Brewery Showcase | The Pike Brewing Co.

Walking into The Pike Brewing Company isn’t like walking into a brew pub. It’s like walking into a beer museum.

The walls of Pike are lined – floor to ceiling, … Read More

Event Recap | Fremont Brewing’s Heron Hunting Club

When information regarding the secret society affectionately referred to by its members simply as “HHC” leaked on the internet, those in the know reacted. “It’s not too late to delete this post” mentioned one especially covetous fellow. “Original Poster apparently thought his chances of winning the raffle were far too high” stated another. What would make the gentle strangers of the internet remark in such a way? It turns out that Fremont Brewing’s offer to join an exclusive association had the whole city in a stir. Read on to understand the what membership entailed. Read More

Ultimate 6er | Washington Collaboration Beers

The collaborative spirit of the craft beer industry has long been one of my favorite topics to cover, so I was ecstatic to learn about the first-ever Washington Beer Collaboration Festival put on by the Washington Beer Commission. The two-day festival featured 25 collaboration beers from 50 different Washington breweries and celebrated the collaborative and creative culture among Washington brewers. I attended the inaugural festival on a sunny Saturday afternoon and sampled about half of these unique brews. Read on for some of my favorite concoctions from this innovative festival.

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TODAY | Fremont Brewing Company Summer Ale Release Party

We don’t try and hide it. We are really, really big fans of Fremont Brewing Company. The people are great, and the beer is better. Or is the beer great, … Read More

The Pike Brewing Company | Monk’s Uncle Tripel Ale

If you live in Seattle — or have ever stepped foot within Seattle — you have realized that Pike Place Market is an institution.

Every day, hundreds of local … Read More

West Seattle Brewing Co. | IPA

6.8% ABV | 67 IBU

West Seattle Brewing Company is one of the quieter breweries in the Seattle area, but that doesn’t make it any less quintessentially Seattle. The brewery, which reopened after renovations last summer, offers a coffee bar for early morning commuters, 18 taps, and a kid/dog-friendly space that has been called “West Seattle’s living room.” To top it all off, the Seattle Sounders 2016 schedule has a permanent location at the entrance of the bar. West Seattle Brewing truly offers the unassuming, laid back experience that Seattle breweries are known for, complete with plentiful options, friendly staff, and – most importantly –  delicious beer. Read More

Brewery Showcase | Peddler Brewing Company (Seattle, WA)

Haley Keller, co-founder of Peddler Brewing Company, wasn’t always a biker. Come to think of it, she didn’t always like beer, either.

“I would say that both of those were … Read More

Two Beers Brewing Co. | Cold Brew Coffee Brown Ale

ABV: 5.2% | IBU: 18

Though all of us Seattle Porchdrinkers like to think that great beer is Seattle’s most popular exported beverage, there is one Seattle drink that may beat even beer in terms of reputation and recognition, and that drink is coffee. As the home of Starbucks, Tully’s and many other roasters, Seattle’s coffee industry rivals its beer industry for options, quality and appreciation. In acknowledgment of the popularity and similarity of the two industries, Two Beers Brewing Co. created the Cold Brew Coffee Brown Ale. Read More

Hale’s Ales | Barrel Aged Imperial Stout

ABV: 9.9% | IBU: 26

Even in a beer-crazy neighborhood like the Ballard area of Seattle, Hale’s Ales stands out as a symbol of the early craft beer revolution. Mike Hale, the brewery’s founder, opened Hale’s Ales Brewery in 1983 and the brewery has been a staple of Pacific Northwest brewing ever since. In the sea of Ballard’s microbreweries, growlers, and flannel shirts, the large Brewery and Pub that has served as Hale’s Ales home base since 1995 suggests a permanence that promises to outlive last winter’s mustaches, this year’s beards, and whatever new facial fashions are donned by Ballard’s trendy, beer-loving residents in the years to come. That is why the Barrel Aged Imperial Stout is a great topic for today’s review – the beer is a magnificent representation of the boldness, the longevity, and the stoutness of the Hale’s Ales institution.

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Scuttlebutt Brewing Company | KEXP Transistor IPA

ABV: 5.6% | IBU: 68

If you don’t live in Seattle, the letters KEXP might not mean much to you. If you do live in Seattle, you know that these are not just four, jumbled letters. KEXP is 90.3 FM – the radio station bringing the Emerald City innovative and experimental culture, groundbreaking music and now, great… beer? Read More

Reuben’s Brews | Robust Porter

5.9% ABV | 30 IBU

I’m a big believer in a relaxing Sunday, especially after a busy Saturday. A recent Saturday definitely fit that bill with a 4 dog trip … Read More

Schooner EXACT Brewing Co. | 3-Grid IPA

ABV 6.7% | IBU 62

One of the great things about living in a beer-forward city like Seattle is the beer fluency of the entire city. Virtually every person in the area can carry on a conversation about beer styles and the relative virtues of one brewery over another without prompting, guaranteeing that a diverse set of opinions is just a conversation away. It’s in this way that I discovered the Schooner EXACT 3-Grid IPA.

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Reuben’s Brews | American Brown

ABV: 5.9%
IBU: 36

Reuben’s Brews was one of the first breweries I covered when I began writing about craft beer and has always been one of my favorite taprooms to visit, so I have happily monitored their rapid growth into a well-recognized force within the Seattle craft beer scene and beyond. Reuben’s opened in August 2012 but, thanks to a delicious and award-winning rotating beer list, they reached brewing capacity within six months. This lead the team at Reuben’s to begin looking for a location in which to expand their operations two years ago, and they opened the doors to their new, spacious brewery and taproom on May 9 of this year. I stopped by the brewery to pay homage to my roots as a craft beer writer – and to sample one of their rotating brews, the American Brown. Read More

Elysian Brewing Company | Superfuzz Blood Orange Pale

ABV: 5.4%

IBU: 45

Since I’m originally from the Midwest, I pride myself on being able to withstand harsh weather – frigid winters and humid summers are the foundations of even my earliest memories, and I recall those glory days bravely and often. However, after three summers in Seattle, I’m beginning to turn into a bit of a weather wimp, and once it hit 80 degrees for the 10^th day in a row I started to get that antsy, uncomfortable feeling that had previously only plagued me after a month of 95 degree, 90% humidity days in the Midwest. It was time for a beer. Read More

Elysian Brewery | Savant IPA

ABV: 6.30%
IBU: 66

I am not a scientist and I rarely claim to be, but there has to be research available that proves that people love monkeys. I was at Hugo’s, my local beer store, trying to judge a beer by its label and make the impossible decision: Elysian’s DayGlow IPA with a tiger shooting rainbow lasers out of its eyes or Elysian’s Savant IPA with a monkey in glasses painting a picture. My past experience with Elysian has revolved around their incredible fall pumpkin beers, which made me appoint Elysian my beer of the evening for a rainy Wednesday night.

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