Fri-Sat

Kitchen closes at 6:00 p.m.
Sunday through Wednesday

We are a Free Wi-Fi spot

Kids are welcome!

Location

5233 Ballard Ave. NW
Seattle, WA. 98107
Phone: 206.782.8323

Wine

Washington Wines by the Stem or Bottle

Generous 6 ounce pours

Whites:

Reds:

Belgian Beers

Belgian Ales on Draft

We always feature one or more Belgian beer on draught.  These little beauties are subject to availability - prices and sizes vary.  Please ask.

(WA State Sales Tax not included in beverage prices)

Belgian Ales Bottle-Conditioned

Pilsner, Bakvik | 11.2 oz$5.5

This crisp bottom fermented lager pours a crystal-clear, yellow-gold color with a nice layer of bright white head. A subtle hoppy aroma is mixed with some mild caramel malt, red apple, and toasted bread crusts flavors. In the mouth you’ll receive a silky feel with some hop bitterness. 5.2%/vol.

Pilsner, Bavik -11.2 oz $5.5

This crisp bottom fermented lager pours a crystal-clear, yellow-gold color with a nice layer of bright white head. A subtle hoppy aroma is mixed with some mild caramel malt, red apple, and toasted bread crusts flavors. In the mouth you’ll receive a silky feel with some hop bitterness. 5.2%/vol.

Saxo Blonde, Brasserie Caracole – 11.2 oz $7.5

Here is a  very complex artisanal Wallonia blond ale with a seductive fresh fruitiness reminiscent of bananas and cherries in cream and an unusual hoppiness, bitterness and a touch of spice in the finish. 8.5%/vol.

Wit, Wittekerke - 11.2 oz $5.5

A very pleasant wit comprised of 25 % wheat malt in combination with malted barley. Light in alcohol with a crisp and refreshing flavor you’ll find more flowery and lemony flavors towards the end of your glass. Although the hoppy bitterness is an underlying taste, it is never dominant. 7.5%/vol.

Foret Organic Saison,  DuPont - 12.7 oz $8.5

Saisons are traditionally lower alcohol pale ales brewed in the winter for readiness to drink during the warm summer harvest months.  Foret's sweet aroma displays notes of honey and caramel layered with vanilla bean and florals. The taste firmly compliments the aroma and the floweriness takes on a candy-like attitude. A subtle hops finish help provide a sense of roundness, along with notes of white pepper. Overall, this sweet brew has a semi-creamy and rich mouth feel while retaining a fairly light body. 7.50%/vol.

Amber, Bruegel - 11.2 oz $6.5

Emanating from the Belgian Van Steenberge brewery, this fine bottle conditioned ale pours to an orange-amber color.  A high degree of carbonation leads to a meringue-like head leaving lots of Brussels Lace clinging down the glass as you go.  There is a yeasty, distinctly Belgian nose. The palate is slightly tart, crisp and malty. The finish is slightly peppery with a very good dose of hop bitterness. 5.2%/vol.

Duvel-11.2 oz $7.5

This, the original strong ale stands miles apart from the pack with its huge, rocky, white head; its small-sustained bead; its satin-smooth body and its distinctive bouquet and palate.  This beguiling beer can lead the unwary to the dark side! 8.5%/vol.

Tripel, Westmalle - 11.2 oz $9

Long considered the “Mother of All Tripels”. This beer was first brewed in Westmalle abbey in 1934.  This Tripel is a clear, golden yellow Trappist beer that undergoes a secondary fermentation in the bottle. This lovely ale is complex with a fruity aroma and a nice nuanced hop scent. It is soft and creamy in the mouth, with a bitter touch carried by the fruity aroma. This is an exceptional beer, with a great deal of finesse and elegance and a splendid aftertaste. 9.5%/vol.

Brown, Corsendonk - 11.2 oz $7.5

This bruin has a vibrant, rich, ruby coloring that is dark and deep, with a frothy, light, well retained head. Aromas are light, with a candied sugar and toffee backbone as well as earthy highlights. Flavors are darkly sweet, with a brown sugar and dark roasted caramel sweetness. Date and fig flavors are layer throughout the flavors. There is a pervasive effervescence that keeps it light and clean in the finish. 7.5%/vol.

Flemish Sour, Monk's Cafe - 11.2 oz $7.5

In 2002, the owner of Monk’s Café in Philadelphia had the opportunity, and the courage, to convince the Van Steenberge brewery to bottle its famous BIOS under a private label for him. The Flemish Burgundy is an “old bruin” in style, aged in oak, and has been brewed for over 300 years. The beer is ruby red in color and has a big, fluffy fast rising creamy foam head.  Aromas of sour cherries and yogurt abound. In the mouth it is very well carbonated with lots of tiny, fizzy bubbles that tingle your tongue. The experience is sort of like drinking a sour cherry pie. Very dry finish with a moderately tart and mouth puckering aftertaste. 5.5%/vol.

Abt 12, St. Bernardus – 11.2 oz $9

Almost ebony in color but if you look closely you’ll notice tiny dark yeast flakes swirling about in a dance of suspension.  If your nose gets close to the rim, it will be hit with the aroma of fresh bread, cocoa and even tobacco.  Only the flavor will “one-up” the aroma with that of rum, raisins, figs and even coconut cavorting about. Yum. 10.0%/vol.

Rotating Geueze

Please ask your server for the current selection, bottle format and price.

What’s With The Belgian Beers?

The respect one finds for fine wine in most countries is in Belgium, accorded to its beers.  No other country has so many distinct native styles.  No other country has beers so complex in character as the finest in Belgium.  No other country has as many breweries per capita.  Nor does any other country have such a sophisticated “beer cuisine” surrounding its brewer’s gift.

The spontaneously fermenting “wild” Lambic beers brewed outside of Brussels represent a unique tradition and originated in Belgium.  So do the tart, acidic “sour” brown beers of Flanders.  Belgium’s spiced “white” beers predate the general acceptance of hops as the universal preservative of beer.  No other country has as many “Methode Champenoise” beers, in which an additional dosage of yeast or blending of young and mature beers introduces a second fermentation in the bottle.  No other country has persisted with the use of fruits, spices, herbs and candy sugar in their beer. Lastly, Belgium is the only country that produces Trappist Ales and has kept the fine art of monastic brewing alive on a commercial scale.

In the United States and particularly the Pacific Northwest we are well into the third decade of our beer revolution.  Gone are the days of little variety from huge producers.  We have wonderful beer to drink that is always readily available.  Yet, for the beer renaissance to continue we must expand the horizons of our palates and allow our tastes to evolve.  Studying the styles, flavors, techniques, and brewing traditions of other regions will open our eyes to a vast new world of beers which our revolution has only begun to experiment with. 

Here at the Old Town Alehouse we are proud to offer a glorious collection of a few of Belgium’s finest beers.  Three of these fine examples are even available on draught.  We attempt to keep offerings available from a few of the world’s six Trappist Breweries.  Belgian beers are a gift from the past and a prize to behold. Enjoy!

Non-Alcoholic Drinks