Termini Brewing

Stopped in here on a Thursday for some lunch. Owner was very nice and staff was as well. Only one in, seemed pretty laid back. Walking in the bar is to the rear of the building, directly ahead. Kitchen area is off to the right and seating greets ya walking in. According to the staff they no longer brew beer. This serves as a beer bar only. 15 handles qith 3 of them being BMC, others range from Dicks, Ninkasi, Firestone. Food was good, the potato slad ws awesome, ribs were good. Overall a pretty good stop but they should really change the name if they do not plan on brewing anymore. Pretty misleading as I was looking forward to some house beers.

When you get down to it, you just can’t beat the great American combination of beer and barbeque. Speedway seizes upon this classic pairing by serving house-brewed craft ales with some of the best Texas-style BBQ you’re likely to find in the Puget Sound region. All their meats are rubbed down with a secret recipe of seasonings and slow smoked for twelve hours to achieve a succulent perfection. It’s really quite remarkable that a small, family-run place such as this is willing and able to go to such pains to prepare their food. And their prices are quite fair.

And when’s the last time a serving of potato salad or coleslaw really made you stand up and take notice? For me, it was my last visit to Speedway. It’s that good. I first visited Speedway on the second day they were open for business and found the place well tended by friends and family of the brewer’s. Eight months later, and with virtually no advertising, the place draws a loyal crowd of eager BBQ enthusiasts. It’s a classic case of word-of-mouth. That’s what good food in a small town will do.

I wish I could give a similarly enthusiastic endorsement of the beer, but I’ve found only about half their beer roster worthy of acclaim. They brew two intriguing IPAs, (or beers they call IPA) including a dark IPA, and a very agreeable dark mild ale. Most of their other beers stray far from traditional designs and ultimately struggle for definition. All house ales are poured directly from bright tanks behind the bar. The beer is neither kegged nor bottled, nor are guest beers featured. The brewer makes a good point that the lack of kegs eliminates a time-consuming and costly process along with a fair measure of floor space. Since Speedway beers aren’t distributed out-of-house, the lack of kegs would seem to be an efficiency, rather than a limitation.

That great smoky barbeque is served on paper plates with plastic utensils and plenty of napkins. I was at first put off by the low-budget tableware. But upon further reflection, I came to appreciate the authentic homestyle presentation of the food. The disposable food service, though not exactly enviro-friendly, has the effect of making the dining experience feel like an enthusiastic tailgate party at a NASCAR rally.

And that’s the other thing about Speedway; the entire venue is racecar themed. The beer names, the décor, even a fair number of the patrons, are all attuned to sportscar racing. They finally put a nice new pool table in that big empty space near the front door. But for awhile I was guessing some hotrod might end up parked there.

Speedway operates in an industrial park just off the freeway near St. Martin’s College. Service is notably friendly and family oriented. You can skip the weizen and the stout. But I highly recommend a plate of that tangy finger-lickin’ BBQ with an IPA or two. Closed Sunday and Monday.