Category Archives: Local

T-Mobile Park Food & Drink Preview For The 2019 Seattle Mariners Season

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A hot dog and a beer or soda have always been the quintessential food and drink of baseball.  Throw in some peanuts and Cracker Jack and… well, and you might think this piece is being written by some old geezer from the 1940’s. Not quite. I don’t know if 50 qualifies me for geezer status just yet, but I can still fondly remember the days of my youth when a hot dog, a soda (hey, I wasn’t always drinking age!) and a box of Cracker Jack were a big part of what I looked forward to when attending a game.

Things have sure changed, especially at T-Mobile Park (formerly Safeco Field), where your game time food and drink options have become decidedly more gourmet. The food and beer selection at T-Mobile Park has been called some of the very best in the nation. That’s a big reputation for this seasons newcomers to live up to, but I think they can handle the challenge.

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Best Of Hands Barrelhouse Is A Welcome Addition To West Seattle

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Yesterday evening, I attended a preview event for Seattle’s newest brewery, Best Of Hands Barrelhouse.  I first told you about Best Of Hands back at the end of January, when they announced their opening date of Friday, March 8th.  Since then I’ve been eagerly anticipating the opening, and with good reason.  These guys really know what they’re doing, and the beers I enjoyed yesterday proved it beyond any doubt.

If you visit The Beer Junction in West Seattle with any regularity, you may recognize two of Best Of Hands’ founders: Gregory Marlor, and Nicholas Marianetti (both are level II Certified Cicerones®).  They both worked at The Beer Junction before leaving recently to launch Best Of Hands with their partner, Chris Richardson.  The Beer Junction was also the first place to tap Best Of Hands’ Phantom Boots IPA last month.

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Celebrate March Mildness With Machine House Brewery

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March is here.  That’s a big deal to college basketball fans. Not that I’m a big college hoops fan, but you’d have to be in a coma to now know what March Madness is.  Traditionally, however, March doesn’t mean much of anything special to craft beer drinkers.

Machine House Brewery wants to change that and give craft beer drinkers a different reason to be excited for March. Back again this year is their annual March Mildness event, taking place at a number of craft beer locations around the Sound.  Drink up plenty of Machine House’s Dark Mild and win prizes.

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Urban Family Brewing Is Coming (Back) To Ballard

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I can remember when Urban Family Brewing Company wasn’t yet a brewing company.  They were a craft beer bar on Ballard Ave NW, pretty much across the street from The Noble Fir.  As a craft beer bar, I only visited them a couple of times before they closed and moved across Salmon Bay to their current location on 26th Avenue West in Magnolia.

I think Urban Family is a bit homesick for Ballard though. They’ve just announced that, later this year, they will be moving the brewery to a new location, back in Ballard.  Sentiment isn’t the only reason for the move though.  They’re starting to outgrow their current location, and their new spot in Ballard will give them more room to expand, including more space for barrel aging and additional outdoor seating.

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Best Of Hands Barrelhouse Opens March 8th

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There are lots of great breweries in Seattle and the surrounding area, and many of those breweries are definitely worth the short or even long trip required for a visit.  Most of the time though, unless there’s an event or a gathering that might draw us farther away, or we’re out specifically to try a new place/new places, most of us tend to drink more often at the craft breweries that are closer to where we live. That’s a part of the reason I’m such an advocate for breweries that are more in Seattle’s South end (including West Seattle), but definitely not the only reason.  Sure, their proximity to me and my commute route makes them convenient, but most of them also make some damn fine craft beers.

There aren’t that many craft breweries in West Seattle (although Future Primitive Brewing did recently open in White Center), but now we have another newcomer nearly set to go.  Coming up on March 8th, Best Of Hands Barrelhosue will open their doors to the public.  Founded by Gregory Marlor and Nicholas Marianetti (former servers at The Beer Junction – and level II Certified Cicerones), along with their partner Chris Richardson, Best Of Hands will specialize in mixed-fermentation barrel aged sours and European inspired farmhouse ales.

