Everybody's Brewing - finally

On our third try, we finally got to sample some of the White Salmon based brewery's brews. The first time, they didn't have any of their own on tap, the second time, they were closed due to a neighboring fire. But now, they are open, with three of their own on tap, and nine guest taps. So after a nice hike up Wind Mountain yesterday, we went for a much needed beer. First up, I had the X-tra Pale (pictured), and Erin had the ESB (pictured). At this point, I should say, I do not feel I should say whether or not I liked this ESB, or any ESB. I can say what I thought, but really,I don't like ESB's. Erin liked it a lot, but I didn't, too sweet for my taste. It did have a nice, red colour, and very little head. It has a malty taste, with some bitter notes from the hops. Now, Erin liked it, said it was nicely balanced, and the waiter said it was his favorite beer. I didn't like it, but that says nothing really. Now, my X-Tra pale, which the waiter told me is 5.3%, was really good. Again, little head, nice cloudy yellow color, had some faint citrus notes on the nose, had a hoppy, sweet taste, with a gentle aftertaste, all leading to a very tasty brew. Iwill say, I wondered if the waiter messed up and gave me the IPA, it was a hoppy Pale, but then, I had the IPA, and I knew it WAS the IPA. At 6.8%, it is their biggest brew. The flavor was very floral, and not as bitter as other IPAs. But, it was very good. Sometimes, I think with some extreme IPAs, when the IBUs are pushed, the balance goes askew, making a "hey look what we did" brew, instead of a beer anyone would want to drink on a regular basis. This was a great beer, with an explosive mouth feel. I could swear I even got a little pepper on the aftertaste, with some spicy notes. Very good IPA.
So, to wrap it up, the beer was very good. The view from the deck is amazing, and any bar with a kayak strapped to the wall is a winner for me. We had the nachos for a snack, and have had the chips and mango salsa in the past, both pretty good. The guest tap list is also nice:
Laurelwood Organic Red, Scuttlebutt Porter, Double Mountain Kolsch, Deschutes Green Lakes, Stone IPA, Walking Man Red, Rogue Brutal Bitter, Hamms, and Pine Martin Pale.
So, I have a few complaints, though few, and small. After the drive home, I put my finger on what I didn't like about Everybody's Brewing. It doesn't feel like a brewery, it feels like a family restaurant, that happens to have some killer beer. I would have a beer list, or a beer menu, describing the beer, and listing the details that beer geeks like. When I asked about the ABV, the waiter didn't know any of them, and had to search for the info. Which is fine, and the guy was super nice, but, it's a micro brew. At least write them on the chalkboard. Also, the deck with the great view of Hood I mentioned earlier, is totally at mercy with the sun. I wish they would put out some umbrellas for the tables out there. Two small issues.
Make it a stop on a Hood River, Stevenson, White Salmon pub crawl. Drive from Portland just to go?? Hmmm, probably not, but...maybe. Maybe, go and decide for yourself.