Trip to Seattle from Michigan

Start with this thread: http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/visiting-seattle-summer-2015-update.307597/

You won't even miss your Michigan beers.

 

if you fortunate enough to come during our bottle share, bring some FBS or at least some Jolly Pumpkin please. Or whatever you think represents Michigan well. I am willing to bet you will make some new friends.

And Vernors........

 

Except we get JP out here. Quite plentiful and shelf turdy at this point.

 

OP might be interested in this thread too: http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/no-founders-up-here.308906/

 

Are you saying you're limiting your drinking to what you find in stores? If so, you're going to miss out on a ton of stuff.

 

Look for this on the shelf at any store.
Check the underside of the can to verify it's a fresh can.
Enjoy!

 

Pounded a couple of those in the parking lot before the local baseball game last night. Although, I actually prefer the Field 41. Better hop flavor to me.

 

My usual caveat: Eery store you walk into will have local/regional beers that you've never heard of. Just grab whatever gets your attention. So many great beers, so little time. Can't go wrong with the Bale Breaker trio of F41, Top Cutter, and Bottom Cutter though.

 

If you're more specific about where in/around Seattle you're staying, you'll probably get some more specific recommendations about which stores to have above average selections, maybe some nearby breweries/growler fill stations to consider growlers to take back to the house. Even a mid-sized grocery store is going to carry 20+ breweries you've never heard of that are worth your money, so the issue is narrowing down, not finding enough worthy candidates.

 

If you're really limited to bottles and cans from stores (which will greatly limit you in the PNW, draft is king) Fremont Session Pale, Bale Breaker Field 41 and Top Cutter. Breakside IPA and Wanderlust. Reubens Summer IPA and Crikey. Laurelwood Workhorse IPA. All good options and super easy to find. Not really stout season so not sure if you'll find much bottled.

But if you can sneak away, get some of the draft only options from Holy Mountain, Boneyard, Barley Browns, etc.

 

Workhorse IPA, too. Easy to find everywhere and a great IPA.

And maybe there are some bottles from Holy Mountain lurking around out there?

 

All solid bottle/can recs but if you want to hit up a brewery, Georgetown is close enough. As Distantmantra pointed out 'draft is king' up here. Bring growlers, they don't bottle.

While you are in the neighborhood, hit up Machine House. Great place for some UK style day drinking. Not sure if they fill growlers......I don't think they bottle either.

 

Full Throttle and Chucks Central (get growler fills) are your new best friends. Flying Lion, Standard and Spinniker Bay are the breweries down there.

 

if there was an award for most crushable IPA, top cutter would win by a landslide.

 

standard is basically every beer nerds dream come true.

 

Chuck's Central District has 50 taps and they focus on local beers. I've only been to the Greenwood location but they typically have about 1,000 different beers (bottled/canned) in stock as well. Plenty of selection to get a good sampling.

To paraphrase @beertunes, you probably won't even miss your Michigan beers if you come out here with an open mind.

 

As a North Seattleite, I still have to say that Chucks CD is superior. Better location, more seating, superior taplist, events, etc.

The parking still sucks. But slightly less.