The Beer Thread

Sidehatch wrote:
going to be in Seattle for a few days
won't have a car, but will be downtown (South lake)

What breweries are must visits
and are any public transit friendly

Sweetcell is probably the man to answer this but I'll take a stab.

The last time I was in Seattle was summer 2015. There wasn't much to speak of downtown…Elysian is decent but I think they are AB-Inbev owned. It looks like a place called Cloudbursting has opened downtown, getting good ratings on Beer Advocate.

I think the one must-hit brewery for beer quality is Holy Mountain. Fremont Brewing is great for atmosphere, and for beer if you hit one of their special brews (e.g Bourbon Abominable, Dark Star, etc). Rueben's is pretty decent too.

I took the bus from downtown to Holy Mountain to Fremont back to downtown. My wife and daughter took the bus from downtown to Reubens to Fremont (maybe they walked between those two? I think they were up that way for other reasons as well…the jumping salmon and Archie McPhee's to name a couple of things), back to downtown. And we all lived to tell about it.

Sweetcell?

Sidehatch wrote:
going to be in Seattle for a few days
won't have a car, but will be downtown (South lake)

I was just there last week and found the beer scene just ok…

Cloudburst for Haze
Holy Mountain for super acidic sours
Fremont for average all around beers unless they have something special on tap (DC seems to get better Fremont beer than the actually brewery)
Urban Family Brewing is also good.

Highly recommend The Masonry for an awesome tap list and great pizza (you'll be walking distance to the one location).

No Anchor is great as well with a killer dungeoness crab roll  and adispensary a block away.

Yada wrote:

Sidehatch wrote:
going to be in Seattle for a few days
won't have a car, but will be downtown (South lake)

  and a dispensary a block away.

oh yeah there's that too…how could I forget


thanks for the tips so far
I'll be just a few blocks from Cloudburst Brewing and No Anchor

location changed to a condo in Pikes Place Market…please tell me this is not the same thing as the San Francisco Wharf

Also came across this cool bike rental place that will bring a quality road bike to you and cheaper than most rental outfits http://pedalanywhere.com/
so I hope to do at least 100 miles during my stay

I guess I should add…good breweries that are bikable from downtown too

I stand by my original list of four breweries no matter your mode of transportation.

Pike Place is indeed a tourist trap.

PBR!

Space wrote:

Sidehatch wrote:
going to be in Seattle for a few days
won't have a car, but will be downtown (South lake)

What breweries are must visits
and are any public transit friendly

Sweetcell is probably the man to answer this

actually, i'm probably not the best person for this.  i've had limited exposure to the seattle scene, as i'm happy as a clam out here in the mountains.  in the 16 months i've been here, i've been into seattle maybe 5 or 6 times (mostly to go to protests).  luckily we have Yada here to set us straight.

based on my observations and interactions with other beer geeks, it seems that beer culture is much more laid back here.  there isn't an obsession with visiting every single brewery, checking everything in to Untappd, standing in line for bottles, etc… those are things tourists do, not locals.  folks seem to talk a lot more about enjoying the location, the vibe, how environmental the brewery is or what causes it supports, etc.  i mean, the beer still needs to be good (and, because it's the west coast, super hoppy).

HOWEVER, i might be in a better position to offer an opinion next weekend: i'm (finally) meeting up with stevewizzle and a MD brewing buddy, and we're contemplating bar hopping that saturday night.  last time those two hung out, they sung the praises of the pine box bar.

holy mountain and cloudburst are the two most common recommendations i hear.  someday i'll make it there too.

Yada wrote:
(DC seems to get better Fremont beer than the actually brewery)

if you're talking about their one-off seasonal releases, like Dark Star and Abominable, well of course they're not going to have those on tap 24/7/365 - just like you're not going to get KBS year-round at Founders.  did you try Lush?

Yada wrote:
Pike Place is indeed a tourist trap.

agreed.  it's not as bad as times square, and there is an underbelly if you poke around, but there isn't much there that you need to see. 

Zymurgy Magazine: mag of the American Homebrewers Association.

their best-of-2018 list: predictable.  two hearted, pliny, heady, hopslam, SNPA, CBS, KBS, zombie… take out founders, and the top 11 beers are all hops hops hops.  i like hops as much as the next guy, but c'mon… good "top breweries" list, although Bell's at #1 is debatable.

best beer by state:
Maryland: Loose Canon | American IPA | Heavy Seas Beer      (WTF???)
Virginia: Master Shredder | American IPA | The Veil Brewing Co.
Washington D.C.: Starsky & Dutch | Sweet Stout | 3 Stars Brewing

sweetcell wrote:

did you try Lush?

Indeed… Drank sixers of that all weekend at The Gorge. Pretty nice to be able to buy that at Fred Meyers canned only 10 days prior.

Also, took a gamble on Sapwood today… I think you may have mentioned a long time ago that was your buddy, I split the sour club with a few folks.

sweetcell wrote:
Virginia: Master Shredder | American IPA | The Veil Brewing Co.
Washington D.C.: Starsky & Dutch | Sweet Stout | 3 Stars Brewing

these two are pretty awesome


Freemont, cloudburst and Holy Mountain will likely…plus they are all right off the bike trails
Heard Shorty's is a great dive bar close to where I'm at

bar hopping that saturday night

8/11 or 8/18?


cool logo
wish some better ones would open closer to Arlington
I'm not driving for one hour to Columbia to get a beer

Yada wrote:

sweetcell wrote:
did you try Lush?

