Northwest Brewing Company

 

20160623 7:30 PM
Vibe: not a lot of people
Quality: very good IPA
Service: Very attentive even a lot of customers
Selection: 8 on tap plus bottles
Overall: Very good experience

Northwest Brewing is tucked into the back of an industrial park, but despite that it was a hoppin' joint when I visited. The place is very garagey and has a very DIY feel, and there seemed to be lots of locals when I was there. Service was friendly and good; I was sitting at the bar and never had to wait for a drink.

They had 8 beers on tap when I was there, plus a root beer. I tried some of their limited-production barrel aged beers, which were a mix of good and just decent. They do have food available, hot dogs and flatbreads and stuff like that heated in an oven, but not a real kitchen.

 

 

A decent place with a lot of potential but they're missing a real knock out beer. The only thing I've liked a lot at this place, (midnight ale) has been discontinued. Not a ton of beers to try, usually 7 or 8 at any given time. It's not fancy and has more of the industrial storage shed atmosphere opposed to more upscale breweries and tasting rooms. Staff is always friendly. Didn't want to grade the food as it's all ordered in from down the street. They do have occasional nacho and hot dog type nights though. Really not a bad place, just awaiting a really good beer from them. After the bourbon barrel oatmeal stout I tried yesterday, I think they're getting close!

Barely found this place, and only did so purely by accident. Hidden amongst couregated steel industrial warehouses and the rail road tracks lies this cozy place. Wafting sweet wort and citrus hops aromas create a warm ski lodge environment, the bar is a large spacious horseshoe with 4 seated tables checkered around it. Live music on weekends, shuffleboard, bottles, growlers and kegs to go. Nice and clean inside, you can watch the brewers dink around with the fermenters and mash tun as you sip away. Tap selection was restricted this day, so it counted against them, but they have their regular lineup offered and no special seasonals that I can tell. I think I'll make another visit in the future to see how this place plays out.

It's basically an open warehouse type of building, with the brewing area in the back and a taproom in the front. I like that sort of thing, so I liked the atmosphere. It's in a relatively remote industrial type of area, but it's not hard to find.

Quality is fine, there beers are typically a little weird but they don't seem shabby, just not really to my taste. Didn't try any food, but they only have a few things. I guess we ate some of the free popcorn, but I don't think that really counts. It was only mediocre as popcorn, if you care about that.

Selection wasn't bad, they mostly hit the big styles with a weird twist, like a mango hef. Pricing was reasonable -- pitcher at $12 is the same cost as three pints, but pours about four or four and a half.

Stopped in here on a Tuesday afternoon just after work. The GPS almost did not find this place since it was tucked away in corner in a industrial park like area. Walking in the place is tables and the bar area and more seating off to the right, you can also see the tanks. The bar has about 12 seats or so. On this day the mood here, at the bar was depressing. 5 guys at the bar with their eyes glued to a TV with no sound or with their heads stuck in their drink, like they hads been shamed. Awful and uncomfortable. Their was literally no talk for 10 minutes. The background was filled with awful country/rockabilly music and not good kind because I like southern and classic rock. The quality is average to not so good. The tap selection was ok but nothing over the top. They had the normal lineup of herbed/spiced brews and a traditional lineup of a amber, IPA and a lager. Service was ok and average. Overall a poor place not worthy of a stop or the traffic you will fight on the 167 to get here.

In the fall of '09, Trade Route Brewing moved to the outskirts of Pacific to expand their operation and open a tasting room (they call it a "taphouse"). Though they kept the same brewing system as before, they've modified some of their recipes and renamed them. They've also added a few new styles such as an IPA and an amber. This shows a move away from strictly brewing Asian-influenced beers with Asian-derived ingredients, towards a more mainstream craft beer orientation.

Unfortunately, beer quality has suffered, and the new tasting room provides little reason for beer travelers to pay a visit. The new brewery is located in an industrial area across from a trucking hub and is physically quite large. I think I heard 4000 sq. ft. of floorspace. Most of this is an industrial grade brew house. About one-fourth is partitioned off as a tasting room. The tasting room is spartan in design and doesn't aspire to being a pub. There are no games, no booze, no guest taps, and the decor does little to welcome a recreational visit. It's basically a big garage with a bar, two TVs and some tables. They pour six house beers and the food is limited to hot dogs, chili, and popcorn. And there's only one, single occupancy rest room which doesn't quite cut it on a Saturday night.

Despite not having a draw for food, beer, or ambiance, the locals have eagerly taken to the place. Lots of folks drop in for that after work pint or a growler fill. But I can't help but feel a bit disappointed that the former Laughing Buddha has lost much of its original character. Opening a pub or tasting room seemed like a great opportunity for Trade Route. But even for a warehouse tasting room, the place feels sterile.