New to Seattle Area

Start here:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/visiting-seattle-spring-2017-update.502062/

and this may also be of interest, if you're on the Eastside:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/commun...uget-sound-eastside-a-visiting-thread.496131/

Yes, Goose Island is around here, but many of us avoid the breweries that are owned by Budweiser and other monoliths. But Bourbon County does show up here, usually on the Friday following Thanksgiving.

If you're looking for top barrel aged stouts, Fremont is at the top of the heap, according to a recent blind tasting: https://www.pastemagazine.com/artic...d-imperial-stouts-blind-tasted-and-r.html?a=1

Welcome to the Northwest!

 

Total Wine in Bellevue is better than BevMo, but it's still just Total Wine. (If you venture there, be sure to check the "canned/bottled on" dates, as their inventory are prime dust collectors.)

As for Malt & Vine, I finally made it out there since their remodel almost a year ago. Their tap list has expanded, and there's far more seating now, but they sacrificed a few coolers to do so, I think. That said, I honestly think The Cave in Kirkland probably has a wider - and possibly better - beer selection than Malt & Vine now for bottles. (Malt & Vine probably has the better tap list, but I get things to go, so I hardly check.) Things at The Cave seem to last a bit longer, not to mention you can actually walk into the coolers via the fridge door on the far right and find sixers galore back there. It will be a bit more of trek for you, but still not as far as the journey out to Chuck's or Bottleworks in Seattle, and of course, far better than Total Wine or BevMo.

Welcome to the area!

 

Get me some other half and interboro then I'll tell you eveything you need to know. Jk, if you're interested in BBA stouts then I definitely recommend Fremont. And yes, Seattle does get bourbon county. It was limited this year though.

 

On tap, it's hard to go wrong with anything from Cloudburst or Skookum. In cans, I'd start with Fremont Lush or Bale Breaker's 'Fresh Off the Farm' (for Seattle Beer Week, I believe). You should be able to find either can in sixers at most grocery stores.

 

Malt & Vine went from my favorite place on Earth to a place I haven't visited in several months with the remodel last year.

Go to Reuben's.

 

How close are you to the Metropolitan Market in Sammamish? It has a decent but not overwhelming beer selection. Typical Northwest fare. Get to know the beer buyer and he might have something in the back worth sharing.

 

Adding to @66jzmstr's suggestions, here are some other easily available cans of fine Washington IPAs: Fremont's Interurban (long time standard), and The Brother and The Sister; Reuben's Crikey; and anything from Bale Breaker (Field 41, called a pale, but plenty hoppy; Topcutter, Bottomcutter). And on tap, look for Bodhizafa, from Georgetown. It's pretty widely available, and is excellent.

None of these are NE style IPAs; there's a whole thread on those, but others are bigger fans of those than I am.

 

just wait until they start canning!

 

When is that supposed to happen?

 

This is news to me too. Cans of Lucille, Bodhi, Johnny Utah, et al. would be very welcome.

 

They have the canning line and have been playing with it. Not sure on a commercial release timeline.

 

Agreed. Meowsa was excellent.

 

Damn, that makes me wish I had stopped by there to pick some up when I was in Seattle on Saturday for some Un Bien and Machine House. Georgetown is kicking tons of ass these days.

 

Just saw this on tap here, but being allergic to cats I don't appreciate the name.

 

Yeah I would buy that one for the name alone. I remember when I first moved here I really never gave Georgetown a shot because of how Manny's drowned the entire city it seemed. Happy to see the other stuff tasting and doing well.