August Beer-Cation (need input)

Fremont's Urban Beer Garden opens at 11 a.m., seven days a week. I can't think of many (any?) places that are open only on weekends.

 

If I understand your itinerary, you'd be hitting Bend on your way back to CO, yes? If you're not already planning to, you should hit Hood River on your way to Bend if only for Pfriem (though Double Mtn and Logsdon are other worthy candidates in the area). It doesn't look like Yakima is easy for you to hit either to Seattle or heading back East, so you should grab Bale Breaker cans while you're in Seattle.

As for Bend, here's my attempt to copy the Portland guide: http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/visiting-bend-sunriver.190266/

Ale Apothecary is by appointment only (it's also his house), so get in touch with Paul now and see if it works.

 

Bottles do make it to Portland, though it's my understanding that they don't usually last long there(I think it's usually days/weeks rather than hours, but a PDX local can probably give you better insight). With the release of his new beer, Be Still, you may be arriving at a good time to catch bottles in PDX.

For the most part, you will be able to find Bend's finest like Boneyard, Crux, 10 Barrel in PDX and Seattle, the main exceptions being Bend Brewing,Below Grade, and the brewery nobody hypes but you stumble upon and think is awesome. I still think your road trip would be incomplete without a stop in Bend, but it's understandable if your route makes that difficult.

 

But he says he's arriving on a Sunday and many places are closed Monday - Wednesday. Reuben's for one. Fremont, Black Raven, Elysian, Naked City are must sees and are open 7 days a week.

 

Frankly I guess I have no idea when places are open during the week. I've got a job and family that manage to keep me fully occupied Monday through Friday...

Does this guy in Tacoma like beer? I think the general consensus is that Black Raven is in the top tier of breweries in the entire state. But yeah, Portland is probably more of a beer destination than Seattle.

 

Black Raven, terrible? Now that's crazy talk. I don't find their IPA's that spectacular, but the rest of their beers are beyond very good. Many people bash them due to their location and clientele. I would say they're a must visit for any visitor. Hi-Fi Brewing, which is decent, is right across the street also.

Spending more time in Portland is a wise decision. They have more unique breweries that step outside the box of brewing just the usual IPA's, Pales, Ambers, Stouts....

 

I made my first trip there recently with high expectations. I thought the atmosphere was boring/sterile, the service awful and the beer barely above average. I wont go out of my way again.

 

Depending on where one stands on the issue, most people seem to think that the title of 'Best Brewery in Washington" comes down to Black Raven or Fremont. Admittedly, their tasting room/brewery is in a business park, so not the most Northwest-ish of atmospheres, and the place does tend to fill up with folks from a certain very large software company just down the road, but I've enjoyed my visits well enough.

Plus, they've got a decent barrel program going, so there's a good chance you might find a treat on tap while you're there. There are some other breweries in that Redmond-Bothell-Woodinville area, ya might want to check some of those out as well.

 

If you make it to Black Raven you should also check out Triplehorn in Woodinville. I would say they're on the same level as BR with some different options.
It's in the Woodinville industrial 'winery' area. Lots of wineries and distilleries to check out as well.

 

On your way from Missoula to Seattle, you can stop at Selkirk Abbey in Post Falls.

 

Hope that means you're able to see Ale Apothecary. Looks like a great trip, enjoy!