Beer, Wine & Bars
Their Spirits Were Not Broken
Ballard’s only distillery finally opens after years of setbacks
Covid caused multiple delays in the fabrication of their stills in Germany. A 140-day concrete workers strike created more chaos during build-out, as did city permitting issues. Much of their equipment burned to the ground in a Kent warehouse fire…
Seattle’s Best Fireside Bars
Sip your way through winter at the city’s coziest spots
Seattle is in the heart of its dark, damp, and gloomy stretch — a season that leaves you chilled from the inside out. With plummeting temperatures and near constant drizzle, it can feel challenging to work up the motivation to step outside.
Around the World, Sip by Sip (Part Two)
Quench your thirst for travel without leaving Seattle
Like wine, mezcal and pisco have been carefully produced in their native countries, Mexico and Peru, for centuries, with each farm, grower, and distiller imparting characteristics that cannot be separated from the land itself. Step into these regions with a glass in hand and conjure the magical streets of Oaxaca or Cusco. Bring the same taste for adventure you would to travel by sampling these exotic spirits from around the globe here in Seattle.
Around the World, Sip by Sip (Part One)
Quench your thirst for travel without leaving Seattle
Whether it’s a dry rosé that evokes the sense memory of a sunbaked afternoon in Provence, or a crisp pilsner that brings back a boisterous Prague beer hall, libations transport our minds to faraway lands. The next time you go out, bring the same sense of adventure you would to travel by sampling one of…
No booze in Seattle? No problem
Seattle is a national leader in the booming nonalcoholic drink category
Kamp Social House in Madison Valley is alive on a Friday night. Customers pile up by the front door and politely squeeze past each other in the narrow path to the host stand, hoping to snag a table, but the place to be is on a bar stool, talking to bartenders Jeannie and Angela. Jeannie…
Stoup to Buy Optimism Brewing
The planned sale allows Stoup to expand with a Capitol Hill location
Two-well known Seattle breweries are joining forces. Ballard’s Stoup Brewing has signed a deal to acquire Optimism Brewing. The acquisition will allow Stoup to open a location at Optimism’s spacious, 16,000-square-foot Capitol Hill space in August. Husband-and-wife team Lara Zahaba and Brad Benson, along with Robyn Schumacher, opened Stoup in 2013 as a cornerstone of…
Washington’s Craft Breweries: Our Pint Runneth Over
Craft brewers keep the kettles cooking
Those who want to enjoy a cold craft beer in Washington state have no shortage of options. The state has 437 craft breweries, according to the 2021 report from the Brewers Association. This trade group based in Boulder, Colorado, represents small and independent craft brewers across the United States. That’s up significantly from 2011, when…
No Need to Wait Until the Holiday Season to Pop These Bubbles From Washington State
The best sparkling wines for fall
Reality check: sparkling wine doesn’t only have to be uncorked during the holidays or hot weather. In fact, it shouldn’t be reserved exclusively for New Year’s Eve while wearing those stupid glasses molded into the shape of numbers and/or enough sequins to power a drag show. Nor should it only be for summertime wedding toasts…
Wines with Zip to Sip
From the pool to the campfire, enjoy these warm-weather beverages
During the precious warmer months in Seattle, let’s admit that it’s all a little too easy to flick the tab on a tallboy of Elysian Space Dust IPA when the thirst for an adult beverage strikes. It’s lazy, but not all of us have the air conditioning — or motivation — to put forth much…
Near-Beer Seer
Figurehead’s Bob Monroe has a uniquely personal reason for creating a nonalcoholic craft beer
It’s been years since Bob Monroe has had more than a sip of his own beer. That’s about to change. Shortly after cofounding the popular Figurehead Brewing Co. in Seattle five years ago, Monroe got some surprising news: He had an autoimmune disease that makes him prone to pancreatitis. He was told if he continued…
Drinking White After Labor Day
Switching to red as the seasons change? Not so fast.
Fall is pretty much upon us in Seattle, which means it’s time to play some smooth jazz vinyls, brood in front of a fireplace adorned with decorative gourds and officially make the switch from white wine to red wine. Right? Wrong. Except for the smooth jazz part. Turn that good stuff up. There’s no reason to abandon…
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