Seattle, Washington Breweries and Pubs

There's more to Washington State than apples, software, and airplanes. In addition to a surprisingly diverse wine country, eastern Washington has the perfect climate for growing hops. The flower, or cone, of a perennial vine that can grow up to 25 feet tall, hops gives beer its flavor. The Yakima Valley produces 75 percent of the country's crop because of its moist spring and long, dry summer - the perfect growing conditions.

With an ample supply of hops conveniently located, the Seattle area has many microbreweries and brewpubs. There are some national chains with outlets in and around the city, but many are unique to Seattle, Washington.

Hale's Ales began as an idea in the early 80's. Mike Hale, founder and president of the company, was bicycling in southern England where he fell in love with the traditionally brewed ales. He spent several months learning the brewing techniques and in 1983, he established his first brewery in Colville, WA. His flagship beer, Hale's Pale American Ale, was the first microbrewed pale in the Northwest and continues to be a top-seller. A second brewery was opened in Kirkland in 1986, but it was moved to the Fremont neighborhood a few years later. Today all of the brewing, about 20,000 barrels annually, is done in Fremont.

The pub is open seven days a week and offers a full menu featuring local products. There is a weekend brunch menu as well as a daily happy hour. Every few weeks sees the introduction of a new Side-by-Side tasting - samples of three or more of the same beer type from craft breweries all over the world. Kegs are available and several varieties of Hale's beers are bottled and offered in 6-packs. A brewery warehouse, known as The Palladium, hosts several events a year including live music. The pub is located at 4301 Leary Way and can be reached at 206-706-1544.

Elliott Bay Brewing has two locations; West Seattle and Burien. Originally opened in 1997, it now produces about 46,000 gallons of beer annually. Doug Hindman has been the head brewer for more than a decade and Elliott Bay is the first brewery in the state to receive USDA Organic certification for several of its beers. The pub also has organic tea and locally roasted organic coffees on its menu. The company is not only eco-friendly, but a good neighbor as well, supporting several local non-profit organizations and worthy causes.

The pubs are family-friendly and even offer a child menu. Most of the food is made from scratch and the adult menu features award-winning gourmet burgers made from all-natural beef, chicken breast or vegetarian garden patty. In addition to year-round favorites, the brewery also produces seasonal and cask beers - unfiltered and unpasteurized beer, conditioned and served from a cask without additional nitrogen or carbon dioxide pressure. Many of the house beers are IPAs - a style of beer originally brewed in the 1700 and 1800's for the soldiers occupying India. IPAs are generally very hoppy beers, because they had to travel a long distance and hops are a natural preservative.

Both locations have a daily happy hour and the Burien pub, at 255 SW 152^nd Street, offers a weekend brunch with blueberry pancakes, biscuits and gravy, and other favorites. A limited number of kegs are available in each city with beers they have in surplus, but special orders can be arranged with enough notice. Call 206-246-4211 for more information.

Charles Finkel, founder of Pike Brewing, and his wife, Rose, owned the first boutique wine distribution company in the United States. After selling it to Ste. Michelle Winery in Woodinville, WA and assisting in the estate chateau design, beer-lover Finkel went in search of beer distribution opportunities. The couple had wanted to open a brewery for years and in 1989, their dream became a reality.

The Pike Place Brewery was one of the smallest in the country, but definitely state-of-the-art and several of their original beers were award winners. The brewery moved to the current location, 1415 1^st Avenue in Seattle, and the Seattle Microbrewery Museum took up residence at the back entrance to Pike Pub. The Finkels sold the company in 1997, but bought it back in 2006.

The pub opens at 11am daily and offers a "hoppy hour" Monday through Friday. Another family-friendly pub, there is a kids' menu with hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken tenders. Adults can enjoy gourmet meals created by head chef, Gary Marx. Reservations for dinner as well as for tours of the brewery can be made by calling 206-622-6044. Pike Brewery also has private rooms available for rent and they will happily help plan events. If you need a unique gift for your wedding party or guests, several of their beers can be bottled with neck labels customized featuring the bride and groom's name and the date of the wedding.

Pyramid Brewery has several locations, but Seattle is the original. Founded as Hart Brewing in Kalama in 1984, the company owned Thomas Kemper until 2007 when the soft drink maker was sold to Adventure Foods of Portland, Oregon. Hart changed its name to Pyramid, after its best-known brand, in 1996.

It used to feature one the largest selections of beer types among a single brewer, but has trimmed its selection to only six styles, three of which are wheat ales. In addition to year-round selections, it also offers rotating seasonal beers and this year is introducing the Ignition Series, a line of unconventional beers. The first in the series, Barbed Wire, is an Imperial Hefeweizen. The house brews are bottled and available in 6- or 12-packs at various retail locations including the alehouse gift shops.

Located on 1^st Avenue, near Safeco and Qwest Fields, the Seattle site is a great place for drinks and a bite before or after the big game. Lunch and dinner reservations can be made by calling 206-682-3377 and there are private rooms that can accommodate up to 200 people. The menu features standard pub fare as well as pizza and specialty sandwiches. Free tours of the brewery take place at 4pm every day and trivia contests are held every Tuesday at 7:30.

Redhook Brewery was founded in 1981 by Paul Shipman and Gordon Bowker. Their first ale was modeled after spicy Belgian ales and Seattle drinkers called it "banana beer" due to its banana-like flavor. They didn't even sell 1,000 barrels that first year.

In 1983, the Blackhook Porter was introduced followed by Ballard Bitter in 1984. It was then that the 5,000 square-foot brewery found itself over capacity and was moved to a new location - a 26,000 square-foot building that had formerly housed the Seattle Electric Railway. Their most famous beer, ESB, began production in 1987. It's modeled after and named for the "extra special bitters' that are served in UK pubs and was a gold medalist in the 2009 Great American Beer Festival. In 1988, Redhook opened a Woodinville location followed by another in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The ales can be found in nearly every state in the US due to partnerships with several distributors.

The Forecaster's Pub in Woodinville opens at 11am every day and offers a pub-style menu that features burgers, sandwiches and other entrees. Three unique beers are brewed just for the Forecaster's Pub. Tuesdays are trivia night and live music is featured every Friday and Saturday. On Thursdays during the summer months, the brewery shows movies on a 55-foot inflatable screen in The Bowl, its outdoor amphitheater.

Tours are offered for $1 per person. They take about an hour and include up to five samples of beer, along with a souvenir glass. The brewery and pub is located at 14300 NE 145^th Street; call 425-483-3232 for more information.

The local breweries are great places to try new beers, but even if you're not a beer-drinker, they have delicious food to enjoy. So, gather your family and friends and head out to the pub.