After four days hiking around Mt St Helens and its environs, we finished up with a relaxed, flat, but substantial walk at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. The birding was amazing! Swallows moving/hovering slowly over the marsh pond's surface, snagging frequent bug meals. A kingfisher loudly chittering on the far bank. A bald eagle, an egret, and a great blue heron squawk into a bar, and mayhem ensues. No joke to the birds trying to keep from becoming a meal for the raptor, but they made enough of a stink to drive him away for awhile, at least. A number of warblers, including a common yellowthroat, a striking, bright yellow golf ball of a bird with a stunning black mask, which I just saw/identified for the first time that morning, thanks to my friend Joe.
Anyway, it was good that our outdoor adventure was so energizing, as the pub we chose to visit in Vancouver on the way home was decidedly uninspiring. It's always hard for me to critique a brewpub, since I value the choice to go craft. But in this case, the folks at Heavy Metal seem more into their theme of rebellious rockers than in making quality ales.
The beers we chose sounded wonderful, but they just didn't taste particularly good, on the whole. The flavors often tasted artificial and imbalanced. The pizza was fine, though.
Flight: Mango Madness, Painkiller Chocolate Cherry Stout, Nuttin Else Matters (Brown ale with peanut butter cups), Lemmy Head (Shandy), Peaches for Me (Sour), Beer Riot Stout (Mexican Chocolate)
http://www.theheavymetalbrewingco.com/
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