Skye Book And Brew

It is a bookstore brewpub with a great back patio and nice inside seating. However, the bookstore part is a bit lacking, and it seems to be more of a gimmick than anything else. It was a nice place to enjoy some beer, gimmick or not. The beer all had a painful off-flavor to it that reminded me of rest-stop bathrooms. I can only imagine its a water quality issue. I saw numerous locals come in and buy growlers and pints of their various offerings, so that might have a redeeming quality. The service was prompt and good. It would have been great, but I despise being informed of the obvious. "You can sit in the shade if you want instead" is an obvious statement, and I don't want to hear it. I chose my seat in the sun because I wanted to feel some heat for the first time in what seems like years. The selection was a tad small, with a pale ale, a whit, a scottish ale and two other beers I fail to recollect on tap, and no bottles. The food was great... I had an excellet italian chicken sandwhich, best one I've ever had, but there were few menu options. Overall: I really wanted to like it, and I almost did, but I will never drink the beer again, and not just because I'm moving to New York.

If you didn’t notice the wall on the right-hand side, you might think Skye Book and Brew was a typical smallish brewpub in a northwestern town. But if all you saw was the right wall, you’d think you were in a bookstore. Well, you are. It’s a brewpub AND a bookstore – the only one of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. Skye serves seven house beers, and some robust sandwiches and salads. Plus they offer several thousand titles of new and used books on a variety of subjects.

The brewery is in the basement. You won’t catch more than a glimpse of it at the foot of the spiral staircase, but you may hear the brewer down there practicing the bagpipes. Skye has a Scottish-themed décor with maps of Scotland on the wall, a sculpture of a bagpiper, and plenty of plaid. Not surprisingly, there’s also a Scottish ale. The food menu is a little more continental. I watched a number of patrons collect their meals before I ordered and was greatly impressed with what I saw. When I finally ordered, I was not disappointed with the freshness, portions, and attention to detail. Though the menu is modest in its café-style offerings (the kitchen is no larger than that of a suburban home), the food comes highly recommended.

Beer offerings are also modest with no cask or guest taps. My favorite was the Pataha Creek Porter -– a spot-on porter of casual potency and elegant design. On Monday all pints are just $1.00. That’s right, full pints of house beer for one buck on Monday. You can’t beat that anywhere. I happened to show up on a Monday and found every seat filled by 6PM. It’s not surprising.

Dayton is a small town with one traffic light, famed for where Lewis and Clark once played foosball. Skye B&B is on Main Street in a century-old building with exposed red bricks and a small beer garden. There’s an upright piano in the back and the place hosts frequent musical events and gatherings. On my visit, a civic group advocating local wind power was holding court. Several wind farms have become established nearby in recent years and there’s a heated debate now stirring over whether more wind turbines should be brought to the area. For the record, I strongly favor the idea.

Skye has a lot of charm. The attention to details like porcelain salt and pepper shakers and napkin holders and the like, lends a feeling of comfort and grace. And it’s small enough that service never wanes. Just be advised that they close for two hours at midday.