Machine House Brewery

Brewery, Bar, Beer-to-go

5718 Rainier Ave S
Seattle, Washington, 98118
United States

(206) 402-6025 | map
machinehousebrewery.com
BEER STATS
Average:
3.91
Beers:
70
Ratings:
288
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.95
Reviews:
8
Ratings:
20
pDev:
8.61%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by DoubleSimcoe:
Photo of DoubleSimcoe
Reviewed by DoubleSimcoe from Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -10.6%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3
Our Seattle friend took us to Georgetown and we somehow found Machine House Brewery. This place is right next to the main drag but sort of hidden in an alley, which might explain why it was completely empty on a Friday evening. The old brick warehouse that houses Machine is spacious, perhaps too much so for a brewery that appears to be a mom-and-pop operation cranking up only enough beer to supply the tasting room.

Indeed, the brewer was tending bar while the wife and son were lounging nearby. They have local art hanging on the walls and pallets everywhere. It felt like stepping into someone’s garage…

As for the beer, they make only English-style cask ale and have four varieties: Gold, Bitter, Mild, Oatmeal Stout. The stout was very good, the rest… not so great. The beers are hand-pumped and feel like an oddity in this era of Triple IPA’s and barrel-aged mega imperial stouts, and you gotta give these guys props for doing something different. Their merchandise is fantastic, I bought a cool hoody.

Not really a place to hang out, not a place for great beer… Machine is weird, but it deserves a visit or two.
Mar 19, 2014
More User Ratings:
Photo of snaotheus
Reviewed by snaotheus from Washington

4.01/5  rDev +1.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4 | selection: 3.75
I've been here a few times. Most recently, a very quick stop with my buddy to pick up a box of cask ale.

All there beer served in house is on cask, and they lean heavily on the English styles. Maybe 8-10 different beers available. They often/usually have some kind of an IPA, but that's not their MO. To my taste, they do things well.

They place is odd shaped, with a front and a back that seem completely different, plus outdoor seating also in the front and the back. Service is at the bar, bartenders have always been friendly and knowledgeable.

If you're looking for English style ale, I'd say this place is a treasure.
Apr 24, 2022
 
Rated: 3.58 by rab53 from Washington

Dec 01, 2021
Photo of Harrison8
Reviewed by Harrison8 from Missouri

4/5  rDev +1.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
Vibe is quite interesting, but it mashes up with the cask-ale-only vibe well. Interior is an old, historic machine house building with large windows out front, brick exterior, and concrete/stone flooring. Seating is long shared tables, along with traditional bar seating. Nothing about this experience is fancy, modern, or nuanced - it feels naturally historic, not forced rustic or curated. The alley way out front has a few additional picnic tables for some fresh air drinking, although the doors on both sides of the brewery allow air to filter through the interior drinking space. Service is kind, dishing out quick pours of cask ale. As far as selection, it's difficult to quantify, as this is a cask ale only brewery. For those seeking cask ale, this place nets a 5/5. For those adverse to cask ale, this place would net a 1/5. Personally, I always seek this place out when visiting Seattle, as I adore cask ales. I'll give it a 4/5 as it offers up a good selection of cask ales, but only 6 or so engines. Perhaps this gets bolstered on special event nights if they tap special firgins, which was the case for their satellite taproom location pre-COVID (and since shut down.) Of those six engines, they did span a good, but not great, array of beer styles offered thru cask ale.

Tough to rate this place any higher based on the general rating criteria; however, it's a must-visit for those who love cask ale.
Jul 23, 2021
 
Rated: 4 by Taybeh from Minnesota

Aug 13, 2019
 
Rated: 3.86 by Needmorebeer312 from Washington

Jun 12, 2018
Photo of Radcpa
Rated by Radcpa from Washington

3.67/5  rDev -7.1%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5
small tasting room with limited selection of beers and snacks. Rather crude and a little on the cold and damp side.
Apr 17, 2018
Photo of Sound_Explorer
Reviewed by Sound_Explorer from Washington

4.16/5  rDev +5.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4
Really loved the location, in the old Seattle Malting Co building I believe as well as the old Rainier Brewery. Taproom isn't that big and parking can be a pain but worth it. All English ales primarily and nearly all in the tradition of cask. All are well done, at least the ones I have tasted. Rare to have a place do traditional English ales so this is a great way to change it up from all the other brewers.
Feb 27, 2017
 