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Dark Heron IPA Returns For Emerald City Comic Con

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Seattle is known for many different things.  Two of the most prominent are, of course, coffee and craft beer.  What some of you might not know, however, is that Seattle has a huge video game and comic book community.  The annual PAX (Penny Arcade Expo) started here (which I used to report on annually when I wrote about video games), and Emerald City Comic Con has been happening every year since 2003.  Last year’s attendance was over 95 thousand comic fans.

A few years back, Fremont Brewing Company partnered with ReedPOP, producer Emerald City Comic Con (ECCC), to create an ECCC-themed beer.  The result was Dark Heron IPA. Now returning for its fourth year, Dark Heron features artwork by local Seattle artist Julia Reck and will be available on tap throughout ECCC’s run, and in cans for the first time.  

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Join Tin Dog For An Evening of Flamenco, Paella and Beer

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I live just South of Seattle – so close to city limits that I even still have a Seattle zipcode. Since I’m in the South end, it’s no secret that I’m a bit of an advocate for many of Seattle’s South end breweries.  I’ve given you Great Reasons To Check Out Seattle’s South End Breweries. I’ve let you know about the South Seattle Brewery Coalition, I always try to keep you informed about events in the South end (and West Seattle) and two of my sponsors (Two Beers Brewing Company and Counterbalance Brewing Company) are in the South end.

One of the South end breweries I’ve been telling you about since they first opened in 2014 is Tin Dog Brewing down in South Park. Proprietors Lisa and Eric Rough have been quietly cranking out primarily Belgian inspired wild and sour blended Ales from their spot on S. Cloverdale Street and have garnered a small but loyal following.  Last year they won a Gold Medal for Best Sour Beer at the Brewer’s Choice Awards for their Melange Deux and have also won Silver and Bronze medals at last year’s Washington Beer Awards.

Tin Dog doesn’t usually host many big events, but they’ve got one coming up that might pique your interest.  On Saturday, February 23rd, you can join Tin Dog for an amazing evening of flamenco, paella and craft beer.

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Counterbalance Brewing Prepares For Their 4th Anniversary

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How long can a duck stand on one leg?  Well, the mascot for Counterbalance Brewing Company (CBM Sponsor) has been doing it for nearly 4 years now and he’s definitely ready to party.  You may recall that Counterbalance’s Multipass IPA came in as one of the finalists during Novemberfest at Beveridge Place Pub late last year and now they have another Fifth Element inspired beer coming your way as they prepare to celebrate another trip around the sun.

Come join Counterbalance Brewing this Friday and Saturday, January 25th and 26th, as they celebrate their 4th Anniversary with some new and returning beer releases, including their 4th Anniversary Big Bada Boom Hazy Double Mango IPA and 2019 Bourbon Barrel Kushetka Imperial Stout aged in 2Bar Spirits Bourbon Barrels.

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Aslan Brewing Is Coming To Seattle

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Even though we have a large number of breweries right here in Seattle, many of us often take trips away from the city to explore breweries farther away or perhaps to visit some favorites we’ve found on previous craft beer excursions.

One popular destination for those leaving Seattle on one of these excursions is the city of Bellingham, WA.  I myself am a big fan of many Bellingham breweries including: Wander, Kulshan, Chuckanut, Structures and, of course, Aslan.  Well, if Aslan Brewing Company is on your list of favorite Bellingham breweries, then I’ve got some great news.  This Summer, Aslan will open a location in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood.

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Get Your Tickets Now For Pike Brewing’s Annual Chocofest

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Are you still searching for the perfect Christmas gift for that special someone? How about Valentine’s Day?  Have you thought about that yet? Yeah, I know. It’s still two months away but hear me out.  What if you could kill 2 birds with one stone?  Does your significant other enjoy craft beer? How about wine? How about spirits? How about small bites from top local restaurants? How about chocolate!? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then tickets to Pike Brewing Company‘s annual Chocofest might be just the gift you’ve been searching for.

Chcofest seems to grow bigger each year and is Pike’s most popular annual event. That’s why, in order to accommodate the more than 900 expected attendees, this year’s Chocofest will encompass all three levels of Pike including the brewery, the Pike Pub and Tankard & Tun.

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