I am flying to Seattle and driving back to Chicago...collecting beer along the way! I am looking to hit a bottle shop with mix-6ers or an awesome selection at least once per day. And try to hit a brewery or great lunch spot with great beer each day. If you have any suggestions, I truly apprecate them. Here's what I've gathered so far: Day 1 - Fly into SEA-TAC and drive south to Astoria, OR; then along to Pacific City, OR. I read a post that says 99 Bottles is a great place for beer and it's along the way. Are there any better stores in the area or in Tacoma? In Astoria (Goonies purposes...) Ft George seems like the place to go. And the end of the first day will be at Pelican Pub in Pacific City. Day 2 - Pacific City to Lewiston/Clarkston, ID/WA. This is where I need help. Where's a great bottle store and a place to eat in the Portland area? In all likelihood, I will be passing through before Noon. And then, in Walla Walla and Lewiston/Clarkston area. Any suggestions? Again, thank you for any assistance and I will certainly keep folks up to date on the trip!
99 bottles would be your best bet if you're going straight from Sea-Tac to Astoria. Fort George is a great place to go. Astoria brewing isn't bad either and it's only a couple blocks away from Fort George.
I'd try to allow myself a little more time in Portland if I were you. But if you can't, here's what I'd recommend: Option A: Beermongers (for bottles) & APEX/Los Gorditos for beers & lunch (Beermongers opens at 11am & APEX at 11:30) Option B: Belmont Station for bottles & Horse Brass for beers & lunch (Belmont opens at 10, Horse Brass at 11). Deschutes is another good option for lunch. They open at 11 as well. From there you could shoot over to Beermongers or Belmont fairly quickly.
Although we could seriously use your delicious Chicago money to maintain our roads and bridges and whatnot, and although 99 Bottles is certainly a very good bottle shop, be aware that Washington has 10% sales tax whereas Oregon has none (they tax labor instead). So consider familiarizing yourself with beer distribution in both Washington and Oregon, and buying in Washingon only beers distributed in Washington but not Oregon, and then buying everything else in Oregon. Just a thought. Enjoy your trip, sounds like fun.
Going along with what draheim said, Belmont Station in PDX has a list of all their beers online. So if you do your homework you should be able to optimize your wallet. http://www.belmont-station.com/index.php?id=bottles
Assuming you're taking I-90 back to Chicago, consider stopping at Warden's Market & Deli in Missoula. Killer selection & the beer guy (can't remember his name) very conversant & helpful. In Spearfish, SD try Firehouse Brewing Co. for lunch & be sure to pick up some Crow Peak 11th Hour IPA available only in South Dakota I think. Very decent in my opinion. And of course be sure to snag a share of Surly while passing through Minn-E-Sota! Beer stores in Rochester are your best bet - Apollo probably. edit: between Pacific City & Lewiston stop at either Everybody's Brewing in White Salmon, WA or Double Mountain Brewing in Hood River, OR or both. Some like Walking Man but I wasn't impressed - but that's just me. Try it & decide for yourself if it fits.
Oops, Firehouse is in Rapid City not Spearfish. While you're at it, consider a stop in Deadwood & say hello to Bill & Jane.
Sounds like an awesome trip ... my wife and I just last week finished a similar trip in reverse. Flew to New Orleans, drove up to DC and then back to Seattle. 25 days, 6,000 miles -- and more than 70 beers in the trunk cooler when we got home. :-) We hit a nice little bottle shop in Post Falls, ID (right off I-90) called Enoteca, I think. Had some stuff (Jolly Pumpkin, Odells, etc.) that we don't get in Seattle -- but you might not be worried about that since you're headed east. Little tap room in the back, too. Seemed like a great place. Sounds like NWer's experience was more positive, but I wasn't a big fan of Firehouse in Rapid City, SD. The food was OK, but the beer wasn't great. A couple of blocks away, however, was the relatively new Independent Ale House, which we liked a great deal. Don't think they have food, but they had a far better tap list than I expected to find in South Dakota. NWer is spot-on when it comes to Worden's in Missoula. Probably the friendliest beer stop of the trip. Two people asked if I needed help and chatted about the beer, and then, when I checked out (with just one measly four-pack), the checker heard I was from Seattle and said: "Thanks so much for stopping in. You're always welcome at Worden's." Had plenty of Black Butte XXIV sitting around, too. In Minnesota, buy more Surly than you think you want/need. I bought four four-packs and wish I had bought more. Check out Brit's Pub in Minneapolis if you get the chance. There are probably better beer places, but Surly Furious on tap and lawn bowling on the rooftop was good enough for me. :-) As far as non-beer stops on the way, Mount Rushmore was great, and Devils Tower in Wyoming is well worth seeing. I thought the Crazy Horse memorial (not far from Rushmore) was a rip-off for $20. And I wasn't as happy with the famous Wall Drug (in Wall, SD) as my wife, but you might want to stop just to say you did. Safe travels!
Pacific City recommendations: Breakfast at Grateful Bread. The biscuits are not to be missed. Pint of fresh Pliny at the Twist wine shop. (One of the owners is Vinnie's sister.) Friendly FYI that the Pelican gets crazy buzy Friday nights and more or less all day Saturday when the weather's nice.
Heh. That place is the very definition of tourist trap, but I still have to stop by whenever I drive through SD. Who can resist it after seeing their billboards every few minutes? Oh, and the buffalo burger is actually pretty friggin tasty.
Each of you have helped so much! So bad news first...I was unaware that Minnesota has Sunday blue laws, so unfortunately no Surly (It could be done in 5 hours from Chicago - long weekend sometime). honkduh, guajolote, draheim and Spaceloaf - I'm planning on 99 Bottles for WA beers and then hit Belmont station the next day - using cash. I'm mostly looking for US Crafts but if there's secomething I can't live without... I'm going to try to limit myself to a case at each. NWer - I am taking 90 back after detour from Lewiston, ID, to Missoula (through the mountains?). Sounds like Worden's is on the list! wsucoug96 - Unfortunately I won't be far enough north for Enoteca. I'm cutting through from Walla Walla to Missoula. But, I'm glad to hear I can get Odell in Idaho and points east. I am planning on Devils Tower. And now by what you and maltmaster420 say, Wall Drug - I had totally forgotten about that place. PDXHops - I'll be at Pelican on a Wednesday night. Which puts me perfectly for breakfast at Grateful Bread! And, if there's Pliny on tap, I'll be at Twist for at least two! Thank you all again and I'll keep you posted on how things progress. Little more than a week to go!
Ah yes. Minnesota blue laws. Can't believe we're still talking about those in the 21st Century. What cracks me up is the way they have the beer & wine in a separate (but attached) building at grocery stores. Enjoy your trip! I'm not far behind you. Surlyfest on the 22nd in my sights.
