Seattle Vist

The Seattle folks will give you better intel, but I'll throw a couple things out there. Old Stove at Pike Place Market is convenient, has a great view, and is expensive, even by Seattle standards. I've never been to Reuben's, but their beers are really good, I'd say they're a must hit. Fremont is a worthy stop. The Ballard neighborhood has a bunch of breweries, and brewery operated taprooms, you'll have fun exploring. Enjoy your visit!

 

My son lives in Seattle (Woodinville) and we visit 2-3 time a year. I will second BBThunderbolt and recommend Fremont and Ballard Neighborhood (Reuben's and others).

My craft beer son in Denver mentioned checking out:

• Machine House
• Holy Mountain
• Human People

I plan to check out Machine House the next time that we are up to visit.

 

Holy Mountain makes great beer, but I, personally, am not a fan of their main location in Interbay. Also, I forgot to mention that Cloudburst is right by The Market, and I'd recommend them over Old Stove.

 

How do you plan to get around? How far do you want to walk?

Reuben's has a location a couple blocks south of the Market. You could start out there, swing by Old Stove (re: what others have said, maybe it's expensive and not mind-blowing, but it's definitely worth stopping by if you're in the area), then continue up to Cloudburst.

A possible itinerary for another day: Fremont has a taproom in Columbia City. Machine House is about half a mile to the south, and really good, especially if you like cask ales. You could also go less than a mile east and hit the Seward Park branch of Chuck's Hop Shop, one of the best bottle shops in town, with a great draft selection as well. Pliny hits town about once a month, and they always get some. And depending which route you take and the time of day, you could even swing by Georgetown Brewing on your way to or from.

 

Fremont might not be worth it since it's kind of out of the way from downtown, especially if you don't have a car or want to shell out for a (probably fairly expensive) Uber. Plus, you should be able to find most of their beers around town, both on tap or in package stores.

If you do have a car or want to splurge on an Uber, Ballard has a stupid concentration of breweries (like 10-12) in walking distance of each other. My favorites in that area are Fair Isle, Stoup, and Bale Breaker, though I prefer the Capital Hill Stoup location to the Ballard one.

Since you'll be at Pike Place, definitely add Cloudburst on Western to your list. If you end up near the Space Needle, there's a Fast Fashion location nearby. Very solid beers there, IMO. Teku Tavern is also walking distance from your hotel and they always have a solid taplist and a huge selection of packaged beer. They've had several Russian River bottles (including Pliny) the last couple times I've been there. Teku is also right by the legendary 5 Point Cafe, which you should definitely check out if you're into a classic dive diner experience. Lastly, if you end up in Georgetown for some reason, check out Full Throttle Bottles - excellent beer bar/bottle shop that shouldn't be missed if you're in the area.

 

I've taken a Metro bus from downtown to Fremont before, and it dropped me just a few short blocks from Fremont Brewing.

 

Since you mention a conference, I'll assume you won't have a car.
you can easily hit walkable locations of Reubens (downtown) and Stoup (cap hill). depending on your style preferences, Cloudburst is pretty much a must hit. I'd personally skip Old Stove, but as others have mentioned it is convenient. I finally made it to Here Today on my last trip a couple weeks ago, and it was worth it - a bit out of the way, but a nice walk up from Cloudburst.

You might get lucky and find Pliny at Teku. I'd say Teku is worth a stop even if they don't have Pliny.

If you venture past a walk and get a car up to Ballard, there are more than enough options in a few blocks to drink more than your share. Including Stoup and Reuben's spots, as well as Great Notion and the must-hit (for me) Fair Isle.

 

Only one or two of their beers have made it to Bend, but I was suitably impressed. Plus, one of the Block 15 guys who judges at BOCBA moved up there, so I would expect good things, but they don’t seem to get much mention here.

Anybody else had experience with Here Today?

 

I went there once. Must've been not too long after they opened. I had a pale that was described as "slightly hazy," but it was a full-on opaque orange. My untappd notes indicate I liked it though, despite not being a big haze guy anymore.

The vibe of the place was cool and it's an easy stop-in if you're already at Cloudburst. Worth checking out, IMO. And it's right next to the Olympic Sculpture Park, which is a cool spot to wander around if the weather permits.

 

Close to Cloudburst? Solid beers? Giant Calder next door?

My next visit to Seattle will definitely include a visit to Here Today.

 

Check out Obec Brewing in Ballard if you want a break from IPAs. They brew some excellent European style beers. Especially Czech style pils and lagers. Obec is a Czech word meaning community.

 

They're not among my personal favorites, but lots of folks like like Hellbent. It's an acceptable stop, especially if their list lights you up some.

 

It'd be an expensive Uber. There are plenty of great WCIPA a lot closer to where you'll be.

 

Stoup is my choice for WCIPAs. The 40 bus will be your best bet for public transportation. Fremont is close to one stop and the East Ballard Brewery District is another stop a mile west. One of the great easily obtainable Seattle beers is Georgetown Bodhizafa IPA https://georgetownbeer.com/products/bodhizafa It's really easy to find a 6-pack that is days old if you're bringing stuff back east.

 

Will be visiting Seattle this weekend. It's been a while(like Pre-Pandemic) I remember Sea Pine having some great beers and Pine Box having a good tap list. Is that still the case?

Any recs on good beer spots around Climate Pledge Arena would be appreciated as well.

 

Yup, as far as I know both of those things remain true. I believe Teku Tavern is near Seattle Center as well.

 

Uptown Hophouse is pretty good and right across the street. Queen Anne Beer Hall & Fast Fashion are also within a 5-8 minute walk and both good options. I'd personally go to FF over QABH though. As @BBThunderbolt mentioned, Teku Tavern is good, but that's closer to a 15 minute walk.

 

I always stop at Teku Tavern either before or after Kraken games at Climate Pledge. It's an easy walk, and definitely the best selection close by. Queen Anne Beerhall is usually packed and annoying to me, but it's close by. Fast Fashion and the Masonry are also great options.

Had my first SeaPine beer just this month and it was good, and I've heard good things otherwise. Pine Box is usually great, and I almost always try to make it up there each trip.