Rated: 3.5 by Cloaked_Phantom from Washington

Jun 19, 2016
 
Rated: 4.11 by AdamSkylar from Washington

Jun 05, 2016
Photo of flagmantho
Reviewed by flagmantho from Washington

3.78/5  rDev -4.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5
Machine House is located next to the old Georgetown brewery in an old factory that is now home to art spaces, the brewery and other interesting culturual stuff. The brewery is special in that all the beer they serve is on cask and poured through beer engines, and all their styles reflect British influence. They only have 5 beers on tap at any given time, but for the most part the quality is high and the experience feels very authentically pubby. Service was friendly and knowledgeable, and it's definitely a good place to hang out.
May 09, 2016
 
Rated: 3.83 by bumchilly25 from Canada (BC)

Jul 27, 2015
 
Rated: 3.65 by Donkster46 from Washington

Jul 03, 2015
 
Rated: 3.94 by mmosey from Massachusetts

May 10, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by Anaxagoris from Washington

Dec 03, 2014
Photo of BBThunderbolt
Reviewed by BBThunderbolt from Kiribati

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%
Located in an odd-shaped, funky room at the old Rainier brewery in Seattle, Machine House was, indeed, once upon a time, a machine house. Several taps of their cask ale were on tap, and I really enjoyed the Fresh Hop beer I had. While a relatively spartan space, some very nice sculpture gave a good feel to the room on my visit. I highly suggest a visit if you're in the area.
Nov 22, 2014
Photo of TheBungyo
Reviewed by TheBungyo from Washington

4.18/5  rDev +5.8%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4
I'm probably not the biggest fan of Machine House in Seatte. But I bet I'm in the top five.

Machine House is a humble brewery that makes no promises to be anything other than what it is ... and that is an American brewery that specializes in English style ales. No, not English Ales with an American twist, but English styles as you'd find them in the UK. Most of these are session strength, yet bursting with loads of flavor that contradict the low ABV. Such styles demand to be served on cask, and Machine House lives up to these demands. All offerings are served from beer engines at cask temp. These ales are of very high quality and deftly brewed.

The low alcohol content means quaffing a few pints won't put you out for the night. The flavors are subtle enough that it also won't kill your palate. Beers like these are designed for hanging out and enjoying conversation.

The tasting room continues to evolve, and seems to get better with every visit. A long bartop comfortably seats about 8 people, and nearby is another long table that has more than enough room for about a dozen. There are a few other tables sprinkled throughout.

With the concrete flooring (the tasting room is inside a working brewery and historic building) and spacious room it can get cold in the fall and winter. There's also no food, other than bags of chips and orders of peanuts. Outside food is welcome.

Machine House won't be for everyone, but if you enjoy English styles, appreciate subtlety in your brews, or love cask ale, this is a destination you must seek out. Truly a unique offering in the current craft beer explosion and one we're lucky to have right here in Seattle.
Nov 14, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by javlin624 from Texas

Jun 19, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by Anyportinastorm from Oregon

Jun 14, 2014
Photo of barleywinefiend
Reviewed by barleywinefiend from Washington

3.91/5  rDev -1%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 3
A: Very busy on a Saturday at lunch. Once I drove up and down trying to find the place I walked in the backdoor only to discover a nice, big crowd and band going to town. The place is pretty hard to find but when I found it I was pleased. A medium sized bar, loads of people and lots of babies, a band playing, pretty busy n loud

Q: They had three hand pump/cask beers here. All English style ales which is a bit of a change for this area. The beer I had, being the Bitter, was quite nice and quaffable.

S: The guys working behind the bar were very nice helpful despite being so busy. No complaints here. I thought they were doing a great job and there were plenty of them working. At one time I counted three people opuring.

S: Like I mentioned; 3 house beers @ $3 pints and 2 one-off casks today. Not bad for a start-up brewery.

F: No food here to my knowledge.
Mar 10, 2013
Machine House Brewery in Seattle, WA
Brewery rating: 3.91 out of 5 with 288 ratings