Gilgamesh Brewing, Salem OR

28 June 2023

Gilgamesh has several locations in Salem; I chose their “The Woods” location based on typical crowds, and I was not disappointed – it was practically empty.

The menu gives a brief explanation of The Epic of Gilgamesh, and it was the name “Gilgamesh” that caught my eye when I was looking for somewhere to stop in Salem, so I’ll give you their story verbatim:

“The Epic of Gilgamesh, written 4,500 years ago, told the story of the Sumerian demi-god, King Gilgamesh. To distract the tyrannical King Gilgamesh, the gods created a bestial heathen named Enkidu to challenge the great king. King Gilgamesh sent a temptress to meet with Enkidu and presented [him] with beer, bread, and earthly pleasures, turning the heathen into a man. Enkidu and King Gilgamesh later became best friends, drank lots of beer, battled beasts, and went in search of eternal life.

“Our logo is the character for beer in ancient cuneiform, the worlds’ first written language. It resembles a conical fermentor, the basic shape that brewers use to this day. The fermentors were made of stone and buried underground to keep the temperature just right for the yeast. Many historians believe that the beginning of civilization started at this point in ancient Sumeria.

“The Gilgamesh brewing philosophy is to bring a sense of community, build relationships, and make us all a little more human.”

First up, of course, was a flight. You can see their logo on the flight list and the flight itself is presented on their logo, inverted. Descriptions begin from the closest beer and continue clockwise.

Mamba (“Unique malt beverage,” 6.5%) – They say this one can only speak for itself, and that’s for sure. It’s very malty and really unusual; I’m glad I tried it but would never have more than just the taster.

DJ Jazzy Hef (Hefeweizen, 5.4%) – I’ve never had a hefeweizen with Jasmine in it before … at first blush, it’s a pretty bog standard hefe, but the Jasmine does come through as a delicate aftertaste. Interesting … but maybe a bit too off the beaten track for my palate.

Hopscotch Ale (Scottish-influenced ale, 8.2%) – I liked this! It was fairly recognizable as a Scottish ale, but with their own subtle twist on it.

Cold Gold Vol 2 (Cold IPA, 6.1%) – Of all the beers I tried here, this was my absolute favorite. It’s a double-dry-hopped IPA but fermented on lager yeast, hence, the “cold IPA” appellation. If they had sold crowlers, I’d have taken one of these with me for the evening!

Tropic Blunder (American Wheat Ale, 5.5%) – This is a bit uncategorizable given that it’s a dry hopped wheat ale. It was good but not great, probably because I really had nothing to compare it to.

Hazy IPA (IPA, 6.5%) – Continuing the theme of pushing the boundaries, here is an IPA that includes both rolled oats and additional protein to create a silky mouthfeel. It was good.

If they had offered pizza, I would have jumped all over one! Instead, I went for their 1/3 pound burger as I’m also happy to see a place that doesn’t make me try to stuff a full ½ pound burger in. This includes an IPA aioli and it was excellent (if a bit messy).

I finished up with a Double or Nothin’ IPA, a 9.6% monster that was surprisingly malty. I’m a fan of double and triple IPAs because they’re so well balanced (on a good day) with the alcohol not noticeably present. This one was both malty and alcohol-heavy … not my favorite of the visit.

On the way into Salem, I saw signs for another place that looked intriguing … so check out my next entry!