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StahlBro
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Jun 23, 2014 - 07:52am PT
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khanom,
It is a great spot isn't it ;-)
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Chaz
Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
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Jul 30, 2014 - 09:10pm PT
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This stuff's pretty good:
( the Maximus, that is. I haven't tried their Cappuccino Stout, but I'm sure it's also damn good )
The best beer today was the one I had with my dog, at the brewery.
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Five or ten years ago, opening a small brewery might have led you to both commercial success and personal satisfaction.
Now? Not likely. Over the last few years new breweries have opened on every second block in every city and town on the Pacific coast with a population of more than three people and a dog. Some of them are chasing their dream, some are just trying to cash in on a trend, but almost all of them are going to be disappointed. Trailing-edge capitalism.
But last week Mari had a taste of a beer from some brewery she'd never heard of, and liked it so much she brought a growler home. I liked it just as much, and yesterday, driving home from Squamish to Seattle we stopped at the brewery in the little town of Arlington, about 40 miles north of Seattle.
We followed directions on the cellphone map, to this place
This is a brewery?
Wait. Look over there...
So we walked in, through the big truck door, and...
Sixteen taps -- all brewed on-site -- and a kitchen, too. We ordered a six-glass sampler, and Mari asked for a cobb salad.
The salad was good. Not great, but pretty good for a brewhouse in Nowhere, WA. The beer, on the other hand, was off-the-charts excellent. We took a random six samples, including styles neither of us is keen on, and every single one was superb.
And the view, from the very long and very narrow counter we parked ourselves at, was interesting.
They aren't bottling anything, and distribution is still limited to eight or ten pubs in the Seattle area. Big loss for everywhere else, because this is some of the best beer we've ever had -- led by their double IPA, which makes beers like Pliny the Elder seem like what you'd drink if you couldn't get the real thing.
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Chaz
Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
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Thanks for tracking that place down, Ghost.
I'll in that general area day-after-tomorrow, I'll have to check it out.
Next time you're up in Nowhere, WA, try Birdsview Brewery near Concrete on Hwy 20. The food's not so great, but you can sit outside and watch the eagles while enjoying a fine brew.
The PNW is definitely Beer Country! I don't know of a better region for beer in the U.S.
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Next time you're up in Nowhere, WA, try Birdsview Brewery near Concrete on Hwy 20.
What's old is new again.
Chaz, you mentioned Birdsview in this very thread three years ago. And I replied:
We stopped in not long after they opened. When Bill found out that we brewed, he dragged us into the back and I think it was half an hour before we got back out to the dining room.
Nice people, and decent food and beer. Maybe not the best brewpub in the world, but worth stopping in if you happen to be in the neighborhood when you're hungry/thirsty.
Skookum Brewing in Arlington may not have better food (i.e. good, but not great), but the beer is on a whole other level.
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Skookum Bump...
Speaking of which, a couple of their beers, including the double IPA, are on tap at a pub pretty close to your place (and close to Wayno, as well). Visit Tippe and Drague. 3315 Beacon Ave S, just south of where Beacon crosses 15th.
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apogee
climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
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Which brewery let you visit with your pup, Chaz?
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Ghost, I looked up that Spanish stuff with the frog name which turns out to be Catalan.
It is available at a zillion joints in New York, and Washington state, but you already knew that.
I'm bummed and, boy, are they gonna hear about it.
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Chaz
Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
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Apogee,
That was Lagunitas in Petaluma.
They didn't just let me bring the dog, I understood it was mandatory.
My first visit there a few years ago, I drove around until I found a spot in the shade to park, and left the dog in the truck. One of the parking lot attendants saw me walking toward the brewery without my dog, and told me to go back and get her, and take her in with me. I didn't feel like I had a choice!
The food menu at Lagunitas is kind of an afterthought, but they had a LIVE band playing in the afternoon. And the beer was really good.
Today, I hung out at Rouge Brewing right on the river in Astoria.
It was a good place to wait for favorable wind conditions ( which never materialized, I'm working double hard earning my KAP shots this trip ). The beertender handed me a sample of their smoky hoppy brew right when I sat down. I don't remember what it was called exactly, but it tasted like scotch.
I left with a bottle of this...
... which I'm going to crack tonight right after I get back from running the streets of Long Beach ( WA ).
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apogee
climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
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Sounds like my kinda brewery, Chaz.
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apogee
climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
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Just washed down one of their IPA's from TJ's. I think my house is the happiest place on earth!
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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It's the Happiest Place On Earth. Disneyland and Tijuana have nothing on this place.
Washington (honorarily including Portland) truly is the happiest place on earth for a beer lover. Maybe in a few years the center of the beer universe will shift, but right now...
And Chaz, for whatever it's worth, the Skookum Brewing website has an entire section devoted to dogs (http://www.skookumbrewing.com/Photos/tabid/236/AlbumID/674-6/Default.aspx);
Let us know how your visit turns out.
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Chaz
Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
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I've only traveled the West Coast, but if there's a better beer region in the U.S. than the Pacific Northwest, I haven't heard of it.
This is definitely Beer Country.
Little towns that don't merit a streetlight have a brewery - or two. And I've yet to visit a crappy one.
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apogee
climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
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And the pub scene blows the doors off of So Cal. There are soooo many great neighborhood pubs in the PNW...places where the locals frequent, eat good food, talk about their day & their job & their family & whatever...and slake it all with incredibly good beer.
Much as I'm dug into my local area, the PNW is verrrry enticing.
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Aug 13, 2014 - 01:42pm PT
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mouse bring a few of these.
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