Counterbalance Brewing Company

 

rolled in here with two of my homies i hadnt seen since last fall, so stoked levels were already high, but i had heard good things about the beers in here and was pumped to get into them. its an unassuming place, sort of tucked back off the busier road, nothing much to look at from the outside although it seems to be in a funky and artsy area of town. a nice covered outside space in front, and a pretty expansive beer hall vibe inside, minimal decor, not a ton of seating despite the size of the space, maybe still distancing for covid, but welcoming and seemingly all about the beer. i was pretty taken aback by the amount of beers on tap, a massive list covering all the bases, we got into a hibiscus and orange peel saison, a barrel aged sour stout, and pretty much their full range of ipa types, which were hands down their best, lots of interesting hop combinations, less popular varietals, and all of them seemed unique, nicely dry hopped, and professionally executed. service was fine, not memorable or anything but took care of us well enough from the bar. really it was the menu selection and the quality of the hoppy stuff that made this place a winner for me, the diva, the multipass, and the multiplayer guild collab were my favorites. its not the most unique taproom or anything, but these beers were ahead of the curve, inventive even, enjoyable stop on a very beery seattle afternoon!

 

 

Counterbalance has a spacious taproom, which was fairly quiet on our afternoon visit. The vibe is industrial, fitting for the location not far from the old Boeing plant.

There are 12 taps, one for a guest cider, and 11 for Counterbalance's own beers. The beers are interesting and varied. Prices are good. The service was excellent.

This place is well worth a visit.

Bit tucked away to find at first and parking is a little tough in the alley. Taproom itself is on the smaller side but spaced out well and the wood decor is inviting. Have a good variety of beer styles available that are generally good. Have snacks available and couple TV's as well.

 

 

Brewery in SODO district Seattle
Industrial District but easy to find
Parking available near the tap room
Very Good service, really attentive
Excellent beer-had the Stout and blonde ale
Overall a great place to hang out in the Seattle rainy climate

I had the pleasure of discovering Counterbalance last week. They only have 8 or so beers on tap, but the ones I tried were quite excellent. The place is under a year old, so its space looks nice and new; it's in kind of a light-industrial area and maintains that feel. My bartender was one of the owners and was happy to discuss the beers, the brewery, everything. I will definitely be back to Counterbalance to sample the offerings I didn't get to try on this last visit.

Bad Wolf is one of my favorite dark ales in town

 

Nicely crafted beer but service wasn't so hot. We were ignored at the bar for around ten minutes while the staff chatted with regulars or served those they were friendly with, despite those people arriving while we were still waiting to be acknowledged.

Again, good beer, but there are too many other options that also serve good beer. Places that won't serve you in the order of how well they know you.