Living in Seattle presents some difficult decisions for the beer drinker. If you go to the Collins Pub Real Strong Beer Festival ^[1] on Friday night, will you have the energy to drag your carcass out the next day for Elysian Brewing’s 12th Annual Winter Beer Festival? Give it a shot! With spring fast approaching, this may be your last chance to enjoy your favorite winter beers or try one that you missed. Elysian’s ^[2] bringing out twelve beers for the festival, six domestic craft brews and six Belgian beers. They use a system where you buy tokens from your server for $4 each.

1 token = schooner of domestic craft beer
2 tokens = schooner of Belgian beer OR sampler of all six domestics
4 tokens = sampler of all six Belgians

Here’s a list of the beers offered:

Sampler 1
Elysian – Bifrost
Elysian – Jackfrost (JD barrel aged)
Great Divide – Hibernation
Deschutes – The Abyss
Sierra Nevada – Celebration
Full Sail – Wreck the Halls

Sampler 2
Elysian – Bête Noel
Brasserie d’Achouffe – N’ice Chouffe
Brouwerij Het Anker -­ Gouden Carolus Noel
Brouwerij Huyghe -­ Delirium Noel
Brasserie St. Feuillien -­ Cuvee de Noel
Brasserie Dupont ­- Avec les Bons Voeux

This is a solid lineup and the sampler format is a great opportunity to taste several very good Belgian beers in one sitting without paying $8-10 a glass. The festival gets under way at Elysian’s Capitol Hill location (1221 E Pike St.) at noon on Saturday 2/23 and runs until 10pm.