Odin acquired Hilliard's

I would have confidently bet that Hilliards would outlast Odin. Shows what I know.

 

I believe it. My opinion of the two businesses was based pretty much on my opinion of their beers. Hilliards drew my attention, and Odin has not. Again, shows what I know!

 

Really interesting - not sure of the equipment and all that stuff, but holy hell, the Hilliard's space is awesome and holds real promise for whoever acquires it. They certainly weren't the worst brewery in the neighborhood - you really have to go out of your way to make awful beer to take that title.

 

I've only had the Hilliards 12/Seahawky beer. It was pretty non-good.

 

The saison was solid at least, and the chardonnay barrel aged saison was excellent. I remember liking what I tried when I visited the brewery a couple years back, but I don't remember what I tried (except the chardonnay barrel aged saison).

 

Hilliards beers sucked balls IMO, hopefully something better will take over the their place. Odin beers are decent at best and they are not much better than Hilliards, I don't see how this is going to benefit them in the future. A decent brewery buys a crappy brewery...lame

 

I for one enjoyed Murdered Out Stout, Boombox, and their barrel aged saison's (chardonay, reposado, jameson, etc.). Their taproom only series also tended to comprise solid offerings. The thing that disappoints me most is that if I wanted to avoid the crowds yet still grab a beer somewhere in Ballard on a Friday or Saturday I could typically count on Hilliards. Their space was awesome, possibly my favorite taproom in the area. Whoever moves in there, hopefully another brewery, will have a great setup to start.

 

I didn't see this coming. I remember really being impressed with Hilliards when they first opened, but they seemed to fall off pretty quickly. Can't remember the last time I had one of their beers. I don't drink a ton of Odin's beer either, so may this will work out for the best for everyone.

 

I remember when their saison was the only commercially available local saison so I drank it. Plus I thought it was cool as it came in cans. Then I had a Tank 7. Then I forgot about cans........

 

Never tried their stuff. Girlfriend had it, said it wasn't very good, so I never ended up bothering.

 

I liked Hilliard's Original Singe, a rauchbier. But it was only on draft at the taproom.

 

I am surprised, but not really. I thought their beers were thin at first and got better over time. I had really good stuff in their taproom. That space could be used for a decent brewpub, with real food not from a truck parked on the lot. But with all the crazy expansion of small breweries in the Ballard Beer Grotto, something had to give.

I wonder if any other places will be weeded out next.

 

I can't believe you caved on Bad Jimmys - I'm standing strong on never visiting that place. NW Peaks isn't really any good, but I do have a soft spot for their mountain themes so I stop in every once in a while, usually parlayed with a Hillards stop.

Hilliards was really doing some different things with their space - they filled it up every sunday for the Hawks, frequently through raging parties, hosted some interesting musical events, had that whole bong-tap collaboration with Redhook, etc. It's like a block away from Stash and within a short walk from Ballard Ave - I think i'll miss it.

 

Is is possible that Ryan Hilliard just plain burnt out on the beer brewing business and the ever increasing competition? Some of us beer geeks are fickle and like the new, trendy breweries, and move on to new things.

 

Weird. Has Hillards been around long enough for an acquisition? Guess so. Outside of seeing what appeared to be the same two varietals of tall 16 oz cans in the grocery store, I have no idea what their offerings taste like.

I remember watching a You Tube short doc raging over their canning line. Also remember the hype surrounding a coffee roaster/shop sharing space with Hillards. Still don't know what happened there.

Honestly, as someone mentioned, this screams of burnout or business mismanagement.

 

The coffee thing was interesting. If I recall correctly, they served only Counter Culture (Durham NC roaster) and were somehow related to the really cool Anchored Ship shop on Ballard Ave that also serves those beans. I hit it a few times and enjoyed it, but it didnt really seem sustainable.