Fremont Brewing Debuts Black Heron Project

Beer lovers rejoiced last week with the announcement of Fremont Brewing’s Black Heron Project. The endeavor, a farmhouse brewing experience that is inspired by the ingredients and seasons native to the Pacific Northwest, will feature beers that (in the words of the brewers) are oak-fermented, bottle-conditioned and patient. To us, they are experimental, delicious, and wild – a complete testament to the famed brewery’s unwavering creativity and passion.  

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Cloudburst Brewing | Alternative Facts IPA

Photo by Cloudburst Brewing

Seattle is home to millions of breweries. Did you know that? That’s right! Some are just undocumented… But they are all fantastic. Truly fantastic. The best breweries! People from Portland, Denver cry when they see our breweries. They’re just bitter, those people. Bitter that more people come to OUR breweries. Not breweries in Portland. Not breweries in Denver. People just love Seattle beer. Every city thinks that they have better breweries, but they don’t. SAD.

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Fremont Brewing in Collaboration with Chuck’s Hop Shop | Phantom Chair

On Saturday, hundreds of craft lovers came together to celebrate Chuck’s Hop Shop’s third anniversary. The event was a testament to the craft beer bar quickly and swiftly making its mark in Seattle’s Central District neighborhood.

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Event Recap | Cloudburst Brewing’s First Ever Anniversary Party

When I got to Cloudburst Brewing on Friday for their First Ever Anniversary Party shortly after I had left work, no later than 5:00, the line was already out the door. It was an impressive feat for an event that started a few hours before – especially considering that many craft fanatics were finally able to get to the brewery from leaving their daily grinds.

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Event Preview | Cloudburst Brewing’s First Ever Anniversary Party

Photo courtesy of Cloudburst Brewing

Have plans this Friday? No? Well, now you do. You’ll be coming down to Cloudburst Brewing to celebrate their one year anniversary. The brewery’s ‘First Ever Anniversary Party’ will be a time to celebrate and reminisce on Cloudburst’s biggest learnings and accomplishments. Oh, and to drink really good beer, of course.

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Bale Breaker Brewing Company | Field 41 Pale Ale

ABV: 4.5% | IBU: 38

Recently, at a north Seattle neighborhood taproom, I overheard a patron declare her aversion to “hoppy beers.” Puzzled, I wondered if it was the hop aroma, … Read More

Cloudburst Brewing | Remember the Maine Smoked Pumpkin Porter

ABV: 5.1%

As our own writers have demonstrated, pumpkin beers can be a divisive topic. But despite the controversy attached to this particular category of beer, West Seattle’s beloved beer bar and bottle shop The Beer Junction has devoted an entire week to celebrating this type of beverage with an event titled Pumpkin Junction 2016. This event features 30 taps devoted solely to pumpkin beers and ciders for eight straight days (Oct. 15-23). I attended the Pumpkin Junction on opening day and chose Cloudburst Brewing’s Remember the Maine Smoked Pumpkin Porter as my inaugural pumpkin beer for the season. The Beer Junction’s promise of pumpkin did not disappoint.

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A Few Thoughts After Visiting Silver City Brewery

Over the past few months, we’ve been lucky enough to get to know the guys and gals of Silver City Brewery. It all started when we were able to sit down over some beers and chat about their 20th Anniversary Celebration – at Chuck’s Hop Shop in Seattle. After a few rounds of beer – learning about their culture, their team, and their Anniversary celebration – we were hooked. Read More

Outlander Brewery | Holy Basil Pale

ABV: 5.6%

I love a little quirkiness with my beer, because with so many craft breweries in Seattle, a unique character is really what sets each establishment, and brew, apart. The Holy Basil Pale Ale by Outlander Brewery fits this measure well—it strikes just the right balance of eccentric and uniquely delicious. Read More

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

Black Raven Brewing Co. | Raven de Garde

Belgian Style Pale Ale 2014 and 2015 Vintages 7.4% ABV

In spite of, or maybe because of, the number of great beers available in Washington, I usually don’t know until … Read More

Reuben’s Brews | Daily Pale

It’s an exciting time to be in Seattle. The cold, grey weather is shedding itself – transforming into long, euphoric days of sunshine. The Bumbershoot lineup has been announced, and is looking absolutely superb. The light rail has finally — finally! — expanded to Capital Hill and the University of Washington, giving us all a new opportunity to escape blood boiling traffic. But the best news of all, at least for Emerald City beer lovers, is that Seattle Beer Week is kicking off on May 12 for ten sweet days of celebration, experimentation and collaboration.

Though we have to wait a few more days until Seattle Beer Week is officially underway, Reuben’s Brews has given us a taste of what we can expect from the festival. Literally. And we must say, it’s damn near perfection. 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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Geaux Brewing Announces Auburn, WA Expansion

When we were lucky enough to speak with Jeremy Hubbell, owner and brewer at Geaux Brewing, a few months back, he had hinted something big in the works. As we are big fans of Geaux – snatching up their beer at every chance that we can, and basking in their Louisiana themed taproom at every opportunity that comes our way – it’s safe to say that we were anxiously awaiting the news. And now that news has come.

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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 | Geaux Brewing (Bellevue, WA)

The history of Geaux Brewing starts, innocently enough, with a pizza party and a Whole Foods run.

The year was 2011, and Jeremy Hubbell was planning his weekly Friday pizza party in a business park in Bellevue, Washington. Every Friday, Hubbell would order a few pizzas and pair them with a selection of solid beers purchased from the local Whole Foods down the road for his coworkers. Read More

Ecliptic Brewing | Orbiter IPA

Photo Courtesy of Ecliptic Brewing

It’s hard to stand out – as a beer – in Portland, Oregon. A pillar of the city’s culture is its beer. You discover Portland by sipping your way through – your taste buds tickled by the variety, consistency, creativity, found within the city borders. Bets are that anything you have is going to be good.

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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

Brewery Showcase | Fremont Brewing (Seattle, WA)

The first time I spoke with Matt Lincecum and Sara Nelson, co-founders of Fremont Brewing, was on the eve of their expansion into Oregon.  After five years, the Seattle … Read More