The Tale of the Backstage Ale

Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, a brewmaster for the brewery affectionately known throughout the realm as being the best in the region, realized something was missing. On this particular day, he ardently stumbled into a sophisticated yet dungeons rathskeller.

Once inside, he met the jovial operations controller and his group of eagerly helpful workmen. Impressed with their dedication, he asked the the group if they would like to join him on an adventure- a voyage to find the missing ale. The operations controller and his workmen were beyond honored to help the brewmaster find what the kingdom was missing.

In order to find the absent ale, they embarked on a journey in search of the finest juniper greens, and the matchless Citra and Sorachi Ace hops. Along the way they faced obstacles and trials, but met them head on, and successfully found the ale the kingdom had been missing. Upon their return, they rejoiced and celebrated their triumph by inviting everyone in the royal domain to taste the new found ale. The whole kingdom loved it and the brewmaster, the operations controller and his workmen lived happily ever after.

Ok, maybe this is a bit of an exaggeration, but seriously, it went a little something like that.

This past summer, Dick Cantwell, Head Brewer and Co-Owner of Elysian Brewing Company, and Brian McKay, Operations Manager at The Triple Door, met to design a new pale ale exclusively labeled for The Triple Door. With the help of Steve Luke, brewmaster at Elysian Brewing Company, Jason Lock, General Manager at The Triple Door, and Byron Fenske and Andy Snyder, head bartenders at The Triple Door, they created the Backstage Ale.

"I was honored to participate in this project," says McKay. "I've always been an Elysian fan, and being able to work with some of the best brewmasters in the nation was an experience I will never forget."

Designed to complement the sweet and spicy notes of Southeast Asian cuisine, the Backstage Ale is a pale ale with a generous portion of Sorachi Ace hops, Citra hops and fresh juniper greens.

"The finished product is exceedingly well balanced, with just a hint of the juniper on the nose and maybe another tiny hint on the finish," says Kendall Jones, Washington Beer Blog. "The hops are lively but not overbearing. The citrus notes will help this beer pair widely and beautifully with The Triple Door's Pan-Asian menu."

The first batch, of 16 kegs, completely sold out after a soft launch party celebrating The Triple Door's 8th anniversary on September 23rd in the Musicquarium. The public was invited to participate in the celebratory cask tapping by Dick Cantwell and Brian McKay at The Backstage Ale Launch Party on October, 13th. Since then, an average of 850 pints are being sold per week and batches are constantly being brewed to meet demand.