#beer

Post Doc combines it all... beer, dogs and families!

Seattle area is one of the beer richest area in the United States. The metropolitan area comes with 174 breweries being #1 in the entire country. Within the state borders we have 337 breweries and land in the 3^rd place. To me, that is pretty cool! Guess how many times have I told my European or Scandinavian friends that beer over here doesn’t mean Bud Light or Coors, that us Washingtonians, we take beer seriously. Don’t get me wrong, there is a place for that bottle of Bud when the scorching sun fries your back in the summer – well, maybe.

Every Saturday we throw a growler in the car, and as we run errands, preview homes and do the usual “Saturday stuff”, we also pick a brewery to visit. At times it’s one of the local, good’ol friends but most weeks we try to find something new, whether close by or somewhere a tad further away. Using an app on the phone to find them, we have landed at some pretty awesome places, whether in or out of state.

Yes, the three kids come in tow and while we sample beers or just pick a pint, they order their root beers and pick a game to play. Sometimes they read books, but most times they’ll find a board game to play in the tap room, while we enjoy our moment of relaxing. Before we leave, we fill the growler or most weekends just a half growler to be enjoyed later. On a Saturday afternoon tap rooms are filled with families, some come with dogs too. The best example of this is the Post Doc Brewery right next to the entrance to Marymoor Park in Redmond. One rainy winter afternoon, we counted ten wet dogs inside the packed tap room. Outside they had a two food trucks, one serving Mexican, the other one dog treats. Most places we go are somewhere between small and tiny. Sometimes just a garage that a beer lover has devoted to his craft, brewing the perfect beer. Rarely are we talking about a bigger place like Bellevue Brewing Company, and for me, however much I love the Forcaster’s Pub at Redhook, I really don’t consider visiting them a brewery visit.

I never drank beer prior to moving to the Pacific Northwest. I detested beer, and would much rather have a glass of water or soda, if wine wasn’t available. But even then, beer was everywhere and more than just a drink in your glass it was a lifestyle. I felt quite left out being unable to compare IBU’s and hops, and was quite frankly surprised when I learned that our state is literally world famous for its hops in both quality and quantity. So, I had to practice. I started with amber ales, soft and smooth without bitterness. I fell in love with unfiltered wheat beers with a slice of orange in the summer and eventually came the bitters, the hoppy IPA’s.

5 Rights is still a garage brewery

I have so many personal favorites that listing them would be way too tough, so I will give you no ranking order, but if you haven’t visited these I would consider them worth a visit.

Post Doc – Redmond

Mac & Jack’s – Redmond

Black Raven – Redmond (no kids)

Hi-Fi – Redmond

Geaux – Bellevue

Bellevue Brewing Company – Bellevue (good place for dinner too!)

Big Block – Sammamish (no kids)

Triplehorn – Woodinville

Dirty Bucket – Woodinville

5 Rights – Marysville (it’s a garage)

Buoy Beer – Astoria, OR

Astoria Brewing Co – Astoria, OR (dinner or lunch)

Seaside Brewing Co – Seaside, OR (dinner or lunch)

Public Coast – Cannon Beach, OR (dinner or lunch)

…and so many others!