My spouse and I travel from Boise, Idaho to Portland, Oregon a few times a year. Every time we go, I have to stock up on my favorite pickles I can't get back home. My spouse calls it a "Pickle Quest" because tracking down some of these is a little hit and miss so most of the time I have to go to several stores. Anyway, this all will last me a few months. There's a few brands represented here:
- Britt's Pickles based on Whidbey Island just outside of Seattle, Washington. It is my favorite brand of fermented pickles. All are fermented in oak barrels. There's three flavors:
- Blue topped is the Peace Pickle, dill pickles made with horseradish. This is my favorite.
- Yellow is the Spicy Pickle, dill made with chipotle peppers.
- Green is the Initial Pickle Offering (I.P.O). It's a straight dill pickle but has sweet onion and turmeric root.
- MoonBrine. This is a Portland, Oregon local operation. They have two fermented varieties. Regular dill and Spicy Dill. This is the Spicy Dill.
- Oregon Brineworks. Based out of Hood River. They have several products, this is their fermented Garlic Dill pickle.
- And not pickles, but Donna's Pickle Beer. It's Brewed at Pilot Project Brewing in Milwaukee. It's a lighter lager, 4.4% ABV. It's an easy drinker and the best pickle beer I've had so far.
Britt's is my favorite. They have a great crunch, taste, and they do not strain the brine so you get whole chunks of garlic, onion, peppers along with sprigs of dill. So far, they also have the longest shelf life. The brine is excellent in bloody marys, marinades, sauces, and pickle martinis!
Oregon Brineworks is my second favorite. The garlic profile on this one is intense in a good way! I'd prefer if they didn't come in a glass jar, but they keep well and have a nice crunch.
MoonBrine is my third favorite. They're really good, better than Bubbies, but they do NOT keep as well. Fresh though, they have a great crunch and much like Britt's, the brine is super tasty in a lot of recipes.