Gotta run up there this weekend, I've had some Rattlesnake and Ice Harbor back in the day. . . anywhere else I should be drinking?
The answer is White Bluffs. Have a NOG and thank me later. I also enjoy their Biere de Garde, Mighty Knight, and Monking Around. I don’t think they make a bad beer. Obviously, they are not all greatness in a glass, but they won’t disappoint. https://whitebluffsbrewing.com/taplist Next door-ish is Bombiing Range (decent food and their Hefe is legit) and Iconic. https://bombingrangebrewing.com/our-beer/ For beer stores - Mid Columbia Wine and Spirits (check the dates on the IPAs) and Richland’s Yokes.
Not in the same location as the three I mention above. Those are all in the Horn Rapids area (Richland). Another brewery worth a pint or two is Moonshot. Not too sure how current this tap is. Still showing fresh hop. Ironically across the street is a place to get a colonoscopy. Talk about a moonshot. So, if you’re over 45… https://moonshotbrewing.com/beers/
Last time I grabbed a beer in the "Mighty Tri" (I can't remember where I heard some Tri-Citian trying to mold that into the "official" nickname, but it cracks me up), I was at the Richland location of Moon Shot (yes, they have food, but it's basically a couple panini sandwiches and fries; you're better off going to the OG Moon Shot and getting food elsewhere) and Wheat Head Brewing, which has great views, but pretty pedestrian, mostly 90s style beers. I prefer Moon Shot, White Bluffs and Ice Harbor, pretty much in that order. I've only been to Iconic once, and it was...okay. Basically, it seems like winery folks that decided to get into the brewing business. Bombing Range is decent, but I'd rather spend the time in that area of Richland at White Bluffs over it and Iconic, cuz that's where the best beer around there is at. I'd go to Atomic Ales strictly for the pizza, and while it's been a number of years, I found very little redeeming about Rattlesnake, but as @BBThunderbolt likes to say, YMMV.
As for expert on the TC and Spokane, I could only be called that largely due to @rrock44 being an actual contributing member of society as opposed to a degenerate beer geek like myself, and an overall lack of effort on the parts of the other spokane beer geeks when it comes to BA. Frankly, now that weekday drinking is mostly off the table, and I'm now living in the beer desert that is the Moran Prairie, I'm less and less reliable where the Spokane beer scene is concerned.
BTW, is Uncle Sam's Saloon still open? I thought I'd heard they closed, but Google still seems to think they're a thing. It's a shame there's so few food places with a good or even average beer selection down there, and that places like Tommy's in Richland and the place on Kennewick Ave (blanking on the name) couldn't stay open.
The Mighty Tri?!!? Oh I hope not. Personally, I would do a post up (definitely not a bip) at White Bluffs. But those other two do offer the closest thing to a beer crawl in the TC. Wheat head was terrible in my two experiences. But, yes YMMV. Maybe they got better? I believe Sam’s is still open. I have a buddy that loves to go for the (gulp) Busch Lite in the bottles. Hey, we don’t judge here.
If you want tap rooms with a variety of beers. Coppertop in Kennewick, The Medusa in Pasco (off 68) and the Underground in Pasco (also off 68). All of them let you bring in your own food. A small taphouse with food on site (and a small cooler to go) is the Lazy River Tap House in West Richland. I recommend the “Frenchies” for a bite. Finally, if you want to drive a bit. 45 minutes up the road is Varietal in Sunnyside. Then, you might as well hit up Yakima for Bale Breaker, Singlehill and Wandering Hop. I am tapped out… Be cool to hear your thoughts on any places that you hit up in the Mighty Tri. I hope you have a safe trip and enjoy your stay!
Alright, here's the recap. . . 10 pints in under 20 hours in the TriCities. White Bluff, first stop. Square metal building, some neat hop imagery inside. Fresh Hop Bluffdiver (Centennial), a fresh hop beer 6 months after harvest, let's run it I thought. Here's my Centennial (center, Chinook to the left, Cascade to the far right, Nugget barely visible upper right) growing in the middle of my yard. It was very old school beer, crystal malt, Centennial, a thick bitter ibu war woodiness to it, very much evoked the classics of Sierra Nevada, Founders and Bell's beers. Next was NOG, Nectar of the Gods, was pretty similar, just swap out Centennial for Simcoe essentially. Had a light nuttiness at first but went away on the back end. Notions of tropical fruit hop aspect were not perceptible to me. Regular Bluffdiver was similar as well. Simcoe/Centennial dwarfing the Citra. Being an old 90s C hop veteran, I dug getting to have these "retro" beers if you will. Bought Dad a tshirt here and some beers to go as well. Hit Bombing Range next door. Former USAF guy, history degree, so I enjoyed the ambiance there( smokeshow bartender doesn't hurt either). Days Pay (their B-17 beer) was similar in its old school feel, but with a lighter (wheat) malt bill and I suspect more Citra than the previous beers that night. Their Cold ipa (Burretta) was even better, lighter malt bill, more in step with present day ipas. Had that crisp mouthfeel but the most proprietary hop sensations. Went and had dinner at that Japanese steakhouse place. Was really good, calamari, steak, scallops, top notch. Had a pint of Space Dust. Was fresh and good. The Space Dust we get in Northern Nevada is noticeably less good. Copper Tap, literally looking like a degenerate awaiting it to open at noon the next day. Bouy Pilsner, nice, standard pilsner, just what I'm looking for while watching the final conference basketball championships. Varietal Sup Cuz, I prefer west coast ipa, but this hazy ipa is easy to see how it won Silver at GABF, solid stuff. Comet hops, I dunno, again, seems like only Sierra Nevada really uses them, nice to see it here. Bale Breaker Dormancy was a great smelling coffee stout. Had only had Bale Breaker hoppy stuff before, love me some top/bottom cutters, nice to see they rock coffee stouts too. Black Raven KISW Men's Room: I'm old enough to have had the Elysian (red ale?) version of this, and this one is the superior version, again, more of a newer style ipa, brisk, light, good stuff. Thank you everyone for the recommendations, I literally enjoyed every beer I had on the trip. Dormancy/Sup Cuz/Burretta tied for 1st place.
A most excellent report! Some solid post ups. As my friends like to say - You did some work. PS - nothing wrong with getting drinky at noon. (Just don’t make it a habit ) PSS - I think Dormancy is BB’s best beer. And they have some good ones.