Indeed… Drank sixers of that all weekend at The Gorge. Pretty nice to be able to buy that at Fred Meyers canned only 10 days prior.

for most IPAs i have a one-month rule.  with freemont, it's 2 weeks ;D

aside: assuming you drove from seattle to the gorge, you passed within 2 miles of my place while zooming up I-90.

Yada wrote:
Also, took a gamble on Sapwood today… I think you may have mentioned a long time ago that was your buddy, I split the sour club with a few folks.

NICE!  please please report back on their offerings.  i'd sign up for their club in a heartbeat if i could.

i know both guys behind the project - Mike, who literally wrote the book on american sours, and Scott, AKA Mr. Hop Science.  those two have forgotten more about making good beer than most folks will ever learn.  if their commercial output is anything like their homebrews, y'all in for a treat.

Sidehatch wrote:

sweetcell wrote:
bar hopping that saturday night

8/11 or 8/18?

8/11.  when are you in town? 

Sidehatch wrote:

cool logo
wish some better ones would open closer to Arlington
I'm not driving for one hour to Columbia to get a beer

i realize this doesn't happen very often, but next time you make it to MPP: pre-game at Sapwood?

Did I mention that we're going to Jasper and Banff starting Tuesday and the beer options suck? I'll probably drink wine.

Sour, in the Rye . . . is the sourest sour I've sucked, on.

Also, loving this new beer I got, called  -  District 9  Piggy Kisses

one, other thing.  just opened my after dinner beer, about to do laundry and then watch something; could be anything.  this thing is super bizarre with a taste not experienced in a beer, on this tongue

founders  barrel runner

almost like a gin burn slide taste, hiding most hints of actual beer in there . . . and if I am reading this correct, it is 11.11 percent.  ooh, damn.

Sidehatch wrote:

sweetcell wrote:
Virginia: Master Shredder | American IPA | The Veil Brewing Co.
Washington D.C.: Starsky & Dutch | Sweet Stout | 3 Stars Brewing

these two are pretty awesome

speaking of:

3 Stars Brewing Company
Today at 4pm. Starsky & Dutch. Double Dutch Chocolate Stout. ~100 cases. $15/4-pack. That is all. Don’t Sleep.

sweetcell wrote:
Zymurgy Magazine: mag of the American Homebrewers Association.

their best-of-2018 list: predictable.  two hearted, pliny, heady, hopslam, SNPA, CBS, KBS, zombie… take out founders, and the top 11 beers are all hops hops hops.  i like hops as much as the next guy, but c'mon… good "top breweries" list, although Bell's at #1 is debatable.

best beer by state:
Maryland: Loose Canon | American IPA | Heavy Seas Beer      (WTF???)
Virginia: Master Shredder | American IPA | The Veil Brewing Co.
Washington D.C.: Starsky & Dutch | Sweet Stout | 3 Stars Brewing

How could they possibly prefer Loose Cannon when they have this on the way?

http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/music/midnight-sun-blog/bs-fe-guinness-brewery-explainer-20180801-story.html

sweetcell wrote:

Sidehatch wrote:

sweetcell wrote:
Virginia: Master Shredder | American IPA | The Veil Brewing Co.
Washington D.C.: Starsky & Dutch | Sweet Stout | 3 Stars Brewing

these two are pretty awesome

speaking of:

3 Stars Brewing Company
Today at 4pm. Starsky & Dutch. Double Dutch Chocolate Stout. ~100 cases. $15/4-pack. That is all. Don’t Sleep.

I haven't had that so can't comment on quality, but is it that rare? They had last year it at my local Whole Foods, which is the smallest Whole Foods in NoVA, and typically doesn't get shit for beer (particularly since their previous beer buyers left.)

sweetcell wrote:speaking of:
3 Stars Brewing Company
Today at 4pm. Starsky & Dutch. Double Dutch Chocolate Stout. ~100 cases. $15/4-pack. That is all. Don’t Sleep.

This hasn't been too terribly hard to find…but I'm sure after that rating it will fly off the shelves

sweetcell wrote:

Sidehatch wrote:

sweetcell wrote:
bar hopping that saturday night

8/11 or 8/18?

8/11.  when are you in town? 

bummer…8/18

i realize this doesn't happen very often, but next time you make it to MPP: pre-game at Sapwood?

well the SSOA (sweetcell Seal of approval) is typically enough for me to make the trek
so I'm sure I'll make it there sometime

So if I drop your name… they'll give me all sorts of free pours ;)
or will they show me the door

Space wrote:

sweetcell wrote:

Sidehatch wrote:

sweetcell wrote:
Virginia: Master Shredder | American IPA | The Veil Brewing Co.
Washington D.C.: Starsky & Dutch | Sweet Stout | 3 Stars Brewing

these two are pretty awesome

speaking of:

3 Stars Brewing Company
Today at 4pm. Starsky & Dutch. Double Dutch Chocolate Stout. ~100 cases. $15/4-pack. That is all. Don’t Sleep.

I haven't had that so can't comment on quality, but is it that rare? They had last year it at my local Whole Foods, which is the smallest Whole Foods in NoVA, and typically doesn't get shit for beer (particularly since their previous beer buyers left.)

There isn't a 3 Stars beer worth rushing to purchase, those things collect dust everywhere in the DMV.

While visiting my mom in western Massachusetts, I ventured over the Vermont line, hoping I could find a lowish ABV NE IPA in cans to transport back to Maryland.  So, the owner of the store in Pownal, VT recommended the Foley Brothers Big Bang "American IPA"  (5.5%) out of Brandon, VT.  Hit the spot!

Foley Brothers do some good stuff.

I'll be headed to burlington in 10 days. Me and every cooler I own